‘Course you are.

This project we are using the larger wood flower pieces. (Smaller flower project post is here.) These sell for under $5 at Lowe’s.

One I spray painted gold, the other I stained.

Mix it up friends.

Yes, this is how I entertain myself.

Drill two holes. Easy stuff.

For the stained wood flower I used some torn vintage fabric strips.

For the gold spray painted flower, I used gray embroidery floss that I knotted.

Here’s a peak:

What do ya think?

Love that metallic spray paint.

Two necklaces for under $5. Nice!

Thanks Lowe’s for letting me play around with things were are intended for my home, and not necessarily for personal wear. I wonder If  I can do anything creative with drywall…

And then I would probably just go ahead and move right in, and live on their couch until the sickness passes.

Yup.

Not a bad plan.

Somebody make a t-shirt that says “Crafting for Sanity.”

I would wear that.

Well..

No, actually I wouldn’t.

Anywho, here’s my latest easy peasy DIY project.

These are some super cool wood crafting pieces from Lowe’s.

These sell for around $4 a pack, and they come in different shapes and sizes. There’s even super cute starts too.

My first project is with the small flowers on the right. (Larger flower project post is here.)

I am also using earring hooks and jump rings for this project. You don’t have to buy packages this big. I like craftin’ so I craft shop like I’m at Costco. Go big or go home.

For the wood pieces I used both spray paint and wood stain.

Mix it up. Have fun. Acrylic paint works great too.

Drill a small hole in the flowers near the top.

Since the wood is thick I used a small piece of gray embroidery floss to tie the flowers to the jump rings.

Ta-da!

Super cute wood earrings!

These were stained with the same Minwax Ebony stain I used on the tablet stand I made.

Love it!

Just think of the color possibilities with spray paint alone!

This is a super fast project, and costs under $2.50 a pair.

Thanks Lowe’s for hooking me up with these wood pieces and letting me be creative in a time when wiping runny noses is my reality. You’re a good friend Lowe’s. Like a Good Neighbor…

Oh, wait. That’s State Farm.

This is my entry coat closet.

This is my entry coat closet on drugs.

Hahaha! Remember those 80′s antri-drugs commercials?

No?

Never mind.

This closet has been a random dumping ground for far too long. Since we have a mudroom, we really don’t need extra coat storage.  The holiday bins can easily be stored in our garage too.

So what to do with this lovely large closet?

Well, I have always wanted a workout room.

Bahahaha!

No seriously, I think a mini-home office is in order.

First things first though, we can’t load a closet full of technology without power.

We have two options in our house. Lots of holes in the wall, or tear up the molding.

Molding it is!

The nearest outlet is about six feet away.

The plan is to hide the new electric wiring under the baseboards.

The plan was not to make a big mess.

Oh well.

Here’s the new outlet!

Next the doors came off the closet.

We had to rip out the shelves and some of the door molding too.

Yeah, that was messy.

Next I sanded down the molding and filled the cracks and dents with wood fill.

After that I put in a chair rail. This will hold the desk top that will be cut to fit the entire closet space.

At this point I start to panic at the huge mess I have made in my entry.

See, even I have moments of weaknes.

I ate an apple fritter, and that helped me feel better.

After sanding, a fresh coat of white paint was next!

I debated about painting the inside of the the closet the same color as the paint outside. Mr. Wright said keep it white and bright!

White it is.

That’s it so far! I am about a week into this project, and by the end of next week hope to have it done.

Since turning a closet into an office seems to be popular idea these days, I am going to show you the best and cheapest way to organize your power cords in my next post.

Stay tuned!

Any big plans for the three day weekend?

I have declared Monday to be a project day!

Just haven’t found the courage to tell Mr. Wright yet.

Should probably do that.

Mostly because he needs to do all the projects.

Ya know, wood cutting and all that dusty stuff he does whilst I sip Diet Coke.

Have a good weekend!

And you didn’t make fun of my crazy hair on national television.

And you didn’t bring up the fact that at the end of the Nate Berkus Show segment, none of my children had their hair done, or cute matchy clothes on. 

You know, stuff like that. 

So I wanted to thank you with a gift.

Oh, don’t start crying, I haven’t even told you what it is yet!

Now, when you go to my Facebook page, there are free photo files you can download and use to your liking.

