Dazzle Dangles by Emily M. Miller

Oh these are fun! I designed this project for a kids class and it went wonderfully! We started out filling bottle caps with different Dazzlers and covering the logo side with Ultrafine Hologram Opaque Glitter #136 Chromosphere.

There are also a myriad of seed pods here too. We brushed Designer Dries Clear Adhesive onto Yucca, Agave and Acorn tops then sprinkled with more Dazzlers! My favorite Dazzlers at the moment are several Hexis: D29 Confection, D55 Queen's Robe, D52 Rockets, D56 Dragonfly, D53 Gold Crown; Flakes: D38 Blue Eyes, D37 Lollipop, D42 Sherwood. The Slivers worked quite well for this project too.

Of course you can use just about any glitter product in the bottle caps and on the seed pods. I prefer the larger cut glitter products like the Shards Vintage Glass Glitter, Glass Beads and Gala Glitz. Since this project was for kids we didn't use any glass products and stuck to the Dazzlers and I was really happy with the results. See the two lower Yucca pods above? They are covered with #815 Waterdrops (clear) Glass Beads, they look like moth wings!


While these were drying we had fun with Fantasy Film! Our stamp theme is bugs. We stamped Fantasy Film on several bug stamps in various colors. This was a perfect opportunity to use up some Fantasy Film scraps. Then we cut the bug images out, leaving approx. a ¼ inch border and room at the top to put a little hole above the image for wire. You can cut yours out closer to the image if you want.

Next I put holes into every piece. The Fantasy Film pieces were easy, I used a utility knife for their holes. The other pieces required a nail and hammer, not too difficult! Which is good because I had to do this step for ALL of us!

Then we wrapped wire through each dangle (or around a stem) and left the top as a hook. And I say we left the top as a hook because instead of cutting strips of wire, we used ornament hangers! It was a perfect match and I tell you what, a new favorite short cut of mine for wiring projects!

Then I cut three different kinds of ribbon the length of my arms outstretched. We laid the three strands out flat on a table, distributed the pieces among the three strands and placed them evenly along their length. To tie them on, first start with the center dangle and tie a knot around its wire hook, then work your way down on both ends. Don't worry about getting each dangle in its perfect spot...it just doesn't matter!

All that is left is tying a knot at the top of all three ribbons and finding a spot to hang it.

I hesitate to use this photo, it is so horrible! The lighting is off and I couldn't get my dangles to stop moving! So I apologize, but I wanted you to see how it looked in full length. My students' Dazzle Dangles looked better than mine! Enjoy!!!

Pretty Pink Cards & Boxes by Shannon Bielke

To misquote and improve upon a familiar jingle: "Everything's better with a little glitter on it!" So true! Pretty and glitter go together so well!

I needed cards to include with a couple of small gifts for a very dear friend, so I looked through my supplies wanting to make something pretty for her.


Feeling the urge to create, I pulled out my paper scraps too beautiful to throw away. I picked a number that went together well, and set to work. I didn't end up making just a couple a cards. Of course not! I made a number of mini cards and a box to keep them in, thus creating yet another gift. Each card was small and simple, but different and interesting. To add to the interest was, of course glitter! Glitter to highlight edges, glitter to add to the design, and glitter to create interest! I love these little cards!


My favorite glitter application this time was stamping an image in glue and then glittering the glue! I plan to explore this technique more in the future.

Another technique to try is mix the glitters together to make even more beautiful colors. I mixed the pretty Fresh Green (312) with Crystal (85) and Thyme (277) to make a lovely new green for the leaves on the box and one of the cards.


As you can begin to see, glitter can enhance just about any project in a beautiful way!

Supplies used:
Misc. paper scraps
Misc. ribbon scraps
Art Glitter:
Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
Ultra fine metal tip
Ultra Fine Opaque Glitter: #10 Baby Pink, #51 Mai Mango, #277 Thyme
Ultra Fine Transparent Glitter: #85 Crystal, #312 Fresh Green, #144 Miss Muffet

Whimsical, Glittery Headband by Laura Drahozal

Have you every had a really bad haircut? I bet you have. This last one of mine was pretty awful. She gave me bangs that made me look like I was about twelve. You may wonder what this has to do with Art Glitter. Well, as I was trying to grow these bangs out, they kept falling in my eyes. I needed a headband, but no ordinary headband would do. 'That is when inspiration hit--I could make a cute, whimsical, glittery headband.


