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WINTER GARDENS AND MOSS 
COTTAGES. 
When I was a little girl in Vermont, more than 
thirty years ago, I loved flowers just as I do now. 
The dear old hills are dear and beautiful in this season, 
but winter comes early, and lingers long. I used to 
hunger and thirst for my favorites as the long months 
went by and the tardy footsteps of spring still lin¬ 
gered. At last I bethought of a solace, and made 
something I called a “winter garden.” 
I sought out flat stones, well covered with moss, 
and with these I covered the bottom of quite a large 
shallow box. Branches of evergreens served for trees, 
of ground-pine for shrubs. The beautiful scarlet 
wood-moss, found round old stumps and clusters of 
the pretty pearl-white wild everlastings, were grouped 
for flower beds, and the few shells and minerals I 
possessed were added, without the least idea that 
“rock work” would ever be so fashionable as it now 
is. 
I hope every little flower-lover of the present day 
has something better than this for a winter solace; 
even my little four-year-old flower worshiper has her 
little plant of German Ivy, and loves it well, but we 
used to make moss cottages which I think were really 
pretty. 
Older brothers, “ handy with tools,” were in great 
request when a “cottage” was to be built. A pine 
board was provided, rather larger than the top of a 
common, old-fashioned “light-stand.” This was the 
“ yard,” and was surrounded with a neat fence, plain 
or ornamental picket, or of slats crossed obliquely, 
forming diamonds. Then a little cottage of suitable 
size was fastened firmly to the board, some in the 
middle, some at the back of the yard. Some cot¬ 
tages were plain, with steep, over-hanging roof, some 
gothic, with many gables. 
Our part of the work now began. Coarse white 
thread was fastened in diamonds across the openings 
left for windows, and the house entirely covered with 
the fine gray moss so abundant there, glued on as 
evenly as possible. Some had panel-doors of two 
kinds of wood, some were covered with a different 
kind of moss, as the yellow moss on old apple trees. 
The yard was covered with green moss; a walk of 
shells or pebbles was laid from the door to the gate, 
and the yard decorated, according to fancy, with ever¬ 
greens, moss-wood, &c. 
If I ever find time to make one I think I shall try 
to make some additions to the plan. A doll, not too 
tall for the door, dressed like a cottage maiden, might 
stand by the gate. I should try to make a tiny bird’s 
nest for one of the trees, and I’ve seen toy kittens 
which I should like to have basking in the sun on the 
door-step. A little “cottage-girl” in a swing, a 
miniature bird-cage, and even a mite of a hanging- 
basket might be possible. Of course the simplicity 
suitable to a cottage should be preserved in all parts 
of the work, but with the superior materials and facili¬ 
ties of the present day, I think something really beau¬ 
tiful might be produced. 
Mrs. Fannie E. Briggs. 
Toilet Set.—I give you a brief description of a toi¬ 
let set, consisting of a pincushion, hair, hair-pin and 
match-receiver. Make the pincushion seven inches 
square; take canvas the same size, working it with 
zephyr on cross stick, four stitches square, one white 
and one red alternately, until the whole is covered. 
Place a row of white glass bead trimming around the 
edge to complete it. For the hair-receiver, use per¬ 
forated cardboard nine inches square; work with scar¬ 
let zephyr in squares of five holes, leaving a space 
between the same size, in which insert a long white 
bead; bind all around with scarlet worsted braid; join 
into a cornucopia; sew a piece of box-pleated worsted 
braid up the front and around the top, also a loop at 
the top; get a piece of gold-tinted paper, cut a smaller 
square and slip in for lining; one bunch of beads, 
which you can purchase at the store for eight cents, 
will fill the spaces and have enough left for a tassel on 
the bottom. For the hair-pin receiver, take a collar- 
box, 'without the cover, fill with hair, then take a 
piece of perforated cardboard the width of the box, 
and worked with scarlet zephyr and beads the same 
as the hair-receiver; then join together just tight 
enough to fit the box nicely; crochet the top with 
scarlet zephyr round and round in double stitch until 
you have a piece the size of the opening of the box; 
place a row of box-pleated scarlet worsted braid 
around the top and bottom, and it is completed. For 
the match-receiver, cut three pieces of perforated card¬ 
board three and a half inches square; work a small 
vine around the edge of each, leaving one hole to join 
together with, then join in shape of a cornucopia; 
place the backs of the three together and join them 
together with a cord and tassel at the top and bottom, 
made of scarlet zephyr; cut a lining of gilt paper. 
This completes the set. These are very handsome and 
useful ornaments for a bedroom or chamber. 
Edith. 
Wax Fruit. — Commencing with grapes, procure 
natural specimens, if convenient. For black Ham¬ 
burg the materials necessary are rosin, lampblack, 
prepared wax, cotton, wire, carmine, Prussian blue 
and powdered verdigris. Take wire, cut as many 
pieces as there are grapes in the bunch, about three 
inches in length, bend one end slightly, bind on cotton 
batting, not too tightly. Take a small tin dish, put 
some lumps of rosin in this as free as possible from 
pulverized dust; place on a stove; when melted, put 
in sufficient lampblack to color. Do not heat too hot. 
