Do It Yourself

• 
  MAKE Magazine

• Brainwave sofa by Unfold & Lucas Maassen

  7 Nov 2009 | 3:30 am

  Brainwave sofa by Unfold & Lucas Maassen... modeled on your brainwaves! via BB. The design of the Brainwave Sofa is driven by a brain scan. Brain wave activities are being recorded by an electroencephalograph by placing electrodes on the bare skin on the head. Via BioExplorer, a computer program that records biophysical data, processes and visualises it, a three dimensional waved landscape is generated. The x-axis shows the brain wave activities in hertz. The Y-axis shows the amount of activity in percentage. The Z-axis is the time expressed in milliseconds. Read more | Permalink | Comments |…

• Full MIDI drumset with Guitar Hero and Rock Band drums

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  A demo on how to create an 11-piece MIDI drum kit using Rock Band and Guitar Hero drum sets together. It includes velocity-sensitive triggers and a high-hat open/close pedal. Create a full MIDI Drumset with Guitar Hero and Rock Band Drums Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Music | Digg this!

• Hole punched art

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pm

  Gorgeous! ... and likely a future ad campaign for Staples or OfficeMax... Steven Nicholson is a 2yr student at Plymouth university in the United Kingdom studying Graphic communications with typography. And apparently he is a genius with a hole punch? Check out this self portrait using 10 different sized single hole punches on a a1 piece of paper that he just sent over. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this!

• Portable Induction accelerator

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

  Here's an interesting take on a coil gun, by Russian YouTube user fuckertrezv. Not content to simply make a high-power electromagnetic device, he designed his to be portable and run on batteries. Once charged, he claims it is capable of accelerating metal rings to over 200 meters per second. It looks well-built, however no instructions are provided. [via hacked gadgets] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Electronics | Digg this!

• Make: Halloween Contest 2009 - WINNERS!

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:33 pm

  We had a great contest this year, with tons of awesome projects, and frankly we had a heckuva time picking winners. But the votes are all in now, and with the scores finally tabulated, I am pleased to announced the winners of the Make: Halloween Contest 2009. The envelope please.... Third runner-up: Everett Bradford's "Prometheus Device" Everett has won an F1 Evaluation Platform (valued at $39.99), plus a $50 Maker Shed gift certificate. Second runner-up: Eric Kingston's "Silly String Shooting Pumpkin" Eric has won a PICKIT 3 (valued at $69.99), plus a $50 Maker Shed gift certificate. First…

• 
  AskTheBuilder.com

• Toilet Parts

  13 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am

  Replacing toilet parts is a job that most home owners can. Flush toilet parts are readily available and most use similar replacement toilet parts.

• Tub Faucets

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:53 am

  Selecting the right tub faucet is a major decision. There are antique tub faucets, roman tub faucets, claw foot tub faucets and more. But is the tub faucet the first item to select? Or is it the tub?

• Soapstone Countertops

  30 Oct 2009 | 9:30 am

  A soapstone countertop looks great. However, soapstone kitchen countertops require a lot of care. Here are some of the soapstone countertops pros and cons.

• Fireplace Accessories

  23 Oct 2009 | 9:08 am

  There are lots of wood burning fireplace accessories to pick for your fireplaces. Fireplace tools come in a variety of materials and finishes. Quality should be a major consideration when selecting the proper wood fireplace accessories.

• Joel Cornelius Roofing

  19 Oct 2009 | 8:12 am

  The roofing contractor selected to replace the roofing on your house should have experience and all the required insurance certifications. Joel Cornelius Roofing was the roofing company selected to do my roofing services.

• 
  Home Improvement Made Easy on Doityourself.com

• Kitchen Planning Checklist

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:56 am

  General Layout Requirements Doityourself.com, THE source for home improvement information.

• Renovate Your Old Kitchen Island

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:53 am

  Instead of replacing that antique kitchen island, you can take the time to renovate it and make it look like new again. Doityourself.com, THE source for home improvement information.

• Replace A Kitchen Island: Step by Step

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:43 am

  Replacing your kitchen island can go a long way toward modernizing your kitchen without the expense of a renovation. Doityourself.com, THE source for home improvement information.

• Salvage Vintage Kitchen Island Carts

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:40 am

  When conducting kitchen renovations, don't overlook efforts to salvage vintage kitchen island carts. Doityourself.com, THE source for home improvement information.

• Wood or Glass Cupboard Door: Which Is Better?

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:37 am

  There are many decisions that need to be made around the kitchen when buying is concerned, especially when it comes to either a wood or glass cupboard door. Doityourself.com, THE source for home improvement information.

• 
  How to of the Day

• How to Clean a Scanned Manga Page in Photoshop

  7 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  This is tutorial on how to use Adobe Photoshop to clean a scanned black and white manga image. The techniques here can be applied to any scanned black and white image from a book.

• How to Appreciate Confessional Poetry

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  Confessional poetry gives you a very personal peek into the writer's life, and sometimes such details are unflattering to the writer and/or uncomfortable for the reader. This is in contrast to poetry that discusses public issues, with the poet using a detached persona, with minimal implicit hinting at their personal life.[1] Like all literary movements, confessional poetry has its unique features and up and downs. In order to understand and enjoy reading it, you have to look at it deeply, so you can gain a truly deep appreciation of what you've just read. This article will guide you through…

• 8 Ways to Cope With Being Pregnant at Work

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Being pregnant doesn't mean finishing work in our modern world. It does, however, require consideration of the possible challenges that you will face as a pregnant worker. From needing to be aware of the risks to unborn children from handling chemicals and dangerous items, to understanding how fatigue, weight changes, and nutritional needs will impact your work day, knowing in advance how much you might be impacted will help you to plan a successful, continued stretch on the job before the baby arrives.

• How to Keep Seed Beads in Plastic Straws

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  REDIRECT Store Seed Beads in Plastic Straws

• How to Do Crunches Properly

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Crunches are a lot like sit-ups, except that instead of lifting your entire back off the floor, you only lift your upper back. This isolates ("crunches") the ab muscles without engaging muscles in your hips. Crunches are also safer than sit-ups because they don't compress your spine as much.[1] When paired with adequate weight loss, doing crunches regularly can lead to six-pack abs. If your goal is simply a flat stomach, however, spot exercises won't help. Read How to Lose Belly Fat instead.

• 
  Bathroom Remodel DIY Tips and Ideas

• Nov 7, Durock meeting Sheet Rock

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:10 pm

  Placed Durock around shower and will place sheetrock for the remaining wall area. How do you finish where the sheet rock meets the Durock? Do I use

• Nov 7, How do you switch a bathtub to a shower?

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:58 pm

  How do you switch a bathtub for a stand up shower? Hello Gary - and Thank you for submitting a question to our Bathroom Remodel How-To page...

• Nov 7, Bathroom Glass Block Window

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:57 pm

  A bathroom glass block window is a great addition to your bathroom. Learn about your options here.

• Nov 4, Bathroom Tile How To Questions and Answers

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:34 pm

  Bathroom Tile How To Questions submitted by website visitors

• Nov 3, Bathroom Shower How To Questions and Answers

  3 Nov 2009 | 9:11 am

  Bathroom Shower How To Questions submitted by website visitors

• 
  Old House Web Blog

• Raised Bathtub, Part 2–Trim

  Mark Clement

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:52 am

  In Part One of this piece we discussed some very-important-not-to-be-overlooked-or-underdone structural elements of raising and/or moving a bathtub.Here in Part Two, we talk about the bun that makes that beefy patty look and taste real yummy–trim details. For me, trimming a tub includes more than what my eight year old daughter refers to as “curly wood.” It’s about how a tub feels when you get in there and how long the details stay detailed as Calgon takes you away.Step 1 of dropping a tub into its rough-framed pedestal is trimming the rim, or top plate of your little…

• First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended, Most Likely

  Conrad

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:56 pm

  Well, I am excited, a couple of hours ago the House passed the extension of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. The Senate has already passed it, and supposedly President Obama will sign off on it tomorrow. I was a little concerned because of the reported abuse of the Tax Credit, which I mentioned in an earlier post. I was afraid that Congress might not extend the Credit because of a few “bad seeds”, when the majority of the families were using it as it was intended.A few people who used the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit to purchase an old house wrote in after that post,…

• Please Help Save These Old Houses In California Part II

  Conrad

  3 Nov 2009 | 3:39 pm

  I wrote last week about the two old houses in Berkeley, California that are in desperate need of someone to save them. All a person needs to do is submit a proposal to move one or both of the houses to another location, and they may get them for as little as a dollar each.Of course the big job and cost is moving them, and having a location for them to go to. To someone who hasn’t been involved in the moving of a house before the project might seem to be too large to undertake, and more than likely cost prohibitive. I mentioned that I had been involved in the moving of a home in the…

• Crazy Halloween Displays

  Steve Manes

  31 Oct 2009 | 9:10 am

  I realize that some people might object to Halloween decorations being regarded as a home renovation topic.  But it’s not your parents’ Halloween anymore where you carve a pumpkin, hang a cardboard skeleton on the front door and wait for the candy grovelers to show up.   Technology, marketing and plain ol’ show biz have made Halloween a neighborhood DIY competition worthy of at least a little notice from the home reno media. Here’s my neighbor, Tony, setting up his display with his grandson,  Joseph.   This one has haunted sound effects triggered by a proximity…

• A Couple of Random Thoughts on Old Houses

  Conrad

  29 Oct 2009 | 4:55 pm

  I took a short drive today. The leaves are at their peak in my area and the colors are beautiful. I live in a valley between two mountain ranges and I have always enjoyed the view of the changing colors on the mountains as the morning and afternoon sun hits the leaves.As I was driving along I passed a few new homes that were nearing completion. They were nice homes, very large, and I’m sure very expensive. In my area, and with the current state of the housing market, I would say they were probably in the $800,000 to $1,000,000 range. I also passed a number of small farms and old houses…

• 
  On The Level

• Two New Great Causes Help Military Families and the Hungry

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  We just want to applaud Sears Holding for launching its "Heroes at Home" Wish Registry, a program that gives support to military service members, veterans and family members. Sears customers can use the Heroes at Home website to make donations and buy gift cards for the more than 20,000 registered servicemen and women, military family members and veterans. Donations can also be made at Sears Hometown Stores retail locations across the country. Donation methods include converting Citi Reward ...

• Innovative Insulation Targets Termites, Trash and Tax Credit

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  The new R-Plus Insulation from Terminix is like the kid in high school who did everything well. As most plodded along pulling B's and girls' braids, this Renaissance Man hit home runs for the baseball team, played drums for the popular high school rock band and wrote brilliant plays in rhyming iambic pentameter. So does Terminix's new insulation relegate all others to the realm of mediocrity. What, your insulation only keeps out the cold? Boooooring. Here's a bulleted list of what ...

• Chicken Coop Caveat

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am

  Although we at BobVila.com are probably more likely to encourage homeowners to build and maintain their own chicken coop, I felt a sense of obligation to share with the world the potential pitfalls of such an endeavor. This persuasive piece by a New York Times writer may give some folk second thoughts about raising chickens in their own backyard. It turns out there's a little more to it besides tossing some feed around every now and then and finding new ways to incorporate the dozens ...

• Who is the Biggest Tool....

  4 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am

  Looks like the little fish just ate the shark. In a deal announced today, Stanley Works is buying Black & Decker for $4.5 billion. And Stanley Works CEO, John Lundgren is being named CEO of the combined company. According to the companies, the deal views the housing market in a comeback stage and the DIY and construction markets in a lagging position. The merge is good news for the folks at Stanley's headquarters in New Britain, Connecticut where the combined company will be based, ...

• Window Blinds and Shades Recalled!

  3 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  Home products are not usually at the center of conspiracy theories. I, however, cannot help but connect the dots on what is fast becoming the picture of a widespread plan to reduce our population by proliferating hazardous window blinds and shades into households across America. This week, not one, not two, but three US Consumer Product Safety Commission product recalls saw hundreds of thousands of blinds and shades recalled due to high risk (and a few incidents) of strangulation and ...

• 
  House in Progress

• And Now for Something Completely Different

  27 Oct 2009 | 9:29 am

  As if we didn't have enough going on with the new back porch, new fence and the new basement stairwell, we have another project in the works: our basement. The basement has never been finished, so for the first time we actually have a clean slate to work with...albeit one that's always been packed with quite a bit of stuff: The good news is that this 'before' photo is from quite a while ago. In fact, the basement is now cleaned out. (That was the other big use for the dumpster we rented this summer.) We're guessing this is the first time that the basement has been this empty in it's 95 year…

• Outdoor Craftsman Wall Sconce

  21 Oct 2009 | 7:18 pm

• Back Porch Update

  16 Oct 2009 | 9:06 am

  Work is now under way in ernest on our new back porch. We gave our friend and contractor TK the design a few weeks ago and in the past week he's gotten started on the project. They've taken off the last remnants of the prior structure and put in new structural beams. They've also rebuilt the deck...we'd thought it might be salvageable but in the end it would have been more work to shim and correct it so we're just rebuilding it from scratch. Things are moving pretty quickly now, so we'll have more photos to share next week including work on the new basement stairwell.

