I’m going to give you my versions of those recipes next. But first, check out this beautiful picture taken by my friend, Ruth, of the alcohol-free cupcakes for the birthday girl and her friends, with a one year cupcake topper from our local Hobby Lobby! Aren’t they cute?

While I appreciate homemade baked goods, I always prefer to use a box mix when possible. Since the Blue Moon Cupcakes recipes I found online were from scratch, I adapted the box mix recipes to include beer.  Both the Blue Moon and Chocolate Merlot cupcakes turned out AMAZING and were so simple to make!

Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes Recipe

Batter:

• 1 box Devil’s food cake mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup Merlot wine
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup  semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup Merlot wine
• 1 tsp vanilla

Baking Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, water, ½ cup wine, oil and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about ½ full).
2. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, cocoa and salt with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat in ½ cup wine. If frosting is too thick, beat in more wine a few drops at a time.
4. Frost cupcakes (see my tips below). Garnish with chocolate curls.

When you finish, they’ll look like this:

Blue Moon Cupcakes Recipe

Batter:

• 1 Yellow Box Mix
• 3/4 blue moon
• 1/2 c water
• 1/2 tsp. Orange zest
• 1/2 c. oil
• 3 eggs

Icing:

• 6 cups icing
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup Blue Moon beer
• 3 tsp Orange Juice

Baking Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, water, ½ cup Blue Moon, orange zest, oil and eggs. Add more or less orange zest, depending on how much orange flavor you desire.  Beware, if you like the beer taste, the orange zest overpowers the beer.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about ½ full).
2. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely.
3. In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, and orange juice with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Slowly beat in ½ cup beer. If frosting is too thick, beat in more beer a few drops at a time. If too runny, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time. For more beer flavor, do not add orange juice.
4. Frost cupcakes.

Frosting & Decorating the Cupcakes

I like to use a cake decorating bag and designer tips to frost cupcakes.  The icing will need to be slightly thicker than if you were icing the cupcakes using a knife.  When you insert a knife into the icing, it should form a stiff peak when you remove the knife. That’s how you know it’s the right consistency.

Use the largest tips available – my favorite is the star-like shaped tip, but the crescent or circle tip can also make a pretty design.  If you don’t have a cake decorating set, you can also put icing in a ziploc bag and cut off one corner to use instead of the decorating bag.

Top with sprinkles, candies, or candles!

I’m going to take a not-so-bold leap and assume that since you’re a guy, you aren’t that familiar with Pinterest. Basically, it’s this big social picture-sharing network that lets you “pin” things you like to a personal pin board. The service is dominated by women (we’re guessing 95%+ of users are female). Both Kim and Jocie use it (Jocie most extensively), and some of OPC’s stuff is pinned up there… Even some of our “manly” stuff has made it up, like our workbenches and sawhorses (although they seem out-of-place with all those pictures of hairdos and wedding dresses).

You can follow other people on Pinterest, and you can “re-pin” their stuff onto your own board. Getting re-pins is the currency of Pinterest. If your stuff gets pinned enough times (or by the most popular pinners), you’ll make the front page. It’s sort of like a high school popularity contest that way. She who dies with the most re-pins wins.

You’d think there’d be a just-for-men section on Pinterest with a big button on the front of the site that said Dudes – Start Here. Behind that button we’d see pictures of axes, beer, power tools, or maybe vintage baseball cards worth more than my house. But there is no such button. Pinterest is what it is. And what it is, is a predominantly women’s hangout.

So be it. I cede the Pinterests to the lady folk. I appreciate that we’ve got two of our own ladies here at OPC to handle that angle for us. On the few occasions I need to use P’s features (say, for getting some great ideas on wainscoting for the dining room), I’ll have Kim pull up the pictures for me. She’ll be more efficient anyway, and if she stumbles across eight different ways to cross stitch a [whatever someone cross stitches], she won’t mind.

Fortunately for us men, some manly web programmers out there got together and decided we needed a site like Pinterest, but with a little more testosterone. And Gentlemint was born. It’s a Mint of Manly Things.

Really, a Site for Men? Is it one of Those Sites?

