Making crafty and useful stuff with fabric.

Making crafty and useful stuff with fabric.

crafty stuff recycle reuse

Hello. It's a lovely morning and I want to get on the bus and go to Hull, so here is a quickie. The notebook cover I started on Monday is finished. They are so easy to make, sew strips of fabric together with the machine. Add cross stitch and sequins, make a lining for it, and blanket stitch the top and bottom together, making inside pockets to slide the front and back cover in.  

Front. 

Back.

Inside front.

Inside back.

My next project. Unpicking the stitching on a duvet to separate the layers, which will then be cut up and made into cushions and pet beds.



Phew, I'm busy. Don't forget, walkers unite, it's the last day of the month. Tomorrow is check in day for the Walking Group, we want to know your mileage, whatever it is. I know some of you are forging ahead and doing splendidly, but it isn't a race, it's all about taking part. It's about doing some walking, it doesn't have to be marathons, you just need to get up off your bums and walk.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Motorcycle gear for sale.

Motorcycle gear for sale.

happy recycle reuse

I haven't owned a motor cycle for many years, the last one was a Honda CX500 custom, which I sold more than 20 years ago before I moved house. But I kept the gear thinking I might buy another one, one day. Well that day has never arrived and I have moved on, no point in hanging onto my leathers, so they have to go. As well as the gear I am modelling here, I also have a good quality, padded waterproof oversuit. 

I've had a card in the local shop window for a month, no enquiries. I asked a friend who is a biker if he knows someone who might be interested, he goes on rallies and belongs to a club. He said he could ask at the club next time he goes. He might get there tonight after work, but if he doesn't he offered to photograph and put it on Facebook for me. I suppose I could do that myself but I don't want the faff that goes with it, people enquiring, coming to have a look, haggling over the price, etc.

This morning I had a brainwave. I don't need the few quid it would fetch, why not give it away, easy peasy. I don't want to put it on Freecycle or Freegle or whatever, you don't know who is coming to your house for it. I rang the guy who does the motorcycle training and he said he could find new owners for it. So, I have just delivered it to him, and hopefully some young trainee who perhaps can't afford to buy new, will get some benefit from it. Makes me feel better, gets it out of my house, sending it off to a new life with a new owner.

What goes round comes round. Janet gave me a lovely jacket, and a lady has dropped off an unwanted duvet with me this morning and I will turn it into cushions for the church. Recycling, reusing, repurposing, keeps stuff out of landfill, got to be good for the planet.

Second post today, that's ya lot. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Keeping busy indoors

Keeping busy indoors

crafty stuff food reuse sewing vegetarian

Hello. That got you going. Did you like my colourful words, ha ha. The weather is still unpredictable, I've been in most of the day, apart from when I went to the Post Office, then did my three mile walk. I got caught in a shower of hail and wind, just managed to stop the brolly from blowing inside out. 

A couple of recent lunches, one from yesterday and one today. I don't have much veg left so it's root in the cupboard and the freezer time. Two slices of toast, half a tin of spaghetti hoops, and two Value Tesco veggie grills. A cheap meal. 

Today I made a sandwich with two slices of toast, cheese spread, Danish Blue cheese, and the last of the salad leaves. I plonked the rest of the tin of hoops on top.

This pile of 14 cleaning cloths used to be a toweling bath robe. It was looking a bit grubby, and a lot of threads were pulled due to Mayze cat pummeling me with her paws. She thinks I am her mummy. These will come in handy for dish cloths, floor cloths, polishing cloths, (not that I do much of that), and any other type of cleaning job.

I've started another project. These small circles of fabric, 2 inches across,  are Suffolk Puffs, ironed flat and decorative stitching added. I need lots of these.

I came to a halt with the wooden garden sculpture because I ran out of small pieces of wood. I found a big box of scrap wood yesterday at the back door of Wicks the DIY store, they said I could take what I wanted. I will be able to get on with that when the weather is a bit warmer.

