The Basics of Scrapbooking Adhesives

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Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Scrapbookers have so many choices in scrapbooking adhesives. Manufacturers are offering more and more options to meet the needs of this hobby. Scrapbooking techniques have continued to change over time, and now scrapbookers need adhesives that can handle the newest techniques and trends.

The primary concern when choosing scrapbooking adhesives is to make sure it is archival safe. All adhesives used on scrapbooking pages must be safe for your photos. You have a variety of options available to use on the back of your photos or scrapbooking embellishments.

Photo Corners: These are the pioneer adhesives of scrapbooking, and they still remain a popular choice for many scrapbookers. When scrapbooking first began, photo corners were used because they would allow you to attach photographs to a page and still remove them. Because photo corners are not permanent adhesives, they are ideal for heritage photographs and anything you don’t want to permanently mount to a page. They now come in a variety of colors and materials.

Glue: When it comes to versatility, glue is the best option for adhesives in scrapbooking. It comes in pens, tubes or bottles, each suited to different types of gluing. For example, use a glue pen for your smallest page elements. Glues come in many varieties, including repositionable and permanent. Specialized glues are available for metal or fabric.

Tape Runners: These are a basic supply for most scrapbookers. Tape runners are double-sided adhesives and come in dispensers or on a roll. Like glue, they are available in permanent and repositionable tape. Tape runners are convenient and fast for quick page layouts. As you run the tape along a surface, it leaves behind a continuous line of adhesive. You use only as much as you need for each item.

Glue Dots: A must-have for heavy embellishments, glue dots allow for a strong bond and are perfect for fabric and ribbons. They come in a range of sizes, mounted on either a roll or sheet.

Glue Sticks: Still a favorite among scrapbookers, glue sticks are less messy than most glue. They allow you to cover a wide area quickly. Yet, they still can be used on small items. Before you purchase glue sticks, make sure they are photo-safe. You don’t want the ones made for school projects.

Adhesive Spray: The advantages of adhesive spray are even coverage and transparency. They work well with vellum, unlike some adhesives that will show through the paper. You do have to be very careful with over spray. Always put down paper to cover your work surface before using adhesive spray.

Tape: Scrapbookers find many uses for both double-sided and standard tape. One-sided tape can be used to cover the prongs on brads and eyelets, so your pages don’t get caught on them.

Foam Tape: Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, like dots and squares, foam tape gives your scrapbooking layouts a dimensional effect. They work very well with titles and letters.

Scrapbookers can never have enough adhesive. Always stock up on your favorites and bring plenty with you when you go to a crop or workshop. It helps to have a variety of adhesives available as you work on a project. Consider your choices and choose the ones that best fit your scrapbooking style.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, www.intoscrapbooking.com for more beginner scrapbooking and creative memories scrapbooking.

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