Daily Thrifty Tips - December 11, 2007

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Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

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Halo (American Cocker Spaniel)

Halo is 10 weeks old and is a AKC American Cocker Spaniel. After our pet died of liver cancer, we bought another cocker spaniel to fill the void our dog left. Halo was 8 weeks old when we got him and was born on Sept. 6, 2007.

Halo loves to chase after a two litre plastic bottle around the floor for fun and he gets a lot of exercise. Halo also likes to play with his squeaky plush dog bone shaped toy and play tug of war with me. He likes to play in the fallen leaves and carry one in his mouth when he takes a walk.

By Myrna from Georgetown, OH

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Extreme Barbie Makeover
By Debra Frick

Last summer, a friend of mine went on what she called "The great Barbie Hunt." She scoured thrift stores and garage and yard sales for as many Barbies and clothes as she could find. Every time she picked up a bedraggled Barbie, I thought to myself "What the heck she is going to do with that? She is fifty years old, she's going to play with Barbies now?"

Well, the summer passed and she had collected about 25 Barbies. About two weeks ago, she called me up and asked me to come by so I could see what she had done with her poor neglected and abused Barbies. There they were all sitting on her table and you would not believe how beautiful they were. She was going to throw a Barbie birthday party for her granddaughter and wanted each girl to have a special Barbie to remember the party with and to also use as decorations. Barbies can be very expensive, as anyone with a little girl well knows. So this is why she had so diligently collected Barbies all summer. I just had to figure out how she had done it. She was very gracious and gave me all the directions on how to do a Barbie Extreme Makeover and I thought I would share her instructions with you.

In this article, I will try and give you instructions with pictures for giving an old Barbie that you have bought at a thrift store a new makeover. Believe it or not it is not as hard as you would think. There are many people out there that take old Barbie's and remake them into beautiful dolls that Mattel has yet to think of. Think of yourself as a designer. You can cut uneven hair and style it anyway you want. The tools you will need are things you probably have around your house.

I am going to tell you how to fix up the most abused Barbie that you can find, but when I went to the thrift store yesterday to buy Barbies for this article I, believe it or not, could not find one that was totally messed up. So I bought some that the hair needed re- curling and some that needed their hair trimmed to make them beautiful once again. Since I have no little girls, I plan on donating the dolls to a local charity that will find them new Christmas homes. I hope this might inspire some of you to do this too. This would be a great community service project for Girl Scouts or church youth group. The Barbies look brand new when you are finished and any Christmas charity would be glad to have them.

Materials

• Barbie
• Barbie Clothes

• Cheap Shampoo
• Conditioner or Fabric Softener
• A Barbie Brush or a Baby brush
• A wide tooth comb with a pick on the end
• Some Straws cut into pieces for curlers*
• Bobby pins
• Small rubber bands (the kind used for braiding, clear pony tail holders or orthodontic bands from braces)
• A bowl
• A pot
• Water
• All purpose cleaner or Windex
• Soft toothbrush
• Non scratch scrubber
• Goo Gone
• Emery Board

*You will need the thick straws like you get with a fountain drink from the 7-11, small drinking straws you can buy at the grocery or perm rods (the smallest that they make).

Time to Complete: 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on condition of Barbie

Instructions

Hair

With your shampoo, clean your dolls hair, Put the shampoo on your hand and, working from the top of the head to the bottom, push the shampoo gently through the hair. You CANNOT shampoo like you would your little girl as this will add more mats to the hair. Repeat as necessary. Some hair may need two washings to come clean. Be sure to rinse very well. You should now have a shining head of hair. Apply conditioner to the doll's head. For extremely matted hair, you may have to soak the hair in fabric softener for a little while. With your small comb starting at the bottom, work your way up the dolls head, detangling as you go. Be patient. The slower you go, the better. A rat tail comb (comb with a long handle) or a teasing comb can really help break up those stubborn mats. Once you have all the mats out, rinse hair out thoroughly and pat hair dry. Check the length on your hair, you may find that you want to trim her hair before you style it. Trim only those stray hairs that are longer that the others. When trimming, lay Barbie on a table, fan out her hair this way to get a nice even cut. You don't want to cut her hair by holding it between your fingers because this will cause stretching and it will come out shorter than you want. Layers in her hair make for much fuller curled hair styles so unless you want just a curled pony tail, don't cut it all one length.

