The large fir cones set upright in a bed of moss, keeping the moss
constantly wet and the cones sprinkled with grass seed, makes a beau-
tiful spot of verdure when the snow is flying without. A basket of
them may be arranged in the same way.
A gypsy kettle is a pretty ornament. Take a small three-sided piece
of wood, insert three small round sticks, criss-cross them at the top
and fasten ; then take a small toy kettle and fasten to the top by a wire,
any length you wish ; cover the kettle and sticks with silver or gold
foil ; place a few sticks under the kettle to represent wood, and cover
with the same.
Birch bark and rustic twigs make a pretty wall ornament in the shape
of a portfolio or envelope, with the sides sloped towards the bottom —
that is, narrower at the top. This, filled with ferns or leaves, is both
rustic and uncommon. There are many things birch bark may be used
for ; it is a good material to paint on, and can be made into tiny books
and painted in fern designs or tiny shells; anything that is "woodsey "
looking is pretty on birch bark. The leaves of the book may be put
between flat-folding shells and tied in with ribbon. A bird's nest, a
stump or an old log covered with lichens, mosses, sea weed are good
subjects.
CIGAR ASH BOWL.
Materials : A piece of dark colored wood six inches in length and five
inches in width, cones, acorns, etc., virgin cork, a small cocoanut cut in
half, tin foil, glue, copal varnish.
The foundation must be a piece of oak or mahogany, thin and light,
To this a sort of framework of four sticks of wood with the bark on, is
placed at the edge all round. The half cocoanut is neatly lined with
tin-foil, and a stick of wood split in half, also covered with foil, is glued
across the top. Then the cork, cones, acorns and beechnuts must be
tastefully glued on the foundation to form a pretty combination. The
cocoanut shell must be glued to the center of the foundation. The
virgin cork will furnish a rocky looking background for the cone work.
If the cork cannot be obtained use knotty pieces of wood. When all
is arranged and the glue is thoroughly hardened, the whole ornament is
brushed over with varnish.
FERNS AND FLOWER STANDS.
A branchy little tree is necessary and the trunk must be four inches
in diameter. Now saw it off smoothly about a foot from the first limb ;
THE ART OF MODELING. 327
next saw all the limbs the right length and in such a manner as to make
them all stand firmly upon any level surface — inverted, of course. Care
must be taken to cause the whole weight to be equally shared by all
the branches, or the stand will tilt over. Next have a nice smooth
board, eighteen inches square, nailed strongly on the top of the trunk,
which now gives it the appearance of a rustic table ; a box also eighteen
inches at the base and larger at the top, and as deep as you wish, is
then placed on the stand; all may now be painted dark brown or green,
or a bright red, to imitate a huge branch of coral ; in any case, it may
receive two coats of varnish, at least, so as to more fully resist the
action of the weather ; now decorate neatly with Southern moss, and
plant your other woodland beauties in the box, and you have an invalu-
able addition to the summer-house or some other cosy nook.
Page 289
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The large fir cones set upright in a bed of moss, keeping the moss constantly wet and the cones sprinkled with grass seed, makes a beautiful spot of verdure when the snow is flying without. A basket of them may be arranged in the same way.
A gypsy kettle is a pretty ornament. Take a small three-sided piece of wood, insert three small round sticks, criss-cross them at the top and fasten ; then take a small toy kettle and fasten to the top by a wire, any length you wish ; cover the kettle and sticks with silver or gold foil ; place a few sticks under the kettle to represent wood, and cover with the same.
Birch bark and rustic twigs make a pretty wall ornament in the shape of a portfolio or envelope, with the sides sloped towards the bottom — that is, narrower at the top. This, filled with ferns or leaves, is both rustic and uncommon. There are many things birch bark may be used for ; it is a good material to paint on, and can be made into tiny books and painted in fern designs or tiny shells; anything that is "woodsey " looking is pretty on birch bark. The leaves of the book may be put between flat-folding shells and tied in with ribbon. A bird's nest, a stump or an old log covered with lichens, mosses, sea weed are good subjects.
CIGAR ASH BOWL.
Materials : A piece of dark colored wood six inches in length and five inches in width, cones, acorns, etc., virgin cork, a small cocoanut cut in half, tin foil, glue, copal varnish.
The foundation must be a piece of oak or mahogany, thin and light, To this a sort of framework of four sticks of wood with the bark on, is placed at the edge all round. The half cocoanut is neatly lined with tin-foil, and a stick of wood split in half, also covered with foil, is glued across the top. Then the cork, cones, acorns and beechnuts must be tastefully glued on the foundation to form a pretty combination. The cocoanut shell must be glued to the center of the foundation. The virgin cork will furnish a rocky looking background for the cone work. If the cork cannot be obtained use knotty pieces of wood. When all is arranged and the glue is thoroughly hardened, the whole ornament is brushed over with varnish.
FERNS AND FLOWER STANDS.
A branchy little tree is necessary and the trunk must be four inches in diameter. Now saw it off smoothly about a foot from the first limb ;
THE ART OF MODELING. 327
next saw all the limbs the right length and in such a manner as to make them all stand firmly upon any level surface — inverted, of course. Care must be taken to cause the whole weight to be equally shared by all the branches, or the stand will tilt over. Next have a nice smooth board, eighteen inches square, nailed strongly on the top of the trunk, which now gives it the appearance of a rustic table ; a box also eighteen inches at the base and larger at the top, and as deep as you wish, is then placed on the stand; all may now be painted dark brown or green, or a bright red, to imitate a huge branch of coral ; in any case, it may receive two coats of varnish, at least, so as to more fully resist the action of the weather ; now decorate neatly with Southern moss, and plant your other woodland beauties in the box, and you have an invaluable addition to the summer-house or some other cosy nook.