Dollmaker's Journey CUSTOMER CONNECTION
Dream ~ Imagine ~ Create ~ Grow ~ Believe ~ Magic
At http://dollmakersjourney.com we help your creative dreams come true.
March 2013 Issue 127
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Copyright 2013 by Dollmaker's Journey
Dollmaker's Journey Customer Connection newsletter is a free e-mail newsletter. Tell your friends, family and fellow dollmakers about us, and feel free to forward this newsletter to those who might be interested. You can visit our companion website at:
http://www.dollmakersjourney.com/
**Notice!**
You can read all the past issues online. Go to:
http://dollmakersjourney.com/newsletter/archives.html
The archives include an easy to follow index to all the past issues.
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Dear Dollmaking Friends,
Happy St. Patrick's Day! On March 17, 2013, La Fheile Padraig (St. Patrick's Day in Irish) will be celebrated around the world. St. Patrick's Day is a great excuse to party, whether you are Irish or not. Though the holiday began as a Catholic feast day, it's become a secular celebration of Irish culture. Named after St. Patrick, who lived in the fifth century AD, St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland.
To celebrate this day Bonnie has decorated her house with a leprechaun (made from a Julie McCullough pattern) holding a pot of Gold, her Irish colleen Kelly from a Doll for All Seasons, and an outdoor flag she made featuring a shamrock, leprechaun and large gold coins. Of course she will be wearing green (she is part Scotch Irish), including a beaded shamrock she made for the occasion.
I think this is one reason Bonnie and Mary Ann created the Doll For All Seasons pattern - Bonnie wanted a different doll to decorate her house each month. Here is a little history we included in our pattern of a typical Irish outfit from the 15th century that was used to create Kelly's outfit:
Leine - A Leine (pronounced LAY-nah) was a basic unisex Celtic shirt worn alone or under other clothes. In the 16th century it was characterized by its big baggy sleeves. It was undergarment, nightwear, casual dress or shirt, blouse and slip. Women wore them ankle length and used the voluminous sleeves to carry their personal belongings. The well-off wore them under overskirts and overdresses in public. Made from fine wool, linen, or silk, they were usually white or off-white, although some (worn by the men) were saffron or brown-red. They were often heavily decorated with lace, trim and embroidery, often with as much as 10" of embroidery above the hem. (See drawings for embroidery ideas.) King Henry VIII was appalled by the proliferate use of fabric in the Irish Leine. Many had 25 to 35 ells of linen, creating extravagant sleeves and very full pleated skirts. He decreed in 1536 ". . . nor have any more cloth in their shirts or smocks, but 5 standard ells of that country cloth." An "ell" was about 1-1/4 yards of cloth 20" wide. When the nobility protested, he changed the law in 1541 to:
Noblemen 20 cubits (10 yards)
Vassal or horseman 18 cubits (9 yards)
Kerne (turbarius) or Scot 16 cubits (8 yards)
Groom, messenger, or other servant of Lords 12 cubits (6 yards)
Husbandman or labourer 10 cubits (5 yards)
Of course, the Irish ignored his decrees and continued to make Leines their way.
Underskirt - In 1536 England was at war with Ireland. King Henry VIII, in an attempt to "Anglicize" the Irish, decreed "No man, woman, or child, do wear in their shirts or smocks, or any other garments, no saffron . . ." He also forbade any Irish to embroider with silk, use beads or jewels, or tuck overskirts into their underskirt waistband. The color saffron, beloved of the Irish, he reserved for his Scottish army. Naturally, the Irish rebelled, and used saffron in a lot of their clothing. The underskirt was worn over the Leine, and was often heavily embroidered and beaded (sometimes bands 6-8" wide) or down the front. Gold and red were favorite embroidery colors. Underskirts were made from linen or wool. Cotton was rare in Ireland and used only by the very wealthy.
Overdress (Shinrone gown) - In 1843, a piece of wool was recovered from a bog near Shinrone, County Tipperary in Ireland. It turned out to be a dress dating back to the late 16th century. The bottom of the bodice was straight, and it laced up the front. The skirt was open at the front, showing the underskirt or Leine. The sleeves were long rectangles fastened only at the wrist, and the skirt had 23 trapezoidal gores and measured 6 yards wide at the bottom. Armholes were square. They needed extra room so the Leine sleeves could hang down. The original dress was made from wool.
