Make your own Dew Drops!

Thanks to Lindsay of the Frugal Crafter

Make your own Dew Drops!

Posted on January 6, 2009 by thefrugalcrafter

OK first I need to thank Linda from Vegas for her comment yesterday, she asked if I knew how to make my own dew drops. I thought that you could make something similar with hot glue, a non stick craft sheet and alcohol ink.  I think they came out really well:

 

Home made "Dew Drops made with hot glue!
Here is how to make faux Dew Drops:
Lay out a non stick craft sheet or hot glue mat. They are made out of silicone and nothing sticks to them! Heat up a glue gun with a clear hot glue stick in it.

 

Drops of hot glue on a non-stick craft mat.
Squeeze out little drops of glue.To avoid “strings” twirl the glue gun in a small spiral when you lift it off the drop. Don’t worry if you get glue strings, they will pull off easily later.

Color the "dew drops" in a baggie, so ne
You can leave the drops clear or put some in a baggie with 2 or 3 drops of alcohol ink and smoosh them around with your fingers. Dump them out on a scrap of paper to dry. They dry quick!

 

Ta-Da! Almost as good as the real deal!
I’m gonna make some more tonight! you can get a hundred from a 10 cent glue stick. How cool (and frugal) is that! If you don’t want to bother with making your own you can buy them at The Rubber Cafe.
Have fun making this, try making other embellishments with hot glue, squeeze out hearts, frames and swirls, you can even make faux wax seals by squirting out a dab of glue and pressing a small rubber stamp in it then painting the cool glue seal with metallic acrylic paint. Just be sure to protect your stamp by covering it with clear ink first and let it cool before you remove the stamp from the glue!
Thanks for stopping by and as always happy crafting!

And a note from Sandy - I'm thinking that one could color these with Copic Markers too....  :)

Make your own Glue Dots!

Thanks to Stephen, the Scrappin Guy: Life of a Guy Scrapbooker


You can make your own glue dots by dropping blobs (any size you like) of Aleene's Tack It Over and Over glue onto parchment paper.  I did this and folded the excess waxed paper over top, once they were 'dry'. All I have to do is open up the parchment paper, pick off one of the blobs and use like regular store-bought glue dots.

Here is what a bottle of it looks like at the store and it only costs about $4.


The Aleene’s Tack-It Over and Over dried almost clear, with a tinge of yellow.  I tried wax paper, freezer paper and parchment paper.  The wax and freezer paper did not release the dots as easily and I had to pick them off with more effort than I would want to put up with.  Parchment paper worked great!

You can make all sizes of glue dots, which is a real bonus of making them yourself.  Using the 1″ strips of parchment paper I cut, I used the glue to ‘draw’ long, skinny dashes for holding ribbon on a stamped project.  I made jumbo dots, itty bitty dots and even little “corners” that looked like an upside down V, perfect for corners of a card!
To store them, I tried 3 methods.  You know how you can buy glue dots on a square piece of paper?  I made some on 4×4  parchment.  I really didn’t like using them off of the sheet as I kept getting them on my knuckles, which was giving my twitches.  I like them on a roll MUCH better!   I cut 1-1/2″ off of an empty paper towel roll and used Scotch tape to fasten it to the roll and piece the strips together.
My favorite solution was to use an empty 1″ribbon roll.  It kept the exposed glue dots from landing on things that shouldn’t be glued and there is good amount of depth to roll on lots of dots!

Do they hold as well as store bought glue dots? I put them to the test with buttons and wide ribbon.  The homemade glue dots seemed to have a bit more play in them when I tried to wiggle the button but held on well.   Even under a hot light and against gravity, they still held the ribbon to the card.  Note:  Aleene’s glue does not say if it is archival, so I wouldn’t use it for scrapbooking or anything like that.
Would I make more of them?  Actually, I think I might.  Especially for swaps since I can make so many of them so cheaply and in any size I need.  A bottle is around 3 or 4 bucks and I barely made a dent in it to make 500 dots!  Of course they aren’t exactly the same as the store bought, but if you are in a pinch or on a budget, give ‘em a try!
Also the dots can be moved before they 'set' so, if you get a wrong placement, at first, you can pick them off and move them."

Add from Sandy - I had also read that you could 'squish' the dots down making them spread or become thinner and let those dry...


I'm going to make some - how about you? :)

Make your own Shimmer Mist by Kelly!

Make Your Own Shimmery Mist by Kelly!  Thanks Kelly! Check out her blog http://ideasforscrapbookers.blogspot.com/

Have you ever wanted to use those great shimmery mists that are on the market, but your budget said “no?” Let me show you one method of making your own mist!

Supplies:
· Small spray bottle (NOTE: Ranger’s Mini Mister is shown here.)

· Water
· 91% Rubbing alcohol
· Re-inker (alcohol or regular)
· Small amount (about 1/8 teaspoon) mica powder

• Perfect pearls, which has a binder; when it comes in contact with water, it fuses it onto the surface OR
• PearlEx, which works best if heated after application.

I’ve used both successfully!
· Some type of small “scoop” for the powder (Small scissors are used here.)




Steps:

1. This doesn’t have to be an exact science! Have fun! Mix (approximately) equal parts rubbing alcohol and water in the spray bottle up to about 1/2” from the top. This will leave room to shake the mixture!
2. Scoop up about 1/8 teaspoon of the mica powder and add it to the bottle. A little goes a long way.

3. Add in about 8 or 9 drops of re-inker. Combine colors if you want! Or, leave the color out. You will still have an opaque shimmery spray.
4. Shake the bottle!!
5. Ready for use! Spray holding bottle about 6-8" from your paper.