Helpful Hints/Opinion

Helpful Hints

DEAR HELOISE: At our son's recent wedding, my husband and I asked the bride's parents if we could sit on the left side for the ceremony while they sat on the right. That way, we could see our son's face and not his back while they said their vows and exchanged rings.

-- Linda S.,

Papillion, Neb.

DEAR HELOISE: Need to leave off your paint job for a while? Instead of cleaning my paintbrush every time I need to stop painting, I put the brush part into a zip-lock bag, squeeze as much air out as possible, then zip the bag up tightly with just the handle sticking out. When I'm ready to pick up where I left off, the paint on my brush hasn't dried out, and I'm all set to begin again.

-- Maribeth in N.C.

DEAR HELOISE: Whenever I am trying to choose a new color for a room I am going to paint, I paint the area underneath one of my pictures hanging on the wall. It gives me a sampling of the color and I can cover it with a picture until I am ready to make my decision and do the job.

-- Nancy

DEAR HELOISE: I hope this email finds you well and safe. My little tip to make nail polish last longer is to keep it in the refrigerator. It will last for years there. Have a great day.

-- Judith via email

DEAR READER: According to the L'Oreal USA nail laboratory, "keeping nail polishes in the fridge slows down the normal possible discoloration and solvent evaporation of the polish, which happens as the polish gets older." It's always best to store nail polish in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. So, while placing your polish in the refrigerator will help with discoloration, it doesn't actually help it last for years.

DEAR HELOISE: After reading your column today I decided to add to it.

I received an email from Discover telling me they had upgraded their website and I would need to change my logon and password. I did not reply to the email but went to the website and was able to log on without changing anything. It was a scam trying to get me to divulge my info. So be careful. Always protect yourself and your identity.

-- Terry G.,

Simi Valley, Calif.

DEAR HELOISE: Last year I took a picture of each addressed envelope from my Christmas card list. Afterward, I created an album on Shutterfly. Now I can easily access, delete and add new addresses to my list.

-- Suz from Texas

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email

Heloise@Heloise.com

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