At the Point S
At the Point S
Editor: I needed a break from Donald 2026. So as a temporary escape from the minute by minute Trump coverage I went to the tire shop.
By D.S. Mitchell
It was time for an oil change and a tire rotation so I called and made an appointment for Friday at the Point S in Grants Pass. These folks are awesome on the kindness scale, and reasonable on the prices. I added on a bad tail light and a broken grab bar and a safety check when I got there. Anyway, I settled in for an hour plus wait. As I’m flippin’ through the old magazines in the lobby I spot a great article in the May 2024 Real Simple magazine. In the Get It Done section Erica Finamore & Hannah Baker offered 14 easy and inexpensive DIY home projects that have big impact for a very small investment in time and money. I’m only going to pass on the 7 I liked the best. I just wish I had pictures. So here we go:
1.) Add attractive storage for those oversized cookbooks at the end of your kitchen island simply by adding a couple of shelves, then paint the new shelving a bright surprise color.
2.) Stencil the walls of a nook or entry area. It is important to choose a stencil with a registration mark, “these are the small design elements cut into the edge of the stencil that help you repeat the pattern evenly.” A big impact for a small space.
3.) Fake the art. If you’re hanging art over a sofa or buffet, the frame should be two thirds the width of the furniture. Soooo, if you have an 8 foot couch the wall hanging should be about 5 feet, four inches wide. The height of the art is up to you. Once you decide how big your piece of art needs to be based on the above measurements its easy to create a giant piece of art. Maybe a colorful shower curtain stretched over a frame. In my case, I just went to the fabric store and found a bright ‘modern art’ piece of material and cut it and stapled the material on to a canvas stretcher. Voila! A real scene stealer.
4.) Replace the pantry door in your kitchen with an antique door, something to give the space a unique look.
5.) I love this one! Even if you aren’t an artist you can still project a design you like onto an exterior wall or even a shed wall, or maybe the pool house wall. Project the image you like onto that wall and with chalk out line the design in colors similar to the paint colors you will ultimately use. This will help you remember what color goes where. They suggest two coats of outdoor paint for the project, and a one inch brush for crisp sharp edges. A three or four inch brush is good for filling in the larger areas they suggest.
6.) Crown molding takes a plain jane room to a Parisian retreat. On this one I’d call my son. If you don’t have a carpenter in the family on speed dial you might want to find a licensed and bonded contractor.
7.) Let’s add beams to the ceiling. Hell, yeah, I say. Again, here’s where I’d call my son, or that licensed and bonded contractor. They don’t have to be big massive beams, smaller beams are lighter and easier to install. In fact, the writers suggest 2 x 6 cedar boards in long lengths to fully cross the ceiling width.
What fun. If you want pictures of the above projects go on line and check out the May 2024 edition of Real Simple magazine.
