Showing posts with label Black & Decker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black & Decker. Show all posts

Friday, 5 February 2016

5 Times Instagram Had Great Valentine’s Day Ideas

It’s that time of the year. Roses, hearts and dinner dates for two. Valentine’s Day brings out the best in us, we become a little more creative, add a lot more emotion into what we’re doing and it’s all in the name of love.

While some of you may be well versed in the art of gifting, there are still a few who tremble at the thought of giving a ‘bad’ present, especially if it’s your first time. Here are the top 5 Valentine’s Day gifts that we found that could inspire you.

1. Old School

If you want to go old school, you can always go for a gift hamper. They’re easy and full of lots of things that she or he will like. The best part with this idea is, you can never go wrong as there will be something in the hamper that she or he will love.



2. An All-Time Favourite

Flowers are an all-time favourite. This one may be focused more for the ladies but then again Valentine’s Day was meant for the ladies anyway. Always make sure your colour combinations are spot on.


3. For The Sweet Tooth
If this is your first Valentine’s Day with your partner, then don’t go over the top as you could scare them away. Chocolates are a good idea and what’s more important than the gift in this case is how you present it.

A photo posted by 07504409922 Erbil Dream City (@finetulip) on

4. A Love Bake?

If you are a whizz in the kitchen and feel that making something is always better received than buying something, a few quirky cupcakes should help you land in the good books.

A photo posted by cakeliciouskolkata (@cakelicious_kolkata) on

5. The Next Level

Now, if you’re a veteran in the love game then you’ve probably seen it all before. Flowers, chocolates, cakes these things probably don’t tickle your fancy or your partners. If this is the case you need to take it to the next level. Plan a getaway for two. Instant appreciation guaranteed!



What Have You Got Planned?


If you’ve got something else planned for the 14th then do share it with us! Help your fellow ‘Lovers’ out. You can connect with us on Facebook.

Friday, 28 August 2015

DIY— Cake Stands for Yummy Cakes and Cupcakes

You hear the word ‘cake,’ and the term ‘Yum’ is pretty instantaneous as a reply that comes out of your mouth. The whole thing about cakes and confectionaries is pretty dramatically appealing and manages to elate anyone, regardless of age to go a little berserk to have them all.

Well, if you are a fan of yummy cakes and good decorations around, then you might want to give making beautiful cake/cupcake stands a try yourself!

So in this week, we are going to tell you how you can create beautiful cake stands for some yummy and savoring cakes.

Things you will need

- Old microwave plates

- Candle stands

- Pie dishes

- Spray paint

- Glue

  1. Take a candle stand and on top of it attach one of the old microwave plate or a pie dish.

  2. Make sure that you use good glue so that the objects are fixated properly to each other and don't fall apart.
  3. Take a spray paint—colour can be of your choice. You can keep it plain black, blue, or white if you want a monochromatic look, or go for multiple colors for a more colourful outlook.
  4. Spray the first coat of paint upside down. As you leave it to dry, take another stand and repeat the same step of attaching it to a pie dish.

  5. You will need altogether three coats of spray paint, neatly done, for a clean finish and shiny appearance.
  6. Once that’s done, you have your all new cake stand, completely made by you!




Connect with us

If you too have some amazing ideas for decorating confectionaries or making stands for cupcakes, cakes and other food items, don’t forget to share it with us. We would love to hear you! Connect with us on Facebook or simply leave your comments below.

Friday, 21 August 2015

DIY—Colourful dotted tumblers

Colours add meaning to life. It is an undeniable fact that colours always grab your attention and make you appreciate the beauty of them, regardless of how old you are. Now when it comes to getting creative, you can do wonders with some colours.

In this week’s release, we tell you how to make some beautiful, colourful dotted glass tumblers that you can use not just as a decorative piece of art in your own house but also gift it to your near and dear ones.

Things you will need:
-Enamel acrylic paint—red, blue, green, white, yellow.

-Two/ Three glass tumblers

-Cotton swabs

-Paper towel

-A parchment paper

-A sheet pan

Steps to make colourful dotted tumblers:

1.       Arrange all your items in one place, and choose the colours of acrylic paint that you want to use in your tumblers


2.       Take a sheet of paper towel and fold it evenly into half. Pull out dollops of each colour from the acrylic paint containers on the paper towel.



3.       It is up to your creativity when it comes to mixing colours. You can keep it simple or try experimenting, additionally, adding white to them to get some more new colours that you would like on your tumbler.

