Dimensional Paper Glazes

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

If you watch my videos, then you probably know that I am a HUGE fan of the dimensional accent/adhesive/glaze Ranger "Glossy Accents". I love the shine that it adds to an element and how thick & dimensional it is. What I didn't know until recently is that there are several similar alternatives to this product. Since Glossy Accents is a bit pricey at around $6.00 or $7.00 a bottle {I buy it with a coupon at Michael's usually}, I decided to check out some of the alternatives to see how they stacked up to what I had been using.


I tracked down a bottle of Judikins "Diamond Glaze" {less than $5.00 a bottle} and a bottle of Aleene's "Paper Glaze" {right around $5.00 a bottle} to test in my scrap projects as alternatives to Ranger "Glossy Accents".




{Side note: I have also heard good things about, but have not personally tried, Close To My Heart's "Liquid Glass", which is $6.95/bottle, and Krylon "Triple Thick Crystal Clear Glaze" which is actually a spray and weighs-in right around $5.00 for the smaller can.}

There were five things which I had in the back of my mind while I was using these products: price, ease of use, thickness, clarity and drying time. So, let's see how they stacked up to each other.

1. Judikins "Diamond Glaze": At $4.79/bottle, this is the cheapest of the three dimensional glazes/adhesives that I have in my scrap room. It is also the thinnest of the three, and does not stay put as well as the other two. For that reason, it is a little more difficult to use than Glossy Accents, but it is not as difficult to use as the Paper Glaze {more on that below}. It is the clearest of the three, in my opinion, although all three are pretty darn clear. It also has the shortest drying time at around four to six hours depending on the project, which is important here in humid Miami. It can be hard to find in stores, although it is readily available online.

2. Aleene's "Paper Glaze": At $5.29/bottle, this is only marginally costlier than "Diamond Glaze" and still significantly cheaper than "Glossy Accents". It is also readily available in stores like Michael's. Despite that, I liked it the least of the three. The nozzle on the bottle was not good & it created bubbles that were hard to pop. It also came out so thick it was hard to apply to detailed areas & had the longest drying time of the three at well over 24 hours {closer to 48 hours in my case, although I assume it had something to do with how thick it is}. Paper Glaze is the least clear of the three, in my opinion, althouh it is practically crystal clear ~ not a big drawback & not what ruled this one out for me.

3. Ranger "Glossy Accents": At $6.99/bottle it is far and away the most expensive of the three. Aside from the fact that the bottle is prone to clogging, it is also the easiest to use and apply. It is thick enough that it stays where you put it and doesn't run, but not so thick that it can't be used for fine details. Its drying time is at least twice as long as the Diamond Glaze, but it is thicker & only needs one coat {whereas I found some Diamond Glaze projects required two applications, although this was not the norm}. It is very clear ~ almost as clear as the Diamond Glaze & the difference in clarity is pretty much negligible between the two.

Of the three, I prefer Diamond Glaze overall. It is by far both the cheapest and the quickest to dry. It is also the clearest of the three {might have something to with being thinner ~ just a guess} and has the mildest scent. Another thing I like about Diamond Glaze is that if it leaks off where I want it, I can quickly wipe it up with a baby wipe and it comes off completely like it was never there {unlike Glossy Accents which I can never fully get off if I get it outside the lines}. You'll probably be seeing all three bottles in future videos, as I'll be using all three until they run out, at which point I will most likely make the switch to just having Diamond Glaze on hand.

Totally unrelated to this review ~ but related to these glazes & still VERY cool ~ is an idea I got from Weezie during the last Thursday scrap chat. She said she has been tinting her Glossy Accents with alcohol inks, and I tried it with Diamond Glaze. I poured about a Kennedy half dollar sized pool of Diamond Glaze on a piece of tin foil and added one drop of alcohol ink in Lettuce. The alcohol ink instantly spread out through the Diamond Glaze {it was cool to watch} and I was able to apply it to some chipboard accents I was making for a murky swamp effect:


Neat, right? Thanks for the idea, Weezie!

I hope you found this review helpful. I love Glossy Accents, but it is expensive and I think I am going to make a permanent switch to Diamond Glaze. Also, here's a sneak peek at what's coming up on Life on the {Scrap}beach!


Thanks for stopping by & have a great week everybody!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.