There are many different types of adhesive – liquid, double sided tapes, foam tape, dimensional dots and strips – all of which do have a place in my craft room.
I have a little drawer dedicated to adhesive! I have tried them ALL. I have bought the stuff highly recommended by various YouTubers, only to find they were expensive for the size received or they didn’t really work for me. I have also tried out the cheap stuff available in our stationery sections of box stores – I have ended up throwing most of that away. I have now settled on my tried and true, and will share these with you below.
Tape Runners
Widely available throughout New Zealand in craft stores, stationery stores. Being able to purchase a refill for your runner is something to consider, so whatever is available from your local retailer is probably your best bet. Tape runners typically dispense a gum type adhesive in a strip, although some dispense tiny dots. Below are some different tape runners available in New Zealand.
‘Snail’ adhesive runner from Stampin Up!
Liquid Adhesive
Let’s start with my No 1, absolute, hands down, most favourite adhesive of all time!
I like the 60ml/2oz bottle size best – it fits in the hand nicely whilst glueing my intricate pieces. Best part about this bottle is it is quite a soft plastic, making it easy to gently squeeze to get those fine lines and keep a nice steady control.
The other thing that helps with the fine lines is the extra metal tip you can purchase. (This can then be transferred to other bottles, so well worth the purchase). The metal tip has a tiny opening, giving you the nice ultrafine line of glue. And this glue is strong. It dries fairly fast too. And the best part is you don’t get those unsightly ‘lines of glue’ showing on the other side of your pretty cardstocks and papers.
There are larger sized bottles which you can have on hand to refill the smaller one.
IMPORTANT: You MUST have a steel pin to keep the nozzle clear – any other pin WILL RUST and discolour your glue. You can buy these singly with the metal tip, or in a pack of 6. Ensure the pin is replaced in the nozzle each time you set the glue down and you won’t have any major clogging problems.
Tombow Liquid glue is another fantastic adhesive. It has a fine tip at one end, and what I can only describe as a smoodgey tip at the other end for covering larger areas.
It dries fast, so as long as you replace the lid every time you set it on the table, you shouldn’t have any major problems with clogging.
This glue is also included in the Stampin Up! catalogue.
Double Sided Tape
Double sided tape is a staple in the craft room. There are many different types of tape available in craft stores, stationery stores and even some hardware stores. This is one of those products where personal preference is key, along with what’s available in your local shops. Below are a couple of options that I like to use. I generally have a few different widths in my stash – 1/8″, 1/4″, 1/2″ and 1″ wide. There are wider tapes available too, but they can be a bit expensive – I will cover those in another series when we go beyond the basics.
X-Press It double sided tape – in many widths and multi-packs is available in craft stores around New Zealand. A fantastic staple product to have on hand.
Scor-Tape is available in a few craft shops – I tend to find and snap it up when I visit papercrafting shows!
These tapes are available in many widths – from 1/8″ right up to 6″ wide rolls! They are a strong double sided tape, and great for lots of techniques involving die cutting, glitter and other techniques.
Just as the label says, this is EXTRA sticky tape! I use this tape when I’m wanting to tape up things like gift boxes and bags, and affixing interactive elements into place because once this stuff takes hold, there’s no way you’re getting it apart again.
There are three different widths available, up to 0.5″.
PRO TIP: For ease of removing the tape backing, press and smooth your bone folder (or credit card or ruler) across the tape – the backing lifts off easily without lifting the tape too.
Foam Adhesive
I love using foam adhesive for dimension. There are different ways to achieve dimension (I am partial to stacking my die cuts for example), and foam is an easy way to get a raised look without taking too much time.
Beware of the cheap foam tapes in craft aisles – it is impossible to cut nicely and sticks to everything but your project! Just getting it off your scissors makes it disintegrate :/
I like to use thin foam strips when I’m creating shaker cards and other interactive elements, such as pull sliders, swing elements and little foam squares for lifting stamped images for simple dimensional effect.
Foam dots, squares, strips – these come in different shapes, sizes and depths. They can be used as is, cut to fit, or stacked for height.
I like the 1mm depth foam squares best – they give a nice subtle lift to my images, without adding too much extra bulk to my card. 2mm depth is also handy to have in the stash when you want a little extra height.
Most craft stores and stationery stores have a selection of foam squares in their crafty aisles – this is the sort of product you can regularly top up your stash with what’s locally available to you.
Stampin Up! have a range of hexagonal shaped foam dimensionals in varying sizes.
One of the best features of foam strips is that you can curve and place them to suit the shape of the die cut element or window on your card.
There are a few options for thin foam strips. Couture Creations packs are inexpensive, and are available in both black and white foam.
The strips are not too deep, so you can lift your images and die cuts to have subtle dimension. If you wanted to create a shaker card (especially if you’re using cupped sequins or beads in the mix) you may need to double up the foam so there’s more room for the shaker components to move.
Stampin Up! has a pack of foam adhesive strips in their range which are approximately twice the depth of the Couture Creations strips.
Foam tape is a favourite adhesive in my stash – I try to shop around for this, as it can be expensive when you use it on almost every card.
Check out your local hardware stores for mounting tape – I have purchased this one from Bunnings & Mitre 10 which is just a small roll, but also this one which is a giant roll and wider – very handy to have.
PRO TIP: Hardware stores have a price check policy – shop around to get the best deal.
OK, this isn’t actually adhesive, but I’m including 1mm A4 craft foam sheets here because I use them for dimension on my cards when I want a smooth, complete raised card front.
I like to use this instead of foam tape because not only is it a lot cheaper, it keeps that nice finish even after going through the mail.
Generally found in the Kid’s Arts and Craft sections.
Glue Dots
Glue dots are great for securing fiddly elements to your card – ribbon, chipboard elements, items that only have a small spot to hold glue. They are super sticky and hold well!
This is another adhesive product that is widely available in craft and stationery stores.
The Glue Dots range is quite extensive, with dots available on traditional rolls, tape runners and sheets.
Stampin Up! carry Mini Glue Dots in their range too.
Other Articles in the Best of the Basics series:
Cardstock Ink – Stamping Die Cutting Machines/Trimmers Heat Embossing Colour Handy Tools
Thank you for visiting – I hope you have found the above information helpful in your card making journey. As new products are released and trends change, you might like to bookmark this page to keep up to date. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.