Pouch - In addition to using the Leine sleeves to hold things like handkerchiefs, women also used a drawstring pouch attached to their waist by long cords. In a painting from the 1500's it showed a pouch decorated with embroidery, tassels, and beads hanging down the front several inches from the hem of the dress.
Shoes - Turnshoes - These shoes were popular with both men and women from the 10th to 16th centuries. They were found in England, Germany, Sweden, and throughout North Western Europe, including Ireland. They received their name because the shoes are stitched wrong sides out and then turned to the right side when finished. They have slightly pointed toes and were laced at the instep or ankle. You will notice that the left and right shoe is identical. In the 16th century shoes were made as "straights" because heels came into fashion, and shoemakers couldn't find a way to attach heels and make the shoes mirror images of each other. Right and left shoes were reintroduced in the 1840's. Shoes were in basic shades of brown, natural tan, off white, saffron and ox blood. Avoid black, blue, green, and bright yellow, or leather with a heavy sheen if you want them to be authentic to the 16th century.
Shoes - Ghillies - These are the simplest shoes you can make. They were also called "bag" shoes, and are a simple sandal that is tied at the heel with laces crisscrossed up knee high stockings. These shoes are one piece of leather, and were found in a bog in Ireland dating back to about the 7th century. These shoes were the ancestors of the scalloped-upper "dance ghillies" worn by modern Irish dancers.
Stockings - Knitted - The Carnamoyle Stockings were Irish wool stockings from the 16th Century. They were found in County Donegal and were made in the 1500's. The feet had disintegrated, and they had no back seam, but were knit in the round in a simple stockinette stitch, except for the top band.
Hair - Young girls wore their hair down with nothing covering it. John Dunbar wrote: "The ordinary girls wear nothing upon their heads until they are married or get a child... their hair hangs down over the forehead, like that of a wild colt." After marriage the hair was covered by a kertch, and often braided and pinned up.
Kertch (Headscarf) - A married Irish or Scots woman, who was Catholic, would ALWAYS wear a kertch. Rome dictated that impure women needed to cover their hair at Mass (ideally impure WAS married.) The kertch was like a wedding band. Only married women were allowed to hold property, participate in decisions, and were given respect as a "real" person. The kertch, if worn correctly, will have 3 points on the back, whose religious symbolism was the holy trinity under whose guidance a wife was to walk...literally. John Dunbar wrote: "The indication of a women's marital status by the type of her head-covering was not uncommon in European folk costume".this practice was taken seriously and in some cases the kertch or coif was the finest piece of attire in a poor woman's possession."
All patterns for the above clothing are included in our March Doll for All Seasons pattern. Keep reading future newsletters for a special package deal on our entire Doll for All Seasons pattern collection along with a special bonus surprise.
Bonnie and Mary Ann
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ATTENTION ALL DOLL TEACHERS!
We are establishing a LIST of every Doll Class we can find. We want to know about the classes in your local stores, doll clubs etc... We will post for FREE the information about each class AND we will issue each teacher a specific coupon code so that all of the students can get 20% OFF THE REGULAR PRICES FOR ONE ENTIRE ORDER. In a few days we will have a form on the site that you can fill out to give us the details we need to post for you. Our goal is to connect interested dollmakers everywhere with exciting classes and we are relying on you to help us make that happen! - http://dollmakersjourney.com/dollmaking_class/index.html
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2013 DO IT CHALLENGE by Bonnie B. Lewis
How are you doing? How many New Year's Resolutions lie in the dust? How many are still ongoing? How many of you are finding ways to DO IT, to achieve your dreams? Do any of these acronyms fit you? Do you have SAS (Stash Acquisition Syndrome), BAS (Bead Acquisition Syndrome) or are you a SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy)? Unfortunately, I believe I have all three. My lifetime goal is to use up all the yarn, fabric, beads, ribbons, and doll stuff before I die. Unfortunately, I keep seeing more wonderful stuff to add to my collection. You never know when _________(fill in the blank) might come in handy.
