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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
A wet dry vac is a "must-have" addition to your garage. We've tried several as part of The Home Depot ProSpective campaign. Each has it's own unique characteristics. In this post we are trying out the Ridgid 14 gal wet dry vac. What makes this one unique is the auto detail kit that is included!
We knew this was going to be the perfect tool for tackling Steph's very messy--furry and sandy--car! This vac took care of about seven months of ground in doggy dirt!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
Who out there has ever used a soldering gun or iron? As a 4-H member back in the early seventies, I made my area of focus electricity projects rather than the traditional clothing projects like most of the girls. I was a rebelled in my youth! Well, sort of one.
In my electricity projects, I had many occasions to use a soldering iron. I only had a few hand tools back then and that was one of them. They all fit easily into a VERY small tool box! I was probably more excited to get this new Ryobi solder station than maybe most folks! I love how Ryobi has brought it into the 21st century with battery powered portability. I also like the built in safety features--the holder and the indicator lights to help mitigate accidental burning. We used the solder station to make a repair on a backyard light. You'll need to watch near the video to see what I thought of doing this project!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
There's a small patch of concrete in my driveway that was broken a few years ago from a falling tree. It's on the edge, so it's not a big deal, thus a repair was not high on the list of DIY projects.
With the arrival of a Bosch self-sharpening wide chisel in this quarter's shipment of The Home Depot ProSpective tools, we knew it was time to make the repair. We got a Bosch hammer drill in the first year of the program so with the new chisel and hammer drill we were ready to break up some concrete! Follow along as we made our very first concrete repair.
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
This was such a fun project! Upcycle projects are my favorite and this one turned out even better than we imagined.
Steph's neighbor was cleaning house and offered us the lamp you see in the BEFORE pic. These end table/floor lamps used to be pretty popular, but since I see them at yard sales and thrift stores a lot these days, I think their popularity has waned! Lucky us, they didn't want it anymore. I had a couple of ideas on how to reuse it, but we went with this coat rack upcycle for my house!
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This post is sponsored by ShelfGenie; however, all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Quick, what is the number one thing people want in their kitchen? Accessibility of storage! Do you agree?
I absolutely do. Let me rewind just a bit to seven years ago. After much thought about our home and our future in it, my husband and I decided to remodel, so that we could “age in place.” That is, we utilized universal design to add accessibility features so that we could stay in our home into our old age. A big part of that remodel was the complete gut of the kitchen into something more functional. I consulted with a kitchen planner to make sure it was a good design. It’s now a big bright space with lots of counter space and storage. I was a happy camper with the final result. But, back to the accessibility part. Despite all the space for storage, it was not convenient or easily accessible. I especially struggled with food storage. The cabinets that were the pantry space were too deep and tall so basically, if food wasn’t in the very front, I didn’t know what I had! Can anyone relate?
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
On today's show:
Steph has been working on a manuscript for a book, Discovering My Scars, about her life. It's a tough read, but ultimately it's a story of hope. She recently received copies of the book to sell, prior to the official publication which is slated for January 2020!
Her special book needed a special bookcase all its own. Since she has a rustic, industrial vibe going on in her decor, she thought wood shelves with metal pipes would be a good choice. Like many of you, she searched Pinterest for inspiration and found one she liked. Follow along as we share how we made it. You'll also find a link to her personal author website where you can purchase your own copy of the book!
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* Note: this is not a sponsored post. We found this cool smart home camera and wanted to share with you!
We've been way overdue posting a smart home product! We hadn't planned on reviewing anything, but as it turned out, we found an inexpensive camera at The Home Depot that we found intriguing.
We have a number of different smart home cameras in each of our homes. They have lots of features and a price tag to match. We bought this Wyze Cam so we could see how it stacked up against the others we already have. Basically with this camera, you plug it in, set up the app, and you're in business in a couple of minutes. You can put it where you need it and change the location as it is not permanently mounted. It has a magnetic base so it can go on your metal pegboard, refrigerator, or other steel surface. Below are three ways you could use this camera in your home.
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
We're going on a Field Trip! It's no surprise that it's to The Home Depot. Today we're going to share about Ryobi Days sale. It's a promotion where you buy a select tool, this year it's a battery/charger kit, and then you get one select power tool for free. There are a dozen in the store to choose from, BUT, the deal is also online, where there are many more to choose from. As part of the ProSpective campaign, The Home Depot sent us a gift card to take advantage of the promotion and to share our experience with you.
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Shortly before Steph got her dog Mac, my son Stephen and his family were adopted by a tiny little kitten! Stephen's mother-in-law found the kitty outside, under the car and brought her inside. (We thought the kitty was a he because of a blue hair dry around her neck. Surprise! She was found to be female after a trip to the vet).
No one claimed the kitty, so she was named Axel and became part of Stephen's family. The grands have been asking for a cat condo/tower/tree for Axel, Tyler even drew up a design! Although, really cute and well thought out, it would have taken far too much space. We settled on a Pinterest idea and designed with that idea in mind. As we were working out the design, we decided simple was better. We decided we'd use "found" material rather than going out and buying new. It was fun to gather items and see if they'd make it into the final design. On today's show:
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This project was way overdue! We found these two ladders at a yard sale some three years ago. And they've been in storage and, in the way, all that time!
