THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512010040
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
FROM A LOG CABIN that is nothing like Abe Lincoln's come holiday decorating ideas that could be applied to any type of home. The palatial two-story log home was built by Country Home magazine smack in the middle of the nation's largest shopping mall, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
All gussied up for the holidays, the ``showhouse,'' which will be photographed for next year's holiday issue, is filled with the latest in home products and appliances, furnishings and accessories, all in a country theme.
An old wooden sled hung on an outside door, covered with greens, burlap ribbons and birdseed ornaments, makes an eye-catching entryway.
The many Christmas trees throughout the home present delightful alternatives to traditional ornaments. One is garnished with family treasures such as old hat boxes, fabric sachet hearts, antique hats and gloves. The children's tree is decorated with books, skates, bears, doll clothes and old games. One outdoor tree is hung with birdhouses and bird seed made into bells, stars and other fun shapes. Another is decked out with tin lamps filled with Christmas lights.
In the kitchen a garland is studded with gingerbread cookies, old kitchen utensils and cookie cutters.
The message to holiday home decorators seems to be: Use what you have and dare to be different. COZY UP THE INDOORS
As the weather outside turns frightful, we look for ways to stay cozy indoors. Here are some tips from the November issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine on how to turn your home into a warm winter cocoon.
Sometimes moving the furniture a few inches can make a room cozy. Instead of lining walls with furniture, waiting-room style, pull sofas and chairs in from the walls and anchor them with a plush rug.
Replace a coffee table with a higher, skirted tea table and your living room will become a friendlier and more functional place for snacking and visiting.
Paint the walls to add a warm glow.
Add treasured objects, such as favorite books, to give a room comforting familiarity.
Light a fire in the hearth and make use of softly glowing lamps and candles throughout the room.
Make an ordinary sofa plush and inviting by adding a stack of pillows in a pleasing mix of fabrics and designs. WAYS TO CONSERVE ENERGY
Virginia Power's tips on staying cozy while conserving energy are a bit more practical. Some are for winterizing your home, some have year-round application.
Schedule annual maintenance checkups for your heating system.
Make sure your heating system's duct work is properly sealed and insulated.
Move furniture away from heating registers.
When there's no fire in the fireplace, keep dampers and glass fireplace doors closed.
Keep your thermostat on the lowest comfortable setting.
Insulate hot water pipes and water heaters in unheated areas.
Caulk and weather-strip windows, doors, exhaust fans and any place where wires or pipes pass through walls.
Cover window air conditioners tightly with plastic covers. Weather strip around the unit.
Consider adding storm windows and doors.
Use the more energy-efficient bulbs available today or switch to fluorescent where practical.
Don't unnecessarily check on food while it cooks. Every time you open the oven door, 25 percent of the heat is lost.
Cook in oven-safe glass or ceramic when possible. These materials will allow you to reduce oven temperature 25 degrees below what the recipe calls for. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Tree is trimmed with seed-covered balls.
by CNB