Mel Designs: Glue Gun Crafts

Glue Gun Crafts

December 8, 2014

Glue Gun Sign

I love the smell of a warm glue gun! It takes me back to Saturdays spent making Christmas gifts for family and friends. So when I saw a version of this plaque on Pinterest, I knew I had to make my own glue gun sign.

Materials and Instructions for Glue Gun Sign

Walnut Hollow Savannah Plaque
Elmers Foam Core Board
Adtech Adhesives Lo Temp Cool Tool, Glue Pad and Multi-Temp Glue Sticks
Sizzix Alphabet die cuts and Big Shot Die Cutting Machine
DecoArt Americana Acrylics Pumpkin Orange
Self healing cutting mat and craft knife
Fabric scraps, jeweled flower centers
Paintbrush, foam brush

I started by cutting the foam core into small pieces using the craft knife and mat. The pieces need to be small enough to fit through the die cutting machine. I used the die cutting machine and die to make letters for "Happiness is a Warm Glue Gun."

Then, I used the glue gun to adhere the letters to the plaque.

Although I brushed on the paint, I think it would actually be easier to spray the paint on. It wasn't a good day for outside spray painting this particular day. You can purchase spray paint or make your own using this simple recipe. The combination of the foam brush and paint brush makes getting the paint in between the foam letters easier.

Once the paint was dry. I glued on handmade fabric flowers to add some additional flair to the plaque.

I found some more cute quotes about glue guns on the web.

"For every girl with a broken heart, there's a guy there with a glue gun."

"It's not a bad thing to want a fun life and a glue gun that works!"

"Given enough glue sticks, I could rule the world."

"Keep Calm and Hot Glue"

Live Life Creatively,

Dec 8, 2014 12:21:37 PM | Elmers, Glue Gun Crafts, Home Decor Projects, Tutorials

November 23, 2014

Recycled Tin Ornaments

Creating something fun and useful from recycled materials has always been a favorite craft of mine. I was inspired to create these ornaments when my friend was complaining about her growing stash of cardboard boxes. I offered to take some very large ones off her hands and immediately started thinking about ways to use them. That's when I decided to create these recycled tin ornaments.

Materials for Recycled Tin Ornaments

Recycled Cardboard
Recycled Tins (I used Altoids Tins)
Misc Wood Shapes
Adtech Adhesives Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
DecoArt Americana Acrylics- Tuscan Red, Baby Pink, Pumpkin Orange, Lamp Black, Snow White
Rubber stamped sentiments and pigment ink
Assorted embellishments
Ribbon scraps
Cardstock scrap

Instructions for Recycled Tin Ornaments

I started by removing the lid of the mint tin.

I cut the cardboard box into smaller pieces- each measuring about 12" square. Then I peeled one layer of the smooth cardboard off to expose the corrugated center. I used the tin as a template to trace a shape on the back of the corrugated cardboard.

Then I cut the shape out with scissors and glued it to the inside bottom of the tin.

Then I cut some 1" strips from the cardboard and glued them to the insides and outsides of the tins.

If you have a chance to try and make these, the real fun begins when it's time to add the elements to the inside. I opted for a heart theme on one. I painted the heart red, then added a pieced of stamped cardstock with glue. I added gemstone rows and a couple more bits of sparkle.

For the other tin, I decided on a snowman theme. I assembled the snowman from three wood beads hot glued together and painted them white.

Extra tips for making Recycled Tin Ornaments:

1. The hot glue gun and glue sticks makes creating these ornaments fun and super easy.

2. Dig through your stash to see what trinkets you can use to create your own fun little themes. Some other suggested themes include winter birds and Christmas trees.

3. Use the hot glue gun to adhere the ribbon hanger directly to the top of the ornaments. Since the cardboard is extremely pourous and sturdy, there is no need to drill or punch holes in the tin.

Life Life Creatively,

Nov 23, 2014 1:11:30 PM | Gift Giving Ideas, Glue Gun Crafts, Recycled Projects, Stamping, Tutorials

November 21, 2014

Treat Cups Made From Recycled Cardboard

Here is a fun Green craft for you to try using materials you already have at home plus some fun cool embellishments. These are recycled treat cups created fom cardboard tubes and corrugated cardboard from shipping boxes.

Materials for Recycled Treat Cups

Recycled cardboard tubes (I used tube from the center of a scot towel roll cut into smaller lengths)
Shipping box or other corrugated cardboard
Adtech hot glue gun and sticks, hot glue gun pad
Adtech Permanant Glue Runner Crafter's Tape
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint- Sour Apple
Assorted embellishments of choice, light green rick rack
Rubber stamps of choice and Staz-On pigment ink
Scissors, paintbrush, ruler

First of all, cut off one side of the cardboard box and peel off the paper to expose the corrugated box.

Now trace a 5" circle on the smooth side of the cardboard and cut out with scissors. Measure 2" circles and cut out. Paint all circles Sour Apple.

While the coats of paint dry, measure the length and the width of the tubes and cut the cardboard to fit around the tubes. For the bottom of the tubes, measure and cut a circle that is 1" larger than the bottom of the tube.

Use the Glue Runner to adhere the cardboard on the tube by placing several strips of glue on the smooth side of the exposed cardboard.

Use the hot glue gun the adhere the circle to the bottom of the tube.

Refer to the photo and use the glue gun and glue sticks to assemble the remainder of the treat cups.

Use the rubber stamps and ink to stamp sentiments, motifs, etc. onto the green circles. Embellish the circles to suit your taste.

