380 
AMEEIOA]^ AGEIOULTUKIST, 
[September, 
Plush and Satin Picture Frame. 
The pretty picture frame shown in the engrav¬ 
ing, is easily made. Cut two pieces of paste-board 
the size desired for the frame, one for the back 
and the other for the front. In the latter make an 
oval opening large enough for the picture, and 
cover the paste-board with garnet plush, drawn 
smoothly over the surface. Cut the diamond in the 
plush somewhat smaller than that in the paste¬ 
board; and “ slash ” the edges around and glue 
A PICTURE FRAME OF PLUSH AND SATIN. 
them on the back. Fasten the mat, glass, picture, 
and back piece all together with a binding of stout 
mu.slin glued on. Place satin ribbon around the 
frame, as shown in the engraving, and finish with 
a neat bow in the left hand corner. 
A Ball Holder. 
The pretty little ball holder, shown in the en¬ 
graving, will be appreciated by any one who does 
much knittiug. It is intended to hang on the arm 
or back of the chair, and to hold the ball of yarn 
so that it can unwind easily. A piece of paste¬ 
board, six inches wide and eighteen inches long, 
with a small hole in the middle, is made into a tube 
by sewing the edges together. It is covered with 
A HOLDER FOR KNITTING TARN. 
a piece of bright silk or cashmere, by catching the 
edges across on the wrong side. The cover is cut 
over the hole, and the edges drawn in on the wrong 
side. Insert a lining of silk or muslin to cover the 
long stitches. A piece of material four inches 
deep is sewed around each edge, and drawn up by a 
narrow ribbon run in a casing. A ribbon is also 
tacked across from side to side, and each end fin¬ 
ished with a small bow. The ball is placed in the 
holder through one end, and the end of the yarn 
or silk is taken out through the hole iu one side. 
Use for Old Wash-Stands. 
The old pine wash-stand, now tucked away in the 
garret, but so common a few years ago, the one 
with a hole in the top for a wash-bowl, bars for 
towels, and a drawer and shelf below, is a treasure 
not to be despised. Do you want a pretty Queen 
Anne table, lor books or music, remove the back 
piece and bars, and nail a smooth board over the 
top to cover the hole. An ounce of shellac dissolved 
in a pint of alcohol, with enough lamp-black added 
to make it the desired dark shade, will supply 
enough varnish to transform the pine table into a 
fashionable ebonized one, as the legs only require 
to be varnished. Then cover both shelves with 
dark blue or olive plush or velveteen, which can 
now be purchased very cheaply, and put a 
straight valance of the same round the lower shelf. 
Finish the top one with a worsted chenille fringe, 
in bright Persian colors, and edge the valance with 
the same. It will take only about a yard and a 
quarter of the plush, and three yards of fringe; 
and your table will be the admiration of all 
who see it. If it is to stand against the wall, three 
sides of the lower shelf only need be trimmed, and 
the drawer left for use at the back.—For a bed¬ 
room these tables are pleasing, if simply varnished 
and covered in the same way with a pretty, cheer¬ 
ful cretonne, edged with a full ruffle of the same. 
Such a stand is a useful gift for an invalid, when 
placed by the couch, to hold bottles and glasses. 
Taste in House Furnishing. 
A simple room plainly and cheaply furnished, 
but arranged with a careful and artistic eye and 
hand, may be more attractive than the most sump¬ 
tions drawing-room where the divine gift is lack¬ 
ing. A very good test of a room, is to consider 
“ Would it look pretty iu a picture ? ” To find this 
out turn a mirror upon the different parts, and 
see the effect. This will often help one to cor¬ 
rect and re-arrange anything that may be wrong. 
If new carpets cannot be procured, Brussels and 
ingrains maybe wonderfully cleaned and brighten¬ 
ed by washing them, on the floor, with white cas- 
tile soap and water. This renews the carpet, 
never injuries, and always freshens it. Take two 
pails of tepid water, and finely scrape into one 
enough white soap to make a slight lather. Wash 
the surface of the carpet lightly (not sopping), 
with the lather only. The large scrubbing brushes 
with long handles are good for the purpose. 
