T&. it ladies' Sfloral i^iafiiaet Pictorial BH^anfie iKamjwmioii. 
SOME HINTS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS. 
In the first place, I wanted five yards of picture 
cord, and I knew it would cost eight cents a yard, 
and I only had fifty cents in my pocket; so in a dis¬ 
consolate mood I sat down to rid out my sewing- 
box, which is a cheese-box trimmed and lined with 
green paper muslin. In this I keep my cut-out sew¬ 
ing and mending. Of course I have a smaller box 
for thread, thimble, scissors, etc., and a still smaller 
one for buttons, hooks, and eyes. These are two long, 
flat cigar-boxes, papered with buff paper muslin, 
and decorated by my map pencil reserved from 
school-girl days, one end of which is red and the 
other blue. As I assorted my sewing I found a long- 
forgotten ball of scarlet yarn such as children’s stock¬ 
ings are knit with. Now, if this were thick enough it 
is just the color. I remembered helping my husband 
twist some sack strings, so after supper I asked him 
to help me twist some cord, and soon had in my pos¬ 
session six yards of nice strong cord at a cost of 
about three cents for the whole. The yarn costs 
twelve cents per bunch. The next day I purchased 
a bunch of green yarn, and now am prepared to fur¬ 
nish all the cord and tassels we will need for the next 
three years. 
We have two chromos, of rather dark appearance, 
in heavy walnut frames without gilt moulding. I 
have been thinking for some time of some way to 
brighten them, and yesterday I decided. Boiled a little 
starch paste, brought out the pictures, dusted care¬ 
fully, then pasted a strip of white paper scarcely one 
fourth of an inch wide on the chrome next the frame, 
then on the frame, joining carefully to the white 
paper gilt-paper about three-fourths of an inch 
wide, extending it out over the frame. A pho¬ 
tographed family group, also in a heavy walnut 
frame, was brightened in the same way. With¬ 
out an actual trial you cannot imagine how 
much a picture may be improved by this method. 
With us a sheet of gilt paper twelve by fourteen 
inches costs ten cents. I’ve hung all the pictures in 
the parlor with green cord, and a bunch of ferns at 
the nail; in the sitting-room with scarlet cord and 
autumn leaves. 1 made an easel frame for a photo¬ 
graph to stand on the parlor table. Yesterday while 
I was pasting I had a small piece of blue-black pa¬ 
per, which I cut in strips and bound a piece of paste¬ 
board, square except at the top, which was oval; in 
the centre I cut an oblong aperture large enough to 
admit the picture, bound the opening with gilt paper 
one-fourth of an inch wide, then with the black paper 
fastened the photo and glass on the back with a bit 
of tissue paper, put a standard behind it, and “ ’twas 
done,” and compares favorably with one for which I 
paid fifty cents several y ears ago. 
I wanted a vase for my bouquet on the parlor table, 
but those large enough cost too much for my limited 
means, so I set my wits to work to invent one. 
When I want anything very bad and cannot get it, I 
am often reminded of a bov in the story of “ Theo,” 
who wanted a cutlass to play pirate with, while Theo 
wanted to go to London; but as their parents were 
poor they could not have their wish. Theo, of course, hung, stuck in three waving ferns, and it looks pretty 
cried, but the boy said, “Pooh! crying—that’s just and woodsy. Crosses and anchors are pretty made 
like a girl. When a boy wants a thing he can’t get, of this moss, also wreaths ■ a few scarlet berries mixed 
he makes something out of wood that looks just like with it look well. I have been wishing this moss 
it, or else pitches in and does without it.” So when was strong enough for door-mats. Wouldn’t it be 
I “ can’t get” an article, I make something out of lovelyf And that brings me to rugs. 1 will tell you 
“ wood ” or some other material that looks like it, how I made two: for a foundation I took a pair of 
or do without. But about my vase: I cut two I red’s old pants — the cloth was dark gray—cleaned 
I pieces of pasteboard in the shape of a vase, sewed ; and darned them nicely, made them as longus the doors 
; the edges together, fastened in a bottom, put in some j are wide, and about fifteen inches wide, for the first 
small stones to made it steady, covered it neatly with one. Had some black and scarlet plaid braid from an 
buff cloth, fastened on a bunch of green ferns, put j old dress; set one row around the mat about half an 
over it a covering of thin barred lace, and it was inch from the edge, first clipping off the square 
complete. Of course the ferns should have been glued 
on and two or three coats of varnish applied ; but 
glue and varnish are articles I have never been for¬ 
tunate enough to possess. My bureau is furnished 
with a toilet set made in the same way, of buff cloth 
(scraps of my window-shades), with a bunch of ferns 
in the centre of the mats, pincushions, hair-pin box, 
etc., then a covering of lace fastened on each article 
with tiny green bows. No one can tell that the buff 
cloth is not silk or velvet, and the ferns embroidered 
on, unless by very close examination. Of course I 
would prefer the real article, but where one is oblig¬ 
ed to count even the pennies an imitation will an¬ 
swer as well for the “ pretties.” 
