Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-15
CHEAP URNI SHIN G S
WHEN POSSIBILITIES OF PACKING
BONES ARE CONSIDERED,
Book Cases, WardrObes and Even Beds
Made at the Cost of a Few
Cents.


Written for The Evening Star.
Those who rent a country cottage for
the summer will find it of great advantage
to acquaint themselves with the possibil-
ties of the packing box. That obsolete
abomination, the alleged inexpensive pack
Ing case dressing table, with It's baby blue
petticoat, its diaphanous dotted Swiss over
skirt, It's ribbon sash and rosettes, can no
longer delude the frugal feminine mind.
Since we have learned to know and fear
the festive microbe we have ceased to
spend our substance that it may live riot
Ousy, but the hope of making something
out of nothing stll springs eternal In the
human breast and the woman who gave
the following details felt that her hope had
not been altogether vain.
In the first place she found that empty
boxes purchased at the hardware store are
superior to others in strength and finish,
as the careful hardware man usually re-
places the cover on the box after remov-
ing the contents, and when the summer
In the cottage or the winter in the studio
Is ended the furniture reverts to the orig
inal packing case, in which to ship the
household goods.
The most important piece of furniture Is
the bed and in the house Of packing boxes
1t was made, by placing three-quarter bed
spring Qarger and more comfortable than a
coD on two long boxes, over which the
covers had been replaced. The top half
of the cover was pried off, making an open
ing in which to store things. One of these
boxes held the bed linen and the other the
fOotgear. three-quarter mattress, some
Indian printed cotton cloth and few pill
lows made this cOntrivance into very
presentabie divan during the day.
Several unusually stout hardware boxes
about the width Of a window and the
height of a chair were next fitted up. Only
half of the replaced covers We're removed.
Ball bearing castors at 20 cents set were
screwed on the lower end, and the boxes
were stained a wood green. This stain
was made by mixing three parts white
lead, two parts dark chrome yellow and
one part PrusSian blue with a little oil,
and then adding enough turpentine to
make a thin stain. piece of green leath-
erette nailed to the seat with brass lacks
hung down in front to cover the opening.
These boxes were used variOusly to stow
away hats, waists, etc. besides furnishing
very substantial seats. woman who
prides herself upon her ability to use tools,
could easily make lid to let up and down
by putting on hinges, but this studio was
set in order in the quickest, --latest and
most primitive manner, and where top lids
might have been there were simply side
openings.
A very pretty bookcase was made by
using a number of boxes, in which lawn
mowers had been cased. Ten of these Sc
cured by good luck from the country hard
ware store were stained wood green, and
arranged in three tiers, four on either side
were screwed to the Dashboard, and when
the shelves were filed with books the case
was quite firm. large ivory colOred plaS-
ter cast was put In the niche formed by
leaving out two of the boxes in the center
tier. Tiny brass rods were fastened to the
two end tiers and yellow silkaline curtains
drawn to the sides gave necessary bit
Of color. The bookcase was regarded as
the prize piece of furniture.
Closet room being very inadequate a
skirt and coat closet was made from a
lamp chimney case, which Is the greatest
green like the others, and the opening
hung with a heavy denim curtain, sus-
pended with rings from a small brass rod.
Brass hooks were screwed into the ton of
the case to hold skirts and coat hangers, a
mirror rested on the top Of this closet,
large lamp. Two small starch boxes,
stained to match the closet and fitted with
flaps of leatherette put on with brass tacks
were screwed to either end of the top of
the case. These held the mirror in place,
and kept out of sight brushes and bottles
of toilet preparations.
The packing case habit should never be
carried as far as the dining table. Every
right-minded occidental person demands a
space in which to stow away those men,
berS of his anatomy not actively engaged
in dining, and the woman who fails to pro-
vide for her guest or her household a suit
able openwork table, with store room I'M
and should properly be ciassed with the I'M
speakable Turk and his barbarous cross
legged customs.
The packing boxes which furnished the
rooms in question were bought at the uni
form price of 10 cents apiece. large and
small with the exception of the lamp CHM
ney case, which cost 80 cents. The stain
was experimental, and cost q, but a To-