The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-26
Bits of Gossip.

This is Palm Sunday. the last before
Easter, and this week will be devoted large
ly 10 millinery. There have been spring
openings at all of the shops and the hats
and bonnets have been marvellous TO see.
They are broader and higher than ever.
One OF the conceits and one which is at
tributed to the French. is the use of per-
fumes on the hats which are trimmed with
flowers. This is accomplished in a dainty
way. If the flowers are violets then one
must secure some violet sachet powder and
put it into tiny sack of silk or crepe of
the same colOrs the flowers and mingled
with them il has the appearance of a bud.
If the flowers are roses, then bit of altar
OF roses Is put on cotton and is concealed
in bitsof silk of the same color the
flowers. Another fancy of the same kind
comes with the delicate skirts of silk and
lace. Attached to the seams tiny
pouches OF perfume powder, and still an
other fashion is to have Il belt of ribbon
and attached TO Ii small bags of perfume
hung from narrower ribbons fastened to the
belt another The way TO place the P9rfume IS
is padded with perfumed cotton.
The fad of monogram fans and picture
frames has departed, and now il is the
fancy to have the miniature faces Of ones
friends either painted on a beautiful fan
or if the purse does not allow such an ex-
trdNdSdUCe. the taken IN post
age stamp size are pasted on. The engaged
girl has only the portraits of her lover, and
the young man has his sweethearts face in
a dozen or twenty styles
letter from Paris gives the following
description of one part of a marriage cere-
mony which took place in a church: While
the organ plays an exquisite air the brides
maids. led by their cavaliers. go all through
the church and pass around pretty little
baskets trimmed with point lace and orange
blossoms taking up a collection. / did not
know what this meant at first and l was
somewhat embarrassed. for 1 did not know
how much to put, in. l thought at first it
must be TO pay the preacher or something
of the kind. but | found out that il has
always been the custom at French weddings
80 take A collection for the poor. 1t is
graceful and pretty part of the affair, and
il shows OFF to advantage the dresses of the
maids and also shows how gallant the young
men can be as they lead the fair ones by
the hand.
Why is it that writer's for the magazines
household corner are always trying to fur
nish ideas for cheap household decoration
and call these same decorations cheap? They
are usually expensive in the end. for cheese
cloth. barrel and dry goods box furniture.
fern leaf and feather decoration and such
things are cheap only temporarily and not
at all durable. If these same writers would
give some really valuable suggestions it
would be all right, but they usually call for
materials that will not stand washing and
which will have 10 be replaced within six
months or a year at the least. The furni-
ture Is uncomfortable. the painted floors
take days OF labor and lots of paint and
in the end there Is only "A tawdry room.
a cheap wall paper well put on is better
than any amount of branches. pressed
leaves and other dead material put on in
lines and curves to catch the dust. and IL
will last a much longer time. \ good split
bottom chair bought for a tribe Is better
than any OF home manufacture; IL is more
comfortable and viii last a lifetime. IL
one lives out of range of shop and has
only tho country and his or her ingenuity
TO depend on il may be that barrels and
boxes are good things in the way of furni-
trre but one who lives in town can get
cheaper furniture and decoration by buying
IL outright.