penguins on ice ornament

This ornament was a lot of fun to make because I was using materials I've never used before. I bought a set of four empty glass ornaments, little rocks, fake moss and polymer clay at Michael's. 

I made the penguins with the clay and baked them in my toaster oven. I colored them with Sharpies. Of course you could also use colored clay or paint. 

For the ice I used an acrylic water kit, which I bought from Amazon. It was really, really simple to use and a great alternative to more common resin kits, if you have not used them before. One thing I wish I had had, though, was a funnel to funnel the mixture into the ornament. If you try out this project, make sure you pick up a cheap funnel, one you won't use again, as the acrylic will likely ruin it.

Arrange the rocks and moss how you want them in the bottom of the glass ornament (careful! I broke my first one but dropping the rocks in a little too roughly, they're very fragile). Then mix your acrylic water according to the manufacturer directions and pour over your rocks and moss. Let sit, perfectly still, for at least 24 hours.

The hole to my ornaments was very narrow so I had to make sure my penguins would fit. I put them in by taping a piece of duct tape, sticky side out, to a pen. I dabbed a bit of hot glue on the bottom of the penguin, stuck its head to the tape, lowered it in, held it in place while the hot glue dried and then carefully pulled the pen off. It sounds silly and complicated but I swear it worked and I don't know how else I'd have done it. Tweezers might work but mine were not long enough.

I think that about covers it! You could do this with just about anything, I guess. Go crazy! If you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the comments!

Peace,
-A.