Being an arts and crafts enthusiast can be weird, as the tiniest, most mundane stuff will excite you. Most people wouldn’t think twice after looking at a textured paper. However, when it comes to glitter glue, opinions can be divisive. Here we answer, what is glitter glue: 7 best ways to use it.
While some crafters love to experiment with glitter glue, others strongly oppose it. Neither of the sides is wrong, per se. While glitter glue can add a lot of character to your crafts, it can also be pretty messy to use. And if it spills over, the cleanup can be more tiring than the actual craft.
But that doesn’t mean glitter glues will be going off the stationary shelves any time soon. Because no matter how messy they can get, they do make your crafts look better when used right. Read on to learn more about glitter glue.
What is Glitter Glue – What You Should Know
In basic terms, glitter glue is simply glitter that is infused with loose glitter. If you’ve ever tried to work with separate glitter and glue, you should already be aware of what a nightmare it can be. Not only does the loose glitter fly everywhere before you can glue it in place, but you are seldom able to achieve the results you want. It’s almost as if they work like repellents to each other.
That’s not the case with glitter glue. Instead of trying to combine these two essential crafting tools, you can use glitter glue to make the process easier and less messy. Since glitter glue gives you more control, it is also easier to combine different colors and make something unique.
What Is Glitter Glue – The Best Ways to Use It
The freedom and ease of use that glitter glues provide can result in almost infinite numbers of ways to use them. In fact, the possibilities are only limited by how far you can think.
Nevertheless, having a little creative push to start your arts and crafts projects is always helpful. So if you’re just dipping your toes in the world of glitter glues, the following are some ways you can start using them today.
Scrapbooking
One of the best uses of glitter glues is for scrapbooking projects. There are so many different types of scrapbooks. You can make a travel scrapbook with all those Polaroids, ticket stubs, and other mementos. Or you can make a baby scrapbook to capture those little moments and preserve them in a book. Or you can create a scrapbook documenting your favorite books or movies. Either way, glitter glue can take things to a whole new level.
When making a scrapbook, you ideally want each paper to have a unique look and layout. You can add fascinating captions to each page, make attractive borders around pictures and mementos, and embellishments such as charms and beads with the help of glitter glue. It basically allows you to accessorize the scrapbook in a more interesting way than just plain glue.
Wooden Frames
Wooden frames add a lot of character to the pictures as well as the wall or table you place them on. However, some people may find basic wood slightly… boring; especially if the area around the wooden frame is brighter and more colorful than the frame. Glitter glue can help fix this issue.
You can either dab several dots of glitter glue on the frame to form a pattern or get as creative as you like. Depending on where you plan on hanging the frame, you can also get glitter glue that matches the background to help the frame fit in better. However, make sure that you don’t end up using too many colors, as that may make the frame look tacky and ruin the wooden look. You can also use glitter glue to decorate other types of frames.
Card Making
Handmade cards have a personal touch that can never be matched by store-bought cards. Planning on making Christmas cards to send out to all your friends and family? Or want to create a special handmade note for someone’s birthday? Glitter glue should be on your shopping list.
Similar to scrapbooking, there are various ways you can use glitter glue to make cards more interesting. You can use glitter glue to write the recipients’ names, add a short, heartfelt message, or add some cute embellishments.
Adding a Ribbon
Trying to add ribbons to gift boxes can be challenging for most people. Trying a ribbon around the box is difficult and doesn’t always last. Whereas sticking a bow on top of the gifts doesn’t always work because the glue makes the package look untidy,
Instead of trying to hide the glue, you can enhance it by using glitter glue instead. You can get glitter glue in the same color as the ribbon so that it’ll easily blend into the background while adding a subtle shine. Or you can take glitter glue with a contrasting color to make things more interesting.
Recycling Glass Jars and Wine Bottles
Wine bottles and glass jars are some of the most recycled materials that can be used for crafting. From hanging bottles to makeshift vases, there are just so many ways you can decorate and use them. Needless to say, most crafters love them.
Using glitter glue to decorate these old wine bottles and glass jars is a great way to add new life to them. You can create various patterns and designs on them. With enough practice, you may be able to create entire images on them using glitter glue. This is the one place where you should truly let your imagination run as wild as possible. And if you mess up, you can simply clean the glass and start over. But when you do create that masterpiece, make sure to preserve it well.
Decorating Tote Bags
Another thing that is widely adored by crafters is a simple tote bag. What makes tote bags interesting is that they seem like a blank canvas that can be decorated in any way you want. With glitter glues, you can create patterns and designs on your tote bags. Or, you add embellishments such as beads and decorative stones.
Decorating Christmas Ornaments
Another great use of glitter glue is decorating Christmas ornaments. You can add glitter glue to Christmas balls to give them a unique look. If you want to get more creative, you can create ornaments from scratch using cardboard sheets, colored papers, and of course, glitter glue.
What Is Glitter Glue – Other Uses
As we’ve stated earlier, the possibilities are almost endless when it comes to experimenting with glitter glue. Following are some more ways you can incorporate glitter glues into your crafting projects.
- Coloring or drawing (kids can have a lot of fun with this)
- Making slime
- Embellishing or decorating T-shirts (or other fabric)
- Decorating tea light holders
- Decorating hair accessories (such as headbands)
- Creating personalized stamps (though you’ll have to create each one from scratch)
What Is Glitter Glue – Summary
If you belong to the group of people who advocate against the use of glitter glue, you may be missing out on a fantastic crafting tool. Yes, things can get a little messy, but it also helps you create something beautiful. And a little mess is worth the finished product, isn’t it?