Category — Tools

Ladders, Accessories & Safety

I’ve been up and down a lot of ladders lately while doing exterior painting and it occurred to me that a post on ladders would be very timely.

Odd as it may seem, a ladder can be a very personal item. Depending on who you talk to, you will hear plenty of opinions and preferences on which is the best ladder. I’m not a ladder expert, however, in one of my previous lives as a painter, I did have the opportunity to use a few different types of ladders.

Three of the four ladders shown in the photo above are ones I’ve used a lot - the 5′ Pro Lite aluminum stepladder, the 13′ World’s Greatest adjustable ladder by Cosco, and the black and yellow utility ladder / step stool, also by Cosco. The many colors of paint and stain, and dried chunks of drywall compound on each of them tell of their participation in numerous home renovation and remodeling endeavors.

My obvious preference would be to have one ladder that does it all - transforming as required to be suitable for every task, but I’ve yet to discover that magical piece of equipment. It seems that there are pros and cons or ‘ups and downs’ with all ladders, and no one ladder can satisfy every person’s particular wants, needs and desires.

Read on to learn about the different factors you need to consider when choosing the right ladder. I’ve tried to cover all the basics from ladder types and ratings, to ladder accessories and safety. Also included - my personal reviews of three different ladder types. [Read more →]

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Front Porch Ideas for a Great First Impression

(A complete list of sources is included below.)

1. Grunge Is Passé - Replace those grungy, old or dated chair covers with new outdoor pillows and seat cushions made from durable, UV resistant outdoor fabric.
2. Set the Table - Pick a summer bouquet of flowers, pop them in a vase or antique pitcher, and place them in the center of your outdoor table.
3. Make Your Presence Known - Large, easy-to-read house numbers, placed in an easy-to-see location makes finding you, well…easy. Choose house numbers that complement or are in keeping with the style of your house and outdoor decor.
4. Romancing the Porch - Hang gauzy outdoor curtains to inject a little romance. Outdoor curtains mounted on opposite sides will elegantly frame your porch.
5. Roll Out the Red Carpet - Arrange your porch furniture on a new outdoor carpet or place a new welcome mat at the front door. (The color is up to you.)
6. Front Porch First Aid - Revive your front porch and your entrance door with a fresh coat of paint.

[Read more →]

Continuing with the outdoor room theme…..Get a little closer to nature this summer with an outdoor shower!

I’ve always wanted an outdoor shower, alas, the perfect location has eluded me. Maybe you’ll have better luck.

(For the products, sources and pricing of items featured in this design inspiration board, see below.)

[Read more →]

I received a version of this list in my email today. Sent by friends, I know it was meant as encouragement and inspiration. Even though it’s been posted many times over, I feel that this is good information for women of any age, so I’m posting it too. A little research has revealed that the true writer of these words was Pamela Redmond Satran. Written in 1997, it was originally published in Glamour Magazine. The author, having passed her 30th birthday, wanted to share with other women some of the things she wished she had and had known by the time she reached that age. Since it’s original publishing, she’s added a few items to her list and she encourages us to do the same. [Read more →]

Coming up with an interior design plan is almost as much fun as seeing your dream project come to fruition. One tool commonly used by interior designers to show clients how a room design will come together is a storyboard / mood board. This design tool is not reserved for use by professional interior designers alone, you can step into the designer’s shoes and create your own design storyboard. [Read more →]

Every girl should have her own hand tools and her own toolbox. (That way she’ll always know where they are when she needs to use them!) More and more specialized hand tools for women are being introduced all the time - smaller, more compact tools, pink tools, lighter weight tools. You can go whichever route you want, however before purchasing your hand tools, it is recommended that you educate yourself a little on hand tools and get an idea of which tools should be included in your tool box.

Here’s a list of the essentials to include in your tool box along with special considerations for tool selection. [Read more →]

Can you believe it?!  It’s taken forever to get to this point, but the new roman shade for my kitchen window is finally done. 

Without any further adieu, here it is:

The placement of the shade, right at the top of the cupboards, truly gives the illusion of a larger window. 

Am I the only one who thinks it looks waaaay better than the ‘before’ shot shown below?

Next Up:  The other kitchen window.

Small House = Small Living Room

More than just a living room, this area in my home also serves as the entry point from the front door, the access point to the second floor, and a throughway to the den/library.  That means a lot of traffic and very little uninterrupted wall space.

Like the homes of many DIY home decorators/renovators, my humble abode is a (continual) work in progress - it is by no means perfect.  Through my endeavors to make this small living room work for me, I have discovered and incorporated some small space living ideas and solutions that I thought would be worth sharing with you. [Read more →]

Remember that window over my kitchen sink?

The plan was to make a new Roman Shade, specially sized to cover the full width of the space between the upper cabinets on either side of the window above the kitchen sink.  Then, I was going to mount the new fabric window shade at the top of the wall, thus giving the illusion of a larger kitchen window.  The plan has not changed - the process of choosing the perfect fabric, however, has definitely slowed me down.

What I’m looking for is something fresh and bright to liven up the kitchen area.  I’d like something modern and funky, but the fabric I choose also needs to work with the character of this old house.  At this point fabric type, such as linen or cotton, is secondary.

So far I’ve been able to narrow it down to two color families: [Read more →]