Setting up a new toaster oven should not under any circumstances require the following ingredients:
1) A plastic spoon
2) Four paper towels
3) All ten fingernails
4) Frequent misting of household chemicals
5) 28 minutes
This goes double when above tools are necessary to forcibly remove a colorful, life-sized sticker whose only purpose is to tout the same product perks bragged about on the garishly-decorated box.
And yet…
6 minutes into the procedure
After a thorough de-stickering. Note the cat in the reflection. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he is sitting on my back. Never bend to take a picture in our household lest you become sat upon by random animals.
It is beautiful! The toaster, too, but I’m talking about the whole new site and blog and photoblog. What a lot of work, but so well done.
I have to tell you the fingernail problem is exceptionally funny because if you had fingernail polish remover around, it would have (with just a tiny bit of wetting and waiting) removed a sticky label with no problem. Sorry I didn’t know about the problem sooner, or I’d have told you. But, you can try it the next time you have a problematic sticker. That, or pick up some Goo Be Gone. I sounds ridiculous, but works like magic on stick stuff. It’s oily though, so you have to take care where you use it.
@Kit — Well, I think it’s the first I’ve ever written it, if that counts!
@Courtney — I’m like that too! The harder something becomes and the more time and energy I invest in it, the more determined I am that I will prevail.
@David — So that’s what I was missing! No wonder! Hilarious. They probably *do* have one of those on the market!
@LaDonna — Oh, yes! The price stickers on books can be awful sometimes. Since the toaster oven sticker was in such an obvious place and the company is pretty major (and the toaster oven was hardly inexpensive!) I figured it would be one of those easy-off stickers we all love so much.
@Mizzz_K — Wish I would have thought of the fingernail polish remover! I would have given it a try. That’s how rarely I polish my nails, though! As for the Goo Gone, I thought of it, but we don’t have any. (I know — a huge oversight that will be remedied soon enough!) I was starving, though, and wanted to make something in the blasted oven, so I simply couldn’t wait.
this is so horribly, horribly true.
I bought some of that sticker-remover stuff (do not remember what it’s called), and it helps a lot. but you have to choose between waiting for quite a while (to let the goop set in) or scraping the bulk of it off (sacrificing those fingernails again!) and then get the sticky stuff off with the remover.
really, what is the point? why can’t all the stickers be those ones that come off in one go?
David — ROFLMAO!
But you have to go down on your knees to the sales dude, in perfect form, and beg prettily for at least ten minutes before he’ll agree that you deserve the kit.
Angie, still snickering
Black and Decker probably thought the consumer wouldn’t get it the first time and decided to make sure you’d remember them for an eternity.
Nothing pisses me off more than trying to put together a new bookshelf, only to realize it’s missing a side or a couple of screws. *grrrrrrr*
Oh, I hate those darn stickers! I’m aggravated just thinking about it. Way to go on the removal!
Yeesh–this reminds me of all the theft-proof packaging they have nowadays. It took me 10 minutes to get my new toothbrush out of the package!!!
I despise those stickers! What’s the point? I’ve obviously already bought the thing!
I’m another sticker-hater…plus, I’m so compulsive that I can’t stop until I get every bit of it off…which is why I’m having you over the next time I’m faced with a similar project :). You, clearly, have the gift. That is one sparkly-clean toaster oven!
@Emily — I so agree. I know they can make stickers that come off cleanly, because I’ve bought stuff with them before.
@Angie — So that’s what I did wrong! All I did was pull out my credit card and buy the thing. I didn’t even think about begging. 😉
@Marcia — Well, they won’t have to worry about me remembering! I definitely can’t forget now. And I know what you mean about trying to put stuff together and discovering that it’s missing parts. That’s happened to us, too. Such a pain!
@Robin — Thanks! So glad it’s over. 🙂
@Conda — No kidding! I hate that stuff, too.
@Mama Zen — Exactly!!! Why try to sell it to me again?
@Marilyn — I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the toaster oven cleaned up. I figured I’d be scraping off residue for years to come.