HELOISE: Photo display dresses up walls

Dear Heloise: I have 50-plus years of photographs. Some are in albums, others in boxes. I had two bare walls in the hallway and decided to “dress them up.”

On the first wall, I tacked up interlocking 12-by-12-inch ceiling tiles, cut some wood, painted it and made a frame. I used pushpins to fasten the photos onto the tiles. On some of them I put scrapbook borders around, and some have the names/dates on them, using self-stick letters/numbers. I also glued on rickrack or ribbon, and on others I used stickers.

I was so pleased with the finished product, I decided to do the other wall. For the second wall, I bought a piece of poster board, tacked it onto the wall, used some premitered wood and made the frame. This one was much easier to install. The kids love finding their pictures (at varying ages), and also Grandma and Grandpa when they were younger.

Barbara in Texas

Barbara, we love your easy way to display family photos and fun pictures. I did this in one of our hallways, and everyone, even guests, had a good time looking at the photos.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I’m surprised I made it 30-something years without learning this: You should always shake out your clothes when you remove them from the washer and put them in the dryer. It helps to untwist and unbunch them, reduces drying time and, best of all, reduces wrinkles. I’ve especially noticed that when I do this, my jeans don’t wrinkle as much, and my sheets don’t get all rolled/bunched up as much.

Penny, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: If you’re a woman who prefers handkerchiefs to tissues, you know they’re darned hard to find — and usually cost too much. I finally decided to take the dozen or so bandanas I had and cut them into squares.

They’re soft and just the right size, and they come in a wide variety of colors. They’re inexpensive, too. Why even hem them?

Donna, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: Keep a stack of round, disposable coffee filters near the microwave. Flattened, they’re the perfect shape to cover food on plates and in small bowls. They also absorb extra moisture and are very inexpensive.

M.S. in Wisconsin

Dear Heloise: I was trying to remove rosemary stems from a long decanter. My husband got his mechanic’s tool grabber, and stuck it down the long, thin neck, then retracted it, and out came the rosemary. My decanter was saved. From then on, I have one in my kitchen all the time just for this.

Jeannie in Washington

Dear Heloise: Here is a hint on broken clay pots: I put broken pieces of terra cotta in the bottom of new pots to help hold the moisture in. Don’t cover the drain hole or pack too tightly. Cover with soil and insert the new plant. It works wonders here in Texas.

Jessie in Texas

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate