Happy Day all!!
Man, yesterday was a wicked one here in terms of the weather! We had some nasty storms starting about midnight Sunday night right through last night. I'm talking strong winds, rain (LOTS), thunder, lightening, the works! We of course needed the rain because it's been so terribly dry here but man at one point we were getting over 2" an hour!! I'm not sure how much actually soaked in vs. run-off but at least I was able to pull the weeds from my deck flower bed this a.m. It's been so dry that the soil was like cement!
Anyway, Sunday night Rae Lynn e-mailed asking about glitter. She has some of the regular Mylar glitter that we're all familiar with but she wanted to know why I liked/used Stickles Glitter Glue often as opposed to regular old glitter. I promised to share some things with everyone about it yesterday but all of the storms put a kink in that plan. So a bit late, here is your answer Rae Lynn :)
Glitter Comparison
Initially I started out just thinking about Stickles but decided that all glitter has it's place and thought I should include many of the different choices out there.
For all of the loose glitter I use something like Glossy Accents, Paper Glaze or Glass Glaze. These types of adhesives dry perfectly clear and don't detract from the sparkle.
Mylar Glitter
Mylar glitter is the most common variety of glitter that most people are familiar with. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes as shown and is suitable for all applications. It's acid free & scrapbook safe. This type of glitter does pose a problem if your pages/items will be handled frequently. No matter how much adhesive you use it usually flakes off and you end up with sparkly bits everywhere. This type of glitter is also a bit messy to use and tends to get all over everything.
Glass Glitter
This type of glitter has been around for a very long time. It is just what the name implies...various sized shards of broken clear & colored glass. Glass glitter is usually available in 3 different sizes ~ fine, medium (silver) & coarse (blue) blends. Glass glitter offers up a unique dimension and texture not attainable with regular Mylar glitters. The difference between regular Mylar and glass glitter is highly evident in the way it catches and reflects light.
This type of glitter is not a good option for scrapbooks or for use by children as the shards of glass are extremely sharp and can cause minor cuts and abrasions if handled improperly. Always use cation when working with glass glitter!
Glitter Flakes / Glitter Snow
Mica Flakes
Mylar Flakes
Larger flakes or chips of glitter is another fun option available to crafters. These usually come in two varieties ~ mica flakes which are tiny chips of mica crunched into small bits. The mica variety comes in a natural color (as shown) or it can be tinted with a variety of dyes. I love mica and mica flakes are nature's answer to glitter. It's glass like qualities paired with it's natural reflective properties offer a unique option when you're looking for an alternative to regular glitter.
Mylar flakes come in iridescent (as shown), clear and colors just as regular glitter does. The main difference between Mylar flakes & Mylar glitter is that glitter is normally uniform in size and shape while the flakes are more random.
Both types of flakes come in a variety of sizes from just a bit larger than your usual glitter to 1/2" pieces depending on the application.
Stickles, Ice Stickles & Distressed Stickles
These types of glitter glues are a perfect alternative when you're looking for all the glitz and glamour of glitter without all the mess. The adhesive and glitter is premixed, easy to apply, just point and squirt ~ no muss, no fuss!! So quick and easy it eliminates any reservations you may have about using glitter on your projects.
This type of glitter glue is a combination of clear or tinted adhesive with fine glitter and comes in a wide variety of colors.
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Ice Stickles is basically the same as Stickles but has larger bits of glitter with Aurora Borealis highlights for an added bit of sparkle.
The recent addition of Distress Stickles to the line of glitter glues offered by Ranger is my favorite of the three! This glue contains a unique glitter that is incredibly similar to mica ~ and you know how much I love mica!! It's a wonderful alternative when larger mica flakes just won't do the trick.
The flakes of the particular Stickles product are larger than regular Stickles Glitter Glue as you can see from the photos. It offers up the look and texture of the yummy bakers colored sugar once it's dry. Truly a unique product you just can't beat!
So there you have it.....
hopefully it answers some of the questions you may have had about glitter!
Thanks for sharing this. Great comparisons. I love stickles too!! They are my favorite by far.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very old post but I found it while trying to see if anyone else has had a problem with Stickles not mixing up in the bottle and leaving all the glitter in the bottom, as I have experienced. Also, the reason I use the glitter glue style like Stickles is because I have sneezing fits when I try to use sprinkle-on types of glitter (although not the glass glitter). The fine powders really bother me and it makes me wonder if it is safe to use because that stuff always goes everywhere!!
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