Ranger Ink's Distress Stickles

Reported by Susan Reidy

I firmly believe that into every project a little bling must fall. But what if your style is less flashy/glitzy and more shabby/vintagey? Try Ranger Ink's Distress Stickles by Tim Holtz.

According to Ranger, this brand of Stickles combines "variegated glitter sizes and a matte look to complement the nostalgic palette of Distress products." Translation: Compared to regular Stickles, the Distress line has more muted colors and less sparkle, which is great for vintage and shabby projects.

In the picture below, you can see how Distress Stickles compare to the standard Stickles, more shine in the traditional, more texture in the distress version. As promised, the Distress Stickles do provide "a thicker, bolder application."

Distress Stickles come in a .5 fl. Oz. bottle and start at about $2.49 per bottle.

I love me some Stickles, so I had to give these a try. The first thing I noticed is that the bottle tip has a wider opening, which makes sense since the glitter in the Distress Stickles is chunkier.

I found both pros and cons to this feature. On the plus side, the glitter glue flows rather easily from the Distress Stickles (I can't tell you how many times I've used my paper piercer to open up the tip of my traditional Stickles). This also makes covering larger areas easier.

On the negative side, the glitter glue flows rather easily. I know -- same point, different view. Because it comes out so easily, if you get a little excited while using it (isn't crafting fun?), you may end up with great globs of gluey goodness. But if you're working on a shabby project, that's the look you want anyway, right?

The point is still fine enough to more or less accurately get it where you want it, even if it's only around the edge of an item. Below, I used Peeled Paint to highlight the edges of my flowers made from vintage sewing pattern paper. The Stickles worked well, even on this delicate surface.

Distress Stickles are currently available in 29 colors, which match the other Ranger line of Distress products including ink pads, embossing powders and crackle paint. And you've got to love the names -- Broken China, Fired Brick, Dusty Concord, Shabby Shutters, Worn Lipstick and more.

The products match nicely. Here's antique linen in Distress Stickles and crackle paint.

I liked using these together on my project below for a tone-on-tone look. It gave the butterflies some nice texture and a touch of sparkle, without going over the top.

And here's a little trick I learned from the Ranger web site. You can ink the Distress Stickles for a tarnished look on the glitter. That's a pretty cool look. On my heart below, I used Worn Lipstick Distress Stickles and rubbed Old Paper Distress ink pad over it once it was dry.

Overall, I think Stickles are still the easiest, cleanest way to add glitter to a project and a multitude of surfaces. With the distress version, I like that it matches the other distress products and it gives you texture and dimension without looking like a Vegas stage show.

Distress Stickles are available from a wide range of retailers, including Michael's, Jo-Ann, A.C. Moore, Archiver's and several online sites such as Amazon.

Pros:

  • Easily adds texture, and some sparkle.
  • Great color choices, which match other distress products.
  • Ideal for vintage/shabby projects.
  • Works on a variety of surfaces -- patterned paper, chipboard, cardstock, etc.
  • Glitter glue flows easily from applicator.

Cons:

  • Can get rather pricey, especially if you want the whole color collection.
  • Glitter glue flows easily, which can make it tricky if you want to do super fine detail work.

[Editor's Note: Distress Stickles have been discontinued by Ranger Ink, but they still produce regular Stickles in a wide palette of colors.]

Have you tried Distress Stickles? What do you think? Do you like them more/less/the same as traditional Stickles? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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