Connie is a great teacher who makes complex techniques feel totally doable. Her color-mixing sequence and the bottle-wrapping tutorial at the end are both worth watching twice. ☕

IOD Products

🎨IOD Belsnickel Mould

🎨IOD Inks - Tomato, New Grass, Mixing White, Black, Gold Shimmer, Silver Shimmer

Additional Supplies

✨ Quick dry resin (equal parts A + B)

✨ Milk Paint 

✨ Clear Spray Sealer (x2 coats)

✨ Wrapping paper or fabric

✨ Pipe cleaner, burlap or ribbon, twine

✨ Hot glue

✨ Self-adhesive strip magnets (for the fridge magnet version)

Before casting, Connie adds a milk paint powder in black directly into the resin mixture. This tints the resin itself a rich, warm dark tone before it ever goes into the mould. Why does this matter? Because it means every surface of the casting (even the recessed areas a brush can barely reach) has that deep base color baked right in. No priming, no base coating, no chasing paint into tiny crevices. The casting comes out ready to paint.

Mix your resin according to the manufacturer's instructions (equal parts A + B), stir in your milk paint powder, pour into the Belsnickel Mould, and let it cure fully before moving on.

Rather than reaching for traditional craft paint, she uses IOD Inks directly on the cured resin, and the difference in finish is immediately obvious. IOD Inks give the casting a depth and translucency that craft paint just can't match, especially on a surface with this much moulded detail.

She mixes custom colors throughout: warm skin tones and browns for Belsnickel's face, a bronzed copper blend for his coat and accessories, and toned silver for the metallic accents. The mixing process itself is part of the magic here, too. Connie explains her ink color choices and shows exactly how she builds up color without losing the fine detail in the mould.

Work in thin layers and let each one dry before adding the next. You have more control than you think, and the dark resin base underneath catches and holds beautifully.

Once the base colors are in place, it's time to give these Santas a little professional polish!

Using Gold Shimmer  and Silver Shimmer IOD pads, Connie lightly dabs the raised surfaces of the casting. The shimmer catches on every high point like the folds of his coat, the details of his face, the edges of his accessories. This creates that gorgeous aged metallic quality that is just so lovely.

Take your time here. Less is more. You can always add another pass, but harder to take it back.

Before you do anything else with your casting, seal it with two coats of a clear sealing spray and allow it to dry completely between coats. This locks in all of your ink work and protects every bit of the detail and finish you just spent time building.

From here, your casting branches into two different projects. And you can absolutely make both in the same session if you've cast a few pieces like Connie has.

If you've ever scrambled for a hostess gift that doesn't feel like an afterthought, this is the one. A beautifully wrapped bottle of wine with a handmade Belsnickel charm. It's thoughtful and personal.

Connie's bottle wrapping technique is its own little tutorial, and it is completely worth watching. Using wrapping paper or fabric, a pipe cleaner to shape the neck, and burlap or ribbon for the bow, she creates a wrapped bottle that looks polished and professional without being fussy. The Belsnickel charm attaches right at the bow with a length of twine and a dot of hot glue. Love that it becomes a gift that someone is going to keep long after the wine is gone.

That's the whole point, really. The wine is a lovely evening. The charm is a little piece of something handmade that stays. 💕

Same casting. Same gorgeous paint finish. Completely different destination.

Once your casting is sealed and fully dry, flip it over and press a self-adhesive strip or dot magnet to the back. That's it. You now have a holiday fridge magnet that looks like a tiny piece of art!

These are brilliant as stocking stuffers, a fun addition to a gift basket, or just a small thing you make for yourself because you deserve it. We are absolutely making a set.

You guys, these turned out so good! The resin tinting technique, the IOD Ink color mixing, and that shimmer dry brush finish. Connie makes it look effortless, and she shows every step so you know you can do this too.

IOD Products in This Tutorial

🎨IOD Belsnickel Mould

🎨IOD Inks - Tomato, New Grass, Mixing White, Black, Gold Shimmer, Silver Shimmer

Find your IOD products through your local Stockist. Just hit the big red Where to Buy button at ironorchiddesigns.com. 🙌

Made a Belsnickel charm or magnet of your own? Share it with the IOD Creative Tribe on Facebook — we genuinely cannot wait to see what you make. 💕