HELOISE Suggestion will help put blue back into favorite jeans

Dear Heloise: This idea worked so well for me that I just have to share it! I got bleach spots on the front of my favorite pair of blue jeans. I bought fabric paint in the color blue matching the denim. I took a small, straightened-out metal paper clip and dipped the tip into the blue paint. Then I scraped the tip of the paper clip onto the jeans in the direction of the blue threads, filling in the white spots. Only a tiny amount of paint was necessary. Anne Straitiff, Bay Village
Fast facts
Do you have tons of buttons you don't know what to do with? Here are a few ideas:
UGlue them onto a mirror or photo frame.
UString them for a girl's bracelet or necklace.
UMake a sock puppet and use buttons for the eyes and nose.
UDecorate a small, plastic plant pot by gluing buttons around the edge.
UPut some in a small plastic bottle and glue on a lid -- it makes a child's musical instrument.
Dear Heloise: Recently, I picked this hint up from an X-ray technician who works at my foot doctor's office. Hopefully it will help thousands of people who use heel, metatarsal and arch support pads.
To keep the pads from slipping inside the shoe, simply cut a 1-inch square of self-sticking tape and put one part in the bottom of the shoe and the other on the support pad. You will have pads in your shoes that do not slide around. Sue Mason, Kirksville, Mo.
Dear Heloise: My husband often buys a bouquet of cut flowers for our home, and usually there is no baby's breath or white filler.
He bought a couple of plastic sprays of tiny white blossoms to use (and reuse). They add so much interest, plus they look real and remain white. Mary, Peoria, Ill.
Terrific hint, and a money-saver, too. They look so real that no one will ever know they are plastic. Another thing you can do is buy statice -- clusters of tiny, white, strawlike blossoms that dry beautifully. They can be inserted into a vase with fresh flowers and be reused again. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When magnet ads are no longer of use, glue or attach them to the backs of favorite photographs, artwork, etc. You'll be able to enjoy those photographs on your refrigerator or elsewhere. A reader, via fax
Sound off
Dear Heloise: It is so annoying to see estate-, yard- and garage-sale signs still tacked up in a neighborhood long after the sale is over. Quite a few of them that I see have been around for several weekends. Besides that, they look so tacky. People, please remove those signs -- don't wait for the weather to deteriorate them! Ali M., via e-mail
Ali, many places have ordinances about posting signs. Some of those folks might be breaking the law and will be responsible for paying a fine. Heloise
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate