HGGH and AMAZON.com!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Hot Glue Gun Helpers are now available at Amazon.com!

Visit amazon here.

Did you know we just started a Hot Glue Blog???
www.hotgluegunhelpers.com

Ring in the New Year with some easy ideas!

You still have time to whip up some festive New Years Eve Party Supplies that won't break the bank!  All the items pictured began as basic $1-Store items and were altered with a little paint, Mod Podge and scrapbook paper.

If you are hosting a dinner, consider using clear plates and altered chargers.

Altered Chargers Instructions

Bring a bottle to a party?  Alter a wine gift box with scrapbook paper.

Champagne Gift Box

Pouring a toast for when the clock strikes midnight? 

Use FolkArt Enamels to paint your own designs.

Painted Toasting Flutes

You will be the bell of the ball with a party tiara.

Party Tiara

101 Tees: New Years Eve Tee

Sparkle, Baby.  Sparkle!

Re-purposed a loose and sparkley scarf into a funky collar for an out of this world look this New Years Eve! This scarf was snagged at the dollar store!

Let's MAKE!

Begin with a v-neck dressy T-shirt. Pin a loose knit sparkle scarf around the neckline. Keep it loose and billowy with a large buildup near one shoulder.  Hand sew the scarf into place with matching thread. Hand-wash and hang to dry. 

Holiday Flashback!

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year!

crafty hugs & glittery kisses~

Cathie

Make it: Glittered Glass Slipper Ornaments

Make it: Glittered Glass Slipper Ornaments 

I love girly ornaments! Sparkly and sweet - this cute little shoe ornament is perfect for the "Shoe Queen" in your life....or perhaps you are a "shoe queen"???  I know I am! They are easy to whip up and can be customized to any colors. 

Materials:
Plastic Glass Slipper (this is from the alter me section of my shop)
E6000 Glue
Large Jump-ring
Mod Podge - Gloss, Matte or Hard Coat
Ultra Fine Glitter (this is bubble gum pink from my glitter line)
Paintbrush
Old Book Pages
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun Helpers
Hot Glue Gun & Sticks
Ribbon

 Let's Make 'Em

Create a hanger by, attaching a large jump-ring to the inside back of the shoe.  Make sure at least 1/2 is sticking out over the shoe.

 

Gather your glitter and Mod Podge supplies.

Brush the Mod Podge onto the shoe.

 Sprinkle glitter onto the shoe.  I like to do this over a file folder.  The folder collects the excess and I can easily pour it back into the jar. 

Cut out the word of your choice from a book page.

 

Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the the front of the shoe.  Place the cut out into the Mod Podge and top-coat with a layer of Mod Podge.  Allow to dry.

 Hot glue gems to the front of your shoes.  Use the HGGH tweezers so you don't burn yourself.

 Hold the gems in the twezzer and apply the hot glue to the back.

 Continue adding more gems.

Hot Glue a gem to the back.

 Tie a ribbon hanger to the end.

Make it: Snowflake and Yarn Wreath

Snowflake and Yarn Wreath

Decorate your front door with this crafty yarn and snowflake wreath. This is a great project for using up scraps of yarn. the snowflakes are glittered with ultra fine glitter and sealed with mod podge glitter for a mess free sparkle.

Mod Podge Glitter
Mod Podge Matte

21 Wood snowflakes

Ultra fine glitter - 4 shades of blue and green

Foam paintbrush

Wax paper

File folder

Wire wreath base

5-10 different yarns (blues and greens)

Scissors

8 Yards tulle trim

Hot glue

Mini ornaments

1. Using a foam paintbrush, liberally coat the wood snowflakes with matte Mod Podge. Working over a file folder, sprinkle the snowflakes with glitter, tap off excess glitter and set aside on wax paper to dry. Use the file folder to pour the glitter back into the storage jar. Repeat for maximum coverage. 2. Coat the items with glitter Mod Podge to seal the glitter. This prevents glitter from shedding.
3. Working in 6 feet increments, gather the yarn strands together. Tie the ends to the wire wreath and begin wrapping around the wreath. When you reach the end, tie off the ends. Repeat until the entire wreath is wrapped with yarn.
4. Use 3 strands of yarn to tie the snowflakes to the wreath.
5. Working on the backside of the wreath, hot glue the tulle trim around the wreath in a gathered fashion. On the front of the wreath add mini ball ornaments.

