Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
I'm so frustrated!!!
The tapestry above my fireplace is a little larger than the space calls for, so I've been thinking about putting it above my couch and buying something else for above the fireplace.
After much searching I finally found something I liked enough to go above the fireplace. Another tapestry, I was hoping to find some kind of wrought iron decor, but everything I saw was too small. When I got it home the new tapestry was larger than expected, but I decided I liked it too much to return it, and the other tapestry's size didn't annoy me enough to care about whether or not to move it. So I decided to put the new tapestry above the couch instead.
First, it was a pain in the ass figuring out how far down from the ceiling to hang it, centering it above my couch, not to mention I always forget to take into consideration the hardware I'm hanging it on (hooks in this case) so I have to go back and remeasure to account for that.
So now I'm all ready; measured, leveled and got the places I'm drilling hooks into all marked and re' ta go. But holding the screw and hook in one hand, and trying to drill with the other is proving impossible. The drill is too heavy for me to hold it above my head, and I don't have anything to get me any taller than my dining chairs will get me--so no leverage. I need another pair of hands.
I decide to tape the hook to the wall to hold it steady, this way I'll only have to hold the screw in place and then maybe I can get the damned screw screwed in! Nope. Hook fell. Scotch tape only works on wrapping paper apparently. I forged ahead nonetheless, and decided all I needed to do was push it harder against the tape against the wall and felt certain pushing harder would make the "tape glue" stick better. I raised the drill up, squeezed the trigger...no power. The flippin' thing unplugged. Then the hook fell again. Of course it did.
Right about now all I want to do is throw everything on the ground, call it all "stupid" and kick it. I'm hot and sweaty, and I'm moving dust around which (due to my allergy toward dust) is causing my throat to constrict. So I get a glass of water and my inhaler and try to calm down. It's this point also that I suddenly understand the need for a "man" around the house.
I decide to use nails. "Stroke of genius!" I think to myself. I mean, it's not as if I need to use the anchors for crying out loud, it's a 3 pound tapestry, not a shelf or anything. Nails will work perfectly! Nails will see me through this!!! No such luck, I don't have any nails with heads wide enough to not go through the screw holes. I consider giving up.
Alas, I do not. I must go on. I'm a confessed procrastinator, but every now and then I get a "finish it" streak in me. Sometimes it lasts for a few days, sometimes it lasts only a few minutes--the point being I'm never sure how long it will last, so I better use it up while I can. As I was rummaging through my hall closet/tool closet/linen closet I found this sticky stuff, I can't remember what it's called but it resembles chewed gum (it's probably called "sticky stuff"). "This will work much better than tape!", I say. Feeling confident, I start anew.
I use the sticky stuff on the back of the hook thingy, knowing it won't let me down. (Pause to glare at Scotch tape, "I don't want to see you again 'till Christmas.") And it doesn't. It works like a charm; holding the hook in place perfectly so I can hold the screw with my left hand and the drill with my right hand. Yay! Of course, the second I raise the drill up, the flat-head bit falls out. Off the chair, again, bending over (not so easy these days--I am 30!) again, put the bit back in the drill and back up on the chair.
However, the bit is too thick for the cheap ass Pier One screws provided with the tapestry's hardware. Not to mention I'm still struggling with the weight of the drill vs. how low I am. Grr...I seriously consider leaving the damn hook stuck to the wall. I almost have to resort to using a butter knife and pliers, but the cheap screws aren't sharp enough to screw in easily with a butter knife. Right about now I'm thinking:
Why are all of my butch friends at work!?!?!?
Finally, I looked in my drill case and found decent wood screws, phillips head, nice and pointy. They screwed in quite lovely, nice and smooth. They're silver and not black, but that's okay--I colored them with a Sharpie. (Except that the inside couldn't be reached by the Sharpie, so I used leftover black Halloween nail polish as well.)
On a less frustrating note, I finally found the "mystery outlet" that was controlled by the "switch that doesn't do anything". Why anyone would only wire a switch to the bottom half of one outlet is beyond me.
A photo of the cumbersome tapestry.