4.     Take a sheet of parchment paper and place it properly on the sheet pan.  Now flip your glass tumblers upside down on the pan, and dip your cotton swab into the colours and start dotting the tumblers. This will be your first layer of dots. As you are done with one tumbler, keep it aside to let it dry while you continue working the same way on the other tumblers. 



5.       After you are done with the first layer of dots and it is dry, start with the second layer, experimenting with your desired colour combinations. Be careful to dot from the base to the sides of the tumbler, and avoid getting closer to the edges.


6.      As soon as you are done with the double layering and you are sure that the paint has dried up, insert the pan inside a cold oven and bake your creation at a temperature approximately at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for around 20-30 minutes in order to set the paint.


7.      Once you are done with the baking, let it cool down for a while before you flip them. And there you have it! Your own DIY colourful dotted glass tumblers. Gift them to your friends or keep them as a show piece.

Connect with us:

If colours are a part of your DIY projects as well, then we would love to see some of your creations. Connect with us on Facebook, or leave your comments below. We are always pleased to read them!

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Images source: popsugar



Friday, 7 August 2015

B&D DIY: Insulated Plastic Cup

A barbeque party, office tea or a glass of wine, drinks are more enjoyable when you can sip them at the temperature you want, cold or warm. Thanks to the wide world of DIY, getting creative and make an insulated cup yourself is easier than ever. This imaginative innovation will help keep your drink the temperature you want for longer.

Here’s what you will need:

- One paper towel
- Two plastic cups

Yes, that’s all you would need!

Here’s what you need to do:

-Firstly, get all the materials you need in front of you so that when you start work, you can finish it without moving to and fro.


-Now, take one large sheet of paper towel, fold it in half length wise.
 

-After that, wrap the folded paper towel around one of the plastic cups. Make sure it’s tight and snug.

 

-Now insert the paper towel wrapped cup carefully into the other plastic cup. 



-That’s it. You are done. Wasn’t that easy?

You can test it for yourself and see your drinks will not only retain their temperature in these insulated cups, but also prevent any condensation of water droplets outside of your cup.

Connect with us

For more interesting DIY tips and tricks, follow us on Facebook. Also, if you found this helpful, share this with your friends and family. Happy DIY’ing

[Images Courtesy : Instructables.com]

Friday, 24 July 2015

DIY: The Coin Vase

A common misconception these days is that DIY is mainly pursued to fix or build things. What people forget is that there a few things you can do to improve upon an object or parts of your house, either for appearance or functionality purposes. If you have been following our Facebook page, you would have noticed that we at Black & Decker are on a mission to convert shoppers into what we like to call, DIY-ers.

Stop buying and start making. That is our philosophy and this week we are going to show you how to glam up an old vase. Many of you will say that most vases are already decorative and very pleasing to look at.

Well, if you have owned one you would know that after a few years the same design can get a little boring and it will soon defeat the very purpose it was bought for (To please your taste). Follow these steps and we guarantee a smile with a tilted head at the end of it.

What you will need
  • An old and boring vase
  • Lots of coins, about 100 to be on the safe side
  • Black acrylic paint. Nothing too glossy
  • A strong adhesive

The procedure
  1. First, paint the entire vase with the black acrylic paint. Once it has dried, give it another coat.
  2. Leave it for a while until the vase is completely dry.
  3. This next step requires you to get the coins out and stick them next to each other, moving all the way around the vase, like this.



  4. Once you have covered the entire area with coins, you need to let the glue dry.
  5. Once the glue is dry and you are sure that none of the coins will fall off, the next step is to find a spot to place this vase and fill it with flowers or potpourri.

                           Source

As simple as that

That was simple enough. For more great home improvement ideas, follow us on Facebook and bookmark this page. We will be back next week.

Friday, 17 July 2015

How to Hide Those Ugly Electrical Cables

Televisions, home theatres, DTH boxes, all of these have one thing in common and that’s ugly looking wires. What is the point of having a clean, well maintained home if everybody can see those ugly wires hanging out or spread across the floor? There has to be a way to conceal them. In today’s blog we will be giving you a few ideas on how to hide those ugly cables and add something unique to your house.

The Regular

First up, you have your everyday methods that everybody uses, if you’re the type that doesn't worry too much about aesthetics but mostly on functionality then these methods will suit you just fine. They're easy to do and the materials will not cost you too much either.

Rubber pipes, commonly used and very effective. They're also wallet friendly.



Source: Unplggd

A cage holder. Looks more difficult than it really is but offers you a different dimension.



Source: Buzzfeed

Pandora’s Box. All you need to do, is to make subtle colour boxes.

Source: Buzzfeed

It doesn't have to be just leaves, you could try anything.






















