HOT TIPS : MURAL, MURAL ON THE WALL ...

If you can iron and if you can color inside the lines, you've got the makings of a paint-by-number muralist with a new product from Camp Kazoo Ltd. called TransferMations.

A remedy for a kid's room that lacks pizazz, TransferMations is similar, in theory, to old-fashioned embroidery transfers with which you'd transfer an inked design onto fabric with a hot iron, then embroider over and within the lines.

With TransferMations, you apply a base coat of paint to your walls, then use an iron to transfer one of 15 designs printed on tissue paper onto the wall. Then you use acrylic or latex paint to fill in the colors, following a pre-printed color chart.

Designs include Jungle Walk, Sea Party, Buckaroos, Circus Stars, Campfire Friends, Storybook Castle and more. There are even life-size iron-on height charts featuring cartoon characters. When you get tired of the design, or the child outgrows it, a coat of paint will cover it, and you can try another design.

With a suggested retail price of $34, TransferMations is available at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and independent baby and children's boutiques, as well as in stores that sell wall coverings. For more information, call [phone] or check out Camp Kazoo's Web site at www.campkazoo.com.

- Carol Bidwell

Aqui se habla espanol para los proyectos

When in doubt, ask someone in an orange apron.

Any do-it-yourselfer who's spent a weekend prowling the aisles of a Home Depot already knows these men and women who are paid to know it all can help save a bundle - in cash and time - by helping sort out how to do it right.

Four years ago, the home improvement warehouse put its store of knowledge into a how-to book called ``Home Improvement 1-2-3: Expert Advice From the Home Depot.'' They followed up last year with ``Outdoor Projects 1-2-3.''

And now, both books are available in Spanish.

Like the English-language originals, ``Mejoras Para el Hogar 1-2-3'' and ``Proyectos Para el Exterior 1-2-3'' (Meredith Books; $34.95 each) cover everything from proper painting techniques and how to tile a countertop to the best ways to build a patio and put up a fence.

Both books include step-by-step instructions and illustrations, plus useful warnings about common mistakes and how to avoid them, a guide on how to get the best value when selecting materials, efficiency tips, and a ``skill scale'' to help gauge how much time and mechanical knowledge a project requires.

- Betty Kwong

Lightning strikes the lava lamp

In the '60s, lava lamps held sway over the populace. Teen-agers wasted entire evenings watching them ooze, stretch, spew and morph into strange configurations.

As all things groovy get back in vogue, so too have lava lamps. Only this time, those mesmerizing mood lights are accompanied by some stranger cousins of the low-glow variety.

Natural Wonders, the Sharper Image of nature lovers, has joined the fray with its bizarre and decidedly high-tech take on the sluggish symbol of the '60s.

Instead of a seductive slow dance of goop, the Electra Lamp ($130) dazzles you with an eye-catching display of lightning strikes within its sprialing tower of hand-blown glass. A mixture of inert gases turn to colored electric arcs when your fingers touch the glass sculpture.

Each lamp has its own unique shape, standing 12 to 18 inches high atop a standard 5-inch-by-7-1/2-inch black base. And the light show comes in modern, match-your-decor colors of electric blue or fiery green.

- Betty Kwong

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) no caption (TransferMations)

(2--Color) no caption (Book cover - MEJORAS PARA EL HOGAR 1-2-3)

(3--Color) no caption (Electra Lamp)