I can't explain it. I had wanted to make the morning special for my children before sending them off to school. I started by setting a nice table, complete with candles, napkin rings and a solid eggs and bacon breakfast. We all left the house at the same time, they jumped on the bus, I jumped in the car.
Within a mile or two of the house, I had this strong compulsion to turn around and go back home. I tried to brush off the urge, but nothing doing. It became more persistent and so pressing that within a few minutes I was turning my car around and heading home - post haste!
Didn't know why - I just did. As I climbed out of the car, irritated at the strange inconvenience of it all, I heard my smoke alarm coming from the carport. I thought the battery to the alarm was dying but boy was I wrong? The table was ablaze!
By the time I ran to the bedroom and grabbed the favored quilt off the bed, the chairs were joining in on the flame party.
After extinguishing the flames by quilt suffocation and and a bucket brigade of one, the house was spared.
What caused the fire? Candles. I had forgotten to blow out my mood setting breakfast candles before leaving the house. They had burned down to the glass tray - the tray had cracked and the wax spread - igniting the table.
Today I only use flame less candles.
This may be the first time you have heard of flameless candles.
Flameless Candles are fire safe battery powered candles that have been created, using ingenious new technology to give them the look, feel and smell of the real thing.
These flameless candles have been designed to look and function like a real candle, that it will take a physical investigation to prove they are not the real thing. Now I burn to my hearts content, not worrying about combustible tables or forgotten hot wicks.
If there is a candle you like more times than not you can now find a flameless one similar to it. There are tapered , votive, round, square, molded, some even include timers to preserve battery life. Others are even submersible.
The safety value obvious based on my true story. I kept the charred table on the deck for years as a reminder of my carelessness and God's grace. That said, these candles have fantastic home design applications as well.
Use flameless candles for your seasonal arrangements. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the peak holidays where candle accents come out in full force.
So many flower arrangements and table center pieces incorporate the use of candles to celebrate a family gathering. Many of these arrangements include dry or silk flowers. By using flameless candles Not only will you avoid the risk of fire, but you will protect your furniture from dripping wax or blackend spots on walls.
You will no longer have to clean your glass sconce of smoke residue or messy and difficult to remove wax spots.
Use them for weddings, anniversaries, party decorations. The make wonderful gifts, especially for the college bound young lady who loves candles.
The remote control candles are really snazzy. Now you can display them in those hard to reach places above the front door or over the alcove or in any area of your home where it's just to difficult to light and extinguish.
They can be used indoors and out, rain or shine. Use them in wall scones and chandeliers. Now you won't need to invest in the costly installation of mood lighting.
Find a theme candle to use as a night light in your child's bedroom. There are a variety of solar candles that can be used out doors in the shape of Tiki torches, lanterns and sconces.
And for the more chic among us there are color changing candles great to use at cocktail parties and art gallery affairs.
The best part of all? They create the same beautifully subtle ambiance as their original wax counterparts.
Be prepared for the next holiday season by shopping for flameless candles today.
The only disadvantage of the flameless candles is that they require batteries to operate - free option.
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Sue Krippner is a Professional Organizer and ReDesign Expert. She has worked extensivley in the art world for over 20 years and is the creator of the Profile Miracle. For more information visit:
http://frugalhomedesign.com/profile-miracle.html "Discover the miracle of style."
