Dents, Holes and Pops: Prepping Your Walls for Paint

There’s nothing quite like setting your brush down, sliding back into your favorite cozy space and admiring a well-painted room. Before you get to that point, however, there’s ‘pre-paint’ legwork that must be done, starting with the repair of holes in your wall. Before you crack open the bucket of joint compound and grab the joint knife, keep reading. Not all wall damage is created equal. 

Small Dings, Nail Holes and Dents

Before you break out the joint compound, scrap away any loose paint or other debris from the area you’re repairing. Using your joint knife, spread the compound over the small area requiring repair. You should completely fill in the damaged space. Using the joint knife, pull away excess compound to make it level with the rest of the wall. Allow the space to dry according to the directions on the package. Keep in mind that it may take as long as 24 hours, so plan your room renovations accordingly. Once the repaired section is dry, sand it smooth and get ready to paint!

Small Holes

Don’t confuse ‘small’ with the nail-sized holes mentioned above. We’re talking about the hole created from a doorknob that met a wall with a little more pop and punch than it ought to have. If you’ve got a repair about that size, you’re going to need a bit more than joint compound and sandpaper to fix things. Pick up a peel-and-stick patch to repair this type of damage. The patch is a screen covered by fiberglass. Remove the backing and press the patch into place over the hole. Now pull out your joint compound and joint knife. Cover the mesh patch with layers of compound being careful to smooth each layer and level it off with the wall. Plan on applying three coats in total, letting each coat dry before applying the next one. Once the final coat is dry, sand the repaired area smooth and flush with the rest of the wall. Now you’re ready to paint! 

Note: You can find repair kits with patches for holes up to about six inches. Some patches are mesh like the one described above. Others will be a reinforced center panel surrounded by self-sticking tape. Larger holes require a different approach that we’ll cover in a future blog article.

Nail Pops

When you look at your wall, do you see small protrusions about the size of a nail head? This happens when the nails used to affix drywall to the studs pull away from the wood. You’ve got two choices on how to repair this, but both begin with scrapping away the ‘popped’ bit of drywall until the head of the nail is exposed. One option is to drive the nail back into the stud. Once you’ve done that, drill a drywall screw into place slightly above the nail to reinforce the drywall. Alternately, you can remove the offending nail and replace it with the drywall screw above or below the original hole. Regardless of which option you select, make sure the nail head and screw are slightly recessed into the drywall creating a dimple. Grab that joint compound again and fill in the small holes created by the removed (or re-driven) nail and the new screw. As above, wait until it’s fully dry and then sand the compound down again for a smooth even finish.

by Anjie Cho

Rituals and Holistic Spaces: Katie Dalebout

Morning Rituals - Katie Dalebout_Main.jpg

I'm so happy to have our frequent guest, Katie Dalebout, as the very first post in our brand new series on rituals. We've talked about rituals before and the power they can have in our lives. From my shambhala calligraphy to a daily meditation or yoga practice to dedicated reading time or, in Katie's case, journaling, it's important we each make time for our own rituals to ensure healthy, holistic and successful lives.

Katie's just published her first book, Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling. It's so thoughtfully put together and my new favorite book!

Besides being beyond proud for this huge accomplishment, I'm excited to chat with Katie about how she sets the atmosphere for her personal ritual: journaling.

AC: Can you share with us how you personally set up for "letting it out"? In the book you list supplies including your journal, writing instrument, as well as the environment. You list "A comfortable, quiet place.. a cup of tea.. a burning candle.. and calm, soft inspiring music".

KD: To be completely honest I journal in all different places. Sometimes it’s on my phone while I’m out on a walk or in my car or out in public at a coffee shop. Ideal set up though: candle lit, music on, clear desk or table, comfy clothes, blanket over me, and a cup of herbal tea...something like this photo, in my dining room or bedroom. 

I love how you touch on all the senses. Why the candle? Why the tea? Why the music?

I think pleasure is super important in our lives in general. We have so few sensory pleasures in our life and we often miss truly experiencing them by just rushing through the monotony of daily life. We hear a lot of talk of self-care lately but not much emphasis is placed on pleasure in our beyond busy society, and our culture doesn’t emphasize the importance of hitting all of our senses with pleasure, so that’s why I thought it was important to engage as many touch points of pleasure as possible. For me there’s something so visually appealing and calming about lighting a candle, that soft light, plus the scent is amazing and makes the entire act of journaling seem more intentional. Same with tea, it’s so warming, comforting, and healing to me. Tea is like hugging your insides with warmth and love and so grounding to me. Then having music on is super essential too because it again sets the mood and helps bring you into the present moment of what you’re doing by drowning out outside sounds and keeping you focused on the space you’re in.