Here are some of the high resolution image you can find there:

These are for personal use only, pretty please.

Wondering what to do with all these fun vintage inspired images?

You can print the files on photo paper, mount them on card stock, and  make greeting cards.

You can adhere them with Mod Podge onto wood boxes, or just frame them right up.

You can even go crazy and make cute little travel bags, or t-shirts, or pillows, or… I give up. It’s your turn to be creative.

Have fun with them, and send me a link or photo if you ever make something fun.

I will be adding more new images down the road.

And by “I” I am referring to Bloggers Help Desk, because watching Sarah fix up my facebook page makes my head hurt.

Hey, I can’t do everything around here.

Go HERE to find the files on my Facebook page.

Thanks for all your support, and love you lots!

(Unless your creepy. Obviously.)

See, that’s why you want an electric fireplace that’s portable. So much better than the real wood burning kind.

(You know I’m just sayin’ that to make myself feel good, right?)

I didn’t move it far.

Here’s where it was before:

Here’s where it is now. Just a short move to the wall on the left:

I found these two chairs for $5 a piece, and I love that we now we have more seating in the living room.

I already owned the pink-cheeked three year old.

Here’s a close up:

And the whole living room:

The coffee table chest is gone too. It was just taking up too much space. Soft flooring to play on is a commodity around here!

Everyone breathe deep with me… aaahhhh.

Much better.

Secondly, some of you are new around here.

Hello new people!

Since you are new, and probably wondering who the heck I am, here’s a lil’ bit of info about yours truly.

This blog is all about art, DIY, photography… and me of course.

I studied photography in college. Whatever I do in life, I have always been, and always will be drawn to it.

I am much more comfortable behind a camera than in front of it. Very much.

I am thirty-one years old. Plus three.

I do not tan.

I like big hair.

I have four children, three of which have various degrees of disabilities. The fourth child is by far the hardest.

I am a contributing writer to two other amazing sites for women. Tech4Moms, and The Organized Mom.

I got hair extensions two days before I filmed for the Nate Berkus Show. I am much better at styling them now, but the day of filming I looked like a middle-aged Texan cheerleader.

One of my hobby’s is buying antique post cards and mailing them back to the home they were originally sent to. I write a big romantic letter all about how that particular piece of mail belongs to that home, and ask that the recipient write me back and let me know it arrived safely. No one ever writes me back. It’s quite pathetic, but I keep doing it.

I die for Mac. (The computers. Not the makeup. No one can afford to be obsessed with both.)

When I don’t wash my hair and my dry shampoo spray is all gone, and I can’t find any baby powder in my whole house, it is not beneath me to use Vagisil deodorant powder. TMI? Yup, probably.

I write ridiculously  long run-on sentences that make my elder educated sister crazy.

I one day intend to start a club for people who eat apple fritters with melted butter on top. It will be exclusive.

I have twelve e-mail addresses. Consolidating scares the crap out of me.

I am a Netflix and Hulu addict. It’s bad folks.

I have nightmares that my husband sells all of the stuff I buy at yard sales, at his own yard sale.

I refer to my decor style as “really cool crap”.

I am a Mormon. I don’t believe in or practice polygamy, but would love a second pair of hands around here, thank you very much.

I love reading good trashy  books written by Sophie Kinsella. (Maybe I shouldn’t have written this one right after expressing my religious beliefs.)

Sometimes I forget how old I am. Or how long I have been married. Or the name of my third born.

And last but not least… I post far more humorously inappropriate and random silliness on my facebook page.

Welcome to Natalme!

No, today is not April Fools Day. It’s for real friends!

I will be featured in the House Proud segment. If you want to watch the show, you can find your local viewing time and station here. For all you Utah locals… watch channel 5 at 3:00 pm.

Wahoo!

If you ge ta chance to watch, come back and tell me what you thought!

I will be here all day.

Hiding under a rock.

Crying in my pillow from anxiety.

Eating apple fritters.

Ya know, normal stuff.

On a side note, my six year old keeps asking when Nate Berkus is going to come and makeover our house.

When I inform her we are going to be on TV because he likes our house the way it is, she replies that that’s crazy because our house is a mess.

Nuff said.

*Update: The video is available online! Go HERE to view it. 