Source: Viral Nova


The Creative

If you fall into the category that is completely opposite of the one above and your home aesthetics matter a lit, you will definitely love these ideas. They may require a bit more of your time but you can’t put a time limit on innovation.

Wire art. This may take some time but it’s definitely worth the effort.

 

Source: WooHome & HermanMiller

The Socket House. You can also add some colour and design to really spruce it up.



















Source: WooHome

How about a TV Tree?























Source: Etsy



Connect With Us

It is all up to you and your choice of expressions. Now you will never have to worry about the messy cable pile or spending hours to untangle them.

For more innovative DIY ideas, follow us on Facebook. You can also share some of the work you have done and we will feature your work on our blog.


Friday, 10 July 2015

No More Window Shopping

Window shopping is a cruel game between consumers and brands, an unfair one that usually results in big brands having their way with their customers. Sometimes it’s a matter of wanting rather than needing and that is what gets you caught in the never ending “should I or shouldn't I?” problem.

There has to be a way to stand up to over-priced commodities that you simply ‘must have,’ take the power into your own hands and fight back. There is a way, but many are too afraid to try it, we can’t really understand why. It’s simple enough if you have the right tools and material.
Here are five things that you wanted, which you can now make at home by yourself.

1. An iPad dock made out of wood. Source

2. A Star Wars Lightsabre.  Source


3. A magnetic drop-catch bottle opener Source


4. A Viking beer mug. Source


5. And finally, a Keezer Source



Do More with B&D

If you tried to make any of these, send us a picture of your finished piece and we’ll gladly share your work on our blog.

For more interesting DIY tips and ideas, follow us on Facebook. You will definitely find something that you can use.

Friday, 26 June 2015

7 DIY Crafts That Will Inspire You To Try It Yourself

More than providing the tools and appliances, we love to inspire. In the words of former president of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

As leaders in home improvement and construction, we thought in this week’s post, we will do our best to inspire you with great craft ideas that are effortless to try and could potentially improve the look and feel of your home.

Penguins are definitely in the ‘most adorable’ top 10 but this one takes first place.

Colours make people happy and so does hot tea. What happens if you put them both together?

A little trick that I’m sure everybody would want to know. We hear snowflakes are a bit tougher but look better.

An inspirational list is nothing without a sweet treat.

Love to be organised? This can really help you out and it’s easy to do.
A photo posted by MAR19.83.70.87.PAN (@mar19.83.70.87.pan) on

“Winter is coming” and that call for knitted shoes.

We saved the best for last. An eco-friendly flower pot.


Share your crafts with us

If there is something that you have taken time out to make or build, share them with us and we’ll feature you in one of our DIY inspiration blogs. You can send your pictures in on our Facebook page.

Thursday, 4 June 2015

5 Reasons Why DIY is So Amazing

Making something with your own hands is always a feeling of indescribable happiness. Perhaps, that’s the reason which has led to the growing popularity of DIY products in the world.

From page wreaths to lava lamps, DIY lets you explore your hidden skills and inner talents, and once you see the positive results, your happiness will be boundless.

Here we give you five reasons, why DIY is so amazing for your life:

1. It brings out a feeling of independence in you

Source: popsugar

The human mind is a very dependent substance. From food to clothes to shelter, it is programmed to depend on outer sources to have its bucket list fulfilled. DIY gives you the chance to give yourself a shot, be it by making your own clothes, designing the walls of your house by yourself or by preparing a delicious meal. It lets you explore your own personality and pave way for a more independent you in the long run!

2. It gives you the best platform to learn

Source: construction photography

In life, we try, we fail. We try again, and maybe we fail again. We try once more, and voila! We succeed! That is what DIY is all about as well. It helps you to adapt to the trial and error that life is, gives you a taste of bitter and sweet from both worlds of failure and success and most importantly, let’s you learn and become a pro from a beginner.

3. It brings you appreciation

Source: Soda head

How many people are able to stitch their own clothes, design their walls and gift their friends, hand-made goodies? With DIY you can not only do this stuff, but also earn accolades from others for being able to do so.

4. It is pocket friendly

Source: clickprefect

While DIY is no doubt time demanding, it is also pocket friendly and can save you a lot of money which would be otherwise spent on buying things from conventional stores.
5. Self made is euphoric


Recall the moment you got your first pay check after pouring in all the sweat and hard work? Wasn’t it the best feeling? Well, with Do it yourself, you can always relive that feeling as being self-made or making anything yourself is probably in the world.

Connect with Us

Have some interesting DIY items to brag about? Share them us on Facebook and we might include them in our next blog.






