THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
249 
Blotter. 
em city, and were laid aside, awaiting the happy day; 
we also bought a box of wax candles an’d some holders 
for them. 
How we Trimmed the 
Christmas Tree. 
hold them together at the bottom, and cut 
off the outside stiff sticks. Lay them on a 
table in the form of a circle, alternating the 
blue and red. The sticks must form the 
outside edge of the placque, and the edge of 
the pleated paper is gathered in the middle, 
like a rosette; sew it securely, and place a 
full bow of satin ribbon,either scarlet or blue, 
or a mixture of both, matching the color 
of the fans, a cluster of flowers is also held 
in place by the ribbon. Blue, scarlet, and 
gold ribbons are then run through the sticks 
in Jiasket work fashion, leaving about an 
inch at the ends of the sticks projecting be¬ 
yond the last row of ribbon. A full bow, 
with loops and ends of the same colored 
ribbons used for twining through the sticks, 
is placed at the top of the loops by which 
the placque is to be suspended. They are 
hung as other placques, against the wall, 
and are novel and pretty. M. E. W. 
Japanese Plaque. 
The prettiest are those with' colored balls at the- 
bottom, but in case of emergency, the candles can be 
wired to the twigs of the tree, with very fine hair wire,, 
and will do nicely. 
There were nearly three hundred ornaments on our 
tree, before any of the presents went on; they were 
nearly all home-made, and of the following varieties: 
First, we cut out of rather stiff bristol board, some 
five-pointed stars, little boots, Maltese crosses, butter¬ 
flies, shields, arrows, and horseshoes. Several of each 
kind were make, a large bowl of boiled paste prepared, 
and each was covered on both sides with colored paper, 
mostly silver and gilt, and some with red and blue. 
The arrows, shields, and butterflies were voted the 
prettiest, the latter were made flat, one side covered 
with plain gilt paper, the other with all kinds of bril¬ 
liant colors, and little round black 6pots pasted on, to 
look like Nature; the wings were then bent up as if t! e 
insects were flying, and with the prettiest sides out; 
some were wired on to the branches, and others hung by 
threads of dark green, which could not be seen, and 
they looked as if poised in the air. 
We next found a piece of broken looking-glass in the 
attic, and had it cut up into many little pieces; bound 
each one with lute-string ribbon pasted on, and when 
dry, furnished each with strings, by which to hang 
them up. They reflect all the lights, and make the 
effect very brilliant. 
Cornucopias we were able to make very easily, for we 
had a carpenter prepare us a slender, wooden cone, just 
the shape of one, and it is very pleasant work to paste- 
them together over this model; put a pretty embossed 
picture on each, and then slip off to dry. 
The prettiest of all trinkets we made as follows: Taking: 
People who live in cities and have access 
to all sorts of beautiful tilings, will hardly 
need the hints given here; the difficulty 
with them is, how to choose among so 
much. But some reader of this paper may 
be situated as we are, in the country; our 
nearest store of any size is some fifteen miles away, and 
a crowd of little people in the house, who are expecting 
to see a most wonderful “ tree.” 
Our gifts had been bought during a visit to a North- 
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