HOW-TO KNOW-HOW Archives - Page 7 of 8

Yesss! OxiClean Is A Miracle Stain Remover

October 11, 2011/6 Comments/in BUY THIS. MAKE THAT., Cleaning & Maintenance, Fashion & Beauty, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

We’re kind of obsessed with clothing stains around here, and guess what? We’ve finally found the perfect—and easiest—way to remove them.

PROBLEM SOLVED | At Frugalbits we’re suckers for expert advice so last spring, when we wanted to know how to remove perspiration stains from white tee shirts, we contacted Madame Paulette in New York City, an international expert in fabric care. The company president graciously shared Madame Paulette’s DIY stain removal formula with our readers (CLICK HERE for the story), and although it is good and useful, we’ve recently been introduced to an even simpler solution that’s equally effective and no work at all. Read more

780 Pairs Of Strechy Gloves For $20

October 7, 2011/0 Comments/in Exercise, Fashion & Beauty, FITNESS, Fitness & Health, HEALTH, HOME, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, Organizing, Styling Tips, View All Fashion Stories, View All Fitness Stories, View All Health Stories, View All Home Stories, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

Yes, Virginia, it’s true: you can have 780 pairs of gloves for under $20. We report on the miracle here.

CREATIVE SOLUTION | The trouble with gloves is that they get lost, loaned, separated from their mates, mangled by pets—or can’t be found where you put them last. Read more

It’s Hip To Strip Metal Furniture: Here’s How

September 8, 2011/0 Comments/in D.I.Y., DECOR & DESIGN, DIY, HOME, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All DIY Stories, View All Home Stories, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

Stripped bare and pummelled with walnut shells, vintage metal furniture takes on a cool, contemporary look.

THE CREATIVE SOLUTION | Metal home or office furnishings dating from the 1950s are hot accent pieces for contemporary interiors, but painted items must be stripped entirely to the raw metal to bring them right up to date.

There are three ways to strip metal furniture. People with the space, time and muscle can use a biodegradable chemical paint remover such as Heirloom Furniture Stripper. Another method is to sand the paint off with an electric sander using a sanding pad specific to metal. Sanding leaves painty skid marks and a distinct pattern, giving the piece a timeworn look. Read more

Ooh La La: How To Dress Like The French

September 6, 2011/1 Comment/in Classics & Trends, FASHION, Fashion & Beauty, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, Styling Tips, View All Fashion Stories, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

With a message that’s right for the times, Parisian icon Inès de la Fressange is the new muse for North American fashionistas.

STYLE GUIDE | Who’s the chicest woman in France? Not Bruni, Gainsbourg or Deneuve. It’s Inès de la Fressange by a landslide, if French newspaper polls are the gauge. Fressange, a French blueblood and former model, returned to the runway this past spring at age 53 to walk the Chanel 2011 show in Paris. Now she’s fashion muse to the masses in North America with the recent English translation of her popular style guide Parisian Chic, a handbook filled with her own whimsical illustrations, lovely how-to-dress-French photos of her daughter, Nine, and amusing single-paragraph fashion pronouncements.

Nonchalant Fressange, a high-low shopper if ever there was one, has great advice on how to think and dress like a style-savvy Parisian without selling the farm (plus insider tips about where to shop in Paree, should you go). Here are five of her myriad useful ideas on how to get “The Look.” Read more

Get A Free Phone Line With A Dedicated ###

June 22, 2011/2 Comments/in Goods & Services, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

With this free service, you can use a dedicated number to make and receive long-distance calls from your computer—and have incoming calls rerouted to your landline or cell. Sweeet!

WASTE NOT | Living Rich by Spending Smart author Gregory Karp says telecom- munications, along with food and insurance, are three of the biggest recurring expenses in every adult’s life, so to achieve “financial fitness” you should avoid waste in these areas first.

In an effort to staunch the telecommunications hemorrhaging that goes on in our house, I signed up for Google Voice (CLICK HERE for our story), a software program that allows those with a Gmail account to make free long-distance calls (through 2011, anyway) all over North America via computer. I’ve used “GV” to make free calls to the U.S. but found the sound quality so hit and miss (I’m told it’s Beta software) that it prompted me to try another free software for calls in Canada. This one has provided me with consistently clear reception—plus some bells and whistles. Read more

Skunk Got The Pooch? Here’s What To Do

June 16, 2011/1 Comment/in Cleaning & Maintenance, Goods & Services, HOME, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All Home Stories, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

It’s that time of year, when spray-happy juvenile skunks wreak havoc on pooches everywhere. Here’s our popular recipe to get rid of the stink.

