I love my Dremel

Howdy! Remember when I told you I got a fun new tool, and that tool was the Dremel Multi-Max?

(Salivating.)

Well, I told you I’d share the ways I’ve found to use it, and I found some GOOD ones. :)

The tool came with three attachments – two cutting blades and a sander. It was super easy to put them on – just loosen the nut, fit the attachment in and tighten:

I started with this one:

And I knew just what I wanted to attack with it:

We have a few windows in the house that are really showing their age – or at least the caulk around them is. You can see from above that some are not in the best shape. Not so great for the heating bill, I tell you.

I have a goal this winter to recaulk all of our windows, and I have heard to do it right, you need to remove the old stuff first. I was thisclose to ignoring that advice and going right over everything with new caulk – until the Multi-Max. :)

This thing was so stinkin’ cool, ACK!! I just turned it on, slid the attachment in, and let it get under the caulk:

I turned up the power a bit, and it just slid right under that stuff like butta.

It only took seconds to get a huge piece off:

     

And then I did the same along the bottom:

I put tape down on the window sill at first, thinking I might need it to protect the wood:

But this thing is stealth. No damage whatsoever. LOVE love love – can you believe I’m excited to tackle all the windows now? Who in their right mind enjoys removing caulk? Me, that’s who.

Next, I attached this baby to the Dremel:

Buwahahaha! Can you feel the power?? :)

It’s been years since I put up the beadboard in our laundry room, and I still haven’t finished it! Only half the room is done -- but I’m determined to finish it up soon. Actually, I have a little redo planned for that room (if I have my way is going to be a HUGE redo, but we will see). At the very least, I need to get the beadboard done.

The hardest part of the whole installation of beadboard (for me) is removing baseboards. I dream of chunky, thick baseboards in our house, and it would have happened a long time ago, but the builders of our home were serious when they installed them.

They are pain in the PATOOT to remove. I’m talking sweating, pulling, cursing, prying, destroying drywall, crying a little, pain.

So I had an idea – I used the Dremel to cut into the baseboards:

Like butta.

Then I took it along the top, where the drywall and board meet. I haven’t even pulled out the pry bar yet, but I can already budge them, just with my fingers.

Oh HAPPY DAY! The Dremel will save me much sweating. :) I figure if I keep cutting the baseboards every six inches or so, and then along the top as I go -- it’s going to help tremendously.

Finally, I pulled out the sander attachment:

I have a Craigslist dresser I’ve yet to show you, because I want to paint it. The seller painted the piece, but it wasn’t sanded at all between coats, so it’s really rough to the touch:

Since I’m repainting it, I needed to sand it down a bit. (I would have anyway – it’s that rough.)

So I used the Dremel to work on the little, skinny parts:

Do you KNOW how many times I could have used this in the past? Ugh. I love that you can really get around the curvy parts too:

The shape is perfect – it literally just slid around the detail of the drawers, like…wait for it…BUTTA.

My little sanding block can’t compete. :)

My very favorite part is that you turn it on, then you can adjust the power while it’s on:

I found myself adjusting as I went constantly – it’s so easy to do while you’re using the tool.

So there. you. go. Need a gift idea for the handy guy in your life? The hard to buy for Dad? Grandpa? Or maybe for YOU? (I won’t tell.) This little tool packs a punch – I’m not lyin’ when I say I’m super impressed with it.

Can’t wait to knock some more caulk off the windows! After the holidays, of course. :) No more DIY around here till after January 1st. (I’m writing that down so I will stick to it.)

I’ll be back this week with one more easy Christmas idea, then I’m outtie till after Christmas. :)

Hope your buying, wrapping, cooking, baking and entertaining is all going GREAT! 

Giveaway winner!

Hello!! How are you this fine Tuesday evening?

I have a winner for my thank you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc., giveaway.  :)

Emily from Frilly Details, it’s yours! Please send me a quick email at thriftydecorchick(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll get your goodies sent out to you tomorrow!

Congrats!

I’ll be back in a bit. :)

 

Thank you to my sponsor!:

A few of my favorite things…

Hello! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! We are almost done shopping…but still not one gift wrapped. We LOVE the thrill of last minute. I guess. :)

Tis the season for FUN stuff – I don’t know about you, but I’m a total and complete sucker for anything Christmas-themed or related. If it has snowflakes, I’m hooked. Peppermint swirls, forgetaboutit. Glitter? Gah. I give up.

It’s the one time of the year I give into the stuff – because I have NO self control. And yes, I know STUFF has zero to do with the real meaning of the season, so it’s important to keep it in check.

