Craft Fantastic and Glitter, Part 2!

Welcome to Part 2 of my glitter primer. Last week I used glitter to highlight and add a bit of shimmer to an image and then topped that image with a Craft Fantastic cabochon. The results were fun and eye catching! And the process couldn't be any easier. 

This week the glitter is the star of the show. I found some glitters were more appealing than other glitters and I also found that sticking the cab into the tray became more of a challenge, as well. I experimented with using the Fantastic Glaze & Glue, Fantastic Jeweler's Dots, and E6000. All products we sell on line. 

A few words about affixing the glittered cabs into the trays...

Fantastic Glaze & Glue - As I suspected, the Fantastic Glaze & Glue did not hold the glitter covered cab in the tray. It is designed primarily to use on paper and needs a porous surface in order to cure and work it's magic. Pressing it into a tray didn't allow enough air to circulate under the glass for it to dry. 

Fantastic Jeweler's Dots - I also suspected that these would not be the best option and I was right. The Fantastic Jeweler's Dots are formulated from a high-tack adhesive perfect for adhering the glass cabs to the trays, however, the glitter had a tendency to peel off the back of the glass and stick to the dot. So all in all the dots did their job well, but the glitter was a stinker.  

E6000 - With the exception of the Ultra Fine Glitter, the E6000 proved to be the most effective for sticking the glittered cabs into the trays. Read my results below and I'll walk you through my observations.  

I used an assortment of glitters from my own craft stash for these projects...ultra fine opaque glitters, Tim Holtz Distress Glitters, and vintage glass glitter shards.  As you can guess, I had a favorite, but you'll have to read on to find out what it was.  

Let's get started...

What I Used

Craft Fantastic Glass Cabochons - Any shape or size will do. 

Craft Fantastic Pendant Trays

Ultra Fine Opaque Glitter - If fairy dust did exist, it would be this. Yes, it is that fine.

Tim Holtz Distress Glitter - Tim Holtz offers an entire line of "distress" products to give your projects a vintage feel. The Distress Glitter is not quite as shimmery as some glitters, but it comes in a variety of colors and has a retro appeal.

Vintage Glass Glitter Shards - Glass shards are big and chunky and oh so beautiful, but do be careful. These are lovely and shiny because they are actually created from glass, so keep this glitter out of reach, far from the wee ones and the family pets.

Fantastic Glaze & Glue

E6000

Clean Scrap Paper - And LOTS of it! Use a new piece for every glitter you're using. When you're finished you can gently crease the paper and pour the remaining glitter back into the jar. No waste!

Ultra Fine Opaque Glitter

I LOVE ultra fine glitters! Nothing catches the light quit like these little jars of magic, and yet, this was my least favorite glitter for this project. The variety of color is amazing and the shimmer is stunning. With that being said, even the opaque glitter proved to be too light and delicate to provide good coverage on the back of my cabs and because of that I ran into some trouble with the E6000, as you'll see below. 

The basic process was the same for all of the glitters I used. I started with a glass cab and generously covered the back with Fantastic Glaze & Glue. I used the nose of the bottle to push the glue neatly out the edge of the cab. I took a generous pinch of glitter and applied it heavily over the glue. Once I achieved good coverage, I gently used my finger to lightly "pat" the glitter into the glue and then sat it aside to dry a good long while. 

                           

No matter how much glitter I applied, I could not get the coverage I wanted with the ultra fine glitter. I felt the finished cabs looked a bit transparent. I used the E6000 to affix the cabs to the trays and the E6000 ended up coming up through the glitter and making my cabs appear cloudy. Boo :(  I was not happy with these results at all.

Tim Holtz Distress Glitter

Next up, I used the Tim Holtz Distress Glitter and was much happier with the results. It's a heartier glitter, not quite as fine, and I was able to achieve much better coverage on the cabs. I used the same method as before to apply the glitter. 

I used the E6000 to affix the cabs into the trays and did not have the cloudy results I had with the ultra fine glitter. YAY! I love the look of this particular glitter. Teeny tiny uniform circles. What a great finish!

Vintage Glass Glitter Shards 

I used the vintage glass glitter shards for the next two projects. Look at those jars of glorious, glimmery, shimmery, light! They are practically hypnotic. 

I prepared my cab using the same method as described above, however, the glass shards are considerably chunkier than the other glitters, so this posed a problem getting the cab into the tray. I affixed it with the E6000, but as you'll see a couple of pics down, the glass cab sits higher in the tray. This could be a problem for some, but it didn't bother me. 

This was my favorite glitter to play with. The shards catch the light and really provide a spectacular finish, giving the illusion that the shards are suspended in the glass. 

Here's a side view so you can see how much higher it sits in the tray. This angle sort of exaggerates that height. It's not quite as noticeable in real life.

As I said, the vintage glass glitter was my favorite to play with and this next project was my favorite to make. This time I went straight for a tray and covered the inside with Fantastic Glaze & Glue. I did  not fill it up, I just covered the bottom.  

I didn't want to fill the tray too full, so I applied just enough Glaze & Glue to coat the bottom.

Then I filled the tray with the vintage glass glitter shards, pressing them gently into the glue.

I topped the shards with another thin coat of Fantastic Glaze & Glue and sat it aside to dry overnight. 

I did the same with this tray.

Now, isn't this fun! I LOVE how these turned out and they were the simplest to make! The glue dries clear so there is still a lot of glitz in the finished piece, plus the rough texture adds so much rustic detail. I added a little less glue to the top of the square piece and I like how that one maintained more of the roughness. I will definitely be making more of these in the future. 

That concludes my Two Part Glitter Primer. I had a grand ol' time playing with all this shiny stuff, but I have a feeling I will be picking glitter out of my teeth for the next month. I hope you will give glitter a try and share your results with me on the Craft Fantastic Facebook page. Also, sign up to follow this blog via email by adding your email address to the box in the sidebar. Never miss a post!

If you have suggestions for future tutorials or you have a question about the Craft Fantastic products,  feel free to send me an email to DearCrafty@CraftFantastic.com. I LOVE hearing from you :)