• Our DIY Drama (or Why Building a Porch to Relax on Can Be Very Stressful)

  11 Oct 2009 | 7:28 am

  Here's our submission for the DIY Drama contest currently running over at Houseblogs.net. We aren't technically eligible since we're also running the contest, but it gives us something to write about... ;-) Our latest (of many) lessons learned is also part of our latest project. (No surprise, I guess, since we seem to have one for every project.)It has to do with rebuilding our back porch. We want to maximize the usable space on our porch. That's why in our new design we're moving the stairway from within the footprint of the porch to now be straight out the front. That also means we need to…

• Houseblogs.net Updates

  7 Oct 2009 | 10:04 pm

  Not only are we back to blogging again here at House in Progress, there's lots going on over at our site Houseblogs.net too. If you haven't been over there in the past month: - You can now follow Houseblogs.net on Facebook and follow Houseblogs.net on Twitter. - There's a new home page story on restoring old windows featuring houseblogger El Paso Foursquare. (A topic near and dear to our own hearts here at House in Progress). - We're running a 'DIY Drama' contest for housebloggers with $900 in prizes. Check those out while we pull together more updates on our own little houseblog to recap our…

• 
  Houseblogs.net - All Discussions in category Featured Story

• A Front Porch Revitalized

  Aaron

  24 Oct 2009 | 5:16 pm

  The front porch at houseblog Chezerbey gets a dramatic makeover.Houseblogs.net members Chezerbey have been at their West Seattle renovation for a good three years now.  They've got a wonderful recap of their improvements on their site.  Lauren and Kyle, both architects, have a done as nice a job in documenting their work on their blog as they have on their house.Their most recent project is the front porch, which is is an amazing transformation.Their blog entries go beyond the wonderful before and after photos to also share a lot of their thought process during the project.

• Welcome to the True Value DIY Blog Squad Homepage

  Aaron

  5 Oct 2009 | 3:18 pm

  True Value has teamed up with five bloggers to be a part of the DIY Blog Squad and share their own home improvement experiences and know-how.  Check back through the end of December for project ideas, advice and inspiration to help you tackle your own To Do list! <!--more-->You can read the newest entries from our DIY Blog Squad by clicking on the yellow box below, or find all their entries here.The members of the DIY Blog Squad are:Young House Love - We’re 25. Our house is 50. It’s old enough to be our parent, but we treat it like it’s our baby. Here you'll find our…

• UPDATED: Our "DIY Drama" Contest

  Aaron

  4 Oct 2009 | 2:53 pm

  Spilled paint by Sam UL, used under a Creative Commons License.UPDATE: We have our winners!  Congratulations to A Sows Ear, Beach House in the Burbs and A Comedy of Errors as the three bloggers randomly selected from all entries.  As winners, each of them will receive a $300 AMEX gift card for use at their local True Value hardware store.  Special thanks to everyone that entered.More good news: everyone still has a chance to win $5,000 in the main DIY Drama contest being run by True Value over at www.StartRightStartHere.com.  Anyone can enter and all submissions…

• Restoring Old Windows

  Aaron

  3 Oct 2009 | 7:40 am

  Houseblog El Paso Foursquare is restoring their wood windows.Thinking of restoring your wood windows?  The follks over at El Paso Foursquare are doing a nice job outlining their project step by step.<!--more-->Omar says in the first entry that the emphasis of his focus is more on the steps and timeline for their project, given that others have written up the really detailed how-to aspects of window restoration.  I can appreciate this, since a major part of any project is the time and timeline involved.  Having gone through this on our own bungalow in Chicago, it's…

• Houseblogs Gets Social

  Aaron

  13 Sep 2009 | 2:43 pm

  Houseblogs.net is getting (more) social!  When we launched Houseblogs.net back in 2005, "social networking" wasn't the popular term it is now.  Facebook was still mainly for college students and Twitter didn't exist.  But our site is really about the exact same thing--helping people connect.You can now find Houseblogs.net on both Facebook and Twitter.  You can access them here:Houseblogs.net on TwitterHouseblogs.net on FacebookBy following houseblogs.net on either site, you can keep up with all the latest from us and our member bloggers.  Both are syndications of our…

• 
  Home Addition

• Going Throttles Up on HomeAdditionPlus.com

  TheBuilder

  1 Nov 2009 | 7:41 am

  Starting in November HomeAdditionPlus is Priority One By Mark J. DonovanWell after 5 years of running HomeAdditionPlus.com and HomeAddition.blogspot.com on a part-time basis, I have decided to go full throttle. Starting this month I will be dedicating all of my working days to these two websites in order to bring site visitors more helpful DIY home improvement information.I have been stunned by the rapid growth in site traffic to HomeAdditionPlus.com, particularly over the past couple of years. In addition I have been impressed with the amount and quality of questions coming in from site…

• Installation of Motion Sensor Lights in Anticipation of Halloween

  TheBuilder

  28 Oct 2009 | 9:48 am

  My Home is now Protected and Secured from Midnight GoblinsBy Mark J. DonovanOver this past weekend I installed motion sensor lights on the exterior of my home. The old conventional lights had been looking a little drab and long in the tooth, so I thought in anticipation of Halloween this coming weekend, it was a good time to replace them.Motion sensor lights are great for providing additional security to your home. Though an exterior light cannot prevent an intruder from entering your house it can give them pause when the lights flash on. Typically that pause is long enough to make them think…

• HomeAdditionPlus.com Releases its New "Asphalt Driveway Paving Bid Sheet"

  TheBuilder

  21 Oct 2009 | 7:01 am

  By Mark DonovanHomeAdditionPlus.com announced today its new "Asphalt Driveway Paving Bid Sheet".http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091021005113&newsLang=enFall is a great time for putting in a new asphalt driveway. If you are considering putting in a new driveway, this bid sheet will quickly teach you what you need to know for hiring a paving contractor that will install a quality driveway.

• Top Two Home Remodeling Projects

  TheBuilder

  18 Oct 2009 | 4:48 pm

  Home Remodeling Projects that offer High ROIs and Improve Living StandardsBy Mark J. DonovanThe top two home remodeling projects are bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects. Why you say? Well first, they provide excellent returns on investment. Most future home buyers love to see updated kitchens and bathrooms, and are willing to pay for them. So normally you can expect to recover most of the costs of your kitchen or bathroom remodeling project within a year of completing them.The second reason why bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects rank one and two, respectively, is that they make us…

• The Housing Market is Still a Couple of Years away from a Rebound

  TheBuilder

  14 Oct 2009 | 6:39 am

  Home Sales Fall Again in AugustBy Mark J. DonovanWell after some improving home sales data in July it appears the home sales market is still in uncertain waters. The latest home sales report that came out from the National Association of Home Realtors earlier this month indicated that home sales fell in August by 2.7% from the previous month. In addition, the report indicated that the median sales price on existing homes fell to $177.7K, down 12.5% from August, 2008.The home sales decline was pretty much universal throughout the country with the exception in the west where home sales…

• 
  Home Improvement Blog

• Air sealing for Deep Energy Savings!

  Susan

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:01 am

  by Kert Heinecke Green building in its current manifestation is primarily hype. The market, quick to jump on the bandwagon, has focused primarily on tangible products that may draw envy from neighbors, but do little to actually preserve precious resources and reduce your energy bills. The real decision to go ‘green’ should start with the decision to minimize the home energy footprint. Growing consensus among building scientists suggest that the first major step to improving a homes energy efficiency is home air sealing, and it is feasible for all existing homes. When you add the current…

• Want a Dream Bathroom?

  Susan

  30 Oct 2009 | 8:43 am

  image from www.BriarRenos.com Dreaming of a large, luxurious spa bathroom? Or are you an avid DIYer that wants gorgeous results while sticking to a strict budget? Here are some tips that can save you money if you decide to give the bathroom a makeover. 1. Go Green: Yes it’s the trendiest term this year, but it’s a frame of mind that if taken seriously and sensibly (instead of for militant show - you know who what type I’m talking about) it can also save you money. Try to keep your existing materials - that coat of no-VOC paint and finish may make the cheap but cheery…

• Fall Home Maintenance Tips

  Susan

  26 Oct 2009 | 9:19 am

  by Tina Gleisner Keep the Water Out Today’s houses are built with a variety of materials. Vinyl siding won’t rot when exposed to water but many parts of a house are made from natural materials like wood. Wood becomes a food source for mold growth when the moisture level gets too high. Our homes are designed to direct water down and away from your home. Roof shingles overlap to keep water flowing down but when they age (crack, curl, etc) water can get under the shingles and the plywood sheathing can rot. Inspect and Repair Potential Water Leaks You will save time and money if you…

• Helping Parents to Accept the Need for Assisted Living Products

  Susan

  13 Oct 2009 | 7:48 am

  by Pat Krushen As our parents age, we, the baby boomer generation, are confronted with new challenges in being able to assure that their lives will remain as enjoyable as possible. How can we help our parents to make decisions that will be in their best interests? Are we ready for the physical, social, emotional and financial changes that will arise? It is hard for us to accept our own aging process, and just as difficult for parents to accept that things that were, at one time, no problem at all, now present themselves as obstacles….things like driving a vehicle, doing ones own shopping,…

• Assisted Living Products & Solutions for the Caregiver

  Susan

  12 Oct 2009 | 7:28 am

  by Pat Krushen As the children of aging parents, we need to begin discussions with our parents regarding their future needs, long before those needs arise. We need to be knowledgeable about the products and solutions available so that when the time comes we can offer alternative solutions that will assist them to remain as independent as possible. Talking about these solutions without stating an immediate need for them gives the parent time to think and to asses the situation before the time comes. Compared with the cost of hospital care once an accident happens or continuing care in a long…

• 
  The Kitchen Designer

• Sears Appliances - Kenmore Too!

  Susan Serra, CKD

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:44 am

  Yesterday, just outside of Chicago, I attended a multi-brand appliance event, hosted by Sears. It was quite an eye opening experience, as Sears appliances, quite honestly, have not been on the radar in my business. Exactly why I needed to get with the program increase my awareness, so I welcomed this opportunity. First, my conclusions: Sears understands their appliance-purchasing customer and has responded with an on-target, modern, line-up of appliances as they completely rebrand the 60 year old Kenmore line. They also understand that it is beneficial to interact more closely with…

• Kitchen Design Consulting - Long Island & Metro New York

  Susan Serra, CKD

  1 Nov 2009 | 11:32 am

  Finally! Just what Long Island and metro New York needs: in-person, unbiased, professional kitchen design consulting services. Although the emphasis on the page talks about kitchen design phone consultations, local in-person consultations are available as well. My local area is all of Long Island, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, as fits, regionally, into the "metro New York" region. More information can be found in this post, introducing this service.  My Kitchen Design Consulting service can be helpful if you: are stuck on any one, or several, specific design issues would…

• Kitchen Design Consulting

  Susan Serra, CKD

  1 Nov 2009 | 9:52 am

  I've been offering kitchen design consulting services informally and have not devoted a special page on my blog to this service until now.  I am very pleased to formally introduce the One Hour Phone Consultation! Call me about...well, anything related to your kitchen design project that is just not sitting right with you and for which you need a first OR a second opinion.  I am happy to provide this kitchen design consulting service which can be invaluable to those who otherwise are at a loss as to what decision to make, be it in regard to products, design issues, style issues, or…

• Open Kitchen Floorplan Or Closed?

  Susan Serra, CKD

  28 Oct 2009 | 3:48 pm

  The results are in! Thank you for taking the survey! The topic of the kitchen floorplan survey was spur of the moment for me. I had just finished a marathon session designing my own kitchen (in a dreamlike state as it is at least a year or two off). Suddenly, grappling with issues and questions pertaining to a wide open (to the entire main floor) vs. a partially open floorplan, I thought it would be very interesting to hear what others thought...especially now. So, I put up a quick poll and noted it on Twitter. Now, we are in, what many think, is a different time, a kitchen "evolution". Many…

• Random Kitchen Musings

  Susan Serra, CKD

  26 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm

  Just a few little things... PLEASE take this survey: Kitchen Floorplan: Open Or Closed? It's seemingly a simple question, but the results are fascinating as the votes are coming in. I'll share them with you shortly. Please cast your vote. It takes 10 seconds or less, and I'd love to know what you all want, or dream of, for your own kitchen design concept. UPDATE: SURVEY IS CLOSED Please also go to my blogging buddy Renovation Therapy's blog...that is, if you'd like to win an Itouch Ipod! Again, it's fast, easy, and it could be yours! While you're at it, read a few posts...she's wickedly…

• 
  About.com Home Repair

• Review: Energizer Swivel Head LED Flashlight

  2 Nov 2009 | 6:02 am

  This LED Hard Case Swivel Head flashlight by Energizer is part of the Hard Case® Professional® series and is a must have for your toolbox. It's also available in Headlight (head mounted) and small Inspection Light versions. This swivel head version is reviewed by me in Review: Energizer Hard Case Swivel Head LED Flashlight. The flashlight operates on 2-AA batteries and is only 7 inches long but produces a very impressive bright white light surpassing many conventional flashlights. Also gone is the wimpy blue LED light that plagued early LED's. The Energizer unit uses new LED technology and…

• Do You Have a Psycho Shower Head?