But I love it, and it’s my blog, so I’m going to share some of my very favorites of this season with YOU. Or more specifically, I’m going to GIVE some of my favorites to one of you. :)

It’s my way of saying Merry Christmas, thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without you, paying it forward, smooches…all that.

So let’s get on to the good stuff, shall we?

If you saw my dining room post, you know I’m quite enamored with Walmart’s ornaments this year. I can’t stand it, they are so stinking cute. So I picked up a couple of the pretty trees:

Glittery goodness!

Pretty much every single night this time of year, I enjoy a big, fat mug of hot chocolate. So I got a (cute!) big, fat mug for you to enjoy some hot chocolate as well:

And while I was at it, I remember that I’m a bit obsessed with the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. If you have not had it, please, I beg of you…GO NOW. Or as soon as humanly possible. Starbucks is not paying me to say this, but I wish they were.

OH my. It’s so stinkin’ good. So I got a $5 gift card so you can enjoy one and a half of your own Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates:

And then I remembered another hot chocolate I love, and that’s when I add a candy cane Hershey’s kiss to it and let it melt inside. Uhhh…YUM. I told you about these kisses here and I still love them now. And I’m not even a peppermint kind of girl really – but they are YUM:

This has turned into a hot chocolate post. Moving on…

The folks at Waverly sent me some of their beeeeautiful new holiday party-ware to try out. They have some really pretty plates, napkins and even cups, and I’m IN LOVE with all of it:

We haven’t hosted any holiday parties this year, so I’m going have hubby pry them out of my hands and so I can give them to you. Yes, I know it may be a bit late for you to use them this season too, but maybe next year? Honestly, I kind of think they could be used any time of the year – aren’t they beautiful?

And finally, my very favorite part. I know this one won’t be a big deal to some of you, but I LOVE THIS THING. I found a gift wrap storage thingamabob at True Value a couple of weeks ago:

And for all that is good…I finally found something that WORKS. For years I’ve had a few rolls in a long, thin storage bin, but it’s too short to hold most of our wrapping. Then last year I got one of those storage jobbies that stands up, but the wrapping was still too long.

I swear to you, I even considered taking my miter saw to them, to make them fit. I kid you not.

But they don’t have to be sacrificed now! This thing is the BOMB. It’s long enough, and holds a bunch of rolls. And instead of the wrapping rolling off our tower of Christmas bins every. time. I walk by – now they are all contained, and that makes me SO happy!

So I went back and got one for you too, because I can’t be the only one with this problem. Am I? Crickets.

It really is the little things. Candy cane kisses and a tall gift wrap tube, and I’m a happy Chick.  :)

Soooo, I’m giving all of these goodies away to one of you! I wish I could give something to every single one of you, I really, really do. I just hope you know how much I’ve appreciated your sweet comments, emails and support throughout this year.

To enter, leave a comment here. Tell us your favorite part/thing/food of the season. I’ll only have this giveaway open through Monday at midnight, so I can get this all mailed off to the lucky one on Tuesday.

For now, I’m off to write 75 Christmas cards:

I’m just hoping everyone gets them before Christmas. :)

Have a wonderful Monday!!

 

*I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.*

Thank you to my sponsor!:

The Christmas stairs

So, remember that little bitty project I took on early this year? The one I wanted to tackle late last year, mostly because I couldn’t wait to see it all dressed up for Christmas?

That “little” project was taking the carpet off our stairs – and I may have mentioned it 149 times or so. :)

Our house has been decorated for Christmas for a couple weeks now, but because I had been waiting all year to see our stairs at Christmas, I saved that for the end.

But then I got a little lazy (OK, a LOT lazy), and didn’t want to unravel all of our lighted greenery I usually use. Knowing my luck this year, I’m pretty sure half the lights are going to be out anyway. That’s how I roll. (Apparently.)

So I had something else in mind, and I love how it turned out! I started with sprigs of greenery – I’m in LOVE with the beautiful greenery I’ve found at Big Lots this year and last, but they were completely out of it. Instead, I found this lovely little tree:

Isn’t it fantastic?? :) He’s just a little sad. But I loved his branches, so I just cut the pieces off and twisted a few together:

I had some small red ornaments I wanted to throw in, but I couldn’t find my floral wire anywhere (GAH), so I used some picture wire from True Value that I grabbed for another project:

And it worked great! I just cut little pieces off and strung a few ornaments on:

I nestled them in into the greenery pieces and called that part DONE.

