Pretty Neat Tools

Has "well I wanted to put pictures there but my husband hasn't done it" ever been spoken by you? If so, this post is for you! First, you need your own tools. If your garage is a mess or your husband 'loses' tools or they are so dirty you don't want to deal with it, get your own! You can buy a small tool box or just a few basics. You will feel WONDERFUL when you do it yourself! Ask for help if you want it but if he doesn't help, then DO IT! He will be a bit stunned and perhaps annoyed that you didn't need him or let him make the decisions necessary to complete the project. He will certainly ask you if you used an anchor as men are obsessed with anchors. Frankly, if it weights 1/2 lb and I don't intend to touch it again, I don't use them. If it's supporting anything or is heavy, I do use them. Don't get confused by trying to match screws with anchors--just go buy the box where they come together.

One 'husband issue' is that they take the tools and you can't find them. SO, here is my hammer--all the little things above it are the tiny screwdrivers that hook together in the handle!! He hasn't stolen this and I don't expect he ever will. I also buy 'girly' versions of his tools like a small level and a Coach tape measure and even a leopard print broom that I'm sure he won't take out to the pool deck and leave outside ever.

Take ownership of your projects and if he is type A and wants to be in control, he will JUMP off the coach once he hears you with your pink hammer! If he doesn't, then you really don't need his help. If you don't know how to do something, it is ALL online--there are no excuses!

If you need some help hanging pictures, the number one rule is to hang them at eye level. Grouping pictures together makes a large statement on a wall and seeing one or two puny frames on a large wall is a huge design mistake. If you don't want to get into centering and leveling lines, get a few picture ledges, make sure you leave enough space in between them for pictures and hang them. if it's too hard to line them up perfectly (again, a level!) then set one to the far left of the wall area and the other to the right. About 2/3 of the shelves should be on top of the other with 1/3 of each shelf sticking out on the sides. Make sure there is enough room in between them for the frames you have.

Ultimate Girl Trick. Okay, I feel badly suggesting such an unprofessional solution to my readers. I mean you are here because I know what I'm doing after all! BUT, if you want to make a collage on a wall and don't want to deal with measuring or leveling, I would like to provide you with what I will call "Kim's Wall Kiss". My sister has many beautiful collages. In order to get them spaces correctly, you should be measuring and leveling and marking each picture. Some people will tell you to template the frames and tape them up, measuring everything and marking all nail holes. Some tell you to lay it out on the floor and template it on graph paper and draw it on that way. I recently learned her secret to her beautiful collages. She hangs the first picture where she wants it. Then she visually decides where she wants the next picture. She makes sure it's spaced right and then she takes a tube of lipstick and puts it on the back of the frame where the nail will go, then she holds it back up to the wall where she wants it and pushes a bit. The lipstick is now on the wall, she hammers in a nail at that spot and voila, she's done. Kim's Wall Kiss--it works! :)