Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-30
PLEASANT WORK FOR STORMY DAYS.
An Occupation That Furnishes Much
Amusement for the Little Ones.

An Occupation That Furnishes Much
Amusement for the Little Ones.
If you wish to provide endless amuse-
ment for cross and idle children during
the rainy and stormy days of the long
winter months, let them make scrap
screen out of colored pictures. Not only
will it insure occupation and interest
during its construction, but it will be q
valuable acquisition for the nursery,
affording constant entertainment for
dawning intelligence To make this de-
sirable article, you will first purchase q
rather low clotheshorse, and cutting
off one panel leave only three to be COW
cred. Then wet some unbleached mus
lin, after sewing the breadths together,
and nail it on both sides, top and bottom,
Of the rods, laying it very smooth. In
drying it will shrink somewhat, and thus
stretch taut and smooth.
After it is quite dry you must "size"
1t, just as the paper hangers prepare a
wall before hanging the paper; this is
done by making paste of flour and add
ing two and one-half ounces of gum
arabic which has been dissolved in hot
water. Make the paste sufficiently thin
to allow of applying it with brush to
the cloth. Paint both sides, allow them
to dry, and then give them another coat.
Your screen is now ready for the pic
lures. It is good plan to keep one side
for the black and white prints and the
other for colored pictures.
Let the children collect together every
scrap of colored pictures they can obtain
nothing comes amiss-old picture
books, bygone Christmas supplements to
the pictorial papers-pretty or ugly, they
all serve to make an interesting tumble.
Keep all your colored prints in one
drawer and the black and white ones in
another. 1t may take month or two
to finish the screen, so do not work too
fast; keep it for rainy days when there
Is nothing else to do, and it will prove to
be quite godsend in the way of nursery
amusement.
In pasting on the pictures remember
that the edges should all overlap, SO as
to cover the entire panel. Cut them out,
mingling figures, bits of landscape, flow
ers, animals, anything and everything
all mixed together. If you have large
figures it is well to place them on first
and then fill in around them. Keep
small things, such as Christmas cards,
etc., for the borders; cut out all the
edges so that the pictures merge to-
gether.
1t is astonishing how harmonious such
homogeneous collection may be made
and what queer stories the potpourri Of
pictures may be made to tell. The black
and white side of the screen may be
treated in the same way, and when all is
complete varnish both sides and finish
the edges with any pretty binding you
choose. Red leather looks we'll and adds
to the gay effect Of the screen. 1t may
be put on with small brass headed nails.
Children never tire of these screens.
When baby begins to take notice it is
one Of the first things he turns to, point
ing to this and that familiar object with
the greatest pleasure. The little invalid,
too, finds languid enjoyment in tracing
out familiar objects as he lies in bed.
Moreover, screens of all kinds are most
useful in nursery in keeping out drafts
from open doors, etc.-New York Trib-
une