Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-04
ECONOMICAL. DECORATION.
some sciuI Hints for Esthethi,
E1Ouckecpers.
From Chambcrs's Journal.

A few hints on the ways and means to
make your house attractive, with very
little money, provided you have little
mechanical skill
Nearly every household in this aesthetic
age possesses at least one member who can
paint q little III oil colors. One day the
idea occurred to me that, instead of the
difficult troublesome and expensive pro-
cess of china or enamel painting, it might
be fairly successful if oils were tried for
the same purpose | at once experimen.
ted on pair of ordinary white ware din
ner-pates. On one / painted large
blue iris, on the other branch of vivid
scarlet holl yhocks. They were great
success so / painted several others in
the same way, choosing large bold flow
ers for my subjects. | also painted Il
pair of oblong breakfast dishes, with
rocks, dashing spray, and n boat or two
in the distance, The margin of those
dishes / carefully painted over with gold
ink, giving them three coats and now
these common-ware dishes form promi-
nent ornaments on the top shelf of the
over-mantel, which is described after
wards. On the rims of the plates / glued
dark ruby velveteen, which was cut to fit
them accurately, and after being wired,
now hang on the walls and no one sus-
poets their lowly origin.
After SO triumphant a sequel to my
trials, | naturally became more ambitious
and bought several proper plaques, on
which painted either pretty landscape
without much detail, or bit Of sea scene
ry have been lucky enough to meet
with joiner who enters into my decora-
tive ideas with great shrewdness and he,
f,r ol1 10 rir ,lnr
en- frames. which / covered with velvet
cen ; then fastened the plaques securely
into their new receptacle by means of
pieces Of wood glued on, or small nails
hammered into the wood so as to retain
the plate i'll its proper position while
circular piece OF brown paper glued over
the back forms q discreet cover to the
workmanship. An ordinary picture ring
screwed into the frame suffices to hang it
up and thus is formed n handsome orna-
ment, and tangible proof of that money
is not always requisite to produce what
is gratifying to our love of the beautiful.
| may say that l use ordinary boiled lin
seed oil-two-pennyworth from any chem
lists will last for months-or copal var
nish-one shilling per bottle at any oil
color shop-as medium for plaque paint
ing ; and, when once dry, thoroughly dry,
they may be washed with perfect safety
with warm water and sponge. Vandyke
brown is a slow drier /; but a little sugar
of lead a very few drops added to the
medium, will be found to dry much more
quickly.
AS few people have either time means
or patience to expend on enamel -coloring,
to them commend oil painting on china
Each frame requires half n yard of velvet
or velveteen the wood must be laid on
the velvet, which is cut three or four
inches larger i'll order to allow for cover
ing the sides and on to the back; circu-
lar piece is then cut out rather smaller
than the frame, to enable the rabbit,
or interior edge Of the frame to be deftly
concealed. ! can not here enter into any
further minute details as to the home
manufacture of plaques and their frames
suffice it to say that ordinary glue, not too
thick, must be applied to n thoroughly
warmed wood then free use of n pair
Of sharp scissors here and there at the
sides and back, prevents any unseemly
crinkling. The front is necessarily per-
fectly smooth, and easily laid on. Amy
colored velvet may be chosen but ruby
or dark claret forms the most effective
background, provided it be in harmony
veteen left from frames makes capital
pincushions, trimmed with lace, fringe or
gimp, as fancy dictates and my clever
coadjutor, the joiner, made me half doz-
en- small wooden brackets, with shield
above the tiny shelf. These l covered
entirely with pieces of left-otf velveteen,
screwed picture ring into the top. hung
them on nails, and placed a rare old china
cup and saucer on each shelf and very
well they look. The wooden brackets
cost but few pence each, for surely
every housekeeper has an old box to
spare. The tasteful appearance of the
walls well repays any outlay of time OIL
patience to produce those simple designs.
individual taste will readily suggest d
large variety of patterns for such brack.
cts y; but they must have a shield or toE
us high aJoUe the shelf rs the bracket
goes 6elow it, or the china loses all its
effect.
At each side Of the fireplace in the
room where all those decorative fancies
are displayed, are two ugly recesses.
resolved to improve upon them, fount
long piece of wood which was sawn il
two, for shelves a ledge of black ant