Mod Podge has released more Mod Molds for their new product line. (You can read our original review here.) These are silicone molds meant to be used with the Mod Melts and mini glue guns, to create objects for crafting. I was sent the two original molds, Flowers and Nature, and two new ones, Gems and Trinkets, to use with the new Mod Melts to review. The review for the Mod Melts is separate from this one. These can be use with the original Sea Glass and Milk Glass Mod Melts too.
Trinkets, Gems, Nature, and Flowers, in and out of the packaging
Line drawings of the Mod Molds, from the Plaid website.
Product description from the Plaid website:
DIY has never been easier or so much fun! Create your own embellishments to paint and attach to projects. Molds are made of durable, easy-to-use silicone.
The packaging has the mold dimensions, mold name, and basic use instructions. The new packaging includes line drawings of the mold designs. The packaging print covers some of the actual mold, so it’s nice to have those line drawings, showing you exactly what designs are on the mold.
Trinkets
Gems
Flowers
Nature
The new molds are made of a shiny silicone, as compared to the Flowers and Nature molds. This makes the finished objects have a shiny finish, which is very nice. You can make it even shinier by adding a layer of Mod Podge Gloss or Super Gloss when the objects are done. On the reverse, you can use Mod Podge Matte to matte them out a bit. I liked their light shine. The depth of the two new ones I tested, are made differently than the original molds. The Trinkets mold is shallow, requiring less Mold Melt product and are still highly detailed. The Gem mold has depth relative to the shapes. The larger gems are deeper than the small ones. There isn’t a chunky ridge like there is with the original molds I tested.
The Trinkets mold is meant to mimic Decoden charms. If you aren’t familiar with Decoden, it’s a Japanese craft involving covering cell phones with a craft icing and cutesy charms. Mod Podge has made a piped Collage Clay to go with these. However, you can use the objects for jewelry, decorating hard surfaces, scrapbooking…etc. I used a variety of the Mold Melts in these, mixing formulas to highlight different details. These worked with all the Mod Melts formulas I tested. These objects are very small, but that works for their intended purpose. You get 23 designs in the Trinkets Mod Mold.
The gems are the chunkiest of the molded objects. I loved their size and simplicity. I used them to create jewelry, which you will see below, and in a tutorial. To me, these looked best in the Glitters and Metallics Mod Melts. You can see dark green gems using the green from the Neon Mod Melts pack. I tried mixing some formulas. That worked well with the small beaded strip at the top, but looked wonky on the larger gems. For the gem one, because of the depth, I started at the center, filling the mold in the bottom, and working up, till it was filled. This made sure the details were sharp. You get 9 designs with the Gems Mod Mold.
The Flowers Mod Mold is from the original product release. Though it’s an older mold style, it was important for me to test out the newer Mod Melts. This matte silicone left the molded objects with a matte finish. However, the daisies and roses seemed to have some shiny sections, that look like highlights. This kind of worked for them. If you wanted the finish shiny, you can add a coat of Mod Podge Gloss or Super Gloss. The leaves, flower strip, and flower trios were the most matte. These were a bit tricky to fill, but with some pushing of the Mod Melts and flexing of the molds while filling, made for a more even fill. You get 9 designs with the Flowers Mod Mold.
The Nature Mod Mold was also from the original product release. This was a bit trickier than the other molds. This was due to the fine points of the butterflies and birds. For the nest, I filled the eggs carefully with one color, then the nest afterwards. These look amazing! Much better than I thought they would! For the bird on the branch, I did this in sections with different colors and formulas. I wanted to see if this was possible. Unlike the other formulas, which you are encouraged to paint, I figured these new formulas could be used on their own if chosen. I filled the branch with gold glitter, the leaves with green glitter, and the bird with yellow neon. The butterflies had detail issues. I tried it both with filling it completely with silver glitter and a split of yellow and green neon. The owl was a fail, but the metallic is tricky to use. The nest and bird on a branch are my faves. You get 8 designs with the Nature Mod Mold.
Since I played with all the Mod Molds and Mod Melts I was sent, I got familiar with which molds and melts worked best together. My favorite is the Gems mold combined with the Glitter and Metallics melts. I have been wanting to make faux geodes, but was having trouble figuring out how. After I tested the products, it dawned on me that I could possibly embed loose glitter into the Mod Melts objects by adding it to the Gems Mod Mold before adding the Mod Melts. That’s exactly what I did and the results were fantastic. I made a variety of faux geode gems. I sealed them with Mod Podge Outdoor, though there was little glitter fallout. Then, I turned them into jewelry…three necklaces, two earring pairs, and a ring. I have a few extras left over. You could use these to decorate all sorts of things, just like the painted and unpainted versions. Head over to my blog, Crafty Lady Abby, to see how I created these Faux Geodes and made them into jewelry.
PROS:
- All of the molds can be use with all of the melts
- Flexible
- Easy to store stacked
- Easy to remove and clean Mod Melts from
- Great fine details
- Great range of image sizes and motifs
- Total of 13 mold motifs available
- Available online now, and in Michaels come mid-June
CONS:
- Small details are tricky to fill. Takes some practice to get that right. Easier with the neons, milk glass, and sea glass (probably colors too) Mod Melts than the glitter and metallics
- You don’t know if the mold was fully filled until the object is dry and pulled out
- The older mods have matte silicone, which makes the Mod Melts objects matte too. This is only a con if you want shiny objects. Can be easily fixed with Mod Podge Gloss or Super Gloss
- On the other hand, the newer mold are a shiny silicone, which keeps the Mod Melts objects shiny. If you hate shiny, you could probably fix that with Mod Podge Matte. I didn’t test that, as I like them shiny
The Flowers, Nature, and Gems Mod Molds retail for $5.99 each. The Trinkets Mod Mold retails for $8.99. The new Mod Melts are already available on the Plaid website. They will be available in Michaels stores, mid-June. There are 11 new molds available! I’d love to try out some of the other new molds. The Industrial mold will be great for Steampunk crafts! The Alphabet mold would make great chunky typography jewelry!
Disclosure: Products provided for review purposes. All opinions are based on my first-hand experience with the product.
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Can I use for cake decoration?? Is the mold non toxic? I love the designs and would like to use on cupcakes as dedible decorations!!! Thank you for answering.
CIAO!
Absolutely you can! It’s heat-resistant silicone. I just suggest you use it for food ONLY and don’t use it for crafting and then food. 🙂
Can I use these molds in the oven with polymer clay?
Yes!