BE PREPARED | Sometimes it’s impossible to determine the genesis of an urban myth, but there is good reason to believe that David Cassidy and the rest of the Partridge Family clan either started or fanned the flame of fallacy by suggesting tomato juice removes skunk scent from dogs. The truth is it doesn’t, though it might temporarily mask the odour. In a now famous 1970 television episode, the family dog, Simone, and all the kids wound up bathing in gallons of the red stuff after a run-in with a certain Pepe Le Pew. Eeeew.

With skunk season now in full force and the air filled with the scent so familiar to Metro Vancouverites, Frugalbits decided to put together what we call a (pre)-Catastrophe Kit. The ingredients are small (and inexpensive) and the instructions are few, but preparing a deskunking kit in advance will save you time and stress should an altercation ensue. Read more

Old School Slides Used To Make A Pendant Lamp Shade

Make A Lampshade From 35mm Slides

April 17, 2011/3 Comments/in D.I.Y., DECOR & DESIGN, DIY, HOME, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All DIY Stories, View All Home Stories, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

How to make a conversation-starting pendant lampshade using 35mm slides.

Have you got boxes of old 35mm slides that need to be scanned and transformed into digital files on your computer— then turfed because you’ll just never, ever look at them on a slide projector screen again? Well, here’s something novel you can do with a stack of them.

My inspiration for this retro-look pendant lampshade came from the infamous credit card dress that a fashion designer wore to the Academy Awards ceremony a number of years ago. The construction method for both items is similar. Read more

How To Always Get The Event Tickets You Want

March 8, 2011/2 Comments/in Goods & Services, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

How to ensure you won’t lose out on tickets to the concerts and events you most want to see.

WORK THE SYSTEM | Has this ever happened to you? Your favourite performer or sporting event is coming to town and you want to make sure you get great seats the second they’re up for grabs. You know that buying tickets in person at a Ticketmaster location or over the telephone will not be faster than purchasing them online, so on the day they become available, you access your Ticketmaster account and begin refreshing your computer screen repeatedly in the minutes leading up to their release, pouncing like a tiger on its prey when the Find Tickets button goes live. Even with your lightening quick reflexes, every ticket is gone in a matter of minutes, and not one of them sold to you.

What can you do to ensure this will never happen again? One thing would be to try to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public. For that you will most likely need a presale password or code. Read more

How To Throw A Last Minute Oscars Party

February 5, 2011/0 Comments/in Culture & Leisure, Entertaining, FOOD, Food & Drink, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All Food Stories, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

How to throw a last-minute, stress-free Academy Awards party that everyone even the host will enjoy.

EASY DOES IT | Pamela Anderson, one of Frugalbits’ favourite food writers, says people should stop entertaining and “have people over” instead. “Having people over,” says Anderson, is about coming together casually with good pals and enthusiastic acquaintances. It’s about serving uncomplicated food and having no other expectation for an evening other than that it be fun. The Oscars this Sunday is the perfect “having people over” occasion. No worries that today’s Thursday and you’ve only got four days to get your event together. We started planning our Oscar party yesterday, and you’re welcome to follow our game plan and our menu.

Frugalbits Oscar Party Day-By-Day Game Plan Read more

TV + Internet: Thinking Inside The Boxee Box

January 18, 2011/4 Comments/in Culture & Leisure, Goods & Services, HOW-TO KNOW-HOW, View All How-To Stories /by Editor

This digital receiver provides a dead easy way to stream FREE Internet content—in glorious HD—on your big screen TV.

SHOPPING AROUND | When Apple TV relaunched last fall, I rushed out and got one and hooked it up to my television with an HDMI cable so I could gain easy, seamless access to Netflix and whatever other premium—a.k.a. paid for—audio/video content ITunes can persuade me to purchase from their online emporium. Now I’m wondering whether a Boxee Box would have been the smarter buy.