Fix the candles in place to the base of the container with melted wax or adhesive putty.

Stick the carrots into some adhesive putty to allow any excess caramel to drain off.

Seams between panels are joined with layers of joint compound - an adhesive putty - and special paper tape.

They are also sold under the generic names "adhesive putty" and "mounting putty".

According to Mr. Reese, his company, in Escondido, Calif., is something of a pioneer in the earthquake-protection industry, having patented an adhesive putty in 1990 and developed the straps in 1994; the products are now widely available through national home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.

So when I got a call from Mr. Reese's company, Trevco - which sells a variety of adhesive putties and gels, Velcro straps, gas-valve shutoff wrenches and disaster preparedness kits, all under the reassuring name QuakeHold - I was eager to hear what he had to say.