Creating your own gem clusters?

I make my own. I use transparencies that you can buy at Walmart and rubber cement. Be sure and put a big blob of the cement... you want the gems "sitting" on a cushion of the cement so that you can peel them off easily. They stay pretty sticky but if they do lose their stickiness, just put a dab of body glue before applying.

I then cut them out and put them into a binder, into baseball card inserts, organized by color.

It's become a great hobby for long winter nights watching television by the fire! I have quite a collection now and will build up more for spring festivals.

Here's a pic of a bling mask with my homemade gem clusters. I made it really big so you could see it easily

Brilliant!!! How do you store them?

In a binder

Yep! I try to only handle the rubber cement part, that dries clear, so that the gems stay together in one cluster and don't separate. Tel MeLisa I said hi! I sure miss her.

Hmmm, rubber cement...
Do you think this works with liquid latex too?
Just bought a bottle of it, making my own prosthetics and special effects.

I think I'd rather use the latex than the rubber cement on the skin... but then again, some people are allergic to even that.

Rubber cement contains acetone, heptane and paradichlorobenzene, an ingredient found in toilet cleaner. I don't know how inactive those ingredients are once the cement is cured, but I would be concerned about there being trace reactivation with any persperation or contact with body oils. I know that wet rubber cement can be rather caustic when left on the skin for prolonged periods of time. I'm sorry, but that's just too many unknowns. Using any craft item (particulary those items used to bond craft items) on the skin is risky at best... If you're insured, I"m sure your carrier would be albe to offer some insight.

I checked, and it's the same glue that is used in some of the gem clusters that you buy in the stores. I wish I could find out what the other type glue is. The glue is dry once I put it on the client and is just "tacky". Most of the time I do have to put a dab of body glue to get it to stick.

Liquid latex would probably work as well. Basically any glue that you could get to form a "cushion" to then put the gems on top of, that will dry clear, would work. It also has to be able to be peeled easily from the plastic when you get ready to apply the gem cluster, without the gems coming apart easily.

No one has had problems so far. I do have a sign saying anyone allergic to latex shouldn't be painted or "gemmed" LOL

squiggle, pros-aide? That is the 'glitter tattoo glue'

i will try it with pros aide right now to see how it works

I've tried it, and it doesn't form a "cushion" that keeps the gems together for a long period, and definitely doesn't peel off the plastic like it should. I do wish I could find something better to use than rubber cement. I've also tried a product called "the best glue ever" and it works great but very expensive, and again, it's just a craft glue.

It takes about 24 hours for the glue to dry enough for you to peel the gem cluster off the plastic - keep that in mind. Also, you have to use quite a bit of glue to form that cushion, so you have to use something that is not going to be really expensive.

I'm sure if a lot of us here tried different glues, we could come up with something that works better than rubber cement!

The gem clusters sold at craft stores are already on an adhesive base that is not specifically for skin (a CRAFT product, not an FDA compliant skin glue) - but many face painters use that anyway with no thought as to what's in it. Marcela Murad has been doing this for how long? I have no idea if it's equivalent to rubber cement, but probably close. Is it safe? Questionable for sure - but that also goes for the pre-made adhesive backed gems.

Squiggle, would you mind posting a pic of your binder - I love seeing how others organize their collections!