Product Review: Glu6

I have been testing out this cool new glue in a couple of my projects this week and figured it was time to write up a more detailed review for all of you (this blog is by no means a product review blog, but when I find something I like I'm going to share it!). Maybe it's the Portlander in me, but I really like that this glue is made from recycled styrofoam (yes, that big blocky white stuff that packages all your electronics etc. That same stuff you thought couldn't be recycled into anything useful!). Right off the bat, this glue gets bonus points for trying to solve an eco problem and giving you a useful product.

I used the Glu6 Craft Paste to make the fish scale patterned placemat shown above. The majority of the paper circles used were punched out from glossy magazine paper, but I mixed in some solid color copy paper circles and a few from card stock as well (to better test out the glue and to add some texture to the final project). The craft paste seemed to work equally well on all 3 types of paper (and is recommended for porous surfaces). It has a pretty slow curing time and a fairly strong orange scent so you will want to follow the recommendations on the package and use this in a well ventilated area. I tried out a few different brush options, including a foam brush, old paint brush and the little wooden applicator provided with the glue itself. Since this glue is not water soluble, the foam brush was a no go--it just got all gooped up in the foam and didn't spread very well. If you are spreading onto a large area, the wooden applicator worked pretty well, but if you are trying to glue something tiny, I found I liked the old hard bristled paint brush. Keep in mind that to clean the brush you have to use something like Goof Off or Goo Gone as again, the glue is not water soluble. This does come in handy if you want to use the glue as a sealer, because once it cures it is waterproof!

I used the Glu6 Original to make these Instagram Coasters. Since this comes in a fine tipped bottle, the application process is much easier. I also found that it formed a tight bond with my paper and ceramic tile (even though my paper was a little porous and this glue is recommended for non porous surfaces). This glue was also pretty spiffy at sealing my coasters, but it does take awhile to cure (I left mine for 2 days before sealing and then another 2 days after that before use). It has the same orange scent as the craft paste, and again should be used in a well ventilated area.

Overall, I really liked both of these glues and will likely continue using them for various projects in the future, especially papercrafts/scrapbooking (I'm kind of a sucker for quirky products that are made in the USA).

All Craftinomicon readers can get 25% off their Glu6 order at Nine Lives Products by using coupon code Fall2013 at checkout until October 31st!

Thanks to Nine Lives Products for providing me with samples of these Glu6 Products for review. I have not been compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Thresher Shark Journal

Welcome back for another sharky craft! This is a simple papercraft that you can do in just a few minutes. All you need is a shark pattern of your choice, a journal (or notebook, card, etc.), some colorful paper (I used some photorealistic scrapbook papers), pencil, a scissors and some glue (optional material: a foam brush to spread the glue thinly and evenly).

Start by tracing your shark onto your scrapbook paper and cutting it out. You can change up the size of shark depending on how large your journal is (or by how many sharks you want on the cover). Next, play around with the layout of your sharks. Once you are satisfied, spread a thin layer of glue onto the back of your decorative shark and press firmly onto your journal. Allow to dry completely before you use your journal to avoid any issues with access glue sticking to anything and dirtying up your final product.

Enjoy! This is a great way to give new life to an old journal or sketchbook that might not be inspiring you to grab it up and use it very often :)

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone! It is an absolutely gorgeous day here in Portland, I hope you are having great weather as well wherever you may be. In honor of the Earth Day holiday, I thought I'd share links to some of my past projects that re-use magazine pages, as well as some of my favorite crafty tips for being more "green" and getting the most out of your crafty stash.

First, here are some projects that you can do with old magazines (or any paper you have lying around, phone books, junk mail, old notes and lists would all work as well!).

Office style gift card envelopes

Paper Twine - Great for tying up gifts!

Recycled Paper Beads Just use paper and mod podge to make tons of unique beads for jewelry and more!

DIY magazine envelopes Perfect for all of your correspondence, can be made to any size :)

Besides these ideas, you could also use scrap paper for making paper mache projects, collages, art journal pages and more!

Not really an abundance of paper in your life? Well, fear not, I still have some great earth friendly ideas for other crafty items!

If you do a lot of sewing, you likely have a lot of fabric scraps. If they are large enough, you may want to look at this craft project roundup of things to do with those scraps! If you find you have lots of small scraps, don't worry, there are still things you can do with them without throwing them away! I like to save up a bag with my tiniest fabric scraps and then mix them in with batting when I stuff fabric toys; it can save you money on extra batting, give your toys a nice texture and is soft and washable. Small scraps can also be used in mixed media art pieces.

If you are looking for an earth friendly craft activity to do with friends, think about hosting a craft supply swap. Have everyone get together some of their old supplies (I know I have tons of extra beads, paints, yarns etc. sitting around that I used for only one project) give them new life by trading with your friends for something new to your stash that they weren't using anymore! If you have leftovers, try to find a local school or after school program that needs craft supplies to take the rest :)

Do you have any other earth friendly ways to use up craft supplies? Post a comment with your ideas or "green" projects I'd love to see them!

Butterfly Wall Art

I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief as I am finally unpacked, with internet connected and my craft supplies all ready to go! I had some requests for Spring and Summer DIY art projects, so I thought I'd start out with something pretty easy and highly customizable!

To make a paper butterfly collage of your own you need a few supplies:

Decorative paper
Scissors or Xacto blade
Butterfly images to trace and cut out (I have provided some at the bottom of this post which can be made to any size you like, but feel free to make some of your own or image search around the internet)
Pins for mounting butterflies to the wall, or a canvas to mount butterflies to before wall mounting.

You can use any paper you like, but for butterflies you want to stand alone and mount to your wall individually, I would recommend card stock as other papers do not hold their shape as well (wings may get a little droopy, especially on larger sized cut outs). All you need to do is trace your butterfly image onto your paper, cut it out and position any way you like. For something you want to be able to move (or if you aren't allowed to make a bunch of holes in your wall in a rental) You can get a canvas to secure your butterflies to, or a magnet board (then attach magnets to your butterflies).

I also recommend thinking outside the box a little with your paper. I have some wonderful photo realistic scrap booking paper, and I think my favorite butterfly is the one with an image of a sparkler on it. Never would you find this in nature, but it sure reminds me of 4th of July cookouts and all of the other Summer activities that I just can't wait for :)

Using a more decorative paper also makes your butterflies much more interesting without having to cut out extra details. If you use a plain colored paper, you may find yourself wanting to cut out some designs in the wings to add extra visual interest (this is great but can be time consuming). The sky is really the limit on a project like this, so have fun with it!

Here are some scalable templates for butterflies. Some hand drawn, the other found on an image search at Butterfly Utopia.

Candy Colored Binder Clips

First off, I'd like to apologize for not having a food craft this Friday. I think my cooking skills got all used up on my special Valentine's Breakfast posts, but fear not I will be back with more yummy food for you next Friday.

In the meantime, I'd like to address my borderline unhealthy addiction to cute office supplies. In particular, binder clips. They are absolutely my favorite office supply. Regular paper clips, even in fancy shapes, just can't hold a candle to binder clips. So I decided to break out the Mod Podge and some paper and fabric scraps to pretty up some of my favorite office supply!

All you need to do is make sure you have clean binder clips, and then brush a think coat of Mod Podge onto your binder clip, place on your paper or fabric then seal with more Mod Podge. I'm thinking or painting my binder clip edges (the parts still in black) with some nail polish to make them even more awesome!

What do you think, should I keep these in a dish instead of candy? Do you have any serious obsessions with office supplies (I'm also a fan of colored staples and tiny notebooks)? Have you ever tried to make an office supply extra pretty? I'd love to hear all about it!