Prewrapped Silverware For Company

I like to pre-roll my silver/plasticware before I have company. I do this for every party. I like to use plasticware as it's disposable and now comes in such a variety of colors. I even found "silver" plasticware at a local wholesale store.

You can be creative and dress up a plain white napkin with a variety of colors of curling ribbon. You can dress up your rolled plasticware in hundreds of ways. Be creative! It's a great way to get kids involved and excited about having company.

I fan all of the pre-rolled silverware on a platter that is festive and appropriate for the theme. The pre-wrapped silverware can easily be stored days/weeks in advance and the leftover plasticware can be used for leftover/paperplate night or picnics in the future.

Sewing Tips and Resources

Once upon a time, every young girl (and a few boys starting in the mid-seventies) took a class at school called 'Home Economics'. The class was required for a time as part of the curriculum. It was an entire school year long. In one semester she learned to cook and build a pantry. In the other semester, she learned to sew.

In the US, this requirement became an elective, and then was done away with altogether, about the same time FFA (Future Farmers of America) disappeared from junior and senior high school campuses. Sad.

Nowadays anyone wanting to learn how to sew needs to find out what that learning involves by themselves. It isn't always an easy thing to find out how to learn to sew. It isn't a skill that has been highly valued in a world where 'ready-to-wear' clothing is both inexpensive and plentiful.

But mass-produced, cookie-cutter garments and household textiles are not always well made. These items have a nasty habit of not fitting perfectly, falling apart after the second washing, and being something every other person in your town may show up wearing, carrying, or displaying in their home. One day you think to yourself, "hmm, maybe I could make that myself, and if I did I would make it look like (insert your favourite colour and style here)."

Learning how to sew starts with knowing how to properly thread a hand needle, and continues on progressively to complex projects like tailoring, and making window coverings using a sewing machine.

There are many ways to learn how to sew. You can learn from a friend or relative willing to teach you, take a class like the one I teach, buy or get a good book from the library, or you can visit a website like:

• http://sewing.about.com/

You can use all of the above for the best results and a lifelong love for sewing:)

If you buy a new sewing machine from a sewing centre, classes on how to use the machine are usually offered as part of the purchase. These classes are a help, but if you have very little experience with sewing the best thing to do is find a class like my "Introduction to Sewing", or a friend/relative who is willing to teach you. A good teacher will put you through something like I describe below:

I start my new students with an hour long lesson on hand sewing. They learn to thread a hand needle, sew buttons on properly, and hand baste seams and gathers. These techniques are really the foundation of sewing and learning how to do these things correctly removes the frustration and disappointment that drives many people from the joy of sewing.

A good teacher will patiently take you through the ways and whys of using a bit of wax on your thread (waxed thread moves easier through fabric, and tangles less), for example; and why using a toothpick between button and fabric during the application process results in a sewn on button that is well attached yet flexible enough to withstand repeated tugging when being buttoned.

I teach my groups how to take measurements properly. They learn to take their own body measurements, the measurements of a window, and a few other typical measurements needed for sewing.

Then we move on to meeting the mechanical sewing machine; how to thread it, make a straight seam, and from there we learn about choosing a pattern. Step by step we go through the process of using those measurements to make any needed adjustments to the pattern to the hand finishing that makes a home machine sewn item look stylish and professional while uniquely yours.

Something a lot of professional home sewing teachers are doing now is adding a segment on using the 'Net as a sewing resource. It's possible now to do nearly everything online from learning to sew and finding free downloadable patterns to buying patterns-notions-fabric. We live in a wonderful time for home sewers. There are so many great websites that serve as gathering places for home sewers to learn and share!

Reusing An Old Toothbrush

Never throw your toothbrushes away when you're done with them. I keep a stash for cleaning difficult corners in the oven or round taps or the plugholes. If you dip them in a little thick bleach, they are great for reducing dark mildew stains on tile grouting.

 

Home Treatment For Hives

I  have been highly susceptible to hives all of my life due to either allergies or stress. The first step toward getting rid of them is to determine what is causing them. If it's allergies, then the next step is obvious. Get rid of or away from the allergen. If it's stress, then determine the cause of the stress and get away from it.

Next, if the hives are wide-spread over your body, a cool bath with baking soda in the water will sooth your skin and the hives will disappear. You need to have the water as close to body temperature as you can make it. Add approx. 1/4 to 1/2 cup of baking soda depending on the size of your tub. Then get in and get comfortable. Soak in there for at least an hour.

Setting up soothing scented candles (not too close to the tub for safety sake) and turning the lights off will also help, along with some soothing music. Sometimes I will set up an audio book playing on a CD player. This helps stem the boredom (I do tend to get bored laying in the tub for very long). If you have any anti-stress medications, taking a dose of that will also help.

If the hives are localized on your body, apply a cool cloth to the area. Change it out as your body heat warms it up. Don't use wash cloths or towels though as the terry cloth will irritate the hives. I keep a couple of old cloth diapers on hand (haven't had a baby here in close to 20 years!). They are perfect for this. Soft and not rough at all.

I use the tub method though for mine, whether they are localized or wide-spread. It's the best method and will relieve the hives better than any medication out there. And they stay gone too.

Use Baking Soda To Deodorize Books

I bought a book at Amazon that evidently was in a fire. It took a year for smell to go away. You could try putting the book in plastic bag with baking soda or flowers to absorb the smell or spray your book with orange oil. I use that for all stinky smells.

Homemade Oxiclean

Make your own oxi-clean using 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup peroxide, 1 cup warm water. Mix in a jar and shake well. Add it to your regular load, or pre-soak for the night. Works really well on stains! We love it. This works as well as store brand

Homemade Flea Trap

This trap uses:
disposable container, like a baking pan
water
vinegar
nightlight

Fill the pan half full with water. Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vinegar and mix with water. Find a convenient outlet and plug in the night light. Place pan of vinegar and water under nightlight. The fleas are attracted to body heat. The nightlight will draw them and when they try and reach the heat they will fall into the pan and die. The vinegar works like an insecticide.

 

 

I put a little soap in the pan.  Though I put small containers of vinegar under the couch, beds,  any where where pets cant get into it.  just a

small amt in a container removes the pet smells from our home.  check ever so often for it dose evaporate.