Aleene's Tacky Glue in the gold bottle is most likely one of the first "craft" glues I ever owned, thanks to Aleene's Creative Living tv show that aired from about 1985 to 2000. Up until that point, my go-to glue would have been white school glue, or even glue sticks and glue guns, both of which would have been relatively new weapons in my adhesive stash. I may have even used scotch tape or masking tape, but that was the extent of my glue experience in my "early years".
 
I have used Aleene's Tacky Glue for many types of crafts over the years. The project I recall best was making my daughter's first Halloween bag out of felt in the late 90's, and gluing it all together with Aleene's Tacky Glue. It works wonderfully for sticking googly eyes to pompoms, felt pieces to themselves, building a wood veneer doll house, sticking on all the doll house accessories, etc. It just seems to work great sticking stuff to stuff, in a general way. Definitely an all around good crafting glue to have at home. It's sticky so it grabs really well, but still allows for moving the item around before it sets fully.
 
I bought a fresh new bottle of this glue just a few weeks ago, during a handmade card-making supplies jaunt at Michael's with Cardamama C. I used it on some paper when we were working on a large banner and it puckered the paper and did not look good at all. I won't be using it on card making or scrapbooking again, plus I have read that it's not recommended for items which need washing (eg- clothing, stuffed toys, dishes, etc). However, if you need a good multipurpose crafting glue, that isn't too expensive, Aleene's is a great one to have on hand.

Diamond Glaze by Judikins is a little gem of an adhesive that I love having as part of my glue toolkit. Diamond Glaze has a multitude of purposes that go beyond simply sticking two things together, though it does do that very well. A similar glue is Glossy Accents by Ranger Inkssentials.
 
I own a small 2oz (60ml) bottle of Diamond Glaze and was first introduced to it a couple of years ago when the Scrabble pendant craze on Etsy was huge. It's still a lovely and popular craft but it was big like the Beatles there for a while. I think Diamond Glaze can best be described as a finish that also happens to work as a glue. It adds a pretty glossy coating to all kinds of items, including paper and the infamous Scrabble pendant, which you can learn how to make right here. It also provides a raised, dimensional appearrance and feel when it is applied more thickly.
 
Diamond Glaze dries clear with no sticky residue, though you will see it due to its glossy finish. It is not flexible like other glues so it will crack when dried glaze is bent, but this is often a desired result, producing a crackled glass effect on craft projects.
 
Here are all the different ways I have used Diamond Glaze:

• Gluing tiny beads, flowers, sequins, gems, dew drops, pearls and googly eyes to my handmade cards
• Gluing down a bow to a page
• Gluing the center of a slippery bow or knot so it doesn't come undone
• Making Scrabble pendants
• Mounting paper to the back of glass tiles
• Adding glossy (smooth or crackled) details to paper on my cards
• Sealing paper onto small decoupaged items (like clothespins and tiny wooden boxes)
• Gluing tiny bits of paper to my cards

That's just a start to what can be done with this amazing glue. If I had anything to suggest as an improvement, it would be a better dispensing system. I would like to always be able to stand the bottle upside-down to minimize air bubbles, and I would wish for the dispensing tip to have a plug so that it doesn't clog with hardened glue between uses. Other than that, I think Diamond Glaze is fantastic!
 
Do you use Diamond Glaze? How about Glossy Accents? What do you think of it? What else do you use it for that I haven't listed above? Let us know in the comments section below.
 
Cardamama J

Last week I you about one of my most used, most preferred adhesives for making greeting cards, the Tombow Mono Adhesive Runner. It's been my glue of choice for many years now but I find that the refills can be expensive, considering how quickly I go through them with all the cards I make.
 
On a craft forum a few years ago, I heard about something called an ATG Gun, or Advanced Tape Glider. I read that it was developped for the picture and art framing industry, used to glue down photos and matting boards and the brown paper on the backs of large frames.
 
A few die-hard scrapbookers in the forums swore by it, despite its rather bulky size; never mind the initial expense of buying the gun itself, which was over $50 US in some online stores. I decided to stick with my little Tombow dispensers, though the speed at which I was going through refills had me reconsidering the ATG Gun.
 
Finally one day last fall, I went to Michael's here in Saint John, and saw that they had a new display stand with pretty pink ATG Guns, AND they were on sale plus I had a 50% off coupon. Score! I ended up getting my first Gun (and pink no less) for about $10. 
 
So now I am the proud owner of my very own ATG Gun. My initial impression was that the gun was indeed big, but it's not very heavy so I can forgive the bulkiness. Loading the tape onto it the first few times was tricky but I've gotten pretty good at it now. The applicator tip isn't as precise as I would like it to be; for tight corners, I still pull out my Tombow runner. But the sticking power of the ATG glue is amazing! It has a super strong hold so I no longer need to buy the Tombow Power Bond runner.
 
