Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 150, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1916 — HANDICRAFT FOR BOYS AND GIRLS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HANDICRAFT FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

By A. NEELY HALL and DOROTHY PERKINS

(Copyright, by A. Neely HallJ

PORCH AND WINDOW FLOWER BOXES. The hanging box in Fig. 1 must be made of a box of equal width and depth; if you cannot get one of these proportions, take a wide box and saw off enough to make the width and depth the same, as indicated in Fig. 2. Re-enforce the nailing of all boards by driving in additional nails; then ‘cut the hanger uprights A (Fig. 1) and

nail them diagonally across the ends. The tops, of these strips must be trimmed off even with the corners of the box ends. Screw a scrW-eye into each upright and connect a 30-inch piece of iron jack-chain to it by which to hang up the box. Figures 3 and 4 show how to join two grocery boxes end to end to make a long window box. These may be cut down in length so the combined boxes will exactly fit the window opening. Nail the boxes end to end. Then cut strips A and B (FTg 5) 1% inches wide —strips A a trifle longer than the boxes

are wide, and strips B several Inches longer than the combined length. Nail strips A to the box ends, even with the top edge, and with a saw trim off their ends even with the box sidep. Nail strips B to the sides of the boxes and saw off their ends even with the surfaces of strips A. The vertical strips shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are of the same widths as strips A and B. They finish off the corners and conceal the joint between the boxes. If the window sill is wide, the flower box will not require fastening, but if narrow it will be pecessary to support the box by chains fastened to screw-hooks screwed into both the window frame and the box ends (Figs. 3 and 4). Wedge-shaped blocks will relieve the supporting chains of a considerable portion of the weight of the filled boxes (Figs. 3 and 6). The plant stand in Fig. 7 is made similar to the window box in Fig. ‘4, with the corner strips extended for legs, and a shelf fastened between to brace them. Nall strips A and B in place first, then cut and nail together each pair of corner strips C and D (Fig. 8), cutting D enough narrower than C to al-

low for the thickness of C when nailed to it. Twenty-six inches is a good length to make these legs. When you have nailed them to the box corners, fasten the cross-strips E between, ahd cut and fasten the shelf board F between cross-strips E. If the plant box is to be used