Author Archives: Dan Hansen

EP197: From Hex Signs to Barn Quilts

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SEGMENT 1: Welcome Hailey!

We’re excited to introduce Hailey Johnson, jack-of-all-trades and now, pre-famous radio personality. Hailey’s got a background in everything from Art to Paint. And while that may not sound terribly all-encompassing . . . Hailey will assure you that it is.

SEGMENTS 2 & 3: From Hex Signs to Barn Quilts

Hex signs have a long, fascinating, and often misunderstood history. We dig into the tradition of barn decorating and the pitfalls of translation.

 

SEGMENT 4: Electronic Door Locks

Here’s a quick, 30-minute upgrade for your homes: install a keyless, electronic door lock! For anywhere from $50 to $300 you could go keyless on the main door of your home. It’s an incredibly convenient upgrade, easy to accomplish, and not too expensive. It might be the perfect Saturday project….

EP192: Creating Warmth for Outdoor Gatherings

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SEGMENT 1: Warming Up the Outdoors

Some of us celebrated Christmas outdoors this year. Maybe in Florida, that’s cool. But in Michigan, it’s definitely cold! Here are a number of products you might want to consider if you’re looking at New Year’s Eve celebrations and you’re still shivering from last weekend:

Coffee Table Fire Pit

Outdoor Patio Heater

Mr. Heater Big Buddy

Solo Stove

SEGMENT 2: Finding the Perfect Gray

It’s easy to think that there really is such a thing as a “standard” or a “pure” gray. However, there really isn’t. Every color (grays included) are affected by undertones. 

In this segment, we’ll give you some easy ways to determine which undertones are in the colors you’re selecting, so you can be sure to always pick the perfect tone!

SEGMENTS 3 & 4: Dan’s 30-Year Furniture Project

Dan A. found a beautiful, antique library table at a barn sale. Though buried beneath layers of pink paint, he could see that it was gorgeous and would be perfect in his home. So he snatched it up. 30 years ago. And a few weeks ago, he finally started the work! We’ll talk about products he’s used, lessons he’s learned, and how we can apply all of that to our own projects!

EP190: Home Theater on the Cheap

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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

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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!

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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

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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.