Scrapbooking Adhesives
There are many kinds of adhesives available for your scrapbooking needs. The right adhesive should be acid-free and photo-safe. You can choose from adhesive tapes, tabs, liquids, glue sticks, etc.
Some popular brands of scrapbooking adhesives is Dotto, Tombow, Herma, Scrapbook Memories, Sailor and others.
Adhesive tapes are quick and fast for photo mats, mounting pictures and placing other items on your scrapbook pages. These tapes work best on paper products.
Dotto glue dots are a heavy duty adhesive they can successfully adhere heavier items such as buttons, ribbon, metal embellishments, etc. The glue dots offer a permanent placement for your embellishments.
Scrapbook Memories makes products such as 3-D foam squares and mounting squares (which you use primarily on photographs). Foam squares are used to create a 3-D effect for your images, embellishments or photo mats.
Glue sticks are fast and easy to use, the only downfall to this adhesive is sometimes it will curl your paper or photograph.
Liquid adhesive is another option that you need to be careful with when using it. If you use too much it may bubble the paper and or leave a line where you put it on the paper.
Quality scrapbooking adhesive is essential to scrapbooking valuable pages. These pages will last forever if they are created using the right supplies and products.
Make Your Page "Sparkle" With Prisma Glitter
Prisma glitter is a finely ground glitter with enhanced sparkle. It is made especially for scrapbooking and it will brighten up any image or letter. It can be used with stamps, die cuts, borders, etc.
All you need to use the glitter with is a good adhesive (two-way glue). You need something strong that will adhere the glitter and keep it from falling off. There is a glue pen called the "write-n-rub pen that works well with glitter, but any liquid adhesive should do as long as it is easy to control so you can keep your glitter in the areas you want it.
Rub the glue on your image, sprinkle the glitter over the glue covering it completely, then lightly tap off the excess glitter and let your glue dry. Make sure you are using memory-safe glue so it will last forever with your pages.
Glitter is fun to use and it will help "embellish" your layouts in a pleasing manner. It can be messy so it is recommended that children use it only under adult supervision.
Embellish With Metal Charms
Metal charms can add personalized elements to your scrapbook pages. Charms are available in all sorts of sizes and shapes to fit nearly any theme. Add charms to memorabilia from your childhood, graduation or wedding days.
There are several ways to attach charms to your page. One way to attach the metal charm is to sew it directly onto your page with thread or embroidery floss. This idea works really well on scrapbooks with fabric backgrounds.
Another suggestion is to string wire through the charm and attach both ends of the wire to secure eyelets. Then push your ends of the wire into the background where they are hidden from view.
A third idea is to glue the charm directly onto the scrapbook page. Most regular glues do not work on metal. However, glue dots or liquid glass are good adhesive choices.
You can purchase metal charms and most scrapbook supply stores and online with other discount scrapbook supplies.
Fabric Scrapbook Embellishments
Scrapbooking embellishments have evolved through the years. The industry started out simple with stickers, die cuts and stamps. Now there are so many different embellishments to choose from it can be overwhelming.
A fairly new type of embellishment is fabric decorations. You can get woven labels (images) for your scrapbook pages; Jolees is a brand that offers a wide variety of fabric embellishments. They have little outfits (clothing) such as denim jackets, princess dresses, and baby apparel. These ¡°stand out¡± embellishments are made to ¡°dress up¡± you page layouts. Jolees Boutique has led the industry in innovative embellishment products.
They also carry wedding dresses, silk flowers, metal items and more.
A wedding layout would look fabulous with one of Jolees Boutique's fashionable white dresses, her wedding veils and a small flower assortment. You could also create a page for your baby christening by using a baby outfit on your page.
While Jolees embellishments are gorgeous they may be tricky to glue on your pages. You need to use a strong adhesive such as glue dots or foam squares. You could also use memory pockets if you don¡¯t want your items stuck on the page.
Card Making With Paper Bliss Embellishments
Many avid scrappers like to make custom cards for special events. Card making has become a popular craft in the scrapbooking community. There are many embellishments that can be used on cards as well as your scrapbook pages to make them unique.
Paper Bliss embellishments are a popular decoration for page layouts and cards. They are thick 3-D stickers that are made of layered paper die-cuts with other decorative materials such as beads, buttons, fabric, etc.
Paper Bliss embellishments can provide a beautiful accent for hand-made cards and other scrapbooking projects. Paper Bliss embellishments are available in different shapes, sizes and themes. You can buy baby themed embellishments from Paper Bliss, school themed assortments or something for your favorite holiday. Paper Bliss embellishments will add appeal to all of your scrapbooking activities.
Adhesive Solutions for Hemp Cord
Hemp cord is a popular embellishment for scrapbook layouts. It adds a "rugged" appeal to the pages and is great for decorating, outlining photo mats, borders and holding tags. Since the cord has some substance and weighs more than just a paper, some people have trouble gluing the cord and making it stay on the page.
Here are some scrapbooking adhesive suggestions for adhering hemp cord to your scrapbook layouts:
Draw a line on your paper where you are going to attach the cord, then follow the line with a Zip glue pen and place the cord in the glue holding it gently for about 30-40 seconds while the glue bonds to the cord and the paper.
