Posts Tagged ‘hot glue gun

My husband took my baby girl (she’s 5) out one Saturday morning for breakfast. When they came home she had a vase with flowers in it – just for moi! Yay!!

Hubs is sweet like that (for bringing me flowers, NOT for ditching me for breakfast)

Eventually the flowers died (these things lasted like 3 weeks!) and I was left with this cute little vase.

I’m such a sucker for little glass vases.

So most normal people would probably just give it to Goodwill, but I buy from Goodwill, not donate to Goodwill. I think it would be morally wrong for me to actually give something to Goodwill. Besides, I’m waaay too cheap for that. My crap gets sold on Craigslist, thankyouverymuch.

Rambling, sorry. Mmm-k, I found this cheesy sunflower and stuck it in the vase.

A) the flower is too tall

B) it needs some filler or a little somin’ somin’ (whoops, not that type of blog, sorry)

C) it doesn’t stand up straight (no one likes a crooked flower)

D) “Allison, are you really considering that fake flower for your home decor?” Why yes. Yes I am.

Let’s start with A

If you need to cut floral stuff-ffff don’t use a pair of scissors. Use some pliars that have a little cutter-thingy on them.

Now that that’s taken care of, on to B

I like to try out lots of different looks before I decide which one wins out.

Rocks? I like the rocks, but you can still see the base of the flower which might be ok, but it’s totally buggin’ on me.

Raffia? Oh geeze, for cryin’ out loud. Burn the raffia already.

My mom is raffia queen, so it’s just in my blood to try to use it on every. single. project. Kinda like little painted wooden figures or puff-paint shirts. Some things are really just better off left in the 80′s.

Moss? Considering it’s my 3rd and only option left, Moss it is!! I’m sure hubs is thrill-to-the-D that I chose moss instead of a trip to Michael’s. Again. For the 12th time this week.

Okay, so on to C. Nobody likes a wonky flower.

Yes, I just said wonky.

Get out your glue gun – I prefer the mini cheapest-glue-gun-at-Michael’s gun. ‘Cause it’s cheap. And mini! Mini things are SO much ca-uter.

Did you know you can get a pack of 25 glue sticks from the 99 cent store?

Put a blob of hot gule on the end of the flower stem. This is not a precise science peeps. Just blob it on.

Now cram your flower stem into the vase and hold it real still for at least 20 minutes. Don’t move a muscle or you will totally screw this up.

OMG I kid, I kid. Don’t freak out. Just hold it for like 30 20 10 5-7 seconds.

And that, my friends is how to make a stem stand up in a vase. You can also use that green foam floral stuff, but who wants to pay for that? And plus, you don’t want green floral foam stuff showing through your vase. Clean lines only.

Now you get your moss and use a very fancy expensive tool to delicately place it at the bottom of the vase.

Or you can just do what I did and use a butter knife and cram it in there. That works too.

And there you have it. The cheap, cutting-the-corners, ubber crafty way to put a cheap flower in a free vase.

Now where should I put it? The granite bar or the side table? (‘Cause that’s where everything else I craft goes, right?). Nope, not today. I’ve got a surprise in store for you today.

The mantle-less mantle! Can you believe I was actually able to put something on a non-existent mantle?

Good thing I cleaned up behind me before I took the picture… errr, uh, never mind.

That is a dog on the couch, not some gross fur ball!!! (In fact, I’m considering having the dog be my next giveaway. Anyone want a cute Yorkie that refuses to be 100% housebroken?) And yes, that is a snorkel on the floor. Don’t ask. I don’t know. We don’t even have a pool nearby.

See that cute little red box in the right-hand corner? My adorable 9-year old sister made that for *me* and mailed it to me for Valentine’s Day. <3

Next time I decide to do a tutorial on how to stick a flower in a vase, remind me to not buy the first flower I see that’s less than a dollar when I’m racing through Michael’s trying to get in and out before they close. Kinda a cheesy choice.

On second thought, this vase is going to look just adorable in my 5-year olds room. Karma’s a bi… Oh, wait, I selected on my profile that this blog is G rated. Oops. How about this instead?

Hey, what goes around comes around.

Awww, I’m teasing. You all know I absolutely adore my kids.

And in conclusion, the moral of the story is, once again, hot glue rocks.

xoxo

I’ve had quite a few people post comments or email me asking what products I’m using in my posts. I decided to go ahead and post a list of items I generally keep on hand.

This is not a comprehensive list by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve just picked out the items that I use most on a day-to-day crafting basis.

(This is from my Keepin’ Myself Busy post.)

Okay, for starters… Spray Paint. I own LOTS of Spray Paint. I primarily use Rust-oleum, but I use other brands as well. Here’s what I currently have on-hand.

From L to R: Rust-oleum for Plastic items – black, Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x gloss black, Design Master in gloss black (from Michael’s Arts and Crafts), & Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x flat black

From L to R: Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x gloss Apple Red, Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze (ORB), & Rust-oleum Metallic in Metallic Dark Bronze

From L to R: Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x flat white & Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x Primer in white

From L to R: Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x satin Nutmeg, Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x clear gloss, & Rust-oleum Ultra Cover 2x gloss Heirloom White

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Next up on the list are glues and fillers:

Dap Kwik Seal caulk – white

Gorilla Glue

Elmer’s Wood Filler – natural

Hot Glue Gun

Goo Gone

Dap Dry Tex Spackling & 2″ putty knife

Basic all-purpose glue (school glue)

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Everything Else:

Sanding block

Scotch 3M painter’s tape

Ruler, staple remover, and a good pair of scissors

Screw and nail kit

Paint brushes

Acrylic paints – multiple colors; any brand

Rust-olium Spray Paint handle

Razor blades

Tools. I really like the Sears Craftsman brand. From L to T: Needle nose pliers, Phillips and Flat Head screwdrivers, tape measure, level, hammer, and sharpies.

~*~*~*~*~

This is all *my* favorite stuff to use. Obviously it isn’t a full list because I didn’t include things like a drill or my air compressor or miter saw. Another day, another post…

I’ll post throughout the next few weeks on how I’ve used these products and give some examples.

Sorry this post was so… basic. I’ll try to be more witty again tomorrow.

Please, if you have any questions about any of these products and just can’t wait one.more.second. for me to post my product updates, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section or send me an email at allison at houseofhepworths.com.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!!!

{{Smooches}}

So the other day I made this jute ball out of a basketball and a floor mat. Remember?

So I have a HUGE amount of jute floor mat material left over…

…and I’m trying to figure out what the heck to do with it all (besides make another large jute ball for a future giveaway – check back frequently for deets!).

Okay, so anyway, I’m trying to figure out what else I can hot glue this stuff too and the closest thing within reach was a just-washed can from beans or something. So natch’ I grab the can and start gluing. Wound you expect any different?

You know what? I actually really like it! A lot.

There are so many uses for it, but I knew right away exactly where I wanted it.

It’s absolutely perfect for my kids’ art pencils.

My daughter LUVs it! And the best thing is, it is so so so so durable!

Next on the agenda… a few more to match for markers and pencils. I even have a few smaller cans (from tuna) that will be perfect for their little eraser collections.

YOU can do this! Trust me! Just try it.

*WARNING* I use a Pampered Chef can opener that removes the entire lid instead of cutting it off so there are NO sharp edges. MAKE SURE you have a can opener that does NOT leave sharp edges!!!