ToolGirl Mag Ruffman

Mag's Free Plans and How-to Videos!

Mag's Free Plans

ToolGirl's online How-To Videos

Contact Mag: mag at toolgirl dot com 

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Big Announcement!

In a new partnership with Lowe's Canada, Mag will be producing a video series of fun, colourful projects that families can build together! 

Whether it’s a giant chalkboard for the kitchen, a photo puzzle for toddlers, a birdfeeder for the backyard or a skateboard ramp for the whole neighborhood, Family Fun Projects will cover step-by-step building for all ages.

Each 3-5 minute episode will be accompanied by downloadable step-by-step instructions loaded with extra tips and mini-lessons, so even if parents aren't experienced in building, they can learn alongside their kids!  

For parents and children, building something together can be a lifelong bonding experience.  They share the best of themselves as they conceive, invent and problem-solve their way to a successful creation.

By offering an online destination for kids and parents to search and choose projects for their family, Lowe’s is ensuring that generations to come will know how to work with their hands and build soul-satisfying projects with their own children. The video series will launch on Lowes.ca in 2012.  

Not your average growth chart

Last week I built a cool growth chart with my 4-year-old friend Quintyn (with some help from his little brother, Kai).  The design has sandy beaches (made from sanded caulking), sea walls (made from pea gravel), tiny houses (made from 2x2 poplar scraps with sandpaper roofs) and the metal tape from a busted tape measure, which acts as the yellow line going up the middle of the road.  Magnetic cars slide up and down the tape to measure kids' heights. SO FUN! I'm learning so much from these little kids with their fearless approach to design and colour.  No hesitation, EVER!   A video and free plans for the growth chart will be coming up soon on Lowe's Family Fun Projects.

Lowe's Canada invests in kids with new online building series

 

Here's our latest media release...

Lowe's Family Fun Projects pilot series features 20 kid-friendly building projects designed by Mag Ruffman (toolgirl.com) for kids 3 and up.  The first 5 projects are now live online at lowes.ca/kidsvideos. 

From chalkboard tables to hockey nets built with PVC pipe, Lowe's Family Fun Projects give families video instruction AND free downloadable plans.  

“The videos are shot with real kids, not actors, and the free plans are insanely detailed with tonnes of photos,” says Mag Ruffman (Ruffman Entertainment Inc.), series creator and producer, “because text without pictures make learning frustrating, especially for kids.  We deliver an extremely graphical package to make it easy for anyone to make these projects.”

The kids' projects require simple hand tools along with a few beginner power tools.  Kids learn clamping, gluing, sanding, driving screws, painting and taping, while adults do most of the cutting.

“We’ve shot 12 episodes so far,” says Ruffman, “and every one of the kids has asked to come back again.  They love building, they love using their hands, they love being free to make some of their own design decisions, and they love taking home what they built!”

Ruffman and partner Daniel Hunter (executive producer) pitched the series to several television networks last year, but the liability issues around kids using tools became a barrier.  

So they turned to Lowe’s Canada.  “Lowe’s already conducts regular Saturday workshops for kids. They were quick to respond to our proposal and I’m really proud of this partnership.” says Ruffman, whose previous television series taught women and beginners to attempt home repairs and build their own furniture.

Ruffman is on a mission to help children develop their 3D aptitude and design cognition. “We’re at a turning point in history.  There have been 2 generations now of kids who receive little or no encouragement to use their hands.  They’re directed into professions and discouraged from entering trades or becoming artists or artisans.  There will be a shortfall of 1,000,000 skilled tradespeople by 2020 in Canada.  After 4 million years of evolution, today’s kids have the potential to be the best tool-users of all time.  But they’ve got to get it early or key brain development is lost, eye-hand coordination doesn’t develop, and you get students at MIT who have to be hauled out of class and put in practicum courses because they have no idea how to use a hammer or which way to turn a screwdriver.  Human brilliance isn’t only in the mind; it’s in the hands.”

Family Fun Projects will launch officially in mid-June when all 20 pilot videos are online.

 

 

World's best fix-it compound Sugru now in primary colors!

