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Pop quiz: What's clear, comes in a squeeze bottle, and can transform into jewelry, coasters, paperweights, and more?
You guessed it—UV resin!
There are SO many things you can make with UV resin and a little bit of creativity. Here are 16 inspiring UV resin ideas to get you started.
Find Awesome UV Resin Ideas For Your Next Project
Looking for inspiration? We've rounded up some of the best UV resin ideas from our website and other creative people on the internet. With this list, you'll have no shortage of craft ideas to work with.
#1 - Drop Earrings
Look at these gorgeous teardrop-shaped earrings crafted by Ciurihandmade on Etsy. A pair of earrings like these would add a beautiful finish to any outfit.
The great thing about UV resin is that you can add little items like dried flowers, glitter, baubles, or beads to make your designs unique.
If you're interested in making your own dried flower jewelry, check out our DIY crafting guide that outlines the exact steps to your own bezel jewelry.
#2 - Dog Tags
Your furry friend is way too special to wear some generic pet tag from the store. With resin, you can create custom tags with colors and decorations that sum up your pet's personality to a tee.
This design by BanditPups Boutique on Etsy takes inspiration from Harry Potter for a dog tag that's fit for a magical pup (just don't let the Muggles know). You can find a similar acrylic blank in our UV Resin Starter Kit.
(Psst... Did you know you can also make pet tags with sublimation? It's one of our favorite sublimation craft ideas.)
#3 - Gel Pens
Pens are a great way to practice your UV resin skills. They also make great teacher, student, and writer gifts—or for anyone who loves to write!
Some ideas: Customize your UV resin with glitter, pigments and dyes, or stick little beads and accessories on the outside before curing for a 3D look.
Want to make one for yourself? We've got you covered with the Crafter's Gel Pen. Just make sure to sand it down before you apply resin.
#4 - Keychains
Keychains come in all shapes and sizes. They're fun to make as a couple gift, for party favors, or as merch for a growing business. These keychains from The Phoenix Gifts on Etsy are elegant and sweet with a little bit of green dye and some dried daisies.
Here's what you need to make your own: a clear, acrylic blank and some add-ins for your design. We've got blanks in fun shapes like a puzzle piece, tumbler, ribbon, and more! Make sure to grab a pack of keychain rings, too!
#5 - Necklaces
A simple pendant or charm made with UV resin can double as a beautiful necklace, like this one from Dream A Little Bigger. We also sell dried flowers that can be used for this. Give it as a gift, sell it in your shop, or create one-of-a-kind accessories for your own closet!
👉 Ready to start making your own crafts with UV resin? Check out our UV Resin Starter Kit, which has everything you need to get started right away.
#6 - Coasters
Coasters, like this one from made with UV resin, glitter, and dried flowers on top of a wood bark slice, can provide a pop of color to your desk or a fun accent to a special event, like a birthday party or wedding. Since they're flat, they're a great candidate for UV resin.
#7 - Bookmarks
Currently devouring a good book? 📕 Try a UV resin bookmark to save your place. You could find a bookmark-shaped acrylic blank to create one. This example from Living Letter Home uses epoxy and a mold, but this could be done with UV resin and a bit of creativity, too!
Some ideas: Coordinate your bookmarks with your book cover's colors, add favorite quotes, or rip up pages of books to create a "book" bookmark! (If you can allow yourself to do that!)
#8 - Book Pendants
We love this adorable book pendant from Skinner Studio. Take a page from your favorite book, paste it on the bottom of a jewelry bezel, then fill it with UV resin before curing. (This craft originally used epoxy, but UV resin would also work!)
#9 - Holiday Ornaments
Whether the holidays are still a few months away, or is right around the corner, you can get started by making decorations for the tree with UV resin. We love this DIY holiday ornament from The Crafty Blog Stalker. You can make a similar one with this round acrylic blank.
You can also make a fun DIY ornament with wooden bark slices, glitter, and Christmas-inspired stickers!
#10 - Fountain Pens
This smart idea from Red Rocking Bird on YouTube explains how to make a fountain pen without any fancy molds.
And you know what? Something about writing with a fountain pen just makes everything feel more fancy! If you can get your hands on a large plastic straw and some fountain pen nibs, this craft will be a cinch to make.