I was excited when I heard this, but also cautious. When someone says, “A site for men”, my first thought is: Is this just going to be a site filled with pictures of scantily clad (or worse, unclad) women? I’m happy to say I’ve seen no such thing on Gentlemint, and I hope it stays that way. There’s enough of that smut on the planet already. We can do without another one of those sites.

So what is on Gentlemint? Stuff like this…

…and this…

…and this…

…and this…

And if they get around to approving Ethan and me for accounts, you’ll start seeing some of OPC’s manly stuff go up there too. (I applied just a few days ago… so if you work for Gentlemint, please approve fred@oneprojectcloser.com for an account. You won’t regret it.)

It looks like the interface isn’t quite as good as Pinterest yet (not surprising, it’s new), and some of the content really isn’t that great. But we hope it’ll grow and get better, and that the men who came up with this idea will get fabulously rich, and use their new-found wealth to contribute more manliness to the web.

Take a look at the site, and let us know what you’re first impressions are, and what you think they could be doing better. And if you’re a lady and made it all the way through this article to here… I’d love your thoughts on it too

But before I begin… I know a lot of you are new to OPC, so I wanted to bring you up to speed on this relatively new feature of our site.

What’s a Pro Follow?

We’re creating a library of DIY and Expert Project Guides that provide step-by-step explanations of how to tackle a wide range of challenging home improvement projects. One of my jobs at OPC is to follow contractors through the toughest jobs, sharing their tips, techniques, and real life experiences with you.

At the end of a Pro Follow, I document the entire job in a single How-To that you can print, reference, and share. Here’s an example. Our entire library of How-To’s is always accessible right from our home page, or on our Project Guides page. Our new Pro Follow series has its own subcategory you can reference anytime to see only How-To’s that resulted from a Pro Follow experience.

Last week I followed Steve Wartman (an expert general contractor) and his crew as they constructed a backyard shed. This is the fourth day recap of Steve’s progress. The completed How To will be served up later this week, so stay tuned.

As we closeout the write-ups on this project, I’ll be spending time with a new local Master Electrician on an indoor recessed lighting installation. You can read the Pro Follow on recessed lighting starting early next week.

Recapping Days 1-3 of the Build a Shed Project

For this project, the homeowners couldn’t have a pre-fabricated shed delivered because of limited access in their back yard. But they still needed a place for outdoor furniture and lawn equipment. This outside storage area is especially important as they prepare to add an in-law suite to the back of their home.

The homeowners have employed Steve and crew to build a 10 x 12′ shed from scratch. To catch up to today’s, take a look at these articles (which all open in a new window):

• Day 1 (Foundation, Joist Structure)
• Day 2 (Subfloor, Framing, Siding)
• Day 3 (Hip Roof Construction)

Today’s article covers a lot of information as the crew sets walls, moves the roof in place, lays shingle over top of the OSB, and installs soffit vents, fascia, doors and windows. Let’s get started!

The Walls

Last time, we ended by describing how they framed the hip roof on the ground to make the work easier. Now that the roof is ready to go, the crew needs to raise the walls. Since they had already framed the walls and the plywood siding (mostly), it was an easy task to set the wall in place, check for level and nail it secure.

After getting this first wall setup, they nailed a temporary support to the floor and wall, keeping it level while they continued with the other walls.

Here’s a great picture showing how the plywood siding overlaps the band board, and it will also overlap the top-plate when the roof is moved into place.

You can see how including the (optional) third king stud provides a nailing surface in the corner. This is usually done for the benefit of drywall; however, Steve included the extra stud to make it easier for the homeowner to build shelves.

Remember how they created a double band board subfloor? That allows Steve’s crew to stagger their nails and improves the structural integrity of the walls.

The Roof

With the walls tightly secured, it was time to move the framed hip roof in place on top of the walls. I hate to disappoint everyone, but I don’t have very many pictures because I offered to lend a hand.

To slide the roof on top, the guys set up a slanted support and some temporary blocks to protect the plywood siding. With a person at each corner, we walked the roof over and set the first edge on top of the walls. Two guys moved onto ladders, and we continued to slide the roof along the wall framing. The final step was to remove the temporary blocks. It’s a testament to Steve Wartman and his crew’s precision because everything fit perfectly. Nicely done.

