By DIYOceangirl
I need to replace the aerator in my Multi-Flo system, part # A-10031. Any ideas where I can purchase one, or a like, after market system? Also, it appears to be a pretty straightforward job, but does anyone have any tips or warnings?? Thanks so much! Our ‘dealer’ is non-existent, so this has become a DIY project – “socks” and all!
Hair products can work wonders, but the good stuff is usually super expensive. Plus, most of the major brands use a ton of ingredients you can’t even pronounce, so it’s safe to say a lot of us have no idea what we’re putting in our hair. The good side is that most products can be made at home using basic ingredients for a fraction of the cost of commercial brands. Hairspray is no exception, and actually one of the easier ones to make.
How to Make Homemade Hairspray
Here’s all you need to make your own, courtesy of Jill of DIY blog One Good Thing:
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
2… more
Here is a sturdy trellis that
can be used for all kinds of vining fruits and veggies. One of the best
parts of this DIY trellis is that, because of the hinges at the top, it
is adjustable to your garden bed size.
So regardless of whether you have a 4 foot by 4 foot raised bed square
foot garden, or something larger, you can easily adjust this for the
size you need.
Because, it is made out of some basic supplies, you may already have
some of the items needed to build this sitting in your shed, basement or
garage. I know I do.
Here are the Step by Step instructions
From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AveragePersonGardening/~3/UmGdwZiO04I/diy-frame-veggie-trellis.html
What should you do with an orange peel after you’re done eating the fruit part? If at least one half of the orange peel is still intact, consider using it as a seed starter pot, emergency oil lamp, bird feeder, or a super-easy, salt-packed DIY fridge deodorizer.
Orange peel pieces can be used to deter ants, keep mosquitos away, scrub your kitchen sink and countertop, and freshen up your musty closet.
Though the tips listed below pertain to non-edible uses, orange peels are also really great for cooking, baking, and for making candy.
On a related note, read this how-to guide if you really… more
From: http://thesecretyumiverse.wonderhowto.com/how-to/14-amazing-uses-for-orange-peels-0146421/
By tito458
From: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/cleaning-stain-removal/493349-cleaning-air-duct.html
When I set out to shop the Chrome Web Store, I wasn’t just browsing for fun. The The Chromebook Pixel’s many charms had lured me toward Google’s Web-centric Chrome OS, but I needed to know whether it offered an ecosystem I could live with long-term—especially since I’d be leaving behind all the Windows applications I’ve used for years. The Chromebook’s popularity has only increased over the past year, so I couldn’t be the only Windows user with a wandering eye.
I already knew that the Chrome Web Store offered decent alternatives to the business apps that I use most of the time. The bigger adjustment for me required basic trust. A Microsoft application, whatever its faults, rolls out on the desktop like a marching band, with a drum major, fanfare, and neat formations. You know you’re getting something from a big company with some level of oversight and accountability. But the Chrome Web Store, has no marching band—just a mob of random players, all vying for my attention. Who are these people? Can I trust their apps? Finding the classy ones—and avoiding the creepy and the crummy ones—is a DIY job I didn’t want.
There are good reasons to be wary. Late last year, impostor versions of the popular Rovio game Bad Piggies created a malware epidemic in the Chrome Web Store. Before Google could get a handle on the situation, tens of thousands of users downloaded fake Bad Piggie games that displayed extra ads and sniffed out passwords. And just a few months ago, another Chrome app scam hijacked users’ Facebook accounts to generate fake Likes and bogus posts.
Malware isn’t exclusive to the Chrome Web Store, of course, but the way Google handles new apps invites trouble. Apple and Microsoft vet apps before allowing them to post on their app stores, but Google’s automated scanning procedure checks new apps after they appear in the store. “That’s a losing gambit,” says Paul Roberts, editor of The Security Ledger, “because it still allows a window of time for malicious content to appear on the Chrome Web store.”
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Other than serving as the raw ingredients for your epic spaghetti and meatball feast, uncooked spaghetti noodles can also be used to make a DIY knife block for your kitchen knives, light a candle with a deep holder, check the done-ness of your baked goods, and double as a DIY toothpick or skewer you can break into your desired length for cooking or serving.
Ever need to transport a cake? To keep the layers from sliding, use the spaghetti noodles as skewers to hold them in place. To protect the frosting from smudging, stick noodles upright on top of the cake and then place plastic wrap on top… more
By modernhome
The place I’m renting has been shared with a group of young professionals for years now, and as a result, when I moved in, we had plenty of additional furniture, beyond what we needed. So I took an ikea dining table (it was painted when it was bought from IKEA) and put it outside. I know it probably won’t last long exposed to the elements, but with it already painted, what can I do to weatherize it? It seems paint, at some level, waterproofs wood, but I’m not sure this paint would. What would painting on some kind of sealant or finish do?