February 9th, 2012, Lehi Utah.

No, I don’t know why they are called that.

Caster Cups are intended to be placed underneath furniture, to prevent your floors from being scratched.

Caster Cups are made out of wood or plastic. Here’s the fun thing about them… they are stained light or dark, and are actually really pretty pieces of pre-shaped wood.

Turning a Caster Cup into a necklace is kind of like turning a plunger into a walking stick.

It’s sounds crazy, I know, You’re  just going to have to trust me on this one.

Here’s what you need for this project:

One package of Caster Cups, and one bottle of glue. I like Elmer’s Glue-All because it’s cheaper than Mod Podge and works great for crafting. Both of these are available at Lowe’s. (Just remember to use your MyLowe’s card so you can track your purchases and remember what you bought for your project.) The Caster Cups sell for around $5, and the glue is less than $2.

You will also need something to fill cup with, like a favorite photo or a map.

And lastly, you need something to help you wear it like string, hemp, or a jewelry chain.

Here’s what a Caster Cups look like on both sides:

The first thing you need to do is peel off the rubber piece.

It comes off very easily.

Next you want  to drill a hole near the edge.

For the inside of my circle I am using an old map. My family and I used to live in Kennebunk, Maine. I thought it would be a fun momento to center the town inside the necklace.

You can also use a map from a favorite vacation, a photo of one of your kids, a ticket stub, a business card that some creepy guy on  a bus gave you (totally talking from experience on that one), or even copy and shrink down a favorite note from a loved one.

To find the size of the inside of the cup, just use tissue paper  to create a template.

After cutting your circle, poke a hole through where you previously  drilled.

Remove the paper, and brush a thin amount of  Elmer’s Glue-All on the bottom of the cup.

Place your paper inside, and give the top a thin coat of glue as well.

You don’t have to put anything on the back side of your necklace, but if you decide that you want to, just use the rubber piece you pulled off as a template.

Follow the  same process to attach it.

After glueing both sides, I went ahead and added a chain. Then I hung it up to dry for a few hours.

Voila! That’s it!

Now I have a vintage inspired wood necklace that you never knew started out as a method of floor protection.

Total cost for making four Caster Cup necklaces: $7.46.

Nice! I think I may just make a few more for gifts!

For the meantime, let me know if you try this. Or if you decide to turn a plunger into a walking stick.

You just never know.

Disclaimer: I was provided with the materials in this post by Lowe’s Home Improvement Store. I was not financially compensated for my time, and all opinions are mine. All opinions of the MyLowe’s program, and the totally awesome MyLowe’s card that I cherish and carry with me everywhere I go, are mine as well. I will also admit that I do not share my MyLowe’s card with my  husband, and require that he use own and use his own. If he doesn’t need to know what  I spend on hair care products, he doesn’t need to know what I spend on home improvement projects either.

I needed something durable to hold my iPad, but I didn’t want to splurge on a case. I also wanted it to be functional for different sizes of devices too. Sometimes I use my daughter’s Kindle Fire, and sometimes I just use my phone.

Ready to see what I came up with?

All of the supplies are from Lowe’s. (Since I can track my purchases with my MyLowe’s card, it’s now where I mostly shop as it helps keep all of my projects organized.)

Here’s what you need for this project:

Two casing blocks.

These actually come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. I went with a 3 1/2 inch star, and a medium plinth block which is 3 1/2 x 6 inches. The star block you can substitute for a different size or design. You need a plinth block because it already has grooves. The star casing block sells for $3.97, and the plinth block sells for $3.10.

You also need wood glue, and a finish like a wood stain or paint.

I am using the Minwax Ebony finish stain, and Elmer’s wood glue. These both also sell at Lowe’s- $4.59 for the stain, and $1.98 for the glue. If you already have leftover house paint, or spray paint, those would also work for this project.

The first thing you need to do is glue the two blocks together. The star needs to face away from the  grooves.

Let it dry for 24 hours.

After the glue is dry, stain away! The Ebony stain is one of my favorites. Look how dark it is after just one coat!

Let the stain dry for 24-48 hours, and your are done! Here’s how it looks:

The cool thing about the plinth block is it has two grooves, so you can change the position of your iPad or tablet. If you look below you will see how you can adjust the angle.

