Randi's Review	Sarah's Review	Rachel's Review	Cathy's Review	Kathleen's Review

Review by Randi

My first exposure to the Art Glittering System was when I received a kit for Christmas last year. I thought it was very beautiful, but really didn't understand how to use it, so sadly, it sat here on my desk just looking pretty in its jars! Fortunately Art Glitter had JUST THE THING for my problem! It is a 90 minute VHS video called "The Art Glittering System."

This video introduces you to the very basics of how to use the Art Glittering System. It explains the tools and the different types of glitter and glue,then goes on to show you simple and advanced techniques, many of them using rubberstamps. I was inspired to actually USE the product once I learned HOW.

Glitter is, by nature, messy. Perhaps my favorite tip offered in the video was to use coffee filters to hold your glitter jars and to dump the glitter back into. It did really help to contain the mess to that one coffee filter which contents could later also be dumped back into the glitter jar.

The video sells for about $20 and I believe it is well worth the investment.

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Review by Sarah

The Art Glittering System: "The Art of Glittering" Video: Making Inspiration Attainable

"The Art of Glittering" video is a 90-minute workshop session with the creator of The Art Glittering System. In this demonstration, Barbara Trombley describes the basics of her Art Glitter and the different colors and types available; discusses the types of glues and glittering tools offered by The Art Institute; and best of all shows and explains how to use all the supplies to create beautiful glittered art.

I was completely intimidated by my Art Glittering System beginner pack until I watched this video. It was exciting to see how easily Barbara uses the glues, glitters, and tools to embellish and design gorgeous projects. In its first 45 minutes, this video really provided the inspiration to take me from the “I have no idea how to do that!” trepidation to “I can’t wait to try this out!” enthusiasm.

On the downside, this video is, in a word: old. It was made in 1996. After nine years, The Art Institute has grown up quite a bit to include more than double the glitter color options discussed in the video, and new glittering products; as well as improvements and innovations to existing products. For example, Barbara clearly explains how to attach a special two-piece tip to the glue bottle for easy application. Yet, when I opened my Art Glittering System Basic Kit, I found that it included a completely different one-piece tip (which is a self-explanatory improvement) with an optional fine-tip piece (which could use some explaining in attachment and use).

I would love to see a faster-paced remake of this video to include the newer innovations from The Art Institute – such as their latest products, their new improvements to original products, and the exciting new techniques that go along with such advances.

Still, the original "The Art of Glittering" video remains a powerful and effective introduction to The Art Glittering System and is sure to help put the inspiration of glitter art into the “attainable” category of your crafting.

In Summary: A somewhat outdated but still very relevant introduction to the tools and techniques of glittering and The Art Glittering System. If you are prone to being intimidated by products or projects, I definitely recommend viewing this demonstration to gain confidence in your glittering potential!

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Review by Rachel

I was so glad to receive this video from the Art Institute. I have used glitter before but not the Art Glitter Systems. I was excited but yet nervous to get started using the glitter and glue in the system. So since I was nervous, the most logical place to start would be the video. I was hoping that it would be aimed at me, the beginner, and walk me through using the system. This video is just what I needed. It is perfect for the beginner. This video is priced at $19.95 on the Art Glitter site. The video is 90 minutes long and Barbara walks you through detailed instructions on how to use the glue bottle and glitters. She shows you everything from how to put the tips on your bottle to writing with your glue bottle. Once she has walked you through the basics, she then moves on to the “rainbow technique.” Interspersed throughout the entire video there are amazing ideas with stunning results.

Barbara then teaches us the difference between the transparent and opaque glitters. She also introduces what she calls “mistake proof” crystal glitter. She also shows how to use the Designer Dries Clear and the Designer Dries White adhesives. Barbara introduces a new adhesive called 3-d Emboss it and shows you how to use it to achieve its full potential. There are many great ideas and watching the video did inspire me to get over my fear and start using the glittering system I received.

Since this video is aimed at beginners, it will be slow in some areas for the more advanced person who is used to working with glitter all the time. In fact, I don’t recommend this video for the person who is used to working with glitter and the Art Glittering System. Barbara is also very fast at using the glittering system. Barbara encourages you (the beginner) to keep practicing. In time, you just might be as fast as Barbara! The video left me with one big question. How does Barbara keep from getting glitter all over her face? It has to be the makeup artist.

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Review by Cathy

"The Art of Glittering" by Barbara Trombley is a 90 minute video that is a project oriented (How To) by the owner of the company.

The introduction is energetic and gives an overview of Barbara's journey into her business. I thought the introduction was well done, short, positive and to the point with a little personal touch. It is nice to relate to the owner and find out how she started her company.