Requested Recipe: Grizzly Bear Granola

This yummy and easy treat was featured on our kids explore episode of Creative Juice.  You can whip up a big batch in under an hour!  Makes a great snack to have on hand or wrap it up in jars, tins or cello and give as a gift.

Ingredients:
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in the vanilla.

3. In a bowl mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.

4. Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand. Spread the granola on a lipped cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes. Transfer granola-filled pan to a rack to cool completely.

6. Stir in raisins or cranberries.

7. Seal granola in an airtight container or self-sealing plastic bag. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Hot Glue Gun Helpers are here and we are celebrating with a GIVEAWAY!!

It has been two years since Steve and I came up with the concept of Hot Glue Gun Helpers.  What a journey!  From our early prototypes that we crafted from felt to the first peek at the tools and then to our first sales experience at CHA.  It has been a long journey and well worth the wait.  Last week we got the call from Plaid Enterprises (our partner company) that the tools were going to begin shipping!  I literally started to cry!  I was laughing and crying at the same time.  Silly, I know!  We are just so exited (like proud parents) to share them with you.

We also want to say thank you to everyone who followed along on our journey, cheering us to make this dream come true.  The dedicated team at Plaid, fellow crafters and retailers have made this dream come true.

To Celebrate....

we are Giving Them Away

and starting a new BLOG!

To celebrate we are giving away 8 Hot Glue Gun Helper Kits, 48 pink AdTech glue guns and 48 Hot Glue Gun Helper finger caps!!! We are holding a new contest each week for the next  8 weeks- so you have plenty of chances to win.  Each week we will draw 6 winners of the caps and guns and 1 grand prize winner of the Hot Glue Gun Helper kit!

TO ENTER!!!

Follow this blog or our new blog 
and leave a comment!

Tell us a Hot Glue Story.

Be sure to leave your contact info so we can contact you!

________________________________________

 Wanna snag some today??

If you want to purchase a Hot Glue Gun Helper kit, please visit our official shop at etsy where you can purchase the kits directly from us! We can them out in time for Christmas.  We will have list of local retailers very soon and as the tools find their way to new stores we will be updating the list.

Each 7-piece Kit Contains:

1 Craft Mat

3 Finger Caps

1 Press Wand

1 Paddle

1 Tweezer

________________________________________

 Have a peek at the journey!

 This was stage one of the felt, cardboard and bamboo skewer prototypes.

 Hot Glue Gun Helpers make their debut at CHA and they were a hit!  Crafters were delighted and excited!

 Round two of the prototypes!  Getting Closer!!

 Our photo shoot for the package!

 The first box is opened!!  Yea!

If you want to grab some now, please visit our official shop at etsy where you can purchase them directly from us!

The business stuff....


All items are provided by me (Cathie Filian) and are in accordance with the Blogher Rules.


To enter: Simply follow this blog or our new blog and/or comment to this post telling us a hot glue story.


Your comment MUST link to your particular blog or web site or include your e-mail address. Otherwise, I won't be able to get in touch with you if you win! Any entries that do not include some way of getting in touch will be disqualified.


Deadline: Comments must be received by midnight December 19, 2010. Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.


You must have a mailing address in the United States of America. (sorry international folks!)

Create a Vintage Style Holiday Wreath

Create a Vintage Style Holiday Wreath

Vintage holiday style and decorations are back in fashion this season for home décor. It is once again hip to pay tribute to holidays past. Soft hues of pinks and peaches mixed with pastel blues and warm lime greens are being paired with traditional cranberry and forest green. Gold and silver metallic tinsel are also being used to complete a color pallet that is warm and inviting.

It is easy to achieve a vintage look on a budget. For tree decorating, all you need is simple white lights, colored ornament balls, strings of tinsel and a star topper. If you want to add a little glitz to the ornaments, add a little white glue to the top with a foam paintbrush, sprinkle a little glitter into the glue and tap of the excess.

For tabletop decorations, try wrapping Styrofoam cones with tinsel and hot gluing a few small ornament balls around the cone. If you have clear vases or bowls, fill them to the rim with ornament balls and bits of tinsel.

For mantles, create your own signature style vintage wreath with the simple instructions below. All the items needed are readily available at any craft store. Have fun decorating this season and get creative expressing your vintage style.

