DIY: Scrapbook Collage Pendant

It's Spring Break here so I've got more time than usual to work on some fun little projects... hence, another DIY!  I happened upon this miracle product at Hobby Lobby last week:

YIPPEE!!!  I have been looking for this stuff forever... no clue what I was planning to DO with it, but it just looks like fun.  The trick to the MAGIC is it creates a thick, completely clear layer over your project that gives it dimension (hence, the name)... great for jewelry, etc.  As a practice I tried making some bottle cap magnets... first lesson learned, I needed to glue the fabric down to the bottom of the cap.  It still worked, but some of the fabric "floated" up a bit...

Did some research and found a project to make Collage Charms with Family Photos... oh, this got me thinking... and headed straight to the craft store.

The pendant was on the clearance rack (don't you just LOVE the clearance rack!) for $2.50.  It is mirrored, but the plan is to cover that up with some of that cool scrapbook paper, a pic of my kids and one or two of those stickers.  The stickers are those nifty raised plastic bubble type.  The key to the pendant is that it has a slightly raised edge, so when I cover it with the Dimensional Magic there will be a lip to keep it from overflowing.

Searched around on my computer until I found a couple of digital pics of my kiddos from the beach and printed them off in various sizes on a piece of card stock.  After a few trial and error attempts at cutting a circle to fit inside the pendant, I created this little scrapbook style collage...

The pic is from one of our beach photo sessions in which I torture my children to get that perfect Christmas card photo... SMILE, DON'T SQUINT, PUT YOUR ARM AROUND YOUR SISTER! Anyway... the "Joy" and flower stickers are from K&Company and I will use the rest of them in other projects.  I did tack the paper and photo down this time with a glue stick to avoid the floating issue.

Now comes the MAGIC... I didn't get a pic of this part, but here is one of a bottle cap after I filled it... wanted you to see it because it might freak you out when you pour it in the first time... TOTALLY cloudy and looks like you just ruined your project, but I PROMISE this stuff dries completely clear.

Now the hard part... set it someplace that your dog or cat or toddler (or husband who gets tired of your crafty messes) won't pick it up or bump it and leave it COMPLETELY alone for at least 24 hours.  This is torture for me because not only am I a messy crafter, I am ridiculously impatient.  When I did the bottle caps I was checking them and Dear Daughter yelled at me... MOM, it's only been TWENTY MINUTES.  Sometimes we have a serious case of role reversal...

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Ok... now, here is the thing about trying new craft projects.  TRIAL AND ERROR.  I didn't snap to the fact that the pendant had a crack between the frame and mirror for the Magic to seep through... so I didn't get quite the "bubble" I was hoping for over my collage, although it did end up with a nice coating.  Also, the pic smeared... which really bummed me out but Dear Daughter says she likes it that way, makes it look old and artsy.  Ok, I'll go with that... ha!   I'm going to try again now that I've learned a few lesssons.  Back to the craft store... I LOVE spring break!