Phew! What a busy few weeks it's been

Finally back home and recovered from the 3 conventions I went to in one week. Kind of crazy right? I know. I can hardly believe I'm still standing. Alas, I am and it was a blast! Here are some photos from Star Trek Las Vegas and ScareLA (Twin Peaks Fest was just for fun!). I would like to take a moment to thank Los Angeles Hauntings and Scott Markus for letting us share booth space with them at ScareLA. We handed out a lot of postcards at the table and couldn't have done it without you! We tried out #popupcrafts at our table and it was a big hit.

I also want to thank my friend Christopher aka Sinful Celluloid for his help all weekend and a big shout out to Chris Gore for making the con that much more fun. He was a judge on our 90-sec-costume showdown. We hope to have our Chris Gore GGP episode up before too long, so be on the lookout for that. It's a funny one!

Boldly Glue….
Mary

Thank you for joining us at STLV!

We're still recovering from Star Trek Las Vegas (and Twin Peaks Fest), but we'll be posting new photos from STLV soon of all of you. Keep an eye out for the full instructions for the craft we made in Vegas. Sorry we ran out of supplies and had turn some of you away. We hope you take an interest in making it at home. We promise, it's super easy!

Our very first Captain's Log

In an effort to simplify production and provide more content, we are putting out some casual videos that go beyond the world of arts and crafts. Captain's Log supplementals won't be official episodes of Glue Guns and Phasers, but they will give you a sense of our personalities and take you on some fun adventures. Don't worry, we'll still be shooting and releasing our craft videos regularly. This is just some fun content to fill the void in between those.

Whether it's decorating Connor's bedroom or shopping for supplies in unusual places, you'll be a part of the crew. In our very first installment, Gingi from Domestic Geek Girl asked us to review this brush set from T-mart. While we did a written review, we thought it might be fun to do a little Trek makeup tutorial as well. In a rare opportunity, you'll see us without makeup as we create the looks of the women of TOS and the holodeck character "Arachnia" from Voyager. Enjoy...

Trek Spa Day: Bonus Mission, Planet Bath Bombs!

J.J. Abrams isn't the only one who can blow up Vulcan...
You, too, can cause the destruction of planets, but in your very own bathtub while relaxing as if you're on Risa. 

Ingredients & tools for one planet bath bomb:
Two mixing bowls (non-metallic)
Whisk or fork
Ice cream scooper (optional)
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon of citric acid (or 1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar)
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon epsom salts 
1/4 teaspoon oil (you can use any light oil. Canola oil is fragrance free & doesn't compete with scents. We used almond oil.)
3/4 teaspoon of water (add a little more if too crumbly)
essential oil fragrance (optional)
food colouring

Step One:
Dump the dry ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and salts) into a bowl and whisk together to remove lumps. 

Step Two: 
Combine the wet ingredients (oil, water, essential oil fragrance and food coloring) in a jar or separate little bowl. Use just a couple of drops of food coloring at first, a little bit goes a long way! Mix colors to achieve the planet surface shade. 

Step Three: 
Pour your wet ingredients into your dry mixture. Constantly move the ingredients around with your whisk or fork until evenly distributed. You'll notice a reaction happening, but the mixture should still be a little crumbly. If you add too much water or liquid, the mixture will start to foam and we don't want that until you add it to your bath water! 

Step Four:
Pack the mixture into your ice cream scooper and cup the top with your hand to form a ball as tightly as you can. You can release the scooper and hand form it further. Then, lay your "planet" on a plate to dry for a few hours. If packaging to give as a gift, let them dry out for about 24-48 hours. 

Step Five:
Add them to your bath water and enjoy a good soak! 

Tip: Many recipes for bath bombs call for citric acid, but actually it's hard to find and California will not sell it to you. You can get it at the pharmacy, but we found it just easier to use the cream of tartar. If going with citric acid you can buy a 100 g bottle and that will make you about 12 planet bath bombs. Citric Acid causes more of a fizz, but it's kind of a hassle to obtain. Remember to only use 1/2 a tablespoon for cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon of citric acid.

On Thursday, we shot our "Upcycled Trek Shirt" episode with special guest, Chris Gore (Attack of the Show, Podcrash and Film Threat). Here's a sneak peak at some behind the scenes fun with Chris!

Pardon our dust!

Long time no post. We've been revamping our blog and filming new episodes. We even did a promo photoshoot and printed postcards to hand out at conventions. We'll be back soon with two exciting new episodes, including one centered-around a "Trek Spa Day." So, in the meantime, forgive the spiderwebs, we'll be clearing them soon. Until then...Boldly Glue!

About us!

We decided to record an introductory video for those of you just joining us. It gives you a little background on us, why we craft and the goals of our show. Enjoy and LLAP!

Clearly someone has been watching our show!

We are glad to know we're not the only ones who think glue guns do indeed look like phasers. 

