Burning a Better Yule Log

Friday, December 25th, 2009

Every year when the weather turns cold I order a load of cord wood to burn in living room fireplace. But I have been slow to fill my firewood rack this year, so I decided to try some of the engineered logs widely available in hardware stores, grocery stores and ...

Another Fan of Peel Away

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

Jenni at Thirteen Eleven just named Peel Away paint stripper as her new BFF.  I know where she's coming from.  I also had a fantastic experience using Peel Away to remove paint from my brick fireplace. There are several formulations of Peel Away for different applications.  If you decide to give ...

These Halls Are Decked

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

Some friends of ours string garland around the trim in their bungalow and I decided to give it a try at our place this year. I think it turned out pretty well.

Fall Project Roundup

Saturday, September 29th, 2007

Fall is a great time to work on house projects. The weather is more comfortable than in the peak of the summer and the imminent arrival of winter can help keep your motivation high. Whether you are planning to hibernate from home improvement this winter or you just want to cross ...

Paying It Forward

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006

I stopped in one of my favorite local hardware stores this afternoon to pick up a few goodies. While I was contemplating paint striping chemicals, I overheard a conversation in the neighboring aisle between a clerk and a customer regarding painted fireplaces. They were discussing options for how to make an ...