APRIL 2025
Meet Jen
This month, we're thrilled to shine the spotlight on Jen Hadfield from Tatertots and Jello as our Maker of the Month!
What started as a fun creative outlet has turned into a thriving business, inspiring makers for over 17 years. Jen has built a community around crafting, DIY, and home projects—all fueled by her love for creativity and a trusty glue gun.
Let’s celebrate Jen as she believes anyone can be creative and isn’t afraid to embrace a few craft fails along the way...
Now it's time for a little Q&A
We asked her to share her story and some insights she's gained along her crafting journey. Let's get into it!
1. How long have you been creating and how did you get started?
Hi! I’m Jen, a mom of 4 and soon to be empty nester. I started Tater Tots and Jell-O just for fun when my youngest child was three and she is now 20. My sister wanted me to start a blog and I wasn’t a writer, but I’ve always been creative and had creative businesses so I started putting my creative projects on my blog. And as soon as I started doing that, I was one of the first tutorial blogs out there. My site took off and it became a full-time business for me. I’m so lucky and blessed to have been able to do something that I love for 17 years. I also have a paper line through American Crafts.
2. What is/are your favorite Surebonder product(s):
I love the stand that comes with the smaller Cordless-Corded Mini Glue Gun. It makes it so easy to keep my work surface clean since it isn’t falling over like my old glue gun did :)
3. What inspires you to create? What do you love most and what is the hardest part about the creative process?:
People always ask me if I ever run out of ideas. The truth is that everywhere I go, I’m always thinking of new projects to make. People have always said that I should niche down my topics to grow, but I love being able to post about whatever I want to do. And that has kept me from getting burned out creatively!
4. Who’s another maker you admire and what do you love about their work?:
There are so many amazing makers that I’ve met over the years. One person who I’ve gotten to know pretty recently is Natalie from Fern and Maple Style. She shares a lot of great gift ideas and I think she’s super creative.
5. How do you manage and overcome creative burnout?:
I think I just keep my options open in terms of creative areas to post about, and that keeps it so that I never burn out!
6. Have you experienced a fail? How did you work through it and what did you learn?:
I experience a craft fail, almost every single time I make a project, lol! One of the things that I do is learn from my mistakes, and then I’m able to share better ways in my tutorials so that my readers don’t have fails. I just keep going until my project turns into what I have envisioned in my mind.
7. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started?:
My motto has always been that everyone can be creative. I wholeheartedly agree with the premise that there’s enough audience and readers to go around for everyone. I believe in sharing ideas and collaborating with people instead of hoarding facts and information. My advice for somebody who wants to get started is to just do it and find a tribe of people to work with and collaborate with.
8. What’s next for you? (a new project? a new technique? a new venture?):
I recently got my real estate license so that I can help people find their dream home and renovate homes to become their dream homes! I took my natural love of home and I’m using that to help other people create their dream homes! It’s really fun!!
Learn more about Jen
Check out her Instagram page. Plus make sure to visit her website–where you can explore all Jen has to offer from her new paper line to her blog which is full of amazing project tutorials!