Happy International Women's Day!

I try to keep this page specifically about Star Trek crafts, but I would be remiss if I didn't post one of the most powerful graphics and statements to come out this year on the Internet. While I'm not a young African American woman, I understand what an impact Uhura must have had on a whole generation of Black Women. We can nitpick nowadays about whether or not she had a lot to do on the show, but the sheer fact that she was represented on national TV as an equal carried so much weight. 

As my friend Marian Cordry has said, "While I'm assuming the 'representation' that is spoken of pertains to race, I chose to see it in the context of gender as well, given that Uhura, Troi and Crusher (not to mention Majel's Number One) made quite the impression on me when I was growing up." I have spoken extensively at Star Trek and Geek Girl conventions on this very subject. Anyone who knows me, knows I am a huge fan of Number One (Majel Barrett) and of course, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner. Without them and Uhura there would be no Captain Janeway and perhaps not as many real life women astronauts. So, I raise my Warp Core breach glass to these wonderful women of Star Trek. 

Bonus Mission: Episode 6

Chocolate Covered Delta Shields (Strawberries)

Step One:
Purchase large strawberries and yellow-colored chocolate melting morsels. 

Step Two:
Cut off the stems and slice the strawberries in half. Also, cut off part of the strawberry on an angle to fit the two halves into a delta shield shape.

Step Three:
Use a toothpick to hold the two halves together to create the delta shield.

Step Four:

Dry the strawberries with a paper towel while you melt your chocolate. To melt the chocolate, fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and bring the water to a simmer on medium heat. Set your bowl (heat safe, of course) over the water to melt. Keep stirring it until smooth. You can also use a microwave to do this by heating the chocolate on half power for a minute or so.

Step Five:
Place the strawberries on an elevated rack with a paper towel or foil underneath to catch the excess. Remove your toothpicks. Spread a thin later of the melted chocolate onto the strawberries. If your chocolate seems too thick, you can stir in a little bit of oil.

Step Six:
Using a tube of black Wilton Sparkle Gel (or red if you so desire) to add a star or heart to your delta shield for added detail (this step is optional). If you use this product, make sure you give it plenty of drying time before transporting your strawberries.

Jumja Sticks:

I also found this amazing Tumblr called Food Replicator, where this Australian Star Trek fan makes real-world versions of Trek food. Their tag line is, "set phasers to yum." I love it! Since we mention this Bajoran treat in our episode, here's a link to their jumja sticks recipe.

http://foodreplicator.tumblr.com/post/33375856134/jumja-sticks

Episode 6: Star Trek Valentine's Day Treat Bags

Glue Guns and Phasers Episode 5: Star Trek Wearables

Bonus Mission: Episode 5

Each episode, we are adding a new feature which will send viewers here, to our blog, to learn a new craft that ties into the video craft. Each bonus craft will be a written tutorial with photos as seen below. Our most recent episode was about Star Trek wearables. We made rockabilly scarves for the ladies and neck ties for the guys. In our bonus craft, we're making bow ties and barrettes. 

 Star Trek Bow Tie Instructions:

Step 1:
Take a half a yard of Star Trek fabric and cut a rectangle out of it that is approximately 6" by 4.5"

Step 2: Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and sew around the edges of the rectangle making sure 1" is not sewn. 

Step 3: Find the center of the rectangle and push the top and bottom of the rectangle into a bow shape. Pinch the middle. You can also put a few stitches in the center to secure or sew/glue a piece of fabric to make a band to cover the center. 

Step 4: Sew a skinny piece of elastic to the back to form a band that is wide enough to fit around your neck. Make it tight enough to stay up, but lose enough so it's not choking you. OR you can buy bow tie clips here: http://www.amazon.com/10-Metal-Bow-Tie-Clips/dp/B00C0E889Y)

Star Trek Hair Bow Barrette 

Step 1:

Cut a piece of fabric to your desired size. Hair bows can be made tiny or oversized, it's totally up to you! 

Step 2:

Fold the edges of your fabric (you can glue or sew them if you desire - not needed)

Step 3:

Fold your fabric into thirds

Step 4: 

Stitch (or glue) the edges together (I used a single stitch on either side to keep it simple). 

Step 5:

Gather your bow at the mid point and arrange in a way that you like. 

Step 6:

Sew (or glue) the new gather. If desired you can cut a small strip of fabric and fold it to wrap around the middle of the bow. Sew that in place 

Step 7:

Heat up your glue gun and glue the barrette onto the back. You can use a smaller clip or bobby pin for tiny bows. 

We were interviewed by the Tucker Maloney Show!

Hey everyone!
Long time, no blog. We've come out of winter hibernation with a new post and some new videos. Here's a recent interview with Glue Guns and Phasers founder, Mary Czerwinski on the Tucker Maloney Show. She discusses DVD Geeks, crafts and which Star Trek alien species she would like to be. Happy viewing!