Materials:
Small wood birdhouse
FolkArt Craft paint: Belle Blush, Taffy and Fresh Foliage
Foam paintbrush
Mod Podge
Tissue paper: cream; peach and light green
Scissors
Decorative paper
Folk Art Texture Paint
Toothpick
Rhinestones and ribbon
Hot glue
Silver tinsel
2 square Styrofoam wreaths
Small glittered plastic snowflakes
Velvet flowers & small ornaments
Small decorative tree

Steps:

1. Paint the birdhouse. (for this project I am using the back of the house as the front) paint the roof taffy, the base fresh foliage and the house belle blush.

2. Cut the tissue paper into small random shaped squares. Apply the squares to the house with Mod Podge. Add the cream to the roof, the peach to the house and the green to the base. Topcoat with a layer of Mod Podge. Add additional layers of tissue if needed. Allow for dry time between layers.

3. Cut the decorative paper into a rounded door shape. Mod Podge to the front of the house.

4. Using a toothpick, add sparkle Texture Paint to the roof and base of the house. Poke the ends of the snowflakes into the Texture paint. Allow to dry.

5. Hot glue a rhinestone for a door handle and a ribbon embellishment to the top of the house.

6. Hot glue the two wreaths together. Glue and wrap the tinsel around the wreath base. Hot glue small ornaments into the tinsel and a flower into the corner. Attach the house and the decorative tree to the center of the wreath with hot glue.

Happy Holidays!

Cathie

Warm your soul with roasted chestnuts!

Roasting chestnuts is so simple and rewarding!  I hope you try this easy as pie recipe!  I was first introduced to Chestnuts when I was just waist high.  My mom brought them home at Christmas and we roasted them up in our olive green electric oven.  In cold Des Moines, Iowa, they were a warm treat on a winter day.  The sweet nutty flavor of the chestnut - will keep you coming back every December.

Begin with whole in the shell chestnuts.

Using a serrated knife, cut an "X" into the rounded side of the nut.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Roast on the lowest rack in your oven.

Preheated Oven 425 degrees.

15-20 minutes or until the "X" peels back.

Remove from the oven and wrap in a towel for 5 minutes.

Peel back the outer shell and inner skin and eat the warm nut.

Serve with cheddar cheese cubes.

Red wine pairs nicely with chestnuts.

Dig in!

Review and Tutorial: The Rotary Cutter and Embosser by Simplicity

Once in a while I stumble upon a crafty gadget that I love.  I fell for the Simplicity Rotary Cutter because it is dual purpose, a wrist saver, works on paper or fabric and it is easy to operate.

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Let's Cut FaBRiC!

 First up, I wanted to change the factory straight blade for a scalloped edge blade. 

To do this, I used my personal flat head screwdriver to remove the plastic protective covering.

 That was easy!  Cover is gone now .

 Next, I loosed the knob on the end of the blade arm.

 This a pic of the exposed blade with out the knob or plastic cover.  To remove the blade just pull on it and the small black metal washer.  The blades are not sharp so you can easily handle them.

 Replace with a scalloped blade.

 Reattach the knob on the end of the arm.  Turn to tighten.

 Replace the plastic cover using a flat head.

To adjust the pressure (this is how the blade cuts) you will need to adjust the blade height.  Look for the "up and down" bolt in the lower center on the front of teh machine.

Grab the pressure adjusting tool that comes with the machine and use it to turn the bolt up or down until the feed roller is touching the blade.

 Sorry for the fuzzy pic through the plastic protective cover. This is the blade touching the feed roller.

 Plug in the foot pedal and electrical supply to the back of the machine.

 Turn on the machine and use the knob to the left to adjust the speed.  Low was WAY to low for me.

 Easily adjust the size of strip you want to cut by twisting the red knob and shift the guide to teh left and right.

 My first test cut......it was a no go.  I needed to adjust the pressure.  I needed more pressure so I raised the feed roller closer to the blade.

Now we are CUTTING!!! yea - worked like a charm.

Love the scalloped edge.  

 More cutting!

My first cut strip.  I ended up cutting loads of strips for my wreath design. 

Here is the wreath I made with all my strips of fabric.

Visit this post for complete instructions.

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Let's Cut PaPeR!

 Cuts like a charm!  woo - hoo!

 Perfect for trimming scraps.

Here is the card I made using the papers cut on the machine. 
Visit this link for instructions!