#11 - Bracelets
Why stop at earrings and necklaces? You could create a charm bracelet or add a pendant to a chain for an elegant wrist accessory. We like this glittery bangle made by Holli Mostella on YouTube.
#12 - Hoop Earrings
Hoop earrings are fun to make with a dedicated mold, some bright colors, and some gold flakes! This is a UV resin hoop earring kit from Blue Moon Studio that gives you everything you need to make your own.
So if you want some new accessories, or you're looking to start an earring business, you can make it happen with this awesome material.
#13 - Photo Charms
If you print a tiny photo and put it onto the bottom of a bezel, you can create beautiful one-of-a-kind photo charms for a special gift! Here's a great example from Running With Sisters.
#14 - Customized Wooden Items
You can customize wooden items like this memory box or this hammer in our shop for customizing? It's best to engrave first, then fill with resin for a beautiful customized item, perfect for a gift or personalized home decor ✨
#15 - Alphabet Letters
These would make a cute set of decorations for a child's room or a fun toy to play with for older kids. Just make sure to keep these out of kids' mouths! This cute design is from Kelsey Bang (she used epoxy, but UV resin would work great for this, too!).
#16 - Wedding Favors
We love these beautiful wedding favors made with resin from Ayse on Etsy. While these are made with epoxy resin, you could also make something flat like this with UV resin and some of our heart-shaped acrylic blanks.
What is UV Resin?
UV resin is a type of chemical that comes in liquid form, but hardens into a solid object under UV light.
It's popular because it's easy to shape into objects, add colors, glitter, and other materials to make creative accessories and gifts.
Caution: UV resin is usually not food-grade, so it's not suitable for anything you'll use to eat and drink. Make sure to cover any utensils made for eating and drinking with food-grade epoxy resin instead.
Learn more about UV resin and how to use it in our get started guide.
Get Started With UV Resin Crafts
Which craft idea caught your eye? We can't wait to see what you create with UV resin. The sky's the limit!
If you're ready to begin, pick up our UV Resin Starter Kit to get you up and running quickly.
And be sure to join us in our Official Facebook Group, where you can ask questions of experienced crafters and MakerFlo staff and share your creations with the community! Not on Facebook? Find us on Instagram @makerflocrafts and tag us on your next project! ✨
Before you go, leave a comment and let us know - how has your UV resin experience been so far? Have you tried it yet? Planning to try? Any questions for us?
Happy Crafting! 🎨
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What's the difference between UV resin and epoxy resin?
UV resin is easier to use because it doesn't require mixing. All you need to do is pour it out of the bottle onto an acrylic blank or into a mold, then cure it with UV light (even sunlight works). It also cures faster, from 1 to 10 minutes per layer. (Check your manufacturer's instructions for the exact time.)
Epoxy, on the other hand, requires mixing two chemicals together. It doesn't cure with light and heat. Instead, you need to wait for it to harden over time. Usually this takes around 24 hours, or at least several hours per layer.
But while epoxy is more difficult and takes more time, it's more versatile and can be used for almost anything. On the other hand, UV resin can only be used for thin, flat objects or thin layers on round objects because UV light must penetrate the entire piece for it to fully cure.
We've written a full article comparing UV resin and epoxy resin, so read that next if you want to learn more.
What can I make with UV resin?
You can make jewelry, coasters, bookmarks, decorative items, and much, much more! Discover our full list of 16 ideas in the article above.
Is UV resin stronger than epoxy?
Epoxy is more durable than UV resin. On the flip side, UV resin is easier to work with.
What are the do's and don'ts of UV resin?
DOs: Do use UV resin with shallow, clear, molds, acrylic blanks, or bezels. Do use eye and hand protection and keep the room ventilated. DO NOTs: Do not use UV resin for items intended for eating and drinking, as UV resin isn't usually FDA-approved for those uses. Do not add too much pigment, or else the dark color will block the UV light and it won't cure properly.
Is UV resin cheaper than epoxy resin?
It's actually more expensive. Epoxy comes in a larger package, so it tends to cost less per milliliter than UV resin. Both have their advantages and disadvantages so it's best to choose based on the type of project you'd like to make.
