09
Aug
Glue, Glue Dots and Photo Corners
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I don’t really know that much about glue. 
I’ve worked with regular glue, glue dots, and photo corners, as well as a few other options. Here’s what I’ve learned. Primarily, these items are used for sticking paper to paper in your scrapbooking.
Glue
When you’re scrapbooking, “regular glue” comes in sticks; glue sticks. They’re just like the ones you buy for your kids to take to school, although acid-free and pH neutral. You take the cap off, you smear the glue on the back of whatever you’re sticking to something else, you press the two sheets of paper together and one thing leads to another, you’re done. Glue sticks, generally, are permanent adhesive; you can’t easily pull the items apart and reposition them. You can frequently wrinkle your project when you’re sticking it together with glue sticks, and over time the glue may lose its adhesive qualities, so your project falls apart.
Glue Dots
I’ve used two kinds of glue dots- one comes on a roll, and is a flat two sided sheet of adhesive. The other comes on a sheet and has some height to it. You use them both in the same way, remove the dot from the roll or sheet (some rolls have a dispenser, making this easy), and place in a convenient location on your project, then put the other thing to be glued on top. Some dots are permanent, some are designed to be “repositionable.” Make sure you read the package when you purchase them and match the item to your needs. They’re generally neater than glue sticks and the thicker ones provide a nice visual dimension to your project.
Photo Corners
Photo corners make a classic way to hold your photos to the page, or other items you might want to be able to pick up and turn over, like a postcard. They don’t stick directly to the photo and so the photo itself is repositionable but the corners generally are permanent. They’re great for heirloom photos that can’t be replaced, but since the glue isn’t touching the photo itself, some people complain that the photos can leap out of the corners. And the corners can be tricky to place correctly.
I’ve used these three different kinds of adhesive, and I think that the dots are my favorite. Make sure not to use too much, they’re expensive. 
