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A Pool Noodle Became a Fall Wreath, but It Took 2,800 Thumbtacks

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Pool noodles tend to disappear into storage once summer ends, but one foam ring became the base for a fall wreath covered with thousands of brass thumbtacks. The green foam vanishes under overlapping metal heads, leaving a gold surface that looks more like scales than office supplies. Homedit contributor Brittney Smart made the wreath with a 14-inch foam form, flat-head brass thumbtacks, and copper wire ribbon. Covering the ring took 14 boxes with 200 tacks each, bringing the total to 2,800. Each tack goes straight into the foam, so the project requires no wood frame or complex assembly. The work comes from covering the curved surface without exposing gaps between the metal heads. Thumbtacks Start in Overlapping Rows First tacks form a line across the foam, with each round head overlapping the one beside it. Leaving too much space exposes green foam between the pieces. Spacing matters because the tack heads need to cover the base without stacking on top of each other. Straight ...
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Toilet Won’t Stop Running? This Part Inside the Tank Could Be the Reason

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A toilet that keeps running can sound like water leaking into the bowl long after a flush. Sometimes the tank fills, stops for a moment, then starts again. Other times, water never seems to shut off. When Brittney’s husband opened the tank to make the repair, one part became the focus: the fill valve. It controls water entering the toilet, and a worn or faulty valve can cause problems with filling, water flow, and noise. Replacing it meant working inside the tank and below it, but not removing the toilet. Once he shut off the water and drained the tank, he could disconnect the old fill valve and pull it out through the opening in the bottom of the tank. Start by draining the tank Shut off the toilet’s water supply, then flush. With the supply closed, the tank drains without filling again. Some water will remain at the bottom, so place a bucket beneath the tank before disconnecting anything. That bucket becomes important once the valve comes out. Disconnect the water line b...
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Houseplant Lovers Are Putting Aluminum Foil in Their Pots to Keep One Problem Away

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Aluminum foil showing up around a houseplant can look like a strange way to cover the soil, but the shiny surface can serve a purpose above the pot. It reflects incoming light back toward the foliage, including areas beneath the leaves where pests such as aphids and whiteflies can gather. Reflective material has been used around plants to make them less attractive to some flying insects. Instead of light coming from above, the foil sends part of it back toward the underside of the plant, disrupting the visual cues insects use when approaching and landing. For a houseplant, foil can be placed across part of the exposed soil or around the inside edge of a large pot. It shouldn’t cover the entire surface, since the soil still needs to be checked for moisture and accessed during watering. Foil can have another job when cats find the pot Houseplant owner Katherine Xaviera had a different problem. Her cat had claimed the middle of a large pothos pot as a favorite place to sit, lea...
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A Couple Cut Leftover 2x4s Into These Shapes for Their Fall Decor

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Scrap 2x4s left from another project became the starting point for three pieces of fall decor that look nothing like construction lumber once finished. Angled cuts create the tapered forms, while three bands of paint turn each block into an oversized piece of candy corn. @Clover House Clover House creator Dee and her husband worked with three different sizes, measuring about 5 inches, 4 inches, and 3½ inches tall. They cut both long sides of the scrap wood at 15-degree angles, then Dee rounded, painted, distressed, and finished the pieces with raffia. Pumpkin orange, white, and gold give away the candy corn idea once the paint goes on, but traces of exposed wood remain in the finished decorations. Different heights keep the three pieces from looking identical when grouped with pumpkins and other fall decor. Scrap 2x4s Became Three Different Sizes @ourcloverhouse Each candy corn starts as a short section of scrap 2×4, with angled lines marked across the wood before cutting. R...
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He Spray Painted the Brown Cabinets Blue, and You’d Never Guess They’re the Same Ones

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Brown stained cabinetry dominated this kitchen, covering almost every visible cabinet surface from the floor to the crown molding. Against the white counters and stainless steel appliances, the warm wood became the feature your eye landed on first. @mikeyamusic Instagram creator @mikeyamusic didn’t tear the cabinets out. He removed the doors and drawer fronts, masked off the kitchen, and used blue paint to change what was already there. Once everything went back together, the brown cabinet wall was gone. Deep blue now surrounds the same range, microwave, refrigerator, and white counters, while a new geometric backsplash changes the space behind them. Look closer at the before and after, though, and much more of the original kitchen survived than the finished result suggests. Brown Stain Covered the Cabinet Doors, Frames, and Trim @mikeyamusic Raised-panel doors gave the original cabinets a traditional profile, with brown stain covering the doors, face frames, end panels, to...
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He Spray Painted the Oak Cabinets White and Blue and They Look Like a Different Kitchen

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Oak cabinets covered both sides of this kitchen, wrapping around the range, sink, refrigerator, and window. Raised-panel doors and visible wood grain carried the same honey-brown finish from the base cabinets to the uppers. @pezzottipainting Instagram creator @pezzottipainting changed the cabinets with two colors instead of replacing them. He used Valspar Bay Waves and Mountain River with Enduro Wood Coatings in a 10 sheen, putting the lighter shade on most of the uppers and deep blue across the base cabinets. The cabinet layout stayed, along with the pale countertops, gray backsplash, flooring, stainless steel appliances, and original door profiles. Even the tall storage beside the refrigerator remained, but its new blue finish connects it with the lower cabinets across the kitchen. Oak Cabinets Covered Both Sides of the Kitchen @pezzottipainting Honey-toned oak filled the original kitchen from the entrance to the window. Upper cabinets lined both walls, while matching base cab...
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