My Scrapbooking Blog » Product Reviews

March 2010 CTMH Product Spotlight Blog Hop Featuring Liquid Glass

Wendy — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:00:52 +0000

Welcome to the March 2010 Close to My Heart Product Spotlight Blog Hop. This month we are featuring one of my favorite products – Liquid Glass! I feel this is a must-have for everyone and you will see why in this post and throughout the blog hop. This is a circle hop so if you started here just follow along until you make your way back to the blog you started on. Enjoy!

There are really limitless ways to use Liquid Glass. One of it’s great uses is to add dimension to paper or stamping. The bottle’s fine tip makes it very easy to trace lines. You can also fill in tags for an epoxy look similar to page pebbles. Now I would say the most common use for Liquid Glass is as an adhesive but I hear over and over from customers that they do not realize this. It works great to adhere buttons, metals, ribbon, chipboard, and other ‘hard to stick’ items. One of my favorite uses for it is to apply glitter! It is so easy now to turn some of my older (less loved) paper into something new and sparkly and lovable once again.

Here are some examples of my use of Liquid Glass:

This is a layout I made for a swap and I’ve now added the pictures, title, and journaling. I “dotted” Liquid Glass on the circle paper in the middle of a few of the snowflakes, then sprinkled with Prisma Glitter – bingo I’ve got my own bling paper! BTW, I just love that snowflake stamp!Products used are all CTMH: Creative Basics Jingle Collection, Color Ready Alphabet – Hodge Podge, Sparkles, White Daisy Cardstock, White Daisy Embossing Powder, Versamark ink, Liquid Glass, Prisma Glitter, White Daisy brads, and New Fallen Snow Stamp Set.

To make my title letters I used a Color Ready Alphabet. First I pulled off the outside leaving the letters on the backing. As I went I cut it off so I wasn’t working with a large piece towards the end.
Then I added the liquid glass to the letters I wanted to use and added the glitter. This is the first time that I’ve used this technique on letter stickers before adding them to my layout. What I learned was that but doing them this way (and being sloppy with the Liquid Glass) it also made the letters sloppy in a way – but it was perfect for this layout. You can see what I mean by looking at a closeup of the title (it is especially noticeable on the W). Where I went overboard (out of the lines so to speak) when I added the Liquid Glass – that part stayed with the letter once it was dried and I pulled it off the sheet. I really love the result but it was an accident. I probably couldn’t have made it work if I had been trying!

This next one is a Workshop on the Go layout. Notice how Liquid Glass was added to the dots on the polka dot paper for added dimension and a unique look.
Products used are all CTMH: Dimensional Elements in Color – Organic, Twitterpated Level 2 Paper Pack, Designer Ribbon Rounds Chocolate Collection, Natural Hemp, Brads Basic Assortment, Liquid Glass, Chocolate ink, Friendship Alphabet Large Stamp Set and Hello There Stamp Set.

In addition to the many ways to use Liquid Glass for scrapbooking and cards you can also use it around the house. I have used mine to repair my shower curtain, to fix toys and Christmas ornaments, and it works great to keep those feet pads on the bottom of my dining room chairs!

Preventing clogs: As with any adhesive in a bottle there is a chance that the tip can get clogged. First of all that is easy to fix by poking a pin down the bottle to clear it. Personally I find this step rather annoying so here are some things that you can do to prevent the clog in the first place. When you are finished using it, hold upright and let the glue settle to the bottom, then squeeze the bottle a couple times to make sure that air flows through the tip and it is clear of glue. Another option is to store the bottle upside down (an empty ribbon round container works perfect for this). I’ve used both of these methods and they both work well. I’ve heard you can also keep a push pin in the tip but that’s too messy for me.

One thing is certain – I just love this stuff! I encourage you to give it a try if you haven’t yet. It is an inexpensive, versatile product and a little goes a long way!

Additional tips:
* Drying time varies depending on how much you use.
* Do not shake the bottle! Shaking will cause bubbles.
* When applying try to keep a continual flow – avoid starting and stopping which also causes bubbles.
* You can tint your Liquid Glass by mixing with re-inker.
* Liquid Glass may alter the color of some of the CTMH inks so make sure you test your stamped image before applying it to your final project.
* Use Liquid Glass on the ends of your ribbon to prevent fraying.

To see more projects using Liquid Glass click here.

To purchase Liquid Glass online click here.

To continue the blog hop – visit Mary’s Blog!

For a complete list of participants, go to the previous post.

2010 Layout Challenge: #25 & 26 of 210.

Basic Grey Magnetic Mat

Wendy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:58:06 +0000

Well, it’s a new week and I haven’t had much time to scrapbook so I’ll give you another review since it’s been awhile. Pictured above is the Magnetic Precision Mat by Basic Grey. I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby with a coupon. The package will include the mat, a magnetic metal ruler and eight small magnets. You can use the small magnets to position things on your page before adhering them. Liquid glass (from CTMH) is my favorite adhesive for chipboard and I love using this mat to hold the chipboard in place while it dries. The magnets are very strong. It has a 12×12 grid printed on the mat which is great for positioning things and to use in combination with the ruler when aligning pieces across a page. I consider this a basic tool that I use every time I scrapbook.

