ToolGirl

Free Plans, Free Videos!

 

Get FREE PLANS in woodworking, concrete, plaster, glass and garden structures - all from Mag's PBS show Anything I Can Do!

FAST, FREE HOW-TO VIDEOS from ToolGirl and Friends!

To contact Mag, please e-mail mag@toolgirl.com

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ToolGirls A-go-go!

I really had fun recently doing Rogers Daytime with
George Tsioutsioulas and Jacqueline Betterton (that's Jacqueline on the left holding the jigsaw) and it gave me a chance to visit my home town - Richmond Hill, Ontario - and stop by Joe's Hamburgers for the best falafel this side of the Atlantic!

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/

Tools That Rock! at the National Home Show

(Photos - Mag discusses Tools that Rock! with EZ-Rock's morning team, Stu and Colleen)

Mag is bringing her Tools That Rock! Innovation Tour to the National Home Show Thursday April 10th at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.  Please join us and get in on the FREE GIVEAWAYS from world class manufacturers like Devine Color, Hang & Level, Rubbermaid and Concrobium Mold Control.

Mag's entertaining Tools That Rock! presentation will help you conquer homeowner exasperation this spring.  From interior painting, moisture problems, lack of storage and the corker - hanging artwork - Mag demonstrates some of the world's most innovative new products and delivers insider tips.

The National Home Show runs till April 13 at the Direct Energy Center (on the Exhibiton grounds) at 1926 Lakeshore Boulevard West.  With 42,000 square feet of inspiration, admission is cheap at $12!

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.

 

Thinking outside the closet

Rubbermaid has come up with "Configurations" - the best closet-organizing technology I've seen ever.  Click here for the link.

The entire system hangs off one horizontal rail so screwing is minimal, and for once that's a good thing.

Oh, and there's no hack-sawing the pieces to length because they telescope elegantly into each other to create a custom fit.   Configurations systems are completely customizable and offer additional tart-ups like sliding trouser racks, belt/tie racks, shoe racks, drawers etc.  Systems start at about $150.  Available in white or in a satin-nickel finish, which they've dubbed 'titanium'.   Very easy to install.

Hang & Level - How to hang a picture without arguments or irritation

A brilliant invention from Canadian decorator Liette Tousignant. --->

See the video here!

I first heard about this tool from alert reader Wayne Thurston: 
Mag,  I recently came across the most invaluable tool for picture hanging.  I spent almost 20 years selling, instructing and consulting to the picture frame industry and, now in retirement, have finally found the best.  You can view it on the company website (western Canada)  It's wonderfully called, "Hang & Level", and as advertised, "Marks EXACTLY where the nail goes". Check it out, I use it and it's the closest to perfect I have found.  Wish I had invented it.

I've had huge fun with this tool since I took Wayne's advice and got mine at Canadian Tire ($19.99).  The Hang & Level enables you to effortlessly hang pictures, photos and art objects in a fraction of the time it used to take. You don't need pencils, measuring tapes or swear words. 

To use the Hang & Level, choose the object you want to mount. Hang it on the perky little hook (or the double hooks for heavier objects) on the front of the Hang & Level tool, then hold the tool against the wall.  Raise it to the height that feels right. Then, lift the artwork off the tool and push a small ‘button’. The button, carries a sharp metal spike, which presses a beautiful little divot into the wall surface, marking the precise spot where the nail should go.  No pencils, no measuring, no name calling. 

For gobs of picture hanging tips, visit the Hang & Level web site.

See Mag's video here!

End Mold and Mildew Forever

Hi Mag , i have a question for you - i have two washrooms and both of them are full of mold.  every month i clean the walls and ceiling with bleach.   mold comes back again.  what should i do to get rid of it.  my house is about 18 years old. please advise.  thanks.

-b.a.

Hi there,

The product you need is available at the Home Depot in Canada. It’s called Concrobium. It stops mold and mildew and it doesn’t come back.  Ever.  Concrobium is formulated from food-grade chemicals so it’s non-toxic. It’s a brand new product and I've used it to kill both the smell and reappearance of mildew in our basement. It rocks.  www.concrobium.com

Here are the instructions for use:

1. Remove heavy soil from the surface to be treated.

2. Thoroughly spray the entire area with Concrobium (or apply with a Concrobium-soaked cloth or roller). . If surface has visible fungal growth or staining, additional scrubbing may be required. Note: Concrobium is safe for us on almost all surfaces, including wallboard, plaster, ceiling tiles, wood, metal, plastic, stone, concrete, tile, fabrics, upholstery. If in doubt, perform a test on a small, inconspicuous section.

