Handmade Card Making
Glue & Adhesive Guide

Aside from all of the pretty papers, fabrics, pictures, and other fun stuff for card making that you can use - finding the right glue for your cards is important.



You want your greeting card to last for as long as possible and finding the right glue will help to ensure that.

Here is a guide to card making glues and adhesives that can help you understand the differences between the different types of glues that you find in the craft store.

I did not list any particular brands that I prefer over another because I think that each person will need to experiment with different brands and use the ones that fit into their projects and budgets.

But I do mention what types of glues and adhesives that I like to use when card making, but again, you will figure out your own preferences as you go along. This guide is primarily glues and adhesives used in regards to making greeting cards, so you won't find any information about wood working or more heavy duty stuff (I wouldn't know the first thing about that!) -- so please keep in mind that this guide is mainly for card making or similar paper crafts.

A lot of scrapbook makers use this type of tape. There is temporary double sided tape and permanent double sided tape. I prefer the permanent double sided tape, the stickier the better in my opinion. This type of adhesive is my most favorite type - no mess and easy to use!

This is usually a flat alternative to double-sided foam adhesive squares and work well with keeping the mess to a minimum.

Glitter glue takes a longer time to dry completely than regular glue. So be patient – and understand that the thicker your glue art work is then the longer it will take to dry. Remind your kids about this, too, because they may take to poking and prodding their glitter glues before they are dry and this could interfere with the design.

Buying glitter glue can become expensive, so if you are just starting out in making crafts, consider getting a color that will work well with the homemade cards that you are planning on making. Silver would work well with a lot of different holidays (Christmas, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, etc…) if you are just starting out.

I love using a glue runner for card making! Most of them are really, really sticky and hold securely when gluing paper to paper. The glue runners dry clear and the applicator makes gluing paper a cinch because it is so exact – I can place the glue directly on the edge of the paper without worrying about spill over or getting messy.

And another reason why I love glue runners is that it is not messy. There no glob to clean up after using it! This would be nice to use with kids, but they tend to be a little expensive (at least for me!) so I use is sparingly.

The problem I have with using glue sticks for cards is that they are usually not permanent and they don’t hold their bond very securely. I prefer to use other types of glues for card making, but glue sticks would definitely work in a pinch or if just making cards for fun with kids.

If you use lots of chunky pieces of embellishments (like large buttons, silk flowers, etc…) for your greeting card then you might consider getting a hot glue gun and some hot glue sticks.

Glue guns have different temperatures (low, medium, and high) – for card making a low temperature glue gun would likely work. The higher temperature glue guns are used more for heavy-heavy-duty crafter, like home décor.

Glue guns are relatively cheap, you could get a glue gun at craft stores from about $3 - $10. The glue sticks for hot glue guns usually come in packages of 12-100 for a few bucks.

Also, there are glitter glue sticks that can be used with glue guns, otherwise the glue is usually clear.

Rubber cement comes in a jar with a brush applicator attached to its lid. This type of glue can get messy so I would not recommend using it with children. The brush is more ideal for larger paper crafts that don’t require precision gluing.

The thing I love about rubber cement is that although it may get a little messy, the excess glue can be easily rubbed off when it has dried.

A drawback that I’ve noticed with rubber cement is that sometimes it can leak through light colored paper. It says that it dries clear, but I’m impatient and will re-do the card using another type of glue rather than wait overnight to see if it will dry clear. Also the smell can get overwhelming if you are using rubber cement for an extended period of time.

I love using these types of mounting squares for making cards because it gives parts of the card some dimension and makes it stand out more.

If you are making a type of collage card, then maybe there are some parts of the card that you want to stand out more than others, this type of adhesive would be great for such a project.

Although, I once saw a cool card in a card making book where the author used spray adhesive to glue pretty pink lace to the front of a card. I would think spray adhesive would work well if using lace, doilies, or delicate fabric that would require a thin layer of adhesive rather than lumpy fabric glue.

I have used tacky glue for more heavy duty projects, but have not really used it for making greeting cards. I would probably use tacky glue for semi-heavy embellishments if needed, like buttons, beads, or craft jewels.

This type of glue is usually inexpensive and can be used for things other than crafting – like small household repairs and such; so it is handy to have around.

I don’t usually use this type of glue for crafting my cards, I usually stick with (no pun intended) glues that don’t remind me of elementary school – just a personal preference I guess.