I decided that I wanted dimensional fabric flowers on my headband. I would have made them all cotton fabric, but realized that they would stand up better if I added some felt. I cut the flowers with an Accucut machine and then had the joy of decorating them.



I chose to use a brass stencil to make an interesting pattern on the fabric. I am currently on the Dreamweaver Design Team, so I opted to use their stencil LJ 855 Curliques. I taped the stencil onto cardboard on one side with removable tape, creating a "hinge". I then slipped the fabric under the stencil. I made a small puddle of Art Glitter Fabric Glue on my craft sheet. I had a little water handy, so that I could water it down a little if the glue got too dry.

I then loaded a small stencil brush (also by Dreamweaver) with the glue. I tapped the brush on a paper towel to remove the excess, then I brushed the glue over the stencil, scrubbing into the holes just a little. When I lifted the stencil, the beautiful pattern was on my fabric in glue. I poured colored glitter over it, and now my pattern was in glorious glitter. I repeated this for all of the flower parts and the stems that I had cut. I found that my stencil gunked up with glue every fourth or fifth time that I used it. Whenever this happened, I would just clean it with a little water and an old toothbrush.

I also discovered that when I stencilled the felt, I could use slightly wetter glue. Therefore, every time I would clean the stencil, I would use it with the felt the very next time. That way, any water that was not completely wiped off mixed with the glue. WARNING: this technique is super addictive--so much so that I actually created four different flowers, of which two became headbands--one blue and one pink.


After the parts dried, I stacked them. I stitched a small x in the center to attach all of the petals. Then, I ran a quick running stitch around the center of each felt layer and pulled it tight to get the petals to stand up. This created my 3D look. Then, I had to attach the flowers fo the headband. Sadly, the flowers would not attach to the headbands with my fabric glue. I had to sew them down with a few stitches.

When the leaves and flowers were in place, I put a little Art Insititute Fabric Glue on the edges of the cotton petals and added more glitter. I let this dry, then heat set it, following the instructions on the back of the glue bottle.


I had a great time creating this whimsical solution to a bad haircut. I thought I would hang onto these and wear them occasionally even after the hair was fixed, however, when I asked my grandmother to model these for this blog post's pictures, she loved them so much that I am planning on giving them to her. This got me to thinking about what a great project this would be at a senior center or for kids (with a little supervision during the sewing). It was fun, creative, functional, and glittery--my favorite type of project!


Materials:
Art Glitter Fabric Dries Clear Adhesive

BLUE FLOWER

Ultrafine Opaque Glitter 113 Sky
Ultrafine Opaque Hologram 329 Egyptian Blue
Ultrafine Transparent 100 Sea Shell
Ultrafine Opaque Hologram 128 Quark

PINK FLOWER

Ultrafine Pearlescent 174 Pink Cadillac
MicrofineTransparent 725 Muscatel
Ultrafine Transparent 100 Sea Shell
Ultrafine Opaque 109 Cavalado

Brass Stencil--I used Dreamweaver LJ 855
Stencil Brush
Headbands
Needle
Thread

Undersea Fantasy Film Votive by Kaaren Poole

Fantasy Film plays a starring role in this light-catching votive with an undersea theme. It was simple and fun to make. I’m hoping you will be inspired to make one or – better yet – make one using your favorite theme. Here’s how I made this one.


Here’s what you’ll need:
Clear glass votive and tea lights

Art Glitter Fantasy Film in Watermelon, Dandelion, Krista’s Eyes, and Waterfall

Art Glitter Ultrafine Holographic glitter in Neptune (#191)

Art Glitter Ultrafine Transparent glitter in Orange Crush (#91), Lettuce (#286)

Art Glitter Ultrafine Opaque glitter in South Seas (#285), Summertree (#46)

Art Glitter Vintage Glass Shards in Amber (#908)

Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
Art Glitter Ultrafine Metal Tip
gold glass seed beads, size 6

black glass seed beads, size 15

Mod Podge decoupage medium

E6000 glue

small sea shells
waxed paper, small sharp scissors
toothpick, 1” wide foam brush, size 8 round paint brush
iron and ironing board, parchment paper


