Nalgene Cozy

For those that don't know, Phoenix gets really hot in the summer (never gets below 100 degrees, even at night). So, as I was thinking about ways to stay cool and hydrated, I wanted a way to keep the water in my Nalgene cold as long as possible. But I didn't want to buy a cozy for it, I wanted to make one. But most homemade cozies I found online were crocheted and I didn't want one like that because I knew it would just get soaked from the condensation on the bottle. So I came up with my own solution from a canvass lunch box! And it turned out perfect.

 Here is my canvass lunch box and my Nalgene.

The first step is to cut down both sides of the lunch box and across the bottom.

This is the remaining result.

Wrap it around the bottle to make sure it's the right size.

Then cut off the extra rounded end.

Turn inside out and pin together.

Do an extra check to make sure it fits snuggly, and then sew up the side.

And there it is! The finished product. And it even has a handle!

Picture Frame Lamp

So, as much as I love our apartment there are a few things about it that I'm not a fan of. One of those things is that there are no overhead lights in any of the rooms except the kitchen, dining room, and bathrooms. Which leaves the two bedrooms and living room with a necessity for light producing objects. We got the bedrooms taken care of with lamps we already owned, but we were unsure about what we wanted to do for the living room. So for a while the lights from the dinning room and kitchen have been the lights we've had on at night to try and illuminate the living room. Which has left the living room fairly dim.

But thankfully I have a friend, Beth Randall, and she has some creative juices flowing through her veins. So we did some brain storming for some lamp ideas and we finally came up with one we liked. We spent a Sunday afternoon with my other new friend, Gracie McGeehon (Beth's sister), and retrieved all of our parts and built our creation.

It began with 6 Dollar Store frames.

We added fabric. 

Attached them to a wooden embroidery hoop. 

And the shade was complete! 

Then we simply used twine and attached it to our awesome looking rope which held the light fixture. 

 And then we hung it up!

Here's our victory picture! 

And here is Eddie mesmerized by the awesomeness of the lamp.

I think this may very well be one of the coolest things I have ever worked on. Thanks Beth and Gracie for your help in bringing some light into our lives!