I finished my mermaid top !!! :}

[empressmone]

Hi Everymer !!!! ;) I just finished my mer top i am so happy . I cant wait to swim in it :D

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[Seatan]

Wow it looks reeeally cool! Fake starfish, right?

[empressmone]

ty very much :D . it is all real sea life i painted ;)

[Seatan]

Oh are those kind okay underwater? I know the other kind of starfish can't get wet--it will go soft. Never tried the sea star or whatever they call the spiky sort.

[empressmone]

it should be okay i put them all in water already and nothing happened :}

[MerEmma]

Be careful, starfish of all kinds I believe will turn soft/smell gross/mushy when water is exposed. I don't recommend keeping it wet unless you've coated it in resin or silicone first. It's not too late to make the top swimmable!

[Aquarianne]

So beautiful!

Just hit up those stars with some mod podge sealant, should be ok with enough coats :)

[PearlieMae]

Mod podge will turn white and get gummy when exposed to water for a while. Use polyurethane or resin to coat the starfish...they will dissolve if waterlogged.

[Winged Mermaid]

Depends on the starfish, but generally real starfish shouldn't be used for accessories you swim in. They will either dissolve, get soft gross, or they will start to rot and get really smelly and start to grow bacteria and mold as they rot. People that sell real starfish rings even say not to wash your hands with the ring on.
I don't think anyone has tested this long term yet, but your best bet would be to seal it completely (front, back, all sides, no spots left uncovered, no even where it's glued on) with resin.

[empressmone]

Hey everymer, thanks for the heads up on the starfish getting soft or rotting with time and suggestions. I will surely look into it .thank you ;)