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91 
ROOM 
BOARDING-SCHOOL. 
It was Wednesday afternoon—a half-holiday, for 
the girls at Mrs. Lovett’s hoarding-school—a few 
weeks before Christmas, and nearly all the girls were 
gathered in the room occupied by G-erty and Minnie 
Faust,, engaged in making Christmas presents for the 
friends at home. They always chose this room on 
such occasions, and why was it? Because it was 
adorned with all sorts of pretty things, which made it 
more home-like than the more elegant ones, and the 
sisters were always glad to show how to make these 
pretty things. 
In one corner was a bracket made from an old 
cigar-box, which first had been soaked in hot water 
and then cut into the desired shape. The front side of 
the wall part was neatly covered with white paper, 
and then, with white glue, was thickly sprinkled with 
rice. Over this were arranged in a graceful manner 
raisin stems dipped in red sealing-wax dissolved in 
boiling alcohol. The shelf, and a piece of pasteboard 
about an inch wide, fastened on the edge of the shelf, 
were also covered with paper and rice, but only the 
pasteboard with the mock coral. On the shelf were 
arranged natural pebbles and stones, most of them 
obtained from places which the girls had visited, and 
shells, among which pieces of the coral and different 
kinds of sea mosses were placed. 
Opposite this bracket was another of nicer material, 
on the edge of which was tacked a piece of white 
cotton velvet cut in large scollops at the bottom, with 
a gracefully-arranged bunch of ferns and trailing vines 
done in spatter-work on it. The velvet was a quarter 
of a yard deep and as long as the edge of the shelf. 
The tacking on was hidden by a piece of chenille. On 
this shelf was a flower-pot containing two kinds of 
wild ferns, and the earth covered by moss, in which 
partridge-berry vine w r as growing. The pot and its 
saucer were hidden by a four-sided box, larger at top 
than bottom, made from a cigar box. On the centre 
of each side was arranged a design with split peach, 
plum, and prune stones, date and cherry stones, small 
cones and the scales of larger cones, and acorns. The 
rest 'was covered by the gray moss which grows on 
rocks, with a border of cone scales overlapping each 
other. 
Over each of these brackets hung a picture, with a 
wide-mouthed bottle filled with water fastened at the 
back of the picture, with sprays of such vines as grow 
well in water growing in the bottles and brought 
round to the front of the pictures. 
There were two ottomans made of square wooden 
second came just a little above the centre and directly 
under the top point of the first. The third lapped 
over the second, and the fourth over the third, in the 
same manner. They were fastened together at the 
sides with little bows of ribbon ; also, the lower point 
of the first, second and third was fastened, so as not to 
show, on to the diamond which overlapped it, to pre¬ 
vent the letters from slipping out, the overlapping- 
points forming the pockets for the letters. The whole 
was decorated with decalcomanie pictures. These are 
pretty made of perforated card with worked figures. 
A very ornamental as well as useful toilet article 
was on the bureau. It consisted of three small cornu¬ 
copias made of silver cardboard, each having a worked 
pattern. One was lined with blue paper and finished 
with blue quilled ribbon; this was for hair combings. 
Another was stuffed with curled hair, and the top cov¬ 
ered with a piece of canvas work; this for a pin¬ 
cushion. The third was also stuffed with curled hair, 
and covered with thin looped crochet work, such as is 
used for basket hair-pin cushions. These two were 
finished with quilled ribbon, and the three fastened to 
a small upright pole about eight inches high, fastened 
to a round stand at the bottom. The long side of the 
cornucopias was against the pole, being fastened to it 
with bows at the top and bottom points. There was 
also on the bureau a box for clean collars and cuffs, 
made from a round pasteboard box such as grapes 
come in, covered inside and out with blue paper. The 
outside was also covered with a box-plaiting of rather 
thick muslin, as deep as the sides of the box, finished 
with lace at the bottom and fastened to the top of the 
box. On each plait was spattered a tiny fern. The 
cover was also covered with blue paper and the mus¬ 
lin, and a wreath of small ferns and vines spattered 
on it. The sides of the cover, which came down over 
the top of the box, was covered by a box-plaiting of 
blue ribbon. 
Among the writing materials was a pen-wiper, con¬ 
sisting of two black pieces and one blue, pinked at the 
edge. On the top one was fastened a little long bag 
made of unbleached cotton cloth, stuffed out and tied 
at one end, and on it the word “malt” written. On 
the black piece, and also on the bag, were fastened 
I apple seeds, with brown thread, so as to represent the 
j legs of mice, and another piece for the tail. If scat¬ 
tered about nicely, a few as if eating the malt, it makes 
a real cute pen-wiper. 
These were only a few of the things, but the space 
allowed me will not permit more. Bessie. 
HOUSEHOLD FANCY WORK. 
