Inside the House 
Timely Suggestions and 
Answers to Correspondents 
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 
New Candle-Holder 
CANDLE-HOLDER that is new in 
quality, as well as in shape, is of 
an imported pottery that has a bisque-like 
surface, and comes in unusual colors and 
combinations of color. Dull blues and 
greens, with pale tan and an occasional 
spot of glowing red, are seen in these 
pieces, which include candlesticks of va¬ 
rious sizes and shapes, oil and vinegar 
bottles, small pitchers and other articles 
for table use. 
This particular candle-holder is quite 
unique in its design, suggesting as it 
does a lantern in both size and shape, 
with a regulation lantern handle at the 
top, but with a large section cut out at 
the front in order to give sufficient light. 
There are a number of perforations, 
forming: a conventional design in the 
sides. These are intended to furnish air, 
and also for the sake of light, as other¬ 
wise it would be almost like a dark- 
lantern. Its colors are unusually lovely, 
and it would make a distinctive looking- 
ornament or a decidedly practical candle- 
holder for a room in which a dim, 
shaded light is required. The candle is 
so well protected that it should burn for 
a considerable length of time before be¬ 
ing entirely consumed. 
What to Do with Old Willow 
Furniture 
FTER a season or so of out-of-door 
wear, willow furniture begins to 
look as if it needed a thorough scrubbing. 
But all the scrubbing in the world will 
not bring back the fresh springiness of 
the new furniture. It will much improve 
it, however, and the more thoroughly it is 
scrubbed with pure soap and water, then 
well rinsed, the better it will look. When 
water is applied to willow the wood 
softens somewhat and the pores close up. 
It is necessary, therefore, if we intend to 
stain the old chairs, that, after scrubbing, 
the wood should be allowed to dry out 
thoroughly, so that the pores may open 
again and be ready to absorb the stain. 
If the willow is already stained and a 
new color is desired, it is better to re¬ 
move the old color with a good paint and 
varnish solvent — or to remove as much as 
will remove. This may be applied with a 
stiff brush; after standing about five 
minutes, rub the softened paint with 
waste wet in benzine, which will remove 
the surface color. 
Antique wood stain is preferred for 
willow, as it readily absorbs, leaving the 
desired dull finish. No “filler” is needed, 
as for regular wood painting. When 
stained willow is to be left out-of-doors, 
however, it is desirable that it should 
have an oil coating. This coating is made 
of seven-eighths of raw linseed oil and 
one-eighth of turpentine, to which mix¬ 
ture is added a couple of drops of “liquid 
drier,” which forms four to five percent 
of all house paints. 
To secure an extra soft finish for in¬ 
door use, a coating of wax polish applied 
with a brush after the stain is entirely 
dry will produce a soft lustre. After 
applying the wax, allow half an hour for 
drying; then polish with a soft cloth or 
clean, stifif brush. 
A unique pottery candle-holder in the form of a 
lantern 
To have a small willow chair stained 
by the maker will cost at least $1.50. 
The average painter is not versed in 
painting willow furniture; therefore, un¬ 
less it can go back to the manufacturer, 
home treatment is desirable. 
Gray is a color that the home workman 
should not select, for it is a chemical 
stain, and not easy to secure. The gray 
willows we see are colored by the manu¬ 
facturer who produced the stain and ap¬ 
plied it, in some instances before the 
chair was made. 
Old Frames Made New 
HE antique gold effect so desirable 
for picture frames may be accom¬ 
plished by the home artisan, given the 
proper materials and a bit of ingenuity. 
An antique green bronze and a chocolate 
bronze may be bought all ready to apply 
in one coat. But the antique gold can be 
secured only by two applications, first a 
standard gold paint and then over it a 
glaze of raw umber in japan, thinned 
with turpentine and applied with a 
camel’s-hair brush. (Colors ground in 
japan are always flat; to secure a glossy 
effect when these colors are used for any 
purpose, a varnish must be applied.) To 
show the gilt through, wipe the umber 
out in spots before it dries. The gilt 
should be thoroughly dry before the 
umber is applied. The good result of 
this treatment depends largely upon the 
proper thinning of the umber with tur¬ 
pentine, that the gilt may show through. 
Light and dark effects are secured ac¬ 
cording to the thinning. 
Renovating Plaster Casts 
OST good plaster casts are painted 
—a statement that will doubtless 
surprise many people; the plaster is so 
absorbent that the oil is quickly absorbed 
and disappears entirely. In fact, so po¬ 
rous is the plaster that some manufactur¬ 
ers apply a coat of white shellac to stop 
the suction. To secure a flat, ivorv color, 
dissolve a tube of flake-white in oil; tint 
with raw sienna or yellow ochre, and thin 
with turpentine. Allow a coat of this to 
dry on the cast, and when hard apply a 
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