Well, mine is an old Black & decker & has a cord & I use it all the time. I do have to be careful not to get burnt but usually keep wet washcloth close to stick my finger in if I burn it it stops the burn from being so severe. I have made mop dolls, glued a lovely shell & yarn wall hanging for DIL,glued silk flowers on driftwood,made plaques with dried seed pods, acorns, etc. Most of stuff I've given away to relatives, i think My mom has about 25 things I've made. Couple were with glue gun. Made lace heart over a wire heart shape & added little rosebuds to it& ribbons & pearls. Lots of crafts require a glue gun. Maybe that gives you idea. If there are nice dried acorns & pods around laying under trees they can be glued to a plaque you cAN MAKE IF YOU ARE HANDY OR BUY FROM mICHAEL'S OR jOANNE'S (sorry-stuck) They are unfinished wood. Then you stain to match the house it goes in.And arrange the materials you have gathered into a pleasing arrangement & glue on. Finish with couple of coats of spray clear finish. Ones I made yrs ago people still have on their walls. Mine look like new still I just take damp cloth to clean. Glue doesn't hold up well in outdoor sun tho as it melts when sun beats on it so project would start sliding off. It has many other uses & I'm sure someone else will have other ideas. Jan

I've seen squares of metal made to look like tin ceiling tiles by just using glue from a glue gun squeezed out in patterns and then white-washed with paint. You could use cardboard or wood instead. Just google tin ceiling tiles to get an idea of the pattern.

I have used my glue guns for years, gone thru several.. used them when making my Time out Dolls to attach the hair and I must say I have had my share of burnt finger tips.. but they work so well for so many things.. Grandson and I used it for his art project this year for school.. make sure you have a surface where you can set the glue gun when not using it as sometimes the glue will drip.. I use the lid of a shoe box.. and yeppers I keep a cold wet handcloth handy.. for the old fingers.. when the glue gun is cooled off I put it in the shoe box along with the glue sticks and pop the shoebox lid back on.. LOL
Huggy

I'll share the ideas with my granddaughter--thanks!!

They're also helpful when trying to wrap packages, instead of trying to fiddle with scotch tape singlehandedly, just squeeze on a drop of hot glue and press.:)

Wish I had found out earlier, but last year, trying to put a small nail into a plaster wall, I gave up, grabbed my glue gun, put a blop on the wall, inbedded the picture hanger in the blop, and there it is still hanging. did the same thing outside on my stucco.

Is someone handy at your house? I bought a glue gun holder & it is great. The glue if it drips ends up on a 4 in. sq. ceramic tile. it is so handy. I'll try & get pic & ask Kudzu if she will post it. Some lady was selling them several yrs ago, she hand painted design or I think it may have been me. Anyway it makes it look better. Glue gun isn't likely to drop on floor or table & do damage but I always use a 1 ft wide board that is covered with vinyl used in cabinetmaking & in better cabinets. It is white & great for crafts. My piece was supposed to be a shelf, 28 in. long.It just wipes clean & at xmas doubles as extra counter space in kitchen for cookies that need frosting, I open a top drawer & lay it on there with the edge just inside top lip of drawer so it won't fall if I bump it. It wipes clean of paint, glue, etc. Sold at Home Depot I imagine or may have to ask for shelf piece from cabinet shop. You want the shelf as it is vinyl on front & back & front edge of it. I had a large wedding cake board my DH made me & it was stolen by a fancy club even though it had my name on bottom,lady did pay me for it. Anyway great stuff for crafts & cakes!! The glue holder is just 2 pieces of wood 3/4 in. pine base is 11 in. long & 5 in wide. The holder part is 5 in wide & 5 in tall with bottom edge going into base board where it has been cut out 4 in. in from 1 end. You need something that will cut down & remove area 3/4 in wide (holder fits in that slot)& 1/4 in. deep into the board. then go in 1 7/8 in. towards middle on each side & cut out a U that is where the glue gun goes. Glue the holder piece into the base piece, paint any color or stain & varnish. Then paint design on it if you are handy otherwise glue tile on the longer end about 1/2 in out from holder part. That's it!! Pic will really help so I will get going on that!! Jan

I sent Kudzu the pics! I could go to mom's house & see what all I used glue gun on. I have used it at least once a week for 22-24 yrs so it gets used a lot!!I've repaired shoes, purses,made cloth wreath poking squares into straw wreath form, ornaments of all kinds anyway you'll see some probably today. I put the simple candy canes with the glue gun as it's kind of boring but very functional the canes are not glued, just wired. Were in Better Homes& Gardens Dec. 2008 issue, I almost missed them & directions arn't good. I tried them & gave the 2 sizes & wires to Kudzu they are 1 3/4 in. & 3 1/2 in.long, the little ones are cute on your lapel. For the e bead size, takes about 10 min. to make.Takes about 50 of each color bead!! Jan

I've burnt myself so many times with mine that I say OW before my brain even registers the pain, lol

Tell your GD not to drip hot glue on her shorts-clad thigh. It leaves a mark. Forever, it seems like!

I used to form my hot glue by licking my finger and then mooshing the glue to where I wanted it. I'd get more of a steam burn but it never stuck to me. Hot glue won't stick to anything wet.

The glue gun holder is posted on Kudzu's blog! Directions are above, for the part the gun goes in ,if you make 1 be sure to measure your thickness of the gun where it will sit in holder, if you have a slim gun you need it to be a thinner U shape. You want the holder part to be just a 1/8 or less wider than your gun or it will just fall to the bottom. My gun had wire holder but all I was doing was knocking it over, I got several burns. This is so much better. I also always work on a piece of vinyl shelving like you see in better cabinets. Has white vinyl on both sides & front edge. It is 12 in. wide & 28 in. long. I use it for everything, I put wax paper on it today for my cookies,I lay it over a drawer that is open & works great. It washes well. I tole paint using it as spills wipe up in a flash, probably get a shelf at Home Depot or better yet a custom cabinet shop(where I got mine) It's 22 yrs old & still in good shape. Glue holder is older yet so they are made to last. Jan