Creative Memories Cutting System

Wendy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:00:02 +0000

I can’t say that I use this a lot but I would not want to be without it. I simply don’t use a lot of circles or ovals, however when I need them this is the perfect tool. There are other shapes that you can purchase to go with the system. I primarily use the circles. The template allows you to place over a photo and find the correct size you want to crop. The color of the blades correspond with the colored lines on the template. Tips for use: make sure you remove the template before cutting so you don’t cut through it. I find it easiest to use if I am standing up.

Creative Memories Photo Trimmer

Wendy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:00:08 +0000

This is a constant at my desk. The CM Photo Trimmer is a small cutter designed specifically for trimming photos. It is small and lightweight so it can fit easily on your desk and go anywhere with you. It cuts up to 4 3/4″ x 7″. There is a drawer on the side which can be used to store small items. The trick to straight cuts is to make sure the arm is lifted all the way up and your photo is flush along the top. Because of the top guard you would not be able to cut 1/2″ or smaller strips but I use this only for photos so it is not an issue.

EK Success Cutterpede

Wendy — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:00:33 +0000

The cutterpede by EK Success cuts up to 13″ x 15″ when the arm folds out to full extension. The arm can also be folded in half for easy 6″ cuts and easy 2″ cuts can be made when the arm is folded in. The cutterpede gives clean, straight cuts. The blade can be replace and is long-lasting. Although the cutting mat needs to be replaced fairly often it is inexpensive because it can be rotated and used 4 different ways and the mats are purchased in 2-packs. I would not recommend using this cutter regularly for photos or heavyweight paper because it wears down the mats too fast. This was my favorite cutter for a long time because of the clean, straight cutting and because it does not take up much room on my desk. The arm does not match the cutter because it broke and when I requested a replacement, this is the one that was sent. I originally purchased a pink Cutterpede from my LSS and it was damaged. They would not replace it because it came as a package and they didn’t want to send everything back and would only replace the cutter but did not have pink except the ones in the package set. Bummer for me because that was one of the reasons I bought it (I loved the pink). So in the end it’s kind of funny that I ended up with a pink arm.

Perfect Layers

Wendy — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:48:00 +0000

This product was my first-time QVC purchase. There are a couple other places you can purchase this but for a long time you used to only be able to get it on QVC so that’s where I bought mine. Since then they have also come up with a new package with more to it than the 2 rulers that I have. This is a great tool for the perfectionist or for those that have a hard time “eyeballing” when matting your pictures. To mat a photo (or add a border) you first adhere your photo to the paper leaving room around the edges. The nice thing is that this can be an odd-shaped scrap paper. Next, chose the size of mat that you want and line up the ruler. There is a lip on the ruler so it will catch when you butt it up against your photo. Take the exacto knife and cut along the ruler. Continue on all sides for the perfect mat. This can be done multiple times for multiple mats and layering. The mat that comes with the Perfect Layers is self-healing but you can use any exacto knife and self-healing mat. I prefer a larger 12×12 one that I use. The only trick to using this system is to be careful with the knife – so you don’t cut yourself or take a chunk out of the plastic ruler.

Making Memories 12×12 Trimmer

Wendy — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:59:14 +0000

This is a heavier 12×12 trimmer by Making Memories. It comes with a magnetic ruler that stores underneath. The best feature to this is that the blade is self-sharpening so there are no replacement parts. It has a rotary blade and cuts beautifully straight and sharp every time. This is the most exact cutting trimmer I have ever owned. Although it does take up a fair amount of space, I have made room for it on my desk because I love it so much. You can fold it in half to take to crops or so it fits in a smaller space. Down sides to this trimmer are that you cannot cut chipboard or more than 2 sheets of heavy cardstock at a time. You can also not cut small pieces of paper (ex. 1″ x 1″) because of the guard that the paper slides underneath. You can cut 1″ off a 12″ sheet of paper but once it is 2″, it is difficult to cut in half. This is my favorite cutter and I would not want to be without it, however if you are looking for an all-in-one tool this is not it. I use this cutter every time I scrapbook but I also use other trimmers to cut smaller pieces of paper.

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Wendy — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:22:48 +0000

From time to time I will be giving a review of different products. This is my personal opinion based on my experience.

I am going to start with the Fiskars Rotary Cutter. This was one of my very first cutters. It is an investment because it does not come cheap but I bought mine at Michael’s with a 40% coupon. Although I do not use it on a regular basis for my scrapbooking I do not want to give it up. This cutter works great for chipboard, felt, and multiple papers. I use it for girl scouts projects, to cut chipboard strips and squares, and for large projects when a lot of cutting is required. It gives a clean cut but you need to be sure to line up the paper with the measurements and not flush with the top or bottom. You can purchase a variety of decorative blades which are easy to switch and can be stored in compartments built into the cutter. I have had problems with the blade compartments staying closed (maybe because I store it upright under my desk) therefore I am unable to use these compartments to hold extra blades. The cutter is large (but not heavy) and takes up a lot of space if you plan to use it day to day. It has a rotary blade which has proven to be long-lasting. There is a cutting mat that will also need to be replaced over time but can be rotated four different ways so this also is long-lasting.