This is continued from In My Toolbox: Must-Haves For The DIY Girl, Part II…

Are you feeling confident and ready to take on your projects with your tools in hand? Remember, the heart of the maker and the eager hands behind each project are the foundational tools for any do-it-yourself. Start simple. Borrow a hammer. Begin to fill your hollow toolbox. Piece by piece, bit by bit, add the materials you need—when you need them. Build up your tool repertoire, work on a project with a friend, learn “how to” and “what nots” together. Working with your hands, alongside someone you love, can be one of the best ways to spend quality time.

Here are just a few more must haves and tips to get you well on your way to a sawdust, paint splattered, do-it-yourself season:

Safety Glasses
Two things make these a no brainer. First, sight is one of you top five most important senses and your eyes are the probably most important organ. Second, who doesn’t look glamorous in safety glasses? When in doubt, wear them.

Mask
We humans are clever. We figured out how to make some crazy coatings that seem to last forever and even crazier chemicals to get them off quickly (both very unnatural). It is the utmost importance to protect yourself as you work with these—as they can make you really sick if you breathe them! If anything, use a scarf to wrap around your nose and mouth when in a pinch.

Pencil
You can get a standard #2 and feel a bit nostalgic for standardized testing, or you can get one of those wide flat pencils and sharpen it slowly with a pocketknife while you talk to someone (DIY girl turned widdler?). Have a pencil handy with each and every project—you will need it!

Building Up Your Toolbox

• Hardware Stores: Home Depot, Lowes, OSH, Menards, Ace Hardware, Sears—these are your typical hardware stores and all places to find quality tools. You can choose to go with tools that are made in the U.S.A. and should your town have a non-chain hardware store, you can support a smaller business through your tool purchases. Sears sells Craftsman tools—and although Sears is often overlooked as a retailer, nearly all the tools sold here come with a lifetime warranty. Something breaks—just bring it in for a new one!

 

• Garage Sales: Many tools last a lifetime. Second hand finds are one of the best ways to make someone’s “old” your “new”. Why not give some old tools life in your toolbox? Repaint the handles of a wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers for a fresh look. The thrifty handy-woman is a force to be reckoned with.

With the twist of a bolt, the hammer of a nail, the screech of a drill—go build something, darling, and DIY your heart out.