Every refill box for the ATG comes with 2 rolls of adhesive, equivalent to almost 5 & 1/2 Tombow cartridges. And at $16 (at my local Michael's store) for the ATG acid-free refill ($10 for general purpose), that's a saving of over $20 for the same amount of glue coverage. I can buy the ATG refills for even less, including shipping, online.
 
So over all, I am very happy with my switch to the 3M ATG Gun. I will continue to buy the Tombow dispenser too but I reserve that for finer detail work. The price was right and if you make a lot of greeting cards or do a lot of scrapbooking, I would even recommend buying it full price, as you will quickly recoupe the cost in savings over other dispenser systems.
 
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Let me know what you think? Do you use a tape runner adhesive? Which one? Have you tried the ATG? What are your thoughts? We would love to hear from you.
 
Cardamama J

Once I started getting serious about card making, I knew I needed a good adhesive that was going to allow the card to last well beyond the card giving occasion. Glue Sticks didn't have the long-term staying power I was looking for so I search for something better.
 
I don't remember if I discovered Tombow Mono Adhesive Runners on my own or courtesy of watching Kristina Werner tutorials, but once I tried them I was hooked! They are basically a roll of double sided tape dispensed from a cartridge. You place the tip of the cartridge on your paper and pull to coat it with the adhesive. I highly recommend the Tombow brand of runners and I have tried the Permanent (blue cartridge), the non-Permanent (green cartridge), and the Power Bond (red cartridge) versions and love them all for different things. I recommend buying the refillable cartridge as the refills are less expensive than the non-refillable ones.
 
The blue permanent runner is my go-to, all purpose paper adhesive. It sticks very well and can get into pretty small spaces. I have also used it to hold photos to cards, paper flowers, chipboard embellishments and more. The red Power Bond is my choice for gluing more textured or special finish papers together (like flocked, glittered, embossed, etc). The green non-permanent runner is perfect for making a stamping mask, holding paper in place when you use a circle scissor on it, for temporary placement of elements, for cutting out a sketched or printed shape out of your good paper, etc. Any residue from the green runner rubs right off the paper too.
 
If you are just getting started in making greeting cards, or even in scrapbooking, you will likely find this or a similar adhesive runner in your local craft store, office supply store, or scrap book supply store. In Saint John here, I buy it at Michael's. If you find that you are making so many cards that you are running through the cartridges very quickly, you will want to consider moving to a different adhesive runner system, which is what I have since done. I will tell you what that is next week. Stay tuned!

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Cardamama J

Another glue pen in review this week is the Zig 2-Way Glue Pen from EK Success. This pen is similar to the Sakura pen I reviewed last week, in that it goes on blue and dries clear. It's a temporary adhesive when allowed to dry first, and a permanent one when used immediately after applying. I haven't had any problem finding this glue in the main craft store here in Saint John, but it's readily available online as well.
 
The Zig pen is definitely another one of my go-to adhesives for my handmade greeting cards. The chisel tip one which I have is not as fine as the Sakura pen but it's great for intricate letters and swirls and filigree cut from paper and card stock. I use it mostly for long, thin, leggy elements on my cards. To use it, you simply prime the tip of the pen to saturate it with glue and then dab-dab or "write" it on wherever needed.
 
Zig adhesive is Acid-free and Xylene-free and comes in a few other sizes and tip shapes. You can use it on paper (eg: handmade greeting cards, scrapbooking, etc), for embossing, adhering glitter and flocking, and more. If you are a serious card maker or scrapbooker (or even not-so serious), I definitely recommend having this glue pen as part of your glue toolset. Great tools are important to have as they make sure your finished items is of high quality and will last (and stay together).

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Cardamama J

When working on my handmade greeting cards, the pieces of paper that I handle and glue are sometimes very small. My digital cutter (a Silhouette SD) can cut very fine, very tiny details. This can make my cards look spectacular but also comes with its own challenges. Glue that comes in a bottle or tube is just not precise enough to apply to a little dot of paper. Glue that comes on a roller or a stick have too wide of a coverage area to be able to use effectively. So for super tiny details that need to be glued to a greeting card, I turn to the Sakura Quickie Glue Pen. This is literally a ball-point pen filled with liquid glue so if you can sign your name, you can use this glue! Much like the Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, when the glue is blue and wet, it will be permanent. When it's white and allowed to dry for a few minutes, it will be temporary.
 
Besides using the Glue Pen for gluing paper to paper, it can also be used to accent your handmade greeting cards and other crafts, like scrapbooking pages. Draw dots or lines or outlines of glue then add glitter, confetti, flocking, and metallic foils! There are so many things you can do with the Glue Pen that you will want to be sure that it's part of your adhesive arsenal too.
 
Have you ever tried the Sakura Glue Pen? Do you like it? Are there other brands of similar glue pens out there? What else do you use it for? Let us know!
 
