200 HOME DECORATION". 



CHAPTER VII. 



ORNAMENTAL CROSSES. 



The body of a cross is made with two pieces of wood of 

 equal diameter, cutting each piece half way through at 

 the joint, so that the front and back surfaces will be 

 even. Nail the wood firmly together, and fasten to a 

 wood base. Cover the whole with wet plaster, and model 

 as taste may suggest. If a white cross, coat with thin 

 plaster, and dust with burnt alum and frosting. 



For imitating stone, cover with the " composition " for 

 sanding rocks, and dress with crushed rock or colored 

 sands. Plaster molds may be made from any cross be- 

 fore it is dressed, and solid crosses cast from one mold. 

 The plaster in a solid cross will set hard in five minutes. 

 If a little dry vermilion color is mixed with the plaster, 

 it will produce a rich cream color when set. Vermilion 

 is one of the few colors that do not prevent plaster from 

 setting. Crosses may be decorated with moss, natural 

 autumn leaves, or artificial leaves, ivy, and flowers. 



