Sunday, August 5, 2012

An Easy Way To Make Your Own Stickers At Home

Stickers are fun for children to personalize their things and a good way for adults to organize shelves and files. Homemade stickers are even better, because they can have unique and personal designs that are special for each person. It is easy to make your own stickers with ingredients found in most kitchens and can be a fun rainy-day activity.

First, gather the ingredients:

- White glue

- White vinegar

- Printer paper

- Wide paint brush

- Wide packing tape or contact paper for gloss and protection

- Scissors

- Small spray bottle for water

Next, design the stickers on the printer paper. They can be drawn or printed, on the page. It is a good idea to fit as many stickers on one page as possible. Leave about one inch between each sticker so they are easy to cut out. Stamps and ink pads, crayons or tempera paint can be used to create the sticker designs, but water-based markers or paint should not be used. The colors will run when the sticker is moistened for sticking.

The glue is made with two measures of glue to one measure of vinegar. It is possible to save the glue after it is made, so making too much is fine. It can be saved in a sealed jar for the next time someone wants to create personalized stickers.

The glue is then brushed onto the back of the page of sticker designs. The application should be thin and even, and every sticker should be completely covered. The first layer of glue should be brushed on in a horizontal direction across the page and after that layer completely dries, a second layer should be brushed on in the vertical direction. Just make sure the two coats are in different directions.

When the pages completely dry, they will be a bit wrinkled. They can be put under an even weight such as a large book or pile of magazines to flatten.

Once the pages are flat, the gloss can be applied. The clear packing tape is applied evenly across the page. A straight edge such as a ruler can be used to make sure the tape lies flat with no bubbles. For larger designs, contact paper can be applied. The gloss step is optional and not essential for great looking stickers.

After the gloss is applied or when the pages are dry and flat, the stickers can be cut out. They can be cut exactly on the edges of the design or a small, white edge can be left around each sticker. This is up to the personal taste of the creator.

When you make your own stickers, the fun part is to apply them. They can be applied to notebooks, furniture, windows, helmets and much more. The sticker will remain longer on a flat, slightly porous surface.

To apply, the back of the sticker should be slightly moistened. This can be done with the small spray bottle or a damp cloth. The moisture needs to be evenly applied to activate the glue. Too much moisture will make the glue too wet and it will not dry well, and too little moisture will not activate the glue.

When the sticker is applied to a surface, it should be smoothened flat and held there for a few seconds. Homemade stickers make a great personalized gift. They should be wrapped in waxed paper for storage


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