246 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
back can only be two-thirds the length to allow the broom 
to slip out easily; cover the two pieces of pasteboard with 
the satin and overhand them together. Cut a couple of 
long leaves of wigan and cover them on each side with 
dark-green satin, sewing the wire around the edge as you 
did with the petals of the lily ; attach them to the lower 
part and sew the lily in the case. If you can paint it will 
improve it to shade the lily and green leaves a little; it 
can be done without having much knowledge of painting, 
as you want to use the same colors, only darker. Sew 
two rings on the back of the case near the top, by which 
to suspend it, and bend the petals so that the lily will 
look as graceful as possible. E. S. Welch. 
Mantelpieces and their Decoration. 
^ marble mantelpieces,” says the Art In- 
V V tercha?ige, “ are now as much a fashion of the 
past as white china and white walls. A plain pine man¬ 
telpiece is now regarded with more favor than the most 
charmingly sculptured white marble. 
“ One of the chief effects of the demand for wooden 
mantels has been the, one might almost say, discovery 
and appreciation of some exquisite native and foreign 
woods comparatively but slightly known except to per¬ 
sons in the trade. Take, for example, the wood of the 
sweet gum-tree of fine grain and softest olive-brown tint; 
the dark sycamore, with its marvelous streakings and 
veinage of red on a ground of a warm pink-brown ; the 
light sycamore, with its tender terra-cotta timings ; the 
white mahogany, with soft, oaken-brown; and satinwood, 
with its deep, golden glow and lustre of polish. 
“ At the command of persons of moderate means are 
mantels of cherry in its natural finish, and cherry stained 
to a deep crimson hue, mahogany, oak, ash and walnut. 
“ The fancy for the hour in color and design runs large¬ 
ly to full-tinted mahoganies in old Colonial patterns for 
parlors and libraries ; to antique oak and walnut in Ger¬ 
man Renaissance designs for halls and dining-room ; to 
the light fancy woods and to ivory white and gold for 
luxurious reception and drawing rooms. 1 
“ In Colonial designs there are two styles—the severely 
chaste and plain, and the slightly ornate as to flutings 
and moldings. In a fine example the mantelshelf proper 
is supported by tall, slender pillars with fluted headings. 
Set in the middle of the over-mantel is a finely-beveled 
mirror with arched top ; on either side, under shelves for 
bric-a-brac, shine oblong mirrors. Near the top on each 
side of the central mirror, framed in mahogany, are two 
semicircular shelves, with slender spindle-railings, in¬ 
tended for the reception of vases or plaques. The fire¬ 
place facing for this mantel of deep-hued mahogany is 
composed of deep blue-green tiles, the hearth of rich dark 
terra-cotta tiles. The ornaments for a mantel of this 
style should be chaste in design and wrought in bronze 
or antique brass. 
“ Besides the Colonial there are many other old patterns, 
revival of German and Italian Renaissance and French 
periods. For halls come charming corner mantelpieces 
in old oak, showing beautiful hand-carvings in borders of 
the German Renaissance, and leaf-molding about the 
edges. A stately mantel of this period shows a high, 
narrow shelf, supported by tall, curving pilasters, sur¬ 
mounted by grinning tigers’ heads, and ending in huge- 
clawed feet. On either end of this mantel stand old 
brass candelabra, in the middle a clock of the same 
metal. Above the high shelf rises a pent-roof nearly 
reaching the ceiling. Above the fireplace facing of deep 
blue tiles, mounted in old brass, is a second shelf for 
bric-a-brac. 
“ Coming to the drawing-room we have the lighter 
woods and more ornate decoration, for example, a 
mantelpiece of sweet gumwood in color resembling 
olive wood. The mantle-shelf is rather broad and low, 
its fine grain showing through a smooth polish. Above 
the shelf rises a circular mirror framed in the gumwood, 
and beautified on the top by festoons and a garland of 
carved roses and other flowers. From the semicircular 
receptacles on either side for candelabra or vases droops 
a festoon of carved flowers swinging downward to the 
shelf, which is rounded at the corners. The moldings 
around edge of shelf and across the panels of the front 
are refined and simple. On either side, below, and about 
half way up from the floor are side niches large enough 
to hold a rather stately vase. Set in the fireplace is a 
facing of pale green tiles of honeysuckle design. 
“ So beautiful are all these mantels that they need no 
drapery or valance of any kind, save a simple scarf. For 
the ivory-white mantel may be used an ivory-white plush 
scarf, to be laid on the shelf and hang about ten inches 
below at either end, with dead gold fringe. Turquoise- 
blue, old pink, and gold-colored silk, satin, plush or velvet 
may also be used. For a cherry mantel of the deep red 
stain, a deep blue or blue-green scarf is appropriate ; for 
a gum-wood pale silver-green; for red sycamore golden- 
olive ; for satinwood mats of torquoise-blue velvet 
fringed with silk. Mahogany looks well with deep blues 
and olive-greens. For an ebonized mantel plum color, 
old gold, lemon-yellow are appropriate. 
“To those who still like stone mantels are recom¬ 
mended the slate mantels, which, at least, have the 
merit of full, warm color, exquisite polish and chaste 
design.” 
A Pretty Rug. 
D IRECTIONS for making your own rugs are by no 
means novel; indeed, the subject has been worn 
nearly threadbare. One can scarcely glance over the ad¬ 
vertising pages of a magazine or newspaper without being 
confronted by the announcement, “ Make your own rugs.” 
There are rag rugs innumerable, and rugs made of carpet 
bits ; but notwithstanding all this, a rug knit of colored 
carpet warp (such as is used in weaving rag carpets) is so 
pretty, so simply made, and requires so small an outlay 
for materials, that I am sure a description of it will be of 
interest. 
Two pounds of colored carpet warp will be needed; 
one pound of deep red and one of olive green is a pretty 
combination. The warp can be obtained for twenty-five 
cents a pound, and the rug is knit in strips on two steel 
knitting needles about as large around as a straw. The 
