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Have you ever wanted to know how to create art with epoxy resin, but don't know where to start? Mermaid Trash Beginners Resin 101 will help you learn all the skills and information needed to begin working with resin as an art medium. Class lead by artist Lauren MacLeod. Get hands-on skills that you'll be able to use and take forward into your own fun and exciting journey with epoxy resins. Class is approx 2.5 hours at the Mermaid Trash studio in Coral Springs, Florida. Students will be given a printout of all course materials covered to take home. Resin projects made in class will consist of mini ocean wave cutting boards. (Projects must remain at the studio to cure and will be available for pickup after 24 hours.) Topics covered in class: What is epoxy resin? Differences between resins like casting and coating. Essential things to look for when buying epoxy resin. Proper safety measures. How to properly mix resin and hardener together. What surfaces you can pour resin on and how to prep them. Working temperatures and various resin tools that are needed to complete different projects. Curing times and how to care for your resin projects over time. Make sure to arrive 10-15 minutes before the start time and wear clothes/shoes you don't mind getting messy!

Need some help? Receive all the answers to your art and resin related questions, get help on a project, or just pick the brain of Mermaid Trash resident artist and owner, Lauren MacLeod. Meetings will be held via Zoom. A link will be sent directly to you once you book your day and time. If you are local, you may request an in person meeting via email to themermaidtrash@gmail.com once your session is booked.

The other night on IG live, I poured both my foam and lace white side by side to give you all a closer look at each pigment side by side, my process, and answer some important questions! Please feel free to drop your questions below if you have any! Happy pouring and use code savethesea to receive 10% off your next purchase on the Mermaid Trash website.

