Feminine Interests.

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 413, 23 July 1928, Page 5

Feminine Interests .

A WOMAN’S TOOL BOX Many a woman purchases nowadays Section of small but business-like * anti fervently wishes she had houEbt of buying them sooner! Perhaps this is partly because so many of ““are moving into small, newly-built i,nuses where, as a friend tragically wailed’ the other day, “there isn’t a hook in the place.” , have had a set of tools for years. , t first i kept them in a dresserdrawer but found that too unwieldy to ■arry about when, for instance, I wanted to do a little carpentry upstairs So I brought a child's schoolsatchel. This can be slung, in workmanlike fashion, on the back when the hands, as so often happens, have to carr y other things about the house. These are the things I keep in my tool-bag: — Two hammers, of different sizes; large and small screw-drivers; a sharp knife; an old, blunt knife for spreading 'hie' a pair of pincers; an oil-can; a pair of pliers; a small saw; a small plane; a gimlet; a box of nails, assorted sizes; a box of screws, assorted sizes; a box of tin tacks; a box of large drawing-pins; a piece of emerycloth; and, most useful of all in my early days as handy-man, a wellthumbed hook of “Hints on Household Repairs.” Near my tool-bag I keep a glue-pot. It's a double affair; a small pot within a larger one. The small vessel holds the glue, and the larger one the water. When required, the *)ue is heated over a fire or gas-jet. Tools must be kept free from dust and rust. They require oiling or greasing on rare occasions, and, If stored in a dry place, will always be in working condition. My tool-bag is in constant use. Sometimes a door or a window sticks, and requires planing. A creaking hinge needs oiling, or a lose screw on a window-fastening has to be tightened up. A box from the stores must be prised open, or a hamper to go by post needs nailing down. It’s easy to do litle odd jobs like these. Besides, it’s nice to be Independent! NORA CASSERA.

EVERYDAY ECONOMIES THE WITS-END CLUB A new novel to be selected by the winner each week as a prize for the most original household hint or recipe that has been tested and found to save time, labour or money. Many folk might be glad to have the benefit of your experience, so send in your suggestions, addressed to The Homecrafts Editor, Women’s Page, THE SUN, Auckland. SILK STOCKING SECRETS When silk stockings change colour or get streaky it is usually because they have been washed in hard water. A little borax dissolved in the water will prevent this disaster. Among other precautions which lengthen the lives of silk stockings there is first the habit of having them washed or at least rinsed betweerf each time of wearing; second, the use of a very mild soap and barely tepid water for washing and rinsing them; third, dry them in the shade or in a current of air, never in the sun or too near a or radiator and four, avoiding the use of an iron. If it seems really necessary to iron them the iron must only be warm, because a hot iron makes silk perish, but in most cases ironing makes np improvement in the appearance of the stocking when it is on the leg, and is very likely to shorten its life. CONCEALING CURTAINS When w'ashstands or a series of necessary shelves have no cupboard doors to hide their contents a pair of curtains fixed to a bracket so that they hang clear of the shelves or washstand will frequently solve the problem of giving a room elegance without undue expense. If the shelves or washstand are in an alcove and the room is not too small the curtains may be made of chintz, damask, printed linen, or even of brocade, and used as a definite note of decoration. In a small room with outstanding shelves or tables it is wiser to have the curtains the same colour as the walls, and thus detract nothing from the apparent spaciousness of the room. MUCH-USED BOOKS Books which have become shabby and are not worth' an expensive binding do very well in a cover of glazed chintz which lasts and keeps clean for a long time. For the cookery books which meet with so much unkind handling in the kitchen a cover of American cloth is ever better, because it can be wiped with a damp cloth as often as is necessary, lasts splendidly, and looks very gay. DIRTY JOBS Painting, gardening, metal polishing, doing'things to cars, and cleaning a house are among the dirty jobs most

people are likely to meet sooner or later, and all of them are very hard

on the hands. It is possible to buy a preparation j which you spread all over your hands | before you start being busy, and which j completely preserves them from dam- [ age from paint or metal polish, earth I or dust, or oil. Failing this the wisest plan is to dig the finger nails into a cake of soap so that these at least will have protection from grime, to use paraffin on the hands before using a strong soap or cleanser, and to use a hand cream or lotion when they are clean and before they are dry. SHINING SILVER One way of cleaning silver which does away with all the mess and bother of polishing *powders, liquids, or pastes, and eliminates the need for a silver brush is to use hyposulphite of soda (the ordinary photographic “Hypo”). Dip the silver in a hot solution of hypo, take it out, plunge it into boiling water, dry it, and rub it with a chamois leather. This treatment produces wonderfully clean and polished silver with next to no trouble, and the only thing to re_member is that the silver should not remain in the hypo solution for more than one minute. THE CONSTANT SMOKER If you buy good tobacco and roll your own cigarettes your smokes will cost you less and taste better. This custom has the additional virtues of reducing the number of cigarettes smoked a day and showing off lovely hands and rings to great advantage. SHAVING IN A TINY BATHROOM Very small bathrooms which occasionally have to serve as dressing rooms as well are not always accommodating to the shaver. But although it may be impossible to place a mirror where it can be used by daylight and artificial light as well, it is frequently possible to insert a small mirror in the place of one of the window panes, and this is the best possible place for daylight shaving. CANDLES IN THE COUNTRY In cottages and houses where there is no electricity and lamps are supplemented by candles it is "often possible to convert electric wall sconces for wax candles by merely removing the contact points in the bulb sockets. A very sophisticated wall sconce would naturally look out of place in a very simply furnished cottage; hut many of the most attractive ones would be equally good in town or country.

