Watermelon is an incredibly versatile fruit that can used to decorate a number of desserts, main dishes and also cocktails. You can do more with it than carve it up into chunks and throw it into fruit salad. Watermelon is easy to work with and holds it’s shape which is not something that can be said of all fruits.

One way to get artistic with them is to make watermelon roses. You can line a bowl with these roses or, perch them on top of an arrangement with a toothpick. The roses can also be used to rim a cake or a dish of a sorbet. They are the perfect frozen garnish for a sorbet or ice cream cake. They also suit many types of cocktails, especially those using a melon based liquor.

Makin a watermelon rose one is easy enough to do. You use a knife to cut a large chunk of fruit from the watermelon and then carve out five to seven thinner strips of watermelon in different thicknesses and lengths. You then take the strips at either end and coil them around each other to make a rose shape. Fruit dip or melted chocolate can help your roses stick together. You can also spear them on the green stem of a toothpick.

The types of watermelon carvings that can be made are as only as limited as your imagination. Using a kitchen knife you can hollow out the flesh from the rind and make a decorative bowl. People make everything imaginable from watermelons including pirate ships and baby carriages. The finished carving be filed with blueberries, melons, grapes and strawberries.

You can also use a melon baller on watermelon flesh. You can spear these with other fruits, stack them or use them as décor for ice cream or any other dessert. Watermelon balls also look great frozen in an ice cube or frozen by themselves and dropped in a cocktail. They go especially well in a tall frosty glass of coconut water.

Another interesting project is to simply cut flat slices of watermelon and then use cookie cutters to create watermelon themes. You can then arrange these shapes as desired on a plate or around a dessert.

One of the nicest carvings to be made out of a whole watermelon is the lotus shape. Simply cut the peel off of the top of a watermelon and then start making wedge shaped cuts into the flesh that look like petals. Keep doing this in a spiral upwards until you have what looks as a closed lotus bud shape.

Fruit carvings are popular in Asia, Malaysia and Hawaii. One of the foods that it is commonly used in centerpieces is the banana.

To make any type of carving out of a banana use a good hand paring or carving knife. Make sure it has a stainless steel or bronze blade. Make sure to sharpen any knives before using. Dull blades are more likely to slip in your hand (hands get slippery with juice doing this craft) and you could cut yourself. Some people also use cookie cutters or candy molds to help cut bananas for decorating purposes.

Making a successful fruit carving means choosing the right banana in the first place. If the banana is too ripe you will not be able to cut it. Choose a banana that is firm and whit inside. You do not want the banana to go mushy while you are carving so buying bananas that have a bit of a green tinge to their skin is very much recommended.

One of the easiest things to make is a banana centerpiece. Slice up the banana into coins and line it up along a plate. Stick a toothpick into each and then cut a strawberry into slices which makes a natural heart shape You can then stick the toothpick spearing the heart shapes with any type of fruit you want. A rounded piece of pineapple or watermelon works well as a base for this type of centerpiece.

You can also carve a banana octopus by opening the peel of a banana half-way. Take out half of the banana and then cut the peel into eight tentacles. Black peppercorns can be used as eyes.

It is also easy to make a Banana Daschund. Simply take an unpeeled banana and carve the foot shape out of the peel without stripping the banana. Open the peel of a second banana to make the head of the dog. Cut off half of the second banana and two of the four peels so that the two remaining peels look like dog heads. Attach the head to the body of the dog. Whole black pepper can be used to make eyes for the dog and a bit of red fruit or a maraschino cherry makes a nice shiny dog tongue.

This is one decorating project where it is okay to make a mistake. You can always mash up the left-overs and make banana bread!

The great thing about pineapples is that they can be carved into inexpensive centerpieces, serving bowls or even drink cups. You can also use a carved out pineapple as a dish for serving dips or as a tropical inspired flower vase.

One of the most basic of serving or presentation vessels that can be made out of a pineapple is the classic Pineapple Boat. To make a pineapple boat you simply make sure that all discolored or misshapen leaves are removed from the pineapple. Do not remove the top of the pineapple as this is part of the effect.

You then cut the pineapple in half vertically and then cut gently inside of the pineapple to remove the pineapple fruit pulp. You can then use it as a vessel to hold a display of fruit. A nice idea is to fill the pineapple boat with fruit skewers that also include pineapple. A pineapple boat can also be loaded with any type of dip or used as an ice bucket on which to display cold shrimp or seafood that needs to be kept cold. Pineapple boats also make nice holders for home-made gelatos or ice cream.

