Boys and girls who live in the country hardly know how lucky they are,
or what mines of materials for clever handiwork lie close by them in
the fruitful, generous woods. What with cones and leaves and moss and
lichens and bark and fungi and twigs and ferns, these great green
store-houses beat all the fancy shops for variety and beauty, and
their "stock" is given away without money or price to all who choose
to take. Most of you know something of the infinite variety of things
which can be made out of these wood treasures, though nobody knows, or
can know, _all_. Now, we want to tell you of a new thing, not at all
difficult to make, and which would be a lovely surprise for some one
this coming Christmas.
It is a rustic jardinière, or flower-pot. The first step toward making
it is to find a small stump about ten inches high, and as odd and
twisted in shape as possible. It should have a base broader than its
top, and three or four little branches projecting from its sides.
Carry this treasure home, brush off any dirt which may cling to it,
and ornament it with mosses and lichens, glued on to look as natural
as possible. Make three small cornucopias of pasteboard; cover them
also with mosses and lichens, and fasten them to the stump between the
forks of the branches, using small brads or tacks to keep them firm.
Stuff the cornucopias with dry moss, and arrange in each a bouquet of
grasses, autumn leaves, and dried ferns, dipping the end of each
stem in flour paste, to make it secure in its place. Sprays of
blackberry-vine or michella, and the satin-white pods of the
old-fashioned "honesty," make an effective addition. When done, we
have a delightful winter-garden, which will keep its beauty through
the months of snow and sleet, and brighten any room it stands in. Nor
is its use over when winter ends, for, inserting small glass phials in
the cornucopias, fresh flowers can be kept in them as in a vase, and
the grays and browns of the lichened wood set off their hues far
better than any gay vase could.