I don’t know if you have ever had this problem. I was making a napkin holder with my seven year old daughter. The directions said to use tacky glue to glue a pony bead, with a small diameter wooden dowel to a wooden base. The pony bead was to help hold the dowel upright. The problem was the beads were sliding all over the painted wooden base, and not sticking. Now, I have never had a problem with tacky glue before, but a project was at risk here. After some thought, and ignoring of instructions, we wiped all the tacky glue off the base and used a hot glue gun. That worked so much better. Once the beads were placed onto the dowel, we used tacky glue to fasten the top bead to hold everything together.

The point of this is to say there are times we really need to look at the type of glue we use. Let’s take a look at some of the different types, pro and cons of the glues, and then I’d love to hear what some of the situations and solutions were that you have encountered.

First, there is the popular glue stick. This is such a wonderful, self-contained idea. It is great for the paper projects that kids do, especially in school. I also just learned a lesson about it. I tried, for the very first time ever, to make a greeting card to send to someone. One of the things I wanted to attach to the card was a saying printed on vellum. I learned that a glue stick works wonders with vellum. It did not curl and since it dried clear, you could not tell it was glued. Also, I find I have more control over where the glue goes, without the mess, using a glue stick.

This does not mean that the regular school glue should be replaced. It, too, has specific uses that make it a wonderful choice. I have not found any difference among the brands, but I’m sure there are many of you who would choose one brand over another, given a choice. The school glue, and tacky glue, are very useful in situations where the materials you are putting together are a bit heavier than paper, or you want them to stay together longer. The down side is the drying time, and the mess you can get if you spread it around with your fingers. (However, I do have some fond memories of “peeling” it off my fingers in school, and even now.) School glue or tacky glue, watered down, are great for decoupage as well. I like it better than a flour and water mixture.

One other type of glue, although there are many more, is hot glue. The down side of this is the fact it is hot and should only be used by adults or under adult supervision. I also hate the strings that seem to be unavoidable when using this type of glue. The good things about it are the fact it holds whatever is glued and this last for a very long time. Also, once it is cooled, the bond is made and it cools faster than glue dries.

I hope this has helped you look at several ways to put your crafting ideas together. Stop by the forum to share your stories or ideas. It’s always so helpful to get another perspective on things.