HELOISE Use technology to insert those missing back into photo

Dear Heloise: Concerning family members missing from wedding (or other) photos, if the photos are digital, any amateur with photo software can take another photo of the missing individual and insert it, so that it really looks like the person is a part of the picture. You should be able to find someone among your young friends who can do this, or it can be done professionally. John Christoffers, via e-mail
We also got an e-mail from Portia Hawley of Orem, Utah. She says: "My daughter Julianne was married last year, and her new husband has two brothers. At the time of the wedding, one of the brothers couldn't attend because he was serving a mission in Australia. My daughter's new mother-in-law works for a local copy store. Before the wedding, she asked her son's mission president to e-mail her a digital photo of her son, which she received and had enlarged, printed 'life-size' and backed on heavy cardboard. When we took photos, we put the 'brother' in them. It felt like he was right there with his family." Don't you love our new technologies?! Heloise
Fast facts
Dear Heloise: Here are some more uses for coffee filters:
UUse a coffee filter to wipe windows, mirrors or any glass surface for a streak-free clean.
UPlace them between stacked china plates and bowls to prevent scratching.
USecure over your mouth and nose with string or large elastic band for a makeshift dust mask.
UBlot up fat from the surface of chicken or beef stock. Minagua in Minneapolis
Dear Heloise: I love to cross-stitch, but through the years I have found it increasingly difficult to see the squares. I now take the pattern to a color copier, enlarge it and tape the pages together.
I also have trouble knowing which squares I have already stitched. So, I place a piece of clear laminate over my pattern. When I finish a series of stitches, I mark them off my pattern with a marker. When I have completed the project, I simply clean my pattern with an alcohol-saturated cotton ball, and the pattern is as good as new and ready to use again. T.G., Larue, Texas
Dear Heloise: The childproof lids and packaging on prescription and over-the-counter meds are so difficult for some of us to get open. And have you tried getting saltines or graham crackers out of the stay-fresh packs (or even cereal)? Only scissors or a sharp knife will cut through the packaging! Juanita in Oxnard, Calif.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate