Extra Mileage from your bling flourishes

We all love bling flourishes - don't deny it. They are awesome fillers on pages and they look pretty snazzy too! Sometimes the price doesn't play nice with our wallets though. I'm guessing the good majority of you have some stickles/glitter glue laying around (if you don't, run - don't walk - to the store and grab some) - so I wanted to share a couple ways to get some extra mileage from your flourishes. And, you can feel kinda good about yourself because you are recycling the part you normally throw away!

... my disclaimers ...

* These are delicate after the glitter glue has dried. The drops of glue easily fall off, so handle them gently. I trim them out BEFORE the glue has dried for this reason.
* Don't try it with glue and glitter. The glitter adheres to the plastic pieces by sheer static (even if you try wiping it down with a dryer sheet). You can never get all of the excess off.

There, I told you - don't say I didn't warn you. This is one case I will tell you to just learn from my experience (and my son's because he was completely covered with silver glitter).

On to the tips...

Use your glitter glue on top of the packaging. You can trim around it, let the glue dry and then glue it down on your next project. This is the one I like best - I find the thin, flimsy packaging is easier for my bulky hands to handle without messing them up. I trim it while it is still wet and leave it to dry while I'm finishing my project.

The cool thing about Prima bling is that the original backing is slightly dimpled after you take the flourish off. This leaves a perfect guide - no need to trace or draw, just follow what is given you. So on this one, I used the backing and my glitter glue.

The next thing (and I read this somewhere... but it's what got me originally thinking - I'll come back and put credit if I can find it). Most people have all in one printers these days. Make a photocopy of the bling, place your plastic sheet on top and use it as a guide.

For this one, I went with the photocopy method. However, instead of using glitter glue... I tried glue & gems. It took a little more time and patience to get them lined up, but I have tons of extra gems, so why not?!


While I was playing, I pulled out my crafter's workshop templates. So using my little plastic sheet and stickles, I created a cutsom flourish with black & white glitter drops.

The plastic pieces barely show up on your projects... the glue shows up because I am extremely impatient, so I went ahead and took my pictures.

Here are some other thoughts about trying this...

• use specific colors to match your projects
• stamp an image to use as your template
• nobody said to limit yourself to flourishes - try it with flowers, animals, etc.
• layer up the finished project for extra effect on your crafting project
• use your souffle or glaze pens instead of glitter glue or gems
• shrink or expand the size of the flourish

Another quick idea... you can make a template from your bling flourish instead of a photocopy for a bit more stability. Print the copy on a transparency and use your hole punch to cut where the crystals would be.

I know, enough talking... go forth and create! I'd love to see if you take the idea and run with it. Share with me what you make!!