CHRISTMAS AND EASTER MOTTOES

For mottoes take a quantity of pressed ferns, pansies, or tiny leaves, and a piece of bristol board ; in the center of the board outline a cross, of any style you please; then above the cross draw in old English capitals the words, •' To Thy," and below the cross the words, •' I Cling." Have the letters rather large ; cut the ferns in small pieces, brush each piece with mucilage and fill out the letters. Fill the cross the same way, adding here and there the pansies or tiny leaves. Press a few days before framing, or make a frame of crystallized moss or leaves. A motto made of bleached ferns, on a background of black velvet, is' very beautiful. You can take any motto you choose and make it in the same way as described above.

Another way is to cut a piece of very stiff cardboard the desired shape and size of the motto. Give the upper surface a thick coat of mucilage, and over this press the thickest and best pure white cotton wadding. When this is firmly attached and the gum quite dry, gently pull off the smooth upper surface of the wadding, very gently pull up here and there that which is attached to the cardboard, and sprinkle with diamond dust, such as is used for wax flowers. Now have ready your letters or other designs for the motto, cut in thin cardboard ; fasten them on the cotton foundation and frame, with cedar sprays or the slen- der branches of the pine tree, from which the needle branches have been removed, or make the border and lettering of evergreens mixed with scarlet everlastings or berries.

The Spanish moss is crystallized with alum, making one of the pret- tiest decorations one can imagine ; or take any of the fine mosses, go over them with a brush dipped in thin mucilage, and whilst damp sift over them diamond dust, or the fine glass that may be had at any glass factory. Letters, crosses or mottoes, maybe made of this gray, crystal- ized moss. Or this : Select stiff gray moss of coarse, open texture, dampen and sew on a pasteboard foundation. Next prepare a solution of alum, one pound to a quart of hard water, heat gradually in a brass kettle until boiling hot, then allow to cool, when it is ready for use. A little extra care must be taken with the crystallizing. The moss must be perfectly dry ; hold the article over the kettle, and with a cup or large spoon repeatedly pour the water over the moss, moistening the pasteboard as little as possible. This process produces more frosthke crystals than the ordinary one of immersion.

CHRISTMAS AND EASTER MOTTOES. 137

Another beautiful motto is made by covering a heavy cardboard foundation w^ith pale blue frosted plush or velvet, the lettering, etc., made of white cotton wadding frosted v^rith diamond dust, and the frame made of white glass.

Pretty ones are made by covering the cardboard with flock ; this material can be bought in all shades of red by the pound, and is made by sizing a piece of thin board or stiff cardboard with glue, and then sprinkling the flock over it — or fine powdered moss. The flock has a very pretty effect if used for letters on a white or gold background, though the red or wine-colored velvet paper looks the same, is cheaper and less troublesome. Gold paper can also be bought for letters, and is pretty on the wine-colored or black background. When the ground work is of moss, the lettering or designs should be of lighter green moss, tiny autumn leaves and such pressed flowers as retain their colors.

Crowns, lyres, crosses, anchors and harps can be cut of pasteboard, and then covered with tiny sprays of cedar, ferns or autumn leaves. The leaves and cedar sprays can be sewed on, but the ferns must be pasted or glued, as they are so frail and dry they are easily broken. Berries or red everlastings are prettiest mixed with the evergreens, and the ferns with the autumn leaves. Lichens from the woods can be glued or sewed on the pasteboard. The fine green mosses bought at the decorators or florists are also used for this purpose. Autumn leaves should overlap each other, and if dipped in hot wax just before using, it will keep them perfect and bright. Diamond dust sprinkled on the leaves immediately after dipping them in the wax makes them very beautiful, especially in the evening.

The words " Hope," "Welcome," " Merry Christmas" or " A Happy New Year," made of these tiny leaves, put up over the door in a semi- circular form with a monogram below, are extremely beautiful. These mottoes arranged in scrolls, triangles, banners, shields, crosses and crowns, are highly ornamental if weU selected designs are employed. "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men," "Merry Christmas to All," "Be Merry and Wise," " Glory to God in the Highest," and the initials " I. H. S." (Jesus Hominum Salvator), or " I. H. C." (Jesus Humanitatis Consolator), are equally appropriate, and can be cut out of cardboard, in letters from four to five inches in length, and covered with ivy or box leaves, or with tiny sprays of hemlock. They can also be made of gilt or scarlet paper, pasted upon the cardboard ; and can then be attached to a scarlet, blue or white background, by making a slight frame of laths and covering it over tightly with Turkey-red cotton or blue or white cambric. The outer frame can be made as described above. The handsomest letters are of rustic text, and are covered with ivy, laurel, or holly leaves, and a few bright berries mingled in. The beauty of all

138 HO LI DA V FES TI VI TIES.

the decorations mentioned so far can be greatly enhanced by frosting. For variety, crust some of the frosting with mica, to imitate hoar frost.