THE HOUSEWIFE’S NOTEBOOK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 April 1938, Page 4

THE HOUSEWIFE’S NOTEBOOK

HOME-MADE ICE CHEST. An ice chest is invaluable for storing foodstuffs during hot weather, and here is how you can make one at home quite easily. Procure a large 71b. biscuit tin and bore a small hole in one corner. Now wrap a piece of flannel round a quantity of ice and stand this inside over the hole. Place the tin on four bricks, and under the hole through which the water will escape place a dish. On the ice and round it, butter, milk, jellies, cream, etc., can be kept. Remember to place the lid on the tin while the ice chest is in use. USE OF ROUGE. When using rouge, place it close up under the eyes, and this will thus add to their sparkle and lustre. If you are over 40 the rouge can then be placed very close under the eye-lashes. A CASTOR HINT. If you have a bed without a castor, get a thick rubber heel and jam the spike well down into it. You will have a flat surface for the bedstead to rest on, and you will save the wear and tear on the carpet. . WATERPROOF .DRESSING. Children’s boots can be made waterproof by melting equal parts of beeswax and mutton-fat and applying hot to the edges of each sole just where the stitching shows between the sole and upper. A TASTY FLAVOUR. When making junket or custard for stewed peaches or nectarines, flavour with essence of almond in preference to vanilla. SOMETHING DIFFERENT. For something different to serve on toast, try the following. Put a knob of butter in a small saucepan and pour in two beaten eggs. Add a cup of breadcrumbs, pepper, salt, and a tablespoon, of milk, and stir over a slow heat until the contents thicken, then serve on the toast. GREASE STAINS. To remove grease-stains from clothing, use a hot iron and a piece of blotting-paper before placing over the stain. Frocks of a very thin material should have an extra piece of blottingpaper placed underneath before applying the iron. TOOTH POWDER. To make up an economical toothpowder, buy a shilling tin of camphorated chalk and add to it two tablespoons each of common salt and bicarbonate of soda. To mixe them thoroughly, use a flour-sifter.

CHESTNUTS,

A ROASTING HINT. When roasting, stick each one on prong of toasting fork so as to turn over without burning fingers. DECORATED BASKET.

PAINT SCARLET. For filling with flowers, hollycrackers, etc., all nicely arranged, paint an ordinary flat “garden” basket with scarlet paint. POUCH PURSES. SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDBAG. Three small pouch purses, in graduating sizes and each in a different colour- are slung together on a chain by which they are carried and are a substitute for the usual handbag with afternoon or evening clothes. You have one purse for money, a second for beauty gadgets and a third for a handkerchief and any other oddments you may want. MUSICAL TEA-SETS. CHARMING NOVELTY. Some of the newest designs in pottery seem to have been inspired by the feeling that “we must have music.” A charming tea-set had a novel decoration in the form of musical motifs in gold. Flower vases to please a music cover or to be found an appropriate place in a music room, resembled “scrolls” of music.

CHAIR CUSHIONS. EASY TO MAKE. Cushion sets for making ordinary wooden chairs into comfortable seats are easy to make. Two chintz or cre-

tonne covered are required for each chair. One slips over the back and the other ties on to the seat. The back cushion is made with a pocket one side to fit over the wooden back and the seat cushions can be attached with tapes, or, for a neater finish with loops of the cover material hooked into position. Thy can be filled with flock, but old hand-knitted jumpers unravelled also make quite a good filling. “DOG COLLARS” AGAIN. AN IDEAL FASHION. Are you old enough to remember the “dog collars” of ribbon or tulle that Edwardian young women wore round their necks If so, you may be glad to know that they are in vogue once more for they are an ideal fashion for the older woman, though young ones will be wearing them, too. Two bands of velvet ribbon fastened with a bow, in the daytime, or small flowers in the evening are the new version of the “collar” and if you like, the bands can be in different colours. THE EIDERDOWN. USE OF LEAD WEIGHT. Eiderdown will not slip off bed if dressmaker’s lead weight is sown in each corner. SMOKING CAPS AGAIN. VICTORIAN TOUCHES. As a contrast to the extremely modern vogue for vivid finger-tips, several little Victorian touches are creeping into favour in feminine raiment. From the male of last century, for example, smoking caps, well-embroider-ed, are being borrowed for theatre or restaurant wear. They are worn at a jauntier angle than the caps that inspired them, but in shape and decoration they are certainly faithful imitations.