Friday, 29 May 2015

DIY - A Beautiful Book Page Wreath From Old Papers

Best out of waste - the term certainly brings back school memories where you were to show your talent on bringing the best out of something that was technically of no use any longer. Well, not much has changed and you can still showcase your talent in making something creative out of things you would normally dump in the trash.

Here’s a fun technique to utilize old pages and manifest them into a beautiful wreath that will not only give your wall a classic look but also be an inexpensive way of exercising your creativity.


                    Image source: Jones design company


Things You Will Need:
-A thin, flexible metal rod

-Lots and lots of old papers

-Glue

-Scissors

Here’s what you need to do:

1) First, take the thin flexible metal rod and wrap it around a big circular object in order to get a perfect round shaped ring. The metal rod will be a little stubborn to bend but this will be the base of the wreath and hence, needs to be strong.

2) Now get your hands on those old papers and cut them in half with the help of scissors. Fold them evenly and staple them from the bottom. Make sure all your papers are cut in same lengths else your wreath would look uneven.

3) Next, take a paper punch and dig a hole on each of the papers that you have just cut. Slide the papers one by one on to the circular ring.

4) Now you need to use some glue to stick these pages on the ring in such a way that will prevent them from falling apart.

5) Now it’s time to leave your creation for a while to let it dry. Once that’s done, voila! You are ready to hang it on your wall, giving your home that vintage touch with just some creative techniques.

You can also place a bow or any other shiny object in the center of your wreath to make it more attractive.



If you like more colors, you can use colorful pages instead of the white and black set up. You can also use a CD as your base instead of a bigger circular object if you want your wreath to be small.

Connect with us:

Don’t forget to share what you came up with. Follow us on Facebook to keep a tab on some more of our creations. Also, do share with us if you have pictures of your own creations and projects, we would love to see them.


Friday, 15 May 2015

Innovative Ways to Stay Cool This Summer

We’re half way through the summer and a feeling of relief can be sensed among the population. Some cities across the country witnessed an extremely hot summer period while others felt right at home in the blistering heat. Before we start our monsoon celebrations we still have about 60 days of the season left.
We're giving you a few tips and tricks that you can try to stay cool and beat the heat this summer, some may sound strange but trust us, they work.

1. Utilize the freezer


About 10-15 minutes before you sleep, put your sheets in the freezer to cool off. Do make sure you place them in a plastic bag before you place them inside the freezer as you don’t want the smell of yesterday’s dinner to be absorbed by the fabric.

2. The wet cloth method
This trick is right out of a science book and it works wonders. Place a damp cloth over a stand fan or in front of an open window, when the fan is switched on or a breeze comes through, it’ll cool down the room instantly.

3. The cold water bottle


In the winter, many of us resort to hot water bottles to keep us warm, but you can also use them in the summer. Simply fill ice-cold water into it and keep it with you when the heat becomes unbearable.

4. Get down
We all know that hot air rises. So the perfect place to set up camp would be closer to the ground. Substitute your fancy bed for a comfortable mattress and you'll feel cooler in no time.

5. Get creative


Grains like rice and buckwheat aren't just for consuming, you can make a pillow using these as they don't absorb heat like cotton or goose feathers.

Connect with Black & Decker

If you used any of these methods or have a few ingenious ways to stay cool of your own, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us on Facebook and leave your comments, thoughts on the blog or any sort of feedback.

Thursday, 7 May 2015

The DIY Water Conserving Garden Sprinkler


Watering your garden with a garden hose wastes a lot of water and the pressure of the water can damage your baby leaves and buds. Sprinklers, on the other hand, work wonders in a garden. On high pressure, they spurt water out for your leaves; while on a low pressure, you can use them for soil wetting too. This DIY garden sprinkler is easy to make and it helps conserve water.

Things You Will Need:
Here’s What You Need To Do:
  • The first thing you need to do is connect your bottle with the hose using the water proof tape.
  • Tape the hose to the bottle multiple times and make sure there is no gap, thereby avoiding leaks. 
  • Be sure to test it against pressure as you do not want it to disconnect later. 
  • Drill holes in the bottle, placing the holes wherever you want water to spurt. Be sure to use protective gear while drilling to prevent any injuries. Safe DIY is good DIY!

  • Test-run your sprinkler and check for any leaks, especially where the tape connects the hose and bottle. If there are, identify the leaky spots and reinforce with the tape.
                            
  • Finally, turn the tap on and reap rewards for your labour. Keep your gardens looking its best while saving water! Also, don’t forget to use kitchen waste and kitchen water for your garden to keep it nourished and healthy. 

