HOW INGENUITY TOOK THE PLACE 
OE MONEY. 
fie ^ntfies Hflorat Bttlkiiet pwi 3 3P^cioriul BB^onfie 
“ Mother, our lounge and chairs need recover¬ 
ing ; they are very shabby.” 
“ I know they are, but times are so hard we cannot 
afford it.” 
‘‘ There is that Knickerbocker we have had in 
the house so long; if I embroider a pretty pattern 
upon it will that do ? ” 
“ Yes, I think it will; we will try what we can 
do.” 
We first cut a piece long and wide enough for the 
lounge, upon which we basted a piece of a coarse 
bag, which resembled the canvas that is used in 
embroidering upon cloth ; then I worked a pattern 
in throe colors with common yarn. The arm of 
lounge, backs and seats of chairs were worked in 
the same style. The back and front of the lounge 
were covered with the same material, side or kilt 
, b , reversing the plaits at the bottom of the 
material. For gimp I crocheted a chain the required 
length, then crocheted one stitch treble into each 
stitch of chain, tacked it on with small-headed tacks. 
The chairs mother covered with an old quilt, then 
with embroidered covers. We had an old-faslnoned 
bed-blanket, around which was some linen fringe, 
which we colored brown with Leamou’s dye, sewed 
it around the seats of chairs, tacked on the gimp, 
continuing it up over the back, and they were com¬ 
pleted, much to our satisfaction. 
We next turned our attention to making a flower- 
stand ; procured a boot-box about forty inches long, 
fifteen inches wide, eleven inches deep, into each corner 
of which we nailed round sticks taken from the wood- 
pile, twenty-seven inches long, and supplied them 
with casters. Next painted front and ends and legs 
dark brown. Of all kinds of fancy work I disliked 
paper work, but I was at a loss for something to 
ornament the edges of the stand, so I very humbly 
folded brown paper into points, and tacked a double 
row ; the points of one row were placed up, and the 
other row down ; between the rows I folded a square 
of the paper cornenvise, and took three or four plaits 
in the bottom and tacked them on; at the corners I 
made a rosette of the plaited papers, and finished 
with a button-mould in the middle. The front we 
divided into three panels by placing two rows like 
the border between them ; pushed thick brown paper 
under the points to protect the panels from the 
lighter brown paint with which we painted the paper 
border. Varnished; when dry put a bouquet of 
decaleomania pictures in each panel and on each 
end. Laid dry moss on the top — of which we se¬ 
cured a large supply in the fall — filled it with pots 
(or rather fruit-cans painted brown, which are far 
better for plants, and much easier arranged than the 
old earthen pots), and it was soon a vision of loveli¬ 
ness, which we could wheel from room to room as 
fancy dictated. 
The plants looked so nice in their bed of moss 
that we nailed a board on each window-sill, covered 
with moss, and put plants upon them ; one window is 
quite a window garden; we drove the ends of a 
piece of wire into the sides of the casing, thus mak¬ 
ing an arch, over which a Madeira Vine luxuriates; 
threads from the top of arch to the shelf support 
white and red Petunias; brackets on each side of 
window contain Air Plants and Smilax; a hanging- 
basket in the centre is made of an old hand-basin, 
has pink and white Oxalis, Harrison Daisy, and 
English Ivy. 
So much encouraged were we by the success with 
which we met, we next attempted a matting for my 
bedroom ; obtained from the stores matting that tea- 
chests are enclosed in, washed them—which stiffens 
them—and cut into ten-inch squares; bound one 
half of them with old black cloth, the other half with 
red, then stitched on the machine. Cut out of thick 
paper a square like the matting, then cut from the mid¬ 
dle of paper an oak-leaf; on those that were bound 
with red we painted a black leaf, on those bound 
with black a red leaf. Sewed the squares into 
breadths, then laid on the floor as other matting is, 
and we had a lovely and durable covering for my 
floor, and the cost was very slight. We now launch¬ 
ed out into an entirely new line of fancy work, that 
of making use of empty spools. 
I had long wanted a towel-rack, so one stormy day 
I besought mother to help me make one; she kindly 
consented. First we cut from a pasteboard box a 
piece sixteen and three-fourths inches long and nine 
and one-half inches wide ; now mark off one and one- 
half inch all around and cut out the centre. Split 
No. 40 spools in two as evenly as possible, and glue 
on the upper edge of the frame, also lengthwise; let 
the heads of the spools project over until the frame 
and body of spools are even ; the second row must be 
placed so that the heads of the last row of spools 
must be in the middle of the bodies of the first row. 