I once read that when a woman in a nursing home died, all her possessions could fit into the trunk of a car. She had given everything away before she died to make others happy. I was touched by this story. When my parents died they left behind a household of treasures along with a huge storage shed full of books, papers, and other stuff. It took days for me and my brother and sisters to sort through everything. I still have boxes stacked to the ceiling in my basement from my mother-in-law when she died which my husband says he will sort through someday. In them are treasured antiques from all over the world, along with an extensive doll collection. I am afraid that when he finally gets around to DOING IT he will be dead and the task will be inherited by my children, who have no idea of the stories or value of the objects she saved.
Do any of you have this problem? I belong to a knit and crochet for charity group, and we spend a lot of time making hats, scarves, blankets, toys, and other items which we donate to different groups in our community. I am knitting and crocheting things as fast as I can, trying to use up my stash of yarn. I am currently making a series of Jean Greenhowe's Rainbow Babies, a free pattern from http://www.jeangreenhowe.com which are safe for even the smallest baby. There is also a cute knubbelchen doll (flat doll) that you can knit when you join http://ravelry.com that is also safe for babies. I am making hats, helmet liners, neck gaiters, slipper socks, etc. for the military. I also keep ongoing afghans on the living room couch which I work on every time I watch TV with my husband or grandchildren. Unfortunately, every time someone dies their heirs donate their stash of yarn to our group. Each month we get more, and of course I can't resist taking some. A friend moved to Ohio and gave me her stash (which was huge) and I am trying to work my way through that. I have given much away, but it always seems to come back to me multiplied.
My stash of fabric has the same problem. I try giving it away, making dolls and quilts with some, and am currently teaching a class at our church to make "cool scarves" to donate to our military. These are filled with polymer crystals which, when soaked in water, expand and keep the wearer cool even in very hot desert temperatures (105° F to 120° F). The patterns for these are free. Check out http://www.watersorb.com/polymer_cool_neck_bands.htm or http://www.sewnews.com for a June/July 2012 cooling scarf free sewing project. Another source is http://www.p2designs.com/ShipCooler.htm Check out http://www.theshipsproject.com for many more charity patterns needed by the military. These projects are great, but they only use a small amount of fabric (the cool scarves can be made with 1/8 yard of cotton fabric.) I recently got a bag of wonderful silk and brocade scraps from a friend who went to China. These would make fantastic dolls, because they only need a small amount. She also brought me back some one-of-a-kind beads that are only found in China. Something else to look forward to... someday!
I have heard it said that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So the best way to decrease a stash is one project at a time. When that is finished, either wear it, display it, write about it, donate it, sell it, gift it, or give it away to make room for something new. This will make the world a better place, make someone happy, and free up some space for future creative endeavors.
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MARCH SALE
March came in like a lion, with a super snowstorm in the Eastern United States, but hopefully it will turn into a lamb. It's hard to believe it's already time for our MARCH SALE! The category this month is ETHNIC. Enjoy a 20% savings on this great selection of patterns. - http://dollmakersjourney.com/
Remember, visit our website at http://dollmakersjourney.com at the beginning of each month to see what our new sale will be. That way you won't have to wait for a newsletter.
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WORDS TO LIVE BY
"Maybe the best thing you'll ever do, you haven't even thought of yet." Ann Curry
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FEBRUARY ANSWER
Q: When Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, January 21, 2013, he took the oath of office placing his hand on two Bibles, one from Abraham Lincoln and the other from Martin Luther King Jr. This tradition of using a Bible was started with the first president, George Washington. To date four presidents did not use a Bible. What did they do instead?
A: John Quincy Adams used a constitutional law volume instead of a Bible, with the intention that he was swearing on the constitution. Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 used a book of US law at a rush inauguration after McKinley's death. Mr. Ansley Wilcox, at whose home Roosevelt took the oath of office, wrote in 1903 "According to my best recollection no Bible was used, but President Roosevelt was sworn in with uplifted hand." Lyndon Byrd Johnson used Jackie Kennedy's Catholic Missal (prayer book) aboard Air Force 1 when he was sworn in upon John Kennedy's assassination. Franklin Pierce affirmed his oath on a law book due to a crisis of faith.
On a side note, Dwight D. Eisenhower broke tradition when he said his own prayer instead of kissing the Bible.
