Holiday DIY Jewellery: Resin Christmas Tree Earrings Made with Nail Foils

If you're a resin crafter and love visiting the nail salon for that perfect manicure, then it's time you started looking at all the cute little tools and supplies your nail technician is using. She might try to convince you that they're only for nails, but after years of having my nails done, I can tell you, they're not only for nails; they are fantastic tools to add to your resin crafting kit!

Those perfectly crafted petite nail supplies and tools make precision tools that are just the right size for crafting resin jewellery, giving you so many more creative options. And what's more, they are really easy to find online and in discount variety stores. Nail supplies should be in everyone's resin crafting kit! 

Today, I'm sharing a tutorial on how to use several of those supplies to create a pair of really cool resin Christmas Tree earrings for the holidays. I've got lots of expert tips to share about choosing a mould for your Christmas Tree base, as well as my top tips for getting the best results with UV resin. Plus, I've put together a list of all the supplies you'll need to make these wonderfully festive holiday earrings.

These are the Supplies You'll Need for this Project

• Silicone triangle mould - see my tips below for choosing a base triangle
• Epoxy resin
• UV resin
• Gold leaf
• Metal leaf sizing
• Christmas-themed nail foils
• Nail art foil glue
• Paintbrush
• UV Nail lamp
• Drill (required if you don't have holes at the top and bottom of your triangles)

A note about UV nail lamps:
I've tried many nail lamps over the years, both the old-style lamps with the UV tubes and the newer type with LED lights. I've tried hand-held LED torches and also mini lamps. I've used everything from 9 watts up to 36 watts, and in the end, I still find the old-fashioned ones with UV tubes do a better job at curing the resin. By all means, use the LED variety (they're easier to find!), but my personal preference is the style with UV tubes.

Tips for Choosing a Triangle Mould

1. My mould is a wind chime mould, which is why it has lugs at the top and bottom for hanging. That makes it ideal for this project, but a triangle jewellery mould will also work, even if it doesn't have lugs for the holes. Just make sure that your mould has a matching pair of triangles, or buy a second mould like I did.
2. If your mould doesn't have lugs, you can drill the holes later using a small battery-operated drill or a rotary drill for jewellery making. 
3. When choosing your mould, look for a mould that is only 3mm deep so the earrings aren't too bulky. This will also reduce the size of the jump rings you'll need to connect the components during assembly of your earrings. 
4. Don't have resin skills yet? Then try this option: purchase clear acrylic blanks or even wooden blanks and apply UV resin over the top of the nail foils to seal them.

You can cast the triangles with either epoxy or UV - both work equally well. The triangle I chose measures 30mm x 33mm (1-3/16" x 1-5/16"). I didn't photograph pouring the resin (sorry!), but once you've got your base triangles, continue from here.

How to Make Resin Christmas Tree Earrings

In this stage, you'll apply gold leaf to the edges for a professional finish, followed by the nail art film and finally, a top coat (doming layer) of UV resin for a glossy finish.

Step 1. Applying Metal Leaf Adhesive to the Edges

Paint the sides of each triangle with metal leaf size and allow the adhesive to dry until it becomes clear and tacky. The instructions will tell you approximately how long that is.

Step 2. Finishing the Edges with Gold Leaf

Apply the gold leaf to all the sides of the triangles and burnish it lightly with your finger. Use a stiff paintbrush to brush off the excess and tidy up the edges. If any stray bits stick to the front/back of the resin, use a piece of adhesive tape to remove them.

Step 3. Applying the Nail Foil Adhesive

Paint a thin, even layer of nail foil glue to one side of each triangle and let it dry according to the instructions on the bottle. Every brand is different; some will advise leaving it until it dries clear, while others recommend placing it under a nail lamp for 30 seconds. 

Step 4. Applying the design.

This is the fun part... select your favourite Christmas design. I chose the ornaments on the black background.

Once you've chosen the design you like, work out the placement of the design. Place it on the triangle, lining it up carefully because you won't be able to reposition it once it contacts the adhesive. Burnish it onto the resin with your finger or with a silicone nail sculpting tool.

Slowly peel away the nail foil backing to reveal the design on the triangle.

Step 5. Apply Doming Resin over the Holiday Earrings

Apply an even layer of UV resin across the triangles to protect the nail foil design. If there are any bubbles, pop them by briefly passing a BBQ lighter across the surface. 

Cure the triangles in a UV nail lamp for the recommended time specified by the resin manufacturer. Check that they're not tacky, and then repeat the process on the other side of the triangles to make them double-sided.

Step 6. Drill Holes for Assembly

If your triangles don't have holes, now is the time to drill them. If you don't know how to, watch me drill holes through resin in this video.

How to Assemble Your Christmas Tree Earrings

Supplies for Assembling the Earrings
2 x Christmas-themed resin triangles

2 x gold stud star earrings with loop

2 x filigree gold basket bead caps

2 x 8mm gold jump rings (needed if using the same mould as me)

2 x 6mm gold jump rings (OR, use 4 x 6mm jump rings if your holes are closer to the top of the triangle)

2 x 31mm gold head pins

Tools: round nose pliers; chain nose pliers; flat nose pliers; side cutters.

1. Connect the triangle to the star post back - Open the 8mm jump ring (or 6mm jump ring if your holes are close to the top of the triangle), and insert it through the triangle top. Hook it through the loop of the star stud, making sure that the star faces the front. Close the jump ring. You can see how to open and close jump rings properly here.
2. Turn a simple loop (learn how here) - Insert an eye pin through the bottom of a filigree basket bead cap. Turn a right angle as close to the hole as you can. I find this easier using flat nose pliers to get a sharp bend.
3. Trim the eyepin to about 10mm (3/8") and create the loop with the round nose pliers.
4. Connect the triangle to the basket - Open a 6mm jump ring and insert it through the bottom hole of the triangle and then hook on the basket bead cap. Close the jump ring and then do the same thing with the remaining components to create a matching earring.

Now have fun these holidays wearing your gorgeous resin and nail foil Christmas Tree earrings!

More Nail Foil Holiday Earring Ideas 

If you're short on time these holidays, or don't want to make your own earring base using resin, here's a shortcut. This idea uses an acrylic ornament blank as the base. Mine is black but you can use any colour that suits your nail art foils.

For this idea, you need the same materials, with the exception of the epoxy resin and the triangle mould. I added a couple of mini stars and 3 clear flatback crystals to each piece to give it some pop, and  I also swapped out the gold leaf for silver leaf because it worked better with the nail foil images I chose.

The first thing you'll notice about acrylic blanks is that they come with a paper skin on both the front and the back to protect them from scratches. Use your fingernail or a toothpick to lift the edge and peel off the front only so the back is still protected while you work.

Now, follow the steps above. 

I swapped steps 3-4 with steps 1-2, so I ended up with a bit of stray silver leaf on the front edges. It gave the images a vintage look, which I rather liked, so I left it.

The assembly for these earrings is very straightforward. I chose a glittery acrylic circle for the top and glued on an earring post with 5-minute epoxy. Once it had dried, I connected the two pieces together with an 8mm jump ring. Simple!

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Happy Resining!


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