Dear Readers: If you're the crafty sort and like to try your knack at projects and possibilities, look for free patterns first. Whenever I need or want help with an idea or project I'd like to try, I go into my computer's search engine and type in "free patterns for (name of project)."
The list of patterns, ideas and hints can be endless. Go there first before hiring someone to do it. You will never know unless you try, and if you don't try, you will never know!-Heloise
INTERNET USE
IN HOTELS
Dear Heloise: Here's a travel hint that I would like to share with your readers: If they use any internet programs through the hotel television, be sure to log off before checking out.
Some hotels say they will do this for you, but I say, "Better to be safe than sorry."-Abby D. in San Antonio
FOAM-PACKAGING ISSUE
Dear Heloise: My wife and I try to recycle as much as possible. Do you have any suggestion for how to recycle or what to do with large, odd-shaped foam-packaging blocks, like the kind used to pad large appliances, etc.?
If I cut them into small pieces, I create small fragments that end up blowing all over creation. I hate to just dump them in the regular trash.
Please don't suggest planters or artsy-craftsy projects, as those are not our thing.
Thanks for any other suggestions.-Don F., Hot Springs, South Dakota
Don, a noncrafty suggestion would be to try taking them back to the store where you purchased the item and see if they can recycle it for you. Surely they deal with large foam packaging when they unpack store items.
Readers, do you have any other noncrafty ideas for Don? Please write me and tell me what you do with this material, other than trashing it.-Heloise
SECURING FAMILY FAVORITES
Dear Heloise: My daughter lives in another city, so she's not around much to eat some of our favorite "off the top of our head" recipes. So her aunties (my sisters and sisters-in-law) got together and created a "Family Favorite Recipe" folder on the computer. We added our favorites to this folder.
One sister organized them and sent the file to us and our young-adult children. They appreciated receiving it.
It's now become an ongoing thing, with immediate family members sending out their "new favorites" for each of us to update.
It's a great way to keep family favorites in the family!-Georgia Z. in San Antonio
QUILT BATTING
TO THE RESCUE
Dear Heloise: I was in a hurry to mail a package that needed air-filled packaging or packing peanuts, but didn't have any, so I used my quilting batting to surround the fragile gift. It worked like a charm, and I thought this might help someone else needing other ideas for packaging fragile gifts.-Corrine B., Universal City, Texas
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