Doll Clothes Hangers

For the past few years, the dolls clothes I’ve made have been store neatly in shoe boxes.  Recently the boxes began to overflow.  Yestetrday I finally decided to do something about the situation.  I did some research on doll hangers, and found a tutorial for making them from Fabric Bliss!  It seemed simple enough with household items as the supplies.  The tutorial suggests painting the popsicle sticks, but I made about 30 of theseand didn’t want to spend time painting and drying them.

Also, this tutorial didn’t include clips or anything for hanging pants/skirts.  I devised a way to do it (see the picture below) using mini binder clips.

I ran out of popsicle sticks after about 30 hangers (because I bought a pack of 75 sticks), but have enough of the other supplies to make about 20 more.  They are quick and easy to make, so I plan on continuing to make them until I have enough to hang all the doll clothing items I have sewn.

Hanger for tops (Tutorial Version)

Hanger for skirts/pants (My Adapted Version)

Supplies: Hot glue sticks, hot glue gun, cup hooks, mini binder clips, jumbo popsicle sticks

 

Hangers in action

Hangers in action 2

American Girl Doll Clothes — One Shoulder Dress

I have never purchased clothes for my American Girl Just Like You Doll, except for a pair of white ice skates.  I make all the clothes myself!  I have done a ton of research searching for free patterns, and have had some success.

I found this pattern on SewAdollable.com.  This is the link to the pattern and instructions:  One Shoulder Dress Tutorial.  The skirt turned out a little shorter than I had expected, but  now she could wear it with white tights and go ice skating in the winter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next is a purple and black skirt outfit!

Comment if you decide to make this, or Like if you like my version of the dress!

 

How to Drive Safely

Driving safely is very important.  Every driver should know how to drive safely on the road.  Being alert of animals, pedestrians, and other vehicles on the road is the most important part of driving.  Animals, pedestrians, and other vehicles can run into the car’s path of travel.  A collision could occur, unless the driver steers away or slows down.  Every action a driver make while driving takes time.  Slowing down in situations can give drivers more time to react.  Following traffic laws and street signs is also vital to driving safely.

Every car is equipped with turn signal lights and a horn.  Using these to communicate can help other drivers to know your intentions.

Every car is also equipped with restraints such as seatbelts, airbags, and headrests.  In the case of a collision, not using restraints can cause serious injury.  To be safe, always wear your seatbelt.  The usage of seatbelts helps you stay in your seat and in the car.  Being ejected from a car because you are not wearing a seatbelt can result in being run over by a car once ejected.

Texting, calling, listening to music, and passengers can be distracting while driving.  Drivers should put their phones away, turn down the radio, and ask other passengers to be quiet so they can focus on driving.

Nobody should ever drink alcohol before driving.  Being drunk affects drivers’ ability to respond to situations by dulling the senses.  Alcohol makes people feel as if their senses are sharper, when in reality they are much slower.  This effect gives false confidence, which is very dangerous when driving.

 

Driving is especially dangerous at night.  When the sun has gone done, there is no light and this reduces visibility of the road.  When driving after dark, drivers should be extra cautious and use their headlights.

Often when people are driving at night they are drowsy or tired.  This is extremely dangerous to the driver and other drivers.  If the driver falls asleep, he or she is no longer in control of the car.  Most times this results in a crash or collision.

There are a few solutions if you must travel in the car at night while you may be drowsy.  The best solution is to plan ahead and get plenty of rest the night before, or take a nap during the day.  If a driver doesn’t plan ahead or doesn’t have time to take a nap before driving at night, another solution is to find another who is rested to drive.  If a driver must drive while drowsy, there are some precautions.  The first is keep the window closed.  Although the wind of an open window may hit the driver, making he or she think it is helping them stay awake, the extra oxygen will actually make them more likely to fall asleep.  Drivers should keep the radio off.  Although it might seem helpful, it isn’t.  Music creates a beat, which makes people want to go to sleep if they are drowsy.  Lastly, taking stops frequently, walking around, and getting a drink of water can help drivers stay awake.

 

Weather can affect driving.  Rain and snow cause the road to be wet and slippery.  Reducing your speed gives you more time to react to situations.

Drivers should take curves more slowly when driving in the snow, because the snow makes the road slippery.

When driving in the rain, drivers should avoid areas of standing because they can cause hydroplaning, engine damage, and cause skids.

Windshield wipers can wipe water or snow off the windshield.  When water or snow is left on the windshield, it blocks the sight of the driver.

Fog limits the sight distance of drivers.  To assist in this sort of situation, drivers should turn on their low beam headlights.   Headlights not only help the driver to see the road, but they also help other drivers to see them better.

 

Not driving safely can be deadly.  Car accidents and collisions kill thousands every year.  Even more people are injured each year in car accidents.