  31 Oct 2009 | 12:05 pm

  It's Halloween and one of my favorite horror movies is Hitchcock's Psycho. The shower scene with Janet Leigh (as Marion Crane) is the iconic scene from the classic 1960 film. But you know, as a Home Repair Guide, I have to say the Bates Motel provided pretty nice shower heads for their guests, although they weren't low flow heads. Of course Marion never noticed since she was dealing with other issues in the shower. In the tutorial Replacing a Shower Head, I'll show you how easy it is for you to upgrade to something nicer than what Marion Crane used and definitely make your shower experience a…

• Is Your Furnace Electronic Ignition Out Cold?

  23 Oct 2009 | 9:53 am

  Furnace ignition problems and solutions vary according to the type of furnace ignition system you have. Not all furnace pilot light ignition problems relate to a standing pilot in your furnace as I describe in How to Light a Gas Furnace Pilot. Most all modern furnaces use an electronic ignition system having either an intermittent pilot or hot surface ignition. Modern electronic ignition systems are more reliable than the standing pilot systems of old, but just as your new car has an electronic brain, so do some of these furnaces. And that means you're somewhat limited as to what can be done…

• It's Time for Seasonal Furnace Maintenance

  18 Oct 2009 | 9:54 am

  Maintaining your furnace is essential for the safety and health of your family and the proper operation of your furnace which, unlike many people we know, we want to be full of hot air. Make sure you're ready for the coming cold weather. It's quick and easy with the tutorial Seasonal Furnace Maintenance. Just follow the simple tips I outline for seasonal maintenance on your furnace to help keep it running efficiently and safely. From furnace filter replacement to checking the fan belt and carbon monoxide testing, it's all in there!And if you have an AprilAire Space-Gard 2200 or a unit with a…

• Fix Your Furnace Thermostat

  11 Oct 2009 | 4:01 am

  Do you know how to troubleshoot and fix a thermostat that is not working? Did you know a little tiny adjustment arm on a thermostat device called a heat anticipator can make your furnace cycle on or off frequently or cause your furnace to not hold a proper temperature setting? When you troubleshoot your gas furnace or install a new thermostat you should also make sure you know how to check your thermostat's operation too. Fix Your Furnace Thermostat originally appeared on About.com Home Repair on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 11:01:08.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• 
  About.com Landscaping

• How to Force Bulbs

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:27 pm

  When you "force" bulbs to bloom out of season, you are using a "technique that imitates the environmental conditions that bulbs encounter outdoors, thereby tricking them into flowering earlier," as Marie Iannotti puts it. So my question to you is: Are you feeling tricky? About.com's Gardening Guide discusses how to force bulbs in detail, in case you'd like some tips for pulling the wool over Mother Nature's eyes. As for me, I'll leave the trickery to others -- at least until someone finds a way to trick Old Man Winter into staying away. No, in fall I'm much more interested in planting bulb…

• What Plants Are the Stars of Your Yard?

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:46 pm

  What plants are shining most brightly in your November yard? In cold climates, flowers have now taken a backseat to foliage. For me, the stars for November (which include some holdovers from October) are the following plants -- chosen for their fall foliage, unless otherwise indicated: Sweetgum Tree Japanese maple tree Smoke bush Fothergilla Virginia sweetspire Oakleaf hydrangea Korean spice viburnum Ninebark Maiden grass (plumes) Cotoneaster (berries) How about you? Vote in my poll and let us know what plants are shining most brightly in your own yard right now. Or if there's a plant you'd…

• Candytuft

  4 Nov 2009 | 10:11 pm

  There are plants with "white" flowers, and then there are plants with "brilliant-white" flowers -- such as candytuft. In fact, candytuft puts on such a wonderful display that I recommend you go out of your way to grow it somewhere where you'll be able to enjoy its dazzling color to the fullest. That means 3 things that I can think of right away: Grow candytuft where it will be able to hang over a stone wall or over a raised bed wall, for example. Orient your planting of candytuft in such a way that you'll be able to appreciate it easily from a much-frequented vantage point (a window or a…

• 'Arctic Beauty' Kiwi Vines

  3 Nov 2009 | 9:58 pm

  I grow 'Arctic Beauty' kiwi vines not for fruit, but for the ornamental value of their variegated leaves. "Variegated" is something of an understatement, however, when it comes to the foliage of kiwi vines. For the leaves can become tri-colored, flashing colors of pink, white and green. Nor is "white" sufficient as a description for the light color in this triad: lots of variegated plants have white in their leaves, but the white in these kiwi vines is more aptly termed "frosty." How appropriate, considering the plant's name (although my guess is that the "Arctic" in the name refers to the…

• Regional Gardening Calendar for November

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:59 pm

  "November is when any similarity between gardening zones ceases to be," states Marie Iannotti. "Some of you are just moving into your temperate, gentle garden season and others will have almost no garden to speak of for several months to come." But as About's Gardening Guide points out in this regional gardening calendar for November, even those with "no garden to speak of" right now still have some chores to do. I know it doesn't seem fair, but it's true! No surprise that raking leaves is on the list. Photo ©2006 David Beaulieu (licensed to About.com)Regional Gardening Calendar for…

• 
  About.com Pool & Patio

• Can H1N1 Flu Virus Be Spread Through Water?

  4 Nov 2009 | 7:51 pm

  If H1N1 flu isn't the burning feeling on everyone's foreheads, then "how can I catch it?" is the burning question on everyone's minds. Yesterday's report of the diagnosis of H1N1 in a cat in Iowa is just the latest in how unpredictable the virus is, and many uncertainties remain. By now, most of us are familiar with common methods that the H1N1 virus can be transmitted and the importance of washing our hands. But can the H1N1 flu virus be spread through water in swimming pools, spas, water parks, interactive fountains, and other treated recreational water venues? Find out what the Centers…

• Wordless Wednesday: Is This Gourd Arrangement Symbolic?

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:51 pm

  At a farm/ranch in San Juan Capistrano, I came across this interesting arrangement of recently-picked squash and gourds. I don't think there's any symbolism going on here in this particular arrangement; whoever created this was probably just doing it for fun. What's your take on it? Photo by Lisa Hallett Taylor More Wordless Wednesday on About.comWordless Wednesday: Is This Gourd Arrangement Symbolic? originally appeared on About.com Pool & Patio on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 01:51:47.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• 10 Reasons to Use a Cover for Your Swimming Pool

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:58 pm

  There are some obvious and not-so-obvious reasons for getting a pool cover, if you don't already have one. When you're not using the pool, it makes sense to cover it to keep leaves and debris out, and so you don't lose heat. But that's only two reasons. Find out the other eight reasons why you should be covering your spa or swimming pool. 10 Reasons to Use a Cover for Your Swimming Pool originally appeared on About.com Pool & Patio on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 04:58:38.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• A Trick: Make Ghosts Float in Your Yard

  28 Oct 2009 | 9:33 pm

  I suspect the creative abilities of many seasonal decorators are fueled by that last-minute rush. Especially with Halloween, which has an element of surprise and kind of depends on darkness to really enjoy its full impact. Headless monsters and killer clowns look oddly out of place on a sunny autumn afternoon in Southern California, or anywhere for that matter.

• Wisconson Resident, Friends to Perform 'Thriller' at Yard Haunt

  27 Oct 2009 | 9:28 am

  This just in... Halloween yard haunts seem to be going full-throttle this year, and I've heard of everything from a recreation of a few props from the Transformers films on someone's lawn, to another yard haunter's re-enactment of the crash-landing of the U.S. Airways plane on the Hudson River, with the homeowner dressed up as Captain "Skully." I'm not promoting or condoning either of these yard haunts, just relaying what has been reported elsewhere. But there's a yard haunt set for Saturday night in Racine, Wisconsin, that I'd love to see. According to The Journal Times, Racine resident…

• 
  ToolCrib.com Blog

• 46 Router Jig Plans: Router Dado Jigs, Mortise Jigs, Circle Cutting Jigs and MORE

  toolcrib

  24 Oct 2009 | 3:36 pm

  Routers remain one of the most versatile power tools in the shop, and yours just got 46 times more versatile with this massive collection of free router jig plans! From dado jigs, mortise jigs, tenon jigs on down to sleds that turn your router into a planer, this collection of free router jigs puts your router into overdrive! Here’s what you’ll find below: >> 13 Router Dado Jig Plans >> 6 Router Mortise Jig Plans >> 7 Router Circle Cutting Jig Plans >> 2 Router Tenon Jig Plans >> 3 Router Fluting Jig Plans >> 9 General and or Eclectic Router Jig Plans >> 5 Router Jig Videos >> 61…

• 6 Bonus Forum Finds from KnotScott: New Frued Blade, Adding Rip Capacity, Avanti Blades, MORE!

  toolcrib

  23 Oct 2009 | 3:05 pm

  I got an exciting email from KnotScott the other day with some updates and some BONUS forum finds! He took some time off from working on his fireplace to send us some FORUM FINDS! Thank you Scott! 1) Freud Premier P410 Fusion Blade: “It’s different than most 40T general purpose blades, and does some things better, but there’s also a price to pay to get that performance.” 2) Adding rip capacity to a table saw: “There are several recent threads on TS rip capacity. I’ve read comments about “shifting” or “moving” the rails to the right…

• Woodworking Roundup: Pumpkin Scroll Saw Pattern, Speaker Plans, Denim Pine??!!

  toolcrib

  23 Oct 2009 | 2:43 pm

  Now that I’ve got the Hourly Press running, I get a steady stream of great woodworking stories! Check it out over at Woodworking News and Notes. I monitor that page throughout the day and just gather up my favorite stories of the past week. There are some great stories this week, including a scroll saw pattern of some jack o lanterns, plans for great-sounding speakers and a new type of wood called “Denim Pine…” Enjoy! Scrolling Pumpkins from Maple – Happy Halloween “My daughter loves Halloween. I love my daughter. Put the two things together and when October…

• Norm Abram Retiring

  toolcrib

  20 Oct 2009 | 1:25 pm

  Breaking news! Norm Abram, the #1 most influential woodworker, has announced his retirement from the New Yankee Workshop. I will dig in more thoroughly later this week! For now I leave you with coverage from Woodworking Magazine: Norm Abram Closes Up Shop. “After 21 seasons, “The New Yankee Workshop” is closing its doors, and its much-beloved host, Norm Abram, is going to focus on his personal projects and PBS’s “This Old House,” according to Russ Morash, executive producer and director of “The New Yankee Workshop.”" update: More Research Shows…

• Thanks to You, James Krenov Scholarship Fund Receives $300 Donation from ToolCrib.com

  toolcrib

  14 Oct 2009 | 6:57 am

  We recently ran a newsletter subscriber drive and donated $5 for every new sign up that occurred from the 21st of September until the 15th. Thanks so much to our new subscribers – and everyone who got the word out – you helped us reach our donation cap of $300! I spoke with Mr. David Welter yesterday, from the College of the Redwoods, and he expressed his thanks to those who surrendered their email addresses ;) I asked him a little about how they’ll select the beneficiary of a new scholarship, and he outlined it like this: 1) There’s a staff review of scholarship…

• 
  GreenWerks

• World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms

  Chris Campbell

  26 Oct 2009 | 12:48 pm

  What started as a London secretary’s pining for the English countryside has now turned into an international movement for green-minded people who volunteer on organic farms around the world. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), a volunteer exchange program founded in 1971 by Sue Coppard, is bringing volunteers to over 40 countries, something that [...]

• Gabriel Environmental Annual Open House

  Chris Campbell

  21 Aug 2009 | 12:21 am

  Gabriel is the Chicago expert for environmentally responsible testing and clean up of contaminated sites. They have an annual open house that is usually quite a blast and I thought I would share this invite with you. You’re cordially invited… You are invited to join Gabriel as we break out the grill for our Last Bash [...]

• Green Hero of Chicago-Jessa Brinkmeyer: Making Chicago Stylish and Sustainable

  Liz Thullen

  10 Jul 2009 | 8:57 am

  Many people look to incorporate their environmental responsibilities into their daily lives yet don’t know how. However, what if showing your green pride was as easy as simply picking out your outfit in the morning. Jessa Brinkmeyer, owner of the stylish eco-friendly boutique, Pivot, shows Chicagoans that by dressing with the environment in mind [...]

• Green Hero of Chicago- Joe Silver: Supplying for the Green Demand

  Liz Thullen

  3 Jul 2009 | 4:30 am

  Having grown up in a construction supply family, it was an easy decision for Joe Silver to take on the family business. However, Joe chose not only to uphold the business but more importantly he chose to modify his product to be more applicable to the times—the more environmentally responsible times. Joe Silver [...]

