Just in time to wrap up Home Hacks month at Apartment Therapy, we found this book that's like a home improvement book for dummies, but better. Author Marie L. Leonard writes her guide about shopping for tools, hanging pictures, fixing holes in walls and more, with the goal of "empowering women to do their own home repair."
Leonard runs her own home improvement business in Massachusetts and channels that expertise into this book in a way that's intelligent, kind and informative.
I love it, because although I have a tool box, I don't know how to use everything inside of it. (Note: the tools and the box were a wonderful gift.) And I'd much rather read about how to drill a hole than to learn by mistakes and invention.
This is a great book to help with those basic tasks that I should know, but am too embarrassed to ask: how to fix a leaky faucet, hang a shelf, replace a light fixture or even paint a wall.
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
Images: Lindsey Roberts
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
Soda Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
I wonder if Bay Areans know about the Jill of all Trades home handyperson classes? They were originally targeted to women but I've taken classes there with men in the same boat as me: a desire and a will but a total lack of knowledge and, dare I say it, courage to make that first hole in the wall.
The wiring class was fantastic. But my favorite was learning how to saw and fasten wood to make a planter.
Just checked out her blog, which has a few instructional videos including one on how to paint a room that I wish I had seen long ago, before doing a lot of room-painting!
http://marieshomeimprovement.com/
hmm. I probably should have looked at this before attempting to put my window treatments up. I got one up with no problem, but got distracted by my cat running underfoot while installing the second. Suffice it to say the middle bracket for my window rod is not in place and the rod hangs precariously on the two end pieces. I was using a drill to put the screw in and used it for too long and stripped the screw and the screw is stuck in the wall. I can't figure out how to get it out without digging a massive hole in the wall. If I do dig the hole to get the screw in then I have to repair the wall so that I can mount the bracket. Yippee!
just fyi: as of 02 march 2010, marieshomeimprovement site has been hacked.