So it was time for me to replace the back door on my home.  I love Home Depot and truly appreciate the advice their department Masters are willing to deal out.  So I went looking for my door but they didn’t have exactly what I wanted so I sat down with a gentleman and went through the process of getting a quote on a special order door.  Super helpful and very friendly, but the price was TWICE what a very similar door in-store cost. I asked him to print out the quote for me so I could look it over and think about it.  He asked me for some personal info and told me he would make a followup call within a week.

He did just that. Curtious and kind, he called me up to see if I was still interested in ordering that door.  To sweeten the deal, he offered me 10% off the quote.  That amounts to $50 OFF!  Which is a fair amount of change.

Lesson of the day.  If you HAVE to special order something from Home Depot and can spare a week before the order get’s placed, you might be able to save yourself 10% by giving them your info and waiting a week.  If they don’t offer you the deal, suggest it yourself.

Download Messages Beta and get a taste of what’s coming in OS X Mountain Lion. When you install Messages, it replaces iChat. But iChat services will continue to work. And Messages brings iMessage to the Mac — just like on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch running iOS 5. Here are the features you can expect with Messages:

• Send unlimited iMessages to any Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.*
• Start an iMessage conversation on your Mac and continue it on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
• Send photos, videos, attachments, contacts, locations, and more.
• Launch a FaceTime video call and bring the conversation face-to-face.
• Messages supports iMessage, AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabber accounts.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/messages-beta/

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Chalkboard paint is a fun way to customize a space with the option of ever-changing designs that are only limited the color chalk you have. You can buy chalkboard paint at many places — but it’s not the cheapest stuff around. However, thanks to our favorite ex-girlfriend of Anthony Hopkins Martha Stewart(via the Brightnest.com blog), the curtain has been pulled back on what this magical paint is made from: materials you probably already have in your garage.

The basics:
- Paint
- Unsanded tile grout

(8:1 ratio of paint to grout, so not much grout is needed)

You’ll also want some primer, two foam roller brushes (look for “very smooth finish,” according to Brightnest), and materials to help you keep your lines straight and clean (masking tape for painting, levels, t-squares, pencils, etc).

Steps:
1. Clean, dry, and primer the area you plan on applying the paint to.
2. Mix and stir 1 cup of paint to 2 tablespoons of grout (it dries quickly, so best to make smaller batches as needed instead of one large batch).
3. Apply evenly with roller brush, and let dry.
4. Wait 2 hours to dry, then apply a second coat. Repeat this step for 3 coats and you should be good to go.

As shown on the Brightnest blog, the chalkboard paint can be used for a lot more than just your kids’ play area. It works great as a way to make customizable coffee mugs, flower pots, pantry containers, and more. Check their site for a few more specifics and design ideas — enjoy!

Full article: http://mikesenese.com/DOIT/2012/02/how-to-make-your-own-chalkboard-paint-with-stuff-you-probably-already-have/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MikeSeneseDoIt+%28DO+IT%3A+Projects%2C+Plans+and+How-tos%29&utm_content=Google+Reader