Spackling product doubles as primer

Spackling product doubles as primer

3M Patch Plus Primer eliminates the need to prime spackled areas before painting.

The spackling paste contains tiny particles that create a primer-like film on the surface, unlike other spackling products that can cause a change in paint sheen. The product dries fast and won’t shrink or crack, but it’s as strong as heavyweight spackling, the company says.

It comes in a square package that accommodates a 3-inch-wide putty knife.

3M Patch Plus Primer has a suggested retail price of $5.99 and is available at home improvement centers and paint and hardware stores.

Book gives sock creatures a twist

Stupid Sock Creatures are what result when imagination runs wild.

Crazy, no-holds-barred wild.

Artist John Murphy started making little stuffed monsters called Stupid Creatures back in 2003 as an outlet for his off-the-wall ingenuity and a way to pay his bills. He eventually wrote a how-to book on making lovably hideous creatures from socks, and now he’s back with a follow-up, “Return of the Stupid Sock Creatures: Evolutions, Mutations, and Other Creations.”

This time, he enlisted guest designers ranging in age from adolescents to adults.

He covers the basics of creature-making in a non-intimidating style, so budding sock artists will be equipped to take on the projects in the book or branch out with their own brand of eccentricity.

“Return of the Stupid Sock Creatures” is published by Lark Crafts and sells for $17.95 in softcover.

McClatchy Newspapers

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