Glue Gun Crafts

Crafty Chica Challenge Contest

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:07:45 -0800

It couldn't be any easier or more fun! A contest from the Crafty Chica. All you have to do is take a summer tote bag, glitter it up and post the results on the contest flickr account! The winner will receive a prize pack for a Crafty Chica Party up to 5 guests and runner ups will get a Crafty Chica bobblehead. If you ever needed an excuse to un-dull that old summer tote, now's your chance!

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crafting,

glue+gun+crafts

craft+contest,

summer+crafts

crafty+chica

Pom Pom Flag

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:07:25 -0800

This craft cost exactly $1.00 to make. I got a bag of red, white and blue, tiny pom poms from the dollar bin at JoAnn's and made this American flag in honor of the 4th of July! It's pretty open on what you can do with it: attach a wooden dowel and stick it in a garden or planter, attach to the front of a card, glue to an unsharpened pencil for a mini parade flag or even use it as a coaster!

Materials:
Glue gun/ clear glue sticks
Metallic pom poms in the 1/4 inch size (red, white, blue)
12 or so clear rhinestone crystals (the stars)
Small square of stiff dark blue felt, about 1 1/2 inches by 2 inches

Heat up glue gun and put in glue.

Use the small square of felt as a base for the flag and what you'll build your star field on.

Apply a dab of glue to the back of blue pom pom and press to the piece of felt, starting at the top left corner and working from left to right. Ideally you would have 5 blue pom poms in one row. 3 rows of 5 total.

Continue gluing pom poms to the felt, don't overglue! You'll end up with string and globs and burnt fingers.

Apply a tab of glue to the blue pom pom on the star field that you want to adhere a rhinestone to. It's easier to set the stone into the glue than glue to the back of the stone and set onto the flag.

Adhere all the clear crystals to where you want as the "stars" on the flag. You could go all out and do 50....

Next time to make the red and white stripes- you'll need 10 red pom poms and 5 white.

Glue the 5 red pom poms together, in aline. Hold in place until glue hardens or else they will pop apart. Repeat for 5 white pom poms and then again for 5 more red.

Then take 10 white pom poms and glue together in a row, just as you did for the set of 5. This is the first full length white stripe.

Repeat again with 2 rows of red and one more of 4, 4 rows of 10 in total.

Next apply glue to one end of the row of 5 pom poms and adhere to the top of the star field. Repeat with the one of 5 white and the last row of 5 red.

Glue the ends of the red and white rows together.

Apply glue to the top of a row of 10 white and press against the bottom of the star field. Apply dabs of glue every 3rd pom pom or so along the row and press into place against the star field.

Repeat with the other 3 rows, gluing the last pom pom in the row to the row above.

By not placing a backing on the stripes, it makes the flag super flexible so you can make it "wave!"

Tags:crafts,
crafting,
glue+gun+crafts
4th+of+july+crafts,
summer+crafts
flag+crafts

Felt Glitter Flowers

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0800

These pretty little felt flowers sparkle, cost less than a dollar to make and can be created in a flash! They're great for adorning the top of a wedding gift or birthday gift, creating a bouquet that you don't have to water (maybe just dust occasionally) or just a fun way to get rid of some felt scraps!

Materials:
Glue gun/ clear glue sticks
Colored felt
Aleene's tacky glue (any kind of tacky glue that dries clear)
Fine glitter (same color as the felt)
Green ribbon (2" wide) or felt to cut leaves from
Green floral wire for stem (floral tape optional)

Cut the felt into a 2inch wide strip, 12 inches long.

Fold the felt in half and apply glue from your glue gun to one end and press the folded halves together.

Continue applying glue along the edge of the felt, pressing the sides together until the entire 12 inches is now a one inch wide strip.

Glue the other ends together, sealing up the strip.

Apply glue to on of the ends and tightly roll it up, holding in place and not adding too much glue so you don't burn yourself!

Continue applying glue and rolling for at least 4 rolls, to create the center of the flower.

For the remainder of the felt, apply glue only to the bottom edge of the felt and roll. Roll this so that as you go, you're a little off center and the outside layers are higher up than the lower layers. This way, you'll be have a "bloom" and "petals" that you can push out and flare as needed.

Glue all the way up. Do not glue the end down to the flower, leave that loose so you can fold it down and subsequently, fold down parts of the flower as well to provide that 3D effect.

Take the floral wire and cut a 10inch piece, fold in half and twist together to create the stem

Apply a dab of glue in the center of the bottom of the flower and push up into the center and hold until hardened.

Taking the ribbon or felt, cut two leaf shapes, about 1 inch in lenth, 1/2 inch in width.

Cut a small slit in the base of the one of the leaves and pull the stem through the slit.

Apply a small bit of glue to the top of the leaf and press up against the bottom of the flower.

Repeat with the second leaf, but glue off center of the first leaf.

If you want to wrap your steam with floral tape, now's a good time.

