Oops! I Did It Again!

I love to be organized. This doesn't mean that I am organized it simply means that I love those brief moments in time where I feel organized. Hence the need to have a yard sale every couple of years.

When the mood strikes me I barrel through the house at ninety to nothing chucking item after item into boxes in anticipation of clearing out junk and making a few bucks while I'm at it.

Last Spring Tracy and I had just such a moment and we both gathered up treasures and trinkets, large and small and organized another of our house cleaning events. Two households that when put together could rival a small city in terms of junk. We ponder our poor purchase decisions, have our "what was I thinking when I bought this" discussions and mark things to sell (we are cheap!). Little did I know that here, a bit over a year later, I would regret an item I sold for pennies on the dollar.

What was this treasure you ask? A Roomba. I purchased this marvel of household cleaning when they first hit the market. I used it couple of months and then promptly went out and bought a Dyson. It sat here unused for several years and I was anxious to turn it loose on some other poor unsuspecting victim. Big mistake!

Check this out:



What the hell?! Why didn't I think of that?! Even before I noticed the name of this clever contraption, Broomba, I could see how it was done. Uggggggggg!

Grandin Road's Halloween email hit my inbox a few days ago and I finally had a moment to take a peek. I wish I hadn't. Now I have to scrounge around and find a Roomba. Hmmmm, might have to take in a few yard sales this weekend.

Ghoulie Girls Quick Project

I'm all for fancy props. I love animatronics, pimped bluckys and hand made tombstones but sometimes I get the itch to create and need it to be fast and easy.

Several years ago I was searching for just such a project. I wandered around my garage trying to find something I could put together quick. I spotted a rather plain and uninteresting corn broom and had a light bulb moment.

The hardest part of this project is locating a corn broom. Mine was old but you can pick one up a new one at Lowe's for under $10. While you're there grab some orange and black spray paint, 1" painter's or masking tape and surgical weight gloves.

Paint the entire broomstick orange. Let it get good and dry (a few days may be necessary). Once dry assemble several small strips of tape - just enough in length to go around the broom. You're going to start at the base of the broomstick and wrap your first piece of tape. Then, butt the next piece of tape against the first and wrap it around. Continue until your entire broomstick is wrapped.

Now, remove every other piece of tape so that the orange paint shows through. Spray over the orange with the black paint. Let it dry and remove the tape.

Wearing your gloves, spray black paint into one palm, rub your gloved hands together and lightly pat on the bristles for an aged look. Repeat this aging over your paintwork on the broomstick.

So simple even a zombie can do it.