Epoxy Resin and a Good Book
“A book,” Stephen King once said, “is a uniquely portable magic.”
We share this quote because who could argue with it? After all, through their words, books take us to so many places with their words—fantastical places that exist only in our imaginations. If like us, you enjoy the magic that a good book offers just as we do, you might also enjoy learning about book-related resin crafts. When it comes to accessorizing your reading experience, the variety of crafts you can pursue is surprising!
Some popular epoxy applications we’ve encountered are lamps, personalized bookends, and bookmarks. We’ve even seen crafters create their own covers for notebooks, journals, and page holders! This post focuses on the first three book-related crafts and offers some tips for making your own.
Epoxy Resin Lamps
Crafters have truly reached new heights with epoxy resin lights. Continuously working to create unique sources of reading light, they’ve melded artisanal epoxy resin with wiring and lightbulbs to build lamps that are both functional and imaginative.
Epoxy lamps are as much works of art as they are works of purpose. We’ve seen many creations that mix mediums and techniques. We’ve also seen some beautiful resin and wood sculpture pieces that use natural items—such as branches, leaves, and pinecones—encased in resin as well as distinctive shapes and silhouettes. When these elements are combined with a chosen light source of, the various resulting shadows and patterns of light are fascinating.
Here’s just one example of a light source you can make with epoxy resin. This lamp was actually made in-house and has three different resin layers, similar to resin pyramids. If you want to learn more about how we made this lamp, please follow along with our video.
We’ve also experimented with encasing flowers in resin to create a super cute, super simple bottle-shaped resin flower lamp. Check out the video on how we made it and think about creating your own! What kinds of flowers would you include?
Epoxy Resin Custom Bookends
Many people take pride in filling up their bookshelves and displaying their personally selected collections. There’s nothing like owning a copy of your favorite novel, after all. If you enjoy showing off your books as much as reading them, consider customizing your bookcases. And what better way than by making your own handmade custom bookends?
You can purchase bookend molds online or, if you envision a specific shape, you can create your own design. Perhaps you want to embrace your inner goth with a set of spooky custom skull bookends or create a classical air by framing your books with miniature Greek columns. Honestly, with so many possibilities, it may be hard to decide.
Here’s an example of a multicolored bookend that some of us at ProMarine Supplies made using ProPour Casting Resin and a variety of different additives. To create this, we poured multiple layers of resin into a bookend mold, waiting for each layer to begin the curing process before moving on to the next.
Resin Bookmarks
To properly mark your place in your treasured books, you could use whatever’s lying around… or you could use your own resin bookmark! Epoxy resin bookmarks are a simple yet creative way to experiment with epoxy resin and make something you can use every day. Here are some tips that will help your creation process for more smoothly.
How to Make Resin Bookmarks Tips
To start, you will need to either purchase a pre-made resin bookmark mold or make your own. You can find a variety of bookmark molds online, ranging in both size and shape. Choose the one that works best for you. If you want to make your own mold, we recommend the Amazing Mold Maker from our friends at Alumilite!
We also encourage you to thoroughly read the instructions on your epoxy kit before starting on your resin bookmark, even if you have worked with resin before. This will help you understand how to work properly with the specific product and get the best results!
Of all ProMarine Supplies products, we most recommend ProArt Epoxy for this project, which is perfect for all kinds of artisanal and crafty applications that don’t require deeper pours, like most bookmarks. Our ProArt Epoxy also protects against corrosion, wear and tear, and moisture and is measured in a simple 1-to-1 ratio by volume.
Finally, if you want to attach a tassel or other ornament to the end of your bookmark, many pre-purchased molds include a hole for that purpose. However, you will need to purchase or make your own ornament, which is a great opportunity to further customize.
Resin Bookmark Ideas
The sky’s the limit when decorating your bookmark-to-be! You can mix and match colors that suit your aesthetic, add some glitter or gold flakes, or even encapsulate items. Item encapsulation is a little tricky because the space to work with is limited by the width of your bookmark. However, we’ve seen customers’ epoxy resin bookmark designs that include pressed flowers and even leaves. If you choose to include organic matter like leaves or flowers, however, you should consider drying them out first. This process takes some time, but it’s worth it to reduce the chance of pesky resin bubbles.
Many ProMarine Supplies customers have taken to creating their own book accessories. For further insights and inspiration, take a look at what they’ve made!
@jewel_of_hawaii calls upon the power of the moon with this sparkling pink pastel bookmark.
@creativeartistryshop’s resin bookmark features a variety of beautiful flowers, giving us a cottagecore vibe.
@resinistalisa‘s bookmark is pretty in pink, offering pressed peach blossoms between the pages.
And these are just a few of the possibilities!
Talk to Us at ProMarine Supplies
Feel free to contact us with any questions you have about using epoxy resin for these applications or others. You can also always visit our FAQs page to see what others have asked about and read our helpful tips.
If you’ve created a project with our products that you’d like to share with us, please contact us on one of our social media sites. We are truly inspired by the ideas developed by the resin crafting community can come up with!
Happy reading—and, as always, happy crafting!