Great news for hackers and fixers - Sugru, the mouldable silicone putty that air-cures to resilient toughness so you can repair or improve ANYTHING - is now available in primary colours that combine to create ANY SHADE on earth!!!

 

The (Kreg) Jig is Up! How you can start building furniture now, even if you're a noob.

One Jig to Rule Them All

Hot tool helps newbies build fantastic furniture  

Stephanie Reavis' beautiful cabinet constructed with a Kreg Jig

 

As spring sneaks in, it’s fun to go through each room in your house and create a punch list of things you’d like to change, add or replace.  The list can hold all of the items that bug you, from minor to major, not including relatives.  

Don’t hold back; put everything down on that list, from faucet repairs to paint jobs to pictures that no longer give you a happy feeling.  If there’s anything you see that messes with your well being - ping! (magic wand sound effect) - it goes on the list.  

If your list reveals lots of holes in the furnishings department, don't be bummed.  It’s never been easier to build stuff.  And try not to feel overwhelmed if you've got a long list; here are a few of my must-builds for comparison:  

• pine recycling center for the kitchen
• wainscoting in basement
• big framed whiteboard for the home office
• computer hutch for the kitchen
• matching nightstands for the master bedroom
• built-in cabinets and shelves for the master bedroom
• floor-to-ceiling bookshelves for the den
• window bench in the guest room
• bed frame and headboard for the guest room
• storage benches in the mudroom 
• storage shelves for dumbbells in the workout room
• built-in storage for the laundry room
• tool storage shelves and boxes in the workshop

So, what are the chances of any of these projects actually getting built, whether in your house or mine? 

Pretty darn good.  Even if your desire level is way higher than your budget.  

Standing room only in Halifax for free samples of @sugru

 

 

It was standing room only at the Real Home Show in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  I had 5 packed shows and we gave away more than 500 free packs of Sugru (not an affiliate link), the silicon putty that fixes, improves and customizes just about anything. Lots of people brought busted stuff for me to fix, and we had some great laughs. Thanks to Herald Homes for inviting me to speak, and to Sugru for supplying the free samples for all of our show visitors. And it was great to meet some of you there!

One of my favourite repairs was Margie's hose reel, which had a cracked housing.  

 

 

We reinforced and buttressed the bejeez out of the plastic base, which had split around one of the screws.  Naturally we did our best to complement Margie's colourful personality using orange, blue, green and marbled black and white Sugru!

 

 

Plus, I learned (well, sort of) to step dance at the opening night party, courtesy of Herald Homes editor Claudia White! Toe, heel, toe, hop, bang bang...

 

 

Make a drop spindle

I've developed the possibly weird hobby of spinning newspaper strips into 'yarn' using a homemade drop spindle. (Sometimes, for the dessert course of spinning, I use strips of plastic food wrap instead.  It's easier to spin and makes a really tough, clear yarn.)  

When I saw drop spindles for sale for $50 at the local wool shop, I came home and made one with some doweling, a picture hook and a chopped-off bit of old candle stand (the circular part). I fastened the parts together with Sugru, the mouldable silicone putty that air cures to a resilient, springy toughness.  

 

Bottom view:

Yarn from food wrap:

Stay tuned for possiby weird crafts made from plastic wrap and newspapers.

Sugru Subterfuge at IKEA!

Sometimes you just have to help giant manufacturers out with a few hacks to their displays...

 

Tutorial to make a penny-tiled floor

via big-design.blogspot.com

Love this fearless tutorial on how to apply and grout pennies to make a cool looking floor

That's My Letter: "P" is for Personalize

via thatsmyletter.blogspot.com

Want to know how to personalize stuff perfectly on wood? This lovely blogger has figured it out.  Hint: Think pointy.

In this Crazy Life: Tips and Tricks

via inthiscrazylife-bethany.blogspot.com

This girl has a fantastic collection of tips for DIY and household stuff. I love the paint can elastic that saves you from gobbing up the rim, and using marshmallows as a hydrating agent for brown sugar.

