HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 58

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

Blacklead mixed with turpentine instead of water gives a brilliant and lasting polish, and prevents the stove from rusting. When baking potatoes, put a small pian of water in the oven and they will cook much more quickly. Cut good pieces out of old stockings and herring-bone them neatly into position on the heels of new ones. This prolongs the "wholeness" of the heels to a very satisfactory extent. A small quantity of whitening mixed with methylated spirits cleans and polishes piano-keys splendidly. Red cabbage is very good and nutritious boiled in the same way as green cabbage.' To remove perspiration stains from clothing, soak the parts in cold water, and then cover them with French chalk. Leave the chalk on till the next day, and repeat the process until the marks are quite gone. China pastry rollers, which can be purchased at most large stores, are better than wooden ones for making light pastry. Old jams become new again if the jars are placed in a warm oven until the hard, sugary crust that has formed on top melts. French cooks clean their frying-pans with plenty of soft paper, while the pans are still hot, instead of washing them. The paper absorbs every particle of grease, and is useful for lighting the fire with subsequently. Gas-stoves may be treated in the same way. Plainly boiled potatoes are very nice when in good condition, but as they grow old they require a different way of being sent to the table. When you have plenty of fat for fiying you will find this a verydelicious method, as it disguises any imperfections :—Peel, wash, and cut them up into chips. Dry them on a cloth.. Have some smoking hot fat in a stewpan j enough to completely cover the potatoes, and cook for about five minutes. Lift them out, boil up the fat again, return the potatoes to it for two minutes, then take them out, and drain before a hot fire or in the oven. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them, and serve at once, before they lose their crispness. Hints on Dressing.— There are many women who spend quite large sums on both their clothes and toilette appurtenances who, nevertheless, never manage to look "at par." The reasons are usually simple enough, and easily remedied. To begin with, no woman who "throws her clothes on" ever looks well dressed. The " set" of a collar, even the tying of a shoe-string, can make a difference, while the angle at which the hat is placed, or the way in which gloves do, or do not fit smoothly on the hands promptly spoils the effect. Careful hairdressing is, probably, of all things the most important. An unbecoming style, or the careless dressing which leaves odd wisps flying around can nullify completely the charms of the most expensive hat. For any special occasion, it is a mistake to dress the hair in a fresh style, because, as a rule, the hair "learns" which way to go, and does not take kindly at once to new ways. If the face is broad, hair parted in the middle and brushed flat to the sides is the least becoming style possible. A high style suits a broad face best, and for a thin one, a slightly fluffy mode is usually the most becoming. A side parting, with the hair combed over into a big loose wave, suits most faces. But whatever style is adopted, the important thing is to c 'finish" it properly, so that it is quite definitely

sonio style. In a word, let it look as if it had been dressed. Veils being again very fashionable, another trap is set tor the unwary; since here again is an item which insists on "finish" to look at all well. It is not enough to drag it hurriedly over the hat brim, and roll it up into a knot under the chin. First of all, if it is patterned — and most are—see to it that there is not a design just under the eye, suggesting a "black eye," or at the end of the nose, or at any other unsightly point. Then drape it neatly round the hat, tying the ends so that they can be tucked neatly away. Then draw up the bottom edge under the chin, fairly tightly, securing the surplus with a hair-pin at the back. This is far more becoming than the knot under the chin, especially if the latter be of the "double" variety. Do not, if the.complexion be "high," choose a veil of bright tint; tone it down with black, darkest blue, or brown. If v the figure is inclined to be rather overdeveloped, keep to dull shades and the simplest of styles, as "frilliness" does not lend itself kindly to "embonpoint." Do not hurry overdressing, as the haste is bound to show somewhere in the total result.