What else can I do? Step by step directions are always appreciated as I’m just getting started in DIY world.
By Tony Reading, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
LONDON — Management can make all the difference to a company’s success and, thus, its share price.
The best companies are those run by talented and experienced leaders, with strong vested interests in the success of the business, held in check by a board with sound financial and business acumen. Some of the worst investments to hold are those run by executives collecting fat rewards as the underlying business goes to pot.
In this series, I’m assessing the boardrooms of companies within the FTSE 100. I hope to separate the management teams that are worth following from those that are not. Today, I am looking at Kingfisher , owner of B&Q and Europe‘s largest DIY retail chain.
Here are the key directors:
|
Director |
Position |
|---|---|
|
Daniel Bernard |
(non-exec) Chairman |
|
Ian Cheshire |
Chief Executive |
|
Karen Witts |
Finance Director |
|
Kevin O’Byrne |
CEO, B&Q and Koctas |
|
Phillipe Tible |
CEO, Castorama and Brico |
Frenchman Daniel Bernard joined the board as deputy chairman in 2006, stepping up to become chairman in 2009. He has worked for several European retailers, and was chairman and CEO of Carrefour from 1998 to 2005.
Ian Cheshire was schooled at Boston Consulting Group, Guinness (where he was Ernest Saunders’s executive assistant), and Sears, before joining Kingfisher in 1998 as strategy director. He became CEO 10 years later in 2008, after being B&Q CEO from 2005.
Checkered history
He has thus seen Kingfisher’s checkered history first hand. The group grew to be a sprawling conglomerate in the late 20th century, before a failed bid to buy Asda led to shareholder pressure to refocus.
Mr Cheshire has increased operating margins, with emphasis on exploiting synergies between the company’s various international operations. The share price has doubled during his tenure, and though barely above what it was 10 years ago, that’s a considerable achievement given the economic background. The business is sensitive to consumer spending and housing markets in the U.K. and Europe.
A chartered accountant, Karen Witts has worked for several companies in finance roles, and was CFO of BT retail and CFO of Vodafone Middle East and Asian region before joining Kingfisher in October 2012.
Witts took up the job vacated by Kevin O’Byrne, who had been finance director since 2008. He had previously been finance director of DSG, and was poached after being passed over for the top job there.
Reshuffle
Philippe Tible has spent his career in the French retail industry, joining Kingfisher’s French subsidiary in 2003. He joined Kingfisher’s board in 2012 as part of the reshuffle involving O’Byrne and Witts, intended, in part, to broaden the executive team’s experience. Also promoted to the board was the U.K. CEO, but he unexpectedly decamped to be CEO of the Co-op last December.
An impressive line-up of six non-execs includes a former CEO of Ikea, and CFO of Cadbury.
Ian Cheshire has 3.8 million pounds’ worth of shares, but the other executive directors, albeit recently appointed, have much smaller holdings, and sold substantial option awards last year.
I analyze management teams from five different angles to help work out a verdict. Here’s my assessment:
|
1. Reputation. Management CVs From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/the-men-and-women-who-run-kingfisher/ |
Filed under: Beauty
Before you take another bite of that doughnut, think about this: If someone paid you $20 to put it down, would you?
A recent study by the Mayo Clinic found that weight-loss study participants who received financial incentives were more likely to stick with a weight-loss program and lost more weight than study participants who received no incentives.
In other words, getting paid to lose pounds really works.
Money as Carrot and Stick
The Mayo Clinic researchers worked for a year with 100 participants, ages 18 to 63, each of whom had a body mass index of 30 or higher, which is considered obese. The goal for each participant was to lose four pounds per month, up to a predetermined target.
The participants were assigned to one of four groups. Two groups got no financial incentives. People in the other two groups earned $20 per month if they met their weight goals. Then there was this twist: Participants in the incentivized group who did not meet their monthly goals had to fork over $20 per month to put in a pool. Those in the incentivized groups who stuck with the study for the entire year were eligible for a lottery to win the cash.
The results were significant: 62 percent of those in the incentivized group lost weight, compared with 26 percent in the non-incentivized group. Even those who had to pay money into the pool had a higher level of complete participation in the study than those who had no financial incentive to continue.
“The take-home message is that sustained weight loss can be achieved by financial incentives,” said Steven Driver, MD, lead author of the study and an internal medicine resident at the Mayo Clinic.
