‘I’m So excited, And I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it.’ Hey, that’s pretty catchy (note to self: write that down it could be the hook to a great song). Sorry, I just am really excited. If you have been following us here religiously (as if there is any other way), you probably have stumbled across my article on getting rid of unwanted concrete in your backyard, courtesy of Craigslist. And while that did help get rid of about half my concrete mess, I would like to strike the suggestion of getting rid of old concrete from the Internet’s collective head. I stumbled upon something even better than giving it away – reusing it. It’s called urbanite, and I am about to blow your mind (well, maybe just open your mind to new landscaping possibilities). [Read more...]
6 Kid Friendly DIY Summertime Projects
There’s nothing more invigorating than letting my ten year old daughter rip down a few boards with the circular saw and watching her nail them all together with my framing nailer. Before you start dialing the child abuse hotline, just so you know, I’m only kidding. But I do love letting my daughter help me with all sorts of DIY projects. Here are a few kid friendly DIY projects that you and your youngsters can enjoy together, without having to take a trip to the ER after it’s all said and done. [Read more...]
Prepare To Be LED – Pixi LED FlatLight Luminaire
When I heard we were going to do a “Pixi Light” article I instantly called “dibs,” as I flashed back to the candy straw “Pixy Stix” we used to inhale when I was a kid. We were essentially mainlining a big straw full of sugar and colorful flavor chemicals. Can you say “SUGAR BUZZ?!” I figured some enlightened genius chemist had engineered a LIGHT version, with maybe only half the sugar and chemicals, but hopefully ALL the buzz. As so often happens, though, I was wrong; there’s a new Pixi in town, and this Pixi comes with NO buzz (or flicker, hot spots or glare). It’s also nowhere NEAR as tasty, but it DOES give off a lot more light! [Read more...]
Milwaukee Tool Media Event Coverage – Next Stop Fusion Powered Tools?
Every year an extremely exclusive, hand-selected, highly trained, ultra-elite, licensed to thrill group of media make an annual pilgrimage to a key tool media event – the Milwaukee Tool New Product Symposium. Somehow HomeFixated and some other online media riffraff manage to make the invite list too. It’s a great opportunity for us to go hands-on with Milwaukee’s latest and greatest hand and power tools. While Milwaukee like’s to refer to the event as the New Product Symposium, we think that’s a little dry for Milwaukee’s corporate vibe. As a result, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to hereby refer to the event as Media Mania 2013. Mainly because we like alliteration. And because we couldn’t make “New Product Symposium” fit well on the image we stole from Milwaukee’s website. Read on for all that’s new and shiny coming out of top secret labs of Milwaukee Tool’s HQ. [Read more...]
Coop There it is – How to Build a Portable Chicken Coop
There was a gothic teenager eating with his mother at Denny’s last week. I overheard them ordering and when the waitress got to the boy he responded with “I want to devour the babies”. The waitress looked stunned. The mother leaned over and said “he’ll have some eggs”. That’s when it hit me. I need to build a chicken coop! [Read more...]
GO on Red – The Milwaukee M12 Fuel 2403-22 ½” Brushless Drill Driver
At last, my quest to have a brushless drill in every color of the rainbow has been fulfilled! Well, in every color of a traffic light, anyway, thanks to the recent arrival at the HomeFixated World Headquarters MegaComplex of Milwaukee’s Stop-Light Red M12 FUEL ½” Brushless Drill/Driver. For a look at the other colors on the light, check out GREEN and YELLOW! [Read more...]
Trash to Treasure – Decoupage Brings New Life to Old Furniture
Wait! Don’t throw out that old desk, dresser or table just because it’s stained, dirty or has peeling laminates. You can decoupage your old stuff and give it an instant makeover almost for free! With just a bit of paper, glue and polyurethane, you can revamp your old junk and turn it into a modern work of art. So keep the old furniture that you can decoupage and throw out that old smelly recliner instead. [Read more...]
PCBC Show Coverage – The Art, Science and Business of Housing
One of my favorite parts of running HomeFixated is attending trade shows. I love running around from booth to booth learning about all the interesting tools and products on the market, generally from well-spoken, attractive PR people. If you’re a regular reader, you know that The National Hardware Show and STAFDA (it’s not an infection, it’s a tool show), are two regular stops for the HomeFixated show circuit. This month, I’m adding a new show to our coverage, and it’s right in our San Diego backyard: PCBC. [Read more...]
3 Specialty Tapes You Need in Your Toolbox
Sure, you’ve heard of, and probably own, many types of tape – duct tape, electrical tape, packing tape, masking and painter’s tape, Scotch tape, fish tape (no, it doesn’t smell like tuna), maybe even the odd 8-track or VHS tape. Each of these tapes is designed for a specific purpose, and they’re all pretty good at what they’re intended for – even 8-track and VHS tape (although there have been some technological advances since 1975 you might want to check into). Here are three tapes you may not be familiar with that would make excellent additions to YOUR tape arsenal! [Read more...]
Tool News Nirvana – Ryobi Giveaway, Channellock E Series, Hitachi Framing Nailer Rockler Beer Taps
Welcome to another tool fueled edition of Tool New Nirvana! This week’s offering to the tool gods brings 18 new Channellock pliers, a brand new lightweight coil framing nailer from Hitachi and our fantastic sponsor wraps it all up with the perfect man cave accessory — design your own beer taps. So break open a cold one, get comfortable and be ready to be amazed with another fantastical edition of Tool New Nirvana. [Read more...]