Now you are ready to style Miss Barbie. The easiest style is a curled Ponytail. I found clear hair pony tail bands at Walgreen's very inexpensively. Smooth Barbie's hair into a ponytail. Now roll small sections of the hair onto the straws keeping hair smooth around the straw. Secure with a bobby pin. Continue until all hair is on straws. Now comes the fun part, Holding Barbie firmly by her body, pour the boiling water over the curlers, making sure you get them very wet. Follow immediately with the cold water. Because Barbie's hair is made of nylon, you are heating up the nylon and then cooling it to set the curl. Personally, I found out that my tap water from my sink was hot enough to do the job. Taking a towel, pat the hair gently. You don't want to move the curlers, just pat enough to remove excess water. I used a vase that was long enough to stick Barbie in to let her hair dry. Depending on the hair, it can take up to twelve hours to dry. Just keep checking it. When it is almost completely dry, you can blow dry it for a couple of seconds with a blow dryer. This seems to help set the curls also. Not too close and not too long as you don't want to melt the hair.

When the hair is completely dry. take out the curlers and fluff the curls. If you like how tight the curls are, leave them as is. A few of the Barbies that I bought had fancy bangs that were in good shape so I protected these by covering them with Saran wrap and a bobby pin and then just curled the back. One had fancy waves on the front pulled back into a pony tail. I just pulled it forward out of the way and curled the back and then pulled the pony tail forward to curl it and was very careful not to get any of the hot water on the fancy waves near her face. You can fix weird bangs using a pipe cleaner wrapped around the head to hold them down in place after you have washed the hair and before you roll the hair on straw curlers. Just make sure they get hit with the hot and cold water too. Other hair styles can be done by pin curling all of her hair with bobby pins. This method makes for some s-shaped waves or, if you have the patience, you can braid tiny sections and hold the ends with bobby pins and you will get a kinky effect. For a spiral hair do, set the hair on rollers held vertically. Just remember that you will still need to do the Hot- Cold treatment to make this set. Now you are all set to decorate your Barbie. You can add ribbons to her hair and, if the doll is going to an older child, you can even do up-do's held in place with T-Pins. Small wired flowers can be added by winding the wire tightly around her hair or can be tucked into the elastic bands. The idea here is to have fun. If you mess up the first time, oh well, just try again. Hot water will release the curl so you can do it again.

Clothes

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Craft: Lifesavers Gift Packs

My sister-in-law and I both have kids in college this year and decided to pare down a little by purchasing consumable gifts for $15 or less. These Lifesavers Gift Packs are what I am planning to give everyone on that list. Some of the items in each pack are similar, but I tried to personalize each one a little, including alphabet shaped sitcky notes, for example. I made vinyl bags because I thought they would be more durable, but zipper bags would work just as well or holiday treat bags with a design on the front and clear on the back.

Approximate Time: 20 minutes plus shopping time

Supplies

• Zipper Bags (or make your own from vinyl).
• Hard Roll Candy such as Lifesavers
• Small Containers or Tiny Zipper Craft Bags
• Pipe Cleaners, Stickers, confetti
• Card Stock for Label, Strapping Tape
• Safety Pins
• Needles and Mini Thread Spools
• Nails, Push Pins, or Paper Clips
• Marker or Pan
• Sticky Notes or Mini Notepad
• Mini Hand Santizer
• Wrapped Wipes
• Spot Removing Wipes
• Glue Stick or Mini Super Glue
• Breath Mints or Gum
• Plastic Silverware. Sugar and Creamer Packets
• Mini Flashlight, Batteries
• Hair Clips or Scrunchies
• Individual Packets of Pain Reliever
• Coffee Singles or Tea Bags

Instructions

1. Sew bags from vinyl or use zipper bags of desired size--sandwich size for purse, larger for in the car.
2. Divide small items into containers, such as pins, cough drops, nails, etc.
3. Make sewing Kits with 2 or 3 thread spools and 2 or 3 needles which have been to a section of ribbon or foil gift wrap.
4. Fill pack as desired.
5. Make label: "__________'s Lifesavers. Open in Everyday Emergency." Attach to pack with strapping tape. Attach roll candy the same way or just make sure it's visible from the inside, next to the label, so the person "gets" the pun.
6. Add Christmas stickers to pack or drop in a few pieces of sparkly confetti to dress it up.
7. Tie top of bag with tinsel pipe cleaner.