• Start of Construction for Hutchinson Residence

  Chris Campbell

  3 Jul 2009 | 4:19 am

  We got some great feedback on the recent pictures we posted of the Oak Park project. I stopped out last week at the Hutchinson Residence where we are doing an entire home rehab. Our project manager Mark and site manager Santana has been doing a great job keeping this 8 week project on schedule. You [...]

• 
  Home Construction Improvement

• Winter Window Condensation

  Todd

  7 Nov 2009 | 5:30 am

  What Causes Window Condensation Each winter I’m asked repeatedly why new energy efficient windows have condensation on them. I’ve written several articles about window condensation,... This is a brief summary of the article. For the full article please visit Home Construction Improvement.

• What To Expect When Remodeling A Staircase

  Todd

  7 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  Guest Post by Dave Lowe with Indital USA Expectations – Costs and Remodel Approaches Replacing an old predominantly wood balustrade staircase and swapping in powder coated iron balusters can... This is a brief summary of the article. For the full article please visit Home Construction Improvement.

• Gator Ultra Power Premium Series Sandpaper Review

  Todd

  6 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  Gator Ultra Power Sandpaper We recently received samples of the all new Gator Ultra Power Sandpaper manufactured by Ali Industries. The new Gator Ultra Power Premium Sandpaper is manufactured using... This is a brief summary of the article. For the full article please visit Home Construction Improvement.

• Stanley Works Buys Black & Decker

  Todd

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:47 pm

  New Tool Powerhouse There was some fairly big news this week in the tool industry and that news is Stanley Works buying Black & Decker. With the building industry still in the midst of a... This is a brief summary of the article. For the full article please visit Home Construction Improvement.

• Unique Roof Measuring Service

  Todd

  4 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  GeoEstimator – Safe & Inexpensive Roof Measurements Recently I stumbled upon a very cool new service for the construction industry that really caught my eye. GeoEstimator is a service that... This is a brief summary of the article. For the full article please visit Home Construction Improvement.

• 
  Rambling Renovators

• A Modernist Jewel Uncovered

  Wanderluster

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:25 pm

  I really shouldn't be writing this post. Not that it isn't post-worthy - it is - but if anyone should be talking about this house:...its HandyMan. This is the house that started it all. This is the house in which HandyMan grew up. Its the house his parents bought in 1969 and which Mama HandyLuster lived in until we sold it this past June. Its a house filled with memories and experiences, good and bad, as all well-loved homes are. See that iron gate, the large dial sculpture, the fence? HandyMan built them. And he painted the exterior and laid the walkway too. Here's the interior courtyard and…

• Pumpkins & Power Tools

  Wanderluster

  31 Oct 2009 | 8:41 pm

  What would Halloween be without power tools? A little more trick than treat, I say.HandyMan and I got our pumpkins carved just in the nick of time before the neighbourhood kiddos came knocking on our door. Okay, so we really didn't carve them exactly. Take a little bit of Martha Stewart, add some Rambling Renovators, and pumpkins end up looking like this:Add some glow-in-the-dark-mice:And you get this!Our front stoop isn't the only thing that was decorated.(Yes, that is a farmer, his wife, and a very sleepy little chicken).

• Adventures In Baby Led Weaning

  Wanderluster

  29 Oct 2009 | 5:47 pm

  So let me get this straight, Mommy and Daddy... you're going to try Baby Led Weaning with me? That means you introduce me to solid foods and I get to feed myself, no spoon-feeding and no purees? And I get to sit at the table with you and have my own share of the food? I'm game! What's this green thing? Asparagus, you say? Okay, I'll try it. It looks fun enough.YUCK!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? That tastes horrible!! What else you got? Something red? I like red! Okay, let's try the red pepper. Man, THAT TASTES JUST AS BAD AS THE ASPARAGUS!!! I'm not even trying the yellow pepper! More, more,…

• Showhome Inspiration

  Wanderluster

  27 Oct 2009 | 12:31 pm

  Showhomes are great sources of inspiration. Often a collaboration of many different designers, showhomes are great for showing the latest design trends and can give you ideas about new materials and furnishings, paint colours, and how to layout and decorate rooms. Some of my favourite showhomes are the Hampton Designer Showcase, the annual HGTV Dream Home giveaway, and the Kips Bay Showhouse So when House & Home magazine (my fave design mag) recently designed a showhome, you knew the results wouldn't disappoint. They've designed the Princess Margaret Hospital Sweepstakes Showhome in a…

• Scoop du Jour: Sarah Richardson Casting Call

  Wanderluster

  21 Oct 2009 | 5:09 pm

  Hmm, I just noticed that most of my scoops seem to be about Sarah Richardson. Yes, I am one of her biggest fans, but if this keeps going on, it might border on 'stalker-ish' behaviour, don't you think? No matter. Just got word of a scoop that I have to share with you: Sarah is casting for a new show! This one is focused on homeowners or renters who want a room in their house redecorated. That's right - no big renovations (a la Design Inc. or Sarah's House) - just simple, chic, makeovers from Sarah & her sidekick Tommy. Are you game (and live in the Greater Toronto Area)? Then click on…

• 
  DIY DIVA

• Austin Adventures

  kitliz

  4 Nov 2009 | 7:30 pm

  It would be unfair to say that the the donkeys were the highlight of our vacation because our favorite part of the whole trip was, well, the whole trip. We spent a little time wandering around Austin… Which of course meant finding the closest Irish Pub. We find one in every city, because it’s the only place you can get Guinness and cider in the same glass. And of course we saw some things other than the inside of a pub. Even though we are Damn Yankees through and through, the confederate soldier graves were still a moving sight… Even more moving was a memorial for the WTC…

• Miniature Donkeys: Small, smart, and ALL MINE

  kitliz

  1 Nov 2009 | 8:01 pm

  Okay, not quite all mine yet, but  let’s start at the beginning. MysteryMan and I spent the last five days having a great time, with great friends in one Great (big) State, all of which I’ll tell you about later because I’ve got more important things to discuss at the moment. MINIATURE DONKEYS. We originally planned our trip to Texas with food, friends, and music in mind. But MysteryMan had the best idea ever when he suggested we rent a car for a day and drive a few hours south to see his Aunt on her little ranch. Do I really need to tell you what also lives on that ranch?

• Dirt, Wood, Steel & Smirks

  kitliz

  26 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am

  Us, busy? No way. Last week I said to MysteryMan (regarding some project or another for the house), “let’s just do that in the winter when we’re stuck indoors.” He blinked at me eleven times and then started checking of weekends on his fingers. Between vacations, obligations, holidays, and occasional sleeping… we have about 4 free weekends left before the end of the year. It’s terrifying. We handle it by doing what we usually do when things get stressful… Playing in the dirt. This weekend was the point-of-no-return for the new donkey pasture. Which…

• Knocked Down

  kitliz

  21 Oct 2009 | 3:41 pm

  It’s true, sometimes life is unfair. And then there are times… Times where you have to be on a client call while simultaneously removing half of your clothing and walking through airport security. While your co-worker may-or-may-not be having a baby. Times when you have 5 minutes to get to the airplane, and a kindly security guard stops you and says Hey, WRONG TERMINAL. Times when you have to run half a mile back to your vehicle with two bags, pay for 15 minutes of parking, drive to another building, go back through security, and get searched for a bomb all while maintaining a…

• DIY Resources: For Sale By Owner

  kitliz

  20 Oct 2009 | 8:56 pm

  Might as well keep with the theme for this week, and save those pictures of me, MysteryMan and his dad stuccoing over the old station doorway for another day. I know, right? Big disappointment. I’ll make it up to you by giving you all my top-secret info on putting a house up for sale on your own without breaking the bank, or crossing the threshold of your sanity. You may toe the line a bit on that last one though. Really? For Sale by Owner? Considering my house has been “on the market” for one whole day, it’s safe to say I’m not an expert on whether or not FSBO…

• 
  I'm an Organizing Junkie

• Round-Up Winner

  Laura

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:17 pm

  You know what I love to see?  So many of  the participants for last month’s round-up used my PROCESS steps to get their drawers organized.  Yay!  Everyone did such a great job and it was so hard to pick just one winner.  Really I have no idea why I do this to myself :) Thank you [...]

• Gift Wrap Stations

  Laura

  4 Nov 2009 | 9:02 pm

  The other day I showed you how I store my gift bags, wrap and cards in my gift closet.  In case you don’t happen to have an available closet, I wanted to show you some other alternatives that I’ve found that may be helpful to you as you set up a system that works for [...]

• I love photobooks!

  Laura

  4 Nov 2009 | 9:10 am

  Check out my Shutterfly review and enter to win a photobook of your own! Social Bookmarking

• Gift Closet

  Laura

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:01 pm

  When the going gets tough, I get organizing.  It’s what I do to zone out and not think about anything else.  It works amazingly well.  The payoff at the end is awesome and it helps me to feel more in control when things around me might not necessarily be so.  I’ve been wanting to tackle [...]

• Menu Plan Monday ~ Nov 2nd

  Laura

  1 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pm

  Thank you so much for all the uplifting and encouraging comments so many of you left for me on this post.  I have read them over and over and am so thankful to have so many supportive friends in real life and in blogland.  We are hanging in there, taking one day at a time.  [...]

• 
  This Old House: How-To And Repair

• How to Install Wall Frames

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:05 am

  Add elegance to any room for only $200

• Fall Inspection Guide

  4 Nov 2009 | 9:05 am

  Five steps to giving your house a yearly checkup, from the pros at This Old House

• How to Quiet Heating Pipes

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:25 am

  This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows how to silence noisy heating pipes

• How to Drain Pipes for the Winter

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:25 am

  Hot tips for avoiding frozen pipes with This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey

• How to Work with PVC Pipes

  30 Oct 2009 | 9:05 am

  In this how-to video, This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey works with PVC pipes

• 
  Handyguys Podcast

• Episode #88 – Furnace Filters

  The Handyguys

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:58 pm

  Furnace filters are a critical component of your heating and cooling system. Make sure they are changed regularly. We discuss the myriad of choices in furnace filters in this podcast. The Handyguys group filters into three different categories, good, better and best. Whats best for one person may not be the best for another. The standard filters are good for most people. They permit the furnace to operate as it was designed. When selecting a filter you would typically replace with one equal in size and type to the filter already install on your furnace. This may be a a non-pleated fiber type…

• Episode #87 – Top 10 Essential Tools, Duct tape and a Contest

  The Handyguys

  29 Oct 2009 | 2:15 pm

  In this show The Handyguys discuss their top 10 starter tools and announce a contest to win this toolkit! Win this tool kit! What is included in a first time home buyers tool kit? Screwdrivers of course!  But what else? The Handyguys went shopping at True Value to assemble a quality starter set of essential tools for the typical home owner. Our Kit Includes: The Handyguys will take your questions via the phone at (818) 804-TOOL. Leave an email address if you want an immediate and direct response. Tool Bag Carpenter’s Pencil Speed Square, Orange Pliers Set Screwdriver Set Pry Bar…

• Episode #86 – DIY Drama, Old Tractors and New Counters

  The Handyguys

  22 Oct 2009 | 1:58 pm

  DIY Drama, Old Tractors and New Counters You need to listen to the podcast to hear Paul's story about what happened to his nice laptop. Does this picture give you a clue? Click on the pic to see it bigger. We start off by talking about the True Value DIY Drama contest. You can win $5000 if your story is chosen as a winner. Brian and Paul have both had some drama but Paul most recently. You MUST listen to Paul tell his drama story in the podcast. It was a very expensive story. What are you working on lately? Brian and Paul both discuss what recent projects they have been working on. First…

• Episode #85 – Water powered backup sump pumps

  The Handyguys

  15 Oct 2009 | 1:59 pm

  Water powered backup sump pumps Never have water in your basement again due to a failed sump pump or a power outage. Water powered sump pumps do not require any electricity to operate. Our listener had to remove new carpet from his finished basement due to heavy rains and a failed primary sump pump. In this episode we address backup sump pumps, in particular water powered sump pumps. We were contacted by a listener via twitter and asked if we had recommendations for a backup pump. We knew of a few brands and types but our question was specifically about water powered pumps. After a little bit…

• Episode #84 – Cabinet Veneer and Fireplace Conversions

  The Handyguys

  8 Oct 2009 | 1:58 pm

  Cabinet Veneer and Fireplace Conversions In this episode of The Handyguys Podcast we address two listener questions, one from voicemail about changing the look of a bathroom vanity and one through our contact form about converting a fireplace from gas to wood burning. Refinishing a bathroom vanity This question was left on our voicemail, listen to the podcast to hear the question in full. Essentially the caller, Susie, has a pine bathroom vanity with a whitewashed finish. She would like the look of a cherry vanity and wants to know her options short of replacing the vanity. The Handyguys…