Rinse well with the second pail of water, still not 
wetting too much, and dry with soft, clean cloths. 
If the carpet is worn as well as soiled, cover the 
centre with gray linen, leaving a bordering of the 
carpet. This linen, too, makes excellent cover¬ 
ings for lounges and chairs, and a curtain of the 
same, washed of its stiffness, trimmed with Rit- 
eella or antique lace, and hung on a pole, falls 
into most graceful folds. 
The arms and legs of odd chairs may be tasti¬ 
ly adorned with bunches of ribbon. Lace cur- 
taiug are looped back with wide satin ribbon, gen¬ 
erally white, or old gold. For bedrooms the new¬ 
est curtains are of plain India mull, the same color 
as the furnishings of the chamber. If blue, they 
are tied back with pale pink ribbon, and vice versa. 
The latest portieres are of crazy patchwork, orien¬ 
tal in their gorgeousness and very handsome. 
Fine paintings are great furnishers, and she who is 
so happy as to possess these, should make the 
most of them, and have her drawing-room walls of 
a neutral gray to throw them out to greater ad¬ 
vantage. But if good oil or water colors be want¬ 
ing, have a paper of robbin’s-egg blue, with a 
maroon bordering, or one of the charming Morris 
Rossetti p.apers designed in naturalistic figures. 
In these days, however, no one should be without 
good pictures of some kind, when beautiful etch¬ 
ings and engravings arc so plentiful and cheap, 
and fine copies called “Photo-Gravures,” of Mil¬ 
let’s “ Angelus,” Raphael’s, “ Sistlne Madonna,” 
and other masterpieces of Delaroche, Alma 
Tadema and Millins, can be had for a few shillings. 
These cun be framed at home with broad strips of 
mahogany, that wUl contrast well with the creamy 
tint of the paper. Smaller pictures should be 
mounted and framed with a plush mat of olive- 
green, crimson, orduck’s-throat blue. But do not 
make the mistake of overcrowding a room with 
ornaments, giving it the appeai'auce of a bazaar 
or shop. Bric-a-brac and dainty bits of needle 
work give a great air of comfort and refinement, if 
not overdone. A touch of yellow is necessary to 
the beauty of every apartment, and, when possible, 
have an open fire, which is the very soul of home. 
A richly tinted jar or vase rightly placed, will often 
give expression to a whole room, while growing 
plants are always desirable. Never place natural 
flowers in a vessel ornamented with flowers. 
Goethe says “Art is called Art, because it is not 
Nature,” and we cannot expect to bring painting, 
no matter how well done, close to Nature without 
the former suffering somewhat by the contrast. 
A Scrap-Keceiver from a Fan. 
The scrap-receiver or catch-all seen in the engrav¬ 
ing, is easily made from an old Japanese fan. Re¬ 
move the fastening which holds the fan-sticks to¬ 
gether at the bottom, and secure them with a 
strong thread. Cut away the side-pieces. Run a 
ribbon alternately through the loose part of the 
fan, and fasten it on the inside. Pass a thread 
through each fold at the top, and draw it to the 
size desired. Make a cornucopia of paste-board 
to fit inside the covering. Cover neatly with 
Silesia. Hang the receiver with a silk cord or nar¬ 
row ribbon. Finish it at the bottom with a bow 
of broad satin ribbon. Also place one near the 
A RECEIVER FROM A PAN. 
top. If the ribbon employed is narrow, make 
many loops and ends to the bow. 
A very neat covering for a flower-pot can be 
made of a fan, by cutting the sticks away close to 
its body, and running a stout thread through each 
fold at the top and bottom. Place the fan around 
the flower-pot, and tie it in position. 
Virginia Corn Bread. — One quart of white corn 
meal, one teaspoonful of s.alt, two eggs and a des¬ 
sert spoonful of butter. Scald the meal thorough¬ 
ly with boiling water. Then add the butter and 
eggs (well beaten), and lastly a half-pint of milk. 
If this does not make the batter thin add more 
milk, for this is a soft-bread, requiring a spoon in 
serving. Bake twenty minutes in a very hot oven. 