Glue dots are also a strong adhesive that works well for hemp cord. Stretch the dots along the line on your paper and then place the cord on top.
When attaching cord, ribbon and other fabric or rope-like products you need to be sure to use a strong adhesive that can handle the weight of your embellishment.
Using Scrapbook Embellishments to Customize Your Project
Customize a CD holder for an extra special gift. You can decorate CD pockets with scrapbook embellishments and supplies. These beautiful holders can be used to cover favorite tunes. This project is easy enough for kids to participate.
Here is what you will need:
¡¤ Pocket envelope¡ªCD cover
¡¤ Patterned paper
¡¤ Photos
¡¤ Scrapbook embellishments
¡¤ Cut-out Tag
¡¤ Paper clips
¡¤ Ribbon
Instructions:
Cover the pocket envelope with patterned paper and desired photo (you may want to mat the photo for more visual exposure).
Decorate with scrapbook embellishments including brads, eyelets, ribbon, paper clips, etc.
Personalize your CD cover with a cutout tag decorated with various scrapbook embellishments. Make sure to include a gift message for the recipient.
These altered CD holders are perfect for any age group and would look wonderful in bedrooms, cars, living rooms, etc.
Ways to Adhere Your Transparencies
Transparencies are a wonderful alternative to typical scrapbook layouts but one of the most commonly asked questions is, ¡°How do I adhere the transparency my page layout?¡±
Here are some suggestions:
Attach your transparency to your pages by using brads or eyelets; Bazzill carries many different colors of these little accessory fasteners. This can be done at the four corners, or be even more creative and incorporate it into your page design.
You can also use ribbon, fiber, twine, etc. to fasten the transparency onto your layout. EK Success carries a variety of colors and patterns for ribbon. They have fun fiber adornments that make great additions to your page layouts. First, punch a hole (or holes) through the transparency and the cardstock, then weave the product through. Strategically placed, this can be an excellent choice for a fastening solution.
Sew the transparency to the paper. Many scrapbookers (and non-scrapbookers) have started to sew their paper. Sewing on a transparency is a good alternative.
Put embellishments on top of the transparency. By putting certain embellishments on top of the transparency, it can be adhered. Some examples of embellishments you can use are conchos, nail heads, etc.
You can use adhesive if there is a spot on your transparency that will be hidden, you can use adhesive to hold the transparency on. Just make sure it will be hidden when your creation is complete.
Adhereing Heavier Embellishments
Glue dots are a heavy duty adhesive that works great for adhering heavier objects like buttons to your scrapbook pages. You can purchase this type of adhesive at almost any scrapbook supply store or craft store.
Another type of adhesive that may work for adhering larger embellishments is liquid glass. This is a liquid substance dries clear and will adhere objects that may otherwise be "hard to stick" on your page layouts.
Vellum quotes
Vellum quotes are a common sight in scrapbooking. They have their place in the art, however there are some precautions one must take in using them. For one, they are not to be overused. You do not want 20 different quotes going on in one page or you will only create confusion. If you have a larger photo with several people and a lot of space you can use more than one. Overdoing these quotes will make your scrapbook look like the notebook of a crazed high school girl. Normally I take the time to find photos in which the quote goes with the expression on the subject's face, and in which there is not much else going on. You should use them to spice up pages, but not take them over. Most are in sticker form and can be applied like your standard sticker.
Fabric for Scrapbook Embellishments
Baby blanket fabric would make wonderful scrapbook embellishments for your baby scrapbook page layouts. Adhering the fabric to your pages can be done in several ways.
One suggestion is to use a heavy-duty adhesive like glue-dots that will stick to your fabric and adhere it to your pages.
Another suggestion is to sew the fabric to your pages with a sewing machine (sewing on pages has become extremely popular). One more idea is to use metal embellishments like rivets or brads to secure the fabric in place.
Transparencies for Scrapbooking
Transparencies can be successfully used in scrapbooking pages. They provide a way to do a quick and easy layout. You can completely change the look and feel of a layout by incorporating a transparency. You can purchase transparencies at stores that specialize in scrapbook supplies.
Transparencies provide a great way to eliminate the feeling of blank space and they help enhance your pages. There are many styles, designs, and even colors for transparencies. Creative Imaginations make transparencies for all occassions. They tend to specialize in word transparencies, which can be used for a variety of themes.
You can cut your transparency. If you have a limited space, or don¡¯t want to cover something up, just get out the scissors and snip out the areas you want to use.
One way to use a pre-printed transparency is to cut out pieces and use them as embellishments. Mix and match your transparencies. Cut out the words or images you want from two or more transparencies to create the appearance you are looking for.
Scrapbooking paint works great on your transparencies. You can buy paints from ¡°Making Memories¡± that coordinate with their cardstock colors. As in one example, you can highlight words or phrases with your paints. You can also paint the pictures or images on the transparency.
Using Chalk as a Scrapbook Embellishment
The use of acid free chalk is a great way to add color to your pages. You can add chalk on torn edges of paper, die-cuts, or stencil a design onto your background paper. This unique scrapbook embellishment is applied with a foam applicator, or you can use a cotton swab. Make sure that the chalk you buy is acid free.