Roof Sheathing

The crew drove nails through the top plate and 8″ Timberlok’s through the rafters into the wall framing to secure the roof. Next, they began laying the 5/8″ OSB. If you remember, Steve mentioned that some contractors will use 1/2″ OSB, but he has found that over time it’ll start to sag. He uses 5/8″ for better rigidity. The two sides of OSB sheathing are not the same, and if you look closely, you’ll see “This side down” printed on one side. The difference is that the topside is textured and easier to walk on.

The roof framing is 24″ oc, and that requires the use of sheathing clips between the rows of OSB.

In this picture, Steve is trimming excess OSB along one of the hip rafters.

The ridge vent will sit at the peak so they cut a small gap in the OSB.

Tar Paper
After the OSB was in place, they covered it with tar paper, starting at the bottom and overlapping each row approximately 6″.

They used staples to secure the tar paper.

Soffit, Drip Edge and Fascia

The ridge vent and vented soffit will allow air to move through the shed. This is important so that moisture doesn’t become trapped, and a properly installed fascia and drip edge will prevent rain and water from moving inside. Here’s Steve with more details about these components.

If you missed it in the video, Steve screwed the F-channel to the wall of the shed and then nailed the soffit to the underside of the fascia board.

Next, they mounted the drip edge (pictured below) and slid the fascia in place, securing both with small aluminum nails.

Windows and Doors

The front of this shed will have a double-door and windows on either side. The openings were framed out with the walls and then concealed by the plywood siding. Now it’s time to cut the plywood and install the windows and doors.

Using a Sawzall and Flush Cut Blade, they removed the excess siding and bottom plate.

They leveled out the window, and nailed the windows around the frame.

Next, they framed out the windows and door frame with PVC board including an angled threshold to direct water outside. They also added PVC to the corners of the shed and sealed them.

They installed two, solid wood doors, which required trimming the bottom to fit, cutting a chamfered edge where the doors meet, routing a space for the hinges and shimming the door level.

The crew installed a Kwikset, locking door knob on the right door and a matching door and two latches on the left door.

Shingle the Roof

The last step before finishing the shed is to shingle the roof. Steve is installing architectural shingles for the longer lifespan and better durability, and eventually, the house will be re-shingled to match.

The cut row of shingles is actually three-tab, and all the caps are cut from three tab as well.

They snap chalk lines to ensure each row is straight.

And they use Protecto Wrap to ensure each corner is completely waterproof.

This picture shows Steve using a utility knife with a hook blade to cut shingles.

Taking care to keep each row even and straight, the crew progressed up to the ridge vent, and added caps along the hip rafters.

They cut the vent to size and nailed it in place, covering exposed nail holes with roof sealant.

At this point the shed is complete except for some clean-up, caulk, and finishing touches. Look for finished pictures when I compile the final how-to guide for building a shed!

Submit your project using the link widget below! Next week, we’ll pick the top 4-8 submission on the list and feature them!

Stop back Every FRIDAY to MONDAY to Link It Up!

DIY Link it Up Features From Last Week

We had some fabulous entries to our {very first} party last week. Here’s the best!

1. Check out this beautiful sewing-machine base converted to a bathroom sink over at Old House New Folks.

2. Salvage Savvy gives us this great bedroom remake for her pretween boy. We might have to revisit our own boys’ bedroom, now!

3. Bad Rabbit Vintage custom paints an old dresser into this amazing Asian-themed piece!

4. The Space Between converts an old wood pallet into this inspiring wall piece!

5. House of Hepworth builds a fantastic tutorial on installing faux board and batten wainscoting!

6. ReMadeSimple builds this cute, DIY bottle art!

7. Recaptured Charm uses a wallpaper technique to give this salvaged armoire new life!

8. Larissa Hill Designs takes an old console table and distresses it, giving it a modern look!

How to Join in!

• SUBMIT! up to three projects (crafts, how-to’s, decor, reviews, or really anything home improvement related) from your site. Use the link to the article (rather than your site’s homepage).
• LINK BACK! from your original article to this post so other people can join the party! (The more the merrier!)
• SUBSCRIBE! (see sidebar) to receive updates from our site! Want to learn more about the four of us at OPC? Read here!

and one “don’t”…

• DON’T link up Giveaways, ETSY Stores, For-Sale stuff, etc.