Little spools from which twist for buttonholes had 
been used were placed two in each corner. Stained 
with black-walnut, as we did the lounge and chairs 
previously described. The stain is simply asphaltum 
made light as jmu wish with turpentine, and applied 
with a brush; ten cents’ worth will last a year. For 
the centre of the rack I worked in large letters the 
initials of my name, with white worsted on red can¬ 
vas. Framed as any picture with glass; a piece of 
board the size of the whole frame strengthens it. 
Take two pieces of strong wire each four inches long, 
bend one end over one-quarter of an inch, one inch from 
that make another bend, drive the short bend into 
the board two inches from edge ; the long end that is 
in front must be turned up at the end; bend the 
other wire in the same way, then place a wooden 
rod upon them to hang the towels on, and it is ready 
to hang up in its place. 
One day in looking over some rubbish I found two 
old iron candlesticks, which I imagined looked like 
some vases that I had seen. I immediately broke off 
the little slides, sand-papered, and painted them a 
light-drab color ; gave them three coats, bought some 
small embossed pictures of flowers, and placed some 
around the candlestick, others on the base, and 
varnished. 
A small bottle put into the place “ where the can¬ 
dle ought to be,” then fill with ferns and flowers. 
Look, behold and wonder ! two beautiful vases stand¬ 
ing on sea-foam mats, and no one would dare to in¬ 
sinuate before them that they had once been called 
candlesticks. 
To finish I will describe a jardiniere we made for 
church decoration. The base is a cheese-box cover 
nineteen inches in diameter; a standard twenty-nine 
inches high ; an old umbrella divested of cover, han¬ 
dle, and ribs, except an inch on each side of where the 
braces are fastened ; slip the umbrella inverted over 
the standard within seven inches of the base ; fasten 
it there. A circular piece of wood three and one- 
half inches in diameter is crowded down the standard 
into the umbrella, which presses it out the required 
distance, thirteen inches, and is held in place by a 
wire. Take a piece of hoop-iron thirty-eight inches 
long, and wire the lower ends of the ribs firmly to it; 
another piece of hoop is wired to the upper ends of 
ribs, and is forty inches long. Fasten a piece of 
wire on one side of the upper hoop, pass it through a 
small hole made for that purpose iii the standard, and 
fasten on opposite side of hoop. A tin bottle with 
the bottom melted off, cut in inch-wide strips half 
way to the neck, makes a pretty cup; fasten on the 
top of standard; bend the strip over in graceful curves. 
Paint all brown. Fill base and middle with moss 
and vines, leaving room for pots of plants in bloom, 
and in the top cut-flowers ; be sure and have plenty 
of vines. It was much admired and criticised; but 
to no one did we impart the secret of its manufac¬ 
ture. 
USEFUL RECIPES. 
To Clean and Polish Brass. —Oil of vitriol, 
one ounce; sweet-oil, one-half gill; pulverized rot¬ 
ten-stone, one gill ; rain-water, one and one-half 
pints; mix all and shake as used. Appty with a 
rag and polish with buckskin or all woollen. Rotten- 
stone followed by Paris white and rouge is very good 
also. 
To Keep Lard Sweet. —To one gallon of lard 
put one ounce of sal-soda, dissolved in a gill of water. 
Do not fill your kettles more than half full, for it 
will foam and perhaps boil over. No other water is 
required than what the soda is dissolved in. When 
it is done it will be very clear, and will keep two 
years. Strain through a c-oarsc cloth and set away. 
Household Pests. —Housekeepers will be glad 
to learn from the Journal of Chemistry that hot 
alum-water is the best insect-destroyer. Put the 
alum into hot water and let it boil till all the alum 
is dissolved; then apply it hot with a brush to all 
cracks, closets, bedsteads, and other places where 
insects are found. Ants, bedbugs, cockroaches, and 
creeping things are killed by it, while it lias no dan¬ 
ger of poisoning the family or injuring the pro¬ 
perty. 
Boils should be brought, to a head by warm poul¬ 
tice of camomile flowers, or boiled white lily-root, or 
onion root, by fermentation with hot water, or by 
stimulating plasters. When ripe they should be de¬ 
stroyed by a needle or a lancet. But this should not 
be attempted until they are fully proved. 
