Can you remember the first time you looked at a home repair project and confidently said to yourself, "I can do that"?
What happened next? Did you grab your hammer or screwdriver and go for the gusto? Or, as happened in my case, did someone gently remove the implement in question from your hand "for your own good"?
Maybe you were a five-year-old wanting to fix a loose screw on your trike or (as with me) a twenty-something trying to put together a "some assembly required" wood-and-canvas rocking chair.
Whatever.
Those first simple successes — or failures — can set the stage for a lifetime of giving it your best shot...or just giving in and calling the local handyman.
If your first fix-it-yourself experience was less than wonderful and you're still smarting from the sting of defeat, I'm here to say you need to get back up on that sawhorse and try again!
Because not only is it downright satisfying to accomplish simple fixes and improvements around the house, it's great for the budget (provided you do it right and know your limitations).
For me, the secret was to stop pretending I knew intuitively how to fix stuff — because I didn't — and start listening to someone who actually does know.
Most of the time that "someone" is my husband (known around these parts as "Mr. Fix-it"). But sometimes it's a friend I call "The Renaissance Guy" because he wades fearlessly into whatever domestic project you can think of (including baking!).
I also believe in deferring to those really smart guys at or Home Depot (Mr. Fix-it is totally down with that, too).
Entries to this blog will take you through simple (or maybe somewhat ambitious) projects Mr. Fix-it and I have undertaken together.
I will try to choose straightforward, practical ideas with universal application, and I'll also try to keep it simple — meaning, you shouldn't need an arsenal of expensive tools to do this stuff.
And you shouldn't have to go far afield or pay a lot of money to find the materials...although, as with so many things, the Internet can be your best friend.
And if, in the end, you'd really rather call up to take care of the fix, I hope at least you find this blog moderately entertaining.
Onward!
