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^lie floral iscd&iiiet oW Pictorial Some feomjmriiaa. 
COUNTRY HOME ADORNMENTS. 
Our cottage is nestled down in one corner of a 
Michigan apple orchard, and in summer we have so 
many pleasant sights and sounds that it would require 
the masterly pen of W. C. Bryant or H. W. Beecher to 
portray them, and reveal the secrets that the trees 
inspire.to those only who love them best. But it was 
not of apples or apple trees that I would write to you, 
my sisters, but of a few simple country home adorn¬ 
ments, as we all feel anxious to make our homes so 
pleasant within that we shall not feel the dreary win¬ 
ter storms without. 
For several years I have been experimenting with 
quick-growing vines for the house. Madeira and Ger¬ 
man Ivy we always have, and find satisfactory; and 
Maurandia is still more graceful and airy. This year 
we have tried Lopliospermum, and it is lovely; we 
planted the seed in a box in May, and it stood on the 
veranda until October, when we brought it indoors. 
The main vines, four in number, had grown six feet, 
and we set it under a bright chromo, and two of them 
we twined up the cords and the others around the 
frame; then, and now, the leaves were a rich, dark 
green, serrated, and more halberd than heart shaped, 
and with the abundance of laterals, which it has lately 
sent out, of a soft, velvety green, it makes it one of the 
most desirable climbers. This vine is one of the leaf 
climbers. 
A friend of mine had a Coboea vine, and although it 
was very thrifty, you would scarcely have known it, 
or dreamed that it could put on such airs of refine¬ 
ment; it stood on a bracket at the side of a sunny 
window and climbed up the lace curtains by its own 
sweet will and in its own sweet way—and over the top 
of the window; there it hung in great billows, the most 
graceful and airy, and here and there a long festoon. 
I never saw any lambrequin that could compare with 
this. I know of no other vine that climbs as this one— 
with the delicate tendrils at the end of its pinnate 
leaves ; this vine was- one that did not blossom in the 
border—was taken up, potted in good rich soil, ac¬ 
cepted the situation, and was the admiration of all be¬ 
holders. 
I wanted a shelf in my sitting-room for my small 
pots of Cacti, and upon consultation with Isaac it 
was for a time given up, because to put up brackets 
would mar the wall—but the shelf we must have. I 
had provided a walnut board, three and a-half feet 
long and seven inches wide, rounded at the ends in 
front. I took a brad-awl—and to ladies who do 
their own constructing, I would say a brad-awl is much 
better than a gimlet—and made two holes in each end 
of my board ; then, with two picture screws and two 
pieces of picture cord, we made a shelf very much to 
our liking. To relieve the stiff look of the short 
cords, we put a pot of German Ivy on each end of the 
shelf; then cut a long grape-vine, leaving on the ten¬ 
drils and two or three inches of laterals, and with this 
formed an arch for the vines to climb over; under the 
centre of the arch hangs a small picture of “ Faith,” 
and Isaac thinks it couldn’t hang in a more appropri¬ 
ate place. Behind the frame we suspended a bottle of 
water, and into it put some brandies and twigs of 
Black Alder, covered as they are with their bright 
rod berries, and they have not as yet withered ; as a 
finishing touch we added a bright golden butterfly, 
and at present writing the whole is a very pleasing 
addition to our sitting-room. 
FROST BOUQUET. 
On a little black walnut bracket, in a little bogwood 
vase, is one of our prettiest ornaments. Take very deli¬ 
cate grass—the skeleton seed pods of wild pepper-grass 
answer nicely — dip into water, then into flour; you 
want only a very few stems for your vase, and one lit¬ 
tle oue to trail over the front. The beauty of this 
will depend entirely upon the delicacy with which it is 
made. 
To keep Isaac out of mischief 1 have persuaded him 
to try some ornamental work, and ho has succeeded 
well, considering all things. He had pressed and oiled 
(with boiled oil) some varieties of ferns, also twigs of 
soft maple seedlings, and with these lie has made two 
very handsome pictures. The leaves are arranged in 
a group on tinted bristol-board, and with draj) mat 
and rustic frame, it looks like a chromo. The ferns 
were arranged and framed in same way. To begin, 
Isaac made several small ornaments to learn on. 
A COURT-PEASTER CASE 
was made by taking three tinted cards, which were cut 
from the bristol-board, a little larger than a common 
visiting card. No. 1 was ornamented with a bunch of 
bright leaves, put on with mucilage; No. 2 had three 
narrow bars cut into.it length wise, about one-fourth of 
an inch from each edge, to receive the plaster • on No. 
3 was written, 
u May you never have a wound 
"Which this cannot heal 
and the whole tied together at the corners with bright 
ribbou. Another was a 
WALL-POCKET. 
Cut front and back from the bristol-board; put a very 
tiny leaf in each point and arrange a group of leaves 
and delicate ferns on the front; and with ribbon bows, 
and long loops to suspend by, makes it very handsome. 
This pattern I have seen used for spatter-work. 
