Fun resin project with koi

Since I’m currently on a resin kick, I made up a few of these little koi ponds to use for gifts. It’s super easy, you just apply these layered stickers to succeeding layers of resin in the box.

I cut the frames from 1/8” Baltic birch, adding a cute fish icon from the Premium graphics to one side. I stuck the frame down to wide tape, sealing all sides well with tape, and poured thin layers of resin. The first layer was of fine white gravel. After that I stuck the layered stickers in the order indicated on the sticker sheet. There are about 5-6 layers of resin in each box. The resin I used was a 2-part epoxy and you have to let each layer cure for at least 12 hrs before adding another layer. So it took close to a week to do. If you try one of these project, a tip I discovered was that you float the sticker on a few drops of resin, which allows you to position it correctly over the one on the previous layer before sticking it down permanently. After final curing, I ran all sides on a belt sander to clean up char and resin drips. Also, after removing the tape from the bottom I added a thin layer of pale blue tinted resin on the bottom to smooth things out.