Crafts Unleashed

Paper Glaze is a shiny top coat for paper & other crafts!

Today I’m going to tell you about my craft experiments using Aleene’s Paper Glaze. It’s described on the package as follows:

Aleene’s® Paper Glaze adds a clear dimensional layer to card and paper designs, including simple line work and larger design areas. It dries to a hard, nontacky glass-like finish to accentuate design details for dimensional designs and laminating effects on paper.

I decided to use my Artist Trading Cards as guinea pig experiments for this product trial. I concentrated mainly on covering large surfaces (ATC size). Here are some things I learned about the Paper Glaze, covering large surfaces:

1. Do not combine the glaze with water. Creates some minor paper buckling if you do this. I am used to adding water to glue, so I thought it would be good to do this – I was wrong. The glaze works best when used straight (you get a more effective varnish).
2. The glaze creates a nice subtle glossy finish with a single layer application. For a less subtle, more glass-like finish, apply one or more layers. Wait for each layer to dry before applying new layer, of course.
3. Use a soft paint brush if you don’t want to see streaks. Make sure you treat the brush the same as if using acrylic paints. I washed my brush with dish washing soap, just to be sure not to damage the brush. That seemed to work fine.
4. On the bottle, the instructions stated this product works well when combined with glitter and beads. I did not try the beads, but I did try the glitter — sprinkled it on top of the wet glaze, before it dried. The glitter stuck well to the glaze, and I went one step further to SEAL the glitter with a final coat after the first layer was dry.
5. This glaze also works well as a sealant for your paper creations.
6. The glaze does not disturb the image underneath. I was worried that on watercolor areas, that the glaze might make the colors run or bleed. It did not seem to bother the inked areas underneath, luckily!

I can’t wait to play more with this glaze. I’ll be doing a second review of this product to show what it can do when using it as a design element for your creations. I will be adding pigment to it and also doing more with glitter and beads – to use it more as an artistic tool rather than a mere sealant or glaze finish. Cannot wait to share the results!

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