TG % lGL3ies , Ulonai StGiljifiet tui3 3^LeiarL«i BBEome iiaomjiiMMOH. 
mg to taste or fancy. Then varnish with two coats 
of furniture varnish; when dry, fill up with crys- 
talized grass, and running moss. 
MOSS PAINTING. 
Moss from pine woods or rocks is best; keeps its 
color best. Place the top of moss on paper, near the 
fire, dry it quickly, but don’t scorch it. When dry 
keep it in a dark place till wanted. If dirty, wash it 
before drying. 
Have good thin paste, paper muslin, pasted on 
pasteboard, glazed side up, or have fine Bristol board, 
the size you want your picture. 
PUTTING ON THE MOSS. 
First put a thin coat of glue, just a small place at 
a time, so you can cover it before it dries, where you 
want the branches and leaves, also where the ground 
is, 
A RUSTIC MOSS CROSS. 
Gather leafy moss and ferns from the forest and 
pencil the letters yon wish to put. in the centre. Now 
take an ounce of gum-arabic and dissolve it in about 
half a pint of water; have your leaves ready, and dip 
them in the gummed water, taking care that every 
part is wet; then let them drain until the water ceases 
to drip, laying them upon the circle, following it care- 
If the maker has a delicate touch, the tendrils 
can be made of the real tendrils of flowers; if not, 
cut a cross, the size to suit your fancy, out of -i , , , 
^ ^ . ,/ . j’ | they can be drawn and carefully colored. 
garden, wash clean, spread it out to dry flat on boards ^ 
in the shade. Have a Bristol board the size you want 
it; now 
white stiff pasteboard, cover this all over with moss, 
after you have put on some glue—or flour paste will 
do with a little glue in it—fasten each corner down to 
keep it from rolling up while drying. After it is dry 
put some Paris green in some gum-arabic solution, 
take a small hair brush, and go over the cross to keep 
it green. Then when it is dry, put some paste on the 
wrong side; then place it on your Bristol board just 
where you want it. Get some sprigs of fine white 
then around the old building, or in the crevices of j al 'tificial Aoweis and leaves, place them over the cross 
rocks; pick the moss to pieces, place a leaf at a time 
on the glue with the lightest color, on the outside of 
the branches, and mix with the dark color for the 
ground, so that it will look like small patches of sun¬ 
shine on the grass ; have running moss for represent¬ 
ing Ivy, then leave it flat to dry. For clouds get 
tubes of flake white, maple yellow, Vermillion, ivory 
black. Light, fleecy clouds are made by working 
maple yellow, tipped with white ; for dark clouds use 
white and black, edged with maple yellow. Water 
is edged with dark green. Use yellow ochre, black 
and white, for mountains. Get fine sand of different 
shades, have it sifted ; bluish gray for mountains, dark 
reddish brown for rocks, a lighter color for roads. 
Take a small brush, put a thin 
glue on the surface, where you 
mountains, roads, and rocks, and next small places; 
where you intend for the beach of the ocean, put on 
the glue very true, sand the places thickly, take the 
lightest color ; for the most distant mountains, darker j ei % e cover, 
for the ground ; let it dry, then shake off all loose | h ave it smooth 
like a running vine from the bottom to the top; now 
put each side of the cross some of the moss two or 
three inches high to represent grass, placing some ferns 
above it, and if you will make a rabbit or lamb, out of 
white canton flannel, and set it close to the cross or to 
one side, it will be a pretty addition. Have a frame 
with a recess deep enough to receive the cross and 
lamb without crowding. 
To make a pretty rustic frame, get the flat white 
moss such as grows on rails and old logs, some white 
and red lichens, nuts, or small acorns, or anything 
that would suit you. Glue or paste the frame, then 
cover with your ornaments, and place it under weights 
till dry; then varnish. I have made one, and it is 
coat of Spaulding’s ver y much admired, looking like wax work, 
wish to have the 
j The letters are to be made in the same way ; you 
can place a butterfly on the wreath; of course, any 
such addition as this is according to the maker. In 
making mine, I introduced a small varnished, painted 
bird, and roses with their leaves, and thought it an 
improvement, enhancing its beauty. Every one ad¬ 
mired it. When the leaves are dry, place it where it 
will harden, letting no dust settle on it; then carefully 
washing it over with a brush, dip in the gum to keep 
the edges from the air. M. A. H. 
A HOUSEHOLD CONVENIENCE. 
