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DECORATION. 
FLOWER-POT STAND. 
The stand illustrated on this page was designed 
especially as a flower-pot holder, but may also be used 
for a stand work-basket. It is made of bronzed reeds. 
The upper part, which rests on curved feet 7 inches 
high, is six-cornered, and 8 inches high; the bottom, 
which is of wood, is 10 inches, and the top 12 inches 
in diameter. The medallions are underlaid with white 
cloth. In the middle of this is worked on with button¬ 
hole stitch around the edges, a green silk medallion, 
2^ inches long, by If inches wide; on this is arranged 
a cork landscape, in application. Instead of this, 
application on leather or card-hoard, in point russe or 
satin stitch, may he used. The painted border which 
surrounds the medallion, is worked partly in satin 
stitch and partly in point russe, with silk twist in va¬ 
rious gay colors, and with gold thread. 
The white cloth foundation is mounted on paste¬ 
board, and fastened in the reed frame with little pegs. 
A lining of violet cashmere, and small tassels and 
hows, arranged in the manner shown in the illustra¬ 
tion, completes the stand. 
Many pleasing ornaments can be made for the dec¬ 
oration of our rooms at odd times, with very little or 
no arduous trouble; a little done now and then will 
not show much at the time, but congregately taken, 
often prove something worth having. Every lady has 
friends who have a capacity for whittling; get on the ! 
DESIGN FOR A FIRE-SCREEN IN WOOL 
WORK. 
The accompanying illustration represents a very 
pretty design for a fire-screen, the result of the united 
labor of the cabinet-maker and the lady of the house. 
Walnut wood is an appropriate material for the frame; 
and the design of the wool work, of course, can be 
varied according to the taste and skill of the worker. 
The group of flowers and enclosing wreath are appro¬ 
priate to the character of the frame illustrated; and 
with tasty use of the worsted, by the lady, a beautiful 
design may be elaborated. The sketch here illus¬ 
trated, is that of a bouquet in centre, composed of 
Tulips, Roses, Lilies, Primroses, etc., surrounded by 
a wreath of ornamental grasses. 
LEAF 
ORNAMENTS FOR WINDOW- 
SCREENS. 
Ladies who take delight in arranging domestic 
floral decorations, will find much pleasure by trying 
experiments we here detail. 
An exquisite transparency may be made by ar¬ 
ranging pressed ferns, grasses, and autumn leaves cn 
a pane of window-glass, laying another pane of the 
same size over it, and binding the edge with ribbon, 
leaving the group of plants imprisoned between. Use 
gum-tragacanth in putting on the binding. It is well 
also to secure a narrow slip, of paper under the ribbon. 
The binding should be gummed all around the edge 
of the first pane, and dried, before the leaves, ferns, 
etc., are arranged, then it can be neatly folded over the 
second pane without difficulty. To form the loop for 
hanging the transparency, paste a binding of galloon 
along the edge, leaving a two-inch loop free in the 
centre, afterwards to be pulled through a little slit in 
the final binding. These transparencies may be either 
hung before a window, or, if preferred, secured against 
a pane in the sash. In halls, a beautiful effect is pro¬ 
duced by placing them against the side lights of the 
hall door. Where the side lights are each of only a 
single pane, it is well worth while to place a single 
transparency against each, filling up the entire space, 
thus affording ample scope for a free arrangement or 
ferns, grasses, and leaves, while the effect of the light 
passing through the rich autumnal colors is very fine. 
Leaves so arranged will preserve their beauty during 
the whole of the winter. 
Flower-Pot Stand. 
right side of these friends; with a little compromising 
and a bribe or two, you will bring about the desired 
result. Brackets for the wall have of late been very 
much used. When the heavier and handsomer ones can¬ 
not be procured, old, discarded cigar-boxes will furnish 
Design for a Fire-Screen in Wool Work. 
material for the smaller ones; these can be cut or 
sawed out in any pretty pattern, varnished, and placed 
against the wall with good effect. Tack them firmly, 
so that small china or marble ornaments, curious 
stones, handsome shells, etc., can be placed thereon. 