Ever since I saw my friend Melissa’s precious mason jars, I knew I had to do something similar. I LOVE using these jars – I’ve collected quite a few at Goodwill over the years. I just needed ONE more for the stairs, and it took a few trips into the GW (we’re tight, so it’s “GW”), but I finally found it. :)

Melissa used Epsom salts, which looked absolutely lovely. I already had some faux snow, so I just used that. I had to buy one more bag, but they’re a great deal for $1.99 at Target:

A little goes a LONG way. Love that stuff – be sure to watch for it after the holidays and grab it up for half off! (You can see how I used this fluffy goodness in our dining room too.)

I just filled my jars, then plopped an LED tea light into the snow.

It’s so sweet and simple:

And you know what? I love it so much, I don’t miss the garland at all! I adore those glowing jars – and of course I only use Ball jars, as a double thump to the chest to my alma mater, Ball State U.  ;)

And yes, I couldn’t resist keeping a couple of our mice from the fall stairs up there. Stink Eye Sis gave me some major stink for keeping them up so long, but I L.O.V.E. them.

I Christmasified the mice a bit:

    

Are you kidding me? Adorable. Aren’t there Christmas mice? Or am I making that up in my head and a wild attempt to explain my Halloween mice on my Christmas stairs?

Whatever. I think they are the cauuutest!!:

I was done, but then walked by a pile of sparkly snowflake ornaments I had in a pile to go the basement.

I thought a punch of red would be fun on the picture wall, so I used mounting squares from True Value (those little jobbies are how I attach my mice to the risers too) and attached them to the backs:

I just placed them here and there in the frames on the wall:

They add the perfect sparkly pop!

And yet again, I’m so glad I ripped that carpet off the stairs:

I can’t believe the difference from last year – the night shot before the ripping of the carpet:

And now:

Wow, the new camera sure doesn’t hurt. :)

And after all that, we’re left with a really cute Charlie Brown Christmas tree:

Or something. :)

I think that’s the last of the Christmas decor around here – but I do have a couple more things I want to show you. You know…inspiration for next year.  ;)

Are you done shopping? I’m half way there…and not ONE gift is wrapped. Wish me luck.

 

*I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.*

Thank you to my sponsor!:

Peanut butter bliss

OK, peeps – I don’t claim to be a fantastic cook or baker. I mean, there was the cake fail of last summer, ifyouknowwhatI’msayin’.

Well, even that one tasted good. I just looked all wrong. :)

But every once and awhile I open my recipe binder (it creaks and a cloud of dust poofs out) and find one I love and I just have to share. You will thank me. :)

I’ve made this “pie” for years, but for some reason it’s been a while since I last did. And now that we’ve had it again, I’m quite sure I’ll be making it weekly. Or so.

It’s SO easy. And insanely good. You will LOVE it. That is, if you like peanut butter. Or chocolate. Or sugar. Or for all that is GOOD – if you like anything YUMMY. Then, you will LOVE it.

You’ll need just a few ingredients:

3/4 c. confectioners sugar

6 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. peanut butter

one container Cool Whip

2 tbsp. milk

graham cracker crust

I buy the crust ready made, and I add a little somethin’ extra by using a chocolate crust:

Aw. yeah.

It takes about five minutes to whip this baby up – first, mix the cream cheese and sugar:

Sorry, these pics were taken at night, spur of the moment. Not my best work. :)

Then mix in the peanut butter and milk:

I took the pictures in case you’ve never mixed anything in your life. :) Mr. Obvious, I know.

Then just fold in a container of Cool Whip (leave a little bit for later), plop it into crust, and resist the urge to eat it up with a (large) spoon:

Oh. em. gee. Isn’t it so fabulous and fluffy? Does anyone else love Cool Whip so much they could eat a whole container? Or, think they could eat the whole container? I wouldn’t know that first hand.

Or something.

Then comes the hardest part of the whole pie – you have to let it chill for a while. A few hours is best, but I can tell you from experience that one hour is just fine.  :)

After it’s chilled a bit, lather the pie with more cool whip. Then drizzle some chocolate over it, maybe sprinkle some peanuts, and you have one of the easiest, yummiest desserts EVER:

I am aware it looks like I had our four-year-old drizzle the chocolate. But only I can take credit for this beauty. I told you earlier I don’t do well with the whole presentation thing.  (Aqua and coral Fourth of July cake ring a bell?)

Anyhoo, who cares what it looks like? It’s FANTASTIC to eat. Whoooeee.

It’s called Jimmy Carter Peanut Butter Pie. I call it peanut butter heaven. Try it, love it. And don’t blame me when you eat the whole thing in 24 hours. :)

I’ll be back with a quick Christmas project tomorrow!

Thank you to my sponsor!: