Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-12-12
GIFT FIEND is
In EVIDENCE
How to Make Home Made Presents
the Subject Of Manu- Articles.
KEEPS F6MININITy BUSY.
Household Journals Volunteer all Manner
of Suggestions for Christmas Gifts
That Causes Trouble Galore.

1t is now that in the household de-
partments Of the newspapers and
magazines may be read brilliant re-
marks by an individual who must be
suppressed in the interests of human
ity. He is hardy annual and blooms
in print at this time of the year.
This is therefore the best time to de-
stroy the creature who fills columns
with lying yarns to the effect that the
best and most welcome Christmas
gift for man may be made at home
at trifiing expense by any woman.
The daintiest tobacco jar in the
world, !" writes this person, may bs
made by neatly removing the top of
tomato can. Wash off the label.
Enamel the outside in the true tint of
baby blue. Cut out the skull-and.
cross bones design printed on this
page, trace upon the enamel and lay
in oil colors. The inside of the can
should be enameled in the daintiest
shade of cerise.n Imagine the feel
ings of the man who receives this
gift from woman he had hitherto
expected and admired!
Having perpetrated the above the
creature reads it over and chuckles,
reflects and next indites something
like this: "A silk skirt that is ready
for the ragbag may be converted,
with very little labor, ihto presents
that will 60 around among all the
male acquaintance whom you wish
to please with Christmas gifts. Neck
tie making is one o; the simplest
achievements in the world. Lay the
above diagram over the old silk, cut
along the lines, fold and catch up
with stitches as indicated. The re-
suit will be one OF the most novel
neckties ever made" 1t certainly
will. A homemade necktie of this
stamp forms one of the best tests of
love ever devised. man who will
accept such thing in polite silence
will make patient husband The
lover who will actually wear the pres
ent is sure to be brave, loyal, cour-
teous and long-suffering.
If, while washing dishes. you
drop china saucer, don't throw the
pieces into the ash-can. Reconstruct
the saucer with cement; lay over the
cracks with lines of oil paint of diff
ferent colors This gives a delight
fully bizarre effect, and the result is
an ash-tray that will give happiness
to any man who smokes 1t surely
ought To make the man happy to
think that he had found the woman
out in time. A starch box gilded on
the outside and lined on the inside
with the remnants of a silk shirt
waist makes beautiful repository
for cuffs. A pill-box may be con-
verified into an enchanting pincushion,
and, of course. no mans dressing
table is complete without such an or
ment. If a woman is handy with
tools and paint-b brush, she can readily
convert packing-box into a book
case.
And all the while that the young
woman is eagerly absorbing these
suggestions and locking herself mys-
teriously in her room to manufacture
these homemade presents. the man
who is to be surprised on Christmas
morning is getting along on two
meals day. smoking pipe because
cigars are too expensive, so that he
may save nickels towards the pur-
chase of the gift that he knows will
be altogether inadequate to express
his feelings toward the young woman.
Flushed and happy, he calls on
Christmas morning and is handed
nailbrush made out of a toothbrush
the handle Of which is handpainted
and tied with pink ribbon.
Unless the feminine craze for Civ
ing homemade gifts dies out this
year men will have to learn how to
make fetching necklaces out of broken
bits Of window glass, tempting bou-
doir chairs from cider barrels, and
Turkish ottomans from galvanized
ash-cans. Or it might do for the
Young man to hand his ingenious
sweetheart her own last years GIT.