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RUSTIC PICTURES. 
A few remarks appear necessary before giving the 
directions for making the beautiful ornaments called 
rustic pictures. This work will be found, I think, 
something entirely new, although, perhaps, many will 
suppose, upon first reading the name, that they have 
seen or made such work before. I would state here, 
that this work is not like the kind named in Art 
Recreations, and other works, as moss work and moss 
pictures, mine being worked entirely by the skill 
and taste of the operator, and not simply built upon a 
painting or engraving as in the works named. Great 
neatness is necessary, as well as a certain amount of 
artistic taste and skill in making these pictures, that 
they may please the eye and give an idea of perspec¬ 
tive as clearly, almost, as the paintings in oil or water 
colors or engravings. This is done by placing certain 
objects high or low, far back or near, and by using- 
various colors of moss, dried and pressed leaves, 
grasses, &c. The materials and implements 
necessary for each picture will be given with 
directions, and should there be any information 
wanted at any time, that is not published with 
the piece, it will be cheerfully and gladly fur¬ 
nished. | 
No. 1 —Easter Cross. 
The materials necessary for this picture are 
white cardboard to fit and cover a recess frame 
of any desired size. The one from which this 
is taken is one by one and one-half feet. An oval 
or arched mat to surround the picture, a flat 
wooden cross of size to suit frame, white moss, 
such as is found upon old fences and trees, green 
moss, dried grasses, everlasting flowers, the 
scarlet berries or balls called crabs eyes, autumn 
leaves that have been pressed and varnished, 
dried ferns, white frosting, mucilage of best white 
gum arabic, white glue, arrow root. The white 
stamens used for wax or paper flowers, and a 
few green leaves, wax or paper, or dried natural 
ones, a few crayons of green shades, are ser¬ 
viceable, but not indispensable. 
The implements are a mucilage brush, a small 
sash brush for glue, sharp knife and scissors, 
two dredging boxes for arrow root and frosting, 
such as are used for pepper, &c. in the kitchen, 
the latter with large holes, and boxes to hold 
the various materials, in order to keep them from 
getting broken and mingled together, which 
causes much trouble and discomfort. 
Having all these articles ready and the cross 
made, wet it well with rather stiff glue and place 
it upon the white cardboard, back of the recess, 
the middle rather above the centre of frame, in 
order to allow for the ground-work, as seen in 
the design. Cover the cross with white moss and bark, 
commencing at the top and covering carefully, one 
piece slightly overlapping the other, until entirely 
covered. Take a card box, about half as deep as the 
recess, cut away the one side and make a hole in the 
bottom that will admit the bottom of cross, glue it to 
the recess and cross, and when dry, cover with green 
moss. Place grasses, flowers, leaves, &c. in tasteful 
groups around and on it, and train a piece of vine-like 
fern or vine around the body and over the arms of 
cross, with drooping sprays falling carelessly from the 
arms.' When dry touch lightly with mucilage, dust a 
little powder and a great deal of frosting upon it and 
it is done. After the frosting, &e. dries, tap the back 
of frame lightly to remove loose particles of frosting, 
&c., then frame carefully. Aunt Carry. 
PICTURES FOR HOME. 
Our ideal home is always well stocked with pictures, 
for nothing else adds such an air of elegance and re¬ 
finement to rooms. Our chairs and sofas will yield to 
the tooth of Time, but our pictures, like the faces of 
tried and true friends, only grow dearer to us as the 
years flee away. 
It is not necessary to our happiness that we have oil 
paintings and costly engravings. Most of us must be 
satisfied with less expensive pictures, and we can 
Ingenuity and skill will lessen materially the cost of 
framing. Frames of gilt, walnut or walnut and ebony 
polished, are always pretty. A flat frame covered 
tightly with velvet to correspond with the furnishing of 
the room is elegant. Such a frame should have a gilt 
moulding upon the inner edge, especially if the pic¬ 
ture is dark. The outer edge might be sawed in 
graceful curves, if preferred, and the effect might be 
still further heightened by putting over the velvet a 
very delicate wood carving of the kind called Sorrento 
carving. 
Unmounted photographs of statuary and paintings 
are very cheap. Mount them yourself with great 
nicety, and then get suitable paper, and make your 
own mats. An oblong opening, with rounded corners, 
is easily made, or an oval. To gild the edge, use gum 
arabic and gold powder, or which is easier, use a gold 
saucer that costs only twenty-five cents and lasts for 
At a little distance from the edge draw and 
gild another line. Sometimes carmine ink is used on 
mats over photographs, and sometimes India ink. A 
small landscape with an inch of white margin, and 
then a tinted mat giving two more inches of 
margin, looks very pretty. Of frames made 
by the Sorrento saw’s, the name is legion, and 
nothing can exceed them in delicacy and beauty. 
Old magazines often yield choice little pictures, 
which, properly set, become a daily pleasure. 
As for seed catalogues they are doubly welcome 
to those who have ever thought to cut out the 
beautiful flowers very neatly, and transfer them 
to brown, gray or even white paper. On dark 
papers, with a light coat of varnish, they do 
very well lor dining-room chromos. Sometimes 
several groups may be cut out and arranged 
together with good effect. 
For fruit pieces, one may make something 
really pretty with the pictures from fruit cans 
and from cloth. One that I see often has a 
plate drawn on large buff crayon paper; the 
plate is shaded and the edge gilded; on the 
plate are heaped peaches, plums, cherries and 
strawberries with their leaves ; a water lily rests 
against the side, and over- it a humming bird 
hovers. Little pictures do nicely in passe par- 
touts, and for making them, black cambric does 
better than paper; pretty gilt ornaments for 
corners are often found in wall papers. 
Hang the pictures low enough, and hang 
them evenly, grouping them so as to make the 
best possible appearance. White brackets under 
them, with vases of ivy, ferns or vines, add much 
to the beauty of our friends upon the wall. 
Rochester, N. Y. Dore Hamilton. 
Easter Cross. 
minister to our love of the beautiful without great j 
outlay, for are there not lovely chromos, charming 
photographs and beautiful and inexpensive prints 
within the reach of every one % 
We like a few large pictures better than many small 
ones, though the small ones are not to be despised. 
We want landscapes to look at when we tire of people, 
and v 7 e want the faces of good people to look at when 
-we are tired of landscapes. We grow to love the 
pictured faces of Raphael, St. Agnes, the Mater Dolo¬ 
rosa, Evangeline and Beatrice, as if they were our 
friends beloved. Picture stores are full of them, wait¬ 
ing for us to adopt them. 
BLEACHING FERNS. 
Gather them after the first frost, in October, 
has turned them brown or yellow; then put 
them in a solution of chloride of soda, not lime, 
one-third soda and two-thirds water, and let them 
stand in the sun until white; then rinse them in clear 
water ; float them on a piece of glass; carefully wipe 
them with a soft cloth, and press them between blot¬ 
ting paper ; when dry they are ready for use. 
Cabinet Varnish. —To one gallon of alcohol add 
six ounces of gum sandaraeh, three ounces of gum 
mastie, and half an ounce of turpentine varnish; put 
this in a tin can in a warm place, shaking occasionally. 
In ten days or two w r eeks it will be dissolved. Strain 
it, and it wall be ready for use. It is good for any kind 
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