Candle Burning Tips

Yankee Candle uses only the finest quality ingredients and materials in the manufacture of their candles so that you will have the maximum enjoyment and pleasure as you burn them. It is important however that you use candles responsibly to insure their safe use. Please follow these guidelines to keep Yankee Candles a bright and beautiful part of your life.

1. Remove all packaging before lighting.
2. Place on a protected, heat resistant, dry surface away from anything that can catch fire, and out of reach of children and pets.
3. Trim wicks to 1/8" before lighting.
4. If smoking occurs, blow candle out. Trim wicks, remove trimmings and re-light.
5. Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches or any other material. Keep the wick centered. Avoid drafts.
6. Keep burning candles within site at all times.
7. Keep all matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
8. Teach everyone in the family the rules of safe candle use.
9. Handle with care. Glass containers are fragile. Avoid glass to glass contact when removing or replacing the lid. Do not use if the jar is cracked or chipped.
10. Do not refill jars with wax.
11. Do not allow the flame to touch the side of the jar. The jar may become hot. Handle carefully.
12. To minimize wax left on the sides of the jar, burn 3 hours at a time. It is normal for some wax to be left. The amount will vary per color, fragrance and burning conditions.
13. Prevent possible heat damage to the counter/surface by discontinuing use when 1/2" of wax remains.
14. Extinguish carefully before replacing the lid.

Cleaning Bearstones / Folkstones And All Other Stones

Vacuuming Bearstones is one way we've found to clean dust from them. Very carefully brush the Bearstone with the brush attachment. Another way is with a slightly moistened Q-Tip, but not on the fur area because the fibers get stuck on the fur. To clean the fur area, try a clean makeup brush. You can also use a can of computer compressed air or a hair dryer.

Also, when you are removing your Bearstone from the box, undo the bottom of the box and push out, and do not put pressure on the stone itself or touch any fragile parts.

Repairing Bearstones / Folkstones And All Other Stones

To repair chips in your Stones, use Marvy brand markers. The set is called "Victorian Colors" #18, 65, 13, 16, 72 and 64. To repair broken pieces, use Bondini or Bondini-2 glue. You can find it in hardware stores or Wal-Mart.

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Boyds Plush Grooming Tips

The following is from Mary Jo Truax, an expert in Boyd's writing for Bear Tales & Trails Quarterly Newsletter:

When Gary Lowenthal goes on QVC, we hear him comment on how to groom the Boyds bears & hares, etc. That is because it is important to realize that when you receive your Boyds bears, they will not look the way they do "on-stage". (Hey! Do you look like your Glamour Shots ALL the time?!) Janet suggested I write a few notes on this & so hare goes (sorry, couldn't resist!):

1. NEVER Brush Out Chenille: This is an important rule! It over-rules the rule #2 that follows ... if you follow me!
2. When you receive your bear from QVC, he may "look as though he got hit by a Mac truck" (in the words of "The Head Bean Hisself"). BUT remember you don't look so great yourself when you take a long trip all smashed up in a Winnebago with how many of your relatives? SOOO - you take your new Boyds out of his box, shake him up a bit, fluff out his fur with your fingers & then get the brush. Brush his fur opposite of the way it "grows". Pull his ears forwards and bend his chin clear into his chest. If his ears won't do what they are 'sposed to, pull 'em harder. We are NOT to take any "guff" from these guys! (Sort of gives you a new respect for all those hard-working Boyds dealers, huh? They are pros at this bear-groomin' thing.)
3. If any bear, hare or "trustworthy" critter arrives a "leetle crooked" (as in a leg that is bent sideways or an arm bent up funny), don't worry! You don't have to lock the safe! Here is the secret that works for me: I twist the leg or arm back how I want it and then take a large heavy object (usually a BIG book), and set it on top. I leave it that way until the poor lil' guy comes out straight. This procedure looks painful - but I've never had one bite me yet (book or bear!)... AND IT WORKS!
4. If you are like Bailey Lowenthal (Gary & Tina Lowenthal's daughter) and like to see more of the eyes of your little guy and don't prefer the older toy look like Gary, take a pair of scissors & holding them VERTICALLY, carefully snip away the unwanted hair from around the eyes. If that seems overzealous to you & you are worried about harming the collectibility of your piece, then take tweezers & carefully tweeze. Or you can just take a dampened clothe & lightly rub around the eyes & that will make them appear!
5. Another collector suggested to me using tweezers to lift & move the nose embroidery if there is a gap in it. This works fine as does moving the tweezers under the mouth embroidery to see your bear smile again. (Thanks for that, Jackie E!)
6. Tie that bear's ribbon on straight again & you're ready to go! GO WHERE? Bear huntin', of course! You don't want that handsome critter to be lonely!

Good groomin'
Mary Jo

Tips From Others:

To shape your bear, pull ears up and nose down hard, flat against his chin. Take the face and sqwoosh it around to form the shape you like....just like it was made out of clay. (POOOOORRRR Bears.....LOL)

To groom your bear, brush his fur! Use a regular hair brush (dog brush works great) and brush its fur in the opposite direction from where it "grows" this gives you a fluffy animal. Or BLOW 2 minutes of blow drying with a hair dryer is worth 10 minutes of brushing. Use the blow dryer on the Chenille friends only! To see eyes better, rub your finger around the eyeball, cleaning hair around the eyes to your liking. True for any excess hair you don't like....around the nose, mouth.

