ToolGirl

Visit with a New Homeowner

I have a confession.  A couple of months ago I met a lovely young woman named Jennifer Speedy.  She had just bought her first home.  She was anxious, yet suffused with anticipation.  Maybe you've felt that way too.

I got excited meeting Jen because I love first-time homeowners.  They're full of hope, ambition and terror.  So I talked Jennifer into enduring a visit from ToolGirl.  She didn't ask.  She may not even have wanted my advice.  But she acquiesced to having me drop by her home to proffer my ToolGirl wisdom.  (Plus I brought a camera crew.)  A very gracious soul is Jennifer Speedy.

You can meet Jennifer and her house below.  You can also see the impromptu home improvement lesson I foisted on her.  Just know that if I visit YOUR house, it may not go this well.

Lathe Bloomer: How to Become a Woodturner

I love my lathe.  There.  I've said it.  It's an actual love relationship.  I pat it every time I walk past it in the workshop.  I bring it gifts (new chucks).  And I think about it when I'm cutting the lawn.

We recently finished a video that shows my very first woodturning project, which was making the voluptuous legs for my new desk.  Sure, I could have started small with a candlestick or a wine-stopper, but I really needed legs for my new desk and the idea of turning raw, angular blocks into silky-smooth curves made me feel like the Goddess of Undulations, if there was such a goddess. 

If you search YouTube you won't find very many woodturning videos with girls in them and I think we should change that.  Here's my entry:

Relief for Would-Be Decorators and Designers!

I got some feedback from a member of ToolGirl.com: 

"I'm clueless when it comes to decorating. I find the seemingly infinite choices, even in something as fundamental as color scheme, let alone all the other options, overwhelming to the point of paralysis. I want some decorating advice."

I can relate.  I once painted a floor 7 times before I got the colour right.  If I have to pick out tiles or flooring or fabrics I just want to go to sleep until it's over.  As men abhor chick movies, I loathe making decor decisions.

Fortunately, there's now a new, fresh, free online resource to help those of us who are decor-challenged. RONA (Canada's largest hardware and home improvement dealer) offers a way to make choosing your decorating style really simple and maybe even fun.  They even provide free plans for DIY projects like canopy beds and storage - complete with materials lists and cut lists.  

Watch this ToolGirl video report for a tour of the resources available to you online at rona.ca.

Built a House Yet?

Meet some of the fantastic women who worked on the Toronto Habitat for Humanity building blitz in May.  If you're inspired, join us!

Great Father's Day Gift

Just in time for Father's Day, we've got a second printing of We're All In This Together ready to go and Canadian Tire has picked up the book. 
I'm on the road for the next couple of weeks signing books at Canadian Tire stores, so drop in if you're close by.  Check here for a detailed list of appearances.  Hope to see you there! 
In the meantime, here's a 2-minute clip from a recent book reading event where Steve and I tried to explain our decision to sell the book only in Canadian hardware stores.

How to hang artwork in less than a minute with no measuring

Hang & Level tool is too cool!!

For more great tips on how to hang pictures visit the Hang & Level site at:
http://www.hangandlevel.com/

Interior painting tips - choosing colours, cutting in, prepping

Watch this video for lots of tips on painting a room with Devine Color!

Taking the Pain Out of Painting - Roll your own giant chips

Paint is a powerful force in the universe. Its influence is often disguised behind designer names like Contiguous Pout or First Pimple.

Choosing paint colours can pit relatives against each other in a teeth-baring battle over the interpretation of light wavelengths.

 

How to Setup and use a Delta Lathe.

Keith Potts gives me a primer on my new lathe....

How to get the look of a stone fireplace in one weekend!

Mag ambushes a friend and does a complete makeover on her fireplace!  (This video features a sweeping cinematic score that Mag created with her GarageBand software!)

New Power Tools Get Twice the Run Time

In this week's minty-fresh ToolGirl Video, Mag tours the new Ryobi One Plus combo kit and gets a screwing tip from toolguy Keith Potts. 
P.S.  Yes, that background is the location where we filmed Road to Avonlea and Anything I Can Do