Here’s how to put it together
• Cut 3” lengths of both Watermelon and Dandelion. Place one on top of the other on a piece of parchment paper, then put another piece of parchment paper on top to the Fantasy Film. Press for a few seconds with a medium hot iron to bond the two pieces together. You will now have an orange piece of double-thickness Fantasy Film.
• With the small sharp scissors, cut out four or five fish shapes from the fused orange Fantasy Film. Cut assorted seaweed shapes from the Krista’s Eyes and Waterfall Fantasy Film.
 • Working on a piece of waxed paper to protect your work surface, quickly coat the clear glass votive with Mod Podge using the foam brush. Apply a liberal coat. Press your Fantasy Film fish and seaweed pieces in place in the Mod Podge. When the Mod Podge has partially set, brush another coat over the entire surface and lightly sprinkle the whole votive with the Neptune Holographic glitter. Set it aside to dry for 2 to 3 hours. (The Mod Podge under the Fantasy Film will dry very slowly – perhaps 24 hours or more - but you can continue with the votive after a few hours.) When the Mod Podge dries you will see that it gives the glass a somewhat textured look, like antique glass.
• Use the Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive with the ultrafine metal tip to put scale and dot designs on the fish and lengthwise stripes along the seaweed shapes. Sprinkle Orange Crush glitter over the glue designs on the fish, catching the excess glitter on the waxed paper. Similarly, sprinkle Summertree, South Seas, and Lettuce glitter over the designs on the seaweed, distributing the three colors in a pleasing design and catching the excess on the waxed paper.

• Cover the bottom ¼” to 3/8” of the votive with random large dots of Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive. Sprinkle the Amber Art Glitter Vintage Glass Shards over the glue, catching the excess on the waxed paper. This is the “sand” on the bottom of the ocean. Let the glue dry.

• Use the E6000 glue to glue the small shells in place. For the fish eyes, pick up a size 6 gold bead on the end of a toothpick and dip it in the glue. Set the bead in place on the fish’s face – it will lie hole up. This is the iris of the eye. Pick up a size 15 black bead on the tip of the toothpick, dip it in the glue, and place it in the hold in the center of the gold bead – the black bead is the pupil of the eye.

• For the final touch, add more glitter to the bottom inch or so of the votive above the shards and between the seaweed pieces. Mix the excess glitter that fell onto the waxed paper. Apply the Art Glittler Designer Dries Clear Adhesive in these areas with the paint brush. Sprinkle the mixed glitter over the glue, more heavily towards the bottom and more lightly towards the top.

• Let everything dry thoroughly, then ENJOY your VOTIVE!

Clockworks by Shannon Bielke

This was such a fun project! I found a clockworks in my supplies and decided to make a clock; it had been a while. . .


So, using only things I had on hand, I put one together. The base is made of foam board, and the front is made of various bits and pieces of things I had in my vast array of miscellaneous cool stuff I can't live without. I found my theme when I came across the tag with the woman's silhouette on the front.


The original plan was to glitter most elements as I placed them, but when I started arranging things, I realized the best way utilize the glitter was to use it as a focal point. The clock was just a clock with a random smattering of like images until I added the glitter to the numbers only.


I love how that one touch seemed to pull the whole thing together! There was just a bit of glitter on a part of the background paper, but that was only one of the many pieces that made up the whole of the clock face. I love this clock! I love the randomness of the parts, and I especially love the Art Glitter!


I'm finding I'm becoming more more and more comfortable using glitter and find more ways to use it all the time. This not just because there are so many beautiful colors of glitter and endless places to use it, but because it's fun, and positively addictive!

Art Glitter Types and Sizes Explained...

Since our fantastic designers have been skillfully experimenting with our product line I thought it might be helpful to explain the different types, sizes and cuts of glitter that we carry. I don’t know why we haven’t done it any sooner…the subject is long overdue so here we go…

The bulk of our glitter is cut from polyester films. Namely the Ultrafine, Microfine and Hologram lines. The films are very thin, so thin that you cannot see the dull side of the cut, thus giving them their high quality status. Some of the ultrafine opaque colors have a mix of metallic glitter in them as well. All the polyester glitters are acid free and safe for wearing on skin. Click here for a list of the Ultrafine Opaque colors with metallic glitter in them.