• 
  One Project Closer

• DIY Round Up: DIY Laundry Detergent Edition

  Fred

  7 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am

  Happy Saturday! As you read this, we’re up and at ‘em getting started on our basement insulation project. Here’s some weekend reading to get you started while we’re busy. TipNut headlines this round up with 10 ways to make your own laundry detergent. It’s an interesting project for sure. We haven’t gone that DIY yet – but Josh over at Bungalow 23 has. (Hat tip to Josh for this great reference). We found this neat Color Personality Test at Pratt & Lambert. I’m apparently “Sun-Kissed”, which means my “colors have all the…

• Price Pfister Faucet Giveaway Winner

  Ethan

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am

  And another giveaway has come to an end. It’s time to announce the winner of our Price Pfister faucet giveaway. Price Pfister has been making stylish, dependable faucets since 1910. They offer affordable products that stand up to everyday use and they provide a quality guarantee to back it up. For more information about the Hanover kitchen faucet, check out my review. It’s been another successful giveaway with a total of 9152 entries! We had 152 comments, 845 email subscribers and 11 blog entries. We used random.org to select the winner, and it chose Jen from Our Home in the…

• Giveaway: Trane Deluxe Programmable Thermostat (XL800)

  Ethan

  6 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  The Price Pfister giveaway has finished (winner announcement shortly) and it’s time to get rolling with our next amazing freebie. Trane is breaking into the scene with a very nice, energy efficient, programmable thermostat. And the best part, there’s going to be two winners!! Trane XL800 Digital Thermostat Did you know that the average household will pay $2,300 this year in energy costs, and heating your home accounts for almost half of that total! A programmable thermostat is an easy way to save about 10% of your heating and cooling bills and will often pay for itself in two…

• Vapor Barrier for Closed Cell Spray Foam Insulation

  Fred

  5 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am

  We’re just about ready to have closed cell spray foam installed (our choice for basement wall insulation). We’ve lined up a great contractor in the Baltimore area who’s going to let us follow him around the basement with our video gear so we can share the whole experience with you. Stay tuned for that in the next 2-3 weeks, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the series. Here’s two pictures of the basement’s concrete block walls today: If you’re familiar with most basement insulation methods, you’ll recognize the complete lack of a vapor barrier…

• Cordless Drill vs Cordless Hammer Drill

  Ethan

  4 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  At first look, a cordless drill and a cordless hammer drill seem like very similar tools. They look similar and are even used for some of the same projects. But hammer drills have one key advantage, making them much more useful and, I believe, worth the additional cost. Read on the learn about the great advantages of a hammer drill and a simple cost comparison. What is a Hammer Drill A hammer drill, also called a rotary hammer, is a drill equipped with a hammering action. Image a drill with a jackhammer inside. That means that as you drill, there is a repeated, pounding force that breaks…

• 
  Renovate Australia

• House Removals – Guest Post

  Bill Hutchison

  14 Oct 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Our house was relocated to the current site in about the 1930’s, probably from Charters Towers about 150km West of Townsville. Also the house that we owned and renovated before this one was sold as a removal home by the developer who purchased it from us. House removals has been a fascinating process for me, especially coming from Canada where it is definitely not as common as it is here. I’ve been talking lately with a house removalist about some of the questions that people have had on the site about house removals. He’s been active on the site answering peoples questions in…

• Make An Inexpensive Kid’s Cardboard Kitchen

  Bill Hutchison

  6 Sep 2009 | 9:34 am

  I’ve written before about wanting to build a kid’s kitchen from an old entertainment system. I haven’t gotten around to doing that, but I did make a small kitchen out of some Cardboard Boxes that my daughter Jessica loved… I can’t remember where I got the boxes from, but they were probably from the local hardware store. I got two that were the same size and in pretty good condition. I primed the boxes with a 3 in 1 primer / sealer / undercoat that I had left over from when I undercoated the house. The boxes were taped together using normal clear packing tape, which the paint…

• House Available for Removal in Sydney

  Bill Hutchison

  5 Sep 2009 | 9:40 am

  I got this e-mail from someone in Sydney … Allan Zhong wrote: I have a fibrate house in Sydney that we want moved away. I’m wondering, do you want it? I am guessing that they meant a “fibro” house for removal in Sydney. I have no need or want for the house, but I thought that I would put it out there in case there is someone else out there who might want it. If you do then just put a comment below and I can put you in touch with Allan so that you can discuss the removal of the house.

• Choosing Master Bedroom Lighting

  Bill Hutchison

  23 Jul 2009 | 1:46 am

  When we were choosing the lighting for our master bedroom we had a lot to consider. There are two types of lighting that you need to consider when choosing your lighting options. They are: Work / Task Lighting Ambient Lighting Work / Task Lighting Typically your work / task lighting can be found in one, two or possibly three locations in the master bedroom. We have task lighting in only one location, but it would probably be nice to have it in the other two as well. The main locations for task / work lighting in a bedroom, in order of prominence, are: Bedside Tables Dresser Mirror Closet We…

• What Temperature Do You Set Your Air Conditioner To?

  Bill Hutchison

  17 Jul 2009 | 11:10 pm

  Recently I’ve been living next to someone who I’m convinced sets their air conditioner to about 20C (70F). I’ve heard it turn on when I have been very comfortable both inside and outside. At the same time I reckon that they probably have their heater set not much below that, so they always stay right at the same temperature year round. The recommended temperature to set your air conditioner to is 25C (77F). This is the best setting to balance the economy of running your air conditioner and setting it to  a comfortable temperature. Some people find 25C to be too warm to set the air…

• 
  I Need More Tape!

• Overhead Garage Storage

  admin

  18 Oct 2009 | 6:23 pm

  Since my basement is finished, I don’t have much room to store bulk items.  Closets can help to de-clutter.  Basement and garage shelving can go a long way towards solving the storage problem.  However, one often overlooked option is the garage ceiling.  Depending on the ceiling height, you may have one or more storage options.  In this article, I want to highlight the overhead storage platform. I recently installed a 45” x 45” platform over each garage bay.  The platform supports up to 250 pounds and adjusts in depth from the ceiling from 18” to…

• How to Assemble a Swing Set

  admin

  2 Aug 2009 | 10:53 am

    A couple of months ago, we purchased a Rainbow swing set from Costco.  The set was pretty large- seven boxes and a slide that, in total, weighed about a thousand pounds.  Getting it home was a chore, but we managed to do it in two trips with a Ford Explorer.  We solicited a couple of quotes from people that were willing to assemble the set- both quotes were between $500 and $1,000.  So, I decided to assemble the swing set myself.   The instructions recommend that you inventory the parts prior to assembly.  Well, I started to do just that.  Thirty…

• How to Build a Media Room – Part 3

  admin

  14 Jun 2009 | 3:17 pm

    In Part 1 and Part 2 of the series of how to build a media room, we provided ideas for planning, constructing, and decorating a home theater.  As a follow-up, here are a few pictures of our finished product. Here is the entrance.  We chose double doors because we wanted more of a grand entrance than a single door provides. The doors are painted with a semi-gloss finish on the outside, but a flat finish (to minimize glare) on the inside. The wall of the media room are decorated with movie posters.  Sconces (operated by a remotely controlled dimmer) provide soft lighting,…

• How to Build a Media Room – Part 2

  admin

  29 Apr 2009 | 7:03 pm

  In Part 1 of this article, I discussed reasons why you may want to build a media room, choosing a location in your home, pre-wiring, and adding lighting, flooring, and sound insulation.  In this post, we’ll discuss the remaining steps. Painting the Room The ideal paint for a media room is a dark color in a flat finish.  Why?  Because it does not reflect as much light.  So I recommend that you target one or more dark colors (in a flat finish, of course) that fit nicely with the décor of your room.  For example, if you have black, blues and grays as your…

• How to Hide a Spare House Key

  admin

  23 Mar 2009 | 6:35 pm

    For many people, having a spare key for emergency situations is a must. Whatever the reason- as a backup in the event you lose you primary key, so that your children don't need to keep a key with them, or for emergency entrance by others, the important things to consider are location, disguise, and protection. Location The first thing to consider is WHERE you want to keep the spare key.  Some of the more common ideas I've heard or read are: Under a doormat- Please don't do this, even if it is just for five minutes.  It is probably the first place that comes to…

• 
  The Collegiate Handyman

• Nooooooo

  18 Oct 2009 | 12:03 pm

  It's the end of an era. Norm Abram's wikipedia page reports that The New Yankee Workshop will not return for another season. Sad news indeed.I'm going to hold out on hope that the fine journalists at wikipedia got this one wrong. They did say that Wood Magazine reported it, but they didn't provide a direct source (imagine that). I wasn't able to find any sources either.If it is true, at least there are still hundreds of old episodes available.Thankfully, Norm will still be around for This Old House.Here is Norm on Youtube.

• Entertainment Center Modification

  5 Oct 2009 | 6:01 pm

  Does this entertainment center look familiar? This general design has been very popular in recent years, however, with the increasing popularity of flatpanel LCD and plasma TVs, this design is becoming obsolete.LCDs just don't fit well in these old entertainment centers. LCDs are rectangular due to their widescreen nature, and these enclosures are, for the most part, square. Plus, things are becoming increasingly streamlined. A bulky entertainment center like this is just out of place.So what can you do with something like this? Well, you could try to sell it, but these are all over…

• Table Refinishing Project - Part 2

  2 Oct 2009 | 12:56 pm

  Oops, it's been a while since my last posts. You see, I graduated a few months ago so I was no longer truly a "Collegiate Handyman." Well, I've returned as a student in graduate school. So I guess I might as well keep the blog going, right? Anyway, here is part 2 of the table refinishing.As you can see here, I dismantled the table to make sanding easier. Doing so definitely sped up the process. I also discovered that the table is composed of a combination of plywood, a cheaper wood base, and oak veneer. That being said, the quality is still much better than any cheap veneer furniture made in…

• Table Renishing Project - Part 1

  26 May 2009 | 8:43 pm

  It's funny how you never seem to realize just how much junk you have until you try to pack up and move. Like many people, I have that problem. However, my problems go a step further. I can't seem to throw away some things.When one of my former roommates decided she didn't want this table, I jumped at the chance to add it to my ever-growing to-do list of projects. This table is well-built and solid, but it has many surface defects. It's the perfect candidate for resurfacing. Maybe I'm a pack rat, but then again, maybe I have an eye for seeing hidden potential. Although I will admit, I often…

• Speed Square Comparison

  16 Feb 2009 | 5:27 pm

  A speed square is an essential tool for framers, but also quite useful for handymen. It is essentially a triangular piece of flat metal (or plastic) with a base on either side of one edge. Originally, one of its main uses was for assisting with laying out rafters, specifically, cut angles. Nowadays, it probably doesn't see too much use for that purpose, but it is still helpful when cutting angles. However, the uses don't stop there.I primarily use my speed square for checking that corners are square, and as a cutting guide. It is definitely worth it to have one for those tasks. It can save a…

• 
  Home Improvement Blog

• How to Score Free Firewood

  6 Nov 2009 | 2:18 pm

  Temperatures have fallen across the country and many of you have already cleaned up your fireplace and started using it on a daily basis. The quest to find decent wood to burn is easier for some than others. We’ve picked up a lot of free wood from Craigslist but the quality often hasn’t been so gr… diy website www diy network com home improvement credit card home improvement archive Bathrooms diy kits hgtv.com Design and Construction hgtv Lighting Home Repairs

• Bring Mid-Century Flair to Your Front Door

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:40 am

  Crestview Doors recently started following us on Twitter and we checked out their work. Very impressive. We love the concept. Take your existing door and give it a mid-century contemporary twist with their Doorlite Kits. They include directions for that diy door modification and they have kits to… diy advice home improvement tools home improvement gallery diy tile diy street diy log cabin Kitchens paint colors home improvement ads Furniture Home Repairs

• Know Your Options When Insulating a Basement

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Why not take advantage of the available square footage in your basement and not just leave it as a storage room. By finishing out a basement or at least insulating it, you’ll be able to enjoy more of your home as well as save energy. One Project Closer went through the process of selecting baseme… advanced home improvements build your own windmill home improvement source home improvement game home improvement wiki home improvement web home improvement companies diy projects diy garden home improvement expert Home Repairs

• Protect Yourself From Unscrupulous Landlords

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:02 am

  Unfortunately not all landlords and property managers are honest and until you become a tenant it’s difficult to determine what to expect from the relationship. Contracts and leases are meant to protect both the tenant and the owner but there is a large gray area that contains the emotions and int… advanced home improvement diy blog diy plumbing diy shed hgtv www.hgtv.com home improvement store diy guide diy books home improvement richard Home Repairs

• Stanley Works to Acquire Black & Decker

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:28 pm

  Toolsnob tipped us to some big news in the world of tools. Stanley Works will acquire Black & Decker for $4.5billion in an all-stock deal. According to the WSJ: This deal combines two iconic U.S. hand-tool and power-tool makers whose fortunes have faded amid a break down in the housing marke… home improvement network diy electrical home improvement diy vinyl Bathrooms diy kitchen best home improvement home depot home improvement with tim allen home improvement online Home Repairs

• 
  HowStuffWorks Daily Feed

• 18 Memorable TV Theme Songs

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  A hit TV show is not complete without a memorable theme song. In fact, you probably know all the words to the theme songs included on this list. Read our list of 18 memorable TV theme songs, including the theme from 'Happy Days.'

