googly eye bangles

i always feel like somebody's watching me.

these silly bangles started when i purchased some eyes at a craft store.

i thought they would be an easy resin bangle component, but they kept acting like fools and floating around all over the place. it took some trial and error to get them to stay put- the key was using as little resin as possible, and letting it cure a bit to thicken before adding them.

• spray molds with release. mix up resin, and add a minimal drizzle to coat the bottom of the mold. let sit for about 20 minutes, to thicken.
• add eyes, pupil side down, to the molds. try to keep them evenly spaced (this can be difficult if there's too much resin and it's too soft). i used a toothpick with a little resin on it to grab the eyes and push them into the resin. let resin cure completely.
• mix up another batch of resin. if you want some space between the eyes (and a thicker bangle), add a layer of resin to the mold and cure. if you want the backs of the eyes to touch (and a thinner bangle), add just a drizzle of resin to the mold. apply the eyes, pupil side up, lining them up with the first row. this requires some careful watching, and maneuvering with a toothpick. even after i thought the resin was too hard to move, i had a couple slide around. let resin cure completely.
• mix up the final batch of resin, and add just enough to the mold to cover the eyes. the eyes on the bottom of the mold are close to the surface, so keep this layer as thin as possible. let cure completely.
• wrestle bangles out of the molds, and file and sand the sharp edges.

the black eyes have a layer of clear resin in the middle. the rainbow eyes are stacked right on top of each other. honestly, neither of the profiles interest me. i've failed repeatedly to get the eyes to face the sides, but i'll keep working on it. despite that, these are hilarious- and they sound like maracas!