I really loved the invitation," Are you ready for a glitter party?" What follows is an amazing number of project demonstrations. First, Barbara discusses glues and supplies needed to complete projects . I loved her idea of storing glitter in plastic containers. I have used plastic plates and other methods before and this idea limits the mess. I think that this is where the card stock discussion should occur. ;It is covered later in the presentation, but I would have liked it right now. I was a little confused about the card stock discussion. What is plastic coated card stock? Barbara does give tips in working with different kinds of card stock and I thought that was well covered.

I enjoyed all of the projects especially the Birthday Cake Cards, The Black Butterfly Card and the Christmas projects. The holiday projects are so beautiful, that I want to make all of them. I was also impressed with the pearls of wisdom and helpful hints given in the presentation. As the viewer follows along, it may be wise to stop the tape and take a few notes. The video moves slow enough for a beginner but it may seem slow to a intermediate or expert stamp or card maker. Some projects, for example the Stained Glass Card moved extremely slow. I think after watching the previous projects, showing one or two major points and then showing the completed project, may work better. I thought showing a close up of the projects at the end of each segment was a terrific idea. One suggestion I have is to add a few similar projects that are made with the same technique, in finished form. The card with ground coffee grinds and spices peaked my interest.

In the presentation of the Birthday Cake Card, Barbara states that she diluted the glue to 30% with water. Why was that done? I loved the project and I am guessing it is because the glue is easier to apply with a sponge. I would like to know why the glue was diluted and when are the other occasions to use diluted glue.

I enjoyed each presentation but I wonder if there is something that can be done with the embossing gun noise? It grated on my nerves. I did like when Barbara showed the viewer how to emboss from both sides, upper and underneath the paper, to speed up and even out the embossing. Once following embossing would be enough for me. I also wonder if Barbara had another person to talk to during the demonstration, if it would add a little interaction or discussion format to some of the more complicated projects. This person could ask why she diluted the glue and when are other times that you should. This person could emphasize important points. I also appreciated looking over Barbara's shoulder to make the projects but Iwould have liked to have seen her face more often.

I think this is an excellent video for demonstrating the art of using glitter on cards. Most of the techniques are easy to do and can be transfered to scrapbooking. The video moves at a great pace for a beginner. I think this video is great for anyone to see before using the Art Glitter products. I would definitely recommend that a craft or hobby store purchase this tape and could even run it on a continuous loop at an open house or next to a display of the products and some completed projects. I also could see this as a teaching tool for stamp demonstrators because most of the projects are done with rubber stamps. I can also recommend this video to individual card makers or scrap bookers. I think everyone should take Barbara up on her invitation to her "Glitter Party".

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Review by Kathleen

Art Institute has a video out titled The Art of Glittering. Barbara Trombley, the creator of The Art Glittering System, hosts the video. Barbara has a nice, easy going demeanor and is absolutely amazing in her skills. When I started watching the 90 minute video, I was in awe at how quickly Barbara was able to maneuver the tube of glue and apply the glitter to her beautiful creations.

When I first received the glitter kit from Art Institute, I was a little nervous about using them, but started anyway and did okay. I REALLY wish I had watched the video first though because Barbara offers so many great tips along the way.

Now keeping in mind that my skills are not nearly at the level of Barbara’s, the following ‘Thanks’ card uses the "rainbow" technique Barbara shows in her video. To create the card, I first wrote "Thanks" on the card front with the Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and then applied the different colors of glitter in vertical rows to create the rainbow look. I then applied dots of glue around the card and sprinkled with purple glitter.

“Rainbow Thanks Glitter Card” Products used:

Art Institute – Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Rainbow Ult ra fine Opaque glitter kit
Other – cardstock, glossy paper
Adhesive Tech – Glue Runner
Fiskars – Decorative edged scissors
ColorBox – fluid chalk ink

While I really like the video as a whole, there were two things I found while watching that really stood out and bothered me. First, the media format is VHS. I much prefer a DVD format, not only for quality, but also for the ability to move within the production more easily. There were so many times I wanted to go back to something but didn’t because it was more of a hassle to rewind back to what I was looking for than to continue on. Also, I think people are starting to move away from the VHS format, as we are in my household, and the age of the video will be obsolete. For a retail cost of $19.95, I tend to not purchase something that will be obsolete in the near future.

The second issue that seemed to stick out was not being able to view the finished projects well. It wasn’t until the end of the video that projects were held for some length of time for the viewer to see. I also noticed that lighting seemed to be an issue in viewing some of the projects.

Again, as a whole, I really like this video. I think if you are new to the medium of glitter, the average scrapbooker and card maker will get a lot of helpful tips and ideas from this video. Barbara does an absolutely wonderful job of showing many of the tips and tricks of using the glitters and adhesives. I was so envious of her trays FULL of the different glitters too! But this video did inspire me and even though my technique is still rough, I know I will continue to use the glitter in my scrapbooking and card making.

For more information visit Art Institute Glitter Inc