windows. Check out the blog for all the details on this simple headboard that has a big impact.

sack onto the rod and called it done. Very quirky, rustic and so easy to do.

#Bestof2012

#Recycle

Really love Looking Glass spray paint.

Full tutorial is on my blog, Atta Girl Says. #Bestof2012

#Love2Repurpose

This past weekend I removed the silicone between our kitchen counters and tile backsplash.

The surprising twist is that I used my wife's hair dryer to make this project move faster than Danica Patrick!!

Yes, I asked for my wife's permission (I've learned my lesson).

If you want to easily remove old silicone caulk without a chemical caulk remover use a hair dryer and straight razor blade.

Any residue that remains can either be scraped off further with the razor and then cleaned with rubbing alcohol.

If you have an acrylic tub or plastic surround in your bathroom just be careful with high heat. I tested the output of the hair dryer with a thermometer and it showed the temperature only got up to 200F, just enough to soften the silicone caulk and not damage the countertops.

For additional tips and a very short movie (not long enough to eat a sleeve of Girl Scout thin mints) visit my blog post at http://www.homerepairtutor.com/easily-remove...

#MyCurrentProject

P.S. If you like weekend projects please don't forget to follow me on Hometalk by clicking on my picture :)

theory I wish I could be the coffee table type- sporting an old railway cart as the centerpiece to my room. But it isn't practicle for the way we live, especially while we're living in a small space.

So- we're ottoman fans cause we like to lounge on our couch and you really need an ottoman for that.

When I sold our couches last June-ish I kept the ottoman. Then it sat in the middle of our room in all it's corduroy and tapestry glory. I am super excited to have something we use every day look like it belongs in my room!

I kept it because it was the right height for the new couch, it was fairly expensive, and I had plans for this baby! The ottoman I was crushing on was from Ballard Designs- with a nubby oatmeal fabric it would fun me $495- which, I think, is how much we paid for our ottoman in the first place. All the more reason to reuse mine.

It was pretty easy for me to get from this before pic to my after. I put this project off- forever- because of the sewing issue. See, I can't, and I knew I would need to sew the bottom portion to make this look like something I would buy- not something I made.

I used a drop cloth to make this after happen AND with minimal sewing- if you can sew a button, you can do this project!!

1] To start- flip your ottoman over and use some pliers to pull out the staples, so you can take the fabric off. Don't worry about keeping the original fabric in tact- this can easily be done without it as a template.

2] Once you ottoman is naked- you'll need this stuff to get'er done. If your foam and batting are in good shape, then you can reuse them. I reused mine. I had everything on hand except the button kits, peg board, and upholstery needles- so it was a cheap makeover.

3] Purchase a drop cloth that is long enough to be wrapped around the entire base of the ottoman. This is a crappy pic- but if you follow the arrow, I wrapped the fabric around the base so it would meet up in one place. Also- make sure the cloth is wrapped inside out!

4] Pin it where the fabric meets up. You should try to pin it in as straight a line as possible. When I got to this point I decided to make it a skirted ottoman, instead of following the inspiration pic 100%. So it is more like a combo of Ballard's slipcovered ottoman and their tufted one.

If you're making one like mine, then make sure you use the finished edge of the drop cloth as the edge that touches the floor- less sewing, you know.

I somewhat followed this tutorial to do the tufting- it is very comprehensive, with lots of photos- so pop over if you need things clarified.

5] Cut the pegboard the same size as cushion. Use the grid to plan out the button spacing.

6] Wrap your foam in batting, then cut holes in the foam where the buttons/tufting will go. I kinda skipped this cutting step- but you should totally do it! ;-)

7] Make your buttons using the directions that come with your kit.

8] Thread your needle with the twine and create the tufting. Make sure the buttons are seated down as far as they will go.

9] Don't forget to manipulate with the fabric to create pretty tufts before you secure the button in place with your staple gun. Here's mine, pre-ironing.

Now- for my Achilles heel- sewing. I know I CAN sew, if I could just LEARN how to!! lol

I spent 2 days playing around with this beast that was given to me 2 weeks ago.

All I ever got was a tangled mess- no sewing. The thread would just bunch in a knot. Is the machine broken? Maybe it's the user!! Hmmph!

10] Remember how I said if you can sew a button, then you can make this ottoman? Yeah, so I hand sewed it. You'd think it would take a long time- but not compared to the 2 days I spent on the sewing machine! I made sure my pins were straight, marked a straight line with a pen and that kept my stitched straight.

On the left is my hand sewed seam- then on the right, my drop cloth came with a big fat seam down the middle of it. So I lined that one up the opposite side and opposite corner as my hand sewn one.

11] Make sure you iron the tufting- and well, the whole drop cloth for that matter. But ironing the tufting will just help it stay the way you want it to- and it will look pretty!

If you didn't want a skirted ottoman you could easily wrap the fabric {like a present} under the frame and staple it in place. Then it would look more like the original inspiration. I may do that at some point? Who knows? Z had a strong opinion that is looks better skirted- so this will work.

This makeover cost me maybe 20 bucks. The drop cloth cost me $11 {I bought a 6x9} and I used coupons when I bought all the supplies- this really kept costs down.

Even though I had an ottoman- you could easily do this with a thrifted one or something you found on Craigslist. Funky outta date ottomans are always floating around out there!

Now it has a new 'dress', a warm, creamy dress made from a drop cloth. It will now be a lovely addition to my clients family room!

my shower doors that's from soap & hard water. I used the safe combination of baking soda and white vinegar to remove the soap scum. Then I applied Rain-X to the shower door glass to prevent this from happening again, or at the very least stop me from having to clean the doors as frequently.

I wanted to share this process because it worked better than I thought it would. You can view the blog post I put together at http://www.homerepairtutor.com/clean-shower-....

If you don't do anything else you should view the video. Not only does it walk you through everything I did it shows you one crucial action I forgot to take-comb my hair before filming! But I don't mind embarrassing myself for the Hometalk community.

#Bestof2012