• What's the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal?

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  The traditional Thanksgiving menu in the United States generally consists of a few staple items with a variety of side dishes, depending on family traditions. But do you have to break the bank to create this extravagant meal?

• Top 10 Public Enemies

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  Public enemies threaten the well-being of the populace, committing serial murders, genocide or financial piracy. What 10 public enemies make our list?

• Today's Video - Understanding: Cloning a Cow

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  Learn more about the cloning of a cow and other animals on TLC's "Understanding."

• What can I do for extremely dry hands?

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  If the skin on your hands is always dry, simple tasks like picking up objects or shaking hands can be uncomfortable. What can you do to lock in more moisture?

• 
  Expert Village Videos

• Senegalese Sabar Dance: Comping Moves 7

  In the Senegalese sabar dance, the seventh comping move is a knee lift and stomp. Practice an accompanying movement with tips from a performer of West African dance and music in this free video series on dancing.

• Vision Board Layers

  Making vision board layers is a great way to build on your theme. Learn more about creating vision board layers with expert tips in this free craft video.

• How to Add Pine Nuts to Beef Flank Steak

  Learn how to add pine nuts to beef flank steak with expert cooking tips in this free meat recipe video clip.

• Applying Mineral Makeup Eyeshadow Color

  How to apply natural mineral makeup eyeshadow color; get professional tips and advice on natural mineral makeup and cosmetic products in this free beauty video.

• Rules for Baseball Positions

  Learn about the different baseball positions, in this free video.

• 
  the How-To Geek

• Week in Geek: The Stupid Geek Tricks to Hide Extra Windows Edition

  The Geek

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:56 pm

  One of my favorite little features in Windows 7 is the shortcut key combination that hides all the open windows except for the one you are working on. It’s a great way to clear out the extra window clutter. Also, Wave invites. Hiding Extra Windows So, you’re using Windows 7 and you’ve got loads of stuff open on your screen. No matter, just press the Win+Home keyboard shortcut… And all the windows hide except for the one you were using. Useful! But you probably already knew that… What you didn’t think about is that there’s probably an easier way to use…

• Backup Your Ubuntu Machine Easily with SBackup

  Vivek

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  Your computer’s data is very critical and losing it can can occur due to variety of reasons. A complete (or even partial) backup of your system is always a good idea. SBackup is a tool that’ll help you backup and restore data on your Ubuntu machine with utmost ease. SB Backup SBackup is a simple backup solution for the Ubuntu desktop. It allows you to backup selected files and directories, define the file size limit, use regular expressions to exclude files and folders, and much more. These backups can then be saved locally, on removal media or even on remote directory.

• Friday Fun: Server Quest II

  Mysticgeek

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  Finally another Friday has arrived and you’re sick of dealing with your IT department because they never fix anything. Today take a look at Server Quest II which is a fun game from Microsoft’s TechNet that puts you in the roll of an IT professional. Server Quest II The game is aimed at Administrators and IT Professionals but if you think you can do it better try it out. Choose between two characters, Matt or Alicia where each has their own geeky characteristics. Decide what kind of geek you are… The controls are very basic…just the arrow keys and spacebar. You start out in…

• Move the Progress Bar to the Tabs in Firefox

  Asian Angel

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Do you like having the Progress Bar to monitor webpage loading but prefer to keep the Status Bar hidden? Now you can easily move the Progress Bar to your tabs with the Tab Progress Bar extension. Before Here is the “Progress Bar” showing in the “Status Bar” while a webpage is loading…nice if you like having the “Status Bar” displayed. But what if you prefer to have the “Status Bar” hidden? After Once you have installed the extension, the “Progress Bar” will display on any tabs that are currently loading leaving you free to completely hide the “Status Bar” if you…

• We Have 20 Google Wave Invites. Want One?

  The Geek

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:59 pm

  Google Wave is all the rage these days, probably in large part because you need to be invited to participate in the preview version. Want an invite? We’ve got 20 of them to give away. Sorry, the giveaway is over! What’s Google Wave, You Ask? The all-knowing Google robots decided to come up with a new solution to the problem of collaborating on the web. You can edit and discuss documents in real-time with a group of people. The Google Wave team says Wave is “what email would look like if it were invented today.” Right now, that’s the extent of what it does, though…

• 
  shelterrific

• blogwatch: where we were clicking this week

  Mary T

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:40 am

  decorate with gray. Toronto is the place for shopping — So we hear, ahem! So check out this guide to all the96-square-foot house. The haystack needle has an early clay pot is back, at trendscaping. Making It Lovely’sfit a zig-zag rug into our own personal style.

• gift idea: frame your name

  Mary T

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:10 am

  For years, Frame Your Name feature. Simply type in the name or word you want to frame, and a preview option will appear, letting you select letters. Since Frames by Mail specializes in frames, once you have your name or word set, you can stick with the default or select one of 1,700 metal and wood frames. All pieces come fully assembled with mat, plexiglass (for ease of shipping) and backing. — Sarah L.

• post off: what was your biggest diy project?

  Mary T

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:45 am

  That’s a photo from my old house, when we got the great idea to dismantle a second-floor kitchen, knock out of some walls, and turn what was originally a bedroom and tiny bathroom into a marvelous, expanded bathroom and walk-in closet. It took us two years, and we finished up just in time to move 2,000 miles away. Still, we’d start a project like that again, and probably will. What about you? — Mary T.

• bringing back snail mail with polaroid notes

  Erica P.

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  Add this to the collection of awesome Polaroid-inspired products we’ve posted about here on Shelterrific. This box of Fred Flare contains 20 different images and includes envelopes. I love receiving handwritten notes, and I’ve been making a concerted effort to send real cards instead of email whenever possible. I’m definitely going to pick up a box to have on hand. — Erica P.

• etsy finds from country living

  Mary T

  5 Nov 2009 | 5:45 am

  With all the great magazines that have come and gone over the past couple of years, I’m glad to see that Power Suit Tote Bag by cotton wrap basket from

• 
  Danny Lipford

• How to Landscape Your Yard with Deer-Resistant Plants

  Julie Day

  6 Nov 2009 | 3:14 pm

  Barberry is a popular deer-resistant shrub. If you live in an area with foraging deer, you’ve likely watched with dismay as some of your favorite plants disappeared overnight. But before you give up on gardening altogether, try making your yard less appealing to deer by choosing plants that deer find less appealing. The Deer-Proof Garden It’s important to remember that unless you build a very tall fence, there is no such thing as a deer-proof garden. Deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough, and they can adapt and eat plants that are considered “resistant.” However,…

• November Lawn & Garden To-Do List

  Julie Day

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm

  Fall gardening chores tend to have a “bedtime” theme – before your plants begin their long winter’s nap, they need to be tended and tucked cozily into their beds. Fall gardening is also an exercise in delayed gratification – new plants will barely put down roots before going dormant, cleaned and amended beds won’t show their gratitude until spring, and bulbs disappear underground, making you wonder if they’ll ever reappear. Don’t despair – instead, use this season to clean up, organize, and take stock of your lawn and garden. In November, most of the country…

• (702) Four Step Energy Makeover: How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

  Danny Lipford

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm

  With the rising cost of gas and electricity, finding ways to cut back on your energy consumption is more important than ever. To help you cope, we’re taking a look at four great ways to make your home more energy efficient that are also eligible for the Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit by upgrading your heating and cooling system, water heater, windows, and attic insulation. Home Energy Audit Blower door test. One of the best ways to find out how to reduce the amount of energy you use is by having an energy audit conducted on your home. Your local utility provider will often conduct the…

• Organic Sources of Potassium for Your Lawn or Garden

  Julie Day

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:12 am

  Hardwood ashes are a popular “home-made” source of potassium. Potassium is a very important nutrient for overall plant health. It’s involved in protein synthesis and in the flow of nutrients and water up and down the plant. Potassium strengthens plants against cold, heat, disease, and pests, and it’s the key ingredient in fertilizers labeled as “winterizers.” If you’re looking to go organic, there are many ways to supplement your lawn or garden with potassium without using chemical fertilizers. Here are the most common sources of organic potassium: Compost: Compost is…

• How to Solve Moisture Problems Under Your Home

  Danny Lipford

  3 Nov 2009 | 7:11 am

  We live in an older home that is raised a couple of feet off the ground with a crawlspace under it. In the past few years, the hardwood flooring in several rooms has started to warp and cup. What could be the problem? -Mary Hi Mary, It sounds like you may have excessive moisture and humidity in the crawlspace under your home. Here’s what you can do to correct it: Make sure the ground around your foundation slopes away from the house (1/2″ per foot or more). Divert rainwater run-off from the roof away from the foundation by installing gutters and extending the downspouts so water…

• 
  thl

• 1 Nov 2009 | 1:45 pm

  thl

  1 Nov 2009 | 1:45 pm

  11/1/2009

• 
  moop :: handmade

• The Moth: Stories Told

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:38 am

  I like to listen to things while I work. Lately it has been mostly the news from NPR. I guess because it's what I'm supposed to be listening to...because it's important to know what goes on in the world outside of Moop studios. But, I often tire of listening to the news or simply can't listen or just don't want to. My youngest brother is a Marine. Two weeks ago he deployed to Afghanistan. Soooo, right now I particularly don't like to listen to the news. In my search for something else to listen to, I discovered The Moth: Stories Told. It's a great form of escapism. Here are two of my…

• The Letter Bag is new again!

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:19 am

  I have been so anxious to get this into the shop. We have been working on this evolution of The Letter Bag for quite.some.time (almost since the first Letter Bag was released back in May!). We knew this bag was great, but we knew it could be even better with the addition of an adjustable strap. This is no simple thing to add, though. With a bag this size, we knew we needed to have a very specific piece of hardware to withstand the weight of everything you might put inside (like computers). So we custom ordered a set of d-rings that are welded and finished exactly how we want them.This was a…

• Happy Halloweeeeen!

  31 Oct 2009 | 7:06 am

  Parker carved her Halloween pumpkin. Jack o lanterns are like kids drawings...they're all super duper cute.Have fun this weekend!

• heart shaped bananas

  27 Oct 2009 | 8:05 pm

  I saw this idea for heart shaped bananas last week on Poppytalk...it was posted by Sauna and Stephen of Somethings Hiding in Here -I thought it was completely charming (as they seem to be, eh?). I took their idea and tossed them on top of Parker's toaster waffles this morning...they really classed up breakfast! It was super easy. I didn't have time to photograph it so I stole this image from their website. But, you too can dress up your eggos in a jif...here's how Stephen says to do it:simply carve a notch down the entire banana, then slice up the heart shapes onto pancakes, ice cream, or any…

• A few new bags

  26 Oct 2009 | 6:04 am

  We just added a few new colors to the shop. The first (and one I think you'll be excited about) is a new color in the Market Bag! It's been a long time since we added to the Market Bag Collection and are super excited to show you the newest addition:The Market Bag in brown corded canvas lined in 100% organic golden yellow cotton. This is one of my most favorite color pairings. I would love to know what you think of it.We love this new brown corded canvas so much we decided to add it to the Messenger Bag collection as well. Corded canvas is the ideal material. It is durable, has texture, is…

• 
  HowToWeb.com

• Hard Drive Storage Gets Super Cheap in 2020

  25 Oct 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Physorg.com has an interesting article about what technology will follow hard drives. The article cites a study that has hard drive storage costing as little as $40 for a 14 TB drive in 2020. According to a new study, if HDDs continue to progress at their current pace, then in 2020 a two-disk, 2.5-inch disk drive will be capable of storing more than 14 TB and will cost about $40 (today, a typical 500 GB hard drive costs about $100). Although flash memories have also become popular - with advantages such as lower power consumption, faster read access time, and better mechanical reliability…

• Green Ecofont Uses Less Ink

  22 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm

  Ecofont is a free font designed to be more eco-friendly. The font has holes in it so that less ink will be used when the font is printed. CNET reports that Ecofont claims to use 20% less ink than regular fonts. They also say it is basically "Arial with holes." The font is available for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux systems. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds

• Pace of Domain Registrations Slows

  10 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm

  Internet News reports that Verisign reported that the number of registered domains climbed to 184 million in the second quarter of 2009. 9 million new domains were registered in the second quarter - this was a 15% plunge from the second quarter in 2008. VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN) said in its report that, "around nine million new domain names were registered across all of the TLDs in the second quarter of 2009." Still, that figure represents a 15 percent decline from the second quarter of 2008. "The overall base of domain names grew by 9 percent year-over-year and 1 percent quarter-over-quarter,"…

• Russian Hackers Paid 43 Cents a Mac

  26 Sep 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Computerworld reports that a network of Russian malware writers have been paying hackers 43 cents for each Mac computer they infect with malware. A network of Russian malware writers and spammers paid hackers 43 cents for each Mac machine they infected with bogus video software, a sign that Macs have become attack targets, a security researcher said yesterday. In a presentation Thursday at the Virus Bulletin 2009 security conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Sophos researcher Dmitry Samosseiko discussed his investigation of the Russian "Partnerka," a tangled collection of Web affiliates who…

• iTwinge: Keyboard Sleeve for iPhone

  18 Sep 2009 | 1:00 pm

  iTwinge is a real QWERTY physical keyboard that appears to fit on the iPhone like a sleeve. For $30 it might be a nifty addition for those who want to use a real keyboard instead of the touchscreen. Gadgetwise says the keyboard was originally developed by Mobile Mechatronics founder Mike Nykoluk as a training device to help transition people from a regular keyboard to iPhone's touchscreen. Now it is being targeted at people who would prefer a regular keyboard. There is also $5 shipping with iTwinge. Shipments begin on November 19th. (via ChipChick, Engadget) Permalink | Recent Headlines |…

• 
  Home Improvement Blog

• What are some tips for keeping carpet clean?