Two corners of our parlor contained bouquets of 
dried grasses, everlastings, etc. (not alike by any 
means), the third had a two-shelved walnut bracket 
of books, while the fourth was empty. I pondered a 
long time what to fill it with ; at last I received an 
inspiration one day while busy over the wash-tub, 
which I proceeded to carry out the first leisure after¬ 
noon. I took my last summer’s hat, which was 
white chip, and with it made a handled basket, filled 
it with ferns and gay zephyr flowers of all shades and 
colors, and hung it in the vacant corner ; had some 
lovely ferns about a foot and a half long, some a brigh t 
green, the others a golden bronze ; fastened them in 
the edge of the basket, letting them droop down. 
Every one admires the fern basket more than any¬ 
thing in the parlor. I press my ferns in a large 
country atlas, gather them any time in the year ; 
for we have many kinds which remain fresh and green 
all winter. Fred brought me ahandful from the woods 
the other day which have been covered with snow for 
several weeks. I use the dainty creations everywhere, 
in bedroom, parlor, kitchen, over curtains, under and 
over picture-frames, in bouquets and to ornament 
all kinds of fancy work. Do any of you know how 
useful the pretty moss which we call fern moss can 
be made. It grows in sheets, on old logs especially, 
where the woods are swampy; each separate stem is 
like a miniature fern. We have been making frames 
for pictures and mottoes in the sitting-room. Fred 
makes the frames of plastering lath,'while I sew the 
moss on pasteboard, then tack it on the frames. 
Our corner book-case Fred made of two boards 
sawed to fit the corner, and a straight edge in 
front, one smaller than the other, with holes bored 
in the corners and hung up with scarlet cord; then 
I made lambrequins of brown paper, the lower one 
with one point in the centre, the upper with points at 
the sides, sewed on moss, tacked them fast, put a 
small bunch of moss on the nail where they were 
corners, another row an inch inside of that. With 
chalk printed in large letters the word “Welcome” 
in the centre of the mat; sewed on the letters with 
braid; for a border took a long strip of the cloth, cut 
it in three-cornered notches, then a strip of scarlet 
flannel, cut it the same way, only half an inch smal¬ 
ler; laid the flannel on the cloth, fastened both to the 
mat, lined it, and it was finished. For the other mat 
bound the edge two inches wide with brown cloth ; 
cut out one large rabbit and two small ones from the 
brown cloth; put the large one in the centre of the 
mat, the small ones across the lower corners with 
their heads toward the large one; cut out about a 
dozen leaves after a beech leaf, laid them on in groups 
and singly to fill the vacant places, sewed all down 
securely, sewed black eyes on for all the rabbits ; also 
made two rabbits of white canton flannel, stuffed 
them with bran, lined their ears and made their eyes 
of pink silk, placed them on a green sea-foam mat, 
and they look ’cute as life. If any of the Cabinet 
readers would like the pattern for these rabbits, which 
can also be enlarged for a rug, and send their address 
and five cents to me, I will send it to them. Last 
fall when we brought our wood-box in the house it 
looked so shabby on the new rag carpet that I soon 
had it nicely papered inside and out. Butlfound that 
to keep it nice it must be newly papered every two 
weeks at least, so I sent Fred to the store for two 
yards of paper muslin, dark gray or brown ; he soon 
returned with the gray, which I tacked to the box 
with “silver” headed carpet tacks, and now as 
spring days are drawing on it still holds out. I 
made a common lamp-mat, to take the place of an 
elaborate one which dare not be spoiled, of a square 
of green flannel lined with paper muslin, with white 
zephyr chain-stitched a striped border half an inch 
from the edge. Worked my husband’s initials in the 
centre, also with white zephyr; it is soiled now, but I 
can soon make another. I close these many items, 
hoping they will benefit some of the many Cabinet 
readers as much as I have been benefited by its 
pages, knowing also that even the humblest can take 
at least one hint. And now one word to the writers: 
let us have some more letters to the young house¬ 
keepers as we had in 1875 and ’76. I am only a be¬ 
ginner, and in reading over the old numbers of the 
Cabinet have found several letters which seemed to 
be especially written by some dear old friend for my 
especial benefit. This is only my second year of 
housekeeping, so I read eveiything on the subject I 
can find, for I intend to belong to the class of 
“ splendid housekeepers.” Molliis C. Habpst. 
Benton Ridge, Hancock Co., 0. 
