Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-12

| DECORATIONS FOR LUNCHEoN-PUssY WILLOW
EFFEcTs-wRIT1Na DESKS.
a AsTER REJOICINGs have filed
the week that has just passed. and
| &G an Easter Specification has entered
| a. - into ali matters. social and CONNER
| lMs-x-zA ciaL Merchants attach an Easter
meaning to everything imaginable in the way
Of goods, and special displays are made under
| that label, no matter how far-fetched the idea
may be in connection with the objects shown
Jewellers under this title have had on exhibit
ton various beautiful articles, noticeable
among them being the enameled work.
| ORCHID DESIGNS.
Orchids are the most striking designs used
and the work is done directly from nature.
| Most beautiful effects are gotten, some having
stems of diamonds and emeralds with the
| heart Of rubies and diamonds. fondness for
| orchids may be called one OF the acquired
| tastes and it is fancy that seems to grow on
| one, SO this orchid je welry will appeal to the
special taste of many people. As in the
| arrangement of flowers the preference Is for q
| bouquet all OF one kind be it orchids, roses or
| violets, so now the same fancy prevails in the
| CROPPING Of bric-a-brac. so-called. Instead OF
| a helter-skelter conglomeration in a cabinet or
on mantel all the bits OF Dresden or Doulton
must be gathered in one corner or otherwise
\
applying to other kinds of china This, of
| course, can be only carried out where ones
collection IL sufficiently large to furnish several
| objects of one kind of porcelain. For the rather
| numerous class who possess maybe onlya single
| specimen of the more costly pieces of china il
will be a little difficult to group the solitary
vase of Royal Worcester or Douton, so the har-
lequin effect will probably still be prominent
| in most homes
NEW FANCIEs IN LUNCHEoNs.
| So long as luncheons continue a fashionable
| and favorite form Of entertainment so long
will new fancies continually spring up and in
dividual taste produce effects that less ingeni-
| Gus minds can only copy and be thankful for
| the models. Every once in while some
| hostess, oversurfeited with the redundance OF
! color often displayed at luncheons or dinners.
| rebels and has a reaction where only white alone
will soothe her perturbed feelings on the sub
| ject Such a luncheon was recently given with
charming effect. The china was white sevres,
| perfectly plain. but Of the delicate trans
| parency connected with the name. At each
| place lay few sprays of white lilac tied with
narrow white ribbon. A large cut-glass bowl
in the center of the table was filed with Easter
| lilies. The table cloth was of white, but with
a band of cut-work insertion between the plates
| and the center piece through which showed
| the dark wood of the table, the only color ad-
| mitted or even suggested in the ornamentation
| Of the feast.
| PUSSY WILLOW.
The most novel decoration for luncheon is
the pussy willow, with its silvery tufts looking
so like pussys velvet paws. 1t was an original
mind that took these harbingers Of spring as
| the foundation of new scheme of decoration
The table cloth most suitable for this table is a
| gray linen. slightly embroidered In yellow In
| the center of the table low Jar of yellow is
| filled with the gray twigs. while gray plush is
loosely folded aud draped beneath Vases of
yellow filled with the willow are scattered about
| and dishes with much gliding used as far as
possible. young lady who has been SO fortu-
nate as to receive quantity of branches of the
| willow filed yellow jar with it and set it on
olive plush, puckered loosely, these being the
sole contents of small wicker table painted a
| soft yellow also. She has another pink jar full
of it, which sits on white table scarf beside a
white-framed picture, making very pretty
color effect.
An ORIENTAL LUNCHEON.
All who listened with delight to Miss Amelia
B. Edwards when she lectured here so re-
Gently will be interested to hear of a unique
luncheon which was rendered her in BROOKLYN
The table 10th white silk embroidered
| with lotus flowers in gold. In the center was
a large bronze vase with some hieroglyphcs on
| 1t and filled with datfodils. The hostess small
| sister carried out the idea by wearing an
oriental dress OF rose-colored silk with over
dress of olive, thus paying pretty tribute to
| Miss Edwards eastern prochvities. center
mat for the dinner table may seem to partake
OF the season by being made of green satin,
| the outer edge forming grape leaves. The I'M
| DERIVING ones are button-hoed on the edge
| with lighter green silk and filled in with lace
stitches OF the same color The upper and
| overlapping leaves are made of light green
plush -holed down with dark green silk
| ard veined with the same. The satin is cut
| away after working close to the outer button
holing, leaving the irregular edge as finish.
WRITING DESKS AROUND THE HOUSE.
Among the conveniences most insisted upon
nowadays is goodly number of desks or writ
ing tables scattered throughout house. Some
go SO far as to say there should be one in every
room of the house, barring the kitchen. To
! further this scheme they suggest almost any
! table capable of holding writing materials OF
even a corner shelf where unobtrusiye comfort
may be found Old tables NAV be freshened
with oil, vanished or be painted to correspond
| with the furnishing of the room where they are
| to stand. With little taste and ingenuity such
! desk may be fitted up as to combine every
requisite necessary for writing a letter or note.
Many guest has found to her sorrow that
houses with supposedly every comfort and
many Injuries afforded no place where the con-
;. for writing v,,o casual letter
with the idea of having writing
desk i'll every room one may concede
that certainly every floor should have one.
PARTICULARLY each guest room should be pro-
vided with writing conveniences. People are
supposed in travelling to have their own outfit
as a general thing. and often only ask for
| enough space on some table to use them 1t il
well. however. TO have ink. pens and paper tc
supply unprovided sojourners. 1t is often the
case that guest room is so filled with orna-
ments in order to make IL attractive looking
that when guest looks about for space in
which to bestow the contents OF her trunks she
can absolutely find no place that is not already
occupied. A comfortable baroness is a real
boon to a visitor, fact which should not be
| overlooked
| PRETTY DESK.
A desk which is both pretty and useful is
made by painting an old table white and add
ing back part, half as wide as the table and
as long, rather high and with several compart.
ments like enlarged pigeon holes. This is also
painted white. The top OF this is used tor orna
ments, and books occupy one or two of the
! divisions. All the necessary belongings of q
desk, including wax, candlestck, stamp box
and blotter find an abiding place here, while
drapery or curtains may be added if one
| fancies Another useful article for a guest
| room is a work basket. person making a
! short visit is more likely than not to be without
conveniences for making repairs which some
| times an accident renders necessary, and a
| small work basket, with the necessaries for
sewing, are greatly appreciated. Such thought
full foresight on the part OF hostess tends to
make guests stay i'll her house doubly pleas
l