Take the tacky glue and dab along the top edges of the petals.

Sprinkle the glitter liberally along the top, into the glue. Gently press the glitter into the tacky glue.

Turn upside down and shake off the excess glitter.

Ideally you want to hang this upside down to dry. If not, just lay carefully on the side and wait.

Once the glitter is dry, you're all done!

Tags:crafts,
crafting,
glue+gun+crafts
flower+crafts,
summer+crafts
felt+crafts

50 Summer Kids Crafts Guide

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:12:03 -0800

The Long Thread has put together this epically proportioned list of 50 Summer Kids Crafts that is a must for any parent, guardian, aunt, uncle or crafty person to take a look at! Pulling from sources as big as Martha and as humble as the independent blogger, there's a wide range of skill level, price points and materials for all ages. Definitely go through this list and mark off a few to add to your summer to do list!

My favorites?
*Watercolor Resist Painting from Bookhou Craft Projects

*Kaleidoscopes from Se7en

*Recycled Crayons from Make and Takes

*Mosaic Bird Bath from The Seattle Times

Tags:crafts,
crafting,
glue+gun+crafts
kids+crafts,
summer+crafts,

Magnetic Boat Kids Craft

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:38:19 -0800

Simplekidscrafts.com posted this short, minute long tutorial on creating a tiny boat with some recycled materials (popsicle stick, toothpicks, bit of foam) that is sure to provide a lot of fun! It's ridiculously easy, get out your glue gun and get started!

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crafting,
glue+gun+crafts
kids+crafts,
craft+videos,

Glue Gun Crafts Around the Web

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:19:07 -0800

Once in awhile I just find a plethora of great crafts involving a glue gun and then some! Here's a list I've been compiling all week on some fantastic crafty ideas!

Martha Stewart's bird mobile. If you can get past the fact that it's a Martha craft and that it's just neat, I think you'll like it.

Ohio borrowed these kid's bug magnets from Better Homes and Gardens.

I loved this old fashioned hat pincushion tutorial from Up the Rainbow. A most excellent tutorial with lots of pictures to make a really pretty pincushion.

This book hasn't released yet, but it looks super promising! This Cupcakes book is all about creating the sweet treats with out the calories or guilt. All made from sew, quilt, knit & bake. Ok, there are a few calorie laden ideas in there too.

Tags:crafts,
crafting,
glue+gun+crafts

Make a Snake Tie

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:34:33 -0800

Make and Takes has the right idea for this Father's Day! Ditch the plain old tie from the department store and instead take a thrift store tie and change it into a fun snake tie for dad! All you need it a tie, some poly-fil, google eyes and you guessed it, a hot glue gun. Check it out!

Create a Cute Felt Mushroom

Wed, 27 May 2009 10:03:31 -0800

Etsy's The Storque is a great place to find tutorials and features of all kinds of crafters and today is no exception! My Little Mochi posted this easy and adorable craft to create a little mushroom (or bigger!) from felt, batting, a glue gun and some white acrylic paint. It does require just a touch of sewing, but isn't anything a crafter like yourself can't handle!

Make it a Glue Gun Craft

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:19:46 -0800

Here are some fantastic crafts that I stumbled upon the web that while the directions don't say to use a glue gun, you most certainly could! And in some cases using a glue gun would significantly speed up the process towards completion!

Junk Mail Gems created gift bags from well, junk mail!

Curbly made these paper cherry blossoms glued to real tree branches.

Cheeky Magpie took a old paperback book and made it into an apple!

Craftzine, the dependable source for great crafts posted this turtorial on papier-mache flower brooches.

Crafts Forum Blog has this entry from member Tip Top on creating a pinwheel from scratch to adorn the front of cards or whatever you desire!

Pipe Cleaner Flowers

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:14:13 -0800

It's very economical, easy and oh so pretty too! Why wouldn't you adorn your workspace, gifts or just even for fun with these cute flowers? Let your imagination run wild and create different colors, shapes and types of flowers! With a glue gun and some pipe cleaners, sky's the limit!

Materials:
Glue gun/ clear glue sticks
2- pipe cleaners of the same color (or not!)
1- green pipe cleaner for stem
1- pom pom for center
scissors

1. Start by heating up your glue gun.

2. Bend one end of the colored pipe cleaner into a petal shape, repeat by making a figure 8 shape of two petals.

3. Apply a dab of glue to the center of the figure 8 to secure the end of the pipe cleaner.

4. Twist and repeat for two more petals, once again applying a bit of glue to the center to secure all 4 petals in place. You should be able to make 4 petal shapes out of one pipe cleaner.

5. Do the same process of steps 2-4 with the other colored pipe cleaner.

6. Glue the two petal pieces of pipe cleaner together in the center and hold in place until hardened.

7. Glue the pom pom to the center of the pipe cleaner pieces to complete the flower.

8. Now to create the stem- glue one end of the green pipe cleaner to the back of the flower and wait until dry.

9. Cut 1/3 of the stem off from the bottom to use to create leaves.

10. Fold the cut stem piece in half and bend at the middle to create two leaves, like you did with the petals in a figure 8 configuration.

