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Hello,
This weekend's ThriftyFun News will be about Making Your Own Toys. If you have any tips or recipes for making your own toys, feel free to submit them. Also, if you have any Christmas tree decorating tips please submit those too.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's Tips
Wrap each head of garlic separately in foil that has been lightly sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake at 400F. for approximately 30 min. or until they feel soft when squeezed. Remove from oven & allow to cool till they can be handled.
By Lori Zehren
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Ingredients:
Sift together:
In another bowl, beat:
Until well mixed
Add: 4 eggs (beat in one at a time)
Add: 1 t. vanilla
Add to flour mixture and mix well.
Spread 3/4 of mixture on greased cookie sheet. Keep 2 1/2 inches from edge of the pan. Spread with 1 large can cherry pie filling. Spoon remaining mix over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Note: Any fruit pie filling can be used.
By Robin
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Any homemade soup, stew, or chowder can be thickened by adding a few spoonfuls of instant mashed potatoes. It tastes better than flour, but be careful - it gets thicker after a few minutes.
By Lori Zehren
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Believe it or not, those Swifter dusters that come in the box, and you attach to the handle, can be washed and used over and over again, instead of throwing away every time they become dirty. I've been hanging them on the line, I haven't tried the dryer yet, but they still work fine.
By ljjcool
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Blend cake mix, oil, water and eggs. Stir in chocolate pieces. Drop from teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Top of cookies will be pale. Makes 3 1/2 dozen
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat caramels with 1/3 cup milk to melt. Set aside. Combine cake mix, butter, and remaining 1/3 cup milk. Mix well. Press 1/2 of the dough into greased 9xqe pan. Bake 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour melted caramel mixture over chips. Spoon on remaining dough. Bake 20 minutes at 350.
By Robin
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Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg to vanilla; beat well. Put into flour mixture and mix well.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press dough center with your thumb. Place drained cherry in center of each cookie (reserve the juice).
In a small pan, combine chocolate pieces and condensed milk. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover the cherry. (Frosting may be thinned a little with more juice.) Bake in 350 degree oven about 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool. Makes about 48 cookies.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine flour and oatmeal, brown sugar, soda, salt and butter. Press 1/2 of the crumbs into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust. Combine caramel syrup and 6 tablespoons flour, mixing well. Drizzle over chips. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over topping. Bake in 350 degree oven 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Chill bars for easy cutting.
By Robin
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Use a soft dry paintbrush to dust off detailed items with lots of crevices, like ornate picture frames.
By mdipert
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Check Out Thrift Stores For Toys
Make sure to check out thrift stores for Christmas presents. I recently bought a set that had a barn, silo, cows, fences, etc. for $2, I plan to buy a tractor (new or thrift) and have this set up underneath the Christmas tree. My 3 year old will never know it wasn't new in a box.
By Melanie
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Making Paper and Felt Ornaments
It isn't too late to still make quick paper or felt ornaments for gifts to stick into a card. One of my daughters is using brown felt and cutting out gingerbread men that she then puts faces and details on with a paint pen, a red gingham ribbon attaches it to the tree. She's making these for Grandparents, teachers etc. and sending some in our Christmas cards. Also origami books or other Christmas paper ornament books can be found at the library.
By Melanie
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Saving Money on Videos and DVDs
Tips and ideas for saving money on videos and DVDs. Post your ideas.
Check Out Children's Videos at Library First
Before buying a video for your kids make sure to rent it at the library for free first, if it's worthy of money then buy it.
By Melanie
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If you curl your lashes with an eyelash curler, try heating the curler in hot water or with a warm blow dryer before curling, it will work like a curling iron for your lashes.
By Anna
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To remove permanent marker from something (like a note board) trace over the writing with a dry erase marker and wipe away. It may take a little bit but the permanent (?) marker will leave.
By Melanie
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Follow up on the Advent Calendar
First I would like to thank everyone who wrote in with their suggestions for my Advent Calendar for my Grand kids. I read everyone with great interest and I combined a lot of the ideas I got from you guys in making my own. Susan suggested using paper towel or paper tubes. That got me to thinking what other tubes that I could use that would be more durable then paper and of course I thought of PVC. So I went and bought a PVC pipe that was 4 inches in diameter and had my Husband cut me length's that were that were 5 inches long. I chose that big a pipe so that I could stick in knitted gloves or a pair of socks if I wanted.
Then I took Susan's Diagram and glued all the tubes together with white Silicone. I clamped them together until they were dry. Then I painted the top triangle green and the base brown.
Then I cut out circles of cardboard and covered them with fabric. I used stick on numbers to put on the dates. Someone else suggest velcro and I really liked that idea so I put little velcro circles on the back and the edges of the pipe.
I hot glued a dollar store stuffed santa to the top. I left the back open so I could put in longer items in that would hang from the back and since I am going to put this on a table against a wall so it works great. I hope this gives any one else who would like to make a Advent Calendar an idea of how to go about it. Again thank you so very much for everyone's ideas.
By Debra in Colorado
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Is Fido your best friend? Here's a recipe that will make him happy this holiday season.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix ingredients together thoroughly. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2 to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 325 degree oven.