By Cindy from Waynesburg, PA

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Craft: CD Christmas Elf

Note: In order to make the picture of this craft work, without an intense reflection, I have covered the CD with invisible tape. Your actual project will allow the shine of the CD to show and reflect holiday lights. Crafting Time: 30 minutes or less

Supplies

• old CD or one you received in a mail ad
• small colored plastic bag
• red construction paper
• red pom-pom
• wiggle eyes
• craft glue
• scissors
• yarn or ribbon

Directions

1. Roll up the open end of the bag to make the hat brim. If your newspaper comes in a plastic sleeve, this is a great size. I got mine at a local card store. Glue this to the front and back of the CD.
2. Glue wiggle eyes to the front of the CD below the hat. If you don't have wiggle eyes, just cut two circles from white paper and draw black circles on them, then glue these to the CD.
3. Cover the hole in the center of the CD with a circle of red construction paper.Glue a a red pom-pom to this circle.
4. Draw and cut a mouth from red construction paper. Glue this to the CD below the nose.
5. Gather the plastic bag together above the CD and tie it off with a yarn or ribbon bow. Cut the bag off above where you tied it and fluff this part out to resemble a pom-pom.
6. To hang your creation, tie a length of thin yarn or dental floss around the hat above the ribbon, then tie the ends of the yarn or floss together to make a hanger.

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Craft: Christmas Mitts and Potholders

Do you have four dollars and are able to sew a straight stitch? Here is a quick and easy craft for Christmas. Go to the Dollar store and buy:

• 1 kitchen towel
• 1 package of 2 potholders
• 2 oven mits

Fold your towel in thirds (length wise) as large as your potholder and sew a straight line at the half way point of the length of the towel.

Now fold your potholder in half and sew over the straight sewing line you just made.

The loop of the pot holder will be the loop for your button hole. Sew button on. The towel can be attached to a stove or the handle of your barbecue.

With the oven mitts and extra potholder, you have a really nice gift for anyone.

Enjoy!

Sandy

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Store Board Games In Ziplock Bags

My daughter has lots of board games. Eventually, the boxes get torn and pieces get lost. I purchased a large plastic container with a lid to hold the boards, and put all the game pieces and instructions into individual ziplock bags and into the container. Now all the board games are stored together with no missing pieces. You can also do this with puzzles. Just cut the picture off the puzzle box and store it in a container with a bag of the puzzle pieces.

By Momof1 from Wilkesboro, NC

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Open Bathroom Door to Clear Shower Steam

In colder climates, instead of using the exhaust fan to clear the steam after a shower, open your bathroom door. The rest of the house can benefit from the moisture and heat the steam, and you will not be not sucking heat out of your home via the fan. If you take a bath, leave the water in the tub until it cools completely. It will add heat to the home for a little while, and again, you get the added moisture in the air.

By Sherry from OH

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5 Quick Frugal Tips For Keeping Warm

Keeping warm in the winter can be tough if your heating costs are through the roof! If you live in a place where you have to pay for heating but can't afford the costs, here are a few things you can do!

1. Instead of turning on the heat in the entire house, place a space heater in the area where you'll be hanging out.
2. Take a hot bath or shower, this keeps me warm for a few hours!
3. Put on thick socks and put something on your head if you can. Get under blankets!
4. Get those window kits. These are kits that contain plastic type sheets which you can easily cover your windows with. If you have old windows, these are great because it prevents drafts. Those kits also come with tape that helps seal doors as well. Makes a huge difference!
5. Make hot ginger tea using fresh ginger (1 Tbsp. per 4 cups). Sweeten with honey or agave nectar. Ginger is great for circulation!

By Lisa from Halifax, NS

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Oil Of Old Lady: A Joke

A toddler walked into the bathroom while her Mother was putting on makeup. "I'm going to look just like you, Mommy!" she announced.

"Maybe, when you grow up," her Mother told her.

"No, Mommy, tomorrow, I just put on that "Oil of Old Lady" you always use."

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Themed Trees for Your Loved One

Maybe not every year, but as a special surprise, prepare a themed tree for your husband, partner, or child. One year, I made a Star Wars tree for my husband. I took a white plastic tree from the Dollar store, and decorated it with purple and blue lights. I continued with blue and silver and purple strings of beads and ornaments from the goodwill. I then wired my husband's old action figures onto the tree. And of course, Hallmark does make some Star Wars ornaments to buy. I used black velvet scraps for the tree skirt, and had the tree ready and waiting for him when he came home from work one night. It was a special moment. I think this is the kind of gesture that can get the guys involved in Christmas decorating if they are resistant.

