The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-04
SUMMER GOSSIP.

SUMMER GOSSIP.
 At this season so many are interested in the furnishing of country houses, while much fought is directed in attaining cool, inviting effects for tho city home. says an exchange. A strtc regard to dainty fresh- ress should govern the housewife in her scheme Of furnishing and in the orna- mentation of her home.
 Plain tinted walls and big flowered eretonne hangings and furniture covers are always cheerful and with quantities of plants and cut flowers make one of the most attractive living rooms possible for a country house and then, too, it has the advantage of being inxpensiye.
 If one knows just where to go, the smart English effects in cretonnes can be bought for comparatively little. The Jig flower designs are pretty, but touch ot some of the new designs and coloring gre worth the small difference in price.
 Then too, are the places where novelty Swiss for curtains with squares and stripes cost comparatively little and all these little touches o-t of the beaten track give ones room distinction and the originality we strive for.
 Cretonne picture frames embellished with embroidery or gold guimp are very appropriate with the cretonne hangings and reproductions of old English prints, often cut from magazines, are success fully substituted for photographs.
 An inexpensive and effective result can be had by taking a big lowered wall paper and having a mat made for some quaint old-time beauty, then having the whole thing framed in passepartout. There is an old English publication in which these heads are reproduced in dainty color and lend themselves admir- ably to this scheme.
 Especially smart are the big lowered lamp shades trimmed with gold lace, they are inexpensive and pretty and carry out the cretonne idea Many of the new wall papers have eretonnes to match Curtains are often made of Swiss with a frill at the sides, and stripe of the flow cred cretonne running down the side across the bottom.
 Window seats tufted with the same material as the curtains and soft pillows also covered with the same material are much more satisfactory than a dlvan or couch and can be made any size de- sired.
 A variety of sofa pillows is now seldom seen-except on veranda, where a group ing of harmonizing shades in solid colors is charming
 Stained wicker Is one of the artistic fads, not painted but stained, and when done in brown stain furniture will be suit able in such room as that described. The lounging chairs come in a variety of picturesque shapes and there are innumer- able queer dyans and tables of every size and description. Such furniture is not cLeap, but it is worth while since it is distinctive and always substantial and good styles.
 For the woman who travels the coat suit is the only costume to meet all re- qn.rements.
 Perhaps the coat suit enjoyingF the greatest favor is the one with the coat modeled upon a mans frock coat. Done in fine cloth in a discreet color such a suit is mp to anything, from travelling to paying formal visits, says a writer In the North American.
 For train wear and morning goings- about a clean, crisp linen shirt will be worn with It.; while for afternoon a dainty lingerie blouse will be the ;hng. A yet more flmy blouse will be re rigueur when the suit serves for even ing, as many a traveller makes it do. | Indeed, when one is simply sightseeing the less luggage one has the happier one is, Changes of linen and other ac- eessories do not take up much room. It is only when different dresses and l hats, boots and parasols to match are taken that much lug age is required
  aton and is among strangers, it is fool l ish to waste ones time in perpetually 1 changing one's outer raiment l If one is to stop at some poin. to see friends and relatives it is the wise thing to express a suit case or a trunk to that l point, when the dainty frocks and the hats to correspond may be brought forth sans peur and sans reproche. To carry them along with necessary arti- cles the length of the country. and to hastily pack and unpack them every day, is to ruin them for nothing, and to hfve a lot of trouble in addition To return to the coat suits, another favored style is the half-fitting model
 Also liked is the coat with strapped | seams.
 The cot just turning the hips is very l convenient and iaunty. When in the box shape it Is little shorter Approved hv many women are the lt- tie blouse and bplero suits. The coats have no weight at all. and with any and all the shirt arrangement Is the | same.