First up, Sophie Maletsky, author of Sticky Fingers: DIY Duct Tape Projects.
- Thanks so much for doing this interview! This book is a ton of fun. Okay, I have to ask: have you actually done all of these duct tape projects yourself?
LOL! Absolutely. My sister Freda, who took all the pictures for my book, Sticky Fingers: DIY Duct Tape Projects, developed a few of my favorites though - she came up with the watermelon and cupcake purses. All of the projects were either developed through my crafting workshops, for my YouTube channel, or for the book itself. Part of the fun is that viewers are always requesting more about things made out of duct tape, so I keep a list. When I need inspiration for a video I go through the list, choose one, and then take about a day to create it. On average a project usually takes me about three tries to get it right, then another five or six times through to be able to teach it. I go through a lot of tape!
2. You have a very eclectic, artsy background that includes theater, puppetry, and playing the guitar, among countless other pursuits. When and how did you know that crafting and party planning was the right path for you?
Well, I literally fell into party planning, and that led to the crafting. I was a displaced actress (my husband and I moved from New York City to San Francisco for his job) who went from about 30 auditions a month to three...I needed to do something or I would have gone crazy. So I got a job babysitting. Eight to ten hours is a long time to hang out with a kid - so I treated it like a movie - every day was an adventure! We'd turn the stuff in the recycling bins into theatrical set pieces and props and create fantasy play all day. I became very well known as the "Nanny on the Nanny's day off." Now, one thing that kids have every year is a birthday, so within a year of being a Nanny I was planning all my charges' parties. Soon, the moms who came to the parties were asking me to plan their kids' parties and the business was born.
3. I may have accidentally invented a new project - our couch ripped and I patched it up with argyle duct tape. Can I submit this project to a forthcoming sequel to Sticky Fingers? Are there other books in the works from you?
Hey, hold onto that argyle tape - it's hard to find nowadays! You do realize that Duct Tape brand "retires" its tape...like beanie babies! After a set amount of time you can't get certain patterns anymore.
But more to the point, I certainly hope so. I've got tons of ideas for more books. My sister and I want to do another duct tape book featuring doll clothes and accessories. I'm also way into making carnival games for my parties, so I'd love to do a "backyard carnival" book, and one on turning your garage into a haunted house. I'm also obsessed with everything little, so I'd be way into making a book about turning recycled objects into doll houses and furnishings.