Connect with us:

Do-It-Yourself projects are perfect activities to beat the summer boredom, follow us on Facebook for more DIY projects. Also, don’t forget to share pictures of your own projects with us; we’d love to see what you’ve done.

Friday, 17 April 2015

Keep Garden Pests at Bay in a Healthy Way

Summer is a great time in your garden; growth accelerates as new leaves and shoots grow out and slowly make their way to flowering. At this time, remember that it’s best to water your garden in the morning so that the scorching sun doesn’t dry up your soil too much. A healthy looking plant in your garden can be highly infected and it takes a close view to see these pests. Mealybugs tend to hide inside new leaves and shoots and spread faster than lice in a playground. Of course, there is the common powdery mildew that contaminates your plants due to low ventilation and takes refuge under big leaves. Also, spider mites infect your plants visibly and suck the life out of it, as leaves turn yellow and your plants droops down in sorrow.

A common solution to these problems is pressure washing. We recommend the Black & Decker 100 Bar Pressure Washer on low pressure for this process. Tip your plant over, as you don’t want to wash away the soil, before pressure washing the leaves and shoots. Parasites like scale insects tend to cling on to your plant for dear life, and need to be scraped off with fingernails as you wash it off.

In some cases, pests tend to over populate on plants and if they are not spotted early enough can infect a plant completely. At this point, accompany daily pressure washing with neem oil or neem spraying to safely eradicate these pests. By using pressure washing and neem, you can refrain from using chemicals; as they not only smell like rotten eggs but are also poisonous to your plant, your pets and your family.

Here are some tips to keep your garden looking its best:

· Grind eggshells into a powder and sprinkle it over the soil, this gives your plant calcium and isn’t an eyesore like crushed eggshells.

· While cooking, save vegetable cooking water instead of throwing it and water your plants (only the soil) with this water. A great vegetable soup is a nutritious treat for your plants.

· Tea leaves are excellent for increasing the acidity of your soil. As this is beneficial to your plants, don’t always throw strained tea leaves, occasionally sprinkle some on the soil.

· Plants love company! So, go ahead, layer your plants in a couple of rows. Be careful not to overcrowd, poor ventilation attracts trouble.

· Spend time caring for your plants. Individually inspect them for pests and don’t be shy, they just might enjoy light petting.

Black & Decker knows best: 

Follow us on Facebook for more gardening tips and summer activities; send in pictures of your lovely garden as we’d love to see what you’ve done.


Thursday, 2 April 2015

Do It Yourself - The ideal Portable Summer Table




The summer breeze has been said to bring new friends; with that it brings more parties and trips to the beach. A portable table for these activities will always come in handy to keep food and drinks. This portable table can be rolled up into a nice bundle as you move from place to place. Go ahead and try this ten step method to build your own portable table.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Things you’ll need:

· one 48 x 7/8 (inches) wooden solid cylindrical rod

· three 2 x 1/4 x 8 (inches) hardwood planks

· one 1 x 1/4 x 8(inches) hardwood plank

· four 1/4-20 x 1(inches) Carriage bolts                                                                     
· four 1/4-20 threaded insert nuts

· 4 x 1(inches) nylon web belt

· ¼ (inches) staples

· a Black & Decker Circular Saw (CS1500 184mm)                                                                                                                          
                                         

Here’s what you need to do:
1. Commence by cutting the rod into four equal length pieces.

2. Cut the two inch hardwood planks into 24 inch pieces. You will require ten pieces. Trim the whole stack at once to make sure they are all of equal length. You'll need two 24 inch pieces of the one inch hardwood plank too.

3. Scrub the ends of the rods and the planks with sandpaper.

4. Cut two 24 inch pieces of nylon web belt and burn the ends. This will protect it from fraying.

5. Arrange the planks side by side and make sure they are evenly spaced.

6. Staple the belt to the planks; make sure the staples are shorter than the thickness of the wood and staple. Use a strong stapler gun. Use a hammer for assistance.

7. Install all the planks making sure to move your spacers and keep the web belting pulled tight.
8. Place the one inch planks across the table top and drill ¼ inch holes in the corners. These one inch planks serve as spreaders to keep the nylon web belting tight. Widen the holes in the tabletop to receive the square head of the carriage bolts. After this, install the spreaders.

9. Now, for the legs, Mark one end of each rod in the centre and drill a 5/16 inch hole one inch deep into the end.

10. Install threaded inserts in the rods.





Finally, throw it together, screw the legs onto the carriage bolts and flip it over. You can now paint it or customize it as you wish. Enjoy your new portable table!

Connect with us: For more interesting DIY projects follow us on Facebook. Also, we’d love to hear from you; send us images and tell us about your DIY projects.