3. Wipe off excess wetness.

4. Allow to dry overnight (16-18 hours). Do not rinse. Note: in the event of accidental over-application, a harmless white residue may form on the surface. This can be easily wiped away with a Concrobium-dampened cloth.

Concrobium is available in most hardware stores in the US and Canada.

Silk - The secret to a good night's sleep

Off the Sleep End!
Instant relief from congestion and night sweats

This is a mid-life quiz.  Check all that apply. If you score higher than 5, you’ve hit mid-life.  If you score higher than 10, you’ve hit it hard.  

• You sleep with someone who snores, has sleep apnea or sinus congestion
• His or her congested breathing causes them to emit short, sharpsnorts
• You wake up every time he or she snorts louder than 70 decibels
• Which is often.  And deafening.
• Mid-life hormones wake you up at least once per night, drenched
• You get up, stand on the icy bathroom tiles and blow-dry your body 
• You go back to bed and thrash around trying to find a dry spot
• The snorter awakes, somewhat irritated
• The only dry spot left in the bed is right next to the snorter, so you make your move
• The closer you get, the more irritated and restless the snorter becomes
• It’s too darn hot snuggling and the perspiration starts to flow again
• You back off to your original spot, organize the pillows around your ears to reduce snorting volume and thrust out a bare leg to moderate body temperature; Sometimes both of you go back to sleep.  Not often.     

Up until one month ago, I had not slept well in years for ALL of the above reasons.

The promise of Spring over snowy fields

Soon.  Soon.  Soon.  Soon.  Soon.

How to make chair seats from old neck ties

Reupholstering with neckties

Once our Christmas house guests finally left (after I asked them to rip up the laundry room floor and find the radon leak) I drove to Boston, where I’m now tormenting relatives with the fine art of being a house guest. So far I’ve overslept, overeaten and over expressed myself as often as possible.

Are they enjoying my company? So much so that they gave me some stuff to do, like finding the freon leak in the freezer. And then they all went out. It’s a pacing thing. They can’t have too much fun all at once.

And speaking of fun, ever wondered what to do with all of those old neckties that your male relatives never wear anymore? My sister had an idea. She turned them into sittable art. Weaving ties into chair seats is way easier than, say, finding the freon leak in a freezer, plus there are no painful accidents with your tongue.

Tie Basket Photos

These additional photos from Gillian may help you tie basket.....

             Tie pinned together prior to sewing                  

Tie sewn together to form a tube

How to Make Baskets and Hats from Recycled Neck Ties

To Tie For!
Silk ties make gorgeous art

They say that talent is hitting a target that no one else can hit, whereas genius is hitting a target that no one else can see.  My sister Gillian Danner falls into the latter category. 

  She has a habit of coming up with designs that nobody else would think of, plus they actually look good.  I’ve been trying to figure out how she succeeds in creating art, where I produce stuff that the church auxiliary ladies quietly omit from rummage sales.

One of Gill’s techniques is that she repurposes objects to serve functions they were never intended for.  For example, she’ll turn magazine photos into tiny hand-rolled lacquered beads, or convert antique farm implements into toilet paper dispensers or sculpt gentleman’s ties into silk baskets.

How to Engrave Designs on Glass

(this is a glass that my friend Sue made using a Dremel for the first time!)

A Blast from the Glass

DIY Engraving

My coordination has been a bit off since, oh, puberty. Even now that I've entered my supposedly mature years I’m still a spiller and a breaker. When I go to friends’ places for dinner, I request plastic drinking vessels. People resisted this at first, thinking I was exaggerating. But they’ve learned. I have UASS. (Upper Adulthood Spiller Syndrome).

My own glassware is a ragged collection of mismatched pieces; the type of assortment one usually reserves for the cottage. Only I don’t have a cottage. (We spillers live the cottage lifestyle with or without beachfront real estate, because we never have full sets of anything.) 

But I’ve discovered a great method of bringing uniformity to my snifters, goblets and highballs: Glass engraving, a totally enjoyable pastime. You don’t need to be particularly artistic, because if you’re not confident with freehand drawing, you can just trace paper patterns, photos, quotations, leaves, flowers, fabric or wallpaper through the glass.

