Steve told me to use the word Epiphany

So I had an Epiphany,  Last night, at 1 am.  Last week when we took our book binding class the only adhesive we used was good old glue.  Yes, very good, made for paper crafting glue,                          but glue non the less.
I picked up the little book to check to see if all was still nicely stuck to where it is supposed to be stuck.  No wrinkling or bumpiness.  It was still lovely.  So I decided to try making a card using a glue I bought last June at the Heirloom stamp show.  I asked  the booth owner for a really good glue for paper crafting, something that I could use in place of my hot glue gun - getting a little tired of sizzling my finger tips. Last nightI made one card and tried the "secret" and the card came out perfect!!!!
Now I know some of you don't care and I get that .  But I've made almost 400 cards in January and I have to think about ways to keep the unseen elements cost down.  It all that adds up. I want my cards to be really nice and that takes high quality supplies.  I have found ways to purchase high end card stocks for 25 cents a pound and envelopes for a similar price, and I need to do that because I may make 5000 cards this year.   I enjoy the whole process of the card making, but the whole point is the People I send the cards too!  The less I spend on unseen supplies the more I will have for quality papers and postage.
I've been using an ATG gun for the last two years and really love the ease of it.  The best price I've been able to get is at the 'thetapedepot.com' 158.00 for a case of 144.  That is a really good price. Uline sells 72 for 148.00.  But still that is a lot of money for tape!
 
 
 
I've had a case of this I've been using that I purchased last summer,  along with some more from other sales and finds.  I've noticed I am going through about 10-12 rolls a week.  The ATG tape works pretty good for most applications, unless you have textures then that requires a more heavy duty adhesive.  Some people use score tape.  I use a Uline product called  Hi Tack double sided film tape 60 yards per roll.  One of these rolls costs 11.00 + shipping.  One of these rolls do last a very long time so I don't feel the price is high compared to the use and value.
 
The best price I could find of the name brand score tape was 7.80 for 27 yards on Amazon (prime)
I prefer the 1/2 wide tape for this "score" tapes.
 I've used lots of glues in the past and still use some glue for some things now,  but  I wanted one glue to hold them all (why is the phrase "One ring to rule them all floating in my brain?")
Not it is not precious, it is glue.
So I reached for the glue that I had started to use instead of my hot glue gun.
 
 
It is called Crafter's pick by Api
This company several other types of glue and I've just read very good reviews on them.  This however is the only one I have and have tried.
 
At the Stamp show a 8oz bottle was $7.30 ; on amazon it is $7.90 (prime - no shipping)
I've had this one bottle since June 1st and some how it is not all dried up and unusable!
Gary Burlin himself told me that this glue was practically the solution for world piece. Of course he thought I would need a gallon of it. So I sprang for the  $7.30 and brought it home. A long time ago before roll on adhesives I used a product called FrameWeld (purchased through Dick Blick art supplies), used in the framing world, This glue reminds me of that glue.  
The whole Secret trick   we learned in the book binding class to use waxed paper to burnish with!  You have to burnish no matter what adhesive you use, using the waxed paper made this task so simple, it just glides over the papers smoothing it out perfectly!!
 
So I'm going to show you what I did, the first batch of cards were all made last night using heavy papers.  They look perfect today! All layers were glued excepted the sentiments that had dimensional tape.
 
 
smooth paper layer glued on textured Strathmore paper, I would have used score tape for the bottom layer on the card base. No problems with adhesion using the glue . No warping or rippling
 
I made two versions of this card and you can see, nice crisp surface and the bow glued down
 
 
The butterflies as well as layers were glued on with the ultimate glue. very strong adhesion and no burned fingers! The base layer on the glitter paper stuck without problem. I would have used a core tape on that, the ATG just isn't strong enough for those papers with heavy texture, glitter and gloss finishes.
 
 
 
 
Clean and even no ATG goobers on the edges!
 
 
This card had a layer of texture on dry embossed high gloss paper.  The yellow layer was also a bit fragile and in the past would not hold up to the ATG gun rolling the tape on it. I also used the glue to adhere the Velum paper to the DP layer. No show through and no problem holding.
 
 Nice and flat
Multi layers- no bumps, perfectly smooth.
 
I made this card for a sick niece who loves vintage things.  With this card I was able to all these layers on the high gloss glitter and corrugated paper.  No problems, this is also a 'Use it up' card.
 
