Craft Business Advice – Claire Holoway
Claire Holoway from House of the White Rabbit, talks about how she turned her successful craft passion into a hugely successful business selling resin petri jewellery and prints.
Claire’s products
I have created and refined my own unique process down to a ‘fine art’ (pardon the pun). Petri technique describes the use of alcohol inks dropped into mixed epoxy resin, with the use of white sinker fluid and needlecraft to create unique patterns. Each one is utterly unique; it is physically impossible to create two the same.
For me, that’s the real attraction. You could even call it an obsession. Up until the point of demold, even I don’t know what is on the front side of each cabochon (cab), or how the alcohol inks have decided to dance out their artistry.
Of course, I influence my colour choices and needlework based on how the inks have settled, but you never know what the final result will be. Sometimes the cabs settle so beautifully that they need no intervention from my needle and the petri pattern is left raw”.
Partial Petri Effect – The USP
The use of alcohol inks and sinker in epoxy resin was first introduced by a teaching channel called Myriam’s Nature, who sadly has not created content for many years. But, why am I different? I’d be grateful if you’d allow me to explain.
Firstly, my name across resin social media platforms is synonymous with what I have termed “partial petri”. The standard practice is to cover the whole cab with sinker fluid and petri pattern. I realised early on in my journey that I didn’t prefer that effect. I started to experiment with only adding sinker to 1 or at the most 2 of the alcohol ink colours used and, when the time came during the curing process to create patterns with my needle, I let the inks guide me as to what pattern to make; either dragging light through dark or dark through light for maximum “wow factor”.
How it’s done
Probably the most unique part of my process is that I developed the use of heat and cooling mats. Since a standard epoxy cure takes 24 hours, I could tell you that this was aimed at vastly increasing my productivity……..but I’d be lying. It was totally down to impatience to demold, assess results and move on to the next test. The side benefit of a much increased output capacity does of course help as I start to turn this hobby into a thriving business. I can make around 50 gift box quality cabs “bottle to box” in around 3 ½ hours. The resin is mixed, poured and alcohol inks and sinker dropped. The heat mat goes on a 2 hour, high temperature cure and between 15-20 minutes the resin is at the perfect consistency to add designs with a needle. Viscosity needs to be checked very carefully during that tiny 5 minute timeframe. The resin has to be viscous enough that you can swirl in patterns with your needle, but thick enough for the pattern to stay put.
I love creating flame and galaxy designs, but really, I let how the inks have settled dictate what pattern I will create. Problem was, after 2 hours, the cabs were taking a full hour to cool down to demold. Engage brain, whilst eying up our yellow labrador Hope on her cooling gel mat. Now, after 2 hours, the cabs (whilst still in the mold) go straight onto a cool mat and voila! ready to demold in 10 minutes……. Let me stress, the introduction of heat and cooling mats into petri process is entirely an original concept. As are the unique, interchangeable 5 donut cabochon sets.
There is one other unique feature to my work and that also has a “story” behind it. As well as 2 labradors, we have 2 very fluffy cats. Unless they could be hermetically sealed in feline hazmat suits, there will always be fuzz flying around our house – even when the pets are not allowed in the same studio space. So, part of my quality control process is zooming in on the demolded raw cabs to check for the dreaded pet floof. Nobody wants a furry necklace. I realised very early on that the zoom ins created utterly stunning abstracts and could be printed and framed to make a matching set alongside the necklace. The concept is that a customer buys the piece to wear and has the beauty of the matching artwork to enjoy hanging on their wall.
Two such matching gallery quality sets have been commissioned to date. “Hurricane” and “DragonFire”. They are 12 x 24” 1/1 (single print run) on German Etch and housed in a triple mount frame behind glass. Each has a signed and named Certificate of Authenticity on the back. A third commission is currently with the local framer – “Somnium” – you may have been part of the recent online give away competition where I was searching for great name suggestions. This translates from Latin as “dream”.
I have also engaged my local printer to print batches of 6 separate A5 gift card designs with my brand logo on the reverse. The zoom in images are very versatile in terms of products.
After many, many tests with every resin, alcohol ink and sinker known to man, I finally reached the optimum recipe. I use a particular brand of each of these pieces of kit. Interestingly, they are a mix. I find TeExpert resin used with Tim Holtz Ranger and Let’s Resin inks and DecorRom Bottom or Limino White sinker fluid works perfectly using my 2 hour curing process.