Being an artist is often times one of the most rewarding, yet stressful life experiences you can have. With the current consumer climate, the shift from hobbyist to maker can be daunting when you consider all the hats needed for successfully scaling your business. From content creator, to video editor, and public relations, it’s no surprise many businesses start off strong, only to fall due to unrefined foundations. In this blog post, you’ll learn a few guidelines of what it takes to develop the foundational understanding when starting the journey from worried hobbyist towards successful entrepreneur. 1. Keep Your Brand On Target Branding is the number one aspect of your business that can make or break your stride towards excellence. It takes time and effort to find and develop your voice, but this step is crucial when beginning the journey towards being a profitable product. Also, no one ever said your brand needs to be boring! Showcase your best work and show behind the scenes. Your brand should always represent both your work and your voice. Play to your strengths and don’t be afraid to take a chance. Failure is never the fall, it’s the decision to remain lying down after the decent. 2. Find Software and Platforms You Like and Stick With Them Marketing takes time and effort. It’s no surprise that those who do well, are those who stuck with it. Much like horseback riding, it’s not the years you’ve been around it, it’s the time spent in the saddle that makes the difference. With all the apps available at the touch of a button, it’s always wise to expect a learning curve. This is not a race, and remember to always do your best. Practice makes perfect, so take the time to learn your software to ensure you can move efficiently & with ease. Favorite Editing Apps: Canva (for marketing materials), InShot (for basic video editing and reels creation), Apple/Droid Screen Record (for music capture), Airbrush (for selfie editing), and Adobe Lightroom (for photo editing) 3. Be Authentic Don’t be afraid to show who you are. Be honest and don’t shy away from the weird, quirky, and unique parts of your true self. According to the official Instagram business blog, 90% of Instagram users follow a business, so why not yours? Your followers love your work because they connect to it. Determine what parts of your process you’re comfortable with sharing, and don’t worry about the rest. Write to your audience in your own voice. 4. Stay Up To Date With the competitive nature of social media, there’s always some new kind of bait n’ switch ready to grab the users attention. Watch for trends and then meditate on how to transpose them to work with your brand. You don’t need to dance, but maybe you have the perfect behind the scene shot to showcase trending music? Have a favorite thing you wear in studio? Make your own artist fashion expose. The possibilities are endless, but do what feels good to you. Play along, but pave your own lane. Also, pay attention to emotional shifts. With the world where it is, it’s no surprise many of us have coinciding weeks. If you notice a lot of trends have a melancholy feel, try posting sound advice you once received, or maybe a quote that always uplifts you. Controlling the narrative around your brand in response to collective stimuli is a major secret of how to engage your audience without making them uncomfortable. Favorite Trend Locators: Google Trends (for searching popular keywords), TikTok (to catch trends before they hit Insta), Sprout Social & Later Blogs (to stay up to date) 5. Don’t Be Afraid To Pivot Change is inevitable and your style will always naturally shift and evolve. Concentrate on where you’re going and don’t judge your past. According to Yelp, over half a million people started a new business venture during the pandemic. Does that mean you should stop? Absolutely not! Ride the wave of support and link up with others in your community who are of the entrepreneurial mindset. Together, we move forward. So go where your passion pulls you. 6. Continuous Growth Is Better Than Quick Fixes and Hacks Whatever you do, don’t buy followers. Not only can this cause your account to be banned on almost every platform, you’re also paying for useless vanity metrics. Vanity metrics do not equal sales. Ever. Engagement and conscious community building and involvement is the most lucrative way to spend your time. Sure, run ads if you have the financial ability to, but it’s not a requirement. Many people find success by simply spending an hour a day engaging with their curated audiences. Also, use what you have. If you only have so much time to spend, spend it on what you can. Only have an hour? Schedule what you can and spend the rest conversing. Too emotionally drained? No worries, we’ve all been there. Set the intention to seek out trends instead of mindless scrolling. Remember to invest in yourself, and do your best to choose when to over extend. The age-old rule of 80/20 still says it best. 80% of the time you shoot for the moon, 20% of the time, you spend among the stars. 7. Schedule & Delegate One of the hardest learning curves you will ever find when working for yourself is time management and delegation. In the amount of time and emotional energy you have spent procrastinating over the thing you hate most, you’ve now wasted 5 billable hours, with nothing to show. Contrary to popular belief, many people who procrastinate are not weak or lazy, they’re actually secret perfectionists who are simply afraid of failure before they even start. When you have the ability, pay people for what you hate. Have a teenager at home? Great! Have them do trend watch for you. Need content ideas? Do a poll in your stories. Being an entrepreneur is not about the money. Having the money buys the freedom so many of us strive for. Don’t shy away from your unique weakness. These processes will often times turn into some of your greatest strengths. The first step is acknowledging and moving forward without judgment. I may be bad at laundry, but I’m amazing at color palettes. Rely on your community. They are here to support you. Favorite Time Saving Tools: Trello (for organization & planning – ps. don't forget to look at the templates!), Facebook Creator Studio (now available for scheduling Facebook & Instagram posts), Later (for analytics, scheduling, and more), Fiverr & Upwork (for contracting out those pesky jobs you hate) In closing... Remember to stay true, persevere, and know you’ve got this. The world is your oyster, and I promise you can do it! In 5 years, you'll simply be 5 years older and upset you didn’t start now. Your art is beautiful, now is the time to show it to the world. ------------ About the author - Jupiter Jones - Digital Marketing & PR Consultant w/Boutique Brands Inc Jupiter has been a part of the Mermaid Trash family for an extended period of time. As one of Lauren's closest friends, she has been a valuable asset to the Mermaid Trash brand. From social strategy to email marketing, and more, Jupiter loves to play behind the scenes helping to make sure marketing and growth moves at a rapid, yet comfortable pace. Read her bio below: "Coming from an eclectic background of technology and real world experiences, I have spent over a decade curating, refining, and adapting not only my skillset but also my reality to ensure balance and compassion are always observed. I highly enjoy taking on obstacles and using both data and intuition to gravitate and execute projects to their most favorable outcome. To me growth is continuous and methodical and must be observed as a moving target. I have experience in a multitude of subjects ranging in social media, web development, and other online marketing practices. On a personal level I have come from a somewhat untraditional background that would include not only living on the road working renaissance fairs but also making every single AirTran truffle ever served on the airline. Through life experiences, I live to tell a story." Article exclusively written for and posted on Mermaid Trash - 08/2021

Here's my favorite way to prep my bigger canvases for pouring resin on top of, and to get rid of/or prevent sagging canvas! It's perfect when you have some resin laying around that has ambered or you just don't wanna use for other projects. Check out the video below to watch me! In the video, this particular canvas also came loose from its spline and I would have had to remove it completely to re-stretch it. If I had supported it from underneath with a piece of cardboard etc, because it's so big and the canvas loose, the weight of the resin would have probably made indentions where the edges of the cardboard ended under the canvas. A lot of times with canvas that has sagged, or smaller canvas... you can spray the back of it with water and use your heat gun to dry and tighten it up. It may still need support when pouring resin over it, but the resin shouldn't pool into the center. However, with this particular canvas since it came loose, I added some staples to keep it in place. I attempted to tighten it with water and heat but was unsuccessful. The trick here is to make sure the resin goes under the stretcher bars and the bigger that canvas the thicker the resin has to be. In the below video, the 24x36 canvas ended up getting 2- 24 ounces (48 ounces) to stabilize it. Happy pouring! Any questions, ask below!