How to Try This At Home
Consumers don’t have to participate in an academic study to see if some cold hard cash convinces them to shed pounds.
HealthyWage.com has run weight-loss challenges tied to financial incentives for more than 100,000 individuals since 2009, according to the company. It has three programs that are structured similarly to the Mayo study, though joining will cost you:
Of course, there’s always the DIY approach — ask someone you know play “banker” while you work to whittle down your waist. You just have to be sure to choose a person who is stern enough to make you pay up for every gained pound.
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<a target=_blank href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/financial-incentives-weight-loss-mayo-clinic/" rel="bookmark"
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
ScottsMiracle-Gro and Acme United Launch Innovative Lawn and Garden Tools
The collaboration blends new technology and durability with a trusted brand name
FAIRFIELD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Acme United Corporation (NYSE AMEX:ACU) and The ScottsMiracle-Gro (NYS: SMG) Company formed a licensing partnership to create two new lines of innovative lawn and garden tools which will enter the home and garden market this May- Scotts® AirShoc®, aimed at lawn care professionals and serious ‘DIY‘ers, and the Miracle-Gro® EnviroLine, developed for home gardeners.
The two product lines will be officially unveiled at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, May 7-9, and thereafter made available through multiple retail channels, including specialty and national chains.
The collaboration marks the first time The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company will introduce lawn and garden cutting tools to its repertoire of successful lawn and garden-care products: a full range of tools including pruners, loppers, hedge shears, snips, floral knives, and more.
Acme United, the owner of the Clauss® brand is the leader in the floral cutting tool market since 1877 and ScottsMiracle-Gro has been a trusted name in lawn and garden care for over 130 years. Through this licensing partnership, Acme will market and sell lawn and garden tools branded Scotts® and Miracle-Gro®, and powered by Clauss® technology.
Rick Constantine, vice president of Marketing with Acme United, said all product design on the new line has been in close collaboration with ScottsMiracle-Gro’s professional staff.
Constantine said, “this partnership leverages both of our strengths, combining ScottsMiracle-Gro’s knowledge and presence in lawn and garden with our expertise in cutting tool designs, bonding technologies and manufacturing.”
The tools feature titanium-bonded stainless steel, making them both corrosion resistant and up to five-times harder than untreated stainless steel. Integrated Microban® antimicrobial technology helps prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus on both the handles and cutting blades. The Miracle-Gro® products and packaging are built from recycled materials.
The AirShoc® line also features break-through “Tool-Less Blade Change” technology, allowing the user to change from a bypass blade to an anvil blade to a snip in seconds. This technology provides multiple cutting options while simplifying sharpening and cleaning.
Constantine noted that the AirShoc® designs have already earned a Good Design Award for Innovation and an IDEA Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Andrew Marder, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
For those of you not in the know, Pinterest is the up-and-coming social network where you interact by sharing pictures of desks that you’d like to build or workout routines that you’ll never do but like the idea of. It’s also a major source of inspiration for the resurgence in home crafting and DIY that’s washing over the U.S. Users can share items by repinning them, and can follow brands and users that they love. The opportunity for consumer brands is massive, and Pinterest is looking to capitalize. The company recently started exploring ways to monetize its system, since it currently makes no money — shocker. But it’s helping other companies share their love, and here are three big ones.
Put a bird on it
Let’s start out with a baseline reading with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia . The queen of domestic perfection in the U.S., Stewart has an impressive 150,000 followers of her personal Pinterest page, where she shares food, product, and vacation ideas. For Stewart, the system is a step removed from revenue generation, as most of her pinnings are ideas or recipes, which don’t link directly to her websites. The goal is sharing the Stewart ideal of do-it-yourself perfection, instead of generating additional revenue.
That’s too bad, because she could use a bit more revenue. Last quarter, revenue at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia fell 9%. That fall was largely due to declines in broadcasting and publishing that stemmed from the ending of some shows and magazines. Merchandising picked up, though, and the company will continue to focus on that business to drive revenue. A closer tie-in with Stewart’s followers would be a great — and cheap — place to start.
The yoga lifestyle
Putting Martha to shame, lululemon athletica has amassed about 2 million followers on Pinterest, making it one of the most popular brands out there. The company has made the most of the ability to interact with its fans by pinning items that link directly back to the company’s site. On its Pinterest page, there are separate areas for different clothing lines, sports, and causes.
While the company’s excellent online store has played a large role in driving e-commerce revenue, I’m sure Pinterest traffic has been helpful. The company generated 14% of its revenue online last year, earning $197 million. That was an 86% jump in revenue, and has paved the way for lululemon’s push into international locations, using the online presence as a major tool. As of last year, Pinterest was making waves across the globe, and the following lululemon has built should help drive real sales.