Here’s a tip: Don’t be tempted to cut of the additional wood in the back. You need it to balance the stand. Another idea is to drill a hole in the middle of the back to hold a stylus if you have one.

And here’s how it looks from the back:

Love that star!

Here’s the cost breakdown:

If you already have glue and stain or paint, this project costs just $7.07.

If you need to purchase stain and glue the total is $13.64.

Not bad for a stand for your favorite tech toy! And of course you have plenty of stain and glue to make several of these, or save it for another project.

Let me know if you decide to make one, I always love to see other people’s creativity.

Stay tuned for more cool projects with simple items you can find at Lowe’s!

Disclaimer: Lowe’s Home Improvement Store provided me with the materials for  this project. I was not financially compensated for this post. All opinions of Lowe’s are my own, not to be confused with my six year old who thinks Lowe’s is “the bomb”.  Also, Lowe’s was not financially compensated by me, which is unfortunate as my three year old took twelve paint swatch samples of the exact same shade of Valspar Princess Pink. We promise we will be returning them soon. Maybe.

Does that make me a totally self absorbed person?

Don’t answer that.

I love to see what projects catch people’s attention, and which ones were for the most part project fails.

Obviously  I don’t post just to gain traffic on Pinterest, but it does matter in the grand scheme of site traffic.

And just like some of you stalk me, I stalk you pinning me, pinning you, pinning me. Haha! Yeah, that didn’t make any sense.

Not only do I love to see what’s been pinned over and over again, I love to see the comments that follow.

Here is some of my favorite’s

I  love Jana’s honesty in this one.

I also love and appreciate it when people bring good ideas to the table.  Err… locker front.

This one makes me laugh because I put a period (.) on my pins all the time when I have nothing to say or am too busy to type a description.

Karen, I love your method of speed pinning.

Julie seems to have my antique gasoline cans twin.

Spanish? Portugese? Urban teen slang that I just can’t comprehend?

Heather, would you just commit already?

DeeDee, we need to reunite our front doors.

Deanna, you made my day!

I love it when someone knows the person behind the pin.

Chelsie, what a fabulous idea! Make it and then send me a link and I will pin it! Then we can be pinned map friends! (Or is that weird?)

And here is my all time favorite:

Cassandra, I think we could be good friends.

Now, for my sanity, please don’t pin these pins. Or it’s going to be like when you take a picture of yourself holding a picture. Then you take a picture of you, holding that picture of yourself. And it goes on, and on, and on.

Seriously, my brain hurts right now.

Feel free though to leave me entertaining comments on all future pins. I guarantee when I am self loathing I will see them.

You can check out all of my pinned projects here. You can view the boards I have created here.

I am just far too cheap to purchase them as I am the type to set things down and walk away.

If I have accidentally left a child behind, gloves are the last of my worries.

Be nice, I have only done it once…

Fortunately for me it was at a city trunk-or-treat and there were multiple policemen there.

Unfortunately for me it was at a city trunk-or-treat and there were multiple policemen there.

So, even though I don’t have fancy tech gloves, I do have this:

Conductive thread!

It’s about the thickness of quilting thread, and has the feel of a thin wire.

Here’s how smart phones work: They have a capacitive touch screen which responds to the static electricity in your hands. When you put on a pair of gloves, the fabric blocks the signal so you can’t turn on your phone. Or iPod, or tablet, or whatever it is you use.

Conductive thread will transfer electricity from your fingertips onto your touch screen.

Here’s the cool part, any old gloves will do. I have a pair of neoprene gloves that I added conductive thread too that now work fabulously with my phone.

You can use cheap cotton gloves too. Here, I will show you how I made a pair with gloves that were on sale at Target for .50 cents.

This is so super duper easy.

You just thread a needle and knot the thread a few times at the bottom.

Holy crap I have dry hands.

Go back and forth with the thread creating parallel lines close together.

Knit gloves are hard to make straight lines. It’s all good. Just do your best.

That’s it! Try them out and if they aren’t working just add a few more stitches. As longs as the thread is touching your finger inside the glove, and touching the screen on your phone, it should work great.

I would suggest stitching at least your pointer finger and thumb. You can stitch all the fingers in your glove if you want to.