I need to make a phone call now, so I'll leave you to it. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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No instructions, make it up

No instructions, make it up

garden imagination reuse

Hello. It's been a nice day here today, mostly sunshine with a little bit of cloud. The light mornings are getting earlier so I am getting up earlier. I love the mornings. I'm changing my routine a bit as well, instead of having a coffee then putting on the computer, I am now doing my three miles after the coffee and bun. The morning air is really fresh. 

I decided to stay around the house and do a bit in the garden today. I have an idea for a garden sculpture, I can picture it in my mind, but not really sure how to put it together. This new table is very handy for outdoor projects. 

I have gathered a few pieces of wood together. The whole thing will be painted, but not sure if I should paint first and screw together after. That pink looks nice. 

Maybe I should screw together first because some of the paint could get damaged if I screwed after painting. Not sure if this is going to work. It will take a while, I need to think of a plan.

Two walks done today, I did a second one this afternoon. I am making a new page for the blog, it will have pictures of my arts and crafts. Another job that will take a while, I have lots of pictures. My picture filing system is not great. I will get there eventually.

That's the holidays over, I hope you had a good one. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Home made super deluxe garden table.

Home made super deluxe garden table.

free garden home made recycle reuse

Hello. I thought I would give you an extra day to check in with your miles, and I'm pleased to see that the Walking Group are doing really well. It's good to read your comments, I can sense the determination in your writings, to do the best you can. It's nice to know that you are not finding it a chore, and now look forward to increasing your fitness levels. Stick with it everyone, do as much as you can, any walking is better than no walking. 

It was a good turnout at Crafty Club this morning, a full table again. It's been a lovely sunny day and I had a project I wanted to get on with this afternoon. Out with the tools, hammer, screwdrivers, saw, screws and nails. A bit of DIY is needed. 

My garden table is getting a bit wonky, it has been repaired once and now the wood is rotting further. Musn't grumble, I made it a few years ago and it cost me nothing, I have had good use out of it. It has been mainly used for potting plants and seeds, and any other DIY job which needed to be done outdoors. I've sawn many a piece of wood on this table. But now it's at the end of it's useful life, I need another one.

And here it is. The new all singing and dancing deluxe model. Heidi likes it. 

The two ends used to be a bed, out of a skip of course, I've had them ages. I've still got the base but it didn't fit in with this project. Some of the wood was from the four divan beds I had from my friend when they moved. I didn't have a pallet to cover the whole top, so I used a narrow pallet on the right where Heidi is lying. On the left I used two side pieces from a divan bed with some blocks nailed at each end to bring it up to the same height as the pallet. The top is one piece but I haven#'t screwed it to the frame, in case I want to move it.

I'm mighty pleased with that, my home made garden table/work bench. It's very sturdy, the cross bars hold it all together. Old screws used so it was all free.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Walking Group call out. Log your miles here.

Walking Group call out. Log your miles here.

crafty stuff recycle reuse walking

Hello. I dropped lucky yesterday. I stopped off at the Cash and Carry on my way to town and there is also a junk warehouse which is not open very often. The man was there, with second hand furniture spread about on the yard, so I had a nosy inside. I found a brown table lamp with a green shade, the perfect colour. He wanted £1 for it. I have scrubbed the shade with soapy water, it has come up a treat, and added some pink trim to the top and bottom. There was already some white trim on it which looked a bit tatty, so I just stuck the pink over the top. I'm very chuffed with it. 

This is it's permanent place next to me when I am on the computer, it is within easy reach so I can switch it on and off without getting up. I only need a light when I use the keyboard.

This is the brown lamp which it came with, it looks ancient, like the old fashioned bakerlite. I wasn't expecting it to be working, but it does. I've given it a clean up, it was filthy, and put this old shade on it which looks perfect. It must be about 40 years old, it was on a lamp which I bought for my mum, which I am still using on my bedside ironing table. 

Right, it's the 1st of the month, you know the drill, this is where all the members of the Walking Group congregate together to share their stories. I want to know how you have been doing, or not been doing. Do you need praise from me, or a kick up the bum?

