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Inside the House 
Timely Suggestions 
Answers to Correspondents 
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The editor will gladly answer queries pertaining to individual problems of interior decoration and furnishing. When an immediate reply is desired. 
please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope 
A Novel Coat Hanger 
r I ''HERE is a new and rather attractive 
looking hanger for coats, hats and 
other articles of wearing apparel usually in 
evidence in a hall or entrance, that is not 
only ornamental but has the advantage of 
occupying small space and is therefore 
particularly suitable for bungalows or 
apartments where every inch may count. 
The hanger is of brass and so substantial 
in construction as to be thoroughly 
practical even for the heaviest garments, 
provided, of course, that it is securely at¬ 
tached to the wall when originally put up. 
The design shows a heavily veined leaf on 
which is a butterfly with slender and 
gracefully curved wings. The leaf, which 
forms the holder or back by which the 
hanger is attached to the wall, is provided 
with five holes for screws, and there are 
practically four strong hooks for garments, 
two formed by the tips of the wings and 
the other by the “feelers.” For the sake 
of convenience the wings are fastened on 
with hinges so that they may be turned at 
any angle. In spite of its four substantial 
hooks the hanger is quite small and un¬ 
obtrusive in appearance, the leaf being 
only six and one-half inches long, and each 
wing measuring twelve inches from the 
hinge to the tip. 
Pressed Flowers on Panels 
TERY original and artistic decorative 
* panels can be made from real flow¬ 
ers and leaves as follows: Take daisies, 
pansies, maple or chestnut leaves, and 
other flowers and foliage according to your 
fancy, and dry them. When they are 
thoroughly dry, iron them lightly with a 
flat iron on which a little wax is smeared. 
Then arrange them artistically on a 
polished wooden panel of a light color, 
fixing them in place temporarily with pins. 
Next with a pencil draw their outlines on 
the wood so that they can be exactly re¬ 
placed. Now take them off, and with a 
brush coat them with copal varnish. When 
dry, coat them a second time, and even a 
third if necessary. Finally put the flowers 
back on the panel in the pattern already 
marked, and glue them firmly to the wood. 
“A. C ” and “D. C ” on Electrical 
Apparatus 
ANY a person wonders what “A.C.” 
or “D.C.” means when stamped on 
electrical apparatus. “A.C.” means that the 
article is suitable for use only with “Alter¬ 
nating Current,” while “D.C.” means for 
use solely with “Direct Current.” Alter¬ 
nating and direct current are two systems 
in use for the distribution of the electric 
current of to-day. Never use an “A.C.” 
apparatus on a “direct current” supply of 
electricity, or a “D. C.” on an alternating 
supply. Find out when buying or renting 
This strong yet decorative coat hanger occupies 
little space on the wall 
a new home which system is in use in the 
town or city, and do not risk using (as do 
so many people) apparatus you may have 
on hand without being sure it is suitable. 
Fires have been caused by lack of this 
precaution. 
A Good Dust Mop 
made myself a dust-retaining mop for 
hardwood floors by saturating with 
crude lemon oil one of the fiber mops sold 
for cleaning purposes. The mop was al¬ 
lowed to soak in the oil for several hours, 
then partially dried, when it answered 
every purpose of a dustless mop. Crude 
lemon oil is said to be one of the best 
mediums for the cleaning of hardwood, 
and costs only from ten to fifteen cents a 
quart, according to locality. Diluted with 
one part of turpentine it provides one of 
the best of furniture polishes, and at very 
little expense you can get a good supply. 
Rust Removal from Gas Ovens 
nPO remove rust from the lining of your 
gas stove oven try raw linseed oil, 
rubbing it in well with a stiff brush. Many 
loose particles will come away with it, and 
two or three applications will result in a 
smooth surface suitable for the application 
of a coat of aluminum paint, which will 
renew your old oven. To prevent rust 
forming when the stove is new form the 
habit of leaving the doors wide open while 
the oven is cooling, which prevents the 
formation of moisture. 
Interior Decorating Suggestions 
A S the result of an effort to obtain a 
novel rather than a fine effect, or by 
a reproduction of plans followed in pre¬ 
vious work that may have been successful, 
modern decoration constantly shows seri¬ 
ous faults in design. 
The interiors of many homes belonging 
to the middle and richer classes suggest a 
showroom or shop-like appearance rather 
than a living place, and lack a sense of in¬ 
dividuality and homelikeness. 
Decorators are prone to follow certain 
and fixed treatments and combinations- 
without sufficient regard for surroundings. 
This is especially noticeable when the 
house decoration and furnishing is left to 
the decorator's own judgment and taste, as 
is frequently done by people who have 
homes to furnish and lack ability or train¬ 
ing in decoration. 
Most decorators have certain color 
schemes and estimates which vary in cost 
to suit any customer. These are used 
over and over again, the detail occasion¬ 
ally varying with the size, shape and loca¬ 
tion of the room. But with decorators 
who fail to recognize the importance of 
changing their suggestions, it matters little 
whether there is an east, west, north or 
south exposure. The result is that in the 
same house where various decorators have 
been employed, it is easy to notice and dis¬ 
tinguish work of individual decorators, so 
closely do they adhere to fixed rules and 
the precedent of previous satisfactory 
work. 
For dining-rooms, libraries and halls,. 
New York decorators are showing tapes- 
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