h'Shameless Shortcuts' gives easy time savers

h'Shameless Shortcuts' gives easy time savers
You can take the easy way out, thanks to "Shameless Shortcuts: 1,027 Tips and Techniques That Help You Save Time, Save Money, and Save Work Every Day!"
The book was written by Fern Marshall Bradley and her fellow editors at the famously practical Yankee magazine. Its pointers cover everything from making it easier to get up and exercise in the morning (sleep in your workout clothes or exercise in your pajamas) to removing tree sap from a floor (rub on a little vegetable shortening with a cloth, then wipe with a paper towel). It also includes such diverse information as tips for saving time and money on your tax returns, strategies for saving time on e-mail and easy, low-cost decorating ideas.
"Shameless Shortcuts" is published by Rodale Books and priced at $16.95 in paperback.
Be careful spraying art
Whether at the Louvre in Paris or in your own home, in cleaning art, don't squirt cleaner directly on the glass because it could seep under the edge and ruin the painting beneath it. Instead of spraying furniture polish on the frame, spray it on a cloth instead. Then wipe the frame, or you'll get it on the painting.
Easy writing table
Turn a sofa table into a writing table by cutting the legs down a couple of inches and adding a piece of light grid panel that has been cut to fit the top. Place tempered glass over it for a decorative effect or create a display space by propping up the glass on wooden craft balls attached to the table.
Black grounds pastels
Black elements can bring a pastel room down to earth; it's not too feminine nor too washed out. In a space with an eclectic mishmash of furnishings, a repetitive dose of black -- a pillow with black piping, a black-and-white photograph, a black fireplace surround -- can provide cohesion and pull the whole look together.