EP190: Home Theater on the Cheap

SEGMENT 1: Charlie Brown and the Aluminum Christmas Tree

The Charlie Brown Christmas special, when it aired for the first time, had a dramatically negative impact on the aluminum Christmas tree industry! Here’s the article we referenced on the show:

SEGMENTS 2 & 3: Benjamin Moore’s Color Trends for 2021

Every year, Benjamin Moore releases a new Color of the Year and a small array of colors that they feel will inspire the trends in the upcoming year.

Today we speak with Hailey Johnson from Benjamin Moore about the 2021 Palette.

SEGMENT 4: Home Theater on the Cheap

Last week I jumped into a home theater setup. I’ve been toying around with the idea for years, but finally decided to pull the trigger. And the reason I did it? Because I found a way to create a great theater experience at home for under $500! Here’s what I bought:

The Projector:

There are a number of great budget options out there, but I narrowed my search down to the following two. I selected the Yaber V6 in the end simply because it had (on the specs) a higher contrast ratio and was perhaps a bit brighter. But from the reviews, both are excellent!

I’m happy with my purchase, but it’s important to note that it’s good in low lighting, but definitely excels when the room is dark. If you plan to watch sports or television during the day or in brightly lit spaces, this is probably not the projector for you. You would probably need to bump up the $$ in order to move into a higher quality product line!

But for those of you who want periodic “Movie Night Fun”, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of these:

The Screen:

The Rest:

The most important other stuff to consider is the means by which you’ll get your movies to the projector! You can do that with a BluRay player, DVD player, or even an Amazon FireStick or Roku box. There are many other options out there! 

 

EP189: A-List Christmas Gifts

SEGMENTS 1 & 2: Out of the Box Games

Jeff from Out of the Box Games, Toys, and Puzzles talked about a wide variety of games. Here are just a few of his recommendations for this Christmas:

  • Carcassonne
  • Settlers of Catan
  • Ticket to Ride
  • Pandemic
  • Trekking the National Parks

SEGMENTS 3 & 4: RepcoLite Home Improvement Show Gift Recommendations

Every year, we at the RepcoLite HIS provide a list of our top gift picks for the year. Because we are so wise and all-knowing? Nope. Because our opinions are weighty and important? Probably not.

Why do we do it then? Mostly just because we have to find a way to hint to our families about what we’d really like this year . . . .

Here are some of the recommendations we made:

DAN ALTENA:

DAN HANSEN:

  • Countertop Knife Sharpener
  • Quality Kitchen Knives
  • Diamond-Infused Bakeware
  • Ryoba Japanese Pull Saw

SEGMENT 4: RepcoLite Christmas Contest 2020

For the last 3 years, we’ve run a HUGE Christmas contest in December. 2020 is no different! The contest is running from now until December 19 when we’ll announce a winner on the radio show! 

Click the link below to enter! And don’t forget to come back daily for those free extra entries!

EP188: Christmas Decorating Tips and Ideas!

SEGMENT 1: Defend Those Bulbs!

Dan A. talked about how he planted 200 tulip bulbs last weekend only to have the squirrels dig up every last one of those bulbs! If you’re in the same boat, here’s a product that has helped him immensely. And it’s not too late to apply it!

SEGMENTS 2 & 3: Christmas Decorating!

This year of all years it’s important to decorate your home! Hailey Johnson from Benjamin Moore  joins us to talk about  some crafty projects and great paint ideas that may get you inspired!

Also, she highlights some paint colors in the third segment. We present them below!

SEGMENT 4: RepcoLite Christmas Contest 2020

For the last 3 years, we’ve run a HUGE Christmas contest in December. 2020 is no different! The contest is running from now until December 19 when we’ll announce a winner on the radio show! 

Click the link below to enter! And don’t forget to come back daily for those free extra entries!

Wide Eyed

Sometimes an object begs to be photographed for no other reason than to make you smile. This wide-eyed owl necklace was one such object. It was different because the body was made up of segments instead of being a whole piece of metal. It was able to move gently, almost as though it was preparing to fly. And while we usually see owl items with large eyes, these seemed even bigger than normal. They almost looked like a cartoon of a character who’d (no pun intended!) had too much coffee.

This little wide-eyed owl felt like the beginning of the season change. The warm, inviting colors that surrounded this necklace felt like something new. A new day. A new season of life. All begun with a smile because of a simple, wide-eyed owl.

Frozen In Time

All photographs show snippets of life. They all are moments that have been frozen in time. They show happiness and sorrow, joy and pain. They show the change in life but with bits cut from the center. Photographs are forever silent and still, even as the world races around them.

But be still with a photograph. Wait. It is easy to be transported back in time. It’s possible to hear, smell, feel, and even taste the past. It’s possible to feel the wind bite against skin in the storm. It’s possible the hear the ice crack together like glass preparing to shatter. It’s even possible to smell the approaching snow. Because yes, even snow has a smell. Photographs have tremendous power. For they always are a moment, frozen in time.

EP187: Car Storage Tips and Tricks

SEGMENT 1: The Perfect Bathroom Ceiling Paint

A great question came in from our online chat and it was this: What’s the best paint for my bathroom ceiling? Well, since the best ceiling paints are typical flat . . . and since the worst paint you can typically put in a bathroom is a flat . . . is there a good answer? Turns out, thanks to Benjamin Moore’s Aura Bath & Spa, there is! It’s not dead flat, but it’s a perfect bathroom paint in a matte finish. You can’t go wrong!

SEGMENT 2: Vehicle Storage Tips

If you put your vehicle away for the winter, or are planning on doing that soon, here are some ideas you’ll want to keep in mind!

SEGMENT 3: Wax-Free Friction Polish

After last week’s segment about clear wood coatings, we received a number of questions from wood shops wondering about friction polishes

Friction polishes are used by wood turners to apply a quick and easy seal-coat or finish to their turned pieces. But, typically, friction polishes contain wax. And that wax means that the friction polish itself (or maybe a shellac) is the only thing that can ever be used on the piece as a topcoat. And neither of those offer great durability.

SEGMENT 4: Holiday Get Together Ideas

Who knows what everyone is going to be doing to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s this year . . . but if you’re not doing as much “family gathering”, here are a few simple ideas to help make sure you can all still stay in touch!