DATE: Sunday, November 9, 1997              TAG: 9711040143

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE

                                            LENGTH:  118 lines

GET FRAMED FOR THE HOLIDAY

THERE ARE A FEW weeks left before you begin decking the halls with boughs of holly, but you may want to start decking the walls with framed Christmas art.

The Art & Framing Council, a trade group, suggests that special decorations could be moved from the tree or the tabletop to a prime place on the walls. For instance:

A simple red, white and green handkerchief gains stature when it is displayed on a green mat board and framed.

Antique tree ornaments will get the attention they deserve when they are hung from ribbons in a shadowbox.

A shadowbox might house a group of related objects, such as the angelic pieces shown here. A little angel's head, a framed postcard depicting angels, a simple white ribbon and some golden grapes create an elegant wall hanging.

Gold ribbon creates the backdrop for a Christmas collage with a child's Christmas stocking as the centerpiece. This is a wonderful way to preserve stockings when the children grow older. END TO A STICKY SITUATION

At holiday time most of us wish we had more than two hands, especially when we're wrapping gifts.

The folks at 3M have come to the rescue with a new product called the Scotch pop-up tape strip dispenser. The gadget, which attaches to your hand with an elastic band, delivers precut two-inch pieces of tape that one hand can pluck while the other holds the gift wrap in place.

The dispenser and two pads of tape, each containing 75 precut pieces, sells for about $3.99 at drugstores and mass merchandise centers. A refill pack of three tape pads sells for $2.99.

For a free booklet of gift-wrapping tips, send a stamped, self-addressed business envelope to Scotch Brand Tips Service Center, 2982 North Cleveland Ave., Roseville, MN 55113. Or send an e-mail with your name and mailing address to: tips a 3mservice.montagenet.com. DINING AMIDST OLD FRIENDS

Pass the salt and the Shakespeare.

The November issue of House & Garden reports on a trend in home decorating that Jackie Onassis might have started: the dining room cum library.

Using the library as a setting for dinner parties is a practical and popular practice in New York City, where even people who live in grand prewar apartments never seem to have enough space, said the magazine.

``We rarely do conventional dining rooms anymore,'' said Keith Irvine of the New York design firm of Irvine, Fleming and Jackson. He designed a combination dining room/library for Jackie O.

Many people believe that dinner-party conversation is elevated when the guests are surrounded by volumes of history, biography and poetry, according to House & Garden.

Said Dan Carithers, an Atlanta interior designer: ``What's better than favorite food, favorite friends and favorite books in the same room?'' DOG FOOD TO GO

If your dog travels a lot, you might notice the item ``Pet Galley from Dogloo'' on his Christmas list.

The insulated cooler chills 15 cups of water on the bottom while a tray on top keeps seven cups of Fido's food fresh. The tray lifts out to become a feeding dish.

Made of heavy-duty, machine washable plastic, the Pet Galley is 7 1/2 inches high and 10 1/2 inches in diameter. With a suggested retail price of $17.99, the item is available at BJ's Wholesale Club, 3712 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach and through J and J Dog Supplies catalog (1-800-642-2050). GET A CHARGE

Rechargeable batteries are not forever. The chemicals inside the batteries will eventually wear out, points out an item in the current issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

The life expectancy of nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries is determined by an estimated number of charge cycles. Each time you remove your cordless phone and put it back on the base, you use up one of the cycles. To make the battery last longer, don't put the phone back on the base after each call, says the magazine. Instead, wait until the end of each day to return it to the base. WAYS TO SAVE RESOURCES

Did you know that:

Every year between Thanksgiving and New Year's the nation's trash increases by 25 percent or by about 1 million tons;

If every family reused 2 feet of holiday ribbon, 38,000 miles worth would be saved each year;

If each person wastes just 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, the total wasted amounts to 16.1 million pounds.

The mind-boggling stats are from The ULS Report, a publication dedicated to the concept of source reduction. Along with the Environmental Protection Agency and more than 250 other government, education, business and community groups, The ULS Report has designated Nov. 20 as the Third Annual ULS (Use Less Stuff) Day, a day for all of us to become minimalists.

To commemorate the upcoming high-waste season, the folks at ULS Report have issued ``The ULS Yuletide Guide: Tips and Gifts to Get More from Less.'' Some sample tips from the five-page guide:

Don't wrap oversized gifts. Hide them and turn the search into a treasure hunt by giving the recipient clues about the location.

Have the kids trace holiday shapes onto old Christmas cards with cookie cutters. Make a garland by stringing them with raffia.

Call the 800 numbers and cancel 10 mail-order catalogs you receive. Your trash will be reduced by 3.5 pounds.

To request a free copy of ``The ULS Yuletide Guide,'' send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to The ULS Report, P.O. Box 130116, Ann Arbor, MI 48113 ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

THE ART & FRAMING COUNCIL

Antique tree ornaments...

Photos

3M

The Scotch pop-up tape strip...

Dogloo

Pet Galley is an insulated...

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