We’re working on a “Featured on One Project Closer” button for you to grab for your own site! Look for that next week! {Yeah, I know we promised this week… It’s been one of those weeks!}

Don’t forget to LINK BACK! to this post from your original post after you submit!

… and why not visit and comment on some of the other entries too!…

“It may be too bold for some.  It may be too busy for others.  But for me?  It’s just right.”

Well, we think it’s neither too bold nor too busy. Lindsay’s done an awesome job with the space! It’s inspiring us to think about our own master bedroom, which we’ve been putting off for years as we focused on our first floor reno, the OPC workshop, and my little ones!

Here’s what it looked like “Before” (…and yes, it’s a little embarrassing that this “before” picture looks more put together than our bedroom right now!)

And here’s what it looks like, now! Whoa!

Check out those bold chevrons, and the pictures of the kiddos over the bed… Adorable! And the contrasting frames and side chair really pop right out of the background.

Don’t you just love the contrast between her refinished yellow dresser, and the chevron stripes in the background?

And how about those antlers? They’re reminding us of John & Sherry’s Self Imposed Challenge over at YHL.

The only question we have left after looking at Lindsay’s redesign is: Did her blog header inspire the room, or vice versa?

Seriously sweet redesign, Lindsay!

Want more pics? Head on over to Lindsay’s original article for complete details on all the changes in the room, including a few tutorials!

And stay tuned for this afternoon’s {second} Link-it-Up party!

The Changes

Up first, a simple change: a new picture of the four of us in the corner of the home page (and every post, in fact.) Unlike many blogs, there are four of us writing here, and we’d love for all of you to connect with all of us! If you’re new and want to learn more about who we are, find out here!

Second, in an effort to tie our personal reputation to every post on our site, we’ve decided to finally put our last names in the post headers. For a long time we just didn’t feel that comfortable with the idea. But after some additional thought, we’ve decided to put it all out there. We also updated the location of our pictures to the left side of the header and cleaned up the layout to make it easier to read.

Third, we’ve simplified our site navigation and added section home pages for each major area of our site. These section pages will likely evolve as we get spare time to improve them even more. This simplification also includes an easier way to find our Community Blogs page and our latest DIY Link Party in the upper right.

Fourth, I’ve finally fixed the load times of our Community Blogs page to make it much snappier. The process that performs the aggregation now runs in the background on our server every 15 minutes. You should find that it loads much quicker, if you visit that page. On the way for our Community are improvements to the layout that will include featuring the names and faces of the authors of the blogs. We’re also planning to divide the blogs into logical categories, so that if you want to follow Crafts and Decor blogs, you don’t also have to see Tools and Contracting blogs.

Fifth, for some time we’ve known that our home page layout might not be what everyone likes to see when they visit a blog site. Well, through the magic of cookies and some PHP code, you can now pick either our default home page, or a “blog view” home page that shows all the latest posts in blog format. We prefer the regular “magazine view” page, but we know that’s not for everyone. As long as you have cookies enabled, our site will remember your preference each time you visit, and you can switch back anytime.

Sixth, we’ve added some new quick icons to our home page latest posts widget to make a few of the post categories stand out. So far we’ve added only two (one for our “Pro Follows” and one for our “Link It Up” series. More are coming, and you’ll probably see smaller versions of our pictures appear in this line up soon. I’m particularly interested in whether you like this change…

Future Ideas

• Reorganizing the layout of our community blogs to make it a bit more streamlined and fancy, as well as providing blog categorization.
• Adding a section within our “Projects, Step-By-Step” feature section on the home page that shows a chronology of the latest Pro Follow.
• Updating our individual Category pages (like this one) so they look a little nicer.

A Specific Question (or two) For You

Question 1: We’ve received one reader suggestion that they’d like to know more about the story of the homeowners in our Pro Follows. Our initial impression is that this could be a great idea. What do you think? Would you like to know a little more about why the homeowners are paying contractors for these spaces?

Question 2: If you could see one thing changed or improved @ OPC, what would it be?

