Skip the diamond and get her a drill

Who says diamonds are a girl's best friend?
You can't hang a shelf or pound a nail with one, can you?
Believe it or not, there are plenty of women out there who would probably prefer finding a power tool in their stocking rather than a shiny gemstone.
According to a recent survey by The Home Depot, more women than ever are strapping on their tool belts and stepping into the role of Ms. Fix It.
In fact, the survey indicates that 37 percent of women would rather do home improvements than cook or even shop.
Projects: Sarah Bible, a single woman who recently relocated from the Canfield area, said she has become hooked on home improvement projects.
"Since getting my own place, there are so many things I want to do to improve it, but I don't have that many tools," she said.
Bible said she'd love to get some more tools for Christmas.
"My grandparents bought me a lightweight hammer that converts to a screwdriver, and I was pretty excited to get that hammer," she said, laughing. "When I was living with other people, I had no use for tools, but now that I am living on my own, that's not the case."
Bible said she'd like to get a lightweight drill and an electric sander.
"I'd also like a how-to book on basic home repair -- that would also be very useful," she added.
Common tools: Gary Bolivar, of the Home Depot in Niles, said some of the most common tools women purchase include handsaws, screwdrivers, cordless drills, pliers, wrenches, hammers and nail guns.
"These kinds of tools are popular among women who do their own home improvement projects. You can't go wrong with these kinds of tools as gifts because they are basics everybody needs around the house," he said.
A recent survey posted on Black & amp; Decker's Web site reveals that the four top-selling tools among women are cordless drills, cordless screwdrivers, jigsaws or circular saws and sanders -- in that order.
"Jigsaws work well for cutting figures out of wood, and lots of women want tools like that not because they are doing home improvement projects, but because they are doing craft projects," said John Babyha, of The Home Depot in Boardman.
Babyha said lightweight, smaller versions of tools are ideal gifts for women.
He also recommended tool kits that include all the basics.
"Tool kits are perfect as gifts [for women] because they are inexpensive and they have everything you need for basic repairs around the house," he said.