  LindaC

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:33 am

  One of the best things about being a homeowner is having the ability to decorate your home the way you like it. From the major details to what type of refrigerator and alarm system you will install, to the decision of which door knob to put on the door, decorating a home is one of the greatest joys of them all. And while some decisions may rank at different levels for homeowners, one that they all usually agree is vital to the home is the carpet. The right carpet has the ability to change the feeling in the room. If someone were to lay bright yellow carpet, you would imagine the emotion in…

• Tips on negative-amortization loans

  ruzzel01

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:51 am

  Negative amortization loans can be a positive strategy for homeowners, particularly for farmers or freelancers who receive their cash several times a year in large amounts but who lack a regular salary, or for low-income homeowners who do not want to throw their hard-earned money away on rent but who cannot absorb the financial burden of traditional loans with ever increasing interest payments. Negative amortization loans and $1000 payday loans have a deserved reputation for being risky financially, but with the right information and fiscal discipline, a borrower can make negative…

• Stylish Handbags For You

  muyang

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:55 pm

  An active lady is good looking and fashionable, and most of all, they have great taste. Choosing a hand purse or a small hand luggage according to body type can enhance your personality in a positive manner. Possessing a designer handbag from your favorite brand or fashion designrer can keep your appearance up. Believe it or not, the fashion replica handbags you choose to use at any given time will greatly influence your physical appearance.Bear in mind that purchasing yourself a handbag is beyond trends and recent fashion statements. However, it counts at times. The most important factor to…

• OMM Equipment

  muyang

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:54 pm

  Just in case any of you are interested (and to remind me for next year) here’s a listing of the kit I took on this year’s OMM 2 day mountain marathon :-Inov8 X-talon 212 shoes (worked a treat once again!!)Thorlo Trail socksHummel leggingsHummel base layerRon Hill GiletMontane DT waterproof jacketBuffKarrimor KIMM Sack Rucksac - 25litre - with shoulder bottle holder and 600ml bottle - emergency whistle - Silva compassAlpkit 400 down sleeping bag in dry bagTrangia Pan (small) - lighter - matches - coleman F1 stove - coleman 100gm gas cannister - pan handle - titanium spork - Life Systems…

• A good way of buying cheap wow gold

  muyang

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:54 pm

  How to buy cheap wow gold fast and safely has become the hottest topic on the internet. Some people once tried to farm the gold by themselves but gave up at last because it costs a lot of time and energy.  In such situation, the most suitable way is just to choose a desirable website. People can buy cheap wow gold in many website now. But what is important is which website can help people buy more gold with less amount of money. But before that, you should choose a site you trust and that really make sense. To see how long this website has been in business  and its impression on the…

• 
  The Building Brows

• Addendum/Correction: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

  (Jim and) Brandy Brow

  12 Oct 2009 | 7:30 pm

  Extreme Makeover Home Edition taping prep-work in the hospital:The hospital did not move in fake patients, what someone on the floor had said to me. They actually cleared out that side in a "musical patients" afternoon and left the emptied rooms with curtains drawn and doors closed for the taping. This was so us patients and our families were as undisturbed as possible--except for the musical patients bit. The hospital did a fabulous job cleaning and preparing for the crew under short notice. And at the end of the last visit the next day, co-host Paige signed Jaeli's signature-filled CHaD…

• Irony: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

  (Jim and) Brandy Brow

  29 Sep 2009 | 9:36 am

  As I sit in Jaeli’s hospital room at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) in Lebanon, New Hampshire, admittance for what turned out to be a urinary tract infection, listening to housekeeping paint scraped walls and clean the carpet in my pod, a strange mixture of emotions swirls inside. Not from the cleaning—I wish they’d come clean my home—but from their reason for the extensive and sudden spring cleaning: Extreme Makeover Home Edition is coming to tape a family in my pod tomorrow.Of course Jaeli will be moved to another section of the CHaD pedi floor away from the taping so…

• Major Life Changes

  (Jim and) Brandy Brow

  17 Jun 2009 | 6:07 pm

  It's been a long while since I've posted, but with good reason. We've been building something else these past several months with great difficulty. The Building Brows is now a family of nine.Our little girl was born two weeks ago by C-section. I'm recovering well, but we haven't yet welcomed baby JR into our home because she's in the hospital with serious complications and is looking at heart surgery, probably sooner than later. If you pray, please pray for our little girl. If you'd like to learn more, please check out my Brandy Brow twitter page (updated far more often than our Building…

• Refrigerator RECALL: Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa, Crosley

  (Jim and) Brandy Brow

  12 Mar 2009 | 8:20 am

  On March 10, 2009, in release #09-145, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a refrigerator recall by Maytag due to fire hazard, for Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag, and Crosley brand side-by-side and top-freezer refrigerators. Those with freezers on the bottom are not included in the recall.When the refrigerator's compressor turns on, an electrical component in the relay, which starts the compressor, can overheat and threaten safety. Forty-one reports of smoke and kitchen damage from this electrical failure have been reported so far.The CPSC…

• Pouring the Workshop Foundation

  (Jim and) Brandy Brow

  10 Mar 2009 | 8:34 am

  Pictures of Jim's roofing workshop foundation are here. In this slide show below, friends and family gathered to help spread and smooth the cement as it poured.I learned that the mixing truck's chute had to be put together and then cleaned and dismantled afterward. Jim learned that if he doesn't take all the cement in the mixer, the company takes back what Jim already paid for and makes concrete blocks from it that they then sell--without Jim getting money back on the returned mixture. Jim decided to dump the rest of it in front of the workshop door to begin a ramp. I would have done the…

• 
  Popular Science - DIY

• Obscure Tool #2 Revealed: Latham Wire Stitcher

  Vin Marshall

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:25 pm

  For your bigger stapling jobs Yesterday's mystery tool is officially known as the Monitor model 107 "Patented Wire Stitcher" manufactured by the Latham Machinery Company of Chicago, IL. Bookbinding operations like the one that gave the machine to me used it to place those big staples in thick stacks of pages to be bound. I'm sure you've always wondered what kind of stapler it takes to make that staple. This is it. The machine does not use staples as we know them in the common desktop stapler. It has a spool of wire, lengths of which it punches through the materials being bound, folds twice,…

• Tool School: More Precise Measuring

  Vin Marshall

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:39 pm

  A micrometer helps you measure more stuff down to 1/10,000 of an inch In my post about vernier calipers, I highlighted one rugged option for making highly accurate measurements. When building projects that involve things like sliding fits, interference fits, shafts and bearings, rotating parts, measuring sheet metal thickness (and the list goes on, and on), accurate and repeatable measurements in the range of 1/1000 of an inch become very important. In this Tool School, I look at another option: the micrometer. A standard micrometer is capable of the same 1/1000-inch accuracy as the vernier…

• Kit Pick: A Rugged TV Transmitter Kit

  Vin Marshall

  3 Nov 2009 | 4:03 pm

  An easy way to send a TV signal anywhere If you were anything like I was as a kid, you'll remember fondly the time spent soldering electronics kits. In recent years, I've been busy building things like pink camouflage tanks, and have mostly missed the recent electronic-kit resurgence. That is, until I had the need to broadcast live video images from the cockpit of a recent project to TV screens piled around the arena, and rediscovered an awesome kit source. An internet search reintroduced me to the venerable Ramsey Electronics. The Web site brought a smile to my face with things like a DTMF…

• Guess This Obscure Tool, Win More Tools: Part Deux

  Vin Marshall

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:10 pm

  Tell us what this machine is and win a Stanley Fat Max tape measure Last week, we inaugurated a new challenge for you here on PopSci.com that lets you show off your deep tool knowledge and walk away with not only our abiding respect, but a less obscure tool of your own. Here's how it works: We post a picture of a strange object from my shop, maybe a clue or two, and you guess what it is in the comments section below. The first and most precise among you to guess correctly will win the prize. This week, it’s a 30-foot Stanley FatMax tape measure. Pretty sweet. This week, the obscure object…

• FAA Review May Scuttle Hobbyist Inventor's Ingenious Method For Shipping Drugs

  Jeremy Hsu

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am

  An Ohio inventor's cargo box has drawn interest from major shipping companies, but now faces years of FAA review A new refrigerated cargo box for moving pharmaceutical products has attracted the likes of delivery giant UPS, but its inventor may go out of business first because of a lengthy review process by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Columbus Dispatch brings the story of Scott Farrar, owner of the small Ohio company Farrar Scientific. His reinvented "PharmaPort" cargo box uses a "passive" technology to keep drugs and other products at a constant temperature, and can fit…

• 
  cardgirldiy.com

• November Letterpress Sale!!!

  nessa

  2 Nov 2009 | 11:30 pm

  Blue skies, bright colored trees and a chill in the air….there’s not much in life I love more than a crisp fall day (and letterpressed cards). It puts me in a great mood.  A giving mood.  So please receive. MY OFFER TO YOU: 20% off all custom letterpress orders placed in November (think personalized stationery for holiday gifts, save the dates, and invitations of course!). 10% off all custom letterpress orders if you begin the design process in November (this is for those of you who would like a discount, but aren’t quite ready to get the order in). Just drop me a line, or…

• It’s a wrap.

  nessa

  21 Oct 2009 | 12:49 am

  “Wedding Season” has pretty much come to a close, so…I am excited to finally have a moment to share with you the amazing weddings for which I have had the privilege of producing invitations and stationery. My first to share, and definitely a favorite, is the wedding of Adrienne and Jake.  Adrienne used vintage buttons throughout the wedding…starting with the invitations.  I had the pleasure of sewing each button onto the invitation folders.  Definitely worth the effort.  They turned out so great. Adrienne wore every hat available in wedding-planner-land.  She…

• A Poster Child

  nessa

  22 Sep 2009 | 11:46 pm

  Literally.  My son is going to be a poster child…for the Oregon Ducks. I am so excited about this poster giveaway from LargeFormatPosters.com.  Not only are they offering to give away a poster to one of my fabulous readers, but I get one too!  And I know exactly what I’m going to use it for.  A lifesize poster of my three year old son in his “Go Ducks” gear playing his best game of lacrosse on the Oregon field.  I’ll hang it in his room for many years of brainwashing. So here’s the deal.  Comment here explaining how you will use the poster print (if…

• Wedding Superheroes

  nessa

  19 May 2009 | 11:02 am

  A group of five fabulous wedding and event planners (I can vouch for them - they really are fabulous) from the San Francisco Bay Area have decided to band together to learn as much as they can about their industry from one another and their experiences.  They have coined themselves “The Fab 5,” and they share the “Tales of the Fab 5″ on their blog….inevitably, the stories will be good. They have met with many local vendors that maybe only one of the planners had experience with, which allows the rest of the group to learn more about this recommended vendor. …

• Music to My…..Eyes

  nessa

  8 May 2009 | 10:36 am

  The best wedding favor I have received is a CD created by the bride & groom of their favorite love songs.  Of course, it helps a little that I absolutely adore this couple and think of them every time I play the CD! They had the cutest label stuck onto the disc….but I also know that they spent houuuurrsss of their time on these lovely labels. So I was excited to find these gorgeous CD Labels by My Own Labels (a favorite site of mine).  They have tons of different designs & colors to choose from, and you can order hang tags, water bottle labels, wine labels…you name…

• 
  The Home Know-It-All

• Get Your Yard Ready for Winter

  Katie

  19 Oct 2009 | 7:49 am

  This past weekend, my ambitious parents carefully planted 11, yes 11, arborvitae in their yard, their last big landscaping feat before winter rolls around. Now they're busy getting the rest of their lawn and garden ready for winter before the first major frost hits. Are you in the same boat? Here's what you need to do: Water. Before the ground freezes, hydrate foundation plants as well as newly planted trees and shrubs so they're not damaged by a lack of moisture by the time spring rolls around. Control leaves. Large piles of wet leaves can smother your lawn, block sunlight and air, and…

• Create a Spooky Front Porch

  Randall

  16 Oct 2009 | 6:52 am

  Halloween is only 15 days away, which leaves you just enough time to transform your everyday porch into a haunted masterpiece. How do you do it? Follow these steps.  1. Get inspired. Melissa over at The Inspired Room posted photos of a few spooky front porches in her neighborhood. (In my opinion, the spider on the roof takes the cake.) You can also find a few great ideas here. Click on the link that says "Enter Gallery" for photos of Halloween decorations.  2. Invest in a few essentials. Hay bales, corn stalks, and pumpkins are Halloween classics. Carefully arranged on your front porch,…

• Are You Ready for Some Football?