Congratulations to Joan Spiegler from California. Your name was selected at random from all of the correct quiz entries, and you will receive a $10 gift certificate from Dollmaker's Journey. Watch for your name in a coming month!
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MARCH QUESTION
Q: When and where was the first St. Patrick's Day Parade?
Everyone who emails in the correct answers by April 1st will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift certificate to Dollmaker's Journey. The winner will be announced in the next newsletter. Email your answers to Bonnie at EnchantedR@aol.com Put March Quiz in subject box. Please include your full name and where you live (state/country) in your email.
NOTE: Several times in the past a winner was drawn with no name or state/country included. When that happens we have to draw again. So please, make sure you include this information with your answer.
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MAKE YOUR OWN DRYER FABRIC SOFTENER BALLS
Dryer fabric sheets are expensive and some put harmful chemicals on your fabric. Check out this website to create your own fabric dryer balls from wool yarn that you can use over and over again. http://doterrablog.com/laundry-essentials-diy-natural-alternative-to-fabric-softener-and-dryer-sheets
Hint: If you can't find any 100% wool yarn (NOT washable) we do carry 100% wool Martha Stewart wool roving yarn at http://dollmakersjourney.com/hair.html
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CHALLENGES
May 15, 2013 is deadline for 5th Annual Cloth Baby Doll Challenge!
http://clothdollbabies.com/challenge2013
And Back by Popular Demand.. A Baby Animal Category!
Special Grand Prize you don't want to miss.. A Kezi Original Doll - "Ruthie" (Not a pattern but the original Prototype Doll designed and made by Kezi!)
To have a chance at winning this beautiful and valuable doll all you have to do is enter a Human Baby Doll in the Challenge! The Grand Prize is picked Randomly so anyone who enters a doll has a chance to win!
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UPCOMING EVENTS YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS
April 11-14, 2013 - IDEX
Doubletree by Hilton at entrance to Universal Orlando, Florida
http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=942999
April 17-20, 2013 - Big Belly Babe with Ankie Daanen, NIADA Artist
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Limited space - 12 students - sign up early
For more information go to: http:/www.aforartistic.com/big-bell-babe.html
April 25-28, 2013 - AFICC (Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay)
Double Tree Columbus/Worthington
175 Hutchinson Ave., Columbus, OH 43235
For more information about convention: http://cyndysdolls.com/
For information on teachers: http://www.ArtisticFiguresInCloth.blogspot.com
May 2-4, 2013 - Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Convention
Clarion Hotel & Conference Center
Philadelphia PA.
www. quinlanmuseum.com/convention
June 24-26, 2013 - NIADA
Marin Suites Hotel, Corte Madera, California (12 miles north of San Francisco)
Registration is now open at: http://www.niada.org/index2.html
July 26-31, 2013 - National Doll Festival #26 (NDF)
Georgetown University Conference Center & Hotel, Washington, D.C.
For more information email Rowbear or Faith Loman at DollFestival@aol.com or NatlDoll@aol.com
or call them at (831) 438-5349 (phone) or (831) 439-9142 (fax)
July 29-August 1, 2013 - UFDC 64th National Convention
Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
http://ufdc.org/convention/
July 2013 - ODACA
Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
http://odaca.org (not updated yet)
To save yourself time and energy, get all the details on upcoming doll related events at
CLOTH DOLL CONNECTION: http://clothdollconnection.com/
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SPECIAL GIFTS FOR YOU
Be sure to check out our VIDEO TUTORIALS for Episode #3 of Tricks of the Trade : Ladder Stitch - http://dollmakersjourney.com/Tips-and-Techniques.html
Learn to make a double loop finishing knot with Leslie Molen
http://dollmakersjourney.com/molen.html
Make a chocolate bunny for Easter. Free pattern is located at
http://teddiesbylauralynn.com/free-patterns/patterns.html
Good looking boy shoes patterns from Nuno. http://dollmaker.nunodoll.com/boy/shoes.html or
http://craft.nunodoll.com/boy/pat17.gif Resize the pattern if needed. Can be made from thin leather or felt.