Do not have more than two in a room; one on each 
side of the chimney-piece, with a small statue, vase, 
or picture on it, is pretty. Now make wreaths of 
dried grasses or pressed autumn leaves, and put around 
the bracket; these are easily sewn on a foundation or 
circle of paste-board, or tacked on bonnet-wire. On 
a black walnut one, I have a gilt and china open-work 
basket; in it is a bird’s nest with three sky blue eggs. 
Back of the bracket are tucked brilliant autumn leaves 
and yellow ferns. Another has a Parian marble bust 
of Fremont on porcelain base ; this also has ferns 
arranged back of it. Brackets generally look best 
under pictures. Some make them of stiff paste-board 
and paint. These are only desirable for holding fine, 
pretty colored pictures or steel engravings, framed in 
straw; painting the straw improves them—they then 
look like wood. Quite pretty little frames can be 
made of black and gilt, or brown and gilt, paper. If 
the picture is limber, paste it on stiff paste-board. 
In a sunny room in the house, have one or two 
brackets made large, and substantial enough to 
support a flower-pot and saucer; nail this under a 
picture—one with an oval frame is the prettiest—have 
the bracket or shelf low enough, so that when the pot 
is put on it will be even with the bottom of the picture. 
Plant in the pot a couple of Ivies, and a vine to run 
down, or a sweet potato; if the latter, it is best placed 
in a Hyacinth glass or a jar of water. Select a potato 
that will nearly all go down in the jar, leaving eyes to 
sprout at the top; it is curious to watch the roots 
grow. But if this is not desired, the jar and bracket 
too can he painted or covered with lichens from the 
trees in the woods; these will not adhere to the glass 
without a covering first of rag or paper. When the 
potato begins to sprout nicely and sends out long 
shoots, tie strings from the neck of the glass around to 
the top of the picture, and it will soon become a living 
frame. Of the two vines, ivy is the prettiest. Keep 
the glass filled with water. Lichens make odd look 
ing, but really pretty frames; pressed autumn leaves 
likewise, always pasting the picture on heavy paste¬ 
board or thin, dry board, and leaving a margin of the 
same for the leaves to go on. I had plain, square, 
white pine frames made and painted brown; I then 
glued pressed autumn leaves (maple and gum) on 
them, commencing at the bottom and going up around 
like a wreath, arranging them gradually smaller as I 
went up; copal varnished them; when done, they 
looked beautiful, and were much admired. This was 
three years ago; to-day they are faded, but still pretty. 
I am confident that if they were kept or hung in rooms 
where there was little or no fire, they would retain 
their color for years. Heat draws the brilliant hues 
out. If persons cannot keep plants through the win¬ 
ter, they can surely have a pretty collection of dried 
grasses in vases on the mantle. Gather all grasses 
before they are fully ripe. Several varieties of the 
sedges (Carex) are pretty for this use, the different 
grains are lovely; the flowers of the sprain root re¬ 
tain their color finety if cut before, they are fully 
blown; also, the laurel (Kalmia); both should be 
dried or pressed in a dark, cool place. The seed pods 
of the sprain root are valuable for bouquets, if plucked 
just before they burst. Sumac berries, when ripe, can 
be used to good advantage. These make handsome 
wreaths, mingled with graceful grasses, dried ferns, 
or, indeed, alone. Nothing can be pirettier than the 
scarlet seed pods of the comihon white or the wild 
rose, if left to mature. That plague of the farmers, 
the green briar, resembling somewhat the Smilax, and 
indeed a variety, is covered in the fall with hard, black 
berries; this is fine, and a • hundred other of our wild 
and cultivated plants form seed vessels and berries 
worthy of our cultivation. Geno. 