Pineapple bowls are also very easy to make. To create one simply remove the top and the bottom of the pineapple so it sits flats. You then hollow the pineapple out to create a bowl. You can then fill this bowl with anything you like. Consider putting a candle or a single floating flower inside the bowl. The pineapple bowl also looks good filled with fruit chunks, fruit soups or sorbets.

Pineapple flowers are also a common table-top decoration in fruit decoration circles. Slice the pineapple horizontally into ¼ inch slices. Then use a flower shaped cookie cutter to cut flowers out of the disc shaped piece of fruit. Skewer these flowers on the end of long spikes. You then use a melon baller to carve balls out of a melon and use those as the center of the flower. A maraschino cherry also can serve duty as the pineapple flower center as well.

Another thing you can do is make a pineapple lantern to light up your next after-dusk barbecue or patio party. You make one very much in the same way that you would a Halloween lantern out of a pumpkin. Cut off the top of the pineapple and use a sharp knife to remove it’s core. Cut a face into the front of the fruit and then secure the top back on the fruit with a few toothpicks.

Plastic pink flamingos are very tacky but also very cool. It is one of those lawn ornaments that are very much associated with American iconic kitsch. The pink flamingo has been around about sixty years and ever since they were invented there has always been debate about whether or not they were eyesores.

Pink Flamingos were originally made by a company called Union Products that started making them in 1946. It was part of their “Plastics for the Lawn” series. The company did not just make flamingos. They also made ducks, dogs and frogs. These first flamingos were not three dimensional. They were more like “signs” with flamingos painted on them.

In 1956 a company in Massachusetts called the Leominster hired a designer named Don Featherstone who figured out how to make the figurines into three dimensional free standing sculptures. The flamingos were based on figures found in photos in National Geographic. The original legs were wooden but when they proved to be too expensive they were replaced by metal legs. They were very popular ornaments in the 1950s and today, whether fixed in your garden or on your wall as an object of art, they are considered to be part of retro-chic.

One of characteristics of the pink flamingo is that it is hot pink. Lurid colors were popular in the fifties but there was a reaction against plastics and false things in the sixties that made the pink flamingos less popular.

Decorating with them me simple and nowadays they are easy to get through mail order and in stores. If you want an authentic Flamingo buy one that has Don Featherstone’s signature impressed under the tail. A true pink flamingo has a yellow beak with a black tip and authentic flamingo sets are sold in twos. The pair should include one with a long neck and one with a shorter neck. The legs should be wire. If you are buying a single flamingo or one with an orange beak or wooden leg you are not buying the official antique.

When it comes to Pink Flamingos just two will do. However quite a unique effect can be created by decorating your yard with an entire flock of them. You can also put them on your condo or apartment balcony. Pink flamingos also make a humorous statement at the office.

Some people like to dress up their pink Flamingos for the season. They dress them up in Santa Suits and also give them Reindeer Horns.

Most desserts are pretty but you can serve them up so they look like they were made by a five-star restaurant if you do it right. You can make a plate that practically looks like an abstract piece of art if you are clever with how you drool these substances.

How you are going to decorate and what substances you are going to use to decorate are going to be determined by the dessert that you will be serving. This will help you decide on the flavors and colors. First off it is important to choose flavors that complement each other. A good example would be cherry and chocolate together, as would be the case with decorating a Black Forest Cake. You could sprinkle cherry sauce along with grated black chocolate to make a nice garnish. Another nice combination is a white chocolate cheesecake with some kind of fruit puree.

Fruit purees are incredibly versatile and make beautiful “paints” for plates. Blueberry makes blue, raspberries red, kiwi fruits a nice green, Mangos, papayas or oranges make nice orange and nectarines and yellow plums make yellow. If you want to make a vibrant green try grinding up mint leaves. You can use more than one puree to decorate a plate especially if the desert is somewhat neutral, like a rice or a tapioca pudding, a Bavarian crème or a plain cheesecake.

You can also just use syrups to decorate a plate. You can use caramel or chocolate syrup and also the brines that fruit are pickled in to make nice designs on a plate. For instance if you are looking for a striking pink color to play with on a plate then you might consider using maraschino cherry juice.

Flavored powders and sugars also look nice sprinkled on a plate. You can be unorthodox and use Strawberry Quick or candied sour powders to decorate the edge of a dessert. You can also use things like edible glitter. If you want a plate to look especially luxurious you can sprinkle edible gold glitter on the plate.

