This week's Fix It Tip features repairing screen windows and doors.  As the weather is getting warmer in most of the United States it time to startthinking about letting the warm air in : ).

You probably have forgotten about those holes in the screens and now is the time to get them patched up.

Don't forget to wear gloves when working with either old screen or new screen materials.  This will protect your hands from cuts.

What you need:

• Cutting end nippers
• Hammer
• Staple gun
• New screen material- from local home improvement store
• Metal cutting shears or a razor knife- you'll choose either one depending on the screen material
• Scrap of 2 inch by 4 inch lumber
• Finish nails
• Putty knife or flat-bladed screwdriver

What you do:

1. Remove the strips of molding
   that hold the old screen in place.  You can do this by gently prying it up using the edge of a putty knife or the flat-bladed screwdriver.  Using your hammer and nippers, carefully remove the nails from the old molding, and pull out any tacks if they are left.
2. Cut a new piece of screen material
   to fit your opening, allow for an extra inch on each side and cut the corners at 45 degree angles.
3. Staple
   one of the narrow ends of the screen in place first.  If you use fiberglass screen material, fold the edge of the material over once before you staple, this will give you extra strength.
4. Bow the frame
   Stand up the other narrow end of the frame up on the 2 inch by 4 inch lumber to allow the long sides of the frame to flex slightly.  Have an assistant push down gently to form a slight bow in the frame while you staple the screen in place along the remaining narrow end.  The screen should be tight once it is released.
5. Straight & Trim
   Make sure the new screening material is straight, then staple along the two remaining  edges. Trim excess screening and finish up  by tacking the molding strips back in place, using the new finish nails.

Fix-It Corner presents...
Planning Your Backyard Garden
I always get excited this time of year.  I think about all the vegetable plants that I want in my garden, I run out to the stores, spend a fortune, get home and then look around and shrug, "Now what?" In my enthusiasm I forget to look at my yard first.  I forget to make a plan, a simple one, but still some kind of plan about where AM I going to put all those veggies. Here are a few tips that I have found very helpful in choosing the right spots of your garden.

Fix-It Corner presents...
Cleaning the House Safely
by Elizabeth Hughes
FREE Natural Cleaning Ideas
These are some great ideas from Elizabeth who says, "I have been feverish lately about getting people to use kid safe and environmentally safe cleaning solutions. Anyway, here are some simple compounds that you can make in your home and other cleaning tips that won't make you run out of the room for air."
Find out more.

Spring Tote Bag
This is an ideal craft for everyone in your family. It is simple to do and is very practical. The kids will love the design and can use it to carry around all their favorite things through- out summer. You'll like it too for all your favorite things. Have fun!

Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean
Life Makeovers
more Cleaning Books
more Household Hints
more Home Improvement
FREE Natural Cleaning Ideas
FREE Fix-It Ideas

more gardening books
FREE Flower Crafts
FREE Garden Ideas

Crafts for Easter
Crafts for St. Patricks Day
Meet the Author - Kathy Ross
FREE Easter Ideas
Easter Books
FREE St. Patrick's Ideas
FREE Spring Ideas

Crafts to Make in the Spring
(Crafts for All Seasons)
by Kathy Ross, Vicky Enright

also see
Kathy Ross interview
Presents twenty-nine easy-to-make craft projects with springtime themes, including cotton swab pussy willows, a robin redbreast door hanging, and an Easter bunny egg holder.

The Woman's Fix-It Book:
Incredibly Simple Weekend Projects and Everyday Home Repair
by Karen Dale Dustman


Here is what today's women have been waiting for--a fix-it book written for women by a woman, who learned how to fix almost anything through years of hands-on experience as a landlord and real estate investor. This indispensable, illustrated stop-by-step guide assumes no prior skills and includes recommendations for what to put in a basic toolbox, as well as a detailed glossary.