Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-07-22
,sEAsHELLS NOW.

Latest Fad for the Summer Girl-Ny-
 riad of Old Ways to Decorate.
 No pearl-croWned mermaid of fairy tales ever delighted more in her shell treasures than the summer girl of to- day, whose happy lot lands her at the seashore.
 Each ebb tide leaves new wonders in it's wake, and the decorative and useful possibilities of these kisses of the sea-" as someone has called them, are almost startling when evolved from the clever brain of some original girl. ,.
 One of the oldest ideas is a shell dado for the den in a summer cottage. Putty will do as foundation. One girl who had no chance of securing 1t sim ply use a heavy coating of glue on burlap. If a harmonious tint is cho- sen, the effect is good, although the glue is not so durable as the putty. Picture molding will do as a founda- tion for top and bottom and also form supporting frame for the putty. Af- ter laying in a surface of this to work on, add the shells the same as in mo saic designing. Clam and oyster shells will do for borders, and the more fancy varieties can be used in all kinds of fantastic patterns for the center. The putty will harden readily, and the result is striking and picturesque, as permanent, says the Washington Star. To a girl who has any taste for modelling, the same idea may be car ried out in vases. A shell-incrusted iardiniere makes unique ornament for summer perch, and even cigar box may be transformed with thin coating of putty and mingling of small scalloped shells and periwinkles into anything from a work box to hairpin tray.
 The periwinkles make the prettiest chains and can be pierced with com mon needle for stringing. By alternat- ing the pink and white variety with the dark and only choosing the small lest ones, a necklace can be made that would grace the throat of a Lurlie.
 There is a small oval shell found along rocky coasts that is like crys- tallized rose leaf in thinness and color ing It is as delicate and dainty as 8 baby's nail, and shades from a deep pink to orange and a pale green.
 It can be used in all manner of ways where the heavier shells are inn practicable. One of the simplest uses is to string them for portieres, the same as bamboo curtains are made. One girl made belts of them for her self and her friends by overlapping them like scales and using two rows for each belt Worn with one of the popular linen suits, the effect was charming.
 The best shell souvenir to take home to father, brother or the beloved one IS a paper weight After 8 heavy sea, fragments of green-stained rocks, with all shapes and sizes of oysters fasten- to them, are cast up from the oyster beds. If left in the sun the oysters dry out and the shells can be hand painted, or left natural, as preferred.
 A good idea tor a receptacle for stamps or loose pens is to drill holes in blue point shell and hinge the two parts together
 Even if one has not the knack of con- struction there is still the shell cabinet which every seaside girl should possess in which to exhibit her trophies when the days grow chiH and summer birds fly home. A few small shelves, stained dark, and hung or fastened in any corner, will do, with a bunch of seaweed trailing down from the top, and a few crabs dangling off the edges. The filling of the shelves should be a matter of individual taste and selec- tion.