Switch sides, please
DEARHELOISE » At our son’s recent wedding, my husband and I asked the bride’s parents if we could sit on the left side for the ceremony while they sat on the right. That way, we could see our son’s face and not his back while they said their vows and exchanged rings.
— Linda S., Papillion, Neb.
Paintbrush hint
DEARHELOISE » Need to leave off your paint job for a while? Instead of cleaning my paintbrush every time I need to stop painting, I put the brush part into a ziptop bag, squeeze as much air out as possible, then zip the bag up tightly with just the handle sticking out. When I’mready to pick up where I left off, the paint on my brush hasn’t dried out, and I’mall set to begin again.
— Maribeth in N.C.
Speaking of painting...
DEARHELOISE » Whenever I am trying to choose a newcolor for a room I amgoing to paint, I paint the area underneath one of my pictures hanging on the wall. It gives me a sampling of the color and I can cover itwith a picture until I amready tomake my decision and do the job.
— Nancy
Heloise
Nail polish
DEARHELOISE » I hope this email finds you well and safe. My little tip tomake nail polish last longer is to keep it in the refrigerator. It will last for years there. Have a great day.
— Judith via email Judith, according to the L’OrealUSA nail laboratory, “keeping nail polishes in the fridge slows down the normal possible discoloration and solvent evaporation of the polish, which happens as the polish gets older.” It’s always best to store nail polish in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. So, while placing your polish in the refrigerator will help with discoloration, it doesn’t actually help it last for years.
Scamwarning
DEARHELOISE » After reading your column today I decided to add to it.
I received an email from Discover tellingme they had upgraded their website and I would need to changemy logon and password. I didNOT reply to the email but went to the website and was able to log on without changing anything. Itwas a scam trying to get me to divulge my info. So be careful. Always protect yourself and your identity!
— TerryG., Simi Valley, Calif.
Christmas card list
DEARHELOISE » Last year I took a picture of each addressed envelope from my Christmas card list. Afterward, I created an album on Shutterfly. Now I can easily access, delete and add new addresses to my list!
— Suz fromTexas
Mask hint
DEARHELOISE » To protect my hairdresser andmyself during a haircut, I tuck the ear loops inside themask and use surgical tape to secure the sides of themask tomy face. It worked great.
— Barbara D., Dallas, Oregon Barbara, the thin ear loops usually don’t cause a problem for most hairdressers, but I like your suggestion as a nice alternative.