The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-16
MAKING THE HOUSE
 A HOME.

The greater part of the beauty of bittersweet and other brilliant shrubs that last through the winter is in their arrangement. for, while 1 garden flowers can be carelessly drop ped in vase with good effect, these 1 shrubs have to be placed so as to get l the full benefit of their gently curv- l ing lines, Almost evary florist window, and many studios and homes, present different placement of the winter flowers, and many of these are as attractive as they are unusual, says the Christian Science Monitor.
 In one home where the departure of a wilted fern left tall reed bas ket unoccupied, bittersweet filled the breach more beautifully than the original occupant had done. Small branches that were heavily laden with the little orange berriaS were twined across the top of the basket handle, with the berries hanging down quite as they often do over fence boards in the country districts. This made g. frame for the longer branches that were grouped in the basket itself and helped to fill in the large space formed by the tall han dle. The branches, falling in grace ful abandon, formed an attractive . silhouette against the wall, and, when the lamps were lit, cast a shadow on the wall that. was a picture in itself.
 A single spray of bittersweet can be just as successfully arrange over a fireplace where a panel '" dancing figures was hung, a branch of blttersweet curved from the man tel up over the pictures and formed a sort of impromptu frame for them. Somewhat the same effect was gain ed by tacking a curving branch so that 1t half surrounded a group of small pictures and made of the group a unit of decoration.
 A low bowl, placed on the mantel over a fireplace, can be filled with the gnarled, curling sprays of bitter sweet. so that they hang down, out ] lining their branches on the fire 1 place, framing the fire; or, if the fire l place is unused, it can be filled with l the big sprays and thus retain it's in tended cheery atmosphere. Thorn | apples or bayberry can likewise oe | arranged in the fireplace, although | such an arrangement can never take the place of cracking fire in mak- ing a room inviting.
 Building Japanese prints in my 1 own home is the original way that 1 one young woman has of speaking of her flower arrangements. In a mar l row panel between two inset win ] doWs she has placed a tall vase and in this shes has arranged autumn leaves so that they form an interest l ing and picturesque outline against
 the wall, not unlike a widely copied
 print of cherry blossoms. Varying
 the idea of the old hanging basket
 this same young woman has arranged
 bittersweet in a grass basket like the i ones used in Gibraltar to carry or
 anges, and suspended it against the
 wall. This forms a striking picture l and has suggested a number of sim liar arrangements to her friends.
 1 Where the outline of a branch is
 not particularly graceful and there l
 branches can be arranged in wal
 pocket and thus many a dark anC
 unattractive corner can be brighten
 ed. Wherever possible, though, th'
 outline should be silhouetted agains 1 a wall or against a window. Whert
 the wall covering is figured, the sil
 houette does not show to its best ad vantage, so the branches should b placed against a plain background l 1 one is available. Tall vases, place l at either side of white marbl
 fireplace and filed with bayberrS
 make an attractive picture in on : home where the green of the bay
 berry leaves is identical Tyith tn | tapestry that upholsters the furni : l ture.
 An arrangement that is more ire
 quentIy seen in florists windows tha at homes, but that is nevertheless ! adaptable, is to suspend a singl
 branch, particularly well formed, b , a ribbon or cord. This gives tn 2 desired fiat effect and emphasizes tn natural grace of the outline
 Chinese bells are not suitable fc s such arrangement, as their twigs ar
 too straight, but they, too, deman
 different arrangement than do mos ' flowers to exact their maximum ( . beauty. They should never b grouped, for that tends to hide wher
 the lantern-1ike blossoms are joine
 to the stem, which is the main beau
 ty of these odd little plants The 6 should be separated and placed i fiat bowls, so that the complete out ; line of each sprig is apparent or a single spray used in vase.
 All of these plants will las
 through the winter, and as sue
 beautiful and varied effects can b
 gained with them, there is little e2
 cuse for a room without flowers, an
 indeed little for a room bedecke