Old photos make one-of-a-kind greeting cards

Dear Heloise: A reader wrote to you about not knowing what to do with old photographs of people she didn’t know.

My solution is to mount an old photo on the front of brightly colored notecard, write an original caption and make my own cards.

People I sent these to have seemed to enjoy them, and they are one-of-a-kind. W.P.R., via e-mail

Love this! Talk about recycling! Who doesn’t enjoy a handwritten note these days, and the card will probably be saved as a keepsake. This would be a good creative project for a youth group or class. Read the following hint from a teacher about recycling plastic buckets for class projects. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I use the plastic buckets that cat litter comes in to store school supplies used by my classes for projects or decorating their journals. The buckets are labeled according to the contents, such as “crayons,” “markers,” “scissors,” “rulers,” etc.

This also is convenient for traveling teachers or when the school supplies are shared among colleagues. Margarette Mattern, Temple, Texas

Fast Facts

Dear Readers: Here are four great ways to use a plastic or metal paper clip:

•Place safety pins on one to find easily.

•Use to hold coupons for a shopping trip.

•Hold your place in a book.

•Sub in as a key ring in a pinch. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I use makeup-remover cloths, the kind that are premoistened. After I use one on my face, I wipe down my sink with it. It takes off the invisible scum and makes the fixtures shine. What an easy way to keep the bathroom sink clean! Try it you’ll like it. Jan, Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Dear Heloise: I order small soda fountain drinks and ask for little or no ice.

They come out of the fountain already cold, and this way you get as much or more soda than the larger size.

It’s important in these days of economic woes to save where you can. Mitzi, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I always end up forgetting what to buy, such as daily items: soap, bread, milk, etc. I now go on the computer and just type in a bunch of daily items I need, then print it out every time I go shopping. Sarah, via e-mail

Sound-Off Solution

Dear Heloise: I recently read a Sound Off where the writer was upset because it was difficult to get all of the lotion out of the bottle with the pump that some containers come with.

There are many other lotion containers that have a pop-up cap. I kept a couple of the caps, and they match most of the pump-type containers. When I can’t pump any more lotion, I remove the pump and replace it with the cap. I store the lotion upside down; this keeps the lotion readily available for dispensing. Dennis F., Lancaster, Calif.

SBlt Send 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