sillygirl's blog
HGTV's DOD Top Tips Show
By sillygirl
I finally have a TV with cable, so I was catching up on my TV watching tonight when I came across HGTV's Design on a Dime Top Tips Show... it kind of irked me because they had some good ideas but they never give you enough information to execute them.
Did anyone catch the show? Or the original one where they made a glass votive holder out of a small vase inside a large vase with glass pieces inbetween and sealed with resin? What kind of resin would you use and where would you find it? I'm assuming you can't get that kind of thing at a big box store...
Getting Rid of Bushes
By sillygirl
I'm going to have a lot of questions... first home and all... but one thing I need to take care of soon is some bushes I have. They were growing along a chainlink fence that is technically mine but abbuts my neighbors yard. I've effectively butchered the bushes and trimmed them down to the main stems, but how do I get rid of the roots so they don't grow back? I was thinking I'm going to have to dig them up, but a good portion of the root system is going to be on my neighbor's side of the fence... are there any serious root killers out there or some other way to get them gone? After butchering them it turns out I'm seriously allergic to them and/or they had poison growing in them so I REALLY don't want them coming back. Any » READ MORE
Copper Piping
By sillygirl
Are there any plumbers out there or other peole living in old houses that have had the water pipes replaced? This is going to be my first big dollar update to my house, and since I'm going to have to save up for it, I was wondering if anyone has any idea (roughly) how much it costs. My house is ~60yrs old with mostly old cast iron pipes... it's about 1500 sq ft. Any ideas?
First Place
By sillygirl
So I'm moving into my first real home in a couple of weeks... I'm so excited, mostly because my current apartment is in a really bad part of town... but there are a couple of things I was wondering if anyone knows how to do...
First, for some reason it's common in my area to use colored bricks... Mine are an ugly yellow color. Is there anyway to paint bricks brick colored without painting everything (including the grout) or having the paint flake off?
Also, any ideas for way to update a drop ceiling basement? I can't afford new tiles or anything fancy, but I was thinking about maybe painting the supports and covering the tiles in paint or fabric or something.
And finally, I'm going to need to get new appliances for the house » READ MORE
Murphy Bed
By sillygirl
Does anyone know how to make a murphy bed or where you can find some cheap ones? I know you can get the mechanical mechanism but turning that into a piece of functional furniture is another story.
Thanks!
Wood Tones
By sillygirl
Ok, I want to know how you feel about mixing light and dark wood tones. I love the look of dark wood, but I have a small apartment and I don't want to overwhelm the small space with dark wood. What are your opinions?
Renting and Mantinance
By sillygirl
Ok, so I realize I'm being very needy lately and not really contributing... but I've just moved into my first apartment and until I get settled everything is CRAZY.
On the 'First Apartment' theme... What is generally considered the Leasor's problem and what's something I have to deal with myself? In my lease it spells out a couple of things (light bulbs, apliances etc), but what about the day to day things?
What brought this on is a bit of an infestation... the last tennant left a window screen up, giving a pigeon a chance to move in... Well the long of the short of it is that the pigeon has now moved out, and it's little bug friends (I'm thinking they are some kind of mite) have moved INside. I took care of it in a pinch but » READ MORE
Desk
By sillygirl
So I'm mostly moved into my first apartment.... the problem is that I have no desk and I'm a student, so the desk is kind of necessary. I've been craigslisting like crazy but I cant find what I want, plus I have to get anything I buy up three flights of stairs, so between the desk and movers to get it up to my apartment, it might just be better to buy something from a store that will deliver.
Anyway, my question is where would you go to look for a desk besides the big office and department stores? Any suggestions? I want a wooden desk (I'm not a fan of glass etc), kind of plain and sleek, and one that doesn't have a huge hutch or something. I like the West Elm Jay Desk if that gives you any idea.
Oh, I also like this from » READ MORE
DIY Power Tools?
By sillygirl
Does anyone know where to find REALLY SUPER cheap power tools? I like to do crafts and home improvements and such but until now I've never had my own home to work on... and now that I have my own place, I've found that I have no tools to work with! I'm looking primarily for: A small miter saw, a router, and maybe a jigsaw. I'm in Maryland right now but I'll be in St. Louis come June so if anyone has any local ideas, I'm definately into checking them out.