I have finished the first three months of the year on 375 miles. I would have done more if it wasn't for the twisted muscle in my leg, but that's gone now thank goodness. The weather is hopefully getting better so I am looking forward to a few day walks this month.

So how is it for you, don't be shy, spill the beans.

Lunch time, belly is rumbling, so I'll leave it with you. Lets have those miles come flooding in. You can update at any time in the month, just come back to this post on the 1st.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Have a nice weekend.
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It's a throw away world - Meanqueen to the rescue

It's a throw away world - Meanqueen to the rescue

recycle reuse rubbish skip diving

Hello. I think I must be on a one woman crusade, to rescue all useful stuff bound for landfill. I took my old brown crappy cheap and nasty cupboard to the council tip today. Broke it up to fit in the car. What did I do when I was there, had a nosy in a car full to the brim with stuff which didn't look like junk to me. The owners happily passed me a few things before they got tossed in the skip. I could have taken more, but the attendant advised that I should be doing my rescuing outside the gate, not on the premises. The owners just wanted rid of it and didn't want to sort it and give it to me out on the roadside. 

This is what I managed to grab before it was dumped. The woman was more helpful than her husband, she loaded some of it in my car. Three big cushions, they look clean but I will wash the covers, and pass them on to the church. 

A brand new iron in it's original box, never been used. I will keep hold of it for the time being in case my very old one packs up. If I haven't needed it by June I will sell it at the village fete on our cat rescue stall.

Seven picture frames. I can use some of these for my pictures. I have enough to keep me going for a long time. Best make some more pictures then. The frames I don't use I will pass on to the Age UK charity shop.

A big clock, metal surround, reminds me of a clock in a railway station waiting room. I put a battery in it and it works. Will sell this on the cat stall.

I really must try not to bring so much stuff home. I noticed there are two doors on the skip tonight as I passed it on my walk. I could very easily build another summer house, ha ha. I resisted the temptation to take my car round there and pick them up.

Nice to see some new readers commenting. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Enjoy your Sunday.
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Bums on softer seats

Bums on softer seats

make do and mend reuse sewing

Hello. Two hours in the sweatshop and six cushions are finished. I will drop them into the church on Monday on my way to Crafty Club. Someone might recognize the fabric. Thank you blogger Brenda from the Boro, as you can see your donation makes very nice cushion covers. 

I found an easier way to shred the stuffing. Dear Rocky's brush does a better job than my fingers.

No snow yet, but it's raining now. Bugsy went off his food again, but is now back on it. He has just scoffed some tuna fish. He seems to like the spring water variety better.

I have a picture ready for framing. I had a frame in mind and made the picture a bit bigger, but after laying the glass on it and putting the frame on top, I will lose a lot of it around the edges. That would be a shame, so now I have to find a bigger frame or make one. I have some glass, I'm now going to look in my wood stash to see if I have anything suitable.

Barbara asked how am I getting on with my shampoo experiment. I've had 23 washes so far from a 440 mil bottle of Aldi shampoo costing 35p. I an not half way down the bottle yet, so it's looking like I will get around 50 from it. I'll let you know when it's finished.

Things to do. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Stretching the stuffing

Stretching the stuffing

make do and mend reuse sewing

Hello. It's all very well making something new out of something old, a bit of upcycling to help save the planet, make do and mend rather than buying new, but it can be a bit boring at times. Using old materials means there is some preparation to do. Things to take apart, and then rebuild. All this takes time, probably easier to  bin things and start afresh with something new. But you know me, I hate to throw anything away which might come in useful. 

My friend Bob came round a few weeks ago, he was on his way to the tip and thought he would call in to see if I wanted anything out of his car before it got dumped. Some good picture frames among other things. Three cushions which looked ok. They were a bit small and filled too fat with lumpy stuffing. I thought I would take them apart and could probably get six new cushions out of them. Not that I need any more cushions myself, but I have some spare fabric and I could make them for the church. 

So here I am pulling apart the lumpy wadges of what looks like wool that's come straight off the sheep, and shredding it into a less dense stuffing. Six cushions are made out of old sheets, and six covers are waiting to be sewn up. It's like a cushion making factory in here. What a flippin boring job. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end, the parishioners will get something soft to sit on. 

It's been blowing a hoolie all day here, the Humber Bridge is closed to high sided vehicles, as is the M62 bridge over the river further upstream. I walked Jade this morning, and checked on the Summer House while I had my boots on, before going back inside. I'm pleased to report that it's still standing, still solid, and the roof hasn't blown off. The water buckets are full so they are doing their job of catching the rainfall, trouble is they are too heavy to move, ha ha. A lot of the plants in the raised beds have survived so far, I put bulbs in a couple of months ago so it should be a good show for the spring and summer. Mind you it has forecast snow, so we'll see what happens after that.   

Time to make my dinner. I'll make a big pan of something or other with what I have got in, to last two or three days. It'll be chuck it in and see what happens. Can't be bothered to go shopping.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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On yer bike

On yer bike

cats exercise reuse

Howdy. The fabric below is from two single beds, washed and ironed. The two larger pieces are from the top, and the smaller pieces are from the sides. Sadly the smaller pieces haven't come out as clean as they should be so won't be suitable for sewing, they will be best used for cleaning cloths. I will find a use for the bigger pieces, maybe they will be turned into cushion covers. 

Did you know that one of our readers is an amazing cyclist, she has been all over Europe on her bike. Brenda writes a blog about her cycling trips, and her fabulous quilting. She set herself a goal of 4000 miles for 2016, and she has cracked it. While we have been walking, Brenda has been cycling, in all weathers, such is her dedication. Well done Brenda. You can read all about her adventures here.

Today I thought about a cycling challenge for myself, perhaps I ought to get on my bike. So here I am having a practice ride. Pump up the tyres, put the front mudguard back on as it fell off ages ago, yellow vest, and elastic bands around my ankles to keep my jog bottoms from getting stuck in the chain. I called in at Paul's house to ask him the best place to buy a helmet, he laughed and said I look like a bin man. Cheek, just because he has got all the right gear.  I stopped by the library van and I got Stan to take my photo. Do I really look like a bin man?

I've been on bikehike.co.uk and worked out a ten mile route. I might do a test ride tomorrow if the weather is dry and not frosty,  to see how long it takes me. If I am going to do this daily, I don't want it to take up more than an hour. Blimey, I'm going to have to pedal pretty fast to do it.

Ginger Bugsy has been to the vet today, he has been off his food for a couple of days. It seems his kidneys are in decline, as he has been drinking a lot. He's had an antibiotic injection to give him a bit of a boost, hope this will stimulate him to eat. It must have had some effect because he was yelling for food when we got back. Lucky that I called in at the small Tesco and picked up a pack of sliced chicken for him, along with some yellow stickers for me. Broccoli, potato salad, and radishes. Bugsy is now snoozing peacefully in front of me.

A parcel arrived today, one of our lovely readers sent me a box with all kinds of crafting type goodies in it. I had fun sorting through everything, Christmas come early. Thank you lovely reader, you are so kind. The thermals will come in very handy, will be able to wear them under my cycling clobber.

Thank you for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Recycle and reuse

Recycle and reuse

free recycle reuse

Hello. I didn't get to dismantle the beds the other day, it was raining, is it ever going to stop! Well it did stop today and as I was passing my friends house, I noticed she had put two of the beds out on the front lawn. That's handy I thought, so after lunch I took my bag of tools and went round there to attack them. 

I slashed the fabric around the edges with a Stanley knife and unscrewed as much of the wood as I could. The tough bits gave way with a bash from a big hammer.  

I am trying to salvage as much as I can, that blue fabric on the top bed is lovely and ideal for shopping bags. I broke it down to manageable pieces to fit in my car, and will sort it out later. The wood can be separated into useful pieces and put in the garage, aka the wood store.

