11/25/13

Make it: Terrarium Ornament

I was racking my noggin, trying to figure out an awesome way to display my beloved terrariums on my Christmas tree without actually having to take care of them. And lo and behold on Pinterest I saw the Terrarium Ornament!

Terrarium Ornament

After you put it together, you won't need to water it either. It makes a great Christmas gift as well. And the things I put in there are from my weekend natures hikes (so it's cheap and free!). Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
1 - Glass teardrop terrarium
Reindeer Moss
Acorn
Pine needles
Bark
Leaves
Plastic animal
Twine

Here's what you do:
1) Lay down reindeer moss first
2) Arrange all the other things on the list however you like on top of the moss
3) I spray painted my plastic animal a gold color
4) Tie a piece of twine to the top of the terrarium
5) Hang on tree
6) You're done! (here's a closeup)

Closeup
So cute and easy, right?!?

Til next time: Keep making, keep creating, keep doing!

Nori
Speedy's Hardware
www.speedyshardware.com

11/15/13

Make it: Cheap Christmas Gift - Painted Cup

So Christmas is coming up and you're looking for some ultra cheap but very thoughtful gifts to make for those special people in your life. Here's something that is quick and easy: the painted cup!

Here's what you need:
1 - white cup or mug
1 - painters tape 
1 - gold leaf paint
1 - small paint brush
1 - paint thinner for cleanup


Here's what you do:
1) place painters tape on cup to form an upside down "v" shape, do this on both sides 
2) press down the edges of tape really well so there won't be any wrinkles
3) give the gold leaf paint a good shake before you open it
4) paint inside the "v" using long strokes
5) let dry for 15 minutes and paint again
6) carefully remove painters tape
7) tada! You're done!
Note:
This painted cup is hand wash only! Don't put in dishwasher and don't scrub the painted part. 

Til next time: keep making, keep creating, keep doing!

Nori
Speedy's Hardware
www.speedyshardware.com


11/6/13

Do it: Dutchboy's New Paint App

Hi Folks!
Today I'm gonna get a little paint techie on you. I know it's November and a lot of you are thinking about thanksgiving and turkeys and football but the folks at Dutchboy were busy creating a new app called Paintlist.

Just a little background: Dutchboy Paints have been around for over 100 years and is known for it's high quality and durability. It's been rumored that the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is painted with Dutchboy Paint.

In the 1980s, the company was purchased by Sherwin Williams, another very popular paint company. Their name was inspired by a way of creating paint called the "Dutch Process". Currently Dutchboy has ten lines of paint for DIYers to choose from. Their innovation through the years have led to the creation of a new app that's available for download from iTunes App Store or Google Play.


Now, many of us have playlists for our favorite songs, wishlists for Christmas but what about a Paintlist for our favorite colors? This app actually listens to our song of choice and creates a custom palette based on that song! If you're like me, alot of times I get so confused by the thousands of colors combinations there is to choose from, but with this app, the choices are created for you! All you need to do is download the app into your smartphone, click Mix it and it'll ask whether we want to use the mic or load from our phone's playlist. The app will listen and create 3 custom color palettes for you. It even provides the specific Dutchboy color numbers for us to take to the hardware store. And all the colors palettes are saved for us to pull out anytime. I've tried it. It's kinda fun and it totally takes the stress out of picking colors. If you want see a demo go to http://www.dutchboy.com/paintlist/. Once you find your Paintlist combo, just bring it to our hardware store and we'll have our paint experts mix those perfect colors for you to take home. So give it a whirl and let me know what you think! 

Til next time: Keep making, keep creating, keep doing!

Nori
Speedy's Hardware
www.speedyshardware.com