Down to the Wire

If you’re still looking for Christmas gifts, I’ve got a couple of last-minute suggestions.

Since you’re running out of time, you might take Todd’s advice over at Helpful Advice for Home Construction Improvement and consider an Amazon.com gift certificate. You can even send one of these electronically. No gift wrap or post office line! And you’re giving a really versatile gift that any DIYer, or anyone for that matter, is sure to love.

Here’s another idea. Our friends over at One Project closer are giving away TWO $100 Home Depot cards – but you have to hurry. The contest ends TOMORROW, so if you win you have an instant gift – or plenty of time to shop for one before the big day. And with that kind of cold cash, you might even have enough to buy something for yourself, too. Here’s the rules. Blog about it and get 75 chances! (That’s what I’m doing.)

As for me, I’m still holding out for some beadboard. That’s where at least a good chunk of my gift card would go, if I were to win one. I’ve got it already for the mother’s bedroom but not for mine and redoing those two rooms are at the top of the list for next year.

So give it a try. What have you got to lose?!

DO NOT Go to Hallmark!

Or, at least don’t go without either a thick wallet or a strong resolve. Hallmark always has cute stuff for the holidays, but this year I think they’ve kicked it into overdrive. In fact, I can’t recall a year in recent memory where there have been so many cute things all at once.

The mother and I went to our local store last night for a few cards – and spent an hour looking at all the goodies before we even cracked open a single card! We came home with some, too. (Yeah, my resolve is weak even if my wallet isn’t that thick.)

If you’ve got someone on your list that you have to regularly do a hand-smack on to keep them out of their gifts, you’ll love this “peek buster” bag which can help you out. It sounds an alarm when the bag is disturbed. And if you want to send a very special message, they even have recordable cards with music!

You can get a special deal on this adorable lighted, musical gingerbread house (and we did – for a gift) and this snowman globe was cute, too, though I could resist him. You may not be able to!

But my favorite thing – which I had to have – I can’t even find on their site. It’s a collection of tap buttons (think of Staples’ Easy button). Some play music. Mine? It’s the “Naughty or Nice” version. Push it and Santa give his personal assessment of your behavior for the year. It’s too d*mn cute and is now on my desk where some of my coworkers are sure to test it out before the day is over.

So, be warned. I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg of the adorable holiday cuteness that awaits you inside Hallmark!

Tuesday ToolTalk: Cool Tools

I don’t get to watch TV very often. It’s always on, mind you, I’m just usually doing five other things at the time, so occasionally, I listen.

But that wasn’t the case over the holiday weekend. DIY was having a Cool Tools marathon. I love that show, but I try not to tune in too very often because, well, tools being an addiction of mine, it’s not always financially healthy if you know what I mean.

But I watched a few back-to-back episodes and then caught a few more periodically before the weekend passed. During that time, I came up with what I think are some fantastic gift ideas. So, for the next few weeks, I’ll share some Cool Tools that made me stop what I was doing and take notice. The best part about this batch: they’re under $100! And, other than bargains, what do we love at This D*mn House? Multi-functional! Check these out.

Knee blades. ($89.99) All I want to know is “Where were these things when I was putting in the laminate floor last year?!” Oh. My. God. And who says you can’t have fun while you work? They are literally knee pads on wheels! I spent more than a week scooting across the floor between tearing up the carpet, removing all the associated nails and staples, and then putting in the new floor. Tell me these couldn’t have made that job easier. You can even use these to scrub and wax the floor or wash your car.

Knee Blades can be used in many professions such as painting, plumbing, mechanics, construction, electrical, maintenance … so it’s a gift that could make someone’s day job roll along a lot more smoothly!

Fast Cap 3rd Hand. ($35-$40/each) – I’ve always thought that having just two hands was a serious design flaw. This product helps take care of that. It’s a handy dandy pole that telescopes from 5 to 12 feet. It can be used to hold molding, ceiling tiles, or cabinets in place, apply pressure to glued down flooring, secure drywall, or hold up backdrops for photos. Very versatile and compact. I think they’re something that should be bought in pairs, too. Make sure you check out Amazon as they had a good price on them.