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December 3, 2013 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

Did you have a great Thanksgiving? We did here at the Carter house. I've said before it's my favorite meal of the year. Kathy didn't disappoint! Everything was superb including her special pumpkin and pecan pies.

Speaking of Thanks, I want to Thank You for being a subscriber. Thanks for your support. Thanks for the great emails you send to me from time to time. Thanks for telling others about AsktheBuilder.com.

I'll try to say thanks to you with a quick Syber Stain Solver Sale. How about a 15% discount for you on all sizes except our tiny SS01? The sale starts NOW and it ENDS on Sunday night, December 8, 2013 at midnight ET. (See Editor's comments in the December 4, 2013 Newsletter. It "explains" SYBER.)

I did drop the price of the SS01 Sample Size to just $8.97 shipped FREE to anywhere in the USA or US Territories.

Remember, FREE SHIPPING on all Stain Solver orders to the lower 48 USA states.

To get the 15% discount on all other sizes or a case of the little SS01's use this promo code:

THANKS

CLICK HERE FOR STAIN SOLVER CYBER SAVINGS

Now Christmas is bearing down on us. I've got more gift ideas this week and a clothing review in case you want to give someone a gift that keeps on giving - durable and warm clothing. The review is farther below.

TIP OF THE WEEK - REPAIR OR REPLACE A DOOR KNOB

Do you have a door knob that needs to be repaired? Or do you want to replace one? You may have guests coming over soon and don't want them trapped in the bathroom, right? It wouldn't be the first time this happened!

Watch this video to see how to repair a loose door knob.

Read this column to discover how to replace a door knob. You can do it!

If you don't feel comfortable replacing a knob and need help, be SURE to pay attention to the ads you see to the right of the column as you read it!

SPACKLING COMPOUND AS CUPCAKE ICING - REALLY!!!

Donna Hirsch reached out to me with a very unusual question:

"Hi Tim,

I'm doing a craft project and was wondering if I could mix paint with spackle and still have it set up. I've made mini-cupcakes out of spray on insulating foam, painted them, and want to 'frost' them with the spackle, but it looks too dead white. I wouldn't make it real soupy, just enough paint to give it a little shimmer. Can do or don't?

You're the man!!! Thanks!"

Donna Hirsch

"PS: I'll send you a pic when I'm done. I know, you're waiting with baited breath. ;^) "

I told Donna she could mix paint with spackle to get the desired result. Since paint is just colored glue, it would help hold the spackle onto the cake. What's more, if she used a high-gloss paint, the icing might look somewhat shiny after mixing with the dull spackle.

Let's hope no one eats them as they look way too real. GREAT JOB Donna and I did want to see the finished product! Check out Donna's work:

spackle cupcake

DULUTH TRADING FREE SWINGIN' FLANNEL SHIRT REVIEW

A flannel shirt is a flannel shirt, right? How could one be remarkably different than another? I can tell you there's a huge difference because I've worn all sorts of flannel for decades.

When I was a young construction worker, I thought it was a good idea to buy cheap shirts at the national retail outlets. It turns out that's not too smart. The shirts would fall apart in less than a year. I discovered it really pays to spend just 50% more to get a shirt that may last three or four years!

Last week, the UPS man brought me a pretty standard flannel shirt from Duluth Trading. It was good looking, but it was a flannel shirt. How could it be different? WOW!

The first thing I noticed when trying it on, were the buttons. How could buttons make a difference? The diameter of the buttons was slightly larger than normal and it made a huge difference in buttoning the shirt. The extra diameter increased the leverage to slide the button into the button hole. Who would have though?

Once the shirt was on, it's as if it wasn't on. The fit was so nice and the flannel so soft I couldn't even tell I had a shirt on other than how warm I was. Usually flannel shirts have sleeves that constrict or cause tightness at the wrists - especially if you wear a wrist watch as I do.

I have to say, without a doubt, the Duluth Trading Free Swingin' flannel shirt gets my highest praise.

Keep in mind I wear their pants too. I love my DT Flex Fire Hose Work Pants.

Duluth Trading has all sorts of great clothes for WOMEN too.

MORE CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

Instead of photos and lots of text, let's just cut to the chase. If I can't say it in ten words, then it's not worth saying!

Sears Mechanics Sets - Nice cases, great assortments. Sockets galore!

Smart tape

Smart-Tape - Kathy said, "Why didn't YOU think of this and make us a million bucks?!" Great Stocking Stuffer

Energizer Rechargeable Batteries - I LOVE mine!!!!

Fire Piston - Stocking Stuffer ALERT! - great great tool for many uses. Wow friends with magic!

When you CLICK HERE, you'll be taken to a very simple page. It's not a trick. Just type in: atb into the box and click the Enter button to be taken to the special AsktheBuilder.com Fire Piston page!

Sears Bolt-On Drill / Driver - Why have multiple motors?

Here's LAST WEEK's list of Christmas Gift Ideas.

Link to Past AsktheBuilder.com Newsletters.

More Tips Next Week!

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