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I'm starting to feel ready to add more embellishments to some of my cards. I'm already using twine and (paper) buttons. I've made some cards recently that I thought could use a little bling. So I'd like to get some pearls and rhinestones/jewels.
My question: is there any difference between brands/companies in terms of quality/color/how well they adhere? Or are they pretty much all the same. What do you use yourself?
Thanks!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I've had good luck with Prima and Want2Scrap gems and pearls. They have adhesive backing. I also really like to get packages of loose gems that are flat backed. I use them with the Mini Adhesive Squares by Glue Arts - they're super duper tiny, flat and strong, much better than Glue Dots, IMO. You can get more bang for your buck if you get the loose gems and adhere them yourself.
I was looking at Oriental Trading and it does seem like they have a lot, but then wondered if it was any good. And then wondered of there was such a thing as any good in the world of card bling or is it all the same? I'm going to look at Prima and Want2Scrap as well.
I know most people start out with all the embellishments, but I did not do that on purpose. I worked with nothing but plain cardstock paper (and ink and stamps) for the first six months, because I wanted to learn to design a card that didn't rely on embellishments. Now I feel I can start adding them in, a few things at a time and be judicious about it.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I know most people start out with all the embellishments, but I did not do that on purpose. I worked with nothing but plain cardstock paper (and ink and stamps) for the first six months, because I wanted to learn to design a card that didn't rely on embellishments. Now I feel I can start adding them in, a few things at a time and be judicious about it.
Nothing to add but I wanted to say I admire your restraint and wish I'd done the same! How about you buy a packet of each and compare?
__________________ Bexx Pyne - Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator My SU! Site My Blog
That sounds like exactly the kind of thing I would do. And then report back about it!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I have not had any problems with Oriental Trading. I have purchased from them many times. I love their brads. Nice quality. My friend uses their glitter gel pens all the time, and is on her second set of those. Have fun no matter where you purchase them from!
They do seem to be a one-stop shopping site. They have everything!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I will say that no matter what bling you buy, keep this tip in mind, you can color clear bling any color with copics or other type of marker! I no longer buy gems in ANY color other than clear! It keeps me from ending up with 50 blue blings that I will never use again!
I baised but I do like SU pearls and bling. I find they stick really well.
I will also use a Perfect pearls too and make my own pearls!
I find the best deals at scrapbook conventions, but I also pick up some bling when Hobby Lobby has their Paper Studio brand at half price (usually once a month)/
Most of the brands are fine, but if you want the best of the best - buy the flat backed Swarofski (spelled wrong) crystals. There really is a difference.
__________________ Keep what is worth keeping
and with the breath of kindness
blow the rest away.
Most of the brands are fine, but if you want the best of the best - buy the flat backed Swarofski (spelled wrong) crystals. There really is a difference.
The Swarovski brand crystals are on sale at Joann's online store.
I have gotten rolls of pearls at Michaels with a coupon a few times. They are meant to be applied like a ribbon but you can cut them apart with a craft knife. It gave me several sizes and a lot of pearls very cheap. The main thing I have found is that it is sometimes harder to find the tiny pearls and gems and I really like to use those!
Also, markers like Stampin Up seem to smear a lot for me but alcohol markers (Sharpies or Bic Mark It's work just as well as Copics) do well for coloring them in.
Another fan of using coloured Sharpies for rhinestones and pearls! Saves a lot of money instead of buying all those different packs... I have a 36 pack of BIC markers and there is always one that works. I use both SU and Micheal's rhinestones and pearls and find they are pretty much the same.
I find the best deals at scrapbook conventions, but I also pick up some bling when Hobby Lobby has their Paper Studio brand at half price (usually once a month)/
Ditto....CK Convention is normally where I stock up every year. There's a booth that sells them for $1 each package - different colors, different designs, different sizes...it's a must stop booth for me....I believe it's Want2Scrap (has online store as well). Join their email list and they'll email you when there are specials.
One thing to point out....you can get a strip of bling or individually glued bling. You can cut one rhinestone from the strip using an exacto knife, but it is kind of a pain if you are doing a lot of cards. That's why I like the packages of individual bling.
One thing to point out....you can get a strip of bling or individually glued bling. You can cut one rhinestone from the strip using an exacto knife, but it is kind of a pain if you are doing a lot of cards. That's why I like the packages of individual bling.
I use my Tonic scissors (love those babies!) to cut through the strips of glue and plastic sheet that bling is attached to so that's fairly quick to do and not as much of a pain. I have more than an ArtBin full of bling...crazy!
Now, this is my thread. I am a pearl and rhinestone addict.
I love Swarovski but it can be pricey.
Most bling brands stick well. It does depend on the climate. I am paranoid about my bling falling off so I always give it an extra bit of adhesive if I think it's going to be a drama queen on my creation. I also buy bling that has no adhesive and glue it myself. I use a variety of glues depending on the project. I love Diamond Glaze for bling and Aleene's Clear Tacky Glue.
