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Ok, I've been trying to do the challenges at Hope You Can Cling To .. and really having a good time. Until just now.
One of the challenges says to use bling on your card. Ok... I dug out some rhinestone swirl stickers I bought at Michaels... I've never used these swirly things before but I so admire them when I see them on scrapbook pages or cards...
I CAN'T GET THE DARN SWIRLY THING ON TO THE CARD!! Twice I ended up with sparkly blogs of adhesive and rhinestones..
Those of you who are successful with these things -- please share your tips!
Amber - have you ever been able to get them onto the paper in the shape they were in the package? What the heck??? I've ruined two packages of them now.
The only way I ever managed it, was to put the swirl UPSIDE DOWN onto my card, and roll over it with a brayer, to make slight indents in the card/paper/ Then I added the stones one by one with a tiny bit of silicone glue, into each of the indents. was a lot of hassle, I thought!
Hi everyone! I've used several of the Zva swirls etc. What I like to do is take it out of the packaging, but leave the clear backing on. This way you can play with it until you see exactly where you want to place it. Then starting at the top of the swirl, ever so gently start picking it up off the clear backing. Place the top part of the swirl on your card/page and slowly peel the clear backing off, and gently use your fingertips to tap it into place. It's a slow process but once you get used to it, works like a charm!
I've used them successfully, Recollections from Michaels, Prima and Zva. I think the trick is to remove them slowly and gently. I tried pulling one off quickly and it sort of sprang back and almost stuck to itself.
Another trick is to cut it into sections and apply only parts at a time. If you do this, you might want to cut the plastic sheet they are on, trimming it close to the rhinestones on one edge and trace the shape on to your project with light pencil before cutting it apart so you know how to align it. And don't cut the rhinestones up into small pieces all at once. Trim off a small section, apply, then the next section and so on.
One last idea would be to peel off only a bit of the backing and stick just those few rhinestones down then peeling some more and pressing the next few down and continuing like that until complete. You'd never have the whole swirl loose at once. I've also found that the adhesive isn't that sticky so you can reposition them fairly easily.
If you love em, don't sell em. If you still decide to, PM me. I was just noticing I have none left!
__________________ RebeccaEdnie Mixed Media Artist, Paper Crafter, Jewelry Designer SCSDirtyDozenAlumni Www.Boxofchocolatescrafts.Com YouNeverKnowWhatI’mGoingtoMake
One post I read somewhere breaks the large swirls into smaller parts and doesn't use the enitire swirl on one project. Not only easier to manage, but saves money because she gets several uses from one package. I bought several packages at Michaels' and plant to try that.
thanks for all the tips -- I will give them one more try the next time they are on sale...
I had thought about cutting it into smaller pieces. I truly think the one I bought was defective - and, of course I didn't save the packaging so I don't know who the manufacturer was. But there was NO way it could have been removed from the packaging in one piece. The minute you lifted a stone, the line of adhesive snapped. Very annoying!
I agree with Shadow's Mom. I've had great sucess with the method she describes. Also, I think the suggestion that Rebecca Ednie gave is a great one. I will have to try cutting my larger swirls/bling into sections. Don't sell your 'Bling" on Ebay.....Give it another try. The results are awesome.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has trouble with these things! LOL! When I use them, I definitely cut them up into smaller pieces. It is a bit time consuming and painstaking, but that is why I save the bling for the really 'special' cards and not the ones that I mass produce (like Christmas cards!) But my best advice is to not worry if it the exact same shape as it was in the package! No one will know, and it will still look great.
__________________ Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.-Danny Kaye
I have trouble with some brands and not others. I used a Prima a couple of weeks ago that was so worth every expensive cent I spent on it. I've tried cheaper ones that I can't do a thing with.
The Kaisercraft ones I've had to place a little then gently peel and place the remainder. The Prima worked best when just lifted off and put straight down.
Seems like if you find a brand you can work with, you should stick with it.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I have trouble with some brands and not others. I used a Prima a couple of weeks ago that was so worth every expensive cent I spent on it. I've tried cheaper ones that I can't do a thing with.
I've noticed that too, that the Prima ones hold their shape much better once peeled off the backing and are so much easier to place on the paper or card however most of the other make that I've tried are floppy making it much more difficult to hold their shape. The Prima ones appear to have a stronger clear plastic between the gems.
With the others I try to 'roll' the backing away from the bling which seems to stop the distortion a little but a lot of the more intricate shapes can be really tricky and one ended up in the bin yesterday as I really don't think the 'mangled' look has become popular yet lol :rolleyes:
WHY can't I bling?????
