WFMW--Part 2, As In, Probably Too Late To Be Of Any Use Whatsoever This Year

So, I just had to post this since not one but two friends told me in the last two days about how putting up the outside lights almost ended their marriages, what with contrasting senses of design (ie, what amount of "sag" was appropriate for the lights) and concern on some parts that putting Actual Nails in the outside of the house would lead to rainwater getting in which would lead to rot.

Surely I am not the only one who has discovered the Scotch removable hooks? I love these things all over my house--heaven for the indecisive and decidedly unhandy. You stick 'em on your wall, and when you are tired of them, you slide the hook up, revealing a tab underneath, which you pull, and voila! The thing comes off the wall. I have only had this fail once, and it was when the hook broke off and I couldn't slide it off to get to the tab underneath.

But meanwhile, those ultra-smart people at Scotch came out with these:
and we have used them to put up the lights in the boys' rooms (well, one anyway; the older one has subtle white hooks in his room year-round since we were decorating his room for Christmas before we discovered these) ever since. I also use them in my office at work; especially since my job tenure is tenuous at best, I don't feel right putting holes in the wall. (You know in The Princess Bride when Westley is describing what it's like to work for the Dread Pirate Roberts, who keeps saying, "I'll most likely kill you in the morning"? It's a little like that. I mean, we're planning stuff for February--all of, what, 6-8 weeks away?--and people don't want to put my name on the brochure going out in case I don't work there by then. Come on now, people. You can't tell me that the search committee is going to hire a candidate and have them in place in eight weeks when four of them are winter break!)

But I digress. In my office, I've used these on glass, stone, and plaster, and all have worked fine. Five are holding up some cute ornaments on a mostly-blank wall; the rest are holding little twinkly lights. But I have in fact used them outside as well, though only the bigger ones, so that does work. As a caveat, I would take them down every season since I don't think the weather does the "removability" factor any favors.

That works for me; how about you? Go see Shannon to see what else is working for folks!