One of the nicest decorative elements that there is in the food world is whipped cream. Put it in a piping bag or buy it in a can and decorate your creation with dollops, stripes and kisses of cream.

Remember that the simpler you keep the plate décor, the more elegant it will look. You do not want a mish-mash of flavors or designs or this could confuse the aesthetics of the dish.

The difference between an ordinary cherry tree and a decorative one is that the decorative varieties do not bear fruit. This means that no rotten fruit falls to the ground and your grounds also attract less furry creatures and birds.

Decorative cherry trees are used in yards simply because they are so beautiful. Every spring they shoot out and snow an array of beautiful pink blossoms.

Here are some examples of common types of Cherry Trees that are perfect for decorating yards.

The Kwanzan Cherry trees are large hardy trees that grow over forty feet tall. The blossoms are a strong dark pink color and grow in clusters. The tree will blossom both in April and in the Fall. The tree grows just fine in USDA Hardiness zones from 4 to 9. It thrives in almost any soil.

The Okame Cherry Tree variety grows as tall as it is wide; thirty feet in height and thirty feet in spread. It’s pink blossoms are famous as part of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. It grows in most soils but needs full sun to do it’s best.

The Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry a dwarf variety of cherry tree that grows up to fifteen feet tall and has a spread of about eight fee. The tree grows long, downwards tilting branches that are slathered in small white flowers in the spring. The tree grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zones 4 through 8. This versatile smaller tree resists pests, but it also grows very slowly.

The Yoshino Cherry Tree is a traditional Japanese variety that grows up to fifty feet tall and forty feet wide. It has glossy bark, dark green leaves and light pink flowers and it does best in well-drained soils. It does best in USDA zones 5 to 8.

The Weeping Higan Cherry grows to be 300 feet tall with a branch-spread of 25 feet. It spews forth pale pink blossoms in the Spring before the tree even has a chance to grow leaves. The flowers grow up to one inch in diameter. The tree is okay to grow in shade and grows in Hardiness zones 5a to 8b. This tree also grows very fast.

The good news is that these trees come in a variety of sizes and there is a variety to suit every kind of climate. This makes it a versatile decorative tree to grow in any garden.

Most people see maraschino cherries as being a bit toxic but the point is that they are fun and usually used for decoration. The bright red color comes from food coloring and then being soaked in a sugar syrup. You can get Queen Anne cherries or sour cherries that are healthier but part of the joy of using these cherries is their neon red color. In the old days they were much healthier as they were soaked in maraschino liquor. Nowadays they are soaked in a salt broth.

The desert that the maraschino cherry is commonly found on is on top of a Black Forest Cake. This is a cake made of chocolate and cherry syrup that also has chocolate icing. Usually there is a whipped cream dollop and a maraschino cherry overlaying each serving.

Another popular decorative culinary use of the maraschino cherry is as a decoration for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. In this case the batter for the cake is made and then the pineapple rings and they are placed on top. The cherries are placed in the center of the pineapple rings. When the Pineapple Upside Down Cake bakes the fruit sinks to the bottom of the pan. When the cake is done the pan is turned over and the pineapple rings with the cherries in the center are revealed.

Maraschino cherries are also used to decorate a very special Mexican dessert that involves slicing a tres leche cake into even squares. The cake is soaked condensed milk and heavy cream until it is very dense. Then the cake is frosted with whipped cream and topped with a maraschino cherry.

Maraschino cherries are also used on top of whipped creamed points on Jell-o and puddings. It is common to find a maraschino cherry topping fruit cakes in various designs. Maraschino cherries are also typically used as the crowning glory on top of whipped cream mounds on chocolate sundaes.

Maraschino cherries are also used in cake and pastry decorating whenever a rich, red shiny effect is needed. For instance, if you are making a cake that is meant to symbolize Santa’s Hat you can use maraschino cherry slices as the red coloring for the hat.

A word to the unwise! Before you top a cake with a maraschino cherry it is a really good idea to drain it of excess liquid. Too much liquid in a cherry can drain into the cake and cause it to “bleed” and look discolored.

The key to making your bedroom sexy for Valentine’s Day is to do it up in the right colors. Pink, red and dark purple are the best colors to do to convey a sense of passion. You do not want too much pink in the bedroom unless you are a real girl’s girl and your husband like you for it. Stick with the red and the dark purple for a color scheme that pleases both sexes.

It is hard to go wrong if you use traditional red so decorate your bedroom with red roses, red orchids, dark red candles, heart shaped bed cushions and even heart shaped carpets if you have them.