Look for bling in different areas of your craft store. Some of the best bling can be found in the kids craft aisle and it's high quality. Wedding department is always a good place for pearls.
I also color my bling with alcohol inks or markers. I do own every color of bling made.
What size should I get? (I know you can't really tell me, but any advice would be great.)
I want something small - is 2 or 3 mm too small? Will they just disappear on the card? I am thinking of them for accents on BG's and flowers.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Most of the brands are fine, but if you want the best of the best - buy the flat backed Swarofski (spelled wrong) crystals. There really is a difference.
I have some of these and they are truly beautiful. The sparkle is so pretty compared to rhinestones but you do pay the price for that. I only use them on "crystal" worthy people. I certainly don't want to use them on a card that I know will get tossed.
Charlene, what sizes do you find most useful? And where do you get yours? I like the idea of having Swarovskis for special cards, for special people. I have a size chart and it seems like anything smaller than 3-4 mm would be very tiny and not have much impact. And those even might be too small for most uses.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I have both the 3mm and the 4 mm. The 3mm are very small. It would depend on what you were going to do with them. I think you would notice the 4mm on a card more than the 3. There is quite a difference in them. I bought them a few years ago but if I recall I bought the 3mm because there were a few more in the package. I bought mine at Michael's. IMO both sizes are ok for card making. Just make sure you use a coupon because they are way more expensive than regular rhinestones.
I have a tendancy to buy more clear jewels and white pearls and then use a Sharpie or other permanent marker to change the color. I use all sizes, even the teeny tiny one. These make great centers on small punches flowers.
Since I have so many different sizes & colors I tape the open packs to a piece of 8 1/2 x 11" paper; one piece of paper per color and then all the papers with the jewels are stored in scraponzier box. Now it's so easy to just grab the box to see what I have and if a jewel happens to fall off the paper it's still in the box instead of on the floor or stuck to my elbow ;)
I love rhinestones from Kaisercraft. They have amazing sticky. I have to say the stickiness of Want2scrap and Zva Creative and Prima are hit and miss, some are sticky and lots need extra glue to really stick.
I also order bling from a gal at Pizzazz Aplenty, she sells from her blog. They have no adhesive, but I love that and use a dab of glue from my Quickie Glue pen for these.
You can make your own 'pearls' with a hot glue gun and once dry you can colour them what ever colour you want. YOu can also make what ever size you want.
I have tried this and it works but I have such a large stash of bling I dont need to do DYI method yet.
I think with rhinestones there's some difference. I bought the cheap darice rhinestones from the jewellery section I believe and they don't shine as much as some of the more expensive ones. So I was kind of disappointed but then I thought to myself - it's only a card not a clothing! Now I'm happier that I can use as many as I want on a card without worrying about the cost! I too color them with sharpies when I want a particular color.
For the pearls, I bought the Recollections pearls-on-a-roll from Michaels and they seem pretty good.
I also keep looking at the dollar bins at Michaels for any good deals on either.
Yes, well, you've brought us to the crucial dilemma, smriti! They are only cards! But I love my cards to be the best they can be! But most people throw them away in a day or two! So maybe one needs two levels of bling, and the good stuff goes to certain folks only! And yet I mostly make cards with no one in mind, and then when an occasion comes up I go through my stash!
I'll have to go online and buy up a few different less expensive brands and some Swarovski's and see. I'll definately get some of SU's (of course I just did an order with them, isn't that always the way). There are no actual stores within 5 hours of me.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
The reason I try to use Swarovski's is a rather funny one. I had two cards on my table. One had ordinary rhinestones & the other had Swarovski crystals. I asked my hubby if he could tell the difference. He didn't even hesitate - immediately picked the Swarovski card. I too use the inexpensive jewels on lots of my cards, but I save the good ones for special people.
__________________ Keep what is worth keeping
and with the breath of kindness
blow the rest away.
I get mine at Michael's, but I wish I could find an online supplier with more choices (colors).
I WAS buying mine at Hobby Lobby but they come in strips that you have to cut apart, then your scissors get all gunky and I have to get lighter fluid to get the sticky off. What a pain! I bought my first clear jewels from Stampin' Up and I will never go back to the others. The SU packages come in various sizes and they are individual with a strip of smaller stones attached to each other in case you'd like that option. There are more in a package too, so I thought that was a a better value.
Want2Scrap has a 40% off your next order coupon on their site right now. They also have Daily Deals when they sell certain bling for really cheap (mostly at 99 cents)! The coupon is good till Oct 25th. Just FYI.
__________________ ~Nina (product designer for Penny Black, Spellbinders and Want2Scrap)
"O taste and see that the LORD is good..." ~Psalm 34:8 Etsy * Facebook * My Blog
Where do you get your pearls/jewels?
