Hi guys!

This is my new venture. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing these products are!

How many times have you wished you only had to apply your lipstick once for the day?

How often have you been self-conscious of your lipcolour smudging or wearing off, and dealing with the hassle of having to reapply constantly?

Those troubles are now a thing of the past!!

LipSense, if you haven't heard of it, is a liquid lipcolour that lasts up to 18 hours.

It's completely smudgeproof, kissproof and waterproof and won't dry out your lips.

Major benefits-

LipSense is lead-free, wax-free, vegan friendly, GMO free and not tested on animals!

We have over 70 colours that are completely customizable.

Due to the application process (3 coats of colour, sealed with gloss) there is an insane amount of colour combinations you can create-if you have 3 tubes of LipSense you can create 27 colour combos!!

You are able to purchase through this link if you are in Australia:

www.senegence.com/LipCandyGeelong

Colours are $34 AUD but first time buyers need a Starter Collection that gives you everything a LipSense newbie needs! (Colour, gloss and remover)

I'm always on the lookout for new stockists (this is the perfect item to retail in boutiques, home beauty rooms or hair salons!)

Or you can open a wholesale account to receive 20-50% off!

If you'd like to become a distributor, please follow the link above and click "Sell SeneGence".

My distributor ID is #199814

If you have any questions I'd love to hear from you. Best place to find me is on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/LipCandyGeelong

Have a great weekend!

Candi💋💋

Making Cold-Processed Soap

I've been meaning to make soap for ages. Last week was rainy and miserable so I figured if I was stuck indoors, I might as well do something useful. I had tried to make cold processed soap a couple of years ago but it wasn't what you'd call a raging success. I was a tad overambitious and the colour and fragrance oils I used seized the mixture. This time round I thought I'd try a simple recipe (just coconut oil and olive oil) that I got from Down To Earth's blog.

There are a few different methods of making soap. Cold processed, hot processed and melt and pour.

Cold processed is where you mix your oils with your lye water and let the soap set in the mould overnight/for a couple of days. You then need to let your soaps cure for a few weeks before you can use them.

Hot processed soap is when you cook your soap in a crockpot or put into an oven to speed up the saponification process. (Saponification is the chemical reaction that occurs between your fats/oils and the lye solution to create the soap. Once it is complete, there is no lye remaining in the soap). The soap can be used a lot sooner and doesn't really need to cure.

Melt and pour is different in that you aren't actually making soap through saponification, rather melting down a base soap made of glycerin or white coconut oil and adding colours/fragrances and shaping them in different moulds.

Safety first. Safety is sexy.

Safety: Before you do anything, please make sure you are wearing appropriate safety gear. Gloves, long sleeves, safety goggles and/or a face mask. Using hot oils and caustic soda can be dangerous and has the potential to cause nasty burns if it isn't handled safely.






So, the first thing you need to do is weigh out all your ingredients (including your water). Depending on what fats and oils you are using, you should run your ingredients through a soap calculator. You can find quite a few of them around the net. Making soap is a science, and you need to be quite precise with your measurements.

 Next, melt your oils on a slow heat. (Don't use an aluminium pot or utensils, as it will react with the lye)

While they are melting, add your lye (caustic soda) TO your water in a separate container. Never add your water to your lye, it can cause a volcano-type reaction. So I've been told. Probs best to not try it.
The water/lye solution will heat up very quickly, and be quite whiffy, so make sure you're wearing a mask, or are in a well-ventilated space. This is probably not the sort of project you want little Billy helping with.



Using a candy thermometer, wait for the temperature of both the oils and the lye solution to cool down to about 50C. They need to be roughly the same temp.

Now you can add your lye solution to your oils. It will start to turn opaque. At this point, using a handheld stick blender is probably the easiest way to mix the soap.

It will start to thicken and you want to bring the mixture to 'trace'.  This is when the mixture has reached a pudding-type consistency, and if you pull your stick blender out, you will see in the mixture where it was, it's left a 'trace' in the soap. Make sense? I haven't had my coffee yet.