500ml of resin makes exactly 63 cabs, of which approximately 80% will be viable enough quality-wise to go on to make jewellery and potentially matching artwork. In the early days, the throughput was usually 40%.
However, resin is too expensive to waste and non-jewellery worthy cabs always go into other projects. I donate key rings, fridge magnets and brooches to local charities and also gift cabs to friends completing larger projects such as tabletops. Jewellery worthy cabs are smoothed on the back edges (180 grit sanding blocks), bails and chains added and finally branded and gift boxed ready for sale.
I create my own white rabbit branding stickers with my Cricut machine.
Many people say to me “I literally don’t know how to choose”. My reply is “you don’t have to”. I also create petri resin donut style necklaces (actually using a mini donut silicone kitchen mold…). I discovered that 5 such donuts fit gloriously in a standard watch / bracelet box, thereby making a perfect gift set. One chain is provided and is simply looped through the cab. This means that customers can interchange the donut necklace depending on their mood or outfit. I am also developing luxe gift sets for the standard petri cabs, which could contain a selection of up to 10 or 20 pieces for a seriously beautiful special occasion gift.
House of the White Rabbit Website
Late last Autumn I finally launched my House of the White Rabbit website. It took me 6 months to build from scratch on evenings and weekends, every single part of it produced with only my own blood, sweat and tears. It’s the first site I have built (and the last!) and it still has a few very small gremlins. But, I have linked it above so you can get a sense of my branding and presentation style.
I hope to grow it with the use of CoPilot and push it out via my quite extensive social media profiles. I am also enrolled with DUBS and RTC North and am receiving some amazing small business support. There are around 125 pieces available on the website, although I have literally best part of another thousand waiting to be listed. Told you I was addicted to demolding.
The Home Page also has links to all my other social media platforms, but I will add them at the end of this email for ease of viewing. You will also see more of the interchangeable donut sets.
Retail – Tips on selling resin products
I have had a successful sales display locally in a small business support collaboration called The Hub and am currently partnered with The Glass and Art Gallery. They stock a wide range of my jewellery and lots of other resin and seaglass pieces. You will also see many of the other resin work I create in my Pinterest Gallery – always a good idea to showcase on as many platforms as possible.
I have also completed a series of petri resin jewellery training courses at the Glass and Art Gallery. Following a hugely successful dry run with 7 students, The Glass and Art Gallery opened up their studio for use and supported with advertising dates for sale throughout Spring and Summer. I have had years of teaching experience running my colourist You Tube channel and hope to grow this side of the business in the future. Create once, teach / sell many.
I also successfully sold at around 12 local craft fayres last year, but have prioritised growing the business online in 2025. I believe that outside of larger organised events, footfall to craft markets is decreasing dramatically (I only ever once made my table money back).
I have also had a successful resin Etsy store since 2019 and maintain a 5 star customer feedback rating.
Pricing advice
I sell internationally. Single cabs are no bigger than 5cm squared. Nothing is priced over the £50 threshold in order to keep pieces accessible to all. Matching artwork sets are priced at £495 but are not available on the website as I am not yet set up to ship large glass frames. Price points are: small cabs £19, medium £24, large £27 and I have a “Something Special” shelf of the most stunning pieces which retail at £49. All bar the last category come on 24″ silver plated chains to avoid tarnishing. The Something Special cabs come on a full 925 silver chain. All are branded and gift boxed ahead of shipping. With my pieces for sale in the The Glass and Art Gallery we keep it simple; two price points for small / medium and large cabs and no Something Special shelf, the price points being in line with the above figures.
Markup is the standard 40-45% to get to the recommended retail prices above and pieces can either be sold up front or by Sale or Return.
I don’t sell wholesale cabochons as I want desperately to avoid on-selling by private individuals.
In Summary
I feel like I have honed an amazing and unique product and a totally original process. I am building solid foundations to grow my business and believe that both it and my work are now mature enough to reach out to nationally world renowned organisations such as the National Trust. I have also recently been accepted into the Guild of Master Craftsmen (Member 129120) which was the last forerunner before building a wider local and national presence.