How to Setup and use a Delta Lathe.

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

Livio Di Marchi

Dave Scarberry sent these photos of the incredible woodworking skills of Italian sculptor Livio Di Marchi.  Thanks Dave!

http://www.liviodemarchi.com/ukmain3.htm

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/DeMarchi.htm

http://mostlyglass.com/Artists/de_marchi/de_marchi_books.htm

 

Workshop Show - Saturday

This is the show from my perspective on stage.  Nice crowd don't you think?

Canadian Home Workshop Show 2008

Testing the answer to the, "What is your favourite saw?" question.  A Japanese style pull saw of course!

Friday at the workshop show with my favourite crowd; mostly high school kids and hobbyists.

I love meeting people one on one.

Two more days at the show!  Hope to see you there.

Nice leg!

This is my first full table leg that I turned on my new Delta lathe!  Made from laminated bamboo plywood (available at www.silkroadtoronto.com - call and speak to Ian), it's heavy as heck but feels like silk.  The two-inch tenon on top fits into a bamboo mortise underneath the desktop.  More photos when I've made 3 more legs and got the whole thing put together at this weekend's Canadian Home Workshop Show.  I call my leg design a Pantaloon Leg because it's based on the bloomers we used to wear in Road to Avonlea.   

Wood Turning

Lathe Bloomer
Going with the slow

I’m changing. Perhaps it’s the dawn of maturity. After many years of wanting to rush through everything, and I mean everything, I’ve started to realize that speed is overrated.

The faster you go, the less you notice, and you suddenly hit the realization that you may have missed sucking the marrow out of the bone of life (to use a disgusting medieval image of ill-mannered revelry). 

If you rush something, you don’t really experience it, and then you wonder why you can’t remember details about things you thought you cared about while you were doing them.

I’ll tell you why you can’t remember.  You weren’t really there at the time.  You were busy leaning into the future anticipating getting everything done.  And now that you’ve got so much done, how do you feel? (Pop quiz) 

Breathtaking stencilled wood floor

This is an incredibly cool idea from ToolGirl Frances Bolton!

Dear Mag: 
I've been reading your column in the Ottawa Sun for some time now, and I enjoy your writing style very much.  It's not often I read something in the newspaper that makes my laugh - out of enjoyment, that is. 

This is the floor I installed in my garden home. In 2002, my fellow employees and I were all laid off when our plant was closed. I took the summer for myself, and entered a one-year commercial college course that fall.

That summer, I installed my 'severance floor', as I like to call it. 

I wanted a wood floor, but didn't want to pay for the cost of a traditional hardwood floor, and besides, I like to do things myself. I ripped up the (very old) wall-to-wall carpeting, and screwed and glued down 4' x 4' 1/2" thick sheets of baltic birch. The floor is about 16 by 20 feet. 

I did a light sanding, and applied a stain.  I then bought several copies of a stencil from a local craft store, taped them together, and applied the stencil using two colours, a burgundy to bring out the colour of the stain, and gold.

I used the small bottles of craft paint you can pick up in any craft or dollar store. I then applied four coats of a high-gloss polyurethane.  My father (he's now 87) just loves it - says it's the only floor of its kind - and he's right.  It's been five years now. They're some very slight cracking along two seams, and the floor shows the regular wear and tear of a household (including the time I dropped the garden shears, point down, of course), and I wish I had done a better job of applying the polyurethane, but all in all I am very pleased with the results. I get lots of positive comments about it, but the ones that count the most are my dad's.

Turning on

The Canadian Home Workshop Show is almost here, and that means I have to finish the items I'm presenting at the show.  My main project is a curvy desk made out of bamboo plywood from SilkRoad Bamboo, and I'm making the desk legs out of laminated bamboo sheets.  I absolutely love my new Delta cast iron bed 36-inch lathe - you wouldn't believe how hypnotic wood-turning is.

By the way, I couldn't find any information online about turning bamboo on a lathe, so I'm winging it.  If you've tried it, please send me a quick 'hi' - I have some questions for you! Thanks - mag@toolgirl.com

February Eclipse

The moon rose at 6:00pm, excited about her 9:00pm date with the shadow of the earth.

They had fun, the shadow dancing with the moon.

Bird Cuneiform

Finches are beautiful calligraphers.

Puddles of blue

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

BRAND NEW VIDEO - 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!)