 At this point you can add your fragrance or any colour you want to use. I used lemon myrtle oil. Again, you want to run these measurements through a soap calculator so you know how much
fragrance oil to use.










Mix again, then you can pour into your moulds. You can use pretty much anything as a mould. I used silicone moulds but you could use a lined wooden soap mould, or a tupperware container. You could probably use a lined cardboard box in a pinch.

I covered my moulds with a piece of cardboard, then wrapped them in a couple of towels to insulate them, and let them cure for 24 hours.

Problem. The soap was REALLY soft. I'm not sure if I had the mixtures too hot still, or if the fragrance oil affected the mixture. Castile-type soaps (olive oil soap) is the softest soap you can make, so I'm not sure if that was normal or not. It was too soft to unmould after 24 hours, so I stuck it in the freezer for an hour to harden them up so I could unmould them. I placed the soaps into drying trays (just little office trays I picked up from the Reject Shop) and have been turning them once a day. They were harder on day 2, but still quite soft. These soaps will need to cure for about 6 weeks.

So that's it! It's really not that complicated, and I think most people put off trying soap making because of the lye. Just jump in and have a go if you're considering it! We've got enough soap to last us a few months now.

25 Uses for Bicarb Soda

Happy Earth Day everyone!

In our quest to be a bit greener, we've switched a lot of our previously store-bought products to homemade, more environmentally-friendly alternatives. We always make sure we have an ample supply of bicarb soda, as it's so versatile. It can be used not only around the house, but for personal use as well!

Here are some ways you can use it:



1. Use it as deodorant

This is my #1 favourite use for it. I apply it under my arms like you would talcum powder. Please make sure you are using aluminium-free bicarb, as not all brands are. I haven't used commercial deodorants in over 3 years now!

2. Use it to whiten teeth

If you're a coffee/tea/wine drinker, you know how it can stain your teeth. Mix a little bicarb with your toothpaste, or just use it by itself to give your teeth a quick polish.

3. Make your own toothpaste with it

There are plenty of homemade toothpaste/tooth powder recipes kicking around the net, and most of them list bicarb as an ingredient. It's also great as a gum paste to help prevent gingivitis.

4. Soothe sunburned/itchy skin 

Add to a bath to help soothe skin irritations.

5. Use in a detox bath

I like relaxing in these once a week. Add some bicarb, Epsom salts and lavender oil to a warm bath and soak your cares away.

6. Sprinkle in shoes to get rid of odours.

I've got boys (and a girl) who get whiffy sneakers. Sprinkle some bicarb in them and leave overnight to deodorize.

7. Relief from insect bites/stings.

My husband has particularly nasty reactions to mozzie bites (and they seem to love him, unfortunately.) We thought he'd been bitten by a spider one time as his ankle and foot swelled up but it turned out to be a mosquito bite. Now if he ever gets stung, he applies some apple cider vinegar, and then a paste of bicarb to it straight away and it seems to help relieve the itching and swelling.

8. Deodorize your fridge/bin

Place a dish of bicarb in your fridge to help absorb odours, or sprinkle in the base of your bin to help cut down smells.

9. Use as an exfoliating scrub

Make a runny paste with bicarb and water and use as a mild facial exfoliant.

10. Polishing stainless steel/chrome

We have a stovetop kettle that always ends up splattered with curry/bacon grease and other lovely concoctions. A bit of bicarb and water always leaves it shiny and grease-free with minimal effort.

11. Washing fruit and veg

Either use it to soak your fruit and veg when you buy them, or just sprinkle some in your hand and give your single items of produce a quick scrub before you use them.

12. Use as a mouthwash

Add 1/2 tsp bicarb to a glass of water and swish/gargle with it to freshen breath.

13. Use it to clean your oven

Mix bicarb into a thick paste, either with water or with regular dishwashing detergent. Apply to your oven and leave overnight. The next morning your oven will be much easier to clean.

14. Freshen your vacuum cleaner.

Hoover up some bicarb to deodorize your vacuum cleaner bag. NOTE: Do NOT try this with bagless vacs. Yes I tried it. It clogged my HEPA filter. Trust me. Don't.