Hip Roofs

Today’s article will focus on framing the roof, and if you remember, Steve’s crew is building a hip roof to match the existing home. Hip roofs are much more interesting than a typical gable roof, and they are also much more complicated. Here’s a quick video describing the challenges of building a hip roof.

Hip roof terminology can be a little confusing so I’ve put together this rough diagram showing the different components of a hip roof. This is a sketch of what the shed roof will look like from above.

• Ridge rafter
• Common rafters
• Hip rafters
• Creeper rafters (also called Jack rafters)
• Top plate

The difficulty lies in making all the compound cuts, and Steve explains a bit more about that in this video.

Building the Hip Roof

Rather than framing the walls and building the hip roof on top, Steve elected to frame the roof on the ground. It’s a trade-off because while it’s easier to frame the roof on the ground, it can be challenging to get the roof in place afterward. This method is only possible if you’re careful to keep the subfloor, walls, and roof perfectly square. Otherwise, your structure will be skewed and the roof will be misaligned.

Like Steve mentioned in the video, he began cutting the rafters while the other guys worked on the walls. This roof features a 7:12 pitch, and he used a roofing square (speed square) to mark accurate angles.

The toughest rafters to cut are the hip rafters because they butt against two adjacent common rafters.

In this picture, the hip rafters have lines across the width, the other three are common rafters, and they all meet at the ridge rafter.

All the rafters have a notch called a birdsmouth seat that allows the rafter to sit flat against the top plate.

Steve’s crew began building the top plate around the perimeter of the shed, and they marked the locations of the rafters.

They setup a temporary support for the ridge rafter, and started by securing the six common rafters.

They spaced the rafters 24″o.c.

This is a closeup of the birdsmouth, and the small spacer is to account for the plywood siding. You can also see the 6″ overhang for the soffits, and that they cut the tail end of the rafter.

Next, they moved on to the hip rafters, and you can see how the birdsmouth sits at the corner of the roof.

Lastly, they installed eight creeper rafters.

The final step is to attach the fascia board to the ends of the rafters, and they ripped the edge to match the slope of the roof.

Here’s what the framed hip roof looks like before they slide it on top of the walls. You can also see they added a couple collar ties that span between common rafters.

We think this mirror looks fabulous, and the project is a really simple tackle that you can do in just one day at a fairly low cost. If you have a large flat mirror in your bathroom and want to dress it up, this project will do it.

If you’re not already a reader of Southern Lovely, Lindsay’s a mom of three, and enjoys “taking a break from reality and creating anything and everything.” Well, she’s certainly succeeding at creating. We think this mirror looks great! (And so do many of Lindsay’s other creations, like this refinished yellow dresser and much more at her site!)

Tools & Supplies Needed

Total cost: $25-$50.

• MDF trim board  (measure your own mirror to determine how much you need based on the instructions below)
• Trim (chose whatever you’d like to add to the MDF board)
• Liquid nails
• Double-sided tape
• Primer
• Paint
• Miter saw (or another saw to cut your board & trim. A Mitre saw will deliver a nice finish)
• Caulk

Step 1: Measure the Mirror and Purchase Materials

In this tutorial, the molding is going to be fastened directly to the outer rim of the mirror (effectively making the mirror space smaller). The top and bottom moldings run the full length of the mirror, and the side trim connects the top and bottom pieces.

Step 2: Cut the MDF & Trim to Length and Assemble

The picture below shows the top length of MDF with the first piece of trim attached. You can fasten the trim using liquid nails and it will be plenty strong enough. You can also use a pin nailer or high gauge finish nailer to add additional strength.

Next, add trim to the top. This can be a decorative crown trim, or really any trim you like best. This should be glued with Liquid Nails and can also be pin nailed or finish nailed.

The bottom and sides are completed in a similar fashion. Note that the sides will be butted up against the top and bottom trim, and so very precise cuts are important. With the visual division the trim provides, any slight seem will be basically invisible.

Step 3: Paint the Trim and Molding

After assembling the trim components, we used Rustoleum spray paint (Primer and Ultra Cover 2X).

