Power tools – what can I say? They make me happy.

I have long been a do-it-yourself kind of woman with a full arsenal of tools to back up my projects and things to assemble. I think from the first time I put together a bookshelf for my room in college, I was hooked. You can’t beat the feeling of seeing the final product, fully assembled (correctly) and put to good use. I have even been known to put tools on my Christmas list to fill the gaps on my workbench wall. Who doesn’t love the sound of a drill screwing in the last screw on that new dresser, or the sweet whir of a reciprocating saw slicing through the studs on a wall that must come down?

Now, I know there are probably some men out there who feel it’s a “man’s job” to operate the power tools, but I’ve got news for you. Women have more patience on the whole and probably swear a lot less during the procedure of operating these electrical gems. We also don’t require a flat of beer to get the job done (although, a glass of wine at the end tastes pretty good). I’m sure my husband tries to claim the tools as his own when his friends come over, but we both know who handles them when company’s gone.

I work closely with my client from Pierceys Building Centre when setting up their flyers and am proud of the fact that I actually know what the products do and can have an intelligent conversation about them. Of course, it just makes my list of “tools that I need” even longer.

Two summers ago, I demoed our bathroom at our cottage all by myself (my husband had just had a hernia operation, so he couldn’t help out). I was so excited to buy a new sledge hammer and get to work. A cast iron bathtub was reduced to small pieces as I pummeled it to bits (with safety glasses, of course) and carted it off to the dumpster along with whatever stress had built up in my body that week. Plaster and lathe also had to be torn apart to get down to the bare bones of our beautiful new space to come.

You certainly don’t have to be a man to appreciate the satisfaction of a job well done – especially when it’s done all by yourself.

After earning her Applied Arts Diploma from the Illustration program at Sheridan College in Toronto, Jodie plied her trade at a number of different design studios and agencies in Toronto. Another one who saw the light and moved to Nova Scotia, she happily settled in Halifax for it’s small-town feel. Equally adept with pen and ink or point and click, her talent is evident in all facets of her work. Some of Jodie’s clients have included Eastlink, Saint Mary’s University and Pierceys. She’s recently started working one-on-one with some of her clients, giving her the opportunity to relate directly to their needs. In her spare time — though she’s not sure any of her time could be considered spare — Jodie is kept busy with her two young daughters and husband. Except when she plays in her dart league once a week — that’s mommy’s night out.