15. Unblock drains

Pour some bicarb down your drain, and follow with some hot vinegar. It should bubble and foam like a small volacano. Pour some boiling water down the drain after this and it should clear blockages.

16. Removing stains from cups/mugs

Use a damp sponge/rag with a bit of bicarb to scrub your cups and mugs and it should get rid of any coffee and tea stains and bring them back to their former glory.

17. Clean toothbrushes

Soak toothbrushes in a solution of bicarb and water and leave overnight to freshen and clean.

18. Ease heartburn

This was a godsend whenever I was pregnant as I use to suffer with the worst heartburn. Drink a small glass of water with 1/2 - 1tsp bicarb.

19. Remove burned food from saucepans

This tip came in particularly helpful the other night as I got distracted and burned the sweet potatoes on the stove.
If you get at it straight away, you can add some bicarb and a bit of detergent and water to the saucepan and bring to the boil. It should boil the burnt food off the bottom of the pot. Make sure you watch it because it will foam and boil over.
If the pot has been left, never fear. Just add some bicarb to the pot with some water and leave to soak overnight. The next morning cleanup should be easy.

20. Relieve nappy rash

Add 2 tbsp of bicarb to baby's bath to help relieve nappy rash

21. Food container wash

My kids drink bottles get a bit funky, as do the plastic containers hubby takes his lunch to work in.
Wash containers with a bit of bicarb to help get rid of the smells.

22. Make an easy craft clay

Add some water and cornstarch to some bicarb to make a craft clay for the kids. I haven't tried this. Yet. Thanks Pinterest.

23. Getting rid of odours

Sprinkle on your carpet/in cupboards/your teenager's room/anywhere that's smelly to help get rid of odours.

24. Cuts grease

I use a lot of grease/oils/fats in my cooking so I love using bicarb to scrub down my stovetop. Makes grease removal a piece of cake.

25. Use as shampoo

A while back I tried the "No 'Poo Challenge" and used bicarb for washing my hair with an ACV conditioner rinse. It's not for everyone, and there are pros and cons. However, even if you're not into ditching your shampoo, if you do happen to get caught short and run out of shampoo, bicarb can be used in a pinch.

 What are your favourite ways to use bicarb? Let me know in the comments below. Don't forget you can also follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and FB (coming soon).

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hi guys, time for my annual post!

...just kidding ;)

Seriously though, how has a year flown past since the last time I wrote a blog entry?!

Between running around after 4 kids and a recent house move I have been a busy little bee. Our youngest is now 15 months old and definitely keeping me on my toes!

This year I'm trying hard to cut down on our "stuff". Moving helped with that immensely but we have a lot more to go. I really want to work towards growing a lot of our own food, spending less and making more things at home.

Yesterday I was going through a box I still hadn't unpacked from our move in January and found my old home recipes book-a bunch of different recipes for household cleaners, herbal remedies and balms and salves that I had been meaning to try out and hadn't gotten around to.

Since I had just used the last of my washing powder (which was crap and always left white powder over my clean clothes) I thought I may as well give the homemade laundry detergent recipe a go!

It's seriously easy to make and yields 10 litres of laundry liquid. You only use a 1/4 cup each load, so it will last ages!

Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of grated soap (regular laundry soap)
or 1 cup of soap flakes (I used Lux, just because they were hanging around my laundry already.)

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda (NOT bicarb soda, there is a difference!)

Optional: fragrance oil of your choice.



Get a large saucepan and add the cup of soap flakes to 1.5 litres of water. Stir over a low heat (don't boil) until the soap has dissolved.  Remove from heat.

Get a 10 litre bucket with a lid (or two 5 litre buckets like I did) and fill with 8 litres of hot water. Add the soap mixture to the hot water, along with the borax and the washing soda. Give it a good stir until it's all dissolved. At this point you can add a fragrance oil if you like.
 Pop your lid on and leave overnight to gel.

