Tips for Stress free life  >  Expert Zone   > Home Improvement      

 Home Improvement Tips


10 Quick Ways to Change Your Fire-less Fireplace from a Black Hole to a Worthy Focal Point


Everyone loves a fireplace aglow with a roaring fire or flickering embers. But your fireplace need not be a gaping empty hole--like a picture frame without a picture--those times you choose not to have a fire.

As you look over these ideas, you'll recognize any that will need to be adapted if you have young children or pets with access to the fireplace.

  • Ivy Basket: A lovely basket filled with a thriving ivy plant adds a touch of nature to your room. Let the ivy trail onto the hearth to keep the look informal.

  • Autumn Vegetables: In the fall, create an arrangement of pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, and silk leaves in autumn colors. Set some of your vegetables on upturned wooden bowls to vary their heights.

  • Pine Cones: An arrangement of pinecones of varying sizes, displayed in a large basket, wooden bowl, firewood basket, or even an old washtub works well for a causal country décor. Scatter some of the pinecones around the container, too.

  • Pottery Jug & Dried Plants: For another country autumn look, display a large pottery jug in your fireplace, and around it make a loose arrangement of intertwined, dried grapevine. Mingle some other clusters of dried plants into the grapevine. Dried baby's breath, for example, keeps the look open and airy.

  • Poinsettias: Blooming poinsettias, especially ones so large they practically fill the fireplace, look stunning during the winter. Depending on your room, the white ones may be even more dramatic than the red ones. Put smaller potted poinsettias on the hearth.

  • Tropical Vignette: Let your fireplace provide the frame for a tropical retreat vignette when summer rolls around. With a piece of driftwood, display large seashells and colorful glass fishing balls-some perched on the driftwood or on white candle holders to give them height.

The truly venturesome might set these goodies on a base of rippling white sand.

  • Party Balloons: Party time? Inflate balloons in keeping with your party's color scheme. Load the fireplace full of the balloons (not helium ones!), using the fireplace screen or glass doors to hold the balloons in place.

Tie the ribbons of three helium balloons to a heavy object, such as a wrapped brick wrapped as a "present," at either side of the fireplace.

  • New Year's Vignette: When it's time to ring in New Year, first tape two taut strings inside your fireplace, above where they will be visible. Run each one from a front corner to the opposite back corner, so the strings form an X.

Unroll one-fourth inch wide white, silver, and black party streamers and drape them over the strings so they dangle down at varying lengths into the fireplace. Next, unroll more streamers and casually spread a deep pile onto the fireplace floor.

Now add the appropriate props: champagne bottles and glasses, party hats and horns, a large clock set at almost midnight, or metallic numerals of the New Year. To raise some object, set them on boxes hidden under the streamers.

  • Fresh Flowers: There's no time of year when a large bouquet of fresh flowers set in your fireplace won't look great. Forget the silk ones, though. Let's not kid ourselves that our guests will continue to assume that they are real when they've seen them time and again.

  • Fireplace Candelabra: But, if you're like many of us who feel that a fireplace just needs the flicker of fire to look its best, consider a fireplace candelabra, a candle holder designed specially for your fireplace. You can have a fireplace aglow with light without a single stick of firewood in sight or the expense of gas logs.

Some fireplace candelabras are slim enough to fit in front of your existing andirons and grate while others are make to fill your empty fireplace. Select candles for your fireplace candelabra in colors that accent your room or set a holiday's or party's color scheme.

Plus, you can even match the fireplace candles' scents to the season or event! Think, for example, pumpkin and spice for Thanksgiving, vanilla or apple spice to elicit a "homey" feel, and lemon for a crisp summer scent.

So, your fire-less fireplace need not be a Black Hole after all! You can make your fireplace, the natural focal point of your room, worth looking at even when there are no burning logs.

About The Author

Susan Penney appreciates simple ways to make our homes renewing spaces for our families. She invites you to visit http://www.FireplaceMall.com for fireplace accessories to serve your fire-less or your fire-filled fireplace.

fireplacemall@earthlink.net


MORE RESOURCES:

BBC News

Progress seen in debt relief for poor countries
Pakistan Dawn, Pakistan - 8 hours ago
By Masood Haider UNITED NATIONS, Sept 4: A new UN report finds significant progress in providing debt relief to the world’s poorest countries. ...
DEVELOPMENT: UN Warns of Faltering Goals on Aid, Trade IPS
Poverty-reduction aid lags, study finds Los Angeles Times
New UN report ‘sounds strong alarm’ on gaps in achieving ... UN News Centre
Reuters South Africa - Business Standard
all 170 news articles


Handloom weavers may get debt relief
Business Standard, India - Sep 2, 2008
After the debt waiver scheme for farmers, the Union government is hoping to extend a similar scheme for handloom weavers. The Union textiles ministry, ...


Gene F. Turnwald: Debt relief might be less than it promises
Lansing State Journal, MI - Sep 2, 2008
I ask you to please keep that in mind when dealing with debt relief companies that guarantee to lower your credit card or loan payments and interest rates. ...


VISIONS OF AN OIL-RICH GHANA - NOT COMPARISONS OF FAILED 4TH
Modern Ghana, Ghana - Sep 4, 2008
Mpaninfuo, the truth of the matter is that none of the political parties you are so enamoured with, had the nous or the imagination, to think of debt relief ...


Staying On Track with Your Debt Relief Plan
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 29, 2008
All these things, however, pale in comparison with the importance of sticking to and staying focused on your debt relief plan. Sticking with a debt relief ...


Group advocates tax increases and non-user fees for sewer debt relief
The Birmingham News - al.com, AL - Aug 29, 2008
A group of community activists and State Rep. Mary Moore said today the Jeffrson County should increase property taxes and impose non-user fees on water ...


Consolidate Your Bills and Save Up To 75% Today
WebWire (press release), GA - Sep 1, 2008
http://www.debtconsolidationunion.com ) At DebtConsolidationUnion.com visitors can find excellent information about successful methods of debt relief and ...


Business Debt Reduction Sets You Free Of Debts
Search By Headlines (press release), NV - Sep 1, 2008
Debt Relief-Assistance brings a simple online way to deal with any such issue that too without letting it burden your budget. With the help of business debt ...


Online Audio Seminar on Debt Relief Helps Consumers
PR Urgent - Aug 26, 2008
Personal finance publishing company offers online audio seminars to help consumers decide between different debt relief options and how to negotiate debt ...


8th Circuit: Bankruptcy Provision Violates Lawyer Free Speech Rights
ABA Journal, IL - 11 minutes ago
The provision before the court had barred debt relief agencies from counseling clients to take on more debt in contemplation of bankruptcy. ...

Debt-Relief - Google News

You are here Home > Tips for Stress free Life > Expert Zone > Home Improvement


| Home Improvement  | Home Improvement - Complete list 

| Main Home | | Meditation Corner

                |Health Tips  | Workplace Tips  | Soul Tips  |Expert Zone  |

Recommend us  |

 Books, DVDs and accessories on meditation & yoga  |

[About us] [Contact] [Privacy Policy]

Copyright 2006, Meditation is Easy.com, All rights reserved