In this dip lightly the wire on which you have wound 
the cotton, turning constantly to form proper shape. 
Repeat this process until they are of the required size. 
Then take one-quarter of a pound of white wax, one 
teaspoonful of Canada balsam and one-half table¬ 
spoonful of spirits turpentine; melt in a separate dish, 
and color with Prussian blue and a little carmine. Dip 
separately to form skin. Fasten on larger wire, cover 
stems with tissue paper or Berlin wool. Take pow¬ 
dered verdigris, tie in muslin bag, shake over them; 
leaves and tendrils to be added when put in baskets or 
frames. Plums are.made in the same way. Dip and 
hold so as to form an elongated shape ; take a blunt- 
pointed knife and press lightly to form seam; dust 
with Prussian blue and white lead. 
Polly Popkins. 
The Phantom Basket.—I have not been taking 
The Cabinet very long, but am delighted with what 
I have seen of it. I see in your April number you 
wish articles on fancy work. I have not seen the 
Phantom Basket spoken of in your columns, so I will 
give you a description of one. Material required, one 
and a half yards of bleached cotton flannel and thirty- 
two inches of heavy bonnet wire. Get the cheaper 
quality of cotton flannel, as it is easier frayed. Tear 
it in strips three-fourths of an inch in width (crosswise 
of the goods), then ravel it out, leaving but four 
threads exactly in the centre. After you have all the 
strips frayed out in this way, take your wire and bend 
it square, then commence and fasten your strips all 
around it; put eight strips on each side (have it sus¬ 
pended some way that the strips will not become 
mussed). After they are all fastened at the top, com¬ 
mence at the bottom and twist each strip, then gather 
it up carefully in your hand and tie it about fourteen 
inches from the top, then cut it off four inches below 
from where it is tied that forms the tassel. That 
which is cut off can be neatly tacked together and used 
if needed. Now take a strip and tack it on one 
corner, then twist and tack it on the next corner, 
leaving the loop long enough to come almost to the 
tassel; take another strip, fasten it inside of that, 
leaving the loop a little shorter, and so on, making 
five of these loops. Fix all sides alike, then make 
little tassels and fasten on each corner. These bas¬ 
kets are really beautiful for the window or under a 
chandelier. The handles of the basket depends upon 
where you hang it as to its length. My basket hangs 
at the front window, and attracts the attention of 
passers-by. I often hear ladies outside the windows 
talking and wondering what it is made of, it is so 
pure white and fleecy looking. If you fix something 
in the inside of them they are beautiful for holding 
dried flowers. Mrs. B. F. II. 
Baltimore, Md. 
Cements. —I believe gypsum and oil very good; 
but, however, here are three descriptions of cement. 
Universal Cement . — Curdle skim milk, press out the 
whey, and dry the curd by a gentle heat, but as 
quickly as possible. When it has become quite dry, 
grind it to powder in a coffee or pepper mill, and mix 
it with one-tenth of its weight of finely powdered 
quick-lime, and a piece of camphor, the size of a pea, 
also reduced to powder, to every ounce of the mixture. 
Keep it in wide mouth one-ounce vials, well corked. 
For use, make it into a paste, with a little water, and 
apply it immediately. Diamond Cement. —Isinglass, 
one ounce; distilled vinegar, five and a half ounces, 
gum ammoniacum, half an ounce; gum mastic, half 
an ounce. Mix, and it is ready for use. New 
Cement . — A little ground borax, mixed with plaster of 
Paris, makes an excellent cement for many purposes. 
It is simply mixed up into a plastic consistency, then 
applied with a trowel. It soon hardens. Having 
used all three of these receipts, I can fearlessly assert 
they are good. 
Ferneries. — Ferns have become household favor¬ 
ites ; nor is this strange, as, beside their beauty, they 
are fine for household decoration, are easily grown, 
requiring little care when once established, and fur¬ 
nish an interesting study of plant growth. Four 
essential conditions are necessary in order that the 
culture of Fern plants may be successful, namely: 
abundance of water, shade, shelter, and drainage. 
The roots of the plants should always be well sup¬ 
plied with water, which should on no account be 
allowed to remain stagnant. The only soil should be 
the finest prepared loam. Previous to planting there 
should be some pieces of board or bark placed in the 
bottom to avoid bottom dryness, and not have the 
roots come in contact with zinc-lined boxes or pots of 
any description. The fernery should be slightly raised 
on blocks, from the table or stand, to give free circula¬ 
tion of air underneath. If mold or dampness appear, 
the glass should be removed or air admitted, as it 
indicates the existence of too much moisture and con¬ 
fined heat for success in the development of plant 
life. 
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