When you open it up the next day, it will have thickened up quite a lot and some of the liquid will probably have separated from the gel. Give it a really good stir to mix it all together.

That's it! Use a 1/4 cup each load.

I did a few quick sums and came up with the following:

Lux Flakes costs $7.49 for a 700g box.  85g used per batch = 90c
Lectric Soda costs $3.99 for a 1kg bag. 90g used per batch = 36c
Borax costs $4.50 for 500g. 95g used per batch = 86c

So it cost me a grand total of $2.08 to make 10 litres of laundry liquid.

Using 1/4 cup each wash I should be able to get approx 166 loads out of one batch!

By comparison, looking at Coles online, Cold Power 1L laundry liquid is $9.89- for 10 litres, that would be over $90!!
That's quite a saving, folks!

My favourite blogs

I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite blogs.
These are ones that I always look forward to reading, have cheered me up on a lacklustre day, and are written by some lovely ladies.

In no particular order:

Annie Pancake

I started following her blog when she was in highschool, and now through university. I love her quirky vintage style.

Demi Lauren

Always fabulous, she looks like Britain's answer to Dita Von Teese, with her perfectly coiffured hair and red lips. Also, can I say-massively envious of her eyebrows  ;)

Diary of a Vintage Girl

Fleur de Guerre seems to pop up on every vintage clothing site I visit, modelling their garments:)
I also got a bit excited when I saw her as an extra on Eastenders a few weeks back lol

This Old Life

Nabby hasn't updated her blog since she announced her 2nd pregnancy (understand that ALL too well!) but if you love 1930's fashion, you should definitely check her out!  She makes THE most amazing 1930's reproduction outfits from mostly repurposed knits/clothing. Such talent...so jealous of her wardrobe :D

Welcome to Deluxeville

I have followed Mary Deluxe's blog for a few years now-lusted after her sexy mid-century lamps, drooled over her absolutely gorgeous house, been inspired by her garden, and her awesome "can-do" attitude towards life. Plus, she's a really lovely lady. Check her out!

and last but not least:

Tea with the Vintage Baroness

Jill has the most wonderful 1930's fashions, and I totally wish I lived closer to Canada...or that I had a few more $$$ to afford some of the outfits in her Etsy store!!


That's all for now.  If you have a fabulous vintage blog, leave me a comment below and I'll check it out!!

Til next time,

I'm Back....

...with a new addition!!

This cheeky monkey is now 5 months old!! It doesn't seem like so long ago I announced I was pregnant. He was born the day after his due date and was a whopping 11lbs 1oz....trust me, I was shocked! My other 3 were all around the 7lb mark, so he didn't feel like a tiny newborn. In fact, a lot of the clothes I had for him were too small!


Til next time!

Sorry about my little hiatus...

I promise I have a good excuse...I have a little bun in the oven! I'm due at the start of January, although if this little one follows it's sibling's lead, it might be closer to Christmas (the other 3 were all two weeks early!)
Will be back with a proper blog post soon!! :D

Beach Babes & Ol' Blighty

 We've just sweltered through 14 days of 30deg + weather and I have discovered something....I like the beach.
Since I'm your (perhaps not-so-average) Aussie sheila, I can hear you saying, "Yeah, so what?"

I've never liked the beach. Never liked swimming, never liked icky sand getting stuck to me...princess or what?!

Now that the kids are a bit older it's fun taking them to the beach. We've been about 5 times in the past fortnight! I bought the first bikini I've owned since I was 14 ( and a teeny size 8!), and went swimming for the first time in about 10 years. Like, actual swimming, not wading in up to my ankles :D

And I loved it! We've been going down to Barwon Heads near the bridge where the water is nice and warm and shallow. The kids have been enjoying splashing around, and making sandcastles and and annoying the million mud-crabs that are down there. The biggest kid AKA my lovely hubby instigated the building of "Durham Castle" the other day, complete with moat :)

In a weeks time we will be going from 30deg weather to 5 deg weather...we're heading to England for 3 weeks!! It will be lovely to see the family, sightsee, and give the kids an amazing experience. We're hoping to visit Stratford-Upon-Avon and check out the birthplace of Shakespeare, head to York and visit The Shambles and the Roman Bath House. Hubby and I are going to go to Edinburgh and check out the Tartan Factory, amongst other things. See you all when we get back!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hope you all had a lovely New Year and didn't wake up in 2013 with sore heads!!  We stayed in and had a couple of quiet drinks...