My friend gave me a bag of smellies, she doesn't like toiletries that are heavily perfumed. I will use anything if it's free. The handwash can be used as shampoo and bath foam, the small soaps I will pass on to Janet to be sold on the cat stall. I will wear the socks.

It was library day today. It has changed from a Monday, because the van parks on the health centre car park and they said it was taking too much room up, so they changed the day to Tuesday because it's closed on a Tuesday afternoon. The bin collection day has changed as well. It used to be on a Monday, now moved to Wednesday, just about getting used to the new routine.

I didn't do a walk yesterday because of the rain. People have been asking what next when we have all finished at the end of the year. I think it would be good to have a new challenge, but I'm not sure what. I will carry on walking and will record my mileage on my calendar, and I hope everyone else will do the same. Keeping healthy and looking after your body is not a one year experiment, it's forever. Come next spring and I hope to be doing more long walks.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Snuggly

Snuggly

reuse sewing

Hello. Are you keeping warm, it's a bit chilly out there. If I keep my neck warm the rest of me usually stays warm as well. I often wear scarves, even in the house, but I remembered about this fleecy neck snuggly which I made a couple of years ago and dug it out of the cupboard. I posted about it, but I thought it's worth another mention because it's quick and easy to make, and someone else might like to have a go.  

All you need is a small childs fleecey top with a zip up the front. Mine was a hoodie, I bought it from a charity shop for 50p. It sits nicely around my neck, tucked inside my fleecy top. 

First I took the zip out, then cut across the middle off the garment under the armpits. I hemmed the two sides where the zip was, and hemmed the top. This one has two handy pockets, which could be used to hold a mobile phone, cash, or keys. I wrapped it around my neck and marked the places where the press studs needed to be.

Next I made a pair of fingerless gloves with the bottoms of the sleeves. Hem the cut edges, and put a few stitches between the thumb and first finger. They fit snugly round my wrists.

Keep a look out for a child's fleece in the charity shops, or maybe you have a child in the family who has outgrown theirs. Are you managing to keep warm?

I went to town this afternoon to collect two of my pictures from the Arts Centre. The third one is going to be in the Open Exhibition, which starts on Saturday and is on until February. I shall go tomorrow night for the preview.

Heidi is at the vet tomorrow morning, we need some more tablets, and they will be checking her blood count as well. She seems to be doing ok, she is quite lively and playful.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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A day out at the Festival of Thrift.

A day out at the Festival of Thrift.

crafty stuff enjoy free holidays/days out recycle reuse Scrapstore

Hello. Yes, I was in Redcar yesterday for the Festival of Thrift. Apologies to those who live not far from the site, Cherie and Brenda and anyone else up in the north east, but I did not make up my mind to go until 10pm on Saturday night so there wasn't time to make arrangements. I had been mulling it over for a few days, ever since I saw Max tweeting about it. I considered making it into a two or three day jaunt but was undecided. 

Then I had a closer look at the festival web site and thought a lot of the activities and entertainment was geared up for children and families. Also advertised was food, workshops, films, talks, and shopping, none of which I am particularly interested in. The only things that did interest me was the arts and crafts and the upcycling, not really enough to warrant the time, effort, and cost to get there and back. 

However, when the tweets started coming in after the first day, with reports in the local media, I thought I might give it a whirl. My Saturday was a bit boring so I thought perhaps I ought to get up off my backside and just do it.. 

The event practically took over the whole village of Kirkleatham. When I arrived at 11.15am the road was blocked by a massive queue to get in the car park. It crawled along at a snails pace. I was not best pleased after driving almost two hours. The road to the main entrance was closed to all except disabled and trades people, so I followed the signs straight on for the car park. Just as we were coming to a roundabout I could see the queue stretching a long way into the distance, I hate queuing. Just off the roundabout to the left is a Business Park, and being a Sunday no one would be working so I thought why not park there. Good move, others had the same idea. It was a few minutes walk back along the road to the entrance. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded paying £5 to park, but I wasn't going to sit in that queue. 