Our most popular and most sparkly line is Ultrafine. It is about 1/4 the size of that chunky craft glitter you probably used in Kindergarten. Microfine is then half the size of Ultrafine. Therefore, Microfine is a little less sparkly since it has half the surface area. It has a wonderful velvety look to it that can have a spectacular effect for the right project.



Currently we have over 400 colors in the following types:
Ultrafine opaque
Ultrafine opaque hologram
Chunky opaque hologram
Ultrafine transparent
Ultrafine pearlescent
Ultrafine neon transparent
Ultrafine neon opaque
Microfine transparent
Microfine opaque
Fine Vintage Glass Glitter
Shards Vintage Glass Glitter
Dazzlers Hexis
Dazzlers Funky
Dazzlers Slices
Dazzlers Flakes
Dazzlers Shapes
Faux Snow

The difference between Transparent and Opaque colors correlate directly to their names. The transparent colors are influenced by the surface color they are on and opaque colors completely cover the color they are on.

Hologram colors have one tone plus a full spectrum of refractive colors.

Pearlescent colors have a "satiny" look and possess both opaque and transparent qualities. Meaning they are slightly transparent.

Neon colors are of course very bright.

Vintage Glass Glitter is cut from actual glass films creating uneven sized particles. Its colors do fade with time. To help avoid fading/tarnishing you can spray your dry project with an Acrylic Spray, Matt Fixative or Spray Lacquer. Be sure to always use a spoon when applying the glass glitter and it is NOT recommended for children to use. The fine size is slightly larger than our ultrafine glitter and the shards size is several times larger.



Our newest glitter line is Dazzlers. They are much larger cuts of glitter in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
Dazzlers Hexis, you can actually see the six sides to this glitter
Dazzlers Funky, a concoction of holograms and shapes just for fun!
Dazzlers Slices, glitter cut into little slices
Dazzlers Flakes, light, thin, flakes of glitter
Dazzlers Shapes, as the name implies: stars, squares, circles, etc.

Faux Snow is a large cut of white/clear flakes. Perfect for snow and wintery effects.



And if that isn’t enough, closely related to glitter, we also carry micro Glass Beads (no hole beads). As with the glass glitter, these colors will fade with time too. With two sizes large and small, they add a nice dimension to projects.

Then there is Gala Glitz. A simply delicious medley of Vintage Glass Glitter and Glass Beads. Use in all your designs for a stunning, classy look.



Last but not least is our Elements line. Elements are organic components, grown or produced by Mother Earth and manipulated into a variety of shades and shapes with just a touch of sparkle added to them. Again, they are organic and will have to be sprayed with Acrylic Spray, Matt Fixative or Spray Lacquer or else they will disintegrate.

Next time we should talk about glue....

Firefly Bracelet by Kaaren Poole

I frequently have occasion to use two part epoxy glue and really like how quickly it sets and its clear shiny look. Since it is a thick glue and sets quickly, I thought I might be able to successfully use it like resin to embed Art Glitter’s gorgeous Dazzlers glitter. The “collage” links and pendants seemed an obvious backing, and a pre-assembled bracelet blank by Nunn Designs made the project quick and easy.

Tiny vintage glass cabochons in the shape of fireflies were the inspiration for this bracelet. Don’t they look gorgeous against these rich Dazzler colors? Like a summer night.


You will need:
Blank collage bracelet in antique copper (available at fusionbeads.com)

firefly glass cabochons (available from splendorintheglass.net) or other small glass foil-backed cabochons (the foil back is important – it makes the cabochon stand out against the glitter)

Art Glitter Vintage Glass Glitter: Shards in Citrine #905

Art Glitter Dazzlers in Gypsy #D10, Sea Nymph #D15, and Patriot #D31

glass seed beads, size 11, to coordinate with the glitter colors 

two part epoxy glue, either 5 minute or 15 minute set

ES6000 glue

strong beading thread, beading needle

toothpicks, aluminum foil, waxed paper, small scissors

I mixed the glitter with the epoxy glue and used the mixture to fill the cavities in the bracelet links. Before the glue set, I lightly pressed the glass fireflies into the surface. For a more finished look, I surrounded the metal rim of the link cavities with strands of small seed beads.