Finally, Steph had enough of moving them around in her garage so she devised a plan on how to use them. Most ladder shelves use a single ladder but we are incorporating two of them. They are roughly the same height and fortunately the steps line up even though the designs are not identical.
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The newest addition to the ever growing inventory of Wall Control products is their new “fun size” pegboard panel. It’s a cute 16” wide by 12” tall, just right for small spaces requiring needing a bit of organization.
Although the panels come in several colors, we chose white as I wanted to use it in my white bathroom as a fun jewelry organizer. We decided to add a frame, but you could just attach the panel to a wall, add pegs to fit the jewelry you want to store and display and call it done! Take a look at how we added a simple frame to the “fun size” panel.
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With purchase of a new grown up sofa for Steph came the need for a little side table. A Google and Pinterest search ensued until she realized she had already seen the perfect C-table sliding sofa table. The side table her friend, Daniel, had made would be the perfect choice.
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This post is sponsored by Surebonder.
It became obvious to me that I'd been planning to add address numbers to my house when I found the perfect numbers tucked away in a drawer! I had completely forgotten about them. Would I embarrass myself if I said I'd had them since my home remodel in 2012??
I'll just make myself feel better by saying I never found the right project up until now! We partnered with Surebonder, a family owned and operated manufacturer of hot melt products since 1968, to come up with the perfect modern house number sign for my house. We used simple materials that required only easy cuts and the entire thing is constructed with Surebonder's 3-Minute Construction Hot Glue. Did you know such a thing existed? Take a look at how it all came together.
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
As part of The Home Depot ProSpective Tool Campaign, we got a chance to try out the new Milwaukee M18 Quik-Lok Outdoor Tool System. Milwaukee is fairly new to the outdoor tool market, but as newbies in the field, they've come out strong with this latest offering!
The system utilizes a power head that can be used with four different outdoor tools and extension pole. The power head is sold with the string trimmer, which according to our small sampling of readers on Facebook, is the most popular garden tool! The edger, pole saw, and hedger trimmer as well as the extension pole are all sold separately. We tried them out on an episode of Workshop Wednesday which you can see here. We got a chance to try out the tools, but were perplexed as to how we were going to store them. Steph came up with a really simple way to store another brand of outdoor tools and adapted the idea for the Milwaukee system. That girl is really smart!
On today's show:
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
You know how people use the word Kleenex when they mean tissues? That's sort of the same identity situation Dremel has. When people refer to using a Dremel, they mean they are using a rotary tool. Just like Kleenex, Dremel has become what people call a rotary tool.
As part of The Home Depot ProSpective campaign, we are sharing a couple of Dremels, uhh, I mean a couple of rotary tools and accessories!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
Name the scariest tool you can think of--did you think "chainsaw?"
If you did, you're not alone. We thought the same thing! There is a BIG intimidation factor when it comes to chainsaws. As part of The Home Depot ProSpective campaign, we were sent the new Milwaukee M18 16 in. 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Battery Brushless Cordless Chainsaw to use and review. The chainsaw has the same power and performance as a 40 cc gas chainsaw and is compatible with the M18 system. So if you already have Milwaukee M18 batteries, you can use the same ones with this chainsaw!
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Just in time for spring is the Fast DIY shared on Workshop Wednesday. This technique is perfect for transforming terra-cotta pots and old vintage ceramic planters. I'm updating some pots and planters with a faux concrete finish.
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
As part our sponsorship with The Home Depot Prospective campaign, we receive quarterly shipments of tools to try. Our preference is to use the tool in a project rather than just do a review. It's really a lot of fun for us to brainstorm how we are going to use the tools. Usually, it's pretty simple, but sometimes we get a tool that stumps us!
The Milwaukee 100' Chalk Reel is one of those tools. A chalk line makes a nice crisp line between two points. It's used most often by carpenters, roofers and flooring installations. When we built our garage wall last year, we definitely could have used a chalk line. But, since no construction projects are in our near future, we came up with a simple way to show the tool in action.
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
This is one of those projects that was going to be a single thing, but then evolved to even more! After installing the new Wall Control purple pegboard in Steph's garage and loving the new look, we were looking for more ways to use it.
Steph's office/studio was a hodgepodge of makeshift storage for all her photography and video equipment. Making videos takes a surprising amount of tripods, lights, cameras, and other kinds of equipment. We thought a wall of metal pegboard with a variety of hooks and shelving would the perfect solution for organizing and storing all of her equipment, as well as a printer and printer paper. Well, as we were planning the install, we thought, "hey while we're reorganizing the space, let's make plans for adding a guest component to the room" and that's what we did! On today's show:
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A little deferred maintenance was causing the sink in Steph's bathroom not to drain. The resulting standing water was becoming a nuisance! Time for a good cleaning!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
We have installed many smart home products in our homes over the years. Each one providing its own unique services, conveniences, and potential money saving features. If you have never ventured into the smart home product world, it might seem intimidating. There are so many brands and products to choose from, as well as terminology that may be foreign to you! Things like Apple HomeKit, Smart Hub, or ZigBee!
If you’re looking to take the leap (and we hope you are), the Philips Hue Starter Kit is the perfect product to begin your journey! In fact, back in 2013, this was the first smart home product Steph bought for her new home. |