Get a dry-goods box the size you want, have some 
one put plain strips on the corners and around the 
Then paint it black or dark brown, 
as you can make it by rubbing with 
sand. For castles, get (a short time dead) some bark ! san ^ paper. Have ready some pressed flat autumn 
of birch or elm ; scrape off all imperfections, then cut Laves, flowers, and ferns, also some small pictures 
it the shape and size you want it for the castle, fit the ^ la t are painted ; cut them out, have birds, flowers, 
light and dark together, that part of the building will al L butterflies ; glue these all over the box ; when 
look like it is in the sunshine, while part is in the j dry, varnish two or three times. If you like you can 
shadow. After the bark is cut, place it between J h Rve the top covered with a cushion, also have some 
smooth boards, with weights sufficiently large, till it I handles on each end, and castors under the bottom, 
is flat and smooth, then glue them on the wrong side. I Lor the inside you can have a pocket on the Jid in the 
put, them in the place you design for the building ; ] shape of an envelope. Then at each end have a ear¬ 
then put it under weights, and let it dry. j row box fastened towards the top for holding ball 
Take old rope for trees, untwist it, wet it well with °f y ari b stockings, or anything and everything that 
glue, press out all superfluous moisture, then place it gathers in a mother’s basket. This is pretty enough 
where you have marked it for the trees, divide the for any one’s sitting-room. 
strands for the top and the branches of the tree. Take 1 A handsome rustic frame can be made for a bouquet 
flake white, maple yellow, senna, burnt umber, ver- °r a wreath of autumn leaves, with the buds of a corn- 
million, ivory black, for coloring. 
If you want, to make a rustic frame for your picture, 
go over your frame first with copal varnish, then put 
on putty and cover it with burrs, nuts, shells, or in 
any style that suits your fancy. 
RUSTIC ORNAMENT. 
Take an earthen flower pot, five or six inches deep, 
have some holes bored just below the line for the 
cord to hang by fastened with a knot inside, spread 
over the outside some putty, thick ; put some in the heat of our living roomB t0 a remarkable degree, 
hole inside ; then a large cone and little ones around 
mon cherry tree. Glue them on the foundation very 
thickly, making it heavier through the middle than at 
the edges. Apply two coats of varnish, and you will 
have a frame the beauty of which will surprise you. 
Few are, perhaps, aware of the value of some of the 
darker varieties of the Antirrhinum as a window plant. 
The smoothness of the leaves renders it very easy t,o 
keep clean, while their rich velvety texture presents a 
most beautiful appearance. They are very hardy, and 
will endure cold ; and will also stand the dryness and 
it; put a row of large acorns around the top, with the 
points up, then cups below them. Then a row at the 
bottom with the points downward. Between these, 
half way down, put a row of acorns laying the points 
of each on the top of the last acorns, then on each 
side of these put a row of pine scales, fill up accord- 
AUTUMN LEAVES. 
A beautiful wreath can be made of autumn leaves 
and flowers that can be pressed flat. Take a white 
sheet of Bristol board, draw upon it a circle the size 
you want your wreath—the prettiest size is about 
twelve inches in diameter—and make with a lead 
Pretty Spatter-Work. —A pretty picture can be 
made, at a trifling expense, and with little trouble, in 
the following way : Take a pane of common window 
glass, of any size preferred, and fit to it a sheet of 
white paper, and piece of stiff pasteboard. Cut an ob¬ 
long piece of paper, and lay on the centre of the 
white sheet; now arrange in the centre of the margin 
that is left some jiretty shaped leaves in the form of a 
vine, and pin them down closely so that no ink can get 
under them ; now dip a fine-tooth coifib in black ink, 
and scrape it over the paper so that the spatters will 
fall evenly and not too thickly over the whole picture. 
But little ink at a time must be taken up on the teeth 
of the comb, as too much will cause large drops to 
fall, which will spoil the picture. When the ink has 
become dry, remove the leaves and paper, and you 
have a pretty' “ spatter” margin for the centre-piece. 
In this arrange prettily some bright-tinted autumn 
leaves, ferns, pressed Pansies, and other flowers, glu¬ 
ing slightly the backs to keep them in place. Lay 
this upon the pasteboard, place the glass over it, and 
bind the edges together with gilt paper, using glue 
for the purpose. Before fastening together, loops of 
strong kid or small rings must be sewed to the back 
of the pasteboard to fasten the hanging cord by. 
S. A. D. 
Shoe Box. —A nice stool can be made by taking 
a soap box or any small sized box from a grocery 
store; fix a lid by nailing pieces of leather on for 
hinges ; fasten a. piece in front to lift it up, then cover 
it with pieces of carpet tacked on with brass-headed 
nails; cut some pieces of old quilts to pad the top, then 
cover with carpet and trim around the lid with any old 
cast-off fringe. This makes a convenient piece of 
furniture, useful for keeping shoes in, out of sight. 
Old Felt Hats. —Take all the old felt hats, such 
as boys have laying around under foot, of different 
colors. Put them into a tub of water; when done 
washing, soak them ; then wash them on the board 
with soap till clean; then stretch them on boards or 
tack them on the side of .the house to dry, smooth 
them out as flat as possible; when dry you may cut 
mats for the table and bind them with scarlet braid ; 
you may form the words potato, meat, etc., on them 
with spatter work. You can also make mottoes for 
the dining-room and kitchen by cutting letters out of 
the felt and pasting on old cloth torn from old pants; 
bind them with plaid braid, and form the letters to 
read thus: “Coffee and hot cakes at four.” Make 
loops on the back and hang it up. 
’mm 
./v* 