You mentioned journaling on planes in the book. I also love writing and journaling on planes. Somehow, for me, I think I get away from everything and it frees my mind. And I love your metaphor of being elevated! What are your other favorite places to journal?

I love journaling on planes so much. I always start out by writing about where I’m going and what I want that experience to be like, and on the way home I write about what it was like and compare the two. I’m sad planes are starting to have wifi now because I really enjoyed that uninterrupted time with myself free from distractions or even the ability for distractions.

I find myself craving that disconnection in life but really having to force myself into it, so sometimes at home I’ll turn my phone on airplane mode to be distraction free while I’m home. I also love taking my journal and a specific exercise I want to work through to a coffee shop and leaving my phone off or at home. It allows me to be completely present to what I’m there to do. You don’t have to do this every time you journal, but I think there is for sure value to distraction free, unplugged journaling and treating the journaling like you would a meditation, because stopping to look at your phone during a deep journal session can really take you out of it. Think of it like a conversation with yourself. Just like if you were having a conversation with someone else, try to not look at your phone in the middle of it, that’s rude. Give yourself the same respect you’d give to someone else.

by Anjie Cho

Katie Dalebout is an author, speaker, yoga teacher, social media butterfly, life-coach, podcast host and most importantly, mayor of the Wellness Wonderland. Katie believes that every detail counts, positive thoughts make miracles, authenticity creates strong relationships, and that every day you should dress, eat, and act like it’s a special occasion.

With her grounded Midwestern roots and astronomical dreams, Katie has taken her passions for communication & wellness and blended them together to share them with the masses on this platform. And elsewhere including Over The Moon, MindBodyGreen, The Beauty Bean and Bella Life. 

With her thoughts, Katie truly lives in her own…well…wonderland, visit her there often and create your own state of  bliss. If you’d like more inspiration from the girl behind the blog, hop on over to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Be well…

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Attract a Teacher Using Feng Shui

featured this week on Over The Moon

Growing up in a somewhat traditional Korean household, I was always taught to respect my elders and teachers. In Eastern cultures, one bows to those with experience and age, as they are held with high regard. I still agree with this point of view, however, it was not until I met my spiritual mentors and teachers that I really felt akin to this Asian custom.

“Plato says learning is remembrance. The teacher acts like a midwife, and by close communion with the student, passes a spark (of resonance) lighting a flame, resulting in the birth of the innate idea. ”
— Scott Olson

I am beyond fortunate to have a handful of wonderful teachers in my life, including my flowers teacher and four feng shui mentors, one of whom even officiated my wedding! They have become spiritual friends and guides who have taught me much more than just the “curriculum.” Each of them also has her own teachers and mentors who have passed on knowledge from the lineage. I believe that study and craft come first, then comes the knowledge. Just like one practices piano scales over and over, before he can start to truly play music.

My current favorite book is Zen in the Art of Flower Arrangement by Gustie L. Herrigel. When speaking about her teacher here, Herrigel shares that it is the sensei “who gradually imparts to the pupil his most secret and deepest knowledge of the ultimate things, and thus transfers to him his spirit... A teacher is not just an instructor. Everything that, by his conduct, serves to strengthen the pupil’s human dignity, uprightness, tact and responsibility is as important and meaningful as the learning he imparts.”

Interestingly, when working with my clients, I’ve found that many would like a teacher or mentor but have not yet found one. Even Sheryl Sandberg speaks to the importance of a mentor in her book Lean In. Since I nd teachers invaluable, helping my clients call on mentors is close to my heart. Luckily, there are some feng shui adjustments we can make to attract teachers in our lives, and I’d like to share one here! 

Activate Benefactors Area

There is an area of the feng shui bagua map that relates to benefactors and helpful people. This area is called qian in Chinese and also relates to heaven. You can think of heaven in the sense that you want help from above, from something beyond you, to support you. This concept also requires humility and understanding that there is more beyond you. To receive a teacher is to accept we are always students.

This benefactors area is related to the element of metal, so an effective way to attract a teacher is to place a metal wind chime or bell in this area of your bedroom. In a typical rectangular shaped room, locating the benefactors area is simple. Standing in your doorway, looking into the bedroom, the closest corner to your right is the benefactors area.

Be sure the chime or bell you add here is metal, as the sound can let teachers in the universe know that you’re here and ready for them! With a humble and open heart, ring your feng shui adjustment talisman nine times per day for nine days. Visualize your teacher(s), and they will present themselves to you.

The role of teachers and mentors in our lives is one that will never be obsolete. It is so important to our self-development and our impact in the world that we learn from those who were here before us and listen to their wisdom. If you are seeking a teacher, (whether you realized it before now or not!) try this feng shui adjustment to let the universe know you are ready for a mentor to guide your path. Then get ready to listen! 

by Anjie Cho