The tapestry above my fireplace is a little larger than the space calls for, so I've been thinking about putting it above my couch and buying something else for above the fireplace.
After much searching I finally found something I liked enough to go above the fireplace. Another tapestry, I was hoping to find some kind of wrought iron decor, but everything I saw was too small. When I got it home the new tapestry was larger than expected, but I decided I liked it too much to return it, and the other tapestry's size didn't annoy me enough to care about whether or not to move it. So I decided to put the new tapestry above the couch instead.
First, it was a pain in the ass figuring out how far down from the ceiling to hang it, centering it above my couch, not to mention I always forget to take into consideration the hardware I'm hanging it on (hooks in this case) so I have to go back and remeasure to account for that.
So now I'm all ready; measured, leveled and got the places I'm drilling hooks into all marked and re' ta go. But holding the screw and hook in one hand, and trying to drill with the other is proving impossible. The drill is too heavy for me to hold it above my head, and I don't have anything to get me any taller than my dining chairs will get me--so no leverage. I need another pair of hands.
I decide to tape the hook to the wall to hold it steady, this way I'll only have to hold the screw in place and then maybe I can get the damned screw screwed in! Nope. Hook fell. Scotch tape only works on wrapping paper apparently. I forged ahead nonetheless, and decided all I needed to do was push it harder against the tape against the wall and felt certain pushing harder would make the "tape glue" stick better. I raised the drill up, squeezed the trigger...no power. The flippin' thing unplugged. Then the hook fell again. Of course it did.
Right about now all I want to do is throw everything on the ground, call it all "stupid" and kick it. I'm hot and sweaty, and I'm moving dust around which (due to my allergy toward dust) is causing my throat to constrict. So I get a glass of water and my inhaler and try to calm down. It's this point also that I suddenly understand the need for a "man" around the house.
I decide to use nails. "Stroke of genius!" I think to myself. I mean, it's not as if I need to use the anchors for crying out loud, it's a 3 pound tapestry, not a shelf or anything. Nails will work perfectly! Nails will see me through this!!! No such luck, I don't have any nails with heads wide enough to not go through the screw holes. I consider giving up.
Alas, I do not. I must go on. I'm a confessed procrastinator, but every now and then I get a "finish it" streak in me. Sometimes it lasts for a few days, sometimes it lasts only a few minutes--the point being I'm never sure how long it will last, so I better use it up while I can. As I was rummaging through my hall closet/tool closet/linen closet I found this sticky stuff, I can't remember what it's called but it resembles chewed gum (it's probably called "sticky stuff"). "This will work much better than tape!", I say. Feeling confident, I start anew.
I use the sticky stuff on the back of the hook thingy, knowing it won't let me down. (Pause to glare at Scotch tape, "I don't want to see you again 'till Christmas.") And it doesn't. It works like a charm; holding the hook in place perfectly so I can hold the screw with my left hand and the drill with my right hand. Yay! Of course, the second I raise the drill up, the flat-head bit falls out. Off the chair, again, bending over (not so easy these days--I am 30!) again, put the bit back in the drill and back up on the chair.
However, the bit is too thick for the cheap ass Pier One screws provided with the tapestry's hardware. Not to mention I'm still struggling with the weight of the drill vs. how low I am. Grr...I seriously consider leaving the damn hook stuck to the wall. I almost have to resort to using a butter knife and pliers, but the cheap screws aren't sharp enough to screw in easily with a butter knife. Right about now I'm thinking:
Why are all of my butch friends at work!?!?!?
Finally, I looked in my drill case and found decent wood screws, phillips head, nice and pointy. They screwed in quite lovely, nice and smooth. They're silver and not black, but that's okay--I colored them with a Sharpie. (Except that the inside couldn't be reached by the Sharpie, so I used leftover black Halloween nail polish as well.)
On a less frustrating note, I finally found the "mystery outlet" that was controlled by the "switch that doesn't do anything". Why anyone would only wire a switch to the bottom half of one outlet is beyond me.
A photo of the cumbersome tapestry.