Happy New Year, Crafters! I am sitting here putting my Christmas thank you cards together and contemplating the different adhesives I want to use on the project. There are so many to choose from so I thought I would share my favorites with you. I have found that brand names do offer a better quality and are longer lasting so be careful with using the bargain varieties.
If I am using liquid adhesive on a project, I utilize a small container to hold the glue bottle upside down which allows the glue to always be available in the tip (and not all over the table). I just have to remember to cap the glue bottle when I am done. :-) This cute container was found in a tourist shop on Cannery Row in Monterey, CA. Shot glasses also work well.
Tombow Multi XL Liquid Glue is my go-to liquid adhesive for projects that require a good strong hold such as parts of hand-made mini albums and folios. It has both a pen and a broad tip applicator, allows for repositioning and it dries clear. I also find that it doesn't clog up the tip like other brands do.
For storing all my adhesives, I found this super cute, tiered stand at Ross. It's shallow and see through which allows me to see everything. I used to store everything in a fully enclosed box or bin but I lost track of what I had. This works out much better.
Adhesive dots are perfect for adhering embellishments. On my thank you cards in the picture above I used a small glue dot for placing the bow next to the greeting. The dots come in various sizes, super easy to use, and hold really well. Scrapbook Adhesives from 3L offers a great quality and numerous sizes and shapes.
Dimensional foam mounts are perfect for adding layers to your projects. On the thank you card above I used these adhesives on the back of the Thank You sentiment which adds dimension to an otherwise flat look. Stampin' Up and Scrapbook Adhesives are brands I use and recommend.
My overall favorite adhesive is the rolled tape. For solid holding power, Scor-Tape is the brand I use. It comes in a variety of widths and a roll holds a lot of tape. Applying the tape has a bit of a learning curve but otherwise easy to use.
For the spines on my mini albums, I have found the wider tape is the best for overall adhesive coverage. Elizabeth Craft Design is what I recently tried, and it worked well.
I used only liquid adhesive on this spine, and I found it started gapping. A good, strong, wide adhesive would have prevented that.
The front of this album utilized a variety of the adhesives I mentioned above. The cover was adhered using rolled tape along the edges and glue spread through the middles. The ribbon was placed with a thin rolled tape. The "Life in Full Bloom" was added with dimensional foam mounts. The butterflies and ribbon were added with mini glue dots.
Hope this info helped a bit and if you have questions don't hesitate to contact the store. Have a creative day!!