Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My Frugal Vacation Home at Home, and tips for Hanging Pictures

Okay I don't have a vacation home, but I make my own version of one in my own home. I do this by rearranging the furniture in my house. It drives my husband nuts, but later everyone enjoys the refreshed look of the home. And sometimes I'll buy a couple inexpensive items at a local thrift store, or a discount retailer like TJ Max to to inspire the change.

And now that the weather is getting cooler here in Virginia. I decided to swap my home office with our guestroom. I did this swap yesterday, so I'm still in the process of moving a couple items. I really like to change my office in the summer and winter, since I spend many hours a week in there - It's my frugal version of having a winter and summer vacation home ;)

The only thing that gets a bit difficult when rearranging or swapping an entire room, is moving pictures from one wall to another. I then realize how many little nail holes there are, and how many more I will make.

So to make this task easier, I keep a small box filled with the following items:

  • Patch-goop like caulking or putty, a putty knife and sand paper to fill in the holes
  • A cleaning towel, and one of those Mr.Clean Magic Erasers to cleanup any scuff marks
  • A couple cups of the wall paint, for each room, in a safe resealable container along with a paint brush. Each container is labeled with the room's name (office, guestroom, ...)
  • Also I keep a roll of masking tape in the box, this is useful for touch up painting.
I also use the masking tape as a place holder for where I think I want to hang the pictures. This is very helpful for determining the spot. It also helps me align the pictures without having to use a measuring tape. I can place the tape on the walls, as if it were the pictures, then stand back and see if everything is aligned correctly. If everything seems alright, then I know where to make the new holes for the pictures.

Since I like to move things around often, having this stuff set aside in a box makes it easier.

For more Works for Me Wednesday's tips, check out Rocks in my Dryer.

1 comment:

Rachel@just another day in paradise said...

wow! great tip! you're so much more organized than I am. . .

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