Helpful household tips
Remove ball point ink from fabric: A friend asked me a few days ago how to get ballpoint ink out of fabric. She's hand quilting a vintage quilt and a visiting child just had to 'write' on the quilt with a ball point pen.
The easiest way I know is with simply hairspray. Spray some on the stain, blot with a clean cloth and repeat until all the ink is gone.
Banish paint smell: If you decide to paint during colder weather or when you can't open the house up, just put a few drops of vanilla (the kind you use to bake cookies) in a cup of water and set it in the room you are painting. The vanilla takes away all the smell (I don't know how it works, I just know it does).
Popcorn packing: When sending a goodie box overseas, put in a layer of unsalted popcorn, then your cookies, etc., and then pack more popcorn over and around the tops of the treasures. It's cheap, easy to do and the popcorn can be fed to critters once the box has been emptied.
Pin holder: Here's a new use for that heavy old glass ashtray that nobody uses any more. Use it to hold pins when pinning a pattern to the fabric or if you need a weight to hold down a corner as you cut, just set the ashtray on it.
Thimble holder: I was forever losing my thimble in the depths of my sewing machine drawers until my husband glued a thimble-sized cork to the bottom of one of the drawers. As long as I remember to put the thing back where it belongs every time I use it, I always know where to locate it when I need it.
Different meatballs: My meatball recipe calls for dried bread crumbs and since I didn't have any on hand, I used some onion-flavored potato chips my kids had brought home from a party. The chips flavored the meatballs so well we've begun to try other things besides the bread crumbs. We've used smashed pretzels, crushed cornflakes, and even smashed up some garlic flavored salad croutons. The sky is now the limit and my children are constantly looking for and finding new ways to flavor one of their favorite meals. (What better use for that handful of crumbled 'anything' in the bottom of the bag. Use it instead of tossing away money!)
Trash can mover: I have a hard time moving my trash/garbage can to the curb side every week for pickup. My son put it on his skateboard and just wheeled the can out so easily that I intend to use this idea every week.
If you have hints or ideas to share, send them to PennyWise, Box 518, Kadoka, SD 57543; or e-mail them to pennywise@gwtc.net. If you send me your name and address, I'll send you a FREE copy of the PennyWise Newsletter. Please mention the High Plains Journal when you write.
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