A Basic Shopping List

Before the tutorials and product reviews begin I just wanted to give you a little list of things to gather in preparation for making your own personalised jewellery.  I think we will start with glass tile pendants as the materials are easy to come by.  But first of all, do check in your cupboards, as you may already have some of these bits!  

You will need:

• clear glass tiles or cabochons
• glue-on bails or a pendant tray
• the images that you want to use
• Mod Podge or decoupage glue or PVA (craft) glue - you will use this to seal your images
• Diamond Glaze - this is a clear resin-like glue that shows a clear image through the glass
• toothpicks/lolly sticks
• a cheap small brush
• strong glue like E6000 or superglue (if using the bails)
• a chain/necklace for the pendant

What if you don't have all of those materials?  well obviously my shop will be happy to help!  Thinking laterally can usually help - maybe you don't have a glass cabochon, but do you have any old mosaic pieces?  so you have no bail - do you have a small metal disc into which you can punch a hole for a jump ring?

A word about materials - experimenting is key!  different papers and different inks react with the sealants and glues in different ways, so be prepared to try this out a few times before you get the process right for your chosen materials.  As such, you can try different products and brands until you find something that you are happy using.  What I intend to do here is to give you a "recipe" that works for the most part - however some inks can be unpredictable, so do please gather a bit of extra material for your experiments. I will talk more about different materials and products and how they work, and I intend to tell you all about my failed attempts too (and there have been many!) so you can avoid my mistakes.

In fact, now you have all your materials together, then now might be a good time to do some of the preparation work.

First of all, cut out a few of the images to the size of the glass you intend to use, and coat them with your choice of sealant.  I like to use ModPodge, but you can try different products.  If you have some kids PVA glue, then mix some with a bit of water and it makes a pretty good sealant, even if it does not give the most professional finish.

Coat your image with the sealant about three times per side letting it dry well in between coats.  Once the final coat is applied, leave it alone to dry completely.  After 24 hours.check it for any ink runs, see if it's a good even finish and make sure there are no gaps in the covering.  And get ready to use the rest of your materials!