The Portland daily press., 1878-10-05
tdarper's Bazarl
How We Did our House.
hold Art.


ried; but so would you, had you loved girl
half as bewitchng as my Ophelia.
said to her father one day, 81 think we
had better hasten our mar riage, look up and
furnish our apartments, and then l will hang
out my shinge and see what shall do in my
profession"
sit seems to me-" said Mr.. eager, very de-
liberately, "you are putting the cart before
the horse"
will not relate the rest of our converse
ton, but simply say that my persistence won
the day. 1 had by careful saving accumu-
lated moderate sum which l believed
would carry us along until my profession be-
gan to be remunerative, and l felt that the
companionship of my sweet Ophelia and the
delights of our home, however humble, would
be great stimulus. So we were married,
and after much hunting and searching, set
tied in very small but cozy quarters In the
little city of Borrak.
But however expeditions we had been up
to this point, it took US 40 little time to 'sget
to rights"-to arrange curtains, carpets and
furniture. The truth was, 1 felt called to
show my general good taste and ''gumption"
in the furnishing of our little home, to make
it model, light for others, who, with small
means but much taste and Ingenuity, aspired
to art, and I did 1t in manner to have made
Eastlake mad with envy.
We could not afford carpets and indeed,
were too ''high toned" to desire them. After
l had painted the floor dark brown I'VE took
some pieces of carpet that Ophelia's mother
had given her, and sewing them together,
transformed them into rugs by putting on
border of frayed stuff made into kind of
fringe. When completed we could truly say
they did not look like every body's else.
The curtains were made of unbleached cot
ton cloth; they had ''cross bands' of course
they wouldn't have been Eastlakean other
wise); the cross bands were of black cambria
and Turkey red. l had a suspicion that they
had seen service as dress lining or something
of the sort, but never felt like mentioning it
to Ophelia lest it should hurt her feelings,
dear thing!
OF course our best room had to have a
dado; it would have been like the play of
Hamlet with Hamlet left out, without it,
For some time l wondered how was to
manage this, but at last accomplished it
bravely by getting cheap piece of dark wall
paper and FASTING it horizontally around the
room just above the base-boards. The room
was in plain white, and this rather strong
paper made a decided contrast, giving
dado in earnest.
Don't it look rather queer ?" said Ophelia
when it was done. Somehow, can't get
used to it."
"Oh no." said I; SIT is High Art-House-
hold Art-what believe they call Art fur
nishing."
A frieze was next in order, and although
difficult matter, my wits served me again. l
remembered having seen in my father-in-
laws garrett package OF papers that came
with tea chests Che had been tea merchant)
thither fastened and with the eagerness off
huntsman about securing his game, drew
forth frcm their hiding place bundle of the
scarlet wrappers covered over with japanese
characters.
After being suitably trimmed they were
mounted on the upper part of the wall and
formed rather bright frieze, to be sure
.'But," l remarked TO Opheia, ga bit of
bright color in room is good thing"
''Doesn't that look just little bit start
ling?" queried she with misgving
'Oh, it is Household Art" 1 replied; sit
is 'beautifyiDg the home.'"
swell, it may be; but it gives me sort of
restless feeling. suppose shall get used to
street I saw some beautiful pottery in the
shop ENTHUSIASTICALLY Pottery, l believe
they called it. Some pieces were plain, yet
to be decorated; some were painted in the
most stylish way: aud others were covered all
over with bright little things cut from paper,
pasted on and vanished. Oh, how I longed
for some of those pretty things to set off our
apartmentsp'
swell, you shall long no longer, my pretty
maid" said l. We can do them. Don't you
know Aunt Hannah has a lot of Seltzer-water
jugs in her cellar that she don't know what
to do with? With little fixing they will be-
come real antiques, objects of beauty and art;
more than thai. some large fower-pot saucers,
under the same treatment, will be transformed
into plaques; and then-glorious ideal can
get two or three large pieces of drain-tie, and
decorating them, we can have some great
vases fairly rivallng the Chinese. That will
be Household Art indeedP'
every fine," said Ophelia; "but we can't
either of us paint"
"We don't need to-" replied. "The beau
ty of this Household Artis that it is so sim
pie that even babe can do it. 1t doesn't
require learning or skill; every man is as good
as any other man, and good deal BETTER"
fastened away, full of my purpose and
enthusiasm, and in an hour returned with
large basket of Settler jugs and fower-pot
saucers, as well as three pieces of large earth
enware drain-pipe. From a neghboring
painter procured two little pals of paint,
one red and one yellow, with which painted
the several articles. While engaged in the
pleasing task, remarked to Ophela that 10
Household Art work the red would be called
''a ground OF Pompeian red," and the yellow
ga body of amber"
"What great thing is Household Art"
she replied-"to transform the things we have
always considered common or vulgar into the
very height of refinement! What an age this
isp'
eyes, yes, it is a wonderfully progressive
age; Art fiourishes on every side. By-the-by,
saw something at Mrs. Jouncnboy's the
other day that would make your mouth
water She had all her furniture covered
with cheap coarse stnff called burlaps, upon
which she bad stitched little dragons and
devils cut from red flannel or black cloth, and
you can't think how unique it looked"
II should think it would have looked aw-
full" said Onheia, somewhat solemnly.
''Oh no, far from it-truly artistic. We
must do some. Then at Mrs. Cuttings | saw
some furniture that they had painted black;
and then-what do you think ?-she had
glued on flowers and leaves cut from cretonne
and chintz goods. after which she vanished
the whole, and you can't think how splendid
it looked-so snowy and styishv'
SWELL" remarked Ophelia, 81 should like
to try that. I've got one or two old dresses
from which 1 could cut some excellent things.
Really, what a depository of art our apart
ments will become after little timep
just here there was loud shout, followed
by rafting sound, as my old friend and
chum Tom Bowler bolted in, upsetting the
pail of "Pompeian red," which had been
resting on the top of the step-ladder while 1
was painting the upper part of the door frame
only few moments before.
WOu1 CASidtlIlCu AOu, WudG going on
here, old boy? are you fixing traps on your
doors tc catch burglars? I declare" Survey
ing several streams of ''Pompeian red" and
amber flowing down his coat ''this is paint
ing the lilyl l suppose you consider this the
red LEST way of receiving your friends. What
are you up to? You haven't turned house
painter, have you? Why, you are a gump;
you could get a man for dollar day who
could do that great deal better than you
can"
sob, you don't comprehend it," said /,
somewhat piqued "ths is no ordinary paint
ing-this is Household Art"
Household f1ddlestlcks p said he. ''You'll
make your place look like child's play
house, as though there wasn't sensible
thing in ia nest Of shams; but never mind
have you got something l can wipe this
After he had taken his departure, re.
marked to Ophelia that as we progressed in
culture we failed to find the same pleasure in
the society of former friends who had not
made the same advance as ourselves,
''Thats true" she replied; .'showing Tom
our pretty things seems like casting pearls
before sWine,"