If you love a project that’s simple, fun, and really eye-catching, this one is for you. This gemstone cross is made using resin and colorful gems that come together to create a beautiful piece with so much character. It’s one of those DIYs that looks special but is very doable, even if resin isn’t something you use all the time. This is a great project to make for your own home or to give as a thoughtful handmade gift, and the finished piece truly shines in any space.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what you will need for this DIY:

1. A Wooden Cross

2. Gemstones

3. Hot Glue

4. Resin

5. Parchment Paper

6. Dixie Cups

7. Wooden Popsicle sticks

8. Folk Art’s Treasure Gold Paint

9. Paintbrushes

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing I did was give the wooden cross a nice base coat of FolkArt’s Treasure Gold paint. This gold is so pretty and goes on smoothly, making it a great choice for this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to check out this paint, you can find it here on Walmart’s website: https://walmrt.us/4hQIjhc

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s time to add the sparkle! I picked up these gemstones from Walmart, and they add the perfect pop of color to this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can use any craft gemstones that you want for this project, which makes it fun to customize. You can mix colors, sizes, or even finishes depending on the look you’re going for. These are the gemstones that I used, but feel free to switch them up and make it your own.

https://walmrt.us/4aRdp8H

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started adding gemstones to the cross using my hot glue gun. I began at the bottom and worked my way up, placing larger gems first and then filling in around them with smaller ones. Using hot glue made it easy to adjust pieces as I went and helped everything stay in place.

 

 

 

 

 

After the main gems were attached, I continued filling in the rest of the cross with more gemstones, mixing colors and shapes for extra interest. I used my hot glue gun for each piece, pressing them down gently to make sure they were secure. There’s no right or wrong here—just keep adding gems until the cross feels complete and looks just the way you want it to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I had all of the gemstones attached with my hot glue gun, I took a moment to look everything over and make sure the cross felt balanced. This is a good time to fill in any small gaps or swap out a gem if something doesn’t feel quite right. I love how colorful and textured it looks at this stage.

 

 

 

 

With all of the gems secured using my hot glue gun, the cross was officially ready for the next step. Everything should be firmly in place before moving on, so I gently pressed on each gem to double-check they were attached well. This is where you really start to see the finished design come together.

 

 

 

 

 

Once all of the gemstones were attached and fully secure, it was time to move on to the resin. I set the cross on parchment paper and used Dixie cups underneath to create a little riser. This allows the resin to drip off easily and keeps the edges from sticking to the surface, which makes this step much easier and cleaner.

 

 

 

You can find the resin I use here: https://amzn.to/3L5OlAv

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After mixing the resin, I carefully poured it over the cross, letting it flow in and around all of the gemstones. I used a stir stick to gently guide the resin where needed, making sure everything was evenly coated. This step seals in the gems, adds extra shine, and really makes all those colors pop once it cures.

 

 

 

 

 

Once the entire cross was covered in resin, I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then scraped the extra resin runoff from the bottom. This helps prevent large, unnecessary buildup from forming as the resin starts to set and keeps the edges looking clean and smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

Once everything was fully cured, I didn’t have any extra resin to clean up. If you do notice a few drips or rough spots, you can easily take a Dremel and lightly sand them down to smooth everything out.

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love how this gemstone cross turned out. The resin gives it such a beautiful shine, and all of the colorful gems really make it stand out. This is one of those projects that’s fun from start to finish and leaves you with a piece you can proudly display or gift to someone special. If you give this DIY a try, I’d love to see how yours turns out and what colors you choose to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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