3D Adhesives

Scrapbook layouts and altered projects are all about dimension and texture these days. I rarely see totally flat scrapbook pages or altered canvas pieces. It seems that in our quest for something new, bold and unique we've made our art more dimensional and interactive.

Three-dimensional adhesives are a fantastic tool for achieving a layered or raised appearance. You can find multiple varieties as well as sizes, shapes, and thicknesses on the market. Here is a run-down of a few tried-and-true 3D adhesives.

Pop Dots

The pop dot is actually a piece of double-sided sticky foam. You can use a single dot, or stick multiple dots together for more impact. These dots are great for raising an element off your back ground page. They are not overly sticky so they can typically be moved around if needed. What's nice is that you can get pop dots from nearly every scrapbook, stamping, and general craft supplier. Both retail stores and online shops carry this product, and frequently will have both the tiny ¼-inch dots as well as the larger ½-inch dots. These dots are ideal for use with paper and other lightweight items. EK Success sells their foam dots in square shapes (two different sizes per package), but most others are circular in shape. Other manufacturers are All Night Media, Stampin' Up, Miss Elizabeth's, and Fiskars. I've found very little difference in the quality from one manufacturer to the next. The typical difference is in size and thickness.

Glue Dots

If you want dimension and a strong bond, then I suggest giving Glue Dots adhesive a try. They have several types of glue dots, but the thick ones will raise your element above the background, giving it more emphasis on your page. They are also super sticky, which is perfect for metal embellishments and heavier décor items such as large buttons, silk flowers, and wood embellishments. These dots come on a roll or on a flat sheet, so they are convenient to use and easy to store. This is my favorite product to use when adhering bottle caps to the front of my greeting cards and other projects.

Glue Strips

If you have long embellishments, ribbons, border strips, etc. then I suggesting giving glue strips from the Glue Dot Company a try. These are long continuous strips of 3D adhesive very much like the Glue Dot mentioned above. They are the same material, so they too are very sticky. I love using these for decorative borders and ribbons. These strips are wonderful for adding a row of buttons or other bulky items to a layout.

Foam Tape

Foam tape is an economical way to add dimensional adhesives to your tool caddy. They are long pieces of double-stick foam tape, usually rolled up and sold in ¼-inch thicknesses. You can cut off as much or as little as you need. Foam tape became a scrapbook staple during the time that shaker boxes were the hot new thing. You could create a fantastic shadow box, shaker, or framed look just by using foam tape and a few scraps of paper. This is still a very helpful adhesive to keep in your supply stash. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to use. 3L makes a wonderful adhesive tape that is acid-free and easy to find in any craft, home improvement, frame, or general goods store.

If you haven't jumped on the three-dimensional bandwagon yet, then I suggest you give it a try. Start small with maybe a card or embellished tag. Grab some glue dots and see how much pizzazz layering and height can give your project. I'm positive you'll agree that once you POP, you can't stop!