Archives for January 2021

Tool Time: In Search of a Perfect Adhesive

I’ve got a sticky situation and I need some answers. Haha, a little crafter’s humor to start your day? In all seriousness, I do have a little dilemma when it comes to adhering delicate items to my cards. So I thought I would share what I have found and what I think about them.

As you may know, I have fallen hard for my Big Shot Express die cut machine. I have been using it with my embossing folders and coordinating dies for my stamps. But lately, I have been getting a lot of delicate dies and finding it hard to find just the right adhesive to make the magic happen.

Several years ago, I bought the Multi Medium Matte by Ranger (see photo above). I loved that it came with a pin so the glue wouldn’t dry up and clog. I liked it just fine and squeezing the bottle is very easy. The only problem with this adhesive is that the tip isn’t quite fine enough for very delicate cut files. So that is why I started searching for new alternatives.

Then I went on to use the Gina K Crystalline Drops Pen and I really like that it comes out of a point so that I could use it to lay down adhesive on a smaller surface. However, I find the barrel of the dispenser quite hard to squeeze so once again I found myself looking for other options.

A friend told me about Sticky Specks and it includes 8 sheets that have tiny dots of adhesive all over them. So you lay the object on to it to attach the adhesive dots. I love this thing and I am finally working on my second sheet. You can get a lot of use from these sheets so don’t be fooled. I like it for some items. But at times, very delicate items that are larger are hard to remove without tearing the diecut. Also, the dots sometimes hang out on the sides so I have to go back and remove the excess on the final card layout.

Honey Bee’s Creative Precision tip glue is one of my later purchases and I have to say, I like that the barrel isn’t quite as hard to squeeze as the Gina K. The barrel is also wider. I do like using it so far. I used it on some small cover dies and it worked quite nicely.

The final adhesive I have been playing around with is by Altenew and it is a 2 in 1 glue pen. It dries permanent when used when wet but can be used as a repositionable when used when it is tacky. I have no use for repositionable so I didn’t test that out. The barrel is smaller more like a pen and the tip is a ball-point that releases the glue when you press the tip down. The adhesive inside is very wet and thin so it comes out easily.

I tested this one out by attaching a gem to some cardstock and it did create quite an impressive bond. I like that the tip is fine and that the adhesive comes out easily with no hard barrel to squeeze. I am not sure if I could use it on a large delicate cover die because I think it might dry before I get to them so I’m not sure it is the solution for large cover delicate cover dies. I will need to play around with it more.

Let me know what you recommend for adhering delicate dies.

Coloring is Good for You

Just do it!

I often hear people question the reasons that I color in coloring books. I think that often times, we tend to assign age groups to activities. It is common to hear people say that coloring books are for kids. But now we know better. The fact that we distinguish between coloring and adult coloring. Why don’t we just use the one word to anyone engaging in the activity of coloring. It turns out that many of the activities we assign to children are ones that have significant health benefits for adults. So before you snub the activity read on.

I will link a few articles here that talk more in-depth about the health benefits of coloring. But I think it’s so important that we all take time to relax and let down our guard and participate in something tactile, like coloring. It has proven to be a great stress reliever and helps improve focus and helps promote sleep. I don’t know about you, but as I have aged, I am more stressed, struggle with focus, and getting a full night’s sleep.

It is such a simple act of using a colored pencil to add color to a page. I really enjoy taking a picture before I begin and then after to see how the image ‘comes to life’. Don’t get caught up in doing it right. There are no rules. Just dedicate a little time each day or several days a week to healing your mind. So I challenge you to put yourself first, go find a coloring book online, order it, and just play.

Here are a few links to back me up:

Health Benefits of Coloring for Adults

7 Benefits of Coloring for Adults and Why You Should Join the Adult Coloring Craze

Christmas goodies…

new coloring books

Hello! It’s Friday and I am so happy today because it’s a weekend that we observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday so that means a long weekend. But the second reason is that I get to spend all of Saturday on Zoom crafting and catching up with my girlfriends. Since the start of lockdown last year, my friend, Ashley began hosting Saturday craft sessions on Zoom so we wouldn’t lose touch and to preserve our sanity. Because we all know, “Crafters gotta craft” and they also need to be with each other.

Over the past three weeks, I spent the holidays with my family so I missed our Saturday sessions. So I am getting really excited to hang out and craft tomorrow.

One of my gifts for Christmas were some new coloring books. One can never have enough of them. So I thought I would share a peek inside of each so you can share in the excitement.

Animal Odyssey

I placed this book on my wishlist a while back and one of the reasons is because sometimes, I don’t feel like fussing with tiny spaces. The images are rather larger and gorgeous which will lead to stress-free coloring. Below is a picture from inside.

I saw this next book while social distance shopping with my friend Joan at Michael’s in December. So I added it to my Amazon list right away.

I think I can really practice different color combinations and mediums for sunsets in this book.

There are very few coloring books that feature african american people in them so when I saw this one online, I knew it had to be added to my collection.

I love plants and gardening and how cool is it that these beautiful black woman are surrrounded by plants. I look forward to practicing skin tones with pencils. I have a good amount of confidence with my Copics but I don’t have a lot of practice with color pencils so I think it will be great to learn some good color combinations.

This next book just makes me feel cozy. Like watching the TV show Chronicle on weeknights, I enjoy small town main streets. So I can’t wait to combine my copics and colored pencils in this book. Creative Haven is a great book to use with Copics.

This page makes me think of when we are on vacation and visit the little shops. If you have a budget, Creative Haven sells all of their books at an affordable price.

Tomorrow, I will get to play around with these new books and catch up with my friends. Just what my creative soul needs!

Happy crafting!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year Friends!!

Let’s answer the big question first: Where have I been? I stopped blogging in late October prior to the United States election. I was a bundle of nerves so I stepped away from social media for a respite. However, I ended up staying away for two months!!
I took some much needed time with my family for the holidays after a very tough year. I hope you all are safe and enjoyed your holidays.

I can’t believe it’s 2021 but I am welcoming a fresh start. I love this time of year and also the start of spring. They are times I feel like I have an opportunity to have a fresh start. I started back to work for Belinda’s Crafts on Monday and I intend to make good on my goals to re-open my shop this year. I am setting aside the insecure, perfectionist procrastination and going for it. I will be putting new items up in the shop this month for a re-opening. I will make announcements here once it is live.

Although I did have my share of procrastination last year, I did make some production gains and with the help of my husband created an inventory database to help me track and better make sense of my inventory. I also hired a designer to create a logo for my brand. I always wanted a logo but never really knew what I wanted or where to go. I am very pleased with the new logo and I will be updating the banner to incorporate the new logo soon.

I will also be establishing a new schedule for posts on this site. I would like this site to focus more on Belinda’s Crafts and crafting. I will share new products that will go into the shop, behind the scenes, and all the craft supplies I just have to have. However, I want to focus on the art of paper crafting and all the things that make me happy. I will still include garden pictures and happenings since it also brings me joy.

I hope you can find the time and join me for another year on this blog. Stay well…

Belinda

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