Evening star., 1942-12-13
These Trimming and Wrapping Ideas
Will Provide Lots of Yuletide Color
Last Years Cards
Can Be Used as
Tags and Seals
By KATHERINE HOUISON.

Christmas decorations. here are a
number of different ideas for you to
use They'll keep you happily busy
and attract many compliments on
your skill and ingenuity.
Christmas windows with all the
color and sparkle of the Yuletide
season are easy to arrange and not
expensive If your window is large,
mark 1t off in blocks with colored
tape, tinsel or colored rope. Use
Scotch tape to fasten everything in
place.
The first window is tree made
of loops of green cellophane caught
up with silver stars. A big red cello
phane bow at the bottom makes a
sort of trunk" for your tree, which
CLEANS from indoors or out.
Another tree arrangement is made
with large wire coat hanger, pulled
to a point Cut of the hook and
cover the wires with evergreens or
twisted red and green rope, leaving
two pieces at the bottom for the
tree trunk. Use Christmas tree
lights on this and see it glow
Mark your window into squares
with tinsel rope tackled across and
up and down and fasten Christ
mas tree ornament in each one
Small f1oWerpot trees made of green
glass balls march across the window
sill. To make the trees. cut circle
of green cardboard to fit the flower
pots and punch holes in it to hold
the "necks" of the ornaments. Set
! large balls in these holes, then pile
rows of smaller ones on top, con-
tinuing until you have single ball
at the top OF your tree.
Use DecalcOmanias.
A supply of Christmas decalco-
manias will add a different touch
to your decorations. Have reindeer
racing across the bottom of the mir
ror over the mantel; Santa Claus
leads or holly Wreaths transferred to
the glass doors of the bookcase: the
guestroom mirror edged with small
green trees, mistletoe, or merry
Christmas. If you cannot get the
transfers, use designs cut out of
Christmas papers or Christmas seals.
If you can get opened milkweed
pods with their lovely, golden-orang
lining, you can silver or bronze them
outside and make another distinctive
addition to your decoration.
To make lovely snow garden" J."
save odd-shaped clinkers out of the
ashes and arrange them in a shall
lNur Gich Miv fua toto ~
water two teaspoons of ordinary
salt and one teaspoon of laundry
bluing together and pour this over
the clinkers. In about II hours the
prettiest snow crystals will begin to
form in tiny clusters like coral and
will continue to grow" for some
time. If the snow isn't thick enough.
give the clinkers another dose of the
mixture. You can color your snow
with drop or two of poster ink or
water color Tuck twigs of ever
green and small branches with red
berries among them for trees.
Start several of these gardens and
have them ready to give your friends
on Christmas morning.
"ht-"IdppiHs luedS.
To wrap gift in round, fiat box,
cut squares of crepe paper in two
contrasting colors about 4 inches
larger than the box. Fringe these
about inches deep all around each
square. Place the box in the center
of one piece, place the other on top
and sew them together around the
box Small silver beads. or tiny
Christmas balls, sewed in as you
work. make lovely finish, and you
can put seal in the center for
further decoration if needed.
For deep, round box cut strip
of cardboard long and wide enough
to go around the box. Use strips of
fringed crepe paper to cover it. over
tapping them so the fringe is quite
thick. You can buy this in rolls
at the dime store. Cover the open
top first. putting strips across and
fastening the ends down on the sides
of the cardboard. A circle of heavy
colored paper is fastened on the bot
tom. Now cover the sides with the
fringed paper Two colors alter
mated add to this unusual wrapping
These ideas are equally effective
with square boxes.
For a gift of lingerie or any small.
soft article, weave narrow strips of
en-and-white construction paper
Make two mats of this as large as
your wrapped gift and fasten these
together with Scotch tape. You can
paste a band of red paper around
the edge, half on each mat, or cover
the tape with Christmas seals. A
big red cellophane bow in the center
adds sparkling touch.
Use Old Cards.
II you've been saving your Christ
mas cards each year here's a chance
to really use them-make them into
tags and seals for your packages
this year Get out your assortment
and see what you can find. Use the
sitter cards for the tags.
You'll probably find one with a
little tree in one corner. Cut diago-
nally across the card above the de-
sign for three-cornered tag. Now
look for one with spray of holly
and bells and see If you can't cut an
oblong card, or six-sided one
Often the top of a card can be cut
into long strip and the design will
look as If it had been made on pur-
pose.
Be sure to look inside the cards
for the smaller designs so often
printed there. as they make good
sized tags and can often be cut into
circles, ovals or fancy-shaped ones
You can punch a hole in one end
and make tie-on tags or fasten the
cards to a package with stars or
seals.
The designs on the folders and
thinner cards make grand seals Just
choose the parts you want and cut
them out in the shape that best
suits the design. and you'll have
some original and really lovely ones.
These can be glued on when you're
ready to do up your Christmas
packages.
| And save the cards you get this
year to make next years supply of