Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
ST. VALENTINE FANClES
MAY NOT BE ORIGINAL, But ARE
CERTAINLY WELCOME.
Souvenirs for a Juvenile or a Crown
Up Party i'm Motto sweets
or Flowers.
Written for The Evening Star.

Cupid is not original. If you don't be-
| lieve it, look over the valentines displayed
| in the shops, and you viii the same
hearts and darts that have figured on
| Cupid's missives since the good st. Valen-
tine set the fashion of celebrating the fes-
| tiyal.
The same lace-trimmed and glded trifles
| that were the delight of our grandsires are
| supplied for the small boy who has an in
FAINT sweetheart. The handsomely emboss
| ed cards that came with later generation
hold their own, and clever new manufac-
| turer is this season giving some artistic
variations to the card designs. For in
stance. handsome faces, such as those
| found in the pictures of Sir Joshua Rey-
nolds. of Gainsborough or of Greuze are
| framed in heart-shaped borders of flowers.
| The smartest valentines are costly af-
| fairs, ranging in price up to $50. To pay
! that sum for piece of lace and satin that
| can have no special significance after the
| day is over seems rather absurd. Fortu-
| nately into the celebration of st. Valen-
| tines festival is creeping little OF the
| common sense that characterized the
| shrewd old man who inaugurated the fes-
| tival to draw the minds of the faithful
| away from the destinations of forbidden
heather celebration.
Instead of fancy cards many persons ex-
change gifts Of candy and flowers. St.
| Valentines day is no longer dedicated to
| the exchange Of tokens solely by plighted
| or would-be plighted lovers. Indeed no
sentimental significance a al now attaches
| to a Valentines day gift 1t is simply an
| other excuse for the lavish giving that has
come to be regarded as a national charac-
| teristic.
Ready for Action.
Valentine novelties shown in the shops
are foot ball. golf or base ball figures cut
out of pasteboard, with the limbs so ad-
i,,St cd fbat cfrip hob;,
will twist them into all sorts of grotesque
attitudes. Any one who can use water
colors can make these figures, fine wire
being substituted for the tiny rivets that
secure the joints in the factorymade fig
ureS.
Poster valentines are inexpensive and
amusing and quite decorative when pinned
upon the wall. Therefore poster valen-
tines have many admirers. They are
painted on heavy cartridge paper or on
sheets of gray cardboard in designs which
are burlesques of the past times, fads
characteristics of the person to whom they
are to be sent. The fun is good natured,
and in that they differ from the colored
monstrosities sold as penny COMICS"
Flowers Always Right.
Since flowers are SO much liked VAL
entine day remembrances, every woman
should know that the costly boxes covered
with water-color paper and suitable for
decorating with flowers, birds or notices
can be easily made at home. An ordinary
cardboa rd candy box may be made thing
CT beauty by covering ii with white, pale
pink, pale blue or lavender satin. A spe-
cial white glue and a scrupulously clean
brush should be used. The rough satin
edges should be- turned under at the cor
ners. bow of satin ribbon may be
stitched to the lid of the box or a spray
of flowers painted upon it in bright colors.
Fancy sachets fnclosed in pasteboard
la ain and oh xro1a
The prettest of these are cut out of silk or
satin to represent hearts or flowers. Rows
of pansies ranged on bands of narrow satin
ribbon make a charming appearance. The
pansies are fashioned of violet and orange
SATIN the shading being applied in water
colors only if oil paints, which are better
for the purpose, are not obtainable. The
pieces of satin are cut over a pattern in the
shape of petals, stitched together on the
wrong side with silk of the same color as
the fabric and then carefully turned over.
The heart-shaped ornaments may be made
entirely of silk or satin, decorated with lace
and painted designs, or they may be COM
bined with celluloid. The required fairness
of surface is obtained by stitching a layer
of wadding between the front and back
One of the prettiest of these is a double
heart made of pale pink silk and velvet.
The velvet is glued over a heart-shaped
piece of white cardboard and the edges are
cut with pinking instrument and roughly
spIashed with gold paint. The second heart
is of China silk a shade lighter layer of
pink wadding supplies the body for this,
and sachet powder gives it dainty scent
Sprays of flowers are painted on the silk
and smaller hearts fashioned of silk and
filled with powder ornament the center and
the border of the large silk heart This
pretty trihe is supplied with a ribbon by
means of which iNmay be suspended from
the wall.
For n Veil Case.
A more easily made souvenir is a circular
handkerchief or veil case. The foundation
is cut from. two pieces of cardboard, each
side of each piece being wadded with a
layer of cotton sprinkled with sachet pow
der and covered with silk or satin. Fine
silk cords extending around the edges of
the circles should be stitched together
along the lower semicircle A decalco-
mania picture of flowers, birds or butter
flies may be attached to the outside. or.
better still. suitable design may be paint
ed or embroidered there
Fancy pillows or pillow covers decorated
with appropriate patterns hat pin holders
shaped like stars and made OF decorated
silk or satin, suitably framed fancy pic
lures and dainty booklets may. any of
them, be fashioned at home by clever, fin
gers and will be doubly acceptable on that
account. -,
Valentine luncheons are given year after |
year with trihing alterations in regard to |
detail The tables are always heart-shaped
and covered with lace-trimmed cloths laid
over tinted foundations OF silk or satecn.