A Housewife’s Diary

Southland Times, Issue 23406, 13 January 1938, Page 14

A Housewife’s Diary

Hints About The Home Trays. r trays can be cleaned and polished With a mixture of olive oil and sour milk. Soap and water should never be used for them. Press Studs. Insert a piece of cardboard in the hem of thin material when sewing on press studs. Remove cardboard when job is finished. Honey. Honey is a strong antiseptic and healer. After properly cleansing wound or sore, apply honey by smearing it on some lint. Distempering. Add some .starch to distemper if the colour is too strong. For Hands.

Put a pound of lard in a basin and stand in boiling water to melt. Add juice of lemon, two teaspoons of Epsom ■alts, and one teaspoon of common salt. Pour into , jar, stirring until cold. Will prevent chilblains. Bath.

Apply spirits of salts, with a small washing-up mop, to stains on a porcelain or enamel bath, Removes, stains without injuring porcelain or enaniel but keep from touching taps. Afterwards wash with hot soapy water. Hankies.

To whiten discoloured handkerchiefs add a tablespoon of peroxide of hydrogen to the last, rinsing water.

Cushion Covers.

Have you any linen dresses left from summer that have served their day. Cut them up for cushions. Harlequin cushior covers are charming and easy to make from frocks of two. dlff «ent colours. A friend ot tame has three cushions from a lavender dress and a pale green one. Four small squares a wanted for each, side of pie cover, two of each ’colour, arranged so that each pair is at opposite comers.

’ Military Motifs.

If you want to brighten up your rooms let there be ..something soldierly about the decorations. There are attractive table lamps With'-parchment shades -, colourfully painted with scarlet-coated soldiers. Coats-of-arms appear in designs on fabrics for hangings and pipings of leaflet on. covers in. cream linen also suggest military inspiration. Wood for Walls.

Sycamore is coming into favour for modern furniture and increases its! good looks as it grows older, gradually acquiring a. mellow honey stint with the years. Talking of wood, one of the newest treatments for walls is to cover them with a layer of unpainteu pinewood. It comes rather more expensive than wallpaper dr paint at the beginning, of course, but it lasts and is one of tiie best backgrounds for modern furnishing schemes. Washing Organdie. After thin stiff fabrics such as organdie, batiste and voile have been washed, they can be given a beautiful crispness by dipping them in a solution ol gelatine. Heat one ounce of gelatine in a pint of water until the gelatine has been completely dissolved. Add a Ettle borax, and the solution can be kept for some timo. Wash the fabric, then rinse in gelatine water, using one part of gelatine to five parts of water. Dry the article, then damp and iron.

Simplicity Waning. Reaction from the severe, not to say austere decorative ideas fc the home in recent years, is becoming evident in the most up-to-d houses. There is a decided tendency towards the ornate in some directions. A hall that is typical of the change in taste had its walls covered with a grey.paper striped with thin gold lines while the balustrade of the staircase was painted in grey and gold to match. Fireside Teas. After dusk falls these evenings fireside teas are pleasant A two-tier tray that acts as a “dumb-waiter” is useful for “tea by the fire.” It is formed of two oval trays supported one beneath the other on a light plywood frame painted to match them. The trays can be removed and used separately if desired and .the frame folds flat when not in use. For Your Gloves. . Are you fond of adding little personal touches to your clothes? A smart trim- •; ming to your gloves that you can add fo, yourself takes the form of your initials cut from velvet to tone with the leather of the gloves and appliqued to the cuffs. Run a line of gold thread round the letters- ’ter they are in place for .the best effect Holes in Stockings. If you have been suffering the annoyance of shoes that quickly rub holes in the heels of your stockings you may be glad to hear of a protector. ‘ The protector is very thin and is made of celluloid, soft leather and sponge rubber. It is fixed inside the shoe with the help of a little cold water. Handbag Purse. A handbag purse designed to please the woman football fan is of leather, shaped like a football not fully blown up. There are various colours from which to choose. For the woman who takes part in sport herself, whether it be motoring or golf, scarf-helmets are a new idea in head protection They are practical and smart in cashmere and in a variety of plain colours, or in checks or fancy patterns. For bad weather there are suede leather ones. The scarf is all in one with the helmet and twists round the neck to keep everything snug. Anti-Moths. Some of the sachets that are being sold to hang in wardrobes ot tuck among the folds of clothes in drawers act as mothdispelling agents as well as diffusing perfume. Dried orange-peel and cloves mixed with various spices is one mixture that moths dislike very much Anomer mbrture is made of cedar and sandalwood and is reputed to be • certain safeguard against the moth danger.

lower edge with water. Brush the top with a little egg and milk or with milk and sugar and bake in a fairly hot oven for about minutes. When done cut into., fingers. [ Plain Sandwiches. I Method: Spread the bread with cream- : ed butter, cut in even slices from the I loaf, nd spread half the slices with any i ■ prepared filling, covering the comers to ■ the edges. Cover with the remaining , Slices, press gently together, and cut L into squares, strips, oblongs, triangles, ■ diamonds, rounds or fancy shapes with f “bridge” or other cutters. Sandwiches I made with one slice of white and one .' slice jf brown bread, served with altern- >■ ate colours uppermost, are effective.