Then, Isaac has been making some little 
THIMBLE CASES, 
for his friends. Takes English walnuts, and with a 
knife opens them carefully, and removes the inside, 
varnishes the shells; then, with a tiny brad-awl, makes 
two little boles in each shell; ties them together at 
bottom with a bright ribbon bow, and slips another 
piece of ribbon through the boles at the top, and leaves 
that long enough to tie in a bow, and leave a loop 1o 
bang up. 
STRAW WALL-BASKET. 
I must not forget to tell you of a new kind of straw 
wall-basket I saw lately at a friend’s, and it was filled 
with pressed ferns, grasses, and autumn leaves. The 
leaves were mostly Sumac, and for this purpose are 
indispensable ; the delicate grass which the children 
call “ tickle grass,” and which can be found almost 
anywhere, was used very plentifully. The basket was 
composed of twenty-four straws. The back has nine 
straws; the middle one is twelve inches long, and each 
one grows an inch shorter until the last ones are eight 
inches; so you see when the back runs up to a point 
at the top, the basket is even on the bottom, and the 
straws in front and sides are eight inches in length. 
Cut your straws, then lay them down on a table, and 
with a ruler and pencil mark where you will put your 
wire ; put one wire about the middle and one an inch 
and a. half from both top and bottom. Buy a bunch 
of cap wire, cut away the tape, scorch off the threads, 
and then string your straws, leaving about one-half 
inch space between, and fasten the ends of the wire to¬ 
gether ; then take zephyr or taste and wind to cover 
the wire; then you have a bottomless basket. But 
by inserting the stems of fern, etc., in the tops of the 
straws, it gives it a light, graceful look, and met my 
ideal more than any other arrangement of that kind I 
ever saw. I wish I had time to tell you of the school 
mottoes we have been making of ferns and leaves— 
and this is one other way to employ the Isaacs. 
LACE TRANSPARENCIES, ETC. 
Reading some time since, in the Cabinet, directions 
for making lace transparencies of ferns, J made some 
accordingly, and thought they were very pretty, hut 
have since made, I tliinlc, quite an improvement. 
I cut two pieces of the lace (coarse cape net) as 
large as the window-glass ; then, out. of perforated 
cardboard, I cut a nicely shaped'cross, the top of cross 
to come about two inches from the top of the lace, the 
base to he even with the bottom of the lace, and in 
the centre, from side to side. Twine delicate sprays 
of pressed leaves and ferns around the base and top of 
cross; pressed pansies look nicely mixed with the 
leaves. Then drop some mucilage carefully on the 
leaves and cross, to keep them in place. Now place 
the other piece of lace over, and put pins in to hold it 
together until the mucilage dries. Cut narrow strips 
gold paper, and press it firmly around as a binding, 
and you will have a beautiful transparency. 
I also made another by cutt : ng an anchor out of 
perforated cardboard, and placing it the same as the 
cross, with the leaves, ferns, and flowers; it makes an 
elegant transparency. 
A beautiful hanging basket can he made of lace, for 
dried grasses, pressed ferns, autumn leaves, etc. Cut 
two pieces of lace octagon shape, for the bottom of 
the basket; then cut pieces for the sides, two of each, 
three or four inches high ; place between them bright, 
leaves, ferns, etc. ; sew the sides together, and to the 
bottom; cut narrow strips of gold and silver paper to 
cover the seams. A piece of wire sewn around the 
top and bottom will keep it in shape. It makes 
a delicate basket, and will look much prettier for 
grasses, ferns, etc., than one of heavier material. 
I am making splash mats that are quite pretty and 
not expensive, and give a room a very cheerful and 
pleasant appearance. They are to put lip hack of 
washstands, to protect the wall. Take a yard of white 
oil-cloth; cut out for three mats, rounding off the two 
upper corners, and pink the edge all round; then in 
the centre paint, in oil-colors, a group of ferns, ivy 
and autumn leaves, with some bright, berries. The 
upper corners should have a maiden-hair fern, while 
on the lower corners a bright maple leaf may be rep¬ 
resented. When dry, it may lie varnished, and then 
it can he washed, when necessary, without sustaining 
the least injury. I have a mat now in hand, with a 
landscape in the centre, and a wreath of ivy surround¬ 
ing it. They can, of course, he as varied in their 
ornamentation as the fancy of the designer dictates. 
Pincushion and Jewelry Case. —To make a 
pincushion and jewelry case combined, take a gentle¬ 
man’s collar box, pad nicely with cotton on the inside, 
and wool on the outside, of lid and box. It is better 
to cover with cambric, or some other material, to keep 
the padding from working through the silk. Take 
pink silk and sew neatly over the lining ; make some 
buttons by cutting from cardboard the required form, 
putting some cotton on the top, and covering with 
silk; sew them inside and outside of box and lid, to 
suit your fancy, only he sure to have them regular 
distances apart; then hind the edge of box and lid 
with white ribbon ; hinge the lid, and make a how of 
ribbon, and fasten to the centre of lid on the inside, 
leaving the ends long enough to lap the sides. 