Classes Resin, fluid pouring, crafts, and more! Both in-person at the Mermaid Trash studio and online. Check back frequently for new additions to the schedule and come sign up for the email list below to receive notifications on new classes. Join the Mermaid Trash movement! Sign up to receive class updates! Join Thanks for submitting! In Person Classes Beginners Resin 101- In Person 88 US dollars $88 Book Now Class Schedule Dec 11 - Dec 17 ‹ S 11 M 12 T 13 W 14 T 15 F 16 S 17 › Private Counseling 30min Private Counseling 30 min 60 US dollars $60 Book Now Online Courses and Tutorials Coming Soon Quick View Beginners Resin 101 ebook + video course Out of stock Free Resources Katherine Swift 5 Mistakes Beginners Make With Resin Guest post by: Katherine Swift of Resin Obsession The five most common mistakes beginners make with resin Believe it or not, I was once a... Lauren MacLeod How to use Mermaid Trash clear transparency film sheets in your resin projects Using my Mermaid Trash clear film sheets is super easy, but there are a couple of tips I want to share with you to maximize your success... Lauren MacLeod Mermaid Trash History & 100k on Instagram It's been an exciting year here at Mermaid Trash! The new Brick and Mortar store is now open in Coral Springs, Florida. I also just... Lauren MacLeod How to protect your resin project from dust and hair. Nothing is more frustrating that going to check on your project after its cured and finding a big ol piece of dust or hair in it! Check... Lauren MacLeod Fun & easy resin tray project DIY resin tray project. Lauren MacLeod Resin Calculator- How much resin do you need? Use the Mermaid Trash epoxy resin calculator to mix the right amount of resin for your next project. Enter your project measurements... Lauren MacLeod How to wet/dry sand and polish resin This is the process I use to wet/dry sand and polish my resin pieces after they have cured. Great for removing dust, hair, and... 1 2 3 4

Jewelry We only have one planet! Mermaid Trash jewelry is made from resin combined with recycled plastics collected on cleanups. By purchasing a piece of Mermaid Trash you will actively help to remove waste from our Ocean and coastlines! Wear it as a symbol of your commitment to reducing Ocean pollution. Sort by Quick View 3D Flower Hair Clip Price $30.00 Quick View Cosmos Pendant Price $25.00 Quick View Cosmos Pendant Price $25.00 Quick View Cosmos Pendant Price $25.00 Quick View Mermaid tail keychain Price $15.00 Quick View Mermaid tail keychain Price $15.00 Quick View Monstera Leaf & Frog Earrings Price $40.00 Quick View Mermaid Scale Earrings Price $40.00 Quick View Mermaid Scale Earrings Price $40.00 Quick View Nautilus Necklace Regular Price $22.00 Sale Price $15.40 Quick View Starfish Necklace Regular Price $18.00 Sale Price $12.60 Quick View Druzy geode slice Necklace Regular Price $16.00 Sale Price $11.20 Quick View Druzy geode slice Necklace Regular Price $16.00 Sale Price $11.20 Quick View Seahorse Necklace Regular Price $18.00 Sale Price $12.60 Quick View Mermaid Tail Necklace Regular Price $22.00 Sale Price $15.40 Quick View Mermaid Tail Necklace Regular Price $22.00 Sale Price $15.40 Quick View Mermaid Tail Necklace Regular Price $22.00 Sale Price $15.40 Quick View Silver Crystal Ocean Necklace Regular Price $40.00 Sale Price $28.00 Quick View Mermaid bracelet Regular Price $15.00 Sale Price $10.50 Quick View Celtic Key Ocean Necklace Regular Price $35.00 Sale Price $24.50 Quick View Heart Key Ocean Necklace Regular Price $35.00 Sale Price $24.50

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