Getting personal with everyone
At the top of the heap, Nordstrom is sitting back with more than 4 million Pinterest followers. The company has separate boards for its catalog, special events, current trends, and just about every kind of event you might buy clothes for. It even has a cat page, just for …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Rich Duprey, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
If someone is going to claim their products are “free of” a certain chemical, then the Federal Trade Commission requires it actually not have the chemical in the product or at best have just trace amounts of it. It’s a reasonable assumption that goes beyond the boastful claims marketers are allowed to make, such as that their products are “best” or “most loved.”
But if you’re a store owner that simply sells products that claim to be free of those chemicals, how far are you required to go to prove the manufacturer’s claims are true? If you’re in California, apparently pretty far.
The desolation of smog
In yet another instance of why it’s difficult to do business in the state, do-it-yourself superstore Home Depot just reached an $8 million settlement in a lawsuit with California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District, admitting that it knowingly sold paint, wood lacquers, and other coatings containing excessive levels of smog-forming chemicals.
The SCAQMD says paints and coatings are a major source of air pollution, equal to an amount greater than that emitted by 1.5 million cars. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, combine in the atmosphere with nitrogen oxides to form ground-level ozone, also known as smog, which can cause a wide range of illnesses.
Something’s in the air
According to its lawsuit, the agency checked the claims made on paints Home Depot sold by reading the labels and then tested the contents. When the retailer was notified of the violations, the stores continued selling the paints and even discounted the cans for a quick sale. Home Depot says it fully cooperated after being advised of the violations.
Whereas similar VOC-related lawsuits in southern California have been also brought against Lowe’s and Wal-Mart totaling more than $3 million, the SCAQMD sought more than $30 million against Home Depot. In the annual report filed just ahead of the holiday weekend, Home Depot said a tentative settlement had been reached for $6.9 million plus $1.1 million in fees and costs.
It’s not the DIY chain’s first run-in with the law in California, though. It paid $10 million to the city of Los Angeles in 2007 for improper handling of hazardous waste.
Tainted paint tint
The FTC itself has pursued VOC complaints against paint manufacturers like Sherwin-Williams and PPG Industries . In those cases, the paint makers’ base paints were VOC-free as claimed, but once retailers tinted the base, it no longer met the definition. Both manufacturers settled with the FTC and were allowed to state that it was their base paints that were VOC-free.
Yet for both Home Depot and the paint makers, the defendants were caught in a hard spot not necessarily of their making. Sherwin-Williams and PPG were correct that their paints were VOC-free, but retailer actions put them out of compliance. In Home Depot‘s case, the retailer was being held liable for trusting the claims of the product makers.
Of course, it could be argued that a base paint isn’t meant to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Hardwood Floors Enhance Value and Marketability of Homes
Hardwood floors help sellers differentiate as housing market gets more competitive; Lumber Liquidators can help
TOANO, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Realtors say hardwood flooring helps them sell homes more quickly and at a higher price. A marketable home is becoming increasingly important as the housing market – and the competition among sellers – heats up. Last month, the National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales edged up in January, while home prices continue to rise steadily above year-ago levels.
Josh Altman, one of the top 10 realtors in the country and star of Bravo’s hit TV show, “Million Dollar Listing: L.A.” (Photo: Business Wire)
Also, according to a 2011 national survey conducted by the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), 99 percent of real estate agents say that houses with hardwood floors are easier to sell. Of those surveyed, 90 percent believe homes with hardwood floors sell for more money and 82 percent say they sell faster.
“We’re entering home-buying and remodeling season, and homeowners are looking to take on projects that offer a lot of bang for their home improvement buck,” said Josh Altman, one of the top 10 realtors in the country and star of Bravo’s hit TV show, “Million Dollar Listing: L.A.” “Hardwood flooring is a smarter investment than carpet because it lasts a lifetime, never goes out of style and is extremely desirable to homebuyers. And you can install it yourself in a weekend.”
Hardwood flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators offers homeowners a wide range of flooring options that look great and can fit within their budget and DIY abilities. In fact, the company offers more than 340 flooring varieties, including solid and engineered hardwood, bamboo, cork, laminate and resilient vinyl.
Lumber Liquidators‘ laminate flooring enables homeowners to get the look of hardwood for less, while many of its floors can be easily clicked together without glue or nails. Homeowners can also differentiate their floors – and houses – with Lumber Liquidators‘ Bellawood brand of prefinished hardwood flooring, which features a certified 100-year transferable warranty.