The two-part epoxy glue sets fast, so have all your materials at hand when you begin to work. Read through the instructions first to be sure you understand them before you begin.
Cover your work surface with a sheet of waxed paper and lay the bracelet blank out right side up.

Now work quickly to mix the glittery glue and fill the cavities in the bracelet links.

To mix the glittery glue, squeeze out a nickel-sized puddle of one of the epoxy parts, then another nickel-sized puddle of the other part of the epoxy right up next to it. Repeat two more times so that you have 3 double puddles. Spoon about 1/8 teaspoon of the Dazzlers glitter on top of each of the three double puddles, one color per puddle. Add a few Citrine Shards to each puddle. Using a separate toothpick for each double puddle, quickly and thoroughly mix the double puddles. You will now have three puddles of mixed epoxy glue with one color of glitter and a few shards embedded in each.

With the toothpicks you used to mix the glittery glue, scoop up large drops of the glittery glue and fill the bracelet link cavities. The glue will flow slightly, but you may need to use the tip of the toothpick to push it into the corners. I used two colors per link and swirled the colors slightly together with a clean toothpick. I wanted distinct areas of individual color, but a little mixing here and there.

If the glue gets too stiff to work with, just mix up more!

Before the glue sets, lightly press the firefly cabochons onto the surface.

Now that that’s done, you can relax a little. Actually, if you don’t want the beaded borders, you’re finished already!

For the beaded borders, cut a piece of beading thread about 10” long. Thread it through a beading needle and thread a sufficient number of beads to reach around the rim of one of the links. Count the number of beads and write it down – this will take the guess-work out of bordering the other links. Pass the needle back through the first bead you threaded, and then through all the others in order. This will make a closed loop. Pull the ends so that you only have about ½” of play in the thread. Squeeze out a bit of ES6000 glue on a small piece of foil and use the side of a toothpick to press the glue all around the rim of one of the link cavities. Lay the beaded loop around the rim onto the glue and pull the ends tight so that the beaded strand fits snugly around the rim. Tie a double knot with the ends of the thread. Using your fingers, press the beaded strand in place to even it out and get good contact with the glue. Repeat for the rest of the links.

When the glue is set, trim away the ends of the thread.

Enjoy!

You can also get these metal findings for pendants or earrings, so you may want to make a matching set.

A Pretty Little Thank You by Laura Drahozal

Need a little something to decorate a bridal shower table? Or maybe as a gift for a neighbor who walked your dog while you were away? For this post, I created a versatile little gift. Initially, I thought of this as part of a wedding centerpiece or a shower decoration, which is why I chose a monochromatic color scheme--all blues. I also wanted to explore and illustrate the differences between three types of beautiful Art Glitter: Ultrafine Transparent, Ultrafine Pearlescent, and Microfine Opaque.


I am truly excited about this experiment with one color, but let me start at the beginning. First, I found a terra cotta pot, which I painted with three quick coats of white acrylic paint. While that dried, I cut some vinyl masks with my Silhouette. The patterns were purchased from the Silhouette Online Store. The one that I used for the base was actually a cupcake liner, that I made a little larger. The pattern for around the top was a border lace pattern. I used a simple label pattern and the font Argos for the sentiment. I cut an additional, blank label of the same size. While I used the words "Thank You", I could just as easily have cut the names of a lucky couple or even "Get Well Soon".

When the vinyl was cut, I removed the parts that I wanted to be glittered from the original sheet and used transfer paper to move my masks from their backing to the pot. Since the cupcake liner wasn't the exact dimensions of my pot, I had to cut a couple of small slits in the bottom to make it fit properly. Then, I smoothed it all down and removed my transfer paper. I selected the location of the label and put that blank vinyl label in place over the other mask.


To start glittering, I put a some Desinger Dries Clear onto a clean sour cream lid and added just a little water. I used a paint brush to brush this mixture onto the pot. Because of the water, the mask resisted the glue a little, pushing it into the empty spaces. I poured the Blue Boy Ultrafine Transparent over the top of the glue and lightly pushed it down with my hand. I chose transparent glitter because I knew that I was going to use a very busy background pattern, but I wanted the overall look to be subtle. Going back to that idea of using this for wedding or shower decor, I imagined the background as a beautiful, glittering lace. I let it dry for a few minutes before brushing off the excess glitter and removing the vinyl.