“WEARING HEARTS.” A SENTIMENTAL VOGUE. A sentimental hint somewhat reminiscent of a past age, is conveyed in the latest fashion for introducing a heart motif where possible. We shall not, this winter, be wearing our hearts on our sleeves, but we shall be wearing attractive hearts encrusted on bodice fronts, or acting as buckles and clasps. Breast pockets, heart-shaped and embroidered in bright colours are particularly liked. The revers of some jackets even manage to repeat the heart outline and open to make a heart shape. EXOTIC FINGER NAILS. AMONG SMART WOMEN. Where smart women gather, exoticlooking finger-nails are to be seen. Silvered nails with red rims were coming in for a good deal of observation the 1 other day while their owner was complacently watching a dress parade. Although such distinctive nail colour is still rare in the daytime, with evening dress, more and more women are allowing their fancy to run free in this direction. Plum tones and purple lacquers are often used to harmonise with gowns in these two fashionable shades of the season.

USEFUL SPOON. GADGET FOR THE KITCHEN.

A twelve purpose spoon is a useful gadget- for the kitchen. A flat blade is perforated with two sets of differ-

ently shaped holes. Among its many uses, it is a fish slice, an egg-beater,

a vegetable masher and a skimmer. OLD WORLD NOTE.

THE OLD LANTERN SHAPE. Your handbag may provide an oldworld note during the day. Some of

the latest designs in bags are of oldfashioned lantern shape, four-sided and swinging on a loop that acts as a handle. You see them in patent leather and in calf. Another novel handbag is in the form of a miniature handbox. SMALL UPRIGHT PIANO. GAINING IN FAVOUR. Since the average home of to-day is not designed on lines big enough to accommodate grand pianos, or even uprights made on the old massive scale, small-sized upright pianos are gaining favour. The King’s daughters learn to play on a small white piano with a coloured keyboard and, like other little girls who have similar pianos, they find practising scales much more fun when the keys are a pretty green or blue, instead of the old black kind. PERFUME. MISUSE IN SICK ROOM. Perfume is often misused in a sick I room. It is sprinkled just anywhere, I and if not of the best quality, leaves | a stale odour in a short time. Only I good lavender water, or good Eau de | Cologne, should be used in small | quantities on the invalid's handker- | chief hands and forehead. !

USE SPARINGLY. TOILET VINEGAR ON FACE. Toilet vinegar must not be too freely used on the face, as it is apt to make the skin rough. Nor should Eau de Cologne be too lavishly used, for the same reason, yet it is frequently added in quantity, to the patient's washing later. SCRATCHES OR ABRASIONS.. USE OF BORACIC. ' Boracic ointment is safe to use on small scratches or abrasions and is quite simple to make at home. Break one ounce of hard paraffin wax into small pieces, and place it in a large saucer, over a saucepan of boiling water. When melted, add two ounces of vaseline, stir well, and sift in,

gradually, four drachms or boracic acid powder. A good plan is to tie a piece of white muslin over a small tin contairfing the acid, so that it can be evenly sifted in. The great secret in making a good ointment is to stir continually until it is cold. SOOTHING TO PATIENT. CARBONATE OF MAGNESIA. Carbonate of magnesia dusted over the feet is soothing to a feverish patient. It can be used alone, or mixed with equal parts of rice powder. A satisfactory liquid preparation is composed of ten drops formic acid, one ounce methylated spirit, and half an ounce of water. A powder composed of equal parts of salicylic acid and French chalk suits some feet better than anything else. The salicylic acid must be in very fine powder.

TINTED HAIR. POPULAR AMONG WOMEN. Tinted hair as distinct from dyed hair is popular just now. If a woman has grey hair and does not desire a complete change, she can have impared to it at various strategic spots, bluish tints that add a new attraction to the hair. A girl’s hair can be tinted in Sydney in about two hours with two extra hours for re-setting. To change her from “a mousey” to a blonde, platinum or red-head, takes six hours, and may even extend over several days, because hair cannot be bleached at once too drastically.

A GOOD WAY. TO COOK RHUBARB. A good way to cook rhubarb is by baking it in a covered dish and adding a- pinch of ginger. The rhubarb can be served with cream. TO DRY CRYSTALWARE. USE OLD LINEN SHIRT. An old linen shirt is a good thing for drying crystalware. No fluff is left upon the crystal, and the linen gives a wonderful polish. STAINS ON SHOES. METHOD OF CLEANING. To remove salt-water stains from tan shoes dissolve a teaspoon of washing soda in two tablespoons of warm milk. Then sponge the shoes dry with a clean cloth, and polish. PROTECTION OF LINEN. AGAINST PEST RAVAGES. To guard against moths and silverfish amongst the linen, wrap it in blue paper. These pests will not attack anything wrapped in blue paper, and the paper will keep the linen a good colour. Do not use tissue paper.