Create a Table Centerpiece That Works for Most Written by Joanie Williams
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. You can create a lovely but simple and inexpensive table arrangement that will work for almost any dinner party at your house. First, collect your supplies, then just follow ten easy steps to create your arrangement. Collecting your supplies Choose white flowers and some simplefoliage. White carnations and a couple of ferns are readily available. They provide a simple, inexpensive white arrangement that would go on almost any dinner party table. Choose a low round vase. This way you can easily create an arrangement that is pleasing from all sides. Remember that your guests should be able to see over arrangement. Choose white candles and candlesticks that match color and material of your vase. If you don’t want to use candlesticks, you can just use pillar candles on glass dishes. Now you’re ready to create your table centerpiece. Ten easy steps to creating your arrangement: 1) Fill your vase two thirds full of water. 2) Cut flowers down enough so they just pop over top of vase. 3) Strip off foliage that would be underwater since it will rot faster in water.
| | Easing Coughs NaturallyWritten by Cathy O
Whether it be dead of winter or high life of summer, colds and allergies seem to pop up out of nowhere and “catch” us completely off guard. Hand-in-hand with these seasonal terrors come dreaded cough and there are two ways you can fight cold's comrade-in-arms----- with either over counter cough drops ----- or ones that you can make yourself.Make yourself, you ask? Why not! it's easy and many of ingredients within these little soldiers can be found right in your own kitchen. Sugar, corn syrup and water gently brought to a robust boil till they reach what is known as “hard crack” stage will give you "medium." The only secret to a successful drop is to use a tasty and simple combination of herbs "steeped" in water before adding it to sugar-syrup. This wonderful cough relieving tea along with your "dry" ingredients" are all you need to make your own natural cough confection-ators. Some herbs that are found in many of other natural cough drops you find on market that you may want to try alone or in combination are; Coltsfoot, Korean Licorice Mint (easy to grow; seeds are available from Seeds of Change), thyme, slippery elm, horehound, comfrey leaf, hyssop, marsh mallow and common mullein, to name a few. Many of these herbs are perennial so you will have them for your own personal “medicine cabinet” year after year. Use leaves only of these herbs either singly or in combination. It helps to try them out as a tea first, that way you know which herbs will taste best in your cough drops. About 2-3 tsp. of herb to 1 1/2 cups boiling water ought give you concentration that you need; let steep till cool.
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