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NEW PATTERNS/BOOKS/CD-ROMs/DVDs/MOLDS
Boy oh boy, do we have a lot going on at Dollmakers Journey! We are proud to announce that we are now carrying the full line of NIADA Artist LESLIE MOLEN'S beautiful patterns including her wonderful collection of pincushions and needlecases, her delightful Veg-Head Series and many more. As a bonus, LESLIE has made us a video showing her awesome double loop knotting technique to securely tie off your threads that you are going to love! It is easy to see LESLIE's lovely, gentle spirit in her designs. Do stop by and take a look - http://dollmakersjourney.com/molen.html
We are also welcoming a new designer to our family - CLAIRE PRUITT. Her first pattern is a great storybook doll - "Alice in Wonderland CD." You'll find a tremendous series of step-by-step photos for every aspect of the construction of this charming doll with an embroidered face. - http://dollmakersjourney.com/pruitt.html
Get ready to have TOO MUCH FUN with this incredible new pattern from SHELLEY HAWKEY - "A Gnome for All Seasons." You'll get all you need to make 14 different versions plus ideas for many more. Treat yourself to this delightful, jam-packed pattern - http://dollmakersjourney.com/hawkey.html
SHERRY GOSHON decided it was time to design a new rabbit. Come meet "Peony Rose" and have fun with SHERRY'S great costuming and construction techniques! - http://dollmakersjourney.com/goshon.html
"Franny the Friendship Doll" is 24" of colorful, whimsical fun from PATTI CULEA. Mary Ann can't wait to make one for her granddaughter. - http://dollmakersjourney.com/culea.html
DOUG KEELING breaks it down and makes it all so easy in his newest book "Creating Cloth Doll Faces - Caricatures." With pages and pages of individual facial features the combinations are endless. Stop by and take a look - http://dollmakersjourney.com/books.html
We just can't resist adding more of GINNY LETTORALE'S Happy Heart patterns to the site. Stop by and see "Annie's Having Tea with Dolly," "Sweetheart Annie," "Pippy Ann," "Mitten Mice" and just in time for Easter - "Charming Little Bunnies!" Ginny's pattern presentation is fantastic! She makes it all so easy. - http://dollmakersjourney.com/lettorale.html
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SUPPLIES
BACK IN STOCK: The Awl, 8 oz. Paperclay and the 3-piece Stuffing Fork Set - http://dollmakersjourney.com/supplies.html
Over in the HAIR DEPARTMENT we've just added Martha Stewart Wool Roving Yarn. It's soft and bulky and will make easy hairstyles for you. - http://dollmakersjourney.com/hair.html
For your convenience we've just added 500 yard spools of Dual Duty XP thread. Everybody needs to have white and black thread! You can also pick up a 4 pack of 1" Sponge Brushes - always handy to have on hand. - http://dollmakersjourney.com/supplies.html
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QUICK MEALS FOR BUSY DAYS
Bonnie came up with a fantastic idea you might want to try. Her grandchildren and son-in-law from Uganda come over every night for dinner after a busy day at college or working in the pharmacy. (Her daughter is in St. Lucia finishing up her medical degree.) They absolutely DO NOT want to eat any leftovers. I guess in Uganda food kept overnight wasn't considered safe. So at the end of each meal Bonnie and her husband place the leftovers in microwave-safe TV dinner trays, slide them into a gallon Ziploc bag (or cover with plastic wrap or foil), label the container, and place in the freezer. Then when life gets hectic, you just choose a meal from the freezer, heat 6-7 minutes on high in the microwave covered with plastic or vented Ziploc bag, and a healthy, nutritious meal is ready to eat. Each container is divided into three compartments. Usually the large one is filled with vegetables, the two smaller ones with a protein and starch (such as noodles, rice, potatoes, etc.) so you have a balanced meal. If there aren't enough vegetables left to fill the container, she just dumps in frozen vegetables. Currently in the freezer are meals of fish, meat loaf, fried chicken, roast beef, spaghetti and meatballs, stroganoff, etc. This would also be a quick and easy meal to bring to work. Just leave in a freezer or refrigerator until ready to heat and eat. It sure makes meals fast and easy on days when you get sidetracked writing newsletters or making dolls!
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JUST FOR FUN (Can you tell Bonnie is in a laundry and cleaning mode?)
