DATE: Sunday, November 23, 1997             TAG: 9711220048

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   71 lines

IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS, FROM HAND-PAINTED TABLEWARE TO FLASHLIGHTS

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO Laurie Gates was a cattle rancher living on the Canadian plains. Eager for better business opportunities, he moved to Los Angeles in 1984. There he became a manufacturer's representative for a gift company and discovered he had a knack for design. In 1992 he opened his own pottery business.

For the last five years Gates has designed and manufactured hand-painted ceramics and tableware and has recently expanded his repertoire to include tablecloths and napkins, along with candles and bedding. His dinner plates are decorated with precious metals, fossil fish imprints, leopard spots, whatever strikes his fancy.

All the work is done at Gates' factory, including mixing the clay, making the molds, hand-painting the product and firing the goods. The process takes more than 30 steps, and the finished products are pricey. A snowman cookie jar wearing a gold-painted tuxedo, popular last Christmas, sold for $90 to $100.

Laurie Gates Designs are available at four gift shops in south Hampton Roads: Sutton Place, 316 W. 21st St., Norfolk; and in Virginia Beach at the Ragged Robin, 327 Laskin Road, Shells by Linda at Great Neck Road and Shore Drive; and at The Ship's Chandler, 312 Sandbridge Road. BLOOMING DECORATIONS

You don't need a green thumb to decorate with plants and flowers this holiday season.

The current issue of Southern Living magazine has some unusual and simple suggestions:

Instead of a floral centerpiece on the dining room table, try hanging small clear bud vases from the chandelier.

Each suspended vase could hold a few stems of a favorite flower or a few sprigs of ivy or other greenery. Loop ribbon or raffia over each arm of the chandelier and knot securely around the neck of the vase.

A small plant potted in a teacup makes a delightful addition to each place setting at a dinner party. You might mix and match a variety of old pieces or use matching cups from your china set.

Houseplants can be transformed into holiday decorations if you cover their containers with holiday wrapping paper, tie with ribbon and finish with a bow. LIGHT FOR SMALL PLACES

SnakeLight Mini is big on power, small on space. The new appliance is, in fact, small enough to fit neatly into a Christmas stocking.

Fourteen inches long, with a high-intensity bulb powered by two AA batteries, the miniature version of Black & Decker's SnakeLight, like its parent product, has a flexible core, making it ideal for hands-free lighting. It can be used when you're camping, walking the dog, opening the car door in a poorly lit parking lot.

Retailing for about $18, the SnakeLight Mini is available at mass merchandise, discount and home center stores. DECK THE HALLS

Decorating ranks second only to eating as a holiday pursuit, according to The Washington Post. Almost everyone does it - 93 percent of households responding to a poll by National Family Opinion Research.

They dutifully deck the halls, parlors, dens, kitchens, kids' rooms, even the bathrooms. But they don't necessarily enjoy it. Of those polled, 51 percent call decorating a time-consuming chore.

Their biggest complain: They're pressed for time and short on creativity.

Stay tuned for some simple decorating ideas in the Dec. 7 Home & Garden section or check out the holiday tour listings next Sunday and go see how some real experts decorate. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

Designer Laurie Gates' hand-painted ceramics...

The SnakeLight Mini from Black & Decker...

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