The record-union., 1896-12-28
A RECENT FAD.
Last Years Bicycles Turned Into Room
Decorations.
Handle Bars and Forks Make
Neat Racks for the
Walls

Here is an important bit of news that
will be of intense interest to every BIZ
cycle rider:
The brainy bicycle girl has discovered
what to do with her last seasons wheel.
Her clever discovery solves a provok-
Ing problem, as it transforms the ugly,
rusting and decrepit bike into a beau
tiful, artistic triumph. This winter will
See a change in the home of the bicycle
girl From cellar to roof her house will
look "bicycley' to coin a word. Golden
mural wheels will greet the eye in the
drawing-room, Silvered chains that
once groaned with dust and grease will
be draped on the mantelpiece, and ev-
cry part of a bikes anatomy, berib
boned and ornamented, will serve dec
orative and useful purpose. Hereafter
when curious persons wonder what has
become of the old wheel, all they will
have to do to find out is to visit the
home of some bicycle young woman
and look at the walls of the living
rooms.
The iron forks of a wheel apparently
contains no elements of beauty, and
yet, when beribboned and decorated
with little brass hooks, forms a very
convenient article from which to hang
button hooks, glove buttOners. etc. The
handle bars may be utilized for hat
racks, or if the young woman wishes
to manufacture a chair with a back
Ike nothing else it would be a mat
ter of small difficulty to do SO.
1t always takes the brain of the wo-
man who loves to fill her home with
ornaments to conceive a sort that no
one else has, or at least that few pos
sess. Possibly this is why the bicycle
girl SO promptly decided to paint the
pedals with the golden mixture, fasten
long ribbons to them, and then hang
them from the lambreQuinS. Think of
the round and stabbed crank of spring
steel being used as a parlOr ornament
Yet it is, and it makes a very pretty
one, too. only it has to be used in con-
junction with others just like it. When
gilded and tackled upon a wall in the
form of letter IS" this company of
cranks presents very attractive ap
pearance.
Then, there is the chain. This is one
of those parts of the bicycle which can
be put to a dozen different uses in dec
orative form. For instance carved and
IdSltHtu III Tie lOTll Ol d IDUh II W III
serve as an admirable article upon
which the tennis hat may be hung or
the golf stick depend, and there are
plenty of other ways to make it both
useful and ornamental. The wheel it
self, minus the tire, of course, when
gilded and smartly decorated with rib
bon, gives a very unique effect to the
wall on which it is placed. and causes
the room to present anything but a
stiff appearance.
One particular fetching fashion that
is popular with the bicycle girl in the
matter of lamps is to arrange them
in rough imitation of a swan. Inside
each lamp d wax candle is placed. In
the evening these candles are lighted
and the effect to the eye is charming in
deed. OF course every lamp is
gilded. The glass in the lamps varies
in color, sometimes red, occasionally
green, and once in a while white. Of
course, but this fact must be kept in
view by the young woman when ar
ranging the decoration. The varie-
gated colors which shine out when the
lamps are lit give a most curious eff
feet, and almost puzzle the eye, so
unique is the combination. II looks
for all the world just as the colored
signal lights Of a steamer, arranged
one above the other, would appear
To effect this transformation the up
to-date bicycle girl gets up bicycle
decorating house party" She invites
her friends, and tells them to come pre-
pared to work A condemned bicycle
is brought up from the cellar to be
dissected. One girl is made the glider
and given two camels hair brushes
one for the finer work in hand and
the other to lay the gold plant on
thick. Another girl takes the wrench
and attacks the nuts. The others bring
a stepladder and a basket of pretty
hued ribbons. Then the work of the
demolition Of the old and the recon-
struction of the golden mural wheel
begins.
The seat is carefully gilded and en-
riched with a wide ribbon. 1t is then
hung in a corner of the room. 1t
presents an odd but pleasing appear
ance and catches the eye of the visitor
This bizarre effect is sought after, and