By Kathy
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Screensavers and Computer Screen Wallpaper
Be careful about downloading screensavers and wallpaper, many include spyware. http://www.Webshots.com is one that doesn't and you can download most pictures for free (up to five a day). They have many wonderful pictures on just about any subject one could imagine. By Anna
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Painting Cookies with Children
Make a basic cookie. Then take white frosting and place in microwave a few seconds to thin it. Divide into several bowls. Then add a drop or two of food coloring to make several colors of "paint". Give the children small paint brushes and let their imaginations run wild.
By Anna
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Easy and quick pattern. Cut fabric 20-22 inches long and 4 inches wide. Sew the fabric together, right sides together using 1/4-inch seam allowance, making a tube. Cut 8 inches of 1/4 inch elastic. Turn the tube right side out. Using a safety pin, secure the elastic to the tube as you insert it. Knot the elastic ends together. (Knotting the ends is much faster then sewing them and is very effective) Afterwards, take one end of the tube and cuff it to the inside. Tuck the other end inside the tube, sew across.
You can use leftover or scrap material if it's long enough.
By Anna
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Painting Tip - Keeping Wet Ones Handy
When doing painting, staining, or polyurethane projects; I keep Wet Ones pop-up wipes handy to clean my hands, wipe off paint brush handles, or wipe up small accidents. It's much more convenient than paint thinner, smells much better, and is much kinder to your skin.
By Claudia
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Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Mix together all the ingredients.
Take a teaspoon of the dough and roll it gently into a ball ( about an inch in diameter). Continue doing this with all the dough and place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. (You can decorate the cookies with clove buds, anise seeds, or dried citrus peel if you wish.)
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
To use: drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve.
Yield: 24 cookies, enough for 12 baths.
By Anna
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A small, clean, never-used paintbrush from the dollar store makes a great pastry-type brush for brushing foods with melted butter or oil.
By Leann D
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Getting Perfume Smell Out of Clothing
How do I get the smell of perfume out of clothes? The perfume is so bad it is making the laundry room smell bad! HELP ME! This is drycleanable clothing and I don't want to have to get it drycleaned if possible.
Thanks,
Dayna
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Selling Our Home - What Should I Renovate?
We have a couple months before we put our home on the market. I am curious about what would be worthwhile to fix up in terms cost vs. reward when selling the home. Nothing in the house is horrible but we have old windows, ugly appliances, 15 year old carpet, probably could use some paint, kitchen and bathroom floor leave much to be desired and probably some other things I am forgetting. I am sure my realtor will have some ideas (when I get one) but I figured I would post here too. Generally speaking, if it doesn't help the selling price of the home, I want to avoid spending time and money on it. Anyone else been there before?
Dean
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I am looking for some really tasty mashed potato recipes. Maybe something a little adventurous? I make them standard recipe every year but would like to do something different for our feast this Christmas.
Thanks,
Sandy
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Need Opinion on Painting and Colors
Hey guys, I was wondering would a black beadspread with lime green and hot pink sheets and pillows look good? I mean if the walls are hot pink and lime green? Another thing, how should I paint the walls? Should I do each wall a different color? I thought about painting each wall a different color then putting some kind of design in the other color so that way each wall would have both colors. What do you guys think?
-Brittany
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I have been trying to find a recipe that an aunt took to her grave. It was a Thanksgiving dressing but the recipe was from France. She was from France and it was oh sooooo good. Any help would be appreciated. I think she may have cooked it in a turkey but I am not sure.
Thanks,
Roger
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Money Is A Family Affair
By Terry Rigg
If you are single and don't have kids this tip won't mean much to you. For the rest of us that have others to consider when making money decisions it just may make things a little easier.
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Are You Thinking of Going Digital? A Few Things to Consider
By Patty Hankins & Bill Lawrence
Now that it's the holiday season, many are starting to think about getting a digital camera. Are you thinking of getting your first digital camera? Or perhaps getting one for someone else (or of course, hinting to someone that a digital camera is the perfect gift)? We use digital cameras pretty heavily, and get a lot of questions from people who are considering getting their first digital camera. As far as we're concerned, there is no one right answer for the digital or film question.
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Cauliflower
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Science: Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family. Caulis means stalk and Floris means flower.
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Thrifty Fun With Free Stained Glass Patterns Online
By Lana Hilana
Stained glass patterns are essentially line drawings that can be adapted for a variety of crafts that include glass painting, paper crafts, quilting, embroidery, silk painting, watercolor, appliqués and children's projects.
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12/06/2004
Hi Darlene, we created a new request for you so that it will get noticed. You can find it here:
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By Darlene (Guest Post)
12/06/2004
Hi All,
My daughter has a collection of porcelain dolls from all over the world (about 50 of all different sizes)and they are really dusty. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas as to how to clean them. The clothes are also smokey (we used to smoke in the apt. before buying a new house and no longer smoke in the house. We are working on quitting permanently.) and I would really like to get the smell and dust off of them before we put them up on shelves again. Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Darlene
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