Step 4: Fasten the Trim to the Mirror

Lindsay found that the best way to fasten the trim to the mirror is with double-stick tape and liquid nails. Make sure to quickly wipe away and clean any glue that leaks out onto the mirror (and use a small bead of glue to minimize this.)

Step 5: Caulk any Seams

You can use simple white, waterproof caulk to hide any small seams, if necessary.

Final Pictures!

With some additional decor and new up-facing lights, the room is transformed!

You can follow a similar strategy for smaller baths too. Lindsay did!

Installing the Subfloor

Steve is a big fan of Advantech subfloor for its superior weather-ability. He feels it results in less warping, twisting and delaminating. If you check the Advantech website, you’ll see that they claim the lowest water absorption rates in the industry. For these reasons, Steve installs tongue and groove Advantech rather than traditional plywood or OSB subfloor.

Steve’s crew oriented the subfloor to keep the groove side exposed for the next row. This is important because it allows you to setup a “beater block” to drive each piece snug without damaging the tongue.

Next, they screwed the subfloor in place, taking care not to put screws too close to the groove and create an obstruction.

They also staggered the joints for each row and marked the location of the joists.

Choosing Good Lumber

Choosing good, straight lumber will make any home improvement project easier, but you don’t always have that luxury. In the case that boards are bowed, it’s important that each piece is curved in the same direction. In this video, Steve shares some pro tips for checking boards and how to mark them.

Framing the Walls

This shed features 2×4 framing with studs placed 16″ on center. They began framing the front wall first, and it’s the most complicated because the front wall includes the door and two windows.

To frame the front wall, Steve’s crew began by measuring stud locations on the top and bottom plates. 2×4′s that span from the top to the bottom plate are called king studs or common studs. Headers are supported on each end by jack studs, and cripple studs are the short pieces above or below windows and doors.

In this picture, the king studs are marked with X’s, and the jack stud is marked with a J. Placing three king studs on the end isn’t necessary (you could get away with two), however it provides a nailing surface on the inside corner which is especially helpful for building shelves at a later date.

Headers are required above doors and windows. Typically they are made by sandwiching 1/2″ plywood between 2x material resulting in a flush surface inside and out. In this case, Steve’s crew built headers by nailing two 2×6′s together. The 1/2″ plywood isn’t necessary because the inside will not be a finished space.

Just like installing the joists, keeping everything square was a big focus. After each wall was built, they measured the diagonals and made adjustments as necessary.

The other three walls were framed with studs placed 16″ o.c. without any other components.

Plywood Siding

After each wall was framed, Steve’s crew installed SmartSide plywood panels. These panels are already primed, and they will be painted to match the house (after the siding is replaced).

They stapled the plywood rather than nailing it because it provides a better hold.

Each piece overlaps the adjacent piece, and the top and the bottom of the plywood extend beyond the wall to cover the second top plate (roof construction) and the band board. The same is true of the corners.

In this picture, you can see them checking the spacing with a spare piece of 2×4.

Stay tuned for our next installment where we focus on building the hip roof.

There are hundreds of fabulous crafts, how-to’s, reviews, and great decorating ideas in the DIY community. We sometimes submit our craft and how-to projects to other sites, but we’ve never run our own link-it-up party here.

Well, here goes. We hope you’ll join us!

Submit your project using the link widget below! Next week, we’ll pick the top 4-8 submission on the list and highlight them with big pictures and links back to your site, (and we’ll run DIY Link-It-Up #2 so you can link up your next craft!) We’ve already added one of our own just to get things started.

Stop back Every FRIDAY to MONDAY to Link It Up!

• SUBMIT! up to three projects (crafts, how-to’s, decor, reviews, or really anything home improvement related) from your site. Use the link to the article (rather than your site’s homepage).
• LINK BACK! from your original article to this post so other people can join the party! (The more the merrier!)
• SUBSCRIBE! (see sidebar) to receive updates from our site! Want to learn more about the four of us at OPC? Read here!

and one “don’t”…

• DON’T link up Giveaways, ETSY Stores, For-Sale stuff, etc.

We’re working on a “Featured on One Project Closer” button for you to grab for your own site! Look for that next week!

Don’t forget to LINK BACK! to this post from your original post after you submit!

… and why not visit and comment on some of the other entries too!…