From My Desktop

Hello to all you faithful readers and visitors,

It's been a summer that was way to short! As usual I've only accomplished a few of the great things I was going to get around to. However, time moves on whether I'm ready or not, so now I'm looking forward to the grand foliage display that will soon surround me here in Maine.

It has taken longer than I planned to get back into the regularity of this email. Because of this, you'll find my creative dozen list of decorating hints won't be back until next month.

In it's place, I am giving directions for making Pine Cone Firestarters. I always give away baskets of these as Christmas gifts and have already starting collecting dropped pine cones. This is always my most requested gift and since it is on my mind and this is the time to start collecting cones, I thought some of you might enjoy trying these or making them for gifts this year.

Placed in a basket along with a long box of fire matches and wrapped in cellophane and a huge bow, this makes an outstanding gift for anyone with a fireplace. Even if someone doesn't use the fireplace, this makes a great Christmas decoration on the hearth. So if you are a crafty person,(or even if you're not) give this a try. The directions sound complicated, but once you make some, you'll find it goes very quickly. You'll also find it's great to have these on hand to wrap and give as a last minute gift.

Your Friendly Neighborhood (even if I am half way around the world!) Home Dec Lady,
Gloria

The Creative Workshop

When asked to describe the creative process, the painter Jasper Johns replied, "It's simple. You just take something and do something to it, and then you do something else to it. Keep doing this and pretty soon you've got something you created."

As you can tell this process is not complicated, but for some of us it is difficult. For some reason, society has led us to believe we are born creative or we are not. This is a ridiculous idea. We are all born creative. Anyone can see that from the first crayon scribblings our young children make on the bedoom wall! The first boundary we must break through is the social criticism that we are not all creative.

Creativity comes from action. Read the above quote again. "You take something and do something to it." Often times ideas don't come to you until you take action. Say you wanted to decorate a wall. First you hang a picture. You live with it. You decide it is too small for that wall. So you add 2 more pictures. You don't like the frames. You change them. You then add a bigger picture. You decide to add an item that complements the picture. Then you add a mirror. Then it's too much so you take something out. Soon you have a whole wall that looks exactly as you pictured it. This is how the creative process works.

Don't think you have to have a great idea right out of the gate. Start your project. Nothing is written in stone. If you don't like something, change it. Remove it, add to it, change the color, change the fabric or rearrange the furniture. These are all creative actions. Just keep on going until you hit something you really love. This is being creative. There's nothing mysterious about this process.

However, if you don't take action, nothing will develop and you will spend your life thinking, " I was in the wrong room when the creative genes were handed out." You should know by now, that this is patently untrue. Find out how much fun you can have when you take the risk and open yourself up to your true creative nature.

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Make Some Pine Cone Firestarters for a Great Christmas Gift

Pine cone fire starters can be made as scented or non-scented and may or may not be colored depending on the wax used. You can use candle wax from the craft store, old candle stubs or paraffin blocks from the canning department of your local grocery or even broken crayon pieces from your childrens' toy box. For color use candle coloring from the craft store. The scent MUST be essential oils, the type used in potpourri or candle making available at your local craft store or candle supply store. As an added note color and scents are not required for the pine cone to become an effective fire starter.

Wax must be melted in a double boiler to reduce risk of fire. This can be achieved by using a metal can large enough for your largest pine cone to set into with at least two inches head room above the pine cone. Place a mark on the can at the top of your largest pine cone (a coffee can usually works well).

Place the can in a pan of water on the stove. Add broken pieces of wax or candle stubs to the can and allow to melt on medium to low heat until the liquid wax reaches your mark.

Tie a string around a few of the scales. Holding the string dip the pine cone slowly into the liquid wax. Remove and allow to drip over the can until it stops. Place on wax paper and allow to completely harden.

Pine cones can be arranged in a basket or other container and if used as a gift you might add a fancy box of fireplace matches. To use as a fire starter place the pine cone on top of the kindling and light the edge of one of the scales.

CAUTION: Because of the properties in the essential oil, potpourri and scented light rings should not be placed on finished wood furniture without glass protector as the essential oil will damage the finish.

For colored flames you can soak the pine cones in water to which one of the chemicals listed has been added. After the cones have soaked up all the liquid spread them out to dry. When dry you can add the cone to the fire and watch the colored flames dance.

It is best to use only one color per cone or break the cones apart before soaking and then when dry, mix the different chemical soaked scales together when adding to the flames to provide an aray of colors.

Mix as much of the powdered chemical into water as will disolve. The exception is sodium chloride (table salt) which is mixed one half ounce salt to one pint of water to produce yellow flames.

Strontium chloride produces red flames, magnesium sulphate (Epson Salts) gives white flames and calcium chloride for blue flames. Mix the dryed pine scales and have a patriotic fire. Other chemicals give you different colors to enjoy.

Copper sulphate (blue vitrol) has a green flame while baronsalts (borax) has a yellowish-green flame and potassium sulphate mixed 3 to 1 with potassium nitrate will show off a violet flame.

Dare to Dream, Dare to Hope, Dare to Believe, Dare to Live!

About the Home Dec Lady:

If you enjoyed this newsletter, visit my website and learn to develop your creativity and create the home you dream of by using my **free** online home decorating workbook.

To find out why and how I am building a web business visit the Mysite/Myself page on my website. I am having fun and building a good income at the same time. If you would like to do the same, check out this page while you are visiting my online home

Take the time to visit this site if you can use an extra $500 to $1000 a month

Do you already own a website? Is it producing income for you? If you would like some hints to increase the income from your site download this *free* Affiliate Masters course. Read what other website owners are doing to increase their monthly income.

All products recommended on this site have been actively researched and used by me. I only recommend products and services I use myself, and hope you find some new and interesting ideas for developing and using your God given talents and creativity.

Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Feel free to email me and let me know of your comments and suggestions now while your thoughts are fresh in your mind.

Please feel free to pass on this issue to friends and associates --just keep the entire message intact and unaltered.

Published Monthly “Creative Home Decorating" is a newsletter geared to the individual who dreams of creating the perfect home atmosphere of peace, harmony, comfort and relaxation.

Designed to help the frustrated decorator and creatively challenged, this ezine will inspire you to jump in and take a chance on your inborn talents. By doing this you will grow from the inside out.

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Gloria Daniels, Publisher
http://www.home-decorating-room-by-room.com