Using what ornaments you already have and being creative; you could make a cat and dog tree, a family photo tree, a baby's first Christmas tree, a senior year tree, maybe others have themed tree ideas to share. Enjoy!

By Amy from Cedar Hill, TX

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Don't Miss The Hallmark Movies

Here's the Hallmark web site listing all the old time favorites and new holiday movies coming on for everyone to enjoy for the holidays. Enjoy!

• http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/publish/content/consumer/home.html

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Wrap Each Child's Presents in a Different Color

When my children were younger, I would wrap each child's presents in a single color of paper. This really cut down on fighting over which present belonged to which child. Just make sure the colors are distinctly different.

By Stacy from Everett WA

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Holiday Templates for Coffee Canisters

If you buy coffee in the large plastic canisters, you can go online to the Folger's website, and print off holiday templates to glue over the existing labels. These frugal containers can be used for homemade cookies, candies, or even as a gift box. You can print colored templates, or a black and white one for the kids to color. Not only is this frugal, but it is good for the environment to reuse these containers.

• Folger's Holiday Canister Templates

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Freezing Bacon Strips

If you want to freeze bacon without it sticking together in a clump, roll each piece from one end to the other like a jellyroll. Place each rolled piece, side by side, and lay flat in ziplock bag in freezer. When you need bacon, take out the number of pieces needed, and thaw them in the microwave.

By Melanie from Wilkesboro, NC

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Having Two Female Shih Tzus from Same Litter

Does any know if it is okay to have two female Shih Tzus from the same litter? I read someplace that with some breeds it could be a problem. Should I get one female and one male? Or is having two females from the same litter okay? Thanks..

Marilyn from Cave Creek, AZ

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Decorating for Christmas on a Budget

I am trying to decorate my house for Christmas for my mom as a surprise but I'm on a budget. Could you help with some ideas!

Raine from Redmond, OR

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Removing Candy from Cooking Pot

How do I remove cooked on candy from the cooking pot?

Linda from AL

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Low Sugar Freezer Jam or Jelly

I am hoping to find a recipe for freezer jam or jelly that doesn't contain lots of sugar. I do not want to use artificial sweeteners, either. Does anyone know of such a thing? Some sugar is fine, but I would like to use as little as possible, and again, no artificial sweeteners. I want to make something similar to the 'all fruit' spreads that do not have sugar listed in the ingredients. Is there such a thing as freezer preserves? Thanks for any ideas you may have.

Allison from Northeast TN

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Red Gatorade Stains on Carpet

How can I get red Gatorade stains out of beige carpet? The stain is about 2 years old and I've tried everything.

Melissa from Fairfax, VA

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Keeping Lint Off Clothes in Washing Machine

How do I keep lint from getting on my clothes in the washing machine?

Patti from St. Petersburg, Fl

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Reusing Old Pasta Sauce Jars

Anyone have a clever ideas for using empty mason jars from pasta sauce. I have so many of them and would like to store something in them.

LINDA from NYC

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Laying Down a Tile Floor

I have purchased floor tiles for my kitchen and am not sure how to measure so that they are laid evenly. Anyone have any advice?

LINDA from NYC

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Removing Furniture Polish from a LCD Screen

I have an LCD television and my wife has used furniture polish on it to clean the screen. This has left a cloudy film on it which I have tried to remove but it hasn't worked!

rolandjams from Scotland

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Removing Sunless Tanning Stains from Face

Can you remove Sunless Tanning product stains from the face area, in one day?

Ana from NY

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Elmo Wall Border with Kitten and Pink Trim

Where can I find Elmo wall border with a kitten and pink trim.

Wendy from Wethersfield, CT

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Using Olive Oil on Oily Skin

Can I apply olive oil on my skin. I have oily skin and I get pimples. Is it better for my skin?.

Renu from Karur, India

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H2O Mop-As Seen on TV

Anyone used the H2O mop (as advertised on TV) and have an opinion on it?

Debbie from Vallejo, CA

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Blue Ink Stains on White Leather Jacket

How can you get smudged blue ink stains off of a white leather jacket?

Wendy from Hamilton, ON

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Making Christmas Tree from Old Phone Book

Does anyone remember making Christmas trees out of old telephone books?

Kat

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Crafts Using Old Crayons

I have a large amount of old crayons from a Sunday School class. I would love to use them up to make something for the kids in my class. Someone suggested melting them in cookie cutters to make shaped crayons. Any ideas on how to do this, or other uses?