Conductive thread only comes in one color. Think about that when purchasing gloves. It also comes in 2 Ply or 4 Ply. I bought 2. 4 is thicker and would work as well.

A spool of conductive thread like the one I bought above costs around $20. (I originally purchased mine from Spark Fun for $19.95, but they have since raised the price to $39.95. Boooo! ) I know that seems steep, but that’s the price of one pair of gloves. You literally could make hundreds with a whole spool.

Look on Etsy for a small amount for yourself, or split the cost of a whole spool with a few friends.

There are people on ebay selling smaller amounts for less, but you really get the best price if you buy a whole spool.

And, just because I will NEVER use the entire spool I have, the first ten people to leave a comment below I will send 3 yards of thread to you. Just leave a comment telling me whether you have bought tech gloves before, and then send me an e-mail with your address to info(at)natalme(dot)com.

And don’t forget to never leave your child unattended when there are policemen nearby to give you dirty looks.

Photos taken with my phone January 1st-31st. Here’s a few of my favorites:

]]> http://www.natalme.com/happy-weekend-2/feed/ 0 http://www.natalme.com/consumer-electronic-show-ces-giveaway/ http://www.natalme.com/consumer-electronic-show-ces-giveaway/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:05:46 +0000 Natalie Wright http://www.natalme.com/?p=2018 As promised, here is a little giveaway with all kinds of goodies from CES in Las Vegas. Here’s what one lucky person will receive:

1. iPod Nano iWatchz band. Retail $24.95.

2. Wrapsol Non-Slip Grip pad for any phone, tablet, or iPad. Retail $29.95.

3. Kaddy Folio case by Incipio in Sandy Nylon for the Kindle Fire.Retail $29.99.

4. Cygnett Apollo case for the iphone 4/4S. Retail $29.99, and not even available in stores yet!

5. Lenspen MiniPro lens cleaner. Retail $14.95.

6. Isotoner Women’s SmarTouch gloves with plush lining. Retail $42.00.

7. Square for the iPhone or iPad. Free service!

8. Switch Easy Thumb Tacks Microphone for the iPod Nano or iPod Touch. Retail $12.99.

9. Sticky Mat Anti-Slip Pad for your car. (You put it on your dash and your cell phone sticks to it.) Retail $19.99.

10. Canned clock. Retails for around $10, I have no idea what image is inside. I guess that’s the fun!

11. Re-usable water bottle. Retail… I have no idea. It’s cool and it collapses.

12. Wrapsol Protective Thin Wrap for the iphone 4/4S. Retail $29.95.

Now, I know you probably don’t have an iPhone, iPod Nano, iPad and a Kindle Fire, (or maybe you do!), but the winner gets everything.  I am assuming whatever you don’t have, you will know someone who does.

I will ship this anywhere. Except to my own house, as my teenager keeps asking for the gloves.

Here’s how to enter: Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite tech toy is.

That’s it.

One comment per person please.

Giveaway ends Wednesday February 8th, at midnight. Winner will be announced on Facebook.

Good luck!

But, just remember we both know with me that is not really possible.

First: a disclaimer. I wanted a backyard playhouse. Mr. Wright did not want to build a backyard playhouse. I convinced him to do so, and it just about killed both of us. You know how I am always saying my projects are super simple and easy? Not. This. One.

We did not have building plans. Mr. Wright just envisioned something that ended up looking like a saloon. I like to remind the neighbors it is modern. Then they like to remind me I live in Utah, and I have a country saloon in my backyard.

Either way, I love the style of it.

Overall we spent about $400 on building materials. That entire amount was spent mostly on wood, shingles, and a few tools we didn’t have. The gravel underneath and to the side came  from a neighbor who had ordered too much for his backyard.  I did pay a neighbor kid about $20 to wheelbarrow it all to my backyard. This project nearly killed him too.

The front door was free from my dad. The side windows were $7 at a yard sale for the pair. They are garage door windows, and I eventually painted the white a dark brown.

After we had already installed the side windows, my dad showed up at my door with larger windows. Doh! We just added more windows to the back.

The front door had to be cut down to fit. We originally measured for a different door, but this one was better so we snatched it up and made it work. And let’s all remember this is a playhouse for children who really don’t care if their front door is solid wood, or cardboard.

