If you're an avid scrapbooker, it's a good idea to have a stash of glue dots in your craft room. These wonderful adhesives are easy to use and provide a strong bond for your scrapbooking projects.
About Glue Dots
Also known as adhesive dots, glue dots are sticky dots used to adhere bulky embellishments to your scrapbooking layouts. They are pressure sensitive and available in many different sizes. Some dots are flat, while others are raised to help give your items a dimensional look once they are attached to your scrapbook page. Popular product brands include Glue Dots International and Zots.
Adhesive dots can be used to add a variety of items to your scrapbook page.
- Faux flowers
- Chipboard letters
- Metal charms
- Buttons
- Ribbon
- Tags
- Tin tiles
- Beads
- Fabric scraps
Glue dots marketed to scrapbookers are acid free, lignin free, and archival quality so they won't damage your photos and memorabilia. They are not water based, so they should not dry out, yellow, or crack over time.Adhesive dots can be purchased from any scrapbooking supply shop or large craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels Crafts. They are most often sold in large rolls or sheets.
Using Glue Dots
When using adhesive dots in your scrapbooking projects, it's a good idea to keep in mind the following tips:
- Keep your fingers away from your adhesive packaging. Even if your hands are clean, the natural oils on your skin will affect the glue's ability to adhere to the page. In addition, glue dots will stick to your fingers if you're not careful.
- It's best to apply dots to the item directly from the paper backing. Then, carefully peel off the backing and stick your embellishment to your scrapbook layout.
- If you're working with vellum, look for dots that are labeled as suitable for working with transparent materials. Vellum glue dots bond instantly, then disappear. Standard adhesive dots will leave a slight adhesive residue that will show through the vellum.
- Glue dots are generally not repositionable, so make sure you have the placement of your embellishment right before adding it to your scrapbook layout.
- If you need to remove an adhesive dot from your page, try coating it with a few drops of UN-DU before carefully peeling it off.
Storing Glue Dots
Whether you have an entire room dedicated to your scrapbooking supplies or you store everything you need in one small tote, it's important to make sure you care for your collection of glue dots properly. Stocking up on adhesives is a great idea, but not if they've lost their stickiness by the time you get around to using them!
It is best to store opened adhesive dots in zippered plastic storage bags. This will keep them from getting dirty or dusty, which could affect the adhesive's bonding ability.
Although glue dots are safe for young crafters to use, you will want to keep your adhesives away from pets and small children. An unrolled package of dots creates a mess than is rather time consuming to clean.
Substitutes for Adhesive Dots
If you find yourself in the middle of a project and you've suddenly run out of adhesive dots, you don't necessarily need to rush out to the scrapbook store. There are a few alternatives to try:
- Double sided tape can be used to adhere chipboard and ribbon.
- Foam adhesive squares work well for adding a bit of dimension when adhering die cuts.
- A hot glue gun will adhere heavy metal embellishments to your page in a pinch.
Another interesting substitute for glue dots involves applying small dabs of Aleene's Tack It Over and Over glue onto waxed paper. When the glue is dry, you can peel off the spots and use them just like store-bought dots.
