The Right Adhesive for the Right Job

Close to my heart offers a variety of adhesives for your crafting pleasure, but not all adhesives are created equal, or a meant to be used on all projects. 

Let me share a few insights, tips, tricks and techniques.

BONDING MEMORES GLUE PENS

The Bonding Memories Glue Pens from Close to My Heart come in 2 sizes (Broad tip and Finetip).  Both work the same, but give you different coverage for both big and small items.  I tend to use the fine tip when attaching intricate items I have cut out on my Cricut machine. 

The glue is blue when wet so you can see where you have put it, but dries clear, so not to be seen if you had any overage spill out the sides.

The glue creates both a permanent (when attached immediately when wet) and temporary bonds (let it dry to the tackiness of a post-it note before attaching.)

3-D FOAM TAPE

The double sided foam tape from Close to My Heart comes in 2 different thicknesses.  One is 2 mm thick, and the other is only 1 mm thick.  Both sets of tape come in a double roll of 2 separate widths of foam tape -- 3/8” and ¼”, each with 75” per roll, so that is A LOT of foam tape!

Foam tape is an excellent way of giving lift and dimension to your artwork, as it appears to pop off the paper.

I tend to use the thinner foam tape for cards, as not to annoy the mailman with extra thick envelopes, but you can use either, and if you only have the thin, but want something a little thicker, you can always double up to get the thickness you desire.

GLUE DOTS

Glue Dots or as I like to call them Snot Dots, are small circles of peel and stick rubber cement.  Close to My Heart offers 3 different sizes:  Micro Dots (1/8”), Mini Dots (3/16”) and Standard Dots (3/8”), each to fit your project needs.

I use Glue Dots most often when attaching ribbon to a project.  They hold well, and unlike liquid glues, the dots do not leak through and are invisible underneath the ribbon.  I also use Glue Dots when I want something with a bit of extra hold, such as an interactive element on a page or card.

HOOK AND LOOP DOTS

Hookand Loop Dots are one of my favorite items to use when creating 3-D items that I want to open and close, like a box or bag.  The Hook and Loop Dots are adhesive backed mini Velcro circles, only ¼”.  No need to sew them, just peel and stick, and the Velcro is excellent for any temporary closure.

LIQUID GLASS

LiquidGlass is one of my all-time favorite products and a little goes a long way.  I love it so much because it is so versatile.  It is both an adhesive AND an embellishment.

You can apply Liquid Glass to anything to give a little shine  – a stamped image, a button, a brad, etc. for a glossy, glaze like finish.  It is great for adding rain drops to a card, making shoes shiny like patent leather, or even making a lamppost appear to have glass in the panes.  Just be patient and don’t touch it when it is wet… It takes a bit of time to dry depending on how much you use.

As an adhesive, it is a miracle worker!  Liquid Glass works on anything and will hold anything!  A button to a page, metal hinges, a bow.  I even know someone who said she used it to put a mug handle back on!  Liquid Glass really is a great tool to have in your tool box.

TAPE RUNNERS

If you are a paper crafter you can never have enough tape runner.  These are the perfect paper to paper adhesives. 

Close to My Heart offers 3 types of tape runners:  Tombow (not shown in the catalog), Duck and my personal favorite 3L EZ Dots.

Tombows are a wonderful adhesive that are strip adhesive – they give a solid line of adhesive for attaching you papers, photos and other light weight embellishments.  Refills are available.

The Duck Runners actually come in a 4 pack with 7 yards each.  They are not refillable, but are also a great adhesive for paper to paper attaching.  I have personally never used them, as I don’t like the thought of tossing the entire cartridge when it is empty.

Lastly the 3L EZ Dots.  I love these. Unlike Tombows, they are micro dots of adhesive and in my opinion run much better with less “gumming”.  They are also refillable and come with 16 yards of adhesive.

Whichever your preference for runners, be sure you are using the right adhesive for the right job, so not to lose items off of cards, pages or layouts.  You don’t want to have done all that work just to have it come apart.

If you need help choosing the proper adhesive for your special project, let me know.  I will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Until next time and more sticky adventures,

Roberta

The Traveling Crafter