When it came to finishing the outside of the playhouse we were burnt out. We were tired of working, tired of spending money, and tired of being tired of working and spending money.

A friend told us about a local farm that had a large pile of barwood set to be burned. Noooooo! So, of course we rescued it. Funny how we are the type of people who won’t rescue kittens, but will drive in a muddy rainstorm and trash our van with filthy rotting wood.

Tis’ the truth.

Mr .Wright cut the large boards into strips, and then used a planer to smooth the boards. Planing wood is a long tedious process. We spent many evenings in our garage, and are still finding dust after many cleanings.

Just to show you how old and worn the wood was, here is the scrap pile.

After the boards were cut and sanded, they were ready to be installed on the playhouse.

After nailing the slats down we coated the entire playhouse with a water sealant. See how the wood has that nice wet look?

The windows and door were painted brown (I finally contributed!) and the surrounding area landscaped.

To the right is a sandbox and our shed — which is Mr. Wrights workshop. To the left is a fire pit we built, and benches made from the same salvaged wood.

Here’s a look at the inside of the playhouse.

The school chairs, desk, and metal cart are all from various surplus sales. The rug was on clearance at World Market.

Even though we did spend a lot on the playhouse materials, I do love that the entire outside is made from salvaged wood.

I will never ever build another playhouse.

But just might build an identical building so I can have a studio in the backyard right next door.

Haha! Joking!

Well, mostly joking.

Saying our kids love their playhouse is an understatement. We have had many sleepovers inside, and it’s definitely the highlight of our backyard.

Next to the chickens, or course.

No, not my boobies.

Come on people!

This post contains art with boobies showing.

If you can handle tastefully drawn breasts then read on.

Okay, if you can’t stop laughing at breasts, maybe you just should move on.

Sheesh.

You guys are so immature sometimes.

Alright, back to business.

I have a dear friend who’s husband is an amazing artist. He mostly works in the video game industry. He has a really cool blog where he just shows up once and awhile, and thousands of people flock and patienty await his posts.

I know, how would that be, right?

Anywho, his name is Adam Ford, and once again I took advantage of my camera and traded for some amazing art work.

Personally, I like his beautiful kids more than his blog with millions of followers, and people who leave lots of nice encouraging comments.

Okay, I need to get over that.

Anywho, Adam traded two pieces with me. The first was from a photograph I took of my husbands’s grandparents barn in Canada. My husband was very surprised and very grateful to receive the drawing. His grandparents used to live on Denman Island, British Columbia, and my husband spent many summers working there.

The second, is the grocery checker that works at my  local market.

Ha, ha! Kidding.

I don’t know who she is. I am guessing a college student who needed cash and didn’t want to work at the local grocery market. Either way, the piece is beautiful, and it was one Adam let me pick from his original drawings.

As you can see I have not yet framed either yet. The first piece I will probably put in my husbands office.

(The farm, not the boobies.)

The second I am thinking I will put in my master bathroom.

Is that weird?

You know, ’cause it’s a naked drawing where I shower, and I am also….

Oh, forget it.

I am never talking seriously with you people again.

Playing blocks with Lily.

Have a happy weekend!

(Photo via Tulip Painter)

In my husbands field of work he meets and mingles with a lot of local artists. Several years ago we met the Artist Sarah Richards Samuelson, and made the connection that she lived with my older sister in college. Small world, I know. Sarah is an amazing artist, and has been featured and reviewed all over local newspapers and universities. She has done solo exhibits at BYU, and is known as in the infamous “Tulip Painter” at the local Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival.

Just a few months ago Sarah gave birth to her third daughter. She and my husband thought a trade was in order: photography for art. (I aways get the better deal in these  trades we sometimes do with artists!) So, I drove to Sarah’s lovely home and photographed her three beautiful daughters.

In return, she painted this amazing painting for our home.

I am so in love with this painting. It’s about 6×9 inches in size and was painted in oils on masonite board. We are waiting a few more days for the paint to dry before we display it in our home. (Mr. Wright and I laugh about how often artist  request paintings be photographed or even shipped before they have even dried.) I will be sure to let you know where it finds it’s permanent home.

If you want to learn more about Sarah, she has a blog properly titled Tulip Painter that can be found here. She writes all about her recent commissioned pieces and upcoming shows. Tell her I said hi if you stop by!