Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-29
1ritten for The EVENING STAR
ATTRACTIVE HOMES.


Housewifely Industry.
SOME NOVELTIES FoR THE COMING FESTIVAL
sTxBoLIcAL DESIGNS WHICH ARE USEFUL As
WELL As BEAUTIFUL-BRooM COVERS AND
THEIR ADvANTAaEs-FANCY BUSTING CLOTHS.
- AsTER perhaps is only second to
Christmas in the matter of present
M giving. The custom has been grow
~ a ing of late years until now it has
Gs=xA reached large proportions. This
genera, exchange Of gifts among friends
began some time ago with Easter cards, but
now any kind of gift, of no apparent con-
nection with the day, may be sent "and no
questions asked" as the advertisements say.
Still, people who have ideas of she fitness of
things try to have an Easter suggestion or
sentiment embodied in an Offering at this
particular season, and anything novel and suit
able at the same time is hailed with delight
The Easter card has survived the Christmas
card. and this year they are very pretty and
often appropriate, though with many the label
Easter greetings" or something similar is
tackled on to the most Incongruous designs. The
cards appear in many fanciful forms as fleet
ing attraction, crosses and doves predominant
ing. The little booklets are the prettiest Of
special souvenirs, and both covers and verses
are tasteful and Apostle. Many hand-painted
covers are found with other decorative adapta-
tions in the way Of ribbon and printing or let
tering for cards and book marks. All kinds of
receptacles for confectionery at this time take
on an Easter significance. Oroid baskets and
boxes of every imaginable size and material are
displayed in the shops. The roc's egg, SATIN
covered, leads in point of size, and gradually
they come down to almost tiny proportions.
Other shapes are numerous, in bon bon baskets,
also some having doves snugly ensconsedin one
end; others with fluffy chickens, and others
still are in the form of little nests
with half dozen candy eggs in view.
Real eggs play an important part in this fes-
tival array. Colored and decorated in every
possible way that ingenuity can suggest. they
are everywhere displayed as an attraction to
buyers. Many Of them are used as heads to
dolls, with faces of varying expression drawn
or painted on them, while cotton batting or
other material is used for bodies, and caps with
Tapping borders or little hoods surmount the
egg-shell craniums. The most unique ar
rangement seen is an egg on which is drawn
a Chinamans face. A typical hat of black
is on top of the head, while a long pig
tail depends from the hat at the back No
pended in mid air by thread fastened to what
ever one chooses. These will probably be
popular and amuse many child on Easter
morning.
NOVELTIES FOR LUNcHEoNs AND GERMANS.
For an Easter luncheon good idea is to have
the name cards of china eggs with egg-shell fin
ish and a Kate Greenaway figure painted on one
side with the name of the guest on the other.
Another idea which has been successfully car
ried out is an Easter german with appropriate
favors. For one favor figure a large screen
may be brought in covered with bannerets for
the girls, OF all shades of ribbon hung on brass
rods and with a lovely satin Easter card in tho
center of each. For the men a tray may be
filled with all kinds of funny Easter devices,
Al
ing. People who paint may easily make many
pretty little trifles for Easter remembrances
for friends. Any shaped card of
water color paper with rough
or plain edges can be quickly
decorated with spray or scattered flowers and
greeting. Such evidence of friends
thought and trouble is always appreciated. II
one has little skill in drawing, but can color
with taste, an effective Easter card may be
made by using boiling cloth and tracing any
design on its transparent surface. After color
ing the boiling may be put on ribbons Of any
desired length, fringed deeply at each end
and to be used as book mark. Pretty little
bon bon boxes can be made by painting TRY
flowers on four small pieces of water or
paper. Have holes punched on each side an
inch apart and lace them together with nary ow-
est of ribbon. A plain piece of paper for the
bottom of the box is similarly laced to the
sides and little silk bag glued to the paper all
around and shirred at the top with draw
string. Where fresh flowers are sent, as is SO
often the case, it is good idea to tie them
with a ribbon, on which is painted in gold
paint the date or motto, or any lettering one
chooses, to distinguish it from an every day
bunch OF flowers. Baskets can have floating
ribbons thus decorated also.
Silver, with all its popularity, must not be
left out on any occasion of present giving, and
especially appropriate are the prayer books
and hymnals bound in silver with silver Mono
gram on the side. Jewelry also takes on an
Easter significance and many mementoes are
exchanged at this time. Bracelets are among
the favorites for such gifts. The narrow plain
gold bands have pendants carved from various
stones. The pendants are in the form of q
cross, a heart and an anchor. On one the cross
is of onyx, the heart an opal and the anchor
cat's-eye. Sometimes the bracelet is a chain
with these emblems set in brilliants. For the
fancy of others are rosary chains strung with
precious stones, while the crucifx is a cameo
and the medallions set with small stones.
Everything seems provided for everybody
everybody with money, that is.
EASTER SALES N CHURCHES,
decorative art societies and woman's exchanges
are usually to be looked for in connection with
the season, and many pretty ideas are there
displayed which have been concocted by nimble
fingers at home. Aids to industry might be the
motto adopted by some OF these workers, for
the pretty and attractive way in which practical
and prosaic articles are treated may we'll be
appreciated by house-keepers. Leaving the
dainty little trIAes for these gloritied sytntnis
Of housewifely cares, one may see sweeping caps
of -colored cambria, with full ruche. 80 be-
coming as to almost tempt some young idler to
don one and try new kind of exercise.
BROOM COVERS
are made of striped outing cloth, the little fuzz
on which easily catches the dust and holds it.
These useful articles are much used where the
polished floors are left bare. and are simply
bags little longer than the sweeping part of
the broom and slipped over it are tied with
draw string snugly about the handle. A ruffe,
both for looks and as dust catcher, is set in
across the bottom, and this cover if once used
is seldom given up. Made either of outing
cloth or canton flannel with the rough side out
they are easily washed. With a number of
these on hand the task of keeping bare floors
in the spotless condition desired is much less
ened.
FANCY BUSTING CLOTHS.
Another pretty little thing displayed is the
fancy busting cloth. This is made Of batiste
(the fine cheesecloth), which comes in such
charming colors, both light and dark. square
is cut Of q inches and hem basted around
which is fastened with o feather stitching of
linen or silk, no other hemming being neces-
sary. These, in sets of from three to six, make
q convenient resource for the house keeper to
draw from. more attractive outfit still is
the duster and bag to hold 1t, made in delicate
cOloring to correspond with the room in which