  Katie

  15 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am

  A few weeks ago, one of my best friends found herself in quite the predicament when trying to come up with the perfect birthday present for her honey. You see, he happens to be a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan, and already had more than enough shirts, jerseys, and other memorabilia. The one thing he didn't have? A frame to proudly flaunt his favorite jersey—and he was pleasantly surprised when he unwrapped it. Hanging pennants, framing jerseys and posters, and displaying autographed footballs and helmets are all classic ways to show off your team spirit. Get even more fired up for football…

• My Office Nook

  Randall

  12 Oct 2009 | 7:29 am

  Although my apartment's tiny office nook is only 5x6 feet, I'm dead set on squeezing out as much usable space from it as possible. Before my latest renovation, I had only a tiny desk and small filing cabinet in the compact roomand that was not sufficient. I needed more workspace, a place to store books, and room to showcase photos and other knickknacks.   That's why I installed ClosetMaid-brand, adjustable shelves from The Home Depot a couple weeks ago. They cost only $50 total, and they were a breeze to put up. Because I was able to alter the height between each of the three shelves, I made…

• Fall Gardening Gear

  Katie

  8 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am

  This year, my fall gardening consists of little more than faithfully watering the two pots of pretty rust-colored mums on my balcony. I have to admit that I'm slightly green with envy over all my lovely homeowner friends who get to tend to their larger gardens and enjoy fresh-from-the-garden fall goodies. If you're big into autumn gardening right now, make your trips to the garden even more enjoyable with these items:  A cut above. Fiskars' PowerGear Bypass Pruner ($29.99) makes trimming away at diseased, dead, or broken branches as easy as pie—three times as easy as using standard…

• 
  THAT PainterLady.com

• 10 Cheap And Easy Holiday Bathroom Decorating Ideas

  THAT Painter Lady

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:44 pm

  Here we go again… It’s time to talk about the Holiday’s. Holiday Decorating is pretty stressful for me… I don’t want to do over the top decorating any more. But… I also don’t want to look like a Scrooge. I do like to give my guest bathroom a bit of a sprucing up as well as decorate. Start by removing the clutter from your bathroom. Clear off the counter tops and purge your medicine cabinets. Invest in  Expandable Cosmetic Drawer Organizer and cupboards. When you have more storage space, you’re less likely to clutter counter tops with everything…

• Easy Idea For Faux Barn Wood Finish

  THAT Painter Lady

  8 Oct 2009 | 12:44 pm

  Kelly gave me a faux painting call for help: Hi Debra! I have an outdated kitchen. It has real wood paneling but it has turned dark with age and it is a northern room to begin with. Along with the oak baseboards and window trim it is just too dark! It is an old country farmhouse with three red barns on the property. My idea is to paint the paneling to look like weathered red barn siding. I have been searching for tips. One idea is to paint a gray base then somehow put the red on top? I am unsure how to create the look. I do have a limited experience with faux paint techniques. Any help would…

• Create Dimensional Palm Trees On A Wall

  THAT Painter Lady

  5 Sep 2009 | 12:50 pm

  Living in an area of the country where snow is only seen in pictures… I don’t know exactly what (or when) a three season porch is used for. When I saw the pictures of this porch I was blown away and a bit jealous. Barbara has added a light tropical touch to a room that could be very “log cabin” in theme. But… she has a problem. I have a three season porch that I have decorated in a tropical theme complete with lighted palm trees! I took a carpet roll, split it in two and covered two of the support beams in between the windows. Originally, I painted them to look…

• The Difference Between Home Staging and Home Decorating

  THAT Painter Lady

  10 Jul 2009 | 4:58 pm

  Home staging television shows are the “rage”. In fact a new one was just released on TLC (The Learning Channel) called “Stager Invasion”. I remember selling my first home over 20 years ago. I purchased a book about how to help your house sell. The book taught me about neutral colors, de – personalization, de-cluttering and having plenty of lights on in the house. These rules have not changed. I sold this house in a down economy… and we were lucky that we broke even and didn’t have to “pay” someone to buy our house. The work we did…

• Painted Floor To Resemble A Horse Blanket

  THAT Painter Lady

  3 Jul 2009 | 12:52 pm

  Linda Connolly sent in pictures of her floor in the feed room in her horse barn.  This is what she has to say about her painted floor that resembles a horse blanket. Painted directly onto the Boards. Got the pattern idea from a horse blanket I saw in a catalogue. Just changed the colors to suit my liking. By the way, I used the left over maroon color from the rug in the office. It is not completed in this picture but it is in too tough a shape to take another finished photo of now. And it has been there for about 10 years. Just regular water based paint and I sketched the pattern on after I…

• 
  The Best of DIY

• Origami Koi

  admin

  1 Nov 2009 | 7:54 am

  Check out Mabona Origami’s stop motion video to learn how to make origami Koi and make your own koi pond. Also, check out Mabona Origami’s website to see more amazing and beautiful origami creations.

• My Own Creation: Halloween Wreath

  admin

  1 Nov 2009 | 7:03 am

  I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! I made my own last minute Halloween Wreath after seeing A Forest Frolic’s wreath. Michael’s had run out of most of their Halloween section so I had very little to choose from, luckily I found a little plush vampire and witch to put on my wreath, with spiderweb ribbon and black roses. This project probably only took me 1hr to complete. I can’t wait to put it up again next year!

• Spooky Halloween Wreath

  admin

  22 Oct 2009 | 5:07 pm

  I’ve been looking for the perfect Halloween decoration for my door. I wasn’t all that smitten by any of the decorations at the stores, so I decided to search for a diy decoration. A Forest Frolic has the perfect decoration for my door and there is even a tutorial. Check out the Spooky Halloween Wreath tutorial! I love the black leaves and dark purple roses, I especially love the glitter and skulls!

• No Sew Plaid Children’s Flutter Cape

  admin

  21 Oct 2009 | 7:35 pm

  I love the words “No Sew”! Not that I don’t like sewing I just don’t have a sewing machine and hand sewing isn’t quick enough. Anyways, this No Sew Flutter Cape is sooo cute! It is for a kid but I’d like to make one big enough for me, it would be a nice fall overcoat. Check out the blog Ruffles and Stuff for the full tutorial.

• Pixelated Artwork

  admin

  26 Sep 2009 | 10:09 am

  Apartment Therapy has a great tutorial on how to make a pixelated painting out of paint chips, just like this one of Marylin Monroe. You could also make it a real painting with oils or acrylics. Check out this Abraham Lincoln painting that was the original inspiration of the paint chips artwork. This would make a great addition to my apartment, I’ve got some bare walls.

• 
  Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

• The process of sealing tumble stone backsplash

  21 Oct 2009 | 2:45 pm

  I just recently had tumbled stone installed as a backsplash on my kitchen walls, when my granite was installed. The company that installed the

• SA Building & Remodeling, Co., San Antonio, Texas 78258

  14 Oct 2009 | 3:15 am

  At SA Building & Remodeling, Co., we provide full service from design through construction. We have over 33 years experience in the remodeling

• SiteMap

  26 Sep 2009 | 7:08 pm

  Dream-Kitchen-Ideas.com SiteMap

• Most Popular Kitchen Flooring

  26 Sep 2009 | 7:04 pm

  Kitchen flooring can make a dramatic impact. Find out which one is the best for you.

• Vinyl Plank Flooring, Is It A Good Idea?

  26 Sep 2009 | 6:57 pm

  Are you considering vinyl plank flooring? These vinyl planks have some great advantages and few disadvantages but there are some important things to consider before purchasing this style floor.

• 
  The Moxie Mom Blog

• Reduce Desktop Clutter with Fences

  Wendy Merritt

  26 Oct 2009 | 4:19 pm

  I frequently update my Windows PC desktop with a new photo so I can relive my precious memories or enjoy something special to me. Since I take the time to do this I like to keep a clean Windows desktop. I like a desktop that is not all cluttered with icons and shortcuts. I used to just put all my program icons in the taskbar but here is a simple, easy to install program that can help you accomplish this task: Fences. Fences is for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. You can get this as a freeware from www.download.com if you want to test it on your PC. Fences creates flexible little boxes on…

• My Lashes to Riches Entry

  Wendy Merritt

  23 Oct 2009 | 8:02 pm

  When was the last time you relived something from your childhood? When I was a kid we used to have these “family times” (at the time I thought they were really dorky…but in hindsight they were actually pretty cool). One of my favorite things we did was to paint faces on our chins, put a doll dress over your head, hang your head over the edge of a bed or sofa and turn that chin into some crazy type of character. We would laugh so hard! By far my favorite was my dad’s Ahhh Huhhh Pierre the Street Licker’…LOL It just cracks me up saying er um typing it! What…

• Can You See What I See?

  Wendy Merritt

  1 Sep 2009 | 11:41 am

  Today while reading my Bible and enjoying breakfast I made  a startling discovery. Let me back up a little bit here. Yesterday I had been working in my back porch garden for a couple of hours. I trimmed. I re-potted. I watered. Then I cleaned up the entire space so it would look all neat and tidy for my breakfast this morning. As I was meandering through the various plants checking to see how everyone was doing I came across this one plant. Something just didn’t seem quite right. Can You See What I See? The dirt was a little disheveled.  The plant was kind of…well, messy. There…

• Installing ionCube on GoDaddy Hosting

  Wendy Merritt

  11 Aug 2009 | 4:54 pm

  I got a piece of junk mail from GoDaddy the other day that caught my eye. GoDaddy was announcing that it is now offering WordPress Hosting. Pretty sweet. I thought I’d give it a try with one of my newest clients. Another cool thing was that we got her domain for $1.99 as a result of purchasing this non-domain item. Can’t beat that! The installation of WordPress went very smoothly and the customer service was wonderful. I had sent out a Tweet about a frustration I was having with my GoDaddy hosting and within a few minutes I had received a tweet reply and gotten a personal phone…

• Thirty Day Challenge 2009 Pre-Season Ends

  Wendy Merritt

  31 Jul 2009 | 9:48 pm

  Pre-Season Thirty Day Challenge 2009 Today is the final day for Thirty Day Challenge 2009 pre-season. It has been a refresher course for some and a pocketful of surprises for others. We have run from the 30DC Forum to YouTube and everywhere in between. You can view all the pre-season links, videos and scripts by visiting this link: http://www.thirtydaychallenge.com/training Here is a re-cap of the pre-season fun: 30DC Forum – Create a username, fill out your profile, poke around the forum, social groups, meetups and pictures. Caro does an excellent job of explaining how to get the most…

• 
  Bosch Factory Reconditioned Tools Store

• Bring A Revolution To Your Home By Having Cordless Drills Around

  factory reconditioned

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:17 am

  With the arrival of some extremely light weight, potent and rechargeable batteries, a radical change has been brought to the way we usually perform our repairing works at home. Even many utility tool-makers have availed the maximum by this surge of batteries and launched the utility tools like cordless drills. Cordless drills bring a sense of convenience along as they lack cords, thus eliminate

• Chain Saw Safety - Four Mistakes You Should Avoid

  factory reconditioned

  3 Nov 2009 | 12:50 am

  Anyone who picks up a chainsaw needs to be familiar with how to properly use the chain saw. However, many accidents and injuries each year occur because operators fail to understand the safe use of this powerful tool.Here are four common mistakes that you should avoid in order to efficiently and safely use your chain saw.Mistake No. 1: Not Realizing The Blade Is DullIt is not that difficult to

• Tips For Choosing Cordless Tools

  factory reconditioned

  3 Nov 2009 | 12:25 am

  There are plenty of different types of cordless tools on the market today. To ensure you make a wise purchase you want to take the time to review a couple of things about them. What types of projects do you plan to complete with the cordless tools? You can often get a cordless tool that is quite versatile. This is a better deal that buying one for a particular project. That is unless you plan to

• Never Make A Carpentry Mistake Again, Buy A Bosch Miter Saw!

  factory reconditioned

  27 Oct 2009 | 9:36 pm

  Bosch is a trusted name in the power tool industry for its hardy design and advanced engineering. The Bosch miter saws are no exception. They offer a variety of miter saws that cover any task a residential or commercial carpentry project could demand. The Bosch miter saw line offers saws in both 10-inch and 12-inch capacity along with a variety of options.All of the Bosch miter saws include

• 2 Tips For Finding Cordless Drill Replacement Batteries

  factory reconditioned

  27 Oct 2009 | 8:16 pm

  Often it can be extremely difficult to find cordless drill replacement batteries, especially if your cordless drill is an older model out of production. It seems many stores do not carry older battery packs just to entice you to buy the latest new drill, well, lets not let that happen. This article is here to help you find a battery pack.When you get frustrated looking for a replacement battery