I then removed the letters from the vinyl backing on the other label. I moved it to the spot I had saved for it. I used the same technique that I did on the "lace" portion, but had more glue in the mix because I wanted to make sure that my coverage was completely solid. I glittered this with the Microfine Opaque Blue Diadem, pushing it well into the crevices. The Microfine glitter really gets in against the edges of the mask, creating a crispness to the letters. I used the opaque because I wanted the color to be strong and vibrant for the message.

Before I even removed the vinyl mask for the letters, I replaced the Ultrafine Metal Tip on the Designer Dries Clear Glue and used it to glue around the edge of the label. Because I wanted this section to be a little more precise than the "lace", I used Noodgers to push any stray glue back into the right area. I glittered it with Pearlescent Varsity Blue. I also glittered around the top, bottom, and between the top edge and the base.



Of course, it wouldn't be a project of mine if I didn't pull out the Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Fabric. I laid a 18" long piece of wide white organza ribbon on my craft sheet. I then put the Ultrafine Metal Tip on my fabric glue and made some swirl designs on the ribbon. I glittered it with the Microfine Opaque. When it was dry, I ran a needle with embroidery floss about 1/4 " from the edge all the way down the ribbon. I pulled the ends of the floss together and tied them off to create a rosette. I tied a ribbon around the pot and glued the rosette down with fabric glue.



When I was finished, I had a pretty, customized special little gift. I also had some fun glittering with masks and experimenting with a monochromatic color scheme. Think of something like this the next time you need a few inexpensive centerpieces for a party. You will have a good time before the party even starts!

Supplies Used:

145 Ultrafine Transparent Blue Boy
185 Ultrafine Pearlescent Varstiy Blue
504 Microfine Opaque Blue Diadem
Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear
Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Fabric
Ultrafine Metal Tip
Noodgers
Terra Cotta Pot
White Acrylic Paint
Paintbrush
Silhouette Machine
Silhouette Vinyl
White Organza Ribbon
Needle
White Embroidery Thread

Glittered New 4th of July Pinwheels by Emily M. Miller

Oh the joys of 4^th of July! I live on the busiest corner of small town U.S.A. And on the 4^th of July there are all kinds of activities going on at the park next door. We’ve been there almost 20 years now, everyone knows that I put my pinwheels out every year and well…they’ve seen better days!

So my answer to all sprucing up problems? Art Glitter of course!

Materials:

Pinwheels

Scotch Tape

Art Glitter Ultrafine Opaque Glitter: #291 Fire Engine, #140 Canadian Blue

Art Glitter Ultrafine Pearlescent Glitter #189 Pearl

Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive (DDC)

Art Glitter Designer Dries White Adhesive (DDW)

Art Glitter Ultrafine Metal Tip

Paint Brush

Start by bending over the top pinwheel tips into the center and tape them into submission. Then paint glue (DDC) onto the 4 bottom ‘wings’ and glitter with Fire Engine Red. Let dry, take tape off.

Remove the circle disk at the end of the horizontal post and glitter it your choice of color. Set aside to dry.

Carefully glue (DDC) and glitter center of top pinwheel Canadian Blue. Let dry 10 min. or so and finished off ‘wings’ with Canadian Blue. Let dry.

The thing you want to be careful about is making sure you don't get glue on your center post. You want to make sure your pinwheel will still spin easily.

Do some brushing off of excess glitter at this point. That is if you don't want to pollute your pearl glitter with blue glitter like I did!

Then you can start drawing on designs with Designer Dries White adhesive, using the Ultrafine Metal Tip on your adhesive spout and fill in with Pearl glitter for a perfect sparkly white effect.

Now my only problem is I have to get 10 more of these done...now! Oh well, it will be worth it!



Just wanted to share an updated photo of my poor wagon I glittered 4 years ago. See it in our gallery when it was beautiful...http://www.artglitter.com/gallery/galEmilyMMillerGlitteredWagon.html So why am I showing this photo? Because this thing has been out in the Arizona sun, wind and elements for 4 years with virtually no shelter in the last two years and it still sparkles!

I promise to take better care of my pinwheels. Have a wonderful 4th!