What are the best glues to use?

Jane Doe
(Pennsylvania, USA)

For sticking paper to card you need a dry glue that won't buckle the card. We would recommend a glue stick, like Pritt or Tombow, sticky dots or double-sided sticky tape. We have recently discovered a suitable alternative in the Stix2 transfer tape pen, which you may find more convenient.

For sticking embellishments, we would suggest PVA glue (white glue), which dries clear, silicone glue, sticky foam pads, or an impact glue, like UHU. If you're making a collage with lots of paper scraps, we would recommend PVA glue spread thinly, which will also have the effect of stiffening the card. This is also useful for sticking fabric, ribbons etc. to card.

A good basic selection of adhesives for most purposes would include PVA glue, double-sided sticky tape (or a transfer tape pen), and silicone glue for sticking the heavier, or hollow-backed, embellishments.

The brands we have suggested are available in the United Kingdom. You may find different brands elsewhere. We believe that in the United States there is a good range called Golden which may suit your purposes.