About Lumber Liquidators
With more than 290 locations, Lumber Liquidators is North America‘s largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring. The company …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Four simple DIY projects to help organize your garage. None of these DIY projects take more than four hours to complete. Complete instructions and photos for how to build suspended shelves, a bike lift, a ladder rack and a wheelbarrow holder.
By The Huffington Post News Editors
When Alexander Morris was hired to photograph his former high school’s prom, he brainstormed a way to make picture-taking more fun. The 19-year-old photographer from Ireland came up with the idea to create a life-size photo machine that resembles everyone’s favorite social media app for photos, Instagram.
Coming up with a fun, photo-related activity for your next party just became easier, since the teen posted a step-by-step instruction guide on how to replicate his DIY creation and build your own on Instructables.com.
While this DIY prom activity didn’t result in photos that looked just like the filters on Instagram, the photo booth machine appeared nearly identical. Mashable reports it took 11 weeks for Morris to build this photo machine himself, and that it didn’t come without lots of hard work.
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Most women aren’t fortunate enough to live in a home or apartment with a massive bathroom like these celebrities. Instead, our beauty products are sprawled across counter tops, floors and medicine cabinets in significantly smaller spaces. And that’s not including what we’ve stuffed inside of countless makeup bags and Caboodles.
Digging through hoards of makeup just to find your eyelash curler isn’t a great way to start the morning. But we’ve recently stumbled across a creative way on Pinterest to organize our makeup and help us get out the door quicker. Enter, magnetic makeup boards.
This space-saving DIY project is inexpensive and effective. To create your own magnetic makeup board, you’ll need: a piece of metal, decorative wallpaper or fabric, a frame, hot glue gun and glue, small magnets and cups or small containers.
Read More…
More on The Beauty Page
By Sean Williams, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Last year, I introduced a weekly series called “CEO Gaffe of the Week.” Having come across more than a handful of questionable executive decisions when compiling my list of the worst CEOs of 2011, I thought it could be a learning experience for all of us if I pointed out apparent gaffes as they occur. Trusting your investments begins with trusting the leadership at the top — and with leaders like these on your side, sometimes you don’t need enemies!
This week, how could I not turn my attention to William (Bill) Cobb, CEO of tax preparation company H&R Block .
The dunce cap
There were plenty of reasons to give Bill Cobb a longevity gaffe award long before last week. Over the past decade or so, his company has allowed Intuit to completely steal the show when it comes to tax preparation software. According to comScore, TurboTax accounted for 59.8% of all DIY tax preparation last year with H&R Block’s 14.7% market share even coming in behind Blucora‘s (formerly InfoSpace) TaxAct, which notched 17.7% of all DIY tax-prep market share. H&R Block lingered too long onto its bricks-and-mortar locations which still act as a drag on its operational performance.
However, even before TurboTax toppled H&R Block, H&R Block was making shoddy decisions with its mortgage loan portfolio. One of the primary reasons its share price lost about half its value between 2007 and 2009 had to do with the poor quality of its loan portfolio. In fact, without the added interest income of its mortgage loans, shareholders have seen revenue dip every year since 2008.
With tax season ramping up into high gear, this is the time of year where H&R Block is expected to strut its stuff through fancy TV advertisements and newly improved DIY tax prep software. Only it didn’t quite work out that way. In fact, we got word from the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday that H&R Block’s DIY software had forgotten to fill out a critical portion of Form 8863 for education credits, specifically the American opportunity credit. H&R Block confirmed these allegations later in the day that its software did indeed have an issue.
The end result is that, after waiting two extra weeks to file their returns this year, about 660,000 people (or 10% of the people who’ll claim an educational credit in a given year) are expected to have their tax refunds delayed by up to six additional weeks!
To the corner, Mr. Cobb
But wait – there’s more!
In addition to screwing up on practically the only thing consumers count on you for — properly designed tax preparation software — H&R Block had just the previous day in a press release via newswire touted the value of its tax professionals as compared to TurboTax, which it has filed a suit against for unlawful use and misrepresentation of the H&R Block brand name in its advertising. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By The Huffington Post News Editors
With the seasons beginning to change and Spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get a jump start on your spring cleaning! There are plenty of easy DIY improvements you can do to spruce up the indoors and outdoors of your home.
In partnership with the GMC Acadia, we have put together seven easy ways you can update your living space. From restoring old chairs, to painting your front door, these are home improvements you can make both quickly and easily this season.
Will you be making any home improvements this Spring? Let us know in the comments.