 
 
Those were last nights cards. 
So a little earlier I thought I would make a card with papers that were lighter. 
These were all under 65#. I am very happy to say it preformed just as well wit the light papers.
 
So I'm going to walk you through the gluing process so you can see what I did.
maybe this will work for you , maybe not but as they say, nothing ventured nothing gained!
first layer, this ended up being to much glue and I ended up having a couple of bumps.  I think the bottle was a little clogged.
 
flip and burnish.  Yes I wash a lot of dishes!
This paper is the thin designer paper that come in a stack of 500 sheet for 14.95 - THIN!
or something like that....
 
Looks good But
 
 
 
I see two bumps - to much glue unevenly spread out Bumps at the scissors points

  

 


I can hide that easy enough for this card but I don't want that to be something regular in future cards.
 
base layer going on to card stock, less glue this time, I did dot some more into corners after I took this picture to make she the corner were down tight.
 
 
See looks good! Again no tape coming out the sides !
 
Sentiment on the base  layer and burnished
 
 
Perfectly smooth
 
Thin paper on base layer
No wrinkling or puckering
 
 
Glue on back of ribbon and  cardstock.  Glue did not show through the ribbon
 
 
 
And that is it, here is the card:
 
 
 
I did an up close shot so that you can see for your self there are no problems from the glue.
 
I have to say, I had less problems with the glue applications  than I normally do with the ATG application.  if you use an ATG gun you know what I am talking about, snags and skips and run over goobies. Also sometimes the ATG just isn't strong enough, I received a beautiful OSA card two weeks ago in pieces, they layers just weren't held by the ATG tape.
 
I am pretty sure I will still be using the ATG for various things but not as a go to adhesion for my cards. One  I will use the ATG  for envelopes, I won't lick an envelope, I use the gun on that and for my homemade envelopes.
 
I hope you found this post useful, I'm glad I tried this and look forward to saving $$ in the future.  I'd be happy to answer any questions, just leave them in the comments.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!!
 
Ginny M

 
 

Comments

Barbie said…
Thank you for all the good information and the pictures as I am a visual person (gotta see it). I regularly use my ATG but you have now made me think more about using the glue.
Anonymous said…
I've been using this glue for many years. One tip: store it upside down and it won't dry out. I cut the top few inches off a plastic bottle, remove the cap and stand the glue bottle upside down in the opening.
Jan Castle said…
Thank you so much Ginny...a very thorough review and tutorial! I will certainly try it for myself because as you say the ATG gun tape is expensive when you use a lot...and sometimes give me problems. All your information is sooooo helpful! Thank You!!!
Hugs,
Jan
peggy lin said…
Thank you for sharing hugs! #112
Thanks Ginny for this info. Very helpful.
Mary Farrington/Oh2bnor@aol.com
okienurse said…
You know Ginny I had a similar epiphany a while back and I have gone back to using just Elmer's glue without any change in what my cards or projects look like. It holds well and costs a whole lot less then a lot of other products. Thanks for the tip on burnishing with waxed paper! Have a great week. Vickie aka Okienurse #111
Jackie said…
Great post!
Can you tell me more/explain about why the burnishing?
Jackie 33
Hi Ginny, thanks for the info and comparison on adhesives. I'll definitely look into it more. I wish I could make the leap to the ATG, but it still just seems so large! Hehehe, I'll admit I still chuckled outloud everytime I read "tape goobies!" Hugs xo
Peg Robinson said…
Beautiful work love your demo. Peg R-13
Shaz Brooks said…
Gorgeous card Ginny, love the colour. I really love green and many people seem to avoid it, I think mainly down to superstition. Have a great week, Hugs, Shaz #35 xx
My shop-aholic friend gave me some of that Crafter's Pick Ultimate glue. She told me a drop or two would hold Bleubeard's butt to the ceiling forever, if I wanted to stick him there (grin). I agree it's the best glue around, even if it is a bit pricy for my craft budget. Happy belated WOYWW from # 1.
Julia Dunnit said…
Fascinating. Of course, this glue isn't available here, but I'm goign to try with Aileen's and see what i think...I'm an ATG gal and yes, the skipping and the goobers make the extra work that a bt of burnishing with was paper would account for, so no loss there!
Jen Tattan said…
what do you mean by burnishing?
MamaZee said…
I am a bit mixed up about burnishing. I love all the tips and you make some beautiful cards.

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make Sweet Little Paper Dress Cards!

Tutorial: Making Napkin Cards

How To Restore A Vintage Rubber Stamp