Hints From Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here are two hints I want to share with you.

After condensing my jewelry into a tackle-type box I needed a way to keep my fine-chained necklaces from getting tangled, as there were no longer any hooks to hang them from. There was, however, a long, narrow compartment, so I cut drinking straws to fit the length of the chain, slipped the chain hook through the straw (so half the chain was inside the straw and the other half was outside the straw), then I hooked the chain. Voila, my chains cannot get tangled and the charm hangs outside the straw, so I can see at a glance which necklace is which. You’d be amazed at how many straws can fit into a long narrow space.

Also, I read about a woman who puts her cupcakes inside a rectangular cake pan and then sprinkles them so it doesn’t make a mess and to save the sprinkles that don’t make it onto the cupcakes. If you put the sprinkles into a cereal bowl and dip the cupcakes, it works just as well. - Helen Topolsky, Eldersburg, Md.