Ask Karen: "Stickle Mania...."

Hellllllooooooo Blog people! It's Tuesday and time for another edition of "Ask Karen"
I have had a LOT of questions about Stickles lately.

So -- Here's the 411 on:

the Difference Between Regular Stickles and Distress Stickles.

Essentially this is it:
Regular Stickles are made with metallic Glitter.
Distress Stickles are made with bits of Mica. Yes, Mica -- a rock mineral that ground down to a powder form also makes up what we know as "Perfect Pearls".

Both types of Stickles add a glittery effect to our projects however, Distress Stickles also add a texturized sugary effect -- a direct result of the mica bits that are added to it. Tim Holtz (the product designer, guru, creative genius), also equates it to a broken glass-like effect without the glass. (depending on the thickness)


Distress Stickles are meant to be "spread around" to "sugar coat" an image. We used it in the layout class at the Peterborough Retreat to get a sugary effect on the clouds. I love how it looks (here's that layout to re-fresh your memory).

How to use -- blob it out onto the area you want to glimmer and then spread it around with your fingers or even the nib of the bottle. It's all good :) It will look a little "mucky" when you apply it BUT... it will dry flat leaving only the glimmery mica behind. It will dry in about 15 mins depending on how thick you apply it -- but.. unlike regular Stickles, you can take a heat gun to it. It won't blister with heat.

Mica is a rock mineral -- individual sheets of Mica are shiny/glimmery... BUT stack those glimmery sheets together and they will appear dull. Keep this in mind when using Distress Stickles: The thinner the layer, the shinier the effect.

So - if you are looking for a vivid glitter accent - Regular Stickles will work marvelously!! If you'd like a textured glimmer that's a little more subtle (and even inkable) try some Distress Stickles. You'll LOVE them!!

We'll be using the Distress Stickles in our classes at the London Retreat next month and at different workshops in the studio this fall. I have lots of them in the studio right now including a re-stock of the ROCK CANDY DISTRESS STICKLES (the clear version of the product).
The price came down thanks to the US Dollar -- so get them while you can at $2.99/bottle!!

Need a little Tim inspiration? Here's a blog entry he did a year ago (almost to the day).
Thanks for the amazing products Tim!!