SHELL FLOWERS

Groups of artificial flowers may be made with shells of a common kind. Some are made simply of white, buff, or pink tinted shells of the common kind, so abundant on many coasts, and which resemble somewhat the nails of the fingers. These shells can also be purchased in any quantity, at the stores where articles for fancy work are sold. Other shells are painted entirely, or in stripes.

Most of the flowers are made by means of a cement in the first place. Melt to a moderate consistency a quantity of gum tragacanth and a little alum ; mix this into a thick paste with plaster of Paris and a small piece of sugar of lead. Make a ball of this the shape of an orange — ■

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that is, a flattened round — and about a third the size of an orange. Let this nearly dry ; then take a stiff, strong wire, long enough for a flower stem, wind it round with a strip of green tissue paper, half an inch wide ; thrust it into the ball of cement upon which the flower is to be constructed ; place the wire with the cement at the top in a tumbler or vase long enough to hold it comfortably, first taking a stout card, larger than the mouth of the bottle or vase, with a hole cut in it just the size to admit the wire stem easily, and placing it over the tumbler. This keeps the work steady.

Set in the shells according to the flower to be represented, and let it remain untouched until the flower is quite dry. Then take a few short leaves with the stalks cut off and wires removed, and gum them to the back of the flower so that they may project all around partially.

When a sufficient number of flowers are made, take a pretty wicker basket, line it with green tissue paper and fill it with the cement. When this is nearly dry, stick the flowers in it, and place sufficient leaves about them. The basket should be so well filled as to entirely conceal the cement. Do not move it until the cement is quite dry. The leaves used are the ordinary muslin ones, such as are employed for bonnets.

To make a rose, dip the shells into a strong mixture of powdered carmine and liquid gum. Let them dry. They ought to be of one uni- form deep crimson. Put three together in the center of the cement, folded one over another as closely as possible, to form the heart. Place a row around these, also closely, and so on, row after row, each shell slightly overlapping the other, till the cement is completely filled and the flower finished. The shells are placed lengthwise on end. Add some leaves all round the flowers, which are to be fixed on at the under part of the cement, covering it at the bottom completely. The shells that form the rose are about half an inch long.

To make a rosebud, choose shells at least half as large again ; fold them over in the same way in the center and close the succeeding shells closely around them ; also, instead of placing the shells in the cement upright, arrange them lengthwise and put a large rosebud calyx on the stalk after the cement is quite dry. The center of cement for a rosebud is very much smaller than for a rose, not being quite a quarter of the size.

For a China aster, the small white transparent shells are used, the center being made as small as possible In the center they are arranged as closely as it is possible to get them. They are all upright, and toward the edge inclining to radiate outward, slightly. When the cement is quite dry, charge a small camel-hair brush with carmine and gum, and lightly variegate the flowers here and there.

For a ranunculus, shape a ball of cement the proper size ; then take the same kind of shells as for the rose, but rather smaller. Paint them

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well with a bright yellow ; set them into the cement as the rose was set, only very much closer together, each one lapping over the other as close as it is possible to make them ; continue like this for some rows, then set in the rest gradually, more and more open, the last two rows radiating outward a little. Dip a brush in carmine and lightly mark the tips of the shells to give them an irregular, jagged appearance.

All of the garden favorites may be made in the same way, by taking the cement for a foundation and forming the flowers as nearly as pos- sible like the natural blossom, painting it with the proper colors and copying faithfully any peculiar markings. When finished they may be arranged into a wreath or bouquet, and framed if the maker wishes, although the basket is prettiest.