How to Clean a Pizza Stone With Almost No Effort

via www.colormeglamorous.com

Renew a pizza stone by letting it run through your oven's self-clean cycle. The worst that can happen is that it'll crack and you'll have to replace it, but most of the time it works fine because the ceramic was fired at a much higher temperature. It might help to warm it slowly to 400 or so before engaging the self-clean cycle.

Homemade Headboard

via yogachrissy.blogspot.com

Cool tutorial for a headboard made from steel pipe and connectors

Penny Desk!

via www.instructables.com

It doesn't get cooler than a penny desk. Love this tip-laden tutorial.

My latest Sugru hacks

This is a food processor lid that snapped in half when I dropped it on the slate floor.  Sugru to the daring, orange rescue. (the food processor body is orange so it all looks absolutely intentional)

The plumbing pipes above the new water heater collect condensation, which then drips on the top of the water heater and wants to run into the electrical well on top of the water heater.  IX-NAY!  I made a nice white gasket around the electrical controls so no pesky water can find its way into the workings.  

How to cut wine bottles

via www.instructables.com

I'm weirdly attracted to this whole wine-bottle-cutting-in-half movement.

Reclaimed wood ideas

via www.eieihome.com

I'm a sucker for reclaimed anything and these wood/tree/driftwood/branch/chair designs at the International Design Show 2012, as reported by eieihome.com, are inspiring.

Use rubber bands to keep clothes on the hanger

via www.realsimple.com

Freakishly simple fix for the problem of closet-floor Trail Mix.

Under the Sink Storage by Pink Toes and Power Tools

via www.prettyhandygirl.com

Ingenious method for stabilizing those twisted wonky dollar-store plastic bins - force 'em into shape with runners created from strips of MDF.

Recycled paper basket | Design*Sponge

via www.designsponge.com

Anyone else remember learning to sew in Home Ec using paper templates with a spiral pattern (and shrieking as you went off course at full speed)?

Well, sewing on paper just came back in a big way. This is a cool improvised basket constructed from packing paper sewn into lengths with black thread.

Beer Bottle Cap Table

via diygadgets.blogspot.com

Continuing my fascination with round things plunked in grout, this would be a great treatment for a basement bar top or even a backsplash.

Make your own lapboards for eating, playing, drawing, writing, reading

This is a set of lap boards I made from my friend Leah.  They're made from 1/4-inch oak plywood cut into 10"x16" rectangles, with photos applied using t-shirt transfers (you can do this).  These boards have lots of uses including preventing spills at family buffet brunches!   

Leah chose a few of my photographs from around the farm and we applied them to sanded plywood

Sometimes the transfers have raggedy edges but I kind of like the randomness.

 

Amanda Edwards and her penny-tiled floor

via www.mandolinmosaics.com

I know, I know, I'm obsessed with coin flooring this week!  Amanda Edwards' stunning kitchen floor is tiled with pennies using black sanded grout. Then Amanda sealed it with clear polyurethane.  And this is only a sliver of her skill.  Lift your spirits in under 5 seconds; visit her web site to see the breathtaking stained glass works she spins from her limitless imagination. The colours and movement in her pieces will make you feel like you just took a vacation.  

Nickel Tile Floor! A DIY Bathroom Renovation

via www.apartmenttherapy.com

After the penny tiling investigation (in the previous post), I discovered some long-suffering souls who figured out one way to solve the coin-embedding mystery in their bathroom renovation. Their step-by-step instructions are a testament to determination.

Tiled Penny Floor

via www.curbly.com

It's gorgeous, even if it belongs in the curriculum of the Kill Me Now School of Decorating. So tilers, do you think they used black grout? Or did they use clear epoxy over the pennies?

Homemade easel for kids

This was one of the more successful Christmas presents Daniel and I made for our little friend Charlotte (3). 

We used poplar, small hinges and string.  

The red side of the easel is a chalkboard (homemade chalkboard paint, baby), the other side is a dry-erase board cut from a cheap 4x8 sheet of white bathroom paneling.

Charlotte's mum clamps newsprint to the whiteboard side any time Charlotte wants to paint. The easel folds flat for storage.  

P.S. I forgot to take step-by-step photos during the white-hot frenzy of creation so let me know if you want instructions and I'll build another.