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Breathe new life into used holiday cards

By LINDA D. COLE and INGRID L. KOHLER
Published December 27, 2005

With Christmas Eve only a week away and the start of Hanukkah a day later, excitement is soaring, but it's not too early to start thinking about what needs to be done after the holidays have ended. Longtime readers know that after they have reread the cards received from friends and family, these beautiful greetings can enjoy a second life. Individuals and agencies create some remarkable items from them, so we are once again publishing a list of people and places that want your used cards.

To get on the list, which will be published in the Jan. 14 column, please send your name or the name of your organization and the address to which cards may be mailed to the address at the end of the column. Be sure the information reaches us by Tuesday, Jan. 10, so we can make our printing deadline.

The aftermath of the hurricane season lingers in so many forms, and Barbra Breslauer of St. Petersburg reminds us of the challenges faced by folks aiding pets displaced by the storms. At Suncoast Basset Hound Rescue, for example, the number of dogs taken in has risen from an annual average of 200 to 300 in 2005. To ease the financial strain, the group is holding a Waddle and Auction Feb. 24-25 in Brooksville.

The group needs donations of homemade craft items that can be auctioned, and who better to appeal to than our talented, pet-loving readers? If you have questions or want more information, visit the Rescue's Web site, www.suncoastbassetrescue.org or call Barbara at 727 895-3482. Sharon Wallenberg of Tarpon Springs has a 1950s Hunter Zephair ceiling attic ventilation fan. She needs a picture, drawing or manual that shows the working mechanism of the built-in spring and ball pull chain for the on-off connection of its shutter panel. Please call (727) 938-0391 if you can help.

Susan O'Connor has Ginny and the Mystery Doll, but she'd like to read the other books about Ginny and Geneva. She's also looking for Thyme Garden by Edward Eager and stories by Catherine Wooley. Susan may be contacted by e-mailing eleanor494@aol.com Barbara Theriault of Clearwater can no longer find Lion Brand "Jamie" baby yarn formerly called "fingering yarn" weight in stores. Not finding it is certainly putting a crimp in Barbara's plans to make baby booties. The name of one yarn in that line is Pompadour: It has a silvery thread running along the yarn. The company also made a plain yarn without the silver thread; Barbara is looking for it in pink, white and blue.

Barbara has made 125 pairs of booties from fingering yarn, but she is devastated to think that she may not turn out pair 126: The sport-weight baby yarn that is available is too heavy for her pattern. If, as Barbara believes, the yarn is no longer being manufactured, she hopes someone may have some of her favorite baby yarn squirreled away and be willing to part with it. Please call 727 799-3038 or e-mail bobbiether@earthlink.net Marie Hoke-Singer of Largo is a master gardener who has lost an important component of her green thumb. The blue bulb that provided light for her African violets was removed during some kitchen renovation, and the plants have been in decline since then. Yes, Marie has looked high and low in stores' electrical and garden departments and cannot find a replacement.

If you have a blue bulb you'd be willing to trade for some bulbs or plants for your garden, please call 727 585-1989 or e-mail mfhsingr@tampabay.rr.com Bernece Richards of St. Petersburg needs the For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine for September 1991, which carried a series of adorable angels - Love, Joy and Peace. Bernece's needle has replicated Love and Joy, but the pattern for Peace has eluded her. It's a situation that can be remedied if you have the magazine Bernece needs and you call (727) 525-9116. Do you have odd lots of VERY soft wool? Anita Ferron of St. Petersburg could use it to knit the caps she makes for sick children in various hospitals. Right now she is donating caps to a cancer facility for children; because the little ones' heads are tender, wool softness is important. Anita can pick up yarn in the St. Petersburg area. Please call (727) 321-0148. Hazel Vaughn of Spring Hill has hung up her square-dancing shoes, so she'd like to give two boxes of square-dance tapes and instruction books for beginners through C-1 in Western style. Please call (352) 686-1449.

Send requests to Reader Exchange, Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg 33731 or e-mail cole@sptimes.com Requests will be accepted only by mail or e-mail. This is an exchange column, so we will not run items that are for sale. Readers must agree to publication of phone numbers, including area code. ON THE WEB: An interactive version of Reader Exchange is available at itsyourtimes.com.

[Last modified December 26, 2005, 11:10:04]