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Glitter

One of my favorite embellishments, glitter always add a little extra something to your scrapbook page or card. Some crafters won’t use glitter for several reasons:

• It’s too messy.
• It falls off your project easily.
• It’s too difficult to apply precisely.
• You can’t see the artwork for the sparkle, so to speak.

Before you make up your mind, let me offer you a few alternatives.

High quality glitter and adhesive

What makes glitter messy and unruly is often the quality of the product you use. Good quality glitter should be cut from thin polyester film--so thin that you can't see the dull side of the cut. Glitter mad of polyester acid-free and safe for use in scrapbooks. More often than not, adhesive becomes brittle when dry. When applying glitter, you should use an acid-free adhesive that remains slightly flexible, so when you turn the scrapbook page or bend the card, glitter doesn't flake off everywhere and make a mess.

TAC™ sells Designer Dries Clear (regular and for fabric, which must be heat-set to remain washable and permanent) glue. This product can be used with an ultra-fine metal tip, which allows you to apply glue only where you want the glitter to stick--in tiny specks, not blobs. Before applying adhesive to your stamped image, rub it lightly with a dryer sheet (or the X-Static static remover) to help the glitter stick only where you want it.

Before you start glittering, put down several layered sheets of paper and a piece of felt (especially when using microbeads). This will help catch any stray glitter before it falls on the floor. I also recommend a Tidy Tray, which can be used to catch the excess glitter and then funnel it back into the container.

We sell opaque glitter (these are cut from colored silver film, so you can't see through it) in kits, and also transparent Prismaglitter (which is cut from transparent colored film) for when you want to see through the glitter to your stamped image. If you want a fun texture, I'd suggest you try clear microbeads. Cover your stamped image with Wondertape, and then pour the microbeads over the top and press them into the surface. You'll get a transparent prism effect from the beads.

Glitter Glue

If you're impatient and don't want to apply glitter in two steps, I suggest you try Stickles glitter glue. This amazing products has many advantages over regular glitter. First, it's very easy to apply--it's a non-settling glue mixture in a container with an easy-flow tip, which makes it easy to write with. It's also non-toxic, acid-free, and water washable, which makes it a favorite with kids and scrapbookers alike. I keep an extra pin around, just in case some of the glitter gets stuck in the tip.

Transparent colors:

• Crystal (cool clear blue, aqua and green)
• Icicle (chunky clear green, yellow and pink)
• Orange Peel (very bright but transparent)

Opaque colors:

• Black
• Christmas Red
• Dark Blue (blue and violet shades)
• Gold
• Platinum (more of an burnished silver color)
• Green
• Holly (fun red, green and gold mixture)
• Lavender
• Pink
• Silver
• Turquoise

You'll love this product for adding snow, water and other liquid to your stamped art, or just dotting your "i"s and snowflakes with it, or even writing messages and greetings with this fun product. Plus, it's priced at just $2.25--why not get the whole set?

Glitter Gallery

Here are a few samples using Stickles and micro beads:

Be sure to visit the gallery at Art Glitter for some fantastic ideas!

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