Useful and Charming

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 197, 9 November 1927, Page 7

Useful and Charming

Camouflaging the “Empties”

MANY of the commercial commodities that find a place on m our tables are now put up so attractively that it seems a pity to waste the “empties.” Jams and pickles, sauces and potted meats, come m containers of really elegant shape which are easy to turn into useful and charmiim things

Little cream jars may be given a. coat of brilliant enamel and, when dry, ornamented after the fashion of the hand-made Devon pottery. One does not need to have an art training to carry Out this simple scheme, as a few telling strokes of the brush are much more effective than laboriously detailed work. Little tins of suitable enamel may be bought at any oil and colour shop or art store. They come in glorious shades, ranging from palest pastel tints to rich, deep scarlets and blues. The painted jars will hold a little fern plant or a bulb most delightfully. Occasionally a well-shaped jar that has held meat extract may have the maker’s name in prominently raised letters in the glass. This is quite easy to disguise. Simply dab an old plate or your palette with oil colours in the shade you wish to predominate. Dab these on the jar, beginning at the base with the darkest shade and working: up into a lighter colour until the neck is reached. If •the paint is dabbed on very thickly indeed, with a small hogshair brush, the letters will be completely hidden. Another plan is to have ready a handful of small steel beads and, while the paint is still thick and wet, scatter them over. They will dry in with the paint (this takes about a week) and will be quite hard and even wash-

L ? bl f eventually- If a jar is shaded up , in browns and golden shades and the * beads lightly strewn in the shape of a ; maple leaf the effect is quite lovelv. ' A jar camouflaged in this wa” is an ideal holder for autumn leaves, i If you are at all expert with vour brush you may decide to paint your jar in a ' more finished way. Begin first with the dabbed-on background and leave it to dry. Then proceed just as you would on a prepared can- [ vas for a picture. A finely-shaped old • wine-bottle, for instance, might be trellised up with rambler roses. Another very effective method of getting unusual colours is to reduce a stick of sealing-wax to powder and then dissolve it in methylated spirit. Painted on very thickly, this gives a shiny lacquered appearance. Variety can be added by a few flowers done in sealing-wax. These are quite easy to manage. A stick of wax is held over the . flame of a small spirit lamp, and the drops which fall on to the jar are quickly moulded by a small, sharp tool into petal-like forms. Special tools are obtainable for sealing-wax work. The great point is not to fuss with such work. A few bold touches always look far more workmanlike and effective than finicky designs.

MATCHING EFFECTS INFURNISHING At the moment matching effects .tic decidedly popular in * m ulshing schemes. One or more hairs in a room are upholstered to u atch the window drapery. The scheme illus-

effect obtainable by -.his treatment. It has a most cheery effect in a room with little sun. The pelmet and curtains ard of honey brown aid orangestriped cretonne, the sti'ipes being placed vertically at the end of the curtains to form a border. The small curtains of orange net. edged with lace dyed to match, gave a pleasant glow to what otherwise may have been dull room. FOR THE HOUSEWIFE These three useful articles are for the housewife. The laundry basket is of closely-woven rattan cane, which

A-an be lacquered in the colour of tae room, and, if necessary, it can bo fitted with a glass top, on which to place toilet articles. The electric milkwarmer is the latest nursery gadget, and for cold weather what could be cosier than the electrically warmed footstove?