Showing posts with label CHA Designer Julie McGuffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CHA Designer Julie McGuffee. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Sticky Sticks

So what are Sticky Sticks you may wonder......  Well, this is the brain child of a mom who likes to craft with her children and wondered "why can't they put adhesive on the ends of these craft sticks.  It would make it so much easier!".  Instead of just wondering, she put her idea into action and made it happen and now all of us can craft with Sticky Sticks!

Here are a few ways I used Sticky Sticks recently.  My grandson just turned ONE and his party was all about Monkeys! 

 

We downloaded all kinds of artwork which we printed out to make banners, cupcake toppers, bottle wraps, banners, etc., but there were going to be a lot of children coming to help celebrate, so we thought it would be fun for them to make masks.  This is what I came up with using punches, a Fiskars shape cutter and templates, red, dark brown and tan cardstock and, of course, a Sticky Stick.

 

I pre-cut all the pieces, so all that had to be done was to glue them together and pop a Sticky Stick handle on the back.  I started by cutting a 6" circle and a 6" x 5" oval.  I used a large oval punch for the ears and a small round punch for the nose.  The red hat and mouth shapes were cut from the sides of a large red circle and finally I used a 1" circle punch to make holes for the eyes.  The pom pom on the top of his hat is a flower punch.

It's still pretty warm in Texas, 90˚ the day of the party, so we also had little fans for the ladies.  I started with a 12" sheet of patterned cardstock and cut three, 3" wide strips.  I then scored each strip at 3/4" intervals.  TIP:  It goes much faster if you cut a 9" x 12" piece, score it then cut into 3" wide strips.  Accordion fold each strip then glue the ends together to create one long folded strip, 3" wide.  Attach a Sticky Sticky to each end as shown below.   Glue the sticks together to create a "rosette".  I  used a large round punch to create the Monkey disc then glued it to the center of the rosette.



I didn't stop there.  I rinsed a 1/2 gallon milk container (you can re-cycle anything similar) then cut it down to 4" in height.  I covered each side with Sticky Sticks then wrapped a 1/2" strip of red cardstock around the center and embellished the sides with a Monkey disc.  For an additional touch of red, I wove additional strips of red paper around the top.  We made quite a few and used them as containers for straws (shown below), red twizzle sticks (no photo 'cos we ate them all), plastic forks and more.  This little project took about 5 minutes to put together.  EZPZ Quick'n EZ, just like I like it.  If you've ever tried to glue something to a waxy milk container, you'll understand how really great these Sticky Sticks are!


And yes, there's one more.  This balloon wreath is so adorable I had to share.  Yes, the monkey was attached to the center of the wreath with a Sticky Stick..........


My daughter-in-law's inspiration for the Sock Monkey party came from here: www.chickabug.com/blog/2011/07/sock-monkey-party-august-is-1.html and instructions for the balloon wreath can be found here: www.howdoesshe.com/birthday-wreath/

For even more Sticky Stick ideas, click on the Designer Crafts Connection logo in my sidebar to see what other designers have created.  But, before you hop forward, what do YOU wish you had to make crafting easier?  Don't just wish it, make it happen!  Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to come up with the next, great new product.

Enjoy!  Y'all come back now..........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Friday, July 26, 2013

CHA Summer Show 2013 - Create & Connect

Greetings from the Las Vegas Hilton, home of Create & Connect!


 Like the summer show in Orlando a few years ago, this year's summer show in Las Vegas was busy and intimate.  Sadly it was also the last of the summer shows.  As an industry designer and consultant, I have been attending both summer and winter shows for the past 20+ years and will surely miss my summer trips.  On a positive note,  the winter show is only a short 5 months away!

There were some really cool products on the show floor.  We've seen some of them before, but there were also some innovative new ones:

1.  3-D Printer.  I'm sure you've heard about these in the news, well here it is, up close and personal.  Not yet available at retail, but eventually you'll be able to buy this particular model for less than $1,000.


 

 

Quick question:  What would YOU use a 3D printer for?  I'd seriously love you to comment on this.

2.  Bottle Cutter.   Bottle cutting isn't new, but I really like this one.  It's easy to use and you can also purchase wine glass stems to used in the top part of the bottle.  Personalize with original etchall® re-usable etching dip, or creme and you have a winning combination each and every time!


 

3.  Magic Marble.   We've seen marbling paint before, but this can be used with regular tap water.   Look what they did with these Smoothfoam™ balls.  Note:  Smooth foam has a smooth surface which can easily be marbled.


Check out this short, how to video by Lisa Fulmer.  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEVXpCg8s1U2mfu9I5efqTA?feature=watch

4.  Milk Paint.  Anyone else remember this?  Well, it's baaaack......

 
Now here's some iCandy from the show floor:























 
The following pieces are framed art paper collage by DCWV:






So what will you Cre8 Time for this year?  Designers were asked to create displays around the theme "8".  Here's mine.  8 projects showcasing 8 crafting categories:  Mixed Media, Digital Wall Art, Decorative Painting, Up-cycling, Preserving Memories (Scrapbooking), Accesories, Jewelry Making and Re-cycling.


Time to go.......


Enjoy!  Y'all come back now..........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!