Bring back the 90's with your own Tamagotchi Shaker Charm made with resin!
Tamagotchis were all the rage in the 90s. As an ode to my long-dead digital pets, I made this Tamagotchi-themed shaker charm. Needless to say, I am SO excited about it! Made with epoxy resin, this shaker can be used as a purse charm or keychain, and is a fantastic gift idea. There are quite a few steps in the process, but these charms are actually really simple to make and have adorable results! I hope you love this project as much as I do!!
New to resin? Here's a post all about getting started with resin!
What you will need to make your own Tamagotchi Resin Shaker Charm:
- EasyCast Clear Casting Epoxy
- Gloves, Mixing Cups, Stir Sticks
- Castin’ Craft Opaque Pigments - white
- Transparent Dye - green
- Fine Glitter – sea green, iridescent white, bubblegum pink
- Tamagotchi Shaker Silicone Mold
- Transparency Film
- Permanent Marker
- Fillers: Confetti Glitter, Micro-beads, etc
- Hand Drill Tool
- Unscented Baby Oil or Glycerin
- Oiler Bottle
- Super Glue
- Jewelry Bail
- Key Ring
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Slowly stir the resin mixture together with a stir stick for two minutes. Pour the resin into a clean mixing cup, and stir the resin again for another minute or two with a clean stir stick. Because my original Tamagotchi was green, I'm going to make this charm green, too! Add a drop or two of green transparent dye, and pour in a generous amount of sea green glitter. Stir together until evenly incorporated.
Use the stir stick to help you carefully fill the mold. If you want the charm to be two-toned (like mine), be careful not to fill the mold above the top of the square in the center. If you want the whole charm to be green, you can fill the mold the rest of the way to the top and skip the next step.
Pop any bubbles that rise to the top using a lighter or by blowing through a straw. Leave the resin to cure in an undisturbed area for 24 hours. You will know that the resin is completely cured when it is no longer tacky. **DO NOT REMOVE THE RESIN FROM THE MOLD!**
Mix up a batch of white resin the same way as the green, except using a drop of white opaque pigment and iridescent glitter. Pour the resin over the top of the cured green resin and fill up the mold the rest of the way.
Pop any bubbles that rise to the top using a lighter or by blowing through a straw. Leave the resin to cure in an undisturbed area for 24 hours.
Once the resin is completely cured, carefully remove the piece from the mold. I love the two-toned look with the Tamagotchi shape in green and the background in white!
The buttons in the mold needed to be filled, so I mixed up a tiny bit of resin and added a bunch of bubblegum pink glitter. I had some extra resin, so I also made a dog paw using a dog paw mold to add to the inside of the shaker. Let the resin cure completely.
Cut a small square of transparency film and place it on top of the charm. Carefully trace the square opening with a permanent marker. Cut a little bit outside of the traced square. Remove the marker lines with a little bit of alcohol and a lint-free cloth.
Fillers are what make shaker charms so much fun, and there are SO many options out there! You can use all kinds of chunky glitter, confetti glitter, micro-beads, small resin shapes (like the paw), and even tiny polymer clay creations. Get creative and have fun with it! Carefully pour all of your shaker filler elements into the open center of the charm.
Add a small amount of super glue to the sides, bottom, and about 3/4 of the top of the charm opening. Place the transparency film over top and press it down well. Be careful not to let any glue get on the inside of the opening with the fillers and that the edges of the transparency are completely glued down. If there are any gaps, the charm will leak!
To give the shaker charm a "waterfall" effect (the fillers slowly float up/down when shaken), you need to fill the charm with baby oil (I prefer unscented) or glycerin. Fill an oiler bottle with oil, and put the needle between the charm and the unglued part of the transparency film. Slowly squeeze the bottle to fill the charm with oil until it's almost full.
Take your time, and watch for any leaks. If you have a leak, stop squeezing the bottle immediately and carefully remove it. Wipe the oil up with a paper towel and add a little bit of glue to the leaking area. Wait for the glue to dry before adding more oil.
Once the charm is full, carefully remove the oiler bottle with the charm standing up (to keep the air bubble toward the top) and add a little bit of super glue to the opening using a toothpick. Let it dry completely, and then give the charm a good shake to test out the waterfall effect and repair any leaks, if necessary.
Lay the charm down on its back. Mix up a small amount of resin, but leave it clear. Carefully cover the top of the charm with resin without going over the edges. This will give your charm a domed top that also completely seals the opening of the charm.
Pop any bubbles that rise to the top using a lighter or by blowing through a straw. Leave the resin to cure in an undisturbed area for 24 hours.
To add a keychain:
Use a hand drill tool to carefully drill down through the top center of the charm. Place an eye pin into the drilled hole with a little bit of super glue to keep it in place. If you don't want to do this, you could instead turn the charm over and glue a bail to the back of the charm.
Hook a jump ring through the loop in the bail, and hook the key ring chain to the jump ring. Close the jump ring to connect the key ring to the charm. Now the keychain is ready to go!
This is such a unique gift idea that any 90's kid will love, and I think you will find that shaker charms can be a lot of fun to make. If you'd like even more resin project inspiration, come visit me at the Resin Crafts blog!
Use a hand drill tool to carefully drill down through the top center of the charm. Place an eye pin into the drilled hole with a little bit of super glue to keep it in place. If you don't want to do this, you could instead turn the charm over and glue a bail to the back of the charm.
Hook a jump ring through the loop in the bail, and hook the key ring chain to the jump ring. Close the jump ring to connect the key ring to the charm. Now the keychain is ready to go!
This is such a unique gift idea that any 90's kid will love, and I think you will find that shaker charms can be a lot of fun to make. If you'd like even more resin project inspiration, come visit me at the Resin Crafts blog!
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