In a Pickle

Dear Friends,

As I have mentioned previously, one of the major products in my Etsy shop are glass dome pendants containing vintage sheet music, dictionary entries, and Bible verses. As a self-proclaimed "craft cripple," who can barely cut paper in a straight line, I believed that this craft promised to be simplistic, yet rewarding. Thus far, I have been incredibly wrong. I have been running into a variety of issues while making my glass dome pendants. In nearly every necklace I have made to date, air bubbles pop up under the glass after a day or two; in addition, a glittery veneer is speckled across the image, giving the necklace a tacky appearance. 

Air Bubbles

Note the glittery veneer above the word "shines."

These small problems were frustrating and my family and I spent much time debating if they lowered the quality of the products. At the end of the day, my perfectionist tendencies got the better of me, and I decided I had to find a solution to the problem. My Mom and I got together, brainstormed the variables that could be causing the problems, and designed an experiment. Only two women with degrees (or pursuing degrees) in the sciences would create a trial-and-error process to find a solution to a crafting problem.

The experiment

We divided the variables into three major categories: Sealant, Adhesive, and Process. We tested sheet music that was sealed in packing tape and sheet music that was not sealed at all. In addition, we sealed the paper with Modge Podge. The four adhesives tested were Sun and Moon Glaze, E-6000, a generic Glass and Bead Craft Glue, and Modge Podge.

Finally, a variety of processes were used. In the first process, we "floated" the glass dome and adhesive onto the sheet music; we did not press down, but simply let the dome sit on top of the sheet music. In the second process, we pressed the glass dome and adhesive down onto the sheet music and held it for approximately one minute. Finally, we pressed the glass dome and adhesive down onto the sheet music, held it for approximately one minute, and placed a weight on top of it. As you can see, we got a little creative, using jars of salsa and pickles!

Wish us luck in figuring out the solution to our crafting pickle!

Words Truly,

Maggie