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Bamboo Basket Lamps 
T he lamp shown in an illustration 
is made of a bamboo basket; the 
shade of wistaria .caning. From Japan 
are imported a great number of bamboo 
and wistaria baskets of every shape and 
size; the variety is infinite. They may be 
used in a number of ways, as jardinieres, 
scrap baskets, etc. One of the most at¬ 
tractive uses is to have them made into 
lamps. Fonts may be made to order at a 
moderate cost to fit any shape or size of 
basket. These are suitable for gas, oil, 
or electricity. The low, squat lamp shown 
in the illustration, is of brown wistaria 
caning; the shade lined with a brown 
rajah silk of rich tone. The taller lamp 
is fitted in a bamboo basket. The tones 
of the bamboo are almost orange, and the 
shade is lined with a delightful tone of 
orange silk. These lamps were finished 
without fringe, but fringe may be used 
where it is more effective. It is best to 
buy white fringe of a good quality, and 
have it dyed the color of the lining of the 
shade. By doing so the fringe will be the 
•exact tone of the lining and a more har- 
A lamp base made of a woven bamboo basket 
lends itself well to bungalow furnishing 
monious whole will be the result. While 
particularly appropriate for use in the 
country house, cottage, or bungalow, these 
artistic lamps are appropriate and charm¬ 
ing for use in the informally furnished 
apartment, so steadily gaining in popular¬ 
ity ; for the studio, or for the den of an 
otherwise formally furnished house. 
The price is moderate, a lamp with the 
equipment for oil, gas, or electricity, made 
up to harmonize with the color scheme of 
any room, may be had for $15, and up¬ 
ward, according to the size of the baskets 
and shades, and the quality of the silk and 
fringe used. The lamps shown in the il¬ 
lustration stand about fifteen inches high, 
without the chimney, which is only neces¬ 
sary where the lamp is made for oil. 
These lamps cost $16.50 each. 
To Refinish Painted Reed Chairs 
OVER the chair if enameled or var¬ 
nished with a liquid soap prepared 
as follows: chip one-half bar of common 
laundry soap, add one tablespoonful con¬ 
centrated lye, and two quarts of water. 
Boil till the soap is dissolved. Remove 
from the fire and stir in one tablespoonful 
of kerosene. Apply this mixture to the 
chair with an ordinary scrubbing brush 
and let stand an hour or two. Wash thor¬ 
oughly with warm water and let dry. 
This will cut the glaze and allow the 
following paint to adhere: To ordinary 
cream colored paint add enough burnt 
sienna to make it the shade of the lightest 
part of the mahogany you wish to match, 
or a little lighter. Carefully apply this 
to cover every reed in the chair. Reach 
the difficult places with a camel’s hair 
brush. Eet dry forty-eight hours. 
For the staining mixture, take burnt 
sienna and reduce it with common table 
vinegar till it flows freely. If this is too 
red, add a little burnt umber. Apply with 
a paint brush. With the camel’s hair 
brush reach every crevice. Let dry. If 
you wish to emphasize the grain dip the 
brush in clear vinegar and wipe out some 
of the color, always following the grain of 
the reed. When dry, varnish. For a dull 
finish apply a small quantity of floor wax, 
and rub well. 
Any willow, reed, or rattan furniture 
may be treated in this way and compare 
favorably with those originally stained. 
Only have patience in applying the stain 
to every part of the reed. 
A Radiator Hint 
UT pieces of wire screen the size of 
the openings in hot-air pipes under 
the registers and place one over each 
opening. This will save the loss of many 
small articles which can drop through the 
gratings. It also keeps a good deal of 
dust and lint from collecting in the pipes. 
Turpentine in the Home 
HEN once a housekeeper fully real¬ 
izes the value of turpentine in a 
household she is never willing to be with¬ 
out a supply of it. 
Turpentine is a sure preventive against 
moths; by dropping a trifle in the drawers, 
trunks and cupboards it will render the 
garments secure from injury during the 
summer months. 
It will also keep ants from the closets 
The wistaria baskets imported from Japan 
are especially adaptable to lamps 
(36) 