...and were in bed by 1:00am haha! How exciting!

How did you ring in 2013?

Merry Christmas!!

Hope you all had a wonderful day! It was just hubby, the kids and I this year, so it was very quiet. The kids had a ball! We ended up having a vegetarian Christmas lunch because the chicken we got refused to cook properly, and I didn't fancy chancing food poisoning. This year was our first Christmas altogether as Hubby and I were in England last year. Wish we could've had Christmas there again this year...where I live, it just doesn't feel Christmassy at all...especially not after you've experienced an English white Christmas! Hope you're not all nursing sore heads today!! :D

The "No 'Poo Challenge."

...it isn't what it sounds like ;)

My husband and I are always looking for ways to be greener, and lessen the toxins we and our children are exposed to. We eat organic where we can and try to use products with as few chemicals as possible.
I'd read about the "No 'Poo Challenge" a few months ago and thought I'd give it a go.

What exactly IS the "No 'Poo Challenge" I hear you ask?  It has nothing to do with the toilet, in case you're wondering!

Going "No 'Poo" is basically cutting shampoo and conditioner out of your life.  It's not as gross as some of you may think.

Modern shampoo as it is known today was first introduced in the 1930s with Drene, the first synthetic (non-soap) shampoo.  Before this, people would wash their hair maybe a couple of times a month with soap, or just water.

Brilliantine was introduced at the turn of the century, when well-known perfumer Ed Pinaud presented a product he called brilliantine at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. His product was intended to soften men's hair, including beards and moustaches. Conditioner as it is known today came much later, and gained popularity in the 70's and 80's with ads featuring celebrities like Farrah Fawcett.

Farrah Fawcett in a Wella Balsam ad for conditioner in the 1970's.

The problem with modern-day shampoos and conditioners are a.) The concoction of hazardous chemicals that are used in them and b.) the vicious cycle they set up for your hair.

Shampoos contain, amongst other things, SLS (sodium lauryl sulphates) and SLES (sodium laureth sulphates). These act as a foaming agent. We are taught from a young age that you need a really good lather for things to be clean. This isn't so! I can't pronounce half of the chemicals that are used in haircare products. I believe that if you can't eat it, it's probably not the best to be putting on your skin or hair either. Most shampoos recommend not getting the product in your eyes because of the harmful effects! I don't want to be putting that on my childrens delicate skin and hair, or my own! Your body absorbs these chemicals and they can have a range of ill-effects.  Some of these chemicals cause hormone disruption and even cancer...nasty stuff!

The other problem is that shampoo strips your hair and scalp of it's natural oils. This, in turn, causes your scalp to overcompensate, producing more oil and making your hair greasy, and attracting more dirt. You then have to wash your hair more frequently. See the pattern? (Brilliant bit of marketing, eh?)
 It also causes problems like dandruff and itchy, flaky scalp. It doesn't need to be this way!

So, what have I been using on my hair?

Good old bi-carb and apple cider vinegar! It's that simple! You use the bicarb solution as your shampoo and the vinegar as your conditioner.  I have taken two small water bottles and labelled them to make it easier. At the moment I am using one tablespoon of bicarb per cup (250mL) of filtered water. DON'T use hot water when mixing it up. I put this solution in one bottle.  In the other I put 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (Bragg's Organic is the best, I think) per cup of water.