VERY interesting and inexpensive. This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana (a doctor's wife), and I want to share it with you. She was over recently and smelled the bleach I was using to clean my toilet and counter tops. This is what she told me. 'I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ole bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. What does bleach cost?
My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide. Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office? NO!!!
Why? Because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!
Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's? It's chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our troops. Peroxide was invented during WWI in the 20's. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops and hospitals.
Please think about this:
1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.
2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.
3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.
4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.
5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.
6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.
7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.
8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.
9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.
10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change.
11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help get rid of boils, fungus, or other skin infections.
12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.
13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.
14. Another place it's great is in the bathroom, if someone has been careless & has wet on the floor around the toilet & it's begun to smell of urine. Just put so me peroxide in a spray bottle & spray. In the blink of any eye all the smell will be gone & the bacteria eliminated!
I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner!
This information really woke me up. I hope you gain something from it, too. Pass it on! Clorox vs peroxide. VERY interesting and inexpensive.
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NEWS FROM THE HOME FRONT
Bonnie has been knitting Rainbow Babies for charity, along with hats, afghans, scarves, neck gaiters, etc. She finds this a great project to do while watching old movies with her husband. She also taught four grandchildren and two daughters how to make dragon necklaces while she was visiting Utah to attend two baptisms. Unfortunately, all the beads available in Utah were size 10 mm seed beads, so the dragons are much larger than the size 11 mm she normally uses. She loves the 3-D jewelry patterns available at http://www.uniquebeadedjewelry.com on the internet. She just bought patterns to make the macaw, phoenix, frog and butterfly, along with lots of beads. So far she has made the dragon, hummingbird, owl, and cardinal. Just go to the website to see the amazing beaded jewelry there. The patterns are simple enough for a beginner. Click on 3-D jewelry to see them all. Go to http://dollmakersjourney.com/newsletter/dragon-necklaces.html to see the dragons her daughters made. She also bought a 7-1/2" Ginny doll from Etsy for a granddaughter (age 11) when her cousin (age 12) came to visit from California and brought a Ginny doll she received for Christmas. Bonnie brought lots of patterns for Ginny doll clothes with her to Utah to teach the two girls how to use a sewing machine and follow a pattern. They made a nightgown, fur coat and hat, and received lots of fabric and notions Bonnie bought to make more outfits. This Saturday she is teaching a class in making Cool Scarves at her church. These will be sent to soldiers serving in Afghanistan or other desert regions. They sell for about $20 in the store, and can be made for pennies. A great project idea for summer. You just soak in water and the crystals inside absorb the water and keep you cool for about 4 hours. Then you let the scarf dry and reuse over and over again. (They made 60 scarves on Saturday!)
Every year the Washington Post Newspaper sponsors a PEEPS CONTEST. Peeps are marshmallow candies shaped like rabbit or chicks. They are usually yellow, but also come in a variety of bright colors. Entrants must create a diorama that is peopled with Peeps. The day before the deadline Mary Ann's daughter Ana told her Mom she had an idea and asked for her help. They had 4 hours from the time Ana got to Mary Ann's house after work to complete the scene, snap the photo and submit it by the midnight deadline. In conjunction with the viral video dance called "The Harlem Shake" that has a lot of people dancing around in crazy hats, they titled their entry "Harlem Shake Oval Office Style." It featured President Obama playing a ukulele, Michele using her hula hoop and a lot of dancing peeps in crazy hats purchased in the scrap booking section of the craft store. They found actual photos of the Oval Office that they printed out to make the background. It was a wild way to spend an evening, but a lot of fun. Ana already has an idea for next year so they can get a reasonable head start - maybe 6 or 8 hours! - http://dollmakersjourney.com/newsletter/peeps.html
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WEBSITES:
Watch an adorable dog named Pudsy on Britain's Got Talent
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=dv_gOBi8Wpk&vq=large
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We'd love to hear your thoughts about our Customer Connection newsletter.
Contact the editor Bonnie B. Lewis at EnchantedR@aol.com with any comments, suggestions, etc.
Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to any of your friends. Help us spread the word about Dollmaker's Journey! All we ask is that you forward it intact, with all the subscription information included.
Thanks!
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