As I sit here, my tongue raw, licking strip after strip of sticky paper to make into chains, my mind is cast back to last year, when I tried to use that 'snow spray' for the first time ever. I didn't know how to do it, so I just sprayed, hoping it'd look vaguely like snow piled up. It went horribly wrong due, basically, to my incompetence, and it looked dreadful! I ended up just covering the whole window in it rather than wiping it off to create a 'snowed in' effect. When my girlfriend saw it, she fell about and hasn't let me forget it!! Any tips on how to actually do it, as I'm attempting it again tomorrow! And any stories of Yuletime stupidity to beat this - not hard to do, but let's see...!
Bony
Well first of all use selotape instead of licking all those chains, they won't fall down either.
Snow? Spray it very lightly and make yourself a stencil so you don't cover the whole window.
Just been to see it.
IT FUCKIN ROCKS!!!!!!
Also just bought prog 2004.
IT ALSO FUCKIN ROCKS!!!!!!!
Its me n my girlfriends 1st anniversery.
I'm so happy i could burst!!!
no no staples for the chains! i managed multi layered uber plaited chains this year with a box of staples, got RSI in stapling hand tho.
however my supreme craft smuggery may be off-set against general incompetence, dog smashed lamb/ lightbulb, so next day i stick my hand in to pull out broken bulb. course its still switched on. that WAS a good scream. sure i'll get feeling back in my arm by next week.
erk! nasty :(
doesn't have to be christmas, I'm incopetent all year round...
CU Krestel
Almost set fire to the house once.
It's an old tithe cottage with no central heating, just a wood burner and a rayburn.
Anyway one day I lit the woodburner, there were cards standing on top of it so I moved them away and once the fire had caught I took the dog out for a walk.
When I got back and opened the door thick, black smoke started pouring out of the house. After I'd managed to get the front room window open while choking myself on the smoke I noticed I'd forgotten to move three candles that were on top of the woodburner and it was the melted wax that was causing all the smoke.
I started moving the remains of the candles when the melted wax burst into flames which shot up the chimney breast and mantlepiece which had a load of Christmas cards on it. It was at this point my brain starting going "shitshitshitshitshit..." and the only thought running through my head was not to throw water on the wax because it would react like an oil fire (I've no idea if this is true or not, anyone know?) so I rushed off and got a damp tea-towel, dropped it over as much of the fire as I could and watched in horror as it made no difference whatsoever. I then abandonded my theory about not throwing water on it and dashed off to fill the washing-up bowl. Luckily by the time I'd got back the tea-towel had done it's job and the fire was out.
If it wasn't for the burnt cards and horrible smell that hung around for a couple of weeks nobody would ever have known about my little adventure.
One of the houses that we lived for a while had a Rayburn stove/oven type thing. It was great for heating the immediate rooms and cooking, also for disposal of a certain amount of waste.
Anyway, one day we had roasted a chicken and now being left with just a carcass my wife decided to toss it into the fire part to dispose of. The door was opened and the carcass thrown in....but we fogot about how fatty it was.
A massive fireball exploded from the confines of the fire whooshed out to fill about half the kitchen....I grabbed my wife and pulled us both back and a second later it was all over except for singed eyebrows and a feeling of stupidity.
Got nothing to do with christmas but Gothmogs story reminded me of it.
Priv8
you think you got probs, i dont know where i spending christmas day yet !
and i dont know if the english bookshop will have any mince pies left on saturday
My mum made some table decoration type christmas things to go over the fireplace. You know, that styrofoamy flower arranging stuff, lots of twirly ribbons and holly 'n shit.
Suffice to say that this caught fire from the open flames below and it was up to my heroic dad to grab the burning mess and toss it onto the fire.
Melted foam and hands don't mix.
Ow.
yes gothmog you would be correct in thinking that hot wax would act rather like oil to water, the problem is that water splatters the burning oil/fat /wax everywhere resluting in messy fire. a nice foam extinguishers what you need, don't point it directly at the fire, but the wall or whatever near it & let it create a nice smothering blanket. or a powder one is good, or a fire blanket of course, mind the hands.
fire prevention tips bought to you by firefighter Bou.
I have a Rayburn stove and quickly bought burn salve after my first attempts to light it.
Happily, I have not yet chargrilled anything valuable, but I did spend about three weeks failing to light it and scratching my head.
Of course, being superior to everyone, I did eventually work it out.
Take care, stupid ones!
- Roast Trout