HELOISE: Wine labels have appeal

Dear Heloise: I want to know the best and cheapest way to remove labels from wine bottles.

Debbie D., via email

Wine labels can be attractive and keepsakes, too! You can fill the bottle with very hot/boiling water. Seal it with the cap or cork and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Then try to slowly peel off the label from the bottom up. Try not to get the label wet, if it’s paper. Have a piece of wax paper or a paper towel ready to place the label on.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Other uses for a pizza cutter:

brownies

cornbread

fudge

spaghetti or noodles

dumplings.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Now that warm weather is here, thoughts start turning to planting vegetables or flowers.

To keep from losing small seeds, press them into a small peat pot. Place it inside a clear plastic clamshell container (the kind used when you take home leftovers from a restaurant) and close the top. The humidity will help encourage the seeds to sprout.

When you can see that they are well-sprouted, remove them and plant them where you want them

Virginia Pannkoke, Prescott, Ariz.

Dear Heloise: I enjoy your column and follow it faithfully. A hint to pass on to your readers: When beginning a new novel, I write down on a small note card the names of the characters and who belongs to which family. This way, if I fall asleep, I can pick up where I left off by refreshing myself with the names and who’s who without having to go back and read prior pages to catch up.

Patty McClain-Evans in Ohio

Dear Heloise: Happily, I found a “no-cut,” “no-sew” way to put slipcovers on the family-room cushioned chairs. Using king-size pillow shams, the seat cushion is slipped into the opening at the back of the sham, taking up one end, and the remaining half of the fabric is folded underneath the cushion.

Additionally, a chair’s back cushion can be slipped into the top half of the sham for a complete look. How easy is that?

Rosemary T., North Palm Beach, Fla.

Dear Heloise: Instead of buying a long handle that screws into a roller handle when painting a wall or floor, use a threaded handle from a broom or mop that you already have. In most cases, the threads are the same.

Paul Z., Lake Wales, Fla.

SOUND OFF

Dear Heloise: Even though I have a king-size bed, I like to use twin comforters. My husband usually pulls the cover over to his side, leaving me in the cold. Solution? We each get our own comforter. But another problem arises. Twin comforters usually are collegiate, sport-themed or kidlike. I love a luxurious-looking bed, but manufacturers don’t make twin-size luxury comforters.

Carol in Florida

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

King Features Syndicate