AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Handicraftsman 
Conducted by 
A. Russell Bond 
Artware with Pebble and Putty 
By Alice K. Van der Veer 
T used to be that the worth of a thing was 
estimated solely upon its money value. To 
a certain extent such is the case now, but 
fortunately we are beginning to realize 
that we should judge an article rather by 
its subservience to the end for which it 
was designed. Decorative and orna- 
mental work, for instance, is meant to please the eye, and in 
proportion as this aim is realized the work is a success, no 
matter how crude the material employed. MHandicrafts- 
men have done very much to establish this standard of 
utility. They have upset all traditions in their search for 
art materials to furnish the medium required by their 
original ideas. They have delved into the cellar after 
soap boxes and made them into bedroom furniture; they 
have raided the corner grocery for peach baskets and flour 
barrels which were later dignified by a place in the living- 
room; they have converted 
rough oats bags into sofa 
pillows. In fact, there ap- 
pears to be no limit to the 
materials which they can 
employ artistically. 
One of the most recent 
inventions of the _ handi- 
craftsman is the use of 
putty and pebbles for deco- 
rative purposes. Putty 
makes a very cheap and ex- 
cellent material for this pur- 
pose because it remains 
plastic for a time, but 
when set it becomes quite 
hard—much harder than 
one would suppose, and will 
withstand the action of 
water to a considerable ex- 
tent. Pebbles may be 
bought at ten cents a pack- 
age if one is so unfortu- 
nately situated that he can-. 
not gather them himself. 
Of course one of the chief 
delights of the handicrafts- 
man consists in making 
artistic work out of ma- 
terials that cost him noth- 
ing, and it would spoil his 
pleasure to have to buy the pebbles no matter what they 
cost. [hey can be picked up in the bed of a stream, or 
along the shore, and selected according to color and size 
to suit one’s taste. 
The accompanying illustrations show what may be done 
Putting on the putty 
with these materials. Any stone bottle, stein, mug, or 
pitcher will serve as a body upon which to apply the deco- 
rations. ‘The putty is laid on in a fairly thick coating and 
then the pebbles are embedded in it with what has come to 
be called “‘artistic carelessness.” “The pebbles will adhere 
to the putty readily, and in a day or so will be so tightly 
cemented that it will be difficult to remove them without 
the use of a pair of pliers. Not only may pebbles be used, 
but small sea shells as well, and the ground work of putty 
may be tinted to any shade desired. By carefully choosing 
the shells or the pebbles, they may be used to form regular 
designs, but the work is far more effective if the pebbles 
are applied in seeming carelessness. The entire surface of 
the vase may be so thickly crusted with pebbles as to pro- 
duce a mosaic effect. Such work, however, requires very 
careful matching of pebbles both as to size and color, which 
may make the work too tedious for the average amateur. 
Unless he is possessed of 
considerable artistic ability, 
the beginner would do well 
to avoid mosaic work and 
confine his efforts to the 
random effects. described 
above. 
Some _ handicraftsmen 
will doubtless find that 
putty is an excellent me- 
dium for flower decorations 
upon a vase or other orna- 
mental piece. 
One of the photographs 
shows a vase thus adorned. 
The putty is applied in 
lumps or strings, conform- 
ing approximately to the 
design that is to be carried 
out. 
The plastic material 
can then be treated just like 
modler’s clay, using the 
thumb and fingers to pro- 
duce broad effects and em- 
ploying modeling tools 
for fashioning delicate de- 
tails. 
The work will be found 
exceedingly fascinating, and, 
despite the humble medium, 
some very artistic effects may be obtained. The decoration 
will prove sufficiently permanent for mantel ornaments and 
the like. After the novice becomes proficient with plain 
designs, work with colored putties may be attempted. To 
be sure, the putty may be painted after it has been modeled, 
