88 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
over in the shape of a valance. When 
well done, this fashion of hanging is 
graceful and effective. 
— A lady now teaches the Metropolitan 
Museum, New York, day class in decora- 
tion for women, with the use of tempera 
or body-color in the artistic decoration of 
leather, silk, satin and glass, to which is 
added a course of drawing, and the use of 
color in preparing designs for industrial 
ornamentation. 
— A novel decoration for the unsightly 
transom windows Avhich disfigure so many 
rooms in city houses, is made by filling in 
the space with deep-colored damask pa- 
per, upon which handsome raised paper 
figures are laid. The figures, wljich are 
of every variety, can be bouglit singly for 
25 cents at any of t}ie leading wall-paper 
and decorators' establishments. 
— Miss Ellen H., Brooklyn, sends us 
the following seasonable suggestions, 
which will doubtless be of service to many 
of our lady readers: "In decorating the 
church for Easter, arrange your flowers 
with regard to the effect from a distance. 
Choose characteristic flowers rather than 
those hothouse beauties which we can get 
all the year round. No flowers are more 
effective than the Easter lilies (L. can- 
didum a.nd longiflorum). The passion- 
flower comes next, and where smaller 
flowers can be used, hyacinths, crocuses, 
narcissi, primroses, violets, lilies-of-the- 
valley, and snowdrops supply both beauty 
of form and delicate coloring; the fresh 
pinks, lilacs, and primrose yellows of the 
true spring flowers are, I think, quite in 
place. For green, nothing is better than 
ferns, and for draping, English ivy find 
passion-vine; where lightness is needed, 
sprays of acacia will give the desired 
effect. Palms are good, but the list of 
pot-plants suitable to be used where elab- 
orate decorations are intended is too 
long to enumerate here." 
— As ornamental cards of all kinds are 
very fashionable just now, perhaps some 
of our young lady readers would like to 
make something novel and artistic in that 
line. The illustration shows how an or- 
namental card may he ma.de by utilizing 
some of Nature's simple productions. 
Procure a neat white or gray pebble card 
of suitable size for a background ; then 
take two slips or bits of twigs of any of 
our dwarf oaks, to which are attached a 
few of their small, but beautiful brown 
acorns. The twigs should be split down 
about one-half, which can readily be done 
with a knife. This will leave the twigs 
half-round, with one side flattened, which 
will be the side to gum or glue to the 
card. Draw a cross or other suitable de- 
sign, with a pencil, in very light lines. 
Cut the twigs to conform with the lines- 
drawn ; gum them fast to the card, being- 
careful that the gum or glue does not 
si)read on the paper. When fastened on 
and dry, surround the design with a 
nearly circular wreath of wood mosses or 
lichens, among which place here and 
there, as taste may suggest, a few heads 
of the bright crimson "sealing-wax 
moss " (lichen\ The mosses, of course, 
must be fastened in place with the small- 
est amount of mucilage or glue possible, 
and thev may be arranged to suit the- 
taste of the maker. Such a combination 
of natural nuiterials, when tastefully ap- 
plied, exceeds in artistic beauty many of 
the fancy cards that are found in most of 
our stationers' shops ; and to those who 
have a taste in this direction, the making 
of such cards is a gratifying and pleasing: 
pastime. 