I think it is a great duty, as well as a great pleasure, 
for us to brighten up and beautify our homes as much 
i as we can with things useful and ornamental. Now I 
boxes obtained at the grocers, lined with paper, and think I hear some one saying, “It is all well enough 
having covers fastened on with hinges. The sides for those with plenty of money to say that; as for me, 
were covered with a box-plaiting of drab linen, such ^ I have other ways to spend mine, although Hike to see 
as is used for summer furniture coverings, bound at pretty things as well as anyone, if I could only afford 
the bottom with scarlet braid, and tacked with a piece them.” Now just stop a. minute and think. Just 
of the braid around the top of the box. The lids were think how a few simple things, that cost next to 
covered with thick cloth, stuffed out so as to form a nothing except the time, and a very little time too, it 
cushion, and then covered with the linen. The edges takes to fix them. Just think how they brighten even 
of the lids were finished with a two-inch box-plaiting the dullest room and cheer and shorten the darkest 
of the linen, both edges bound with braid. Four bows winter days. In the bright, pleasant days how little 
of braid at the upper corners and a loop on one side | trouble it is to gather some bright leaves and select 
finished it. One was used as a slipper box, the other some perfect specimens from them. 
for soiled cuffs, collars and handkerchiefs. 
On one side of the bureau hung a letter-case made 
Woodbine, 
sumach, blackberry, rose, rock maple, and many 
others are lovely. Then take a warm—not too hot— 
of four four-inch squares of tinted cardboard, used as flatiron and -on it rub some resin, and iron out the 
diamonds instead of squares—that is, having a point leaves, and I think the result will satisfy you if you 
instead of a side for the top. The second piece was have any taste for the beautiful. Another excellent 
lapped over the first, so that the top point of the 1 way is to oil the leaves in linseed oil and let them dry. 
They are so pretty for vases and to put over pictures. 
They are very pretty to arrange in bouquet form on 
bristol board ; then take a pieec of glass—say six 
inches long and five wide — and place the leaves under 
the glass, and cut the cardboard the size of the glass, 
then fasten the corners with mucilage the same as you 
fastened the leaves on the card. Then cut a strip of 
dark brown or gilt paper about an inch wide and bind 
it over both edges to look like a frame, and you have 
some pretty mantel or bracket ornaments. Another 
way to make pretty frames for photographs or pictures 
cut from magazines is this : Take some cigar-lighters 
as they are called, dampen them slightly, and cut them 
the required length, and sew a row of them on the 
pictures around the edge, letting about two inches of 
the sticks project from the corners; then sew on an¬ 
other row, leaving just space enough between the two 
rows of sticks to see the paper ; then cut two pieces of 
the lighters for the corners and sew on and cross; cut 
the ends off in notches, and sew on either black or 
steel beads in little stars or crosses on the corners to 
hide the stitches, and at intervals at the sides and top 
and bottom. There are all colors, but the dark and 
light are prettiest. The white ones cost ten cents a 
bunch and the dark twenty. They make very pretty 
frames. Shell work is easy too and pretty. Take 
some pasteboard (an old box is best, as it does not 
warp) and cut from it a cross, cover it with shells, and 
you have a handsome ornament. I have a nice recipe 
for cement that does not crack or peel off, but remains 
firm. Take 1 lb. white lead, 1 lb. whiting; mix in 
linseed oil to a soft putty, add one-third flour and two 
tablespoonfuls japan ; have it soft enough to spread. 
It takes several days to dry it. When you go to the 
beach in summer, gather all the shells you can, and, if 
you can, get some foreign ones to put with them. 
Have a bracket made without sides, and cover with 
shells, and it will be very handsome. Even the com¬ 
mon shells look very nicely when varnished with 
white varnish. I made myself one, and it is very 
much admired, and I have had two customers for me 
to make them each one. I had some pink foreign 
shells and arranged them in the form of roses, and 
some of our native shells, called silver shells, which 
are yellow, and they look very handsome. At the 
back of your pictures place some wide-necked bottles 
filled with water. Have a cord fastened round the 
neck of the bottle long enough to let the bottle down 
so it will not be seen, and put the cord over the same 
knob as the picture^is hung on ; then put some water- 
ivy in the bottle, and let it run over the picture; it 
grows very fast in water, and looks so pretty. Take 
some pieces of straw braid, and sew two or three rows 
around some small pictures; they make odd little 
frames ; finish at the corners with rosettes made of 
straw. Little baskets are pretty made of pasteboard 
and covered with gray moss and filled with ever¬ 
green and bright berries or autumn leaves ; or they 
are very pretty ornaments to cover the baskets with 
shells and fill with the same or pretty little stones. If 
you want a pretty and useful match-lighter, take a 
piece of pasteboard and cut it any pretty shape you 
like, and then cut a piece of sandpaper the same 
shape and glue it on ; finish it with a narrow ribbon 
and loop to hang it up. Cut some perforated card 
five inches long by four wide, work a pretty pattern on 
each side, make a little bag, and fill with heliotrope 
or any perfume powder, and place between the card¬ 
board ; plait some ribbon the same color as the pattern 
on the board (about an inch-wide lutestring ribbon, 
bright red or blue, is pretty), and sew the ribbon on 
one side ; place the two pieces of card together, and 
leave a loop to hang it up ; this is very pretty indeed. 