To wash my hair I pour the bicarb solution in my roots a bit at a time and make sure I massage it in well, then rinse. If you're addicted to wanting a good lather in your hair, this will feel odd. My hair is quite thick, so I do it twice. Your hair will probably feel dry and you may think it isn't getting clean. Don't worry, it is! The beauty of bicarb is that it cleans away dirt and grease without stripping the oils from your hair! Anyone who uses bicarb and vinegar for household cleaning will know how fantastic it is :)

Now, for the apple cider vinegar rinse. Don't worry about the smell-it dissipates very quickly! You won't be walking around smelling like a pickle, I can assure you! If you would like your hair to smell nicer, you could add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. I've added a little bit of coconut oil (the smelly one, not the one you eat!), but you could add lavender or a citus-y oil if you wish. It is up to you whether you pour the vinegar solution on your roots or only through the ends of your hair. It does restore the pH balance to your scalp, but if your hair is oily, you may wish to skip your roots and just do the ends.

What works for me may not work for you!  You may wish to use more or less bicarb depending on how dry or oily your hair is. If your hair is quite oily, you may like to use more, or wash your hair twice. Conversely, if your hair is quite dry you may wish to use less bicarb.  If your hair is really dry, you may like to give your hair an olive oil or coconut-oil mask once a week.

Don't expect miracles straight away. This is a detox process of sorts.  Your hair will be trying to rid itself of the silicones, the SLS and other chemicals that have built up in the hair and scalp over years of use. For the first couple of weeks, your hair may be quite oily. Don't worry-this is normal.  Your hair has been use to overproducing oil for years of overcompensating for oils being stripped regularly.  This will slow down. For some it may only take two weeks, for others it may be up to a month. Keep at it. This is my 3rd week and my hair is feeling much better. It still feels a bit greasy but keep in mind we have had over 30 C deg days this week and its been humid, sweaty gross weather lol! My hair always had a tendency to be a bit frizzy and flyaway at times but now it is quite curly and much healthier looking! I let it air-dry for the most part unless my hair is wet before bed. You be the judge!

Please leave me your comment or questions-I'd love to hear from you!  :)

Til next time!

Vintage Beauty Tips

 Do you ever have those days
when you're a bit...









...And you'd rather be like...



Yesterday was one of those days for me.  So I consulted some of the wonderful beauty hints and tips I've collected over the years to see if there was anything there that might just pep a gal up a bit!
Perhaps try some of these, from the early 1900's!


                                                               HONEY SOAP

Just the things for sore, chafed and cracked hands in winter.  Shred one pound (approx 500g) of pure soap into an old saucepan with just enough water to prevent burning, add a quarter of a pound of honey (approx 250g), one ounce of glycerine (approx 30g), 2 tablespoons of fine oatmeal and a few drops of perfume.  Stir until soap is dissolved, and boil for 3 minutes.  Pour into wet moulds (old tobacco tins are just the thing!). Store until hard.
                                                                  
                                                                          ***

The white of an egg has many uses. Rub blistered heels with it and feel it remove the soreness.  Prevent further trouble by rubbing the heels nightly with methylated spirits; this tends to harden the skin against blistering.

                                                                          ***

For tender feet, mix equal parts of methylated spirits and olive oil and rub well into the feet at least twice a week at bedtime.  Helps the nails as well.

                                                                          ***

One teaspoon of sugar mixed with a small quantity of olive oil and rubbed well into the hands will remove stains and soften nicely.

                                                                          ***

To promote the growth of hair take equal quantities of olive3 oil and spirit of rosemary, and a few drops of oil of nutmeg.  Mix the ingredients together.  Rub at the roots of the hair every night with a little of this liniment and the growth will very soon noticeably increase.  When illness is the cause of the loss of hair, brandy should be applied three times a week and cold cream on alternate nights.

                                                                          ***

If you suffer from dandruff, gather a good handful of leaves from the lemon tree, cover with water and boil the mixture for half an hour.  Strain and bottle.  When it is cool, run the liquid into the scalp.  Even the most stubborn dandruff will respond to this.  It's a natural remedy.

                                                                          ***

Salt will clean teeth just as effectively as a high-priced toothpaste, and also prevents gumboils and heals ulcers of the mouth.

                                                                          ***

A cupful of vinegar added to a bath after strenuous exercise will be found to be very refreshing; it takes away all stiffness.