To pose your bears like you see in the stores, try the following. If any joints are tight, it's because we double reinforce them. Hold them at the joint, move them, they'll loosen up. Work beans around in his arms and legs. If you want an elbow joint, force beans out of the elbow so it can bend. Archive services - Twisted arms Twisted legs? Just twist-em back!! The main idea, have fun with the animal, play with it, brush it, shape it and make them your "own"!

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Cleaning Plush

Unless your plush has a tag which states "machine washable," it is recommended to surface washable only. Best results are obtained by carefully following these instructions:

Remove all fancy trims and ornaments such as garments, ribbons and flowers before washing. Your plush should never be immersed in water. Using a clean, damp, cloth or sponge, lightly blot the plush (do NOT rub) with tepid water and using a gentle cleanser such as GUND's BubbleGUND, spray on the area and wait for 10-15 seconds. Using your cloth or sponge, gently blot dampness and rub area into a foamy lather. Do not saturate the fabric and do not use bleach.

Squeeze the plush thoroughly several times in the folds of a clean terry towel to remove excess moisture and allow to air dry. When dried, after about 48 hours, the plush can then be fluffed and brisky brushed with a clean dry cloth leaving your animal wonderfully clean, beautiful and ready for hugging. Multiple applications may be necessary. For best results, first test cleanser on a small area of plush.

BubbleGUND is a specially formulated surface cleanser for stuffed animals. Gently lifts spots from the surface of plush without leaving a stiff residue. Spray Bottle. 8 fl. oz. (225 mL) $10 US.

For cleaning a velvet coat, use some tape. Masking tape works the best. Just dab it all over and the dust, etc. will stick to the tape and come off the velvet.

Get Musty Or Smoky Ordors Out Of Plush

There are several suggestions.

Put the plush in a plastic zip-loc bag with a dryer softener sheet for as long as it takes.

Put them in a pillow case, tie it shut and put it in the dryer with NO HEAT and a dryer softener sheet.

Put the plush in a large plastic container like a rubbermaid box with a lid that snaps tightly. Put charcoal, a box of open baking soda, or a small dish of kitty litter in the box with it.

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Cleaning Porcelain Dolls

Tips from collectors

To safely clean your doll just get some Soft Scrub and a soft cloth and gently clean the surface. Be careful NOT to get the Soft Scrub with beach! This should take off the mark's and is the safest way to do it. Hope this help's. (Heather)

You can try using dishwashing detergent on a clean wash rag mixed with a little water. Gently rub the doll's face and you should start to see the marks disappear. You may need to try this more than one time I had a similiar problem and this worked for me. (Vickie)

Caring For Your Dolls

Now that you have developed a collection, you will want to protect it for future generations. The following list will give you some suggestions on just how to do that!

Cleaning Solutions:
Use a mild detergent and water on your PLASTIC and VINYL dolls. DO NOT USE BLEACH OR AMMONIA.

Some CLOTH dolls can be placed in a pillow case and run through your washer's delicate cycle. Be sure to read and save the manufacturer's care instructions.

Accumulated dust and dirt can damage fragile fabrics and wigs, and discolor some types of dolls. The ideal way to keep your dolls clean is to display them in a dust-free environments like a glass case.

Keep your dolls out of extreme temperature and/or humidity changes. Dampness can cause the top layer on composition dolls to lift away. Keep all dolls away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources.

Keep ultraviolet light away! It can fade and damage doll clothing and materials used to construct some dolls. Plastic, wax and vinyl dolls will change color. Rubber dolls will deteriorate.

If you choose to store your dolls in boxes, make sure the boxes are made of acid-free paper.

When In Need Of Repair

If your old doll needs repair, be sure to contact someone who is experienced in doll restoration and repair. A doll club or museum in your area may be able to refer you to a reputable person.

Remember to enjoy and take care of your doll...no matter what her age!

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Lace Tips

Lace window treatments lighten a room, soften its corners and create beautiful spaces. The Heritage Lace Ready-Made line not only offers a broad range of styles to define a rooms look but also simplifies decorating a home or office.

Each Ready-Made Curtain is a framed panel, specially designed for that size. Heritage Fine-Gauge Double Jacquard Lace is made from extremely fine-denier yarn, twisted seven times per inch for strength and extraordinary pattern clarity. Heritage Double Jacquard Lace has the same unique depth, texture and beauty with substantially more weight than the fine-gauge double jacquard lace. Heritage Single Jacquard Lace is made with less thread than double-jacquard lace yet retains excellent pattern clarity and detail. Heritage Designer Knit Lace is of very substantial weight. It is made with three yarn thicknesses for distinctive texture and depth and a three-dimensional look and feel.

Care: Machine wash warm, gentle. Do not bleach, Tumble dry until damp, then line dry. Recommended fullness: 1.25-2.25 times window width. Fabric content: 100% polyester. Made in U.S.A.

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