You can automatically make a room romantic by using satin or silk sheets and satin and silk curtain covering. You can also drape fabric around the bedpost to make it look ice. Chiffon fabric or mosquito netting can be draped from the ceiling and tied with big red ribbons for a romantic effect.

If you have big heart shaped pillows, stuffed animals and shaggy or furry blankets are sure to put those on the bed as well.

Be sure to position mirrors in the room in a way so that they will reflect more softened light. Dimmer switch lighting can be adjusted to a seductive low setting so that things become more romantic.

Be sure to put fresh flowers in vases as well as make sure that the bedroom smells nice. There are all kinds of air fresheners out on the market that can help you accomplish this.

The more candles there are in the room the more romantic things will be in general. Get romantic scents like gardenia, jasmine and rose.

If you want to give your dining table or living area a nice fresh burst of color as well as a beautiful clean scent then try decorating with lemons.

You can make a beautiful centerpiece for a coffee table or dining table by just fining a unusual bowl or vase and filling it full of lemons. You can display them whole or you can fill the vase with water and float the lemons in it.

A very trendy centerpiece is to take a very tall narrow vase and stack the lemons inside of it. A wet centerpiece like this is made by filling a tall tubular vase with lemons that are cut in half. However a wet centerpiece should only be used for about a day because lemons cut in half can start to smell.

You can also fill a Bundt pan full of water and freeze whole lemons in the mold. You can then unmold it and place a candle in the center of the hole.

The rind of a lemon can make a nice bowl or cup for all kinds of thing. It is classic to round out lemon pulp from the rind and serve a pudding or gelato inside. You can also use the rinds to hold nuts or other tiny snack. Lemon rinds can also be filled crystals or sand and used to hold candles. You can also fill a lemon cup with water and float a candle inside of it.

You can make a trendy place setting label by cutting the top of a lemon that still as the twig off the top of the fruit. Make sure it is level and stands flat. You can then write the name of the guest on the lemon peel or you can tie a decorative tag to the peel that has the name of the guest on it.

Dried lemon slices smell nice and are very decorative. Simply slice lemons into rounds and then bake them on cookie racks for five to six hours until they are dehydrated. You can then use these dried slices of lemon to decorate green wreathes. They also look nice suspended in jars of bath salts or in clear soap dispensers.

Whole lemons also make attractive wreathes for the kitchen. You can simply string them together (sew them) on wires or tack them to Styrofoam. Whole lemons look nice entwined with green leaves or big chrysanthemums and daisies.

As you can see you can do a lot more with lemons then just make lemonade.

Big martini glasses can be used for a lot of things besides martinis. You can use them for a lot of other decorative purposes as well. You can use very large regular martini drinking glasses for this or go to the store and buy super-sized ones that can be used for decoration.

When it comes to room decor, oversized martini glasses make beautiful centerpieces. For the holiday seasons you can fill them with whatever pertains. Hershey’s kisses or heart shaped chocolates look great in a Martin glass for Valentine’s Day. For Christmas you can fill it with shiny Christmas balls. In the Spring and Autumn you can fill it with floating flowers or pot-pours. Fill a martini glass with water and float a big peony or rose in it in June.

Big wine glasses also make wonderful candle holders. Simply fill with water, even colored water and then float the candle on the surface to create a romantic mood.

Martini glasses also make lovely flower vases for small bundles of flowers such as a bundle of daisies or a bunch of orchids. The key to this looking great is to bundle the flowers together first so they stand up straight in a bed of sand or river rocks deposited in the bottom of the glass.

Giant martini glasses also make very interesting serving dishes. Consider serving chocolates, Cocoa cheerios, dips, mixed nuts, candy, olives, pretzels or pickles in them. They also make nice holders for fresh fruit.

Martini glasses are also useful for making fruit and yogurt sundaes, ice cream sundaes and they are perfect for holding puddings and mouses. They can also be an elegant container for cold soup or a mid-course sorbet.

Yet another wonderful use for a Martini glass is as a holder of shrimp and shrimp cocktail sauce. Simply hook the shrimp all around the rim of the glass which is filled with tangy seafood sauce.

These glasses also look great in bathroom. You can fill them with colorful bath pellets, soap, bath salts or decorative soaps. Mix two colors of bath salts to create a lovely effect.

Giant martini glasses can also be used as holders for favors or gift baskets. Large acrylic martini glasses work best for this. Simply pile little gifts in the glass and then wrap it all with saran wrap. Be sure to tie it all together securely with a pretty ribbon.