This post is brought to you by me & Ryan, and our quest for better communication during DIY projects. (It’s also officially brought to you by 3M, but more on that later).
Let’s start with a phrase we hear all too frequently at the Abode:
“That’s a great idea, but do you really need to stop everything and do it right now, in the middle of dinner?”
If you’re anything like me, the answer is always:
“Yes!! I must do this now!”
But if you’re anything like Ryan, you actually take time to plan ahead. You think cautiously. And despite that, the Couple Speak ensues. For example:
I say: “Here’s the measuring tape.”
But I really mean: “Remember how the last time you hung a painting it overlapped the door frame?”
Our relationships are way more important than home décor, but we often encounter minefield discussions when more than one person gets involved in the work. Explaining to Ryan why bloggers repurpose things was hard enough, believe me. Add in the time when I stuck takeout containers up as hat storage or taped envelopes inside my kitchen cabinets and he likely thought I was nuts.
Since we have our fair share of DIY hilarity (two months to build simple nightstands, ahem) I figured I should tell you all about the 3M Couple Speak video contest. Plus, I’ve also had some luck of my own winning 3M video contests and I thought maybe I’d be able to virtually pass on that luck to some of you!
The new 3M video contest, Couple Speak, is being hosted on the 3M Frameworks Facebook page and they’re looking for hilarious (but not mean) entries that demonstrate how couples work out their communication issues during home improvement. Of course, they’re hoping that a 3M product might be the solution to ending ‘couple speak’ miscommunications. The contest will have two grand prize winners who take home $5,000 each.
Yes, you read that right. Five thousand dollars! Imagine the DIY projects you could complete with that kind of cash!
So here are the details of the CoupleSpeak Video Contest:
- To enter, simply make a video demonstrating a couple-speak challenge
- Keep your video to 2 minutes or less
- Keep it clean, and don’t be mean!
- No 3M products can be shown in the video
- And finally, be sure to end your video with a provided end reel animation of one of five 3M products that could have helped the situation from the “materials files” on the 3M FrameWorksFacebook page
Not in the mood to be a film star? You could still win $250!
If a video isn’t in the works for you by the October 6, 2011 deadline, don’t worry. You can still participate on Facebook, by uploading your own script of hilarious couple speak to the 3M FrameworksFacebook page. Every single week, one lucky script-writer will win a cash prize of $250.
In the spirit of hooking other DIYers up with the chance to win some cash for future projects, feel free to share the contest on Twitter and Facebook.
Let me know if you participate in the contest – I’d love to highlight your videos here on the blog! And if any of you Borrowed Abode readers win prizes, that would seriously rock! Not to mention it would probably help you avoid some miscommunication in the future as well. . .
In the interest of keepin’ it real: This post is officially sponsored by 3M. I was happy to partner up with them because I’m a fan of their blue painter’s tape and the entire family of Command adhesive products (especially for renters!). As with the rest of my business, a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Carpenter Center, a local homeless shelter.
2 Comments
ahhhhhh and the deadline totally works into my schedule!!!! come over next month. bring your camera =) haha!
I come from the Land of 3M (Yes, their headquarters is literally minutes from my house!), and I’ve always been a big fan of their products. Good luck with the contest! sounds super fun!