The event practically took over the whole village of Kirkleatham, it was spread out over several fields, and there were stalls and suchlike inside the Museum buildings as well. It took me a while to Find Max McMurdo next to the big green Gumtree bus. Those of you who saw Shed of the Year will remember him as being one of the judges. His face regularly comes up on the TV as inventor and upcycler on other programmes. Max has a book out, his first upcycling book and it appears to be very popular amongst thrifty people. If you want to have a butchers at it, click on this Amazon link. No I am not getting a cut in sales, I just think he is a thoroughly nice guy who works very hard. 

With a steady stream of visitors waiting to speak to Max, I hovered for a few minutes and watched him dish out his words of wisdom to enthusiastic upcyclers. 

That was tempting, the weather was hot and I could have murdered a pint of cider, but knowing that I had to drive home I supped the watered down apple juice in my bottle brought from home.

There was much to see and do. The solar powered cinema was closed for lunch, and as I didn't fancy being squeezed into a box with other sweaty people I decided to give it a miss. Nice idea though.

Lots of wood about. Two owls for sale, can't remember how much they were though.

There were stalls with all kinds of craftwork. Blocks of wood with letters carved into them, £6 per letter. I did think of getting my name but I am much too tight to part with £30 on an impulse buy.

In the stable block there were artworks from local artists. I must say though that there was only one which looked interesting. One stable had nothing in and was lit up with a coloured light. Another had a moving film of horse racing projected onto the wall with a makeshift steeple chasing jump built of branches in front of it. And two others were empty. It was a bit gloomy in there, with not much to look at. 

There was a little courtyard with vintage camper vans, which was nice.

This one was for sale, 7,000 quid if you are interested. Looks fully restored on the outside but you will have to put your own innards into it. Mind you, thinking about it, it has an 02 number plate so it could be a kit car built from scratch.

Lots of vintage stalls to browse. One thing I can't understand is that once something is given the 'vintage', label how come the price rises, and rises, and rises. Baffles me that people will pay silly money for old tat, when probably family members will have cupboards full of the stuff stashed away somewhere. 'Spose it's a bit like antiques, the older something is the more valuable it becomes.

There were various cooking smells wafting around, and long queues at the stalls. If this was a thrift festival, why didn't more people get organized and take their own pack up from home and have a picnic. It was the ideal weather for it. 

Jam making demonstrations here, and if you took your own fruit you could turn it into jam yourself and take it home in a jar.

The church was used for sewing sessions. Make a patchwork block and it will be added to a quilt.

Choose your pieces of fabric and sit at a machine, someone will tell you what to do. The little girls seemed to like this activity.

I had a peek in the museum while I was there. 

This old dear looks happy enough perched on her stool, with the cooking pot on the fire. Fish for tea tonight.

How about a swing in a hammock. Looks very relaxing, the young lady is gently rotating the line of swinging hammocks on a turntable.

Hairdressing was popular, get your hair done in a vintage style by ladies wearing forties dresses, outside their vintage caravan.  £5 a go.

My overall view of the festival was that's it's a great day out, and if you live close enough you could easily find enough to do for two days. There is no entrance charge, free to get in. The entertainment is free, and a lot of the childrens activities are free. There are drop in sessions if you want to attend some workshops. If you have money to spare there are plenty of crafty type stalls which will gladly relieve you of it. I picked up some cards and have checked out web sites which you might like to take a look at.

Sarah Turner makes hand made lighting, sculptures, and artworks upcycled from waste materials. Mainly plastic bottles and cans. www.sarahturner.co.uk 

Sarah Oatley is a textile artist using a wide range of fabrics, mainly recycled and vintage. www.drawnthreads.co.uk

Abigail Lagden creates fabric sculptures and mixed media canvases, using Powertex.
www.curiously-contrary.co.uk

Scrapstore was there, only they call it Percy Creative Reuse Centre. It's at Commerce Way Middlesborough. Here is their link if you want to check it out.

I left about 3.30pm and decided to take a look at Redcar seafront while I was there, but I'll leave that for another post. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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