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Cardamama J

I remember using Rubber Cement in elementary school. I recall liking the brush and how it felt to roll up the extra dried up glue bits into tiny rubber balls. I used to think that someday I would like to make a super bouncer ball with my Rubber Cement. What I don't remember is how Rubber Cement smelled! Even now, there is a warning to use this glue in a well ventilated area. I'm pretty sure we didn't adhere to this very closely in school, with 25+ kids all brushing fumey glue onto our art projects. Come to think of it, we turned out some pretty groovy artwork in the process.
 
A few years ago, I found this neat tutorial for making your own bubble envelopes using pretty designer papers, bubble wrap, and rubber cement. I though these were SO cute and decided to give it a try. I bought some rubber cement and got to work. I followed the directions exactly, allowing both glued sides to dry completely before sticking them together. At first it seemed to work and my mailers looked super cool! But then after they had been assembled for an hour or so, the seams started to pop open. I tried adding more glue but it just didn't work. In the end, I stapled all the way up the sides of the mailers and gave up my dreams of mass producing cute bubble envelopes for my Etsy shop. I was disappointed. Maybe I used it incorrectly but the glue just never seemed to bond strongly and it didn't seem to matter if I glued things together while they were still wet or dry. Either way, my bottle of fumey glue sits mostly unused on my craft room shelf. I have never tried using it again for any of my handmade greeting cards or other paper crafts. There are just so many other adhesives I can use instead, which are easier to use and don't make me loopy. I might still try and make a super bouncer some day though.
 
Do you use Rubber Cement in your paper crafts or handmade greeting cards? How do you use it? Does it stick well for you? Is there a special technique? Let me know!
 
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Cardamama J

Pop-Dots make your project pop! Pop a few of these and you'll be addicted too! Pop-Dots are a brand name of an adhesive that gives your handmade greeting cards dimension and depth. These are little foam dots sandwiched between a sticky layer of adhesive. Other companies make similar dimensional adhesives, in different shapes and thicknesses. I currently have 4 shapes in 2 thicknesses and I just pick the one that best suits the look I am going for in my greeting card.
 
When you're making a card, it's a great idea to use the little dots to pop up various layers of paper. This give a real sense of visual interest to the card, creating pieces that seem to literally jump off the page. Adding an apple to a tree? Pop it up! Adding a heart to a house? Pop it up! Adding some clouds to your sky theme? Pop them up at different heights! You will love the effect and so will the recipient of your handmade cards.
 
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Don't these sound fun? Before I started crafting, I had no idea that these little pearls of wonder even existed. I think I first heard of them from Kristina Werner on one of her videos. Knowing about Zots and Glue Dots sure helped demistify some crafting techniques for me.
 
What are they? Simply put, they are a blob of super sticky glue applied to a slick paper roll or sheet. They can be lines, pea-sized, fingernail sized, thin or thick. Whatever kind you use, they each have their own uses and applications. They are perfect for when I create my handmade greeting cards.
 
The super sticky blobs work wonderfully for sticking down paper flowers, buttons, ribbons, paper to paper, metal to paper, texture to texture...  I use these sticky dots and blobs all the time. I even cut them smaller for tiny elements or ball them up to prop up paper butterfly wings. I've glued buttons to bows, bows to ribbon, ribbon to paper...
 
I always make sure I have Glue Dots and Zots on hand, in a few different sizes. These are definitely a staple in my crafting toolbox.

It's Gluesday again! The last few flew right by without me even noticing. The good news is, my buddy Candace is back in town! Yay! Welcome back Cardamama C!
 
Today I thought I would review another favourite glue I have on hand. Mod Podge (by Plaid) has been around for many years, and was first developed back in the 1960s. Initially it was known as the adhesive of choice for découpage art. Découpage is a French word which means "cutting" and involves gluing cut up pieces of paper to an item, like a hat box, tray, suitcase, etc.
 
The great thing about ModPodge is that it serves a triple purpose in crafting. It's a glue, a sealer and a finish all in one. So in the case of découpage, you use it to glue the paper pieces to your project, and then you brush Mod Podge over the glued on papers to seal the papers to the base add a protective finish. It can be uses on many types of porous surfaces (paper, wood, fabric, etc).
 
For these reasons, I absolutely LOVE Mod Podge. Multipurpose products are the best ones to have on hand. Mod Podge is easy to use, doesn't overwhelm me with fumes, and cleans up with soap and water. What I love even more is that it comes in a variety of finishes and applications: Classic, Satin Finish, Fabric, Outdoor, Puzzle Saver, Shimmer, Hard Coat, Brushstroke, Paper, Sparkle, Glow in the Dark, and Glitter.
 
I don't use Mod Podge as much in my Card Making but I currently have 3 varieties in my glue stash for general crafting: Classic, Satin, and Shimmer. The Shimmer adds a fun glittery finish to my daughter's art projects, without the mess of loose glitter all over the house. I have used Classic and Satin for creating collaged albums (check out the great ready to embellish ones from 7 Gypsies) and paper cover clothespins for a quick and easy (and CUTE) way to display artwork at home or at work. I highly recommend adding Mod Podge to your adhesive arsenal.