11. Apply glue to the center of the leaves and hold in place until both ends of the piper cleaner have adhered to the center.

12. Now apply a small amount of glue to the center of the leaves again and press on the backside of the green pipe cleaner stem. Either in the center of the stem or wherever you're feeling the most artistic.

That's it! It was simple, economical and even has a little spring in it's step!

Tags: Tags: craft+projects, crafts, glue+gun+crafts, crafts+for+kids, pipecleaner+crafts

Bean Bag Rattlesnake Tutorial

Thu, 07 May 2009 09:06:38 -0800

The Candee Lady at GoGo Glue Gun Fun strikes again with this 8 minute tutorial on creating a fun and simple rattlesnake with a piece of fabric, rice, embellishments like pom poms and googley eyes, a plastic Easter egg and of course, a glue gun. This is a great craft to do with kids, particularly if you've got a few hanging around the house looking for something to do.

Tags: craft+projects, crafts, glue+gun+crafts, crafts+for+kids, craft+videos,

Glue Gun Sealing Wax

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:21:28 -0800

Want to add a special touch to your wedding invitations, hostess gifts, or thank you cards? Decorative wax seals exude romance and warm fuzzy feelings. In this day of emails and text messages, it's a breath of fresh air to receive a hand-written note. But take it up a notch further, and seal it with a kiss! (or more specifically, a hardened wax coin with a pretty design pressed into it. Bee-utiful!) While other mass-produced greeting cards are shuffled into the recycling bin, your letter will admired more than once. Dare I say, your friend might even feel too guilty to put it away after all the time she thinks you spent on it!

Speaking of time... there's plenty of high-tech help for this old-world technique, but the one I'm most excited about trying is glue-gun sealing wax. While I can't claim to be an expert on the history and art of wax seals, I couldn't wait to pass on this terrific use for the glue gun.

Benefits

Bang for your buck. The sealing wax and seal stamps are really affordable. Check out Save-On-Crafts.com for more ideas.

Drawbacks

You'll want to do many at once, especially if using a colored sealing wax. Trying to switch the colors prematurely will result in serious tinted ickiness and wasted product. So this is perfect for wedding correspondence, graduation thank-you cards, and anything else you can do in multiples.

Crafty and Proud of it!

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:00:32 -0800

Here at GGC, "crafty" is the best compliment we can give. But did you know, in some cultures, "crafty" can actually mean something bad? My friends, I can hear your collective gasps, but it's right there in the dictionary. There are plenty of ways you can show your friends that you are cunning, scheming, sly, and wily; but we're more concerned with the other kind of 'crafty' here. Quirky and unapologetic, here are some recent offerings at Etsy and CafePress to help you show off your crafting spirit.

The T-Shirt

Glue Guns > Real Guns Our kindred crafters know this to be true. No words are even necessary on this one! Just a basic understanding of math. (Design: mixedspecies, Glue guns greater than guns)

We've Got a Live One! There may be background on this one that we're not aware of, but we like the playful characterization of this glue gun. (Design: The Loud Librarian, Glue Gun Fitted T-shirt )

The Sticker

A sticker can go just about anywhere. Place it on your car, your purse, or, if subtlety is not an option, your forehead. (Design: The Gamer's Closet)

The Button

These stylish mini buttons can adorn hats, scarves, purse straps, or jackets.
(Design: DIYscene, Armed and Dangerous Button)

Got some Crafters' Pride?

Leave us a comment with your favorite finds or ideas, and you could be the next featured glue gun crafter!

Turning Hot Glue into Works of Art

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:51:01 -0800

Artist Tony Wurman's Wunderwurks are appropriately named. His wonderful creations are made from EVA hot melts (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) or as we in the crafting word call it "hot melt glue." The hot glue might not come directly from the nozzle of a glue gun, but these stunning works of art are an outstanding representation of the medium! EVA hot melt is an odorless, easy to mold material that has a wide variety of uses. The packing industry uses it to seal boxes, book binders use it for the spines of books, it's used in foam for sporting equipment and of course good ol' glue sticks for your glue gun.

Check out the pieces of Wunderwurks!

Tags: craft+projects, crafts, glue+gun+crafts, crafting, hot+melt, EVA, hot+melt+glue, wunderwurks, wurman

Fuzzy Bunny Pencil Topper

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:38:26 -0800

Paula's Ponderings has posted this ultra cute and easy craft for the Easter holiday: Fuzzy Bunny Pencil Topper. GGC posted a fuzzy bunny last year for Easter, but admittedly it's only purpose was being cute. Not that is an issue, but at least with this craft, he'll have a home when you're done!

Tags: craft+projects, crafts, glue+gun+crafts, crafts+for+kids, easter+crafts, bunny