How To… Dialect

DIALECT EXERCISES

British

Father passed down the primrose path.

• The a’s in this sentence sound more like ‘ah’.

He did not know he possessed the old and holy stone.

• Make your mouth into a circle to annunciate the ‘o’ in the words know, possessed, old, holy and stone.  Hold each ‘o’ out to emphasize the sound, and gradually make it shorter until you can get your mouth to say ‘oh’ without spending too much time on one syllable.

Two totally tired toads tried to trot to Tetbury.

• Over pronounce the t’s, making sure every ‘t’ has the same amount of sound and intensity, including ‘to trot to’.

Is it tea time?

• The way Americans speak, we tend to cut off sounds to make the words shorter.  For instance, you might say ‘Is i’ tea time’.  The ‘t’ in ‘it’ is important.

Have a go at it.

• Again with the ‘t’ in ‘at’ and ‘it’.  Also apply the ‘oh’ to ‘go’.

I can’t get the ant off the basket, but Aunty can.

• This particular exercise is very tricky.  The difference between ‘can’t’ and ‘can’ are very different.  Can is said the same way we say it, like a can of soup.  Can’t is pronounced with a more ‘ah’ sound.  Ant is said the same way we say it, however Aunty has a ‘ah’ sound for the ‘a’ and the ‘u’.

Cockney

I don’t think I know him, but I’m sure I don’t like him.

• Cockney is the dialect of native Londoners.  The t’s are not pronounced firmly, neither are the h’s.  In the case of the word ‘think’, I believe it should be pronounced more like ‘fink’.
• This dialect is hard, and if it helps put the inside of your wrists on your jaw bone in front and slightly below your ears.  Slightly press the skin downwards, therefore mouth movements are made minimal.

How to Make a Cattail Fishing Pole

HOW TO MAKE A CAT TALE FISHING POLE

Ever feel like Tom Sawyer?  With the instructions below, you can hop in a row boat and fish any time you want.

YOU’LL NEED:

• Sturdy cat tale
• Knife
• Fishing line or yarn
• Paper clip
• Soggy dog food or other bait (marshmallow works too)

WHAT TO DO

1. Strip the cat tale so you have only the stock.  Now cut off the skinny part and hot dog looking part.  The entire pole needs to be sturdy and not flimsy.
2. Cut a slit at the end of the pole.
3. Wrap and tie the fishing line/yarn around the end and sliding it underneath the slit so it stays firmly.
4. Bend a paper clip to use as the hook.  Tie the paper clip to the opposite end of the fishing line/yarn. 
5. Attach a piece of soggy dog food to the paper clip hook.  Dog food kibbles work better than marshmallows, because the dog food will stay on the hook after a fish bites, while the marshmallow will slip off.  

Tip: If you pull the fish with the fishing pole, the pole may break.  Instead, when a fish is on the line, grab the yarn and pull with that.  This will be much more effective.

How to Find Your Vocal Range

How to Find Your Vocal Range  

First of all, why would you want to find your vocal range?

A few reasons.  When looking at songs and determining if it needs to be transposed so you can sing it, knowing your vocal range is helpful.

Another reason it would be nice to know your vocal range is to examine how your voice changes over the years.  This could be part of a science experiment.

The first step to finding your vocal range is to acquire a piano to use for the purpose.  Other instruments or digital keyboards may suffice, but at this point a piano is your best bet.

Play middle C.  If you can’t find it, here are some simple instructions how to.

Note the three black key groups and the two black key groups.  ‘C’ on the piano is to the left of each two black key group. Find the C in the middle (not counting the highest C).  This is middle C.  Sing the note if you can. 

Count up from C.  The keys on the piano are in alphabetical order from A to G.  Once the key G is hit, the next key is A, then B, and so on.

Middle C is C4.  It is the fourth C from the left.

Let’s have an example on measuring your range.  Count down from C4 (middle C) to G.  Sing the note if you can.  If you can, go down a note until you can’t sing any lower.  Let’s say the lowest note you could sing was F, the F immediately below middle C.  This would be F3.  Now sing higher and higher.  Let’s say that you stop at the B above middle C.  This would be B5.

From this information, your range is F3-B5.

The best way to know what number a note name is, is to count up from the lowest note that you are looking for on the piano.  The first F would be F1, then F2, and F3.

To determine whether you are soprano, mezzo soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, or bass, see below.

If you can sing from about C4 to C6, you are considered a soprano.  If you can sing from about A4 to G5, you are a mezzo soprano.  F3 to D5, you are an alto.  These are the measurements for women.

The measurements for men are: C3 to A5 is tenor, G2 to F4 is baritone, and E2 to E4 is bass.