                                                                          ***

Every housewife knows the value of soaking the feet in Epsom salts.  It is especially good for smoothing fingertips roughened by housework, and also improves the texture of the skin.

                                                                          ***

If hair has begun to turn grey, it my be darkened to its original colour by the use of sage leaves.  Simmer a handful of sage leaves in a saucepan with about 2 cups of water for approx 20 minutes. Strain the mixture. When cold, brush it daily into the hair until the greyness disappears.

                                                                          ***

To make a refreshing bath tonic-gather a handful of pine needles and boil in a pint of water for 20 minutes.  Strain the liquid and add it to the bath.

                                                                          ***

A good face pack for early wrinkles is egg white.  After cooking with eggs, smooth the residue left in the shells all over face and throat.  Quickly you will begin to feel the skin begin to tighten.  Give yourself a little rest while the pack does its work.  Later, rinse off with warm water and apply a little vanishing cream.

Let me know what you think of these!  I'd love to read your comments on what else you'd like to see on my blog!

Til next time,

Vintage Tips of the day Part.2

Ok, so I was asked if in my little collection were any hints and tips on stain removal and clothing storage.

Here are a few tidbits I found:

Storing Clothing:
 -Make sure cotton is thoroughly dry after washing to prevent the danger of mildew in storage.
-Wrap white cottons and linen in blue tissue to stop yellowing, and store clothing where strong light    will not fade it.
-Rinse synthetic fabrics in cool water to prevent wrinkles
-Allow permanently pleated fabrics to drip dry into shape before folding them for storage
-Silk should be kept in a cool, dry, dark place. Strong light can yellow silk or fade the dye.
-Store suedes and leather in a cool, ventilated area, never in plastic bags.

Crease-free storage:
 Fold freshly ironed shirts and t-shirts by placing the garment face-down.  In the case of a shirt, do up the buttons.  Lift one sleeve and place at a right angle across the shoulder, then lay the sleeve in alignment with the outside seam.  Repeat with other sleeve. Fold up the tail of the shirt, then fold again from the middle so that the shirt butts up with the yoke. In the case of t-shirts, line up the bottom of the T with the shoulder seam. Turn over and store face up. Garments folded in this way travel well, too.


Correct Hanging:
 Cull the wire hangers from your closet and replace them with a selection of quality hangers for specific garments; padded hangers for jackets, knits and delicate shirts and dresses, wooden hinged hangers with felt lining for hanging suit pants and trousers, wooden tailors' hangers for coats and heavy garments, spring-clip hangers for summer pants and skirts.  Do not hang garments by their belt loops.  Centre garments on the hanger, do up the buttons and zippers, and when hanging them in the closet, try to keep garments separate from each other so that the air can circulate.

Cleaning collars:
Apply hair shampoo directly to the dirty mark around collars, then launder in the usual way.

Woolens care:
When drying knitwear, slip an old stocking through the arms and peg this to the line to avoid marking the garment.

Yellowed clothing:
Restore yellowed clothing by adding a teaspoon of turpentine to the water.
For clothes that cannot be bleached, cream of tartar helps restore whiteness. Add 1-2 teaspoons to 4 litres of hot water and soak overnight.

Scorch marks:
Light scorches respond to a paste of borax and glycerine. Cover the mark completely and let the paste dry for 12 hours before brushing off. Wash gently and rinse well.
On some fabrics the juice of a freshly cut onion will remove scorch marks. Rub the mark with the onion and keep moist with onion juice for a few hours in sunlight. Rinse well.

Grass Stains:
 Rub stains with methylated spirits or glycerine. Leave for 1 hour, then wash as usual.  Treat old stains by saturating with glycerine. Wash out well.

Flannelette:
 New flannelette sheets can be defluffed by washing first with a little salt and vinegar added to the washing machine.

Hem Marks:
 To remove old hem marks, make a solution of 1 cup of hot water, 1/2 teaspoon of Borax and 1 teaspoon vinegar.  Wet a cloth in this solution, wring it out and press with a hot iron on the wrong side of the garment. Brush when dry and the marks should have gone.