Kelly from North Carolina

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Butter Cookies Not Spreading Out

I've made butter cookies for years but in the last few years sometimes they don't bake right. I use an oven thermometer and test my baking powder/soda. They seem to retract instead of spread out. On the same cookie sheet I'll have some that are fine. Any suggestions? I thought maybe the flour is old?

Bester from Albany, NY

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Stove Top Teriyaki Pork Loin

I have a 22-ounce Teriyaki flavored pork loin and am looking for a quick, on-top-of-the-stove way to prepare it. No crock pot, no oven, few ingredients and not cooked well done. Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

D. from Ohio

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Quick and Easy Crochet Patterns

I am looking for some really easy crochet patterns to make Christmas gifts for a friend to give to her friends. Anything fast like hats, potholders, double yarn projects.


Regi from Dallas,Texas

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Will Dusting With Water or Vinegar Damage Furniture?

I don't like using Pledge to dust with. Can I spritz vinegar on my rag, or just plain water? Will it hurt wood furniture?

Laura from Gillespie, Illinois

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Homemade Bow And Arrow Set

How to make a bow and arrow at home?

Nicholas from La Puente, CA

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Alternative For Waterbed Sheets

Does anyone have an alternative to buying waterbed sheets ? Help!

moshierdi from Athens PA

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Removing Rust From Shower Floor

I left my shaving cream on the floor in my shower and now there is a stain. How do you get rust stains out of a shower? I've tried bleach, several bathroom cleaners, and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

Brook Ford from Oxford, GA

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Wind Spinners

Does anyone know how to make a wind spinner hung from a tree branch out of 2liter plastic bottles?

cd48x from Hatchechubbee, AL

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Recipe for Onion Jelly with Rosemary

I am looking for a recipe for onion jelly with rosemary. It's an old story, I had the recipe and lost it. Thanks so much.

Sheri from Rathdrum, ID

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Non-Abrasve Dishwasher Detergent

I use my Christmas Tree dishes during the month of December. I have always washed them in the dishwasher on the china cycle. I noticed last year, the gold band on some of the glasses has worn off. A woman at a recent meeting said it wasn't the dishwasher, but the detergent that worn off the band. However, no one could suggest a gentle dishwasher detergent. I'm looking for a non-abrasive detergent.

Susan H from Pasadena, CA

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Cleaning Wool Handbag Straps

I have an expensive wool handbag that has stains on the straps. They're stains from usage, mostly. I'm thinking body oils and such. It's supposed to be a white strap with black spots (leopardy). How would I get these stains out without harming the black spots? Would something like Goop work? I'd love any ideas. Thanks!

Shannon from NC

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What Color to Paint Kitchen With Black & White Counter Tops and Red Mahogany Cabinets

I am looking for the perfect color to paint my living room, its a little tricky so I am going to get specific.

I recently purchased a house with kitchen and living room that was divided by a large pantry. After demolishing the pantry to create space for a dining room table I am now left with an open concept room. I love the idea to have a wall that is accented and have already purchased an accent color called "Estate Vineyard" by Behr.

I figured I can make the smaller wall in my living room this color (opposite the kitchen). What color can I use to work with this for the other 3 walls which join both my kitchen and living area?

My kitchen has counter tops that are white with black and gray speckles and I am staining my floors and wood cabinets red mahogany (although I also really like dark Bombay stain as well).

I painted my master bedroom "Prince" by Ralph Lauren paint and have cans left over, would that work for the living room walls with "Estate Vineyard" as the accent? Also my hallway which leads to this room (although divided by french doors) is painted in "Soft Wheat" by Glidden (yes I know, many different brands lol). Will this affect my choice of wall color?

If so can you please suggest a color (preferably beige or neutral) that will draw these colors together. My furniture is in browns and neutrals so they won't affect the choice . Thank you all!

Crystalina

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20 Year Old Jade Tree Growing Tiny Shoots

I have a Jade tree that is over 20 years old. For the past few months, it has been dropping its big leaves, and growing tiny spindly little shoots instead. I haven't done anything different with it at all. I do put it outside in the summer, and bring it back in in the wintertime, but that I have been doing for years as well. There does not seem to be any insects of any kind, or spider mites, although I did see spider webs when this first started. However, I have seen that before as well. I thought Jade trees were indestructible, but apparently not. Also, whatever this is affects several younger Jade trees that I have as well, and the smaller ones have all died. Any ideas?

Hardiness Zone: 2b

Louise from Nipawin, SK, Canada

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Removing Hair Dye From Wood

Removing hair dye from wood?

jbovis from Seattle, WA

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