HAMILTON NOTES (From Oar Own Correspondent.) Miss McFarlane, is visiting her sister, Mrs. llson > at Waiuku. * Mrs Hall, of Kawakawa. is the guest of her daughter, Mrs. B. Hart, in Claudelands. ATiss Andrews, of Hawke’s Bay, is staying with her sister, Mrs. J. X>. Joy, »£ Ngaruawahia. Miss Batkin, of Bromley, Tuakau, is at present visiting her sister, Mrs. W. ]yx. Paterson, in Ngaruawalua. Miss W. McHardie, of Rotorua, was in Hamilton this week-end. Mrs Arthur, of Te Pahu, has returned from an extended holiday m Christchurch and Dunedin. Mrs. A. AV. Gane was again elected hon. secretary and treasurer of the Young Plelpers’ Guild in Cambridge. Mrs. Gane has for the last 12 years occupied this position. , * * HUNT CLUB DANCE As a finish to an excellent day’s hunting an impromptu dance was arranged in tire Morrinsville Hall on Wednesday evening. The Elite Jazz Band provided the music and extras were played by Mrs. McMillan and Miss Grimwade. Visitors were present from Matangi, Te Aroha, Waihou, Cambridge and Matamata. Among the guests were:—From Matangi: Mesdames W. T. Ranstead, T. Ranstead, Wilks, Allwood, H. Howie, G. Ranstead, N. Howie and Harper. From To Aroha: Mesdames, Aislabie and Bowles, Misses Johnstone, Montgomery and Rimsby. Miss A. Brown (Cambridge), Misses Olive, Cargill, Grimwade. McNaughton, Hewitt, Walker, Miller. FAREWELL PARTY Miss E. Scherer’s studio was the scene of a very jolly party to farewell Miss Eileen Hill, who leaves to-mor-row to live in Wellington. The studio was gay with cherry blossom mimosa, balloons and lanterns, and the paper hats of the dancers added a further .note of jollity. During the evening, on behalf of her friends who were present, Mr. Guy Bindon asked Miss Hill to accept a signet ring. Miss Scherer received her guests in a frock of marigold embossed georgette. Miss Hill was in a pretty frock of salmon taffeta. Others present were: Mrs. Kent-Johnston, in black with blue ornaments. Miss Maud Rimmer, in handsome emerald velvet. Miss R. Johnstone, lemon georgette frock. Miss M. Johnstone, embossed maize georgette. Miss I. Leak, oyster lace frock. Miss L. Wade, mist blue accordionpleated georgette. Miss P. Hall, honey coloured taffeta. Miss M. Shaw, delphinium blue georgette. Miss N. Finlayson, cerise panne velvet. Miss W. McMickle, in black taffeta.

KITCHEN TIPS If You Have No Casserole Foods cooked en casserole Is not only more digestible, but it retains its flavour much more successfully than if a metal vessel is used. If, however, you have no casserole, ! try using an ordinary stone jam jar— l a big one, of course, such as you buy j with six pounds of jam or marmalade. | Meat, fish, fruit, or vegetables will ! cook perfectly if placed in such a jar, with scarcely any liquid. Cover the jar with a piece of greased paper, tie down and put it in the oven. Every scrap of nutriment is preserved by this method and the food will not be burned. Cook gently. Preserving Meat When the meat arrives, treat it at once if it is to be kept for a time before cooking. Wash it over with vinegar and water, wipe dry and then cover over with slices of raw onion. This will keep the meat fresh under the most difficult conditions. Before cooking be sure to remove the onion, and wipe over again with a clean piece of linen. Flavouring Extracts It is well worth your while to make flavouring extracts at honie. You will be sure then that they are pure, and, if you keep the bottles well sealed down, they will last for 12 months or more. - Orange Extract. —Take sweet oil of orange loz; of alcohol 12oz; colour the mixture with a little cochineal, and bottle. Half or quarter quantities may be made. Almond Essence is made with 4 pz of oil of bitter almonds; loz of distilled water and alcohol sufficient to make one pint. Lemon Essence can be made quite simply from ooz of oil of lemon, £ of a pint of distilled water and half a pint of alcohol. Colour with a little saffron./ Cherry Flavouring is delightful if made from oil of bitter almond, 1« drachms, oil of apple loz, citric acid loz and alcohol 1 pint. C.A.

Miss N. Jackson, alice blue georgette. Miss Merion Shaw, black talTeta frock. Miss N. Scherer, beaded peach geor&eMiss 'W. Elliott, black beaded georgette. * * AN AT HOME Yesterday the Hamilton East Anglican Ladies' Guild had a very pleasant At Home in Pearson’s Hall. The afternoon passed in music, recitations and basket-making, Miss Noble having volunteered to show how to do several kinds of wicker and raffia work. Many ladies have become enthusiastic pupils. Among those present were: Mesdames Marlowe, Sell, E. M. Masters, Oakdene, Parker, Brook, Pye, senr., V. . Pye, Powell, A. Ramsey, McKenzie, Forster, Fitzgerald, Way, senr., W. Ross, Davidson, Reid, Short, Hodgson, Hobbs, Misses Davison, Forster, Parker, Oakdene. BRIDGE PARTY A very enjoyable Bridge party was held at the home of Mrs. W. Patterson, Ngaruawahia, on Thursday. Mrs. H. Rogers, who acted as hostess, wore a chic navy frock, with oriental embroideries and beige hat. The prizes for the highest number of points scored were won by M,i\s. Adams and Miss Andrews (Hawke’s Bay). The guests were: Mesdames G. Rogers, 11- Sampson, J. Joy, .W. Adams, Eyre, Fraser, McGruer, Fuller, Brown, Batkin, Bolton, and Miss Andrews.