Sharp County record., 1878-01-18
WINTER ORNAMENTS.

Some Hints for Making simple ana freu-
ty Holiday PreseJts and Home AdDfh-
ments.
Little Ida and Bell Ross have return
ed from a country visit to their grand
ma, and brought with them great oas-
ketful of rustic treasures, which they
have begged Aunt Carrie " to help
them make into Christmas presents for
the dear "mother" and other friends
whom they love. Perhaps other little
/ oirls and bows would like to know how
to fashion some of these beauties, such,
for instance, as the grass fountain,
or a rustic basket filed with growing
grasses. A very small child that Aunt
/ Carrie has among her nieces makes a
great number of wonderfully lovely OBJ
iects with these cones and seeds; also
with various other simple materials OF
which | will tell you from time to time,
for [ think all children should learn to
love the beautiful plants the good Lord
giVes US. But this
CONE FOUNTAIN OR BASKET.
Isn't it lovely? Well, to make it get a
number of corn cobs and little board
about eight inches square, on which
build basket, just as you would a corn
cob house, or ''Iog-cabin fashion" !"
then stand long cones, Cor other corn
eobs) upright closely round the sides
(inside); tnen pour in sand until it IS
full, and make it quite damp; also
sprinkle sand in all the scales of anum-
Der of cones, and pile them up in the
sand until they stand like a high pyra-
mid, with pretty cone on the top. Now
sprinkle sand all over, and then, with a
brush dipped in water, sprinkle it, and
while wet scatter grass-seeds Of several
kinds (hemp, canary, flax, mustard, or
any other kinds you may have). Sprin-
kle the whole with water, and place in
a dark closet or cellar for three days,
sprinkling it every morning. Then
bring it out to a sunny window, and
soon the lovely green grass will appear,
and soon be a lovely sight, which may
be kept fouriShing for many weeks by
daily sprinkHng.
A charming object for the breakfast
table on Christmas morning IS
A TUMBLER-GARDEN.
Can you get an old castaway'' table
caster? If so, you will have most su-
perb garden; but if not you can make Il
real beauty by placing several tumblerS
on dish (three in sOup-plate, with a
broken goblet stood in the center, upon
their inner edges, is very pretty. Then
| fill both dishes and glasses with water.
Put round pieces of cottOn-batting to ut
each tumbler, and sprinkle sand in the
dish; then lay the cotton on top Of the
glasses so that it just touches the water;
now on one piece scatter canary-seed,
on another hemp, on the next flax, then
water-cress, and on the sand lay moss,
with some cuttings of mOneywort, if you
can get it, or q few peas pressed in here
and there. Put it into dark place for
day or two, and in a few days the tiny
spears of grfepf various kinds will be-
gin to appeal, and soon the whole will
be mass Of lovely green, in long, way
inc plumes; and if on Christmas you
take some putty, or wax, or even dough,
and roll little balls, then put slender
wire stems in each, and dip them in
melted white wax, colored with carmine
or purple powder, then cluster them and
mingle among the green, it will be Won
derfully beautiful.
LIVING CROSS
is another lovely object which every one
will admire and exclaim over, ooh!
how lovely!n "What a charming
cross!" ''Oh what a love of pretty
thing is that" and all the other eX-
travagant sayings that many people de-
light in. To make it get some pieces OF
old hoop-skirt wire, and two pieces of
flat wood Cike lath cut in half length
wise), with which form cross by nail
ing a piece twelve inches long to an
other piece only six inches, then nail
this across the long one six inches from
the top; then take bowl filled with
wet sand, into which place the foot of
the cross, so as to bring the cross into
proper proportion (for which the long
part is left so long). Now take the
wire and tie it firmly to the foot Of the
cross, taking two long pieces and put
ing one on each side; then wind them
around the whole cross; and if you wish
it to look rustic wind candlewick round
the wire and dip it into melted beeswax
in which you have stirred enough burnt
umber to make it quite thick. This
will look like tree twigs if you tie knots
in the candlewick. Now our frame is
ready-then merely press a handful of
peas, either garden-vegetable pea or
the lovely sweet pea, sold in 10 cent
packages. Place in a dark cellar or
closet for three days, then put into a
sunny window for few days, and soon
the beautiful graceful vines will COM
mence climbing about, stretching their
pretty branches I'D over YOUR frame, and