Hope these were helpful!! Next time I'll bring you some vintage beauty hints and tricks :)

If there's anything you'd like to know, please leave me a comment! Hello to my two newest followers too :D


      

Vintage tips of the day Pt.1

I have a nice little collection of vintage style home-help books...I collect them. I simply cannot walk past one if I see it for sale. Thus, I thought I'd make a new segment of Vintage Tips, to share some of these practical domestic gems with you all :)

#1 To protect stored linens and clothing...

Add a small piece of felt or cloth sprinkled with lavender oil to the final rinse when laundering items to be stored.  Not only will the laundry have a delicate fragrance but the lavender odour helps repel insects such as silverfish and moths.


#2  To deodorise your home...

Deodorise refrigerators, wardrobes and bathrooms with a dish or open box of bicarbonate of soda.  Saturate a cotton ball with vanilla and place inside the refrigerator or car.  Place dishes of white vinegar in the kitchen to help destroy odours.


#3 Nifty pincushion...

Use a bar of soap as a pincushion. The soap lubricates the pins so they are easier to insert.



#4 Clever clothes pegs...

Clip a peg onto each end of a hanger to stop sleeveless items from slipping off.



#5 Sealing wooden spoons...

Soak overnight in apple cider vinegar to seal wood before initial use.

Any tips you'd like to see on here? Leave me a comment! :)

Gayware, Art Deco and other wonderful things...

A few months ago I acquired some lovely Art Deco and vintage pieces from my great uncle who passed away. Some of them belonged to my great grandmother. I've had them sitting in my garage for a little bit until I knew where I was going to put them. They were in dire need of cleaning after sitting in a smoky house for years.

First up, was this set of Gayware canisters. I squeed when I saw these in the back of the kitchen cupboard!! I'm really lucky that apart from a crack in the lid of the flour canister, and the fact that they were pretty grubby, they scrubbed up beautifully. I'm so pleased that they all have their letters intact on the fronts, as sadly if you do manage to come across any these days, quite a lot of them have letters missing or partially cracked off.

                                                           Don't they look fantastic?!

Next is this cute little clock. I wasn't sure if it even worked, but after giving it a good polish it started ticking again...and then the alarm went off before and scared the bejesus out of my husband. Oops! Sorry honey ;)

 I also got these beautiful art deco cups and saucers. I'm not sure if they're uranium glass or depression glass? How do you tell the difference? Either way, I love them:)

How awesome is this old Astor "Quality Five" radio?  It too was pretty dirty and sitting in the corner of the kitchen. I wasn't sure if the casing would be stained or if would clean up ok, but it's come up as good as new! It still works but unfortunately the tuner is broken so it doesn't actually play anything :(  I wonder if I could get it fixed?

 This beautiful hand mirror belonged to my great grandmother. It was still sitting on her dressing table in her room which looked like it had remained virtually untouched since she died in 1987.  I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but the mirror is made from an unusual peach coloured glass. Apparently great-nanna didn't like looking in it because the colour made her feel ill!

 I have more things to show from that day, but I might leave it for another post.


I will, however, show you some things I've picked up over the past couple of months:

THIS>  omg, I have always wanted an Art Deco mirror shaped exactly like this! I picked it up, along with another scalloped rectangular mirror for $15 each!!

I picked this little beauty up from a garage sale last weekend. Art Deco pink depression glass dish and lidded trinket bowl. It didn't have a price on it, and I was expecting the worst when the lady said, "Well, this one's quite old, so..." until she finished with, "...so it's $5."  Ha!

 And last but not least this absolutely adorable 1930's teapot and sugar bowl set. If it had cheeks I would bloody pinch them!  I got these from a Geelong-based store called "Ittso Retro" you can check out their fb page here :)

 Lastly, I finally got my blog to co-operate  -my sidebar kept appearing down the bottom instead of where it was supposed to be, but it's all fixed now! For some reason though, old posts of mine are springing up as new posts...so..erm..whatever. That'll do for now :D