Edges

As long as I'm thinking about scrapbooking, allow me to share one of my favorite tips. 

Sometimes, when you've cropped a photo and you put in on a background paper, the white edges stand out and detract from the picture.  To eliminate the contrast, simply run a marker along the edges of the picture.  Now you'll have a nice clean look.

Happy scrapping!

Flying Solo

My husband is off at another training, so I am single-parenting again this week.  The last training gave birth to the posts about cleaning cracked eggs, etc.  One night, I put them to bed, went to take a quick shower, and got out to find them playing in the fireplace!

Monday and Tuesday went as well as could be expected.  I showered before picking them up from school to avoid a repeat of the soot episode.  Yesterday, I even scored a ton of free boxes and packing materials! 

This morning, however, I have a sick 4 year old home from school.  Today's tip: frozen blackberries are a great way to cool down hot oatmeal.

Silver Bells....

I've been polishing the silver, and am reminded how little I enjoy that.  I've also been worried about its fate while in storage. 

They sell storage bags made from silver cloth for $15 each at Bed Bath & Beyond.  I'd have to buy 4 of those plus a big one for the tray, etc.

Instead, I bought some silver cloth (available at JoAnn) and made my own!  It's not difficult at all.

For the trays: Sew a pouch with extra length for a front flap.  Attach ribbon to the front of the pouch and to the flap to secure.

For the hollowware (teapots, etc.):  Make into drawstring bags, sized to fit. 

You only need to be able to sew a straight line.  Make the channel of the pouch first, then sew the side and bottom.  I attached a diaper pin to the end of some satin ribbon to make threading it through the channel easier. 

Voila!

Burned

I recently got a 2nd degree burn on my index finger.  (Tip #1- Don't grab a hot burner.)  Here's a tip for how to treat a minor burn:

First, hold a frozen cold pack to it (the kind you put in packed lunches).  Make sure you don't go numb, as that could indicate frostbite.  This will stop further injury and ease the swelling and pain. 

Treat with Butt Paste:

The name is awful, but this stuff is magic!  I slathered it on and covered with a super-cool Hello Kitty Band-Aid to keep it on overnight.  It helped immensely!  The burn didn't even blister (and I know it wanted to- I could see it coming). 

My husband and I road-tested this stuff on our children.  Surprisingly, it works better than the competitors that have more active ingredients in them.  It works magic on terrible diaper rash, and can help grown-up healing, too. 

Today's Tip

I love tips, hints, and tricks!  I thought I'd share one with you today:

Another use for air freshener

Instead of spraying air freshener willy-nilly around your home, did you know it does an excellent job cleaning mirrors?  The pleasant scent it leaves behind is a bonus! 

What's your best household cleaning trick?