Deciding on what to fill these recycled treat cups with is the fun part! Here are some ideas for you

Trail mix for a brownie, eagle, girl or cub scout meeting. Make it rich in nuts and seeds and use the opportunity to talk about how important it is to respect the earth as it has so much to offer.
Fill them with gourmet bird seed and give them away to avid bird watchers along with the instructions for making bird seed cakes. I like this recipe.
For a fun art gift for a creative friend, assemble embellishments such as ribbons, vintage jewelry, ephemera in green hues and fill the tubes with them.

I hope you find many cool uses for making and using these recycled treat cups!

Live Life Creatively,

Nov 21, 2014 9:37:43 AM | Gift Giving Ideas, Glue Gun Crafts, Party Favors, Recycled Projects, Stamping, Tutorials

October 21, 2014

Shabby Chic Gift Packages

A plain brown paper bag can be the perfect packaging for smaller gifts. When giving a handmade gift, consider dressing one up with paints and embellishments to coordinate with your gift. I did this recently when I created some shabby chic door hangers. I grabbed some supplies and brown paper bags to create these shabby chic gift packages.

Supplies for Shabby Chic Gift Packages

Brown paper bags

Adtech Adhesives Cool Tool

Adtech Adhesives Cool Temp Gluesticks

Hemp, bakers twine

Washi tape, self adhesive gem stone rows

Wood tags

DecoArt Americana Acrylics- Baby Pink, Bahama Blue, Snow White, Espresso

Staz-on ink in black and tiny alphabet stamps

Hole punch, scissors

Not long ago, I created these shabby chic door hangers as gifts for an upcoming baby shower, a wedding gift and a housewarming gift. I loved the results and knew that the packaging had to be as special as the gift inside. So I decided to create some coordinating gift packaging from brown paper bags.

I love the simple look of brown paper bags. So I dry brushed them with paint, allowing some of the bag to show through.

Then I created some hemp embellishments using a low temperature glue gun. Believe me, you will want to use a low temperature glue gun for creating these spiraled embellishments as your fingers will be touching the hemp a lot and you want to minimize finger burns!

I hot glued the embellishments to the front of the bag and added washi tape, gems and a painted wood tag.

Now I have gift packages that coordinate perfectly with the gift inside!

Live Life Creatively,

Oct 21, 2014 8:26:52 AM | Gift Giving Ideas, Glue Gun Crafts, Tutorials

October 20, 2014

DIY Side Table

For awhile now I have been looking for a small side table for my office space. I have been searching for something small but slightly functional (i.e. you can set a cup of tea or coffee on top) yet interesting with detailed lines. I have had no luck. Then, some really cool French Provencial Signboards arrived from one of my favorite wood products manufactuers, Walnut Hollow. I grabbed my glue gun, some flat marbles and spray paint and got immediately to work on this DIY Side Table.

Materials for DIY Side Table

Walnut Hollow French Provencial Signboards-12" x 20", 8" x 13 1/2"

Wood table legs and angle plates- purchased at Lowes Home Improvement

Flat marble assortment

Flat backed rhinestones

Krylon indoor/outdoor spray paint in Pumpkin Orange and Mambo Pink

DecoArt Triple Thick Clear Glaze

Adtech Adhesives Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Screwdriver, drop cloth

Instructions for DIY Side Table

I started by spray painting all of the wood pieces. I chose Mambo Pink for the legs and smaller plaque and Pumpking Orange for the larger plaque.

I used three coats for each side. Then I grabbed my hot glue gun and some gun sticks and hot glued the smaller plaque to the center of the larger plaque. I then hot glued the marbles to the top of the larger plaque.

I lined the edges of the large plaque with acrylic rhinestones.

To make sure the marble and stones were extra secure to the table top, I used several coats of DecoArt's Triple Thick Glaze. I sprayed very close to the surface of and top and sides of the plaque. I let the glaze cure overnight before attaching the legs to the table.

I was pleasantly surpised that the signboard wood was so easy to manipulate. It is made out of pine. I was able to place the screws into the signboard without having to pre-drill holes. I even used a manual screwdriver!!

I was ultra pleased with the results! Using the glue gun made it easy and fast! It is going to look perfect alongside my other fun office accessories.

Live Life Creatively,

Oct 20, 2014 9:03:02 AM | Glue Gun Crafts, Home Decor Projects, Tutorials

Handmade Vintage Brooch Embellishments

I love the vintage jewelry look. I have used my grandmothers broken bits and pieces she passed on to me in several projects. I have scoured flea markets and thrift stores in hopes of finding charming jewelry pieces I can deconstruct and use to embellish my projects, many of which are fabric pieces I love to add hard embellishments to. I was recently inspired to grab my glue gun and try to recreate the look of vintage jewelry. I used some easy to find materials to create these handmade vintage brooch embellishments.

Materials for Handmade Vintage Brooch Embellishments

Plastic pearls - I purchased a bulk assortment of these in various sizes ands shapes from Joann's.

Adtech Adhesives Cool Tool Glue Gun

Adtech Adhesives Cool Tool Lo Temp Glue Sticks

Adtech Adhesives Glue Gun Pad

Clear rhinestones- glass or acrylic

Hard embellishments of choice- I used flower centers found in the scrapbooking embellishment section of Joann's and Michael's

Trim scraps- I used tulle and hand dyed ribbons

When using plastics and hot glue, it is important to use a low temp glue gun since the higher temperatures of regular glue guns can melt and warp plastics. Plus you will be working with your fingers and tiny stones and beads and you will appreciate the lower temp!

I also find working on a glue gun pad to be helpful. You don't have to worry about getting hot glue on your surfaces and the pad is very easy to clean and remove hot glue.