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TO ORNAMENT COMMON FLOWER POTS. 
BY MRS. C. S. JONES. 
It Las become so common to ornament the rooms 
and tables with specimens of living plants, that any 
mode of adorning the ordinary red pot, in which they 
are apt to be growing and blooming, becomes at once 
valuable. There are ways innumerable of accom¬ 
plishing this, a few of which I have found so beauti¬ 
ful and effective that I feel constrained to describe 
them to my friends of the Floral Cabinet. 
BRONZING. 
Bronze-powder is to be purchased in many different 
shades, such as green, olive, rose, silver, etc. To ap¬ 
ply any one of these powders to the surface of the 
pot, paint it with a color made by rubbing up in lin¬ 
seed oil, Prussian-blue, sprual ochre and verditer. 
While this is still a little “ stickey,” dust on the 
bronze powder, dry with heat, and polish with a soft 
woolen pad, using constant heat, and adding more 
powder after each rubbing. Another mode is to rub 
with graphite, a sort of brilliant black lead, polish¬ 
ing with the rubber and varnishing. 
IMITATION WEDGEWOOD. 
The color of genuine old Wedgewood is that pe¬ 
culiar blue-gray or gray-green, which we see in some 
of the old-time pieces of crockery. This ware is very 
popular iu this day for Jardiniere vases, and other 
like adornments, but is, of course, expensive. A very 
pretty imitation for the common flower-pot may, how¬ 
ever, be made thus : Make some paint of the proper 
shade, with which cover the entire pot and saucer. 
When dry, give a second coat, with either enamel 
paint or the same as used before, afterwards varnish¬ 
ing it. Let this become perfectly dry, then, having 
obtained a number of sheets of the white embossed 
paper sold for valentines, or which comes on the 
inner edge of lace-edged paper; cut out carefully the 
various devices wanted, such as medallions, containing 
cupids, gods and goddesses, or figures, also garlands 
and clusters of flowers. Use great care to keep 
these perfectly white. When all are cut out, 
take up each one with fine Gum Arabic muci¬ 
lage, fill each figure iu with bits of tissue paper 
to keep them from being pressed flat, as the 
great beauty consists in their fullness and deep 
projecting rotundity. These layers finished, 
commence applying the figures iu proper groups; 
for instance, for the centre there is the figure of 
a maiden, led on by two cupids; roses grow at 
her feet, and an Acacia spray almost embowers 
her. An oval border of flowers forms this into 
a medallion; above and below, at four points, a 
few inches distant, is a young prince, in mediae¬ 
val costume, standing by a high-born maiden 
seated beneath a tree with a lute; a lace border 
encircles this, and again a border of roses, be¬ 
yond which is another of Forget-Me-Nots; 
above and below are classical figures, a hunter 
and maiden, bearing on their shoulders the in¬ 
fant Hymen, who waves bis lighted torch above 
their heads, etc. Such figures are found on these 
sheets of lace paper, and when properly applied, 
are extremely fine. This upon each side of the 
pot, and a border of flowers, or the lace, will be 
taken for genuine Wedgewood, or Pelissy, according 
to the shade used. 
For this, that lovely shade of turquoise blue is the 
prettiest, and this obtained in paint, must be varnished 
with Dernar, and polished with a wet pad and pow¬ 
dered pumice-stone, repeating the varnishing, drying 
i/A 
Design for Flower Stand. 
and polishing over and over, until one solid, glassy 
surface is obtained. Then with clear mucilage apply 
the lovely figures' (sold in the fancy stores, upon tine 
thin paper), or, better still, procure some fine Decal- 
comania pictures ; figures, flowers, birds, butterflies, 
Ac., in fine, rich colors. If Du Barry, a pale rose- 
pink ground must be made iu the same way as in the 
IMITATION SEVRES CHINA. 
Another beautiful imitation is that of Sevres. 
Palm for Table or Boom Decoration. 
Sevres. The centres must be filled with white glossy 
paint (in ovals), then around and joining this white 
to the blue or pink, must be garlands of gay flowers. 
Upon each side a medallion of different shape, also 
in white, is arranged in the same manner, introducing 
a few little Cupids, birds, butterflies, Ac., among the 
roses, the centres filled with groups of Watteau 
figures. These vases are truly exquisite, and I would 
urge our ladies to try them. 
IMITATION INDIAN DECORATION. 
Paint the pot black, varnish, and obtain a highly 
polished surface. Upon this arrange small, bright 
flowers, either those cut from pictures or the Decal- 
comania; intersperse some gold among them, arrange 
a large centre piece with the sprigs around it, a vine 
top and bottom; varnish with Demar. These, too, 
are elegant, and contrast finely with the foregoing. 
IMITATION OF THE EGYPTIAN VASE. 
Obtain some of the bright red lead paint of the 
common kind, and with it applied several times make 
a solid, even surface, which varnish and polish as be¬ 
fore described, or else, better still, use the sealing-wax 
paint (made by dissolving sealing-wax in alcohol). 
This dry, cut from thin black paper or silk a numbtr 
of grotesque figures and devices, such as we find in 
books of Eastern travel, and with mucilage fasten 
them flatly and smoothly upon the scarlet ground, 
forming also an odd-looking border of triangular or 
half-circular pieces. 
IMITATION CHINESE WORK. 
Paint the surface a dull yellow, or nankeen color, 
cut from chintz, or the pictures used for Potiehomania 
work, a number of figures — scenes and devices such as 
we see upon Chinese work — when entirely covered 
(filling in with tiny bees, bugs, flies, leaves and odd 
devices), varnish with Demar varnish. Another beau¬ 
tiful mode to imitate the Chinese style is to paint the 
ground black, and, obtaining the gold and black 
figures used in Potiehomania, fasten them upon the 
surface in the manner before described. A large piece, 
such as a Pagoda, with boat, figures, houses, Ac. 
Then scatter over the surface the small separate 
figures, with a border around the upper and lower 
edge. 
IMITATION OF JAPANESE INLAID WORK. 
Still another method of ornamenting common 
pots, and one within the power of every one to 
accomplish, is by means of various colored Au¬ 
tumn leaves, with a few gilt ornaments and 
some strips of plain gilded paper, such as is sold 
by the yard. The surface is painted ebony- 
black and varnished, polished with pumice-stone 
and revarnished, until smooth and even. The 
leaves, which should have been pressed perfectly 
flat, are then covered with mucilage (or very 
thin white glue), and pressed upon the surface 
in the place designed, tiling care to arrange the 
colors and sizes so as to form a pleasing and 
tasteful combination. Put two or more rows 
along the upper edge, then a garland of tiny 
leaves, then another baud of gold. This forms 
a beautiful border for the top. Have a soft nap¬ 
kin to hold and press each piece in place, until 
firmly fixed. When finished, paint with a coat 
of isinglass size. When dry, varnish with copal. 
The appearance of this work, when completed, 
is exceedingly fine. 
Rice Baskets. — The foundations are of 
pasteboard, sewed together in any shape desired, 
and covered with hot sealing wax. While the wax 
is still soft, grains of rice may be distributed over it, 
and the contrast of colors thus obtained is quite 
pleasing. 
