I don't want to belabor the whole miracle glue thing, but as I wandered the aisles of Michael's this morning, I was astounded at the amount of Halloween decorations out already (this whole season always comes well before I am ready).

And as I walked down aisle after aisle (I have to go down every aisle even if I only run in for one thing - I think that it is the curse of the creative mind, but I digress...) and got past my shock at how fast the seasons are changing, I actually got into the spirit of the whole thing.

...but then it hit me...

What a more perfect way to decorate for a fleeting holiday like Halloween than using the impermanent/permanent homemade glue? (if you missed the recipe, I posted it here on Wednesday's blog post - if you are really liking the sound of this glue, but don't want to go through the trouble of making it yourself, Daylilies will have their own version of this recipe all bottled and ready to send to you available on website by the end of September.)

Just bear with me one more moment - yesterday I was so caught up with the possibilities that this glue and some basic paper would have with my Thanksgiving dinner table that I did not give any time to think about how easy it would be to put up and take down decorations on windows.

Yes, windows.

The reality of this situation is that warm water dissolves the glue, so anything you glue (paper only, of course) to the window can easily be taken down with a sponge and some warm water.

What could be more perfect?

Black cats, jack-o-lanterns, bats, spider webs, witches hats....

I am headed back to the studio - I am right in the middle of designing a family fun pack for preschoolers and their families for Daylilies, but I really wanted to share my creative thought for the day. But don't just take my word on it... mix up some glue and give it a try yourself. And don't just limit this idea to Halloween! Christmas is coming, then New Year's, and Valentines... or how about pink flamingos for someone's birthday...? I can't wait to see your pictures (send to debra at dayliliescreative.com).

When I made the sandwich wrappers last week, I discovered that what I really needed was food grade glue. It just wouldn't have worked to wrap food in something that could be harmful. So, off I went in search of 'edible' glue.

Okay - so I did an web search and read a whole lot of blog posts about glue (yup, glue) and I found a recipe for mucilage. Apparently it makes a good sticker - you paint the glue on the back of your sticker project, let it dry, and then when licked, the sticker becomes sticky like a postage stamp would. I had no intention of making a sticker, but I figured if you can lick the stuff, then it should work for gluing on the sandwich wraps.

Here is the recipe as I found it on canteach.ca:

Envelope Mucilage:

6 tbsp pure white vinegar

4 packets of unflavoured gelatin

1 tbsp of peppermint extract

Bring vinegar to a boil and add gelatin. Stir til completely dissolved and add peppermint extract. Mix well.

I halved the recipe and I still had ALOT of glue. This stuff is really strong. But this glue gels to hard as soon as it cools, so you have to microwave it or warm the glue container in hot water long enough to bring it back to liquid. I also didn't use the peppermint extract.

But the real reason that I write about this glue now... is that this is miracle stuff!

If you brush it and stick it like you would normal white glue, this is very strong stuff! But more importantly, this glue is permanent until it meets warm water. And I think that this has seriously fantastic possibilities. I even tested out this theory:

I made a basic glass vase a little more fun with some old newspaper scraps and some of the leftover pieces of kite paper from my recent projects. Add a little of that miracle glue, and this is what the project looked like:

And the best news? When I don't like it anymore and want to make a change, I just have to hold the vase under warm water, and I am back to my clean and basic glass vase - ready to do something new.

I decided yesterday that I really like working with the kite paper. The colours are fantastic and it is easy to work with,  but  the reason that I decided I like this paper most of all is because it is translucent. Which means that I only need a couple of colours of paper to mix and match in order to have even more colours to play with.

In any case, when I was working on the sandwich wrappers, I couldn't help but make plans for future products.... I liked working with this paper that much. So, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when I say that I found myself trying out new things with the paper during my studio time today. 

I created a collaged greeting card, and learned a few things along the way...

I learned that although it is translucent, it really doesn't look good on black (although this may only be because of the colours I was using. Maybe if I had been using orange or something hallowe'en-y, things might have been different).

I learned that pencil marks are almost impossible to erase, so either love them where they are in the finished product, or don't use pencil lines in the first place. (I learned to love them.)

I learned that smaller scissors are a MUST if you want to use this paper to cut small shapes or fine details - but the kite paper really does well with fine details because it is so lightweight.

I learned that a little paper really does go a long way. And just when I think that I have figured a way to use all my little leftover pieces, I realize that I still have pieces left when the project is done.

I learned that the possibilities are endless. I worked on the card today, but what about frames? placemats? (oh... and Thanksgiving is coming up...Thanksgiving placemats out of this stuff would be perfect!) book covers? artwork? refinishing a really ugly old table?...or a whole wall? Christmas ornaments? Halloween masks? Jewellery?

Needless to say, I just can't seem to find an end to all of the options. My ultimately favourite idea, though has to be when I held one of my finished sandwich wrappers up to the window yesterday and realized that this kite paper would make a truly awesome window covering for a kids room - especially if your child likes to change things in their room alot because it would be fun for your child to help with and easy to change.

So really, all things considered, what I really learned is that I really enjoy creating things when I have lots of opportunity to be flexible with the craft product I am using. And since I still have leftover scraps piled on my studio table, I wonder what I will tomorrow will bring? Do you have any ideas? I would love to hear them.... comment here or send me an email.... it is always great to hear from you! (I am so inspired by all the creative things you do!)