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CONTRIVANCES. 
A lady contributor of The Michigan Farmer thinks 
that by a little exercise of their skill and patience their 
rooms might be made cozy and pretty. No house 
need have a bare, chill aspect because its occupant 
cannot afford to buy costly furniture. If a sleeping- 
room is furnished with a bed, some kind of a carpet, 
and the toilet necessaries, with but little more expense 
it can be made to look so comfortable that none but 
the most critical and calculating will think of calling 
it anything but complete. Pink paper-cambric used as 
a lining for the muslin or lace curtains gives a pretty 
effect; while a square piece of it, finished around 
the edge with a pinked double ruffle, an inch in width, 
tacked up behind the wash-stand, saves the wall as 
well and looks much better than a towel or paper. 
The wash-stand and table may both be made of dry- 
goods boxes, curtained and covered -with white; while 
from a box the suitable shape, a paper of tacks, 
and some calico, a thing can be made which will 
serve both as a lounge and a place in which to store 
away bed-clothes. First, the inside is lined by pasting 
paper in it; next the lid is fastened on by leather 
hinges nailed to the insidethen the top stuffed a little 
and smoothly covered with the calico (plain green or 
red looks best). Around the upper edge of the box 
is tacked a flounce, laid in double box plaits, and 
long enough to reach the floor. Where the lid and 
box meet it can be finished with a double ruffle 
fastened to the edge of the lid, or with some furniture 
gimp and brass-headed tacks, both of which can 
bought at a furniture store for a few cents. This is 
greatly improved by the addition of a back and head- 
piece, if boards the right shape can be obtained. In 
the same way a small, square box may be made to 
serve both as a foot-stool, and as a receptacle for 
shoes and slippers; or, in a sitting-room, it will be 
found convenient to put baby’s numberless playthings 
into. 
A woman who is handy with a penknife can make 
brackets from cigar boxes, soaking them first to make 
the wood soft and prevent its splitting, while a few 
shillings will buy pretty figures in Parian marble to 
put upon them. 
I have seen a jn'etty serviceable work-box made 
from an old cigar box. One the suitable size was 
taken apart, and the bottom, cover, sides and ends 
covered separately—the outside was green rep, the 
inside pink cambric, because it happened to be in the 
house; any other plain goods would have done as 
well. Pockets of pink were put upon the ends, tapes 
upon the inside of the cover for pins, needles, etc.; 
then the box was put together again, and a partition 
covered with pink added, and the corners and edges 
finished with.narrow ribbon and tiny bows. We do 
not claim that any of the above-mentioned articles are 
one-tenth as pretty as those which are bought of 
furniture dealers by women who have plenty of 
money; but, as many are not able to buy, we claim 
that these home-made affairs are a great deal better 
than nothing. A. H. 
To color Mosses. —In response to question how to 
color Mosses, I would say, dip in green an aline dye, 
or first in yellow and then in blue shade, according to 
strength of dye. How I wish we could get Mosses, 
Lichens, Pine Cones, Ferns, and a variety of other 
things found growing wild in other States. Beautiful 
frames may be made by taking plain pine frames, 
spread putty on evenly; then place a bead work of 
burnt coffee on the inside; let it project a little over 
the edge. Next form a rosette of a buck-eye for centre, 
On each corner, and plum stones or split peach stones 
all around. Next a row of plum all around, and split 
peach stones all around. Finish with bead work of 
coffee or castor beans. When thoroughly dry, varnish 
nicely, and you will have a beautiful frame. Peach 
and plum stones may be easily split by first heating- 
in oven, and then split them with knife. 0. N. E. 
Skeleton. Leaves. — I would like to ask how to 
j mount skeleton leaves? I am a great lover of flowers, 
and all kind of fancy work. Find directions for mak- 
! ing a great many pretty things through your paper. 
I will send directions for coloring, or painting rather, 
grasses for winter bouquets, several different colors, if 
it is desirable. I sent bouquet of such colored grasses 
! with everlastings in cornucopia made of pasteboard, 
i covered with green moss immortelles, in centre of which 
I was a little nest of crystalized grasses, and a little 
humming bird in nest. The bird was one I had on a 
hat. I took first prize on bouquet, also on cornucopia, 
as the prettiest thing of any name or nature. 
C. N. E. 
A Simple Ornament for the Fire-grate in 
Summer. —One of the most simple, and at the same 
time one of the prettiest decorations for the grate, is a 
sheet of colored paper, cut into strips to within a short 
distance of the top, and the strips woven between the 
bars, so as to produce a basket pattern. Their lower 
ends may be cut into fringe, or some other pattern, 
and the top into a zig-zag, &c. Gold stars, or other 
small ornaments gummed on the strips, will increase 
the effect. 
Arranging Pictures. —It is, of course, often im¬ 
possible in our small parlors and sitting rooms to give 
each picture precisely the light which would show it 
to best advantage, therefore a careful distinction should 
be made. It is seldom well to hang a sombre picture 
in broad light, or a cheerful, sunny one in a shaded 
corner. A moonlit landscape or a night storm at sea, 
are better placed in a mild light, while a group of laugh¬ 
ing children, or a harvest scene, seem naturally to 
require a strong one. If there is one picture consider¬ 
ably larger than the others, it should have the widest 
vacant space on the wall, provided the space is at all 
suitable for it. Companion pictures should be near 
together, or—which often has a better effect —placed 
each side of a window. The space between the two 
windows, if not occupied by a mirror, is very nice for 
a gilt-frame picture of good size; dark frames look 
better in a more subdued light. In grouping, regard 
should be had to the size, shape and color of frames, 
and to the subject of the picture. Oval forms are 
preferable to square for grouping, though the rustic or 
log cabin frames, with projecting corners, hung in 
triangle, or diamond forms, often look extremely well. 
! Three pictures of the same general appearance, hung 1 
in a horizontal row — about half the width of the 
picture is considered a proper distance between them — 
with two smaller above, and the same below, match¬ 
ing the spaces, and making seven in all, are a very 
convenient and common form. Or if the central piece 
is larger than the others, the effect is equally good. 
Two ovals, one above the other, with a smaller rustic 
or square frame each side, matching the vacant space, 
looks very well; or vice versa , the ovals outside. 
Many arrange pictures to represent crosses, but care 
should be taken not to overdo the cruciform style. 
We have seen parlors in which this symbol was so 
often and so incongruously introduced that it seemed 
! shorn of its best significance. It is 
well, wfflen 
convenient, that those pictures which correspond in 
position, should be nearly uniform in size and in gen- 
i eral aspect. But this is not all-important, and con- 
; siderable variety may bo made very pleasing, especially 
if the clusters be composed of quite small pictures like 
card photographs in tasteful frames. Do not allow 
too much incongruity in the expression of the group. 
If one arm of your cross, or one point of your diamond, 
is a Madonna or a Crucifixion, do not let the corres¬ 
ponding one be a Bacchus crowned with vine-leaves, 
or a Jolly Washerwoman. A rural landscape accom¬ 
modates itself to almost any place; so does an infantile 
face or a garland of flowers. When it is practicable 
avoid cross-lights, and if in your picture the sun is 
represented as shining from the left, try to arrange it 
so that the light from your window will humor the 
delusion. “Mamma,” said a little girl the other day, 
standing before a beautiful “Faith,” which hung in a 
cross-light — “Mamma, when I put my finger on 
Faith, its shadow falls just the other way from Faith’s 
shadow.” “I will hang it on the opposite side of the 
window then,” said the mother; and when it was 
done, the small critic professed herself satisfied. Pic¬ 
tures should never be hung so high as to make looking 
at them a pain to the neck, as was the custom a few 
years ago. New houses are quite commonly built, of 
late, with a rod stretched along the wall quite close to 
the ceiling, from-which pictures may be suspended, 
and on which they may be slipped to any point 
desired. A few nice picture nails, however, do not 
deform a wall, and often two or more pictures may be 
hung from one. If nothing better is easily procurable, 
common shingle nails, driven into the border of the 
wall paper, and their heads “humored” by its dark 
spots, answer the purpose respectably well. A good 
cord and tassel add much to the effect of a picture; 
except for larger sizes one tassel serves precisely as 
well as two .—Ohio Farmer. 
To Clean Last Year’s Silks.— For the remaking 
of last year’s black silks may be recommended an 
excellent mode of cleaning. Rub each breadth care¬ 
fully with a woolen cloth to get the dust from the 
surface, then sponge it off with water in which one or 
two black kid gloves have been boiled, a quart of 
water for a pair of gloves; iron while wet, with 
extremely hot irons, on the wrong side. For colored 
silks the same colored gloves to be boiled. For 
this purpose it is well to save old kid gloves of all 
colors. Another mode tried with great success is the 
same process off rubbing off the dirt with a woolen 
rag, then mix an equal quantity of strong tea and 
vinegar, with which the silk is washed by rubbing 
it with a piece of flannel. It must be made very wet. 
Smooth the silk carefully, folding it, and in about 
fifteen minutes iron it on the wrong side with very hot 
irons. This applies only to black silk, black ribbons, 
cravats, etc., but might be injurious to colors. 
Drying Flowers.—“Daisy Eyebright” advises the 
following method: If any one desires to dry leaves 
and flowers so that they will retain their natural shape 
and color, it can be done with perfectly dry sand. Let 
it lie in the sun for several days, then taking a large 
glass or pottery jar, and put an inch of sand into it. 
Now hold the flower, head downwards and petals well 
opened, in the jar, filling it up with sand; continue to 
do this until the flower leaves are entirely covered. 
Then put in another, and proceed in the same way. 
Do this until the jar is filled. Place it in a warm 
place, but not in the sunlight. 
