Now . . . I should note that I was raised in a family where doing things the "right" way with the "correct" tools was generally scoffed at. Why bother looking for a hammer when you can just pound that nail in with mom's old shoe? Who needs a flashlight when you've got a booklight / cell phone / Game Boy to illuminate your path? As a result, I've learned to just live with a lot of malfunctioning appliances, burned out overhead lights, and a tub that doesn't exactly drain correctly.
But the appearance of sunshine made me so giddy this morning, I rolled up my sleeves and decided to clear away some winter cobwebs before the next round of rain and gloom. And since my schedule will soon be filled with school and work, I figured I might as well get my household in order while I can. So I dragged the stepladder up from the Basement of Doom and changed all the lightbulbs in the apartment to low-wattage, energy-saving ones. Then, by the light of freshly changed bulbs, I tore apart my closet and got down to some good ol' fashioned organizing!
I have lots of hats. And shirts. And skirts. And not a lot of dresser space.
Alternative storage solutions were called for.
Soooooo . . . I strolled over to Target in the lovely bright sunshine, and came home with this bad boy:
Meet My First Drill! Drilly McDrillerson!
Wow, you guys -- do you know how much easier shit is when you have a power tool?!
Don't answer that.
Anyway -- behold, the fruit of my labors!
Julie gave me this hanging candle holder for Christmas, and I've been puzzling over how to hang it for months now. Clearly, those hooks with the sticky tape on the back weren't going to cut it. But with my new pal Drilly, mounting a hook into the ceiling was a snap! I might need a slightly longer chain to hang the light from, but overall it looks lovely.
After drilling into the ceiling, I was ready to tackle a wall. But I was still a little nervous about attempting this. My apartment building is very old, and there's no telling what secrets / faulty wiring lie behind the walls. Perhaps a more conscientious person would have used a stud-finder -- or even a tape measure -- to figure out the best way to mount something. I used the next best thing to a stud-finder -- Papa G.
Papa G: "Good afternoon, Guarie Design Group."
Me: "Papa, it's me. I have a home improvement question."
Papa G: "Oh, God . . ."
Me: "If I just drill into the kitchen wall, will anything bad happen to me?"
Papa G: "Well, you could electrocute yourself. Where'd you get a drill?"
Me: "How will I know if I'm going to electrocute myself?"
Papa G: " Just don't drill directly above any light switches or electrical outlets and you should be ok."
Me: "Ok. If you don't hear from me for a few days, it probably means I've zapped myself and I'm being eaten by the cat."
Papa G: "Good luck!"
So, I called upon the protective powers of the Patron Saint of Household Chores, and went to work. And not only did I survive -- I managed to successfully hang this Ikea storage rack that's been in my closet for months!
You have no idea how happy this thing makes me! I have no drawers in my kitchen. At all. My silverware has been living on the sideboard in these little metal containers -- which look way cooler hanging from the wall!
After my success in the kitchen, I moved on to the closet:
Fancy-pants new rack . . .
. . . means no more hunting for lost scarves and hats!
Who knew hanging shit on the walls would be so satisfying/empowering! If anyone needs any drilling done, you know who to call!*
*ew - not that kind of drilling, you pervs!
No comments:
Post a Comment