Real News

October 2005          Published by Thomas Bagogloo, The BAGOGLOO Team, RE/MAX nova

 

Home Decor

Accessories Make Your Home Unique
Accessories in a home are the frosting on the cake, the extra part that really makes a house a home and the rooms uniquely yours. Accessories change a room from plain to exciting and can bring back memories of places visited with unique finds.  Special pieces warm up an otherwise ordinary space and bring out the personality of the owners. The little extras can pull together a bunch of mismatched pieces or add a romantic flair to a dull room. Why not see what a difference a little imagination can make?   There are lots of ways to use accessories in rooms to warm up the surroundings. Candle holders are one example.  "One can never have too many candle holders," one famous designer advised.  Using a collection of various sizes of candles and holders, place them on a lace cloth in the center of a table, making a warm lighted area in an otherwise dark room. An old candelabra found in an antique store, maybe even slightly dulled, can add an interesting spark to a coffee table or library table. Two may be even better to balance the look. Find large chunky candle holders, as well as those holding slim candles, in a variety of heights. Always light the candles when setting them out; the look of a bit 'used' adds more charm.  Many designers suggest the use of books to add character to a room.  Try stacking three to four books up on a table and adding a clay statue or a plant on top to vary height and texture.  Or maybe you have a lamp on a side table that is too short, stacking a few books underneath can enhance the appearance and use of the lamp.		In a bookcase, you should vary the way the books are laid out.  The old rule of lining up the books according to size is out  The new rule says, lay them down, stack them up, vary the sizes, add a plant or two - all for interest and variety.  Look in bookstores for the leather bound classics to display, who knows, maybe you'll even be inspired to read them.  Pictures, Frames and Fun Collections of family photos and snapshots make a room yours and give a clear picture of what's important to you.  Frames are always on sale.  Pick up frames that appeal to you - ornate gold ones are fun.  Use a fun snapshot from vacation, enlarge a few photos that show personality, and put a collection of different frames on an end table or mantle. Some people find pictures from magazines that depict a theme and frame them.  Do you have a love for the old west?  Cut out some pictures that show the desert or a ragged old cowhand. Put the picture in a rustic wooden frame and add them to the collection. Not a lot of money to spend? Here's a novel idea. Use inexpensive posters; but splurge on a beautiful frame with wide double matting to fill up a big blank wall.  The beautiful frame can make any picture look good! The whole idea is to put together things that appeal, and have meaning to you.
History of Hallowe'en
The history of Hallowe'en can be traced from its rather serious beginnings 2000 years ago to today's celebration of tricks and treats. Although trick-or-treating itself can be traced to Irish immigrants who brought the idea to North America in the 1800s, other customs of Halloween date back much further.   The Irish celebration of Hallowe'en (Hallow "E'en" for "evening") comes from a religious feast - All Hallows Day, better known today as All Saint's Day. Since the ninth century, Christians have celebrated All Hallows Day on November 1st in honour of deceased holy persons or saints, referred to as "Hallows". The Christian Halloween adopted traditions from a much older Celtic holiday. More than 2000 years ago, the Druids observed a festival called Samhain, during which the god of the dead, they believed, came back to earth accompanied by ghosts and goblins. The Celtic people wore animal skins and animal heads to hide from these evil spirits, and Druid priests burned sacrifices to appease the spirits. Today's popular Halloween colors recall the orange bonfires against the black nighttime skies. Costuming expanded from animals and spooky creatures to saints and, as we see today, to personalities in the popular culture. In addition to the Druid influence, Roman harvest festivals of the first century A.D., especially one honouring Pomona , the goddess of fruit, also put their stamp on the celebration. Bobbing for apples is recorded in medieval manuscripts. Today's popular Halloween imagery of pumpkins and cornfield mazes reflects the Roman tradition of celebrating a good harvest. The most common tradition in today's Halloween, trick-or-treating, is a reenactment of Irish beggars going to the homes of the rich on All Hallows Eve to ask for food or money. If the rich refused, evil spirits -- so the beggars said -- would destroy their homes. Trick-or-treating became widespread in North America in the 1940s. Costumed children went house-to-house asking for small handouts, usually candy. In return, no tricks would be played. In today's times, families focus on safety, trick-or-treating only at the homes of people they know. Many communities put the emphasis on costume parades, school parties, and controlled "haunted" houses.
Jack-o'-Lantern Cake 2 packages Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food or white cake mix Water (indicated on cake mix box) Vegetable oil (indicated on cake mix box) Eggs or egg whites (indicated on cake mix box) 2 tubs Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting Yellow and red food color 1 green flat-bottom ice-cream cone Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack rolls (any flavor) Heat oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour 2-quart round casserole or 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Make 1 package cake mix as directed on package, using water, oil and eggs or egg whites. Pour batter into casserole. Bake devil's food cake 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes, white cake about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from casserole; place rounded side up on wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat with remaining cake mix .		Empty frosting into medium bowl; tint with 9 drops yellow and 6 drops red food color to make orange frosting. Place 1 cake, rounded side down, on plate. Spread with 2/3 cup of the orange frosting almost to edge. Place second cake, rounded side up, on frosted cake to make round shape. Frost with remaining orange frosting. Trim ice-cream cone to desired height for stem; place upside down on cake. Cut out eyes, nose, mouth, vines and leaves from fruit snack rolls. Place on frosted cake to form face. Your help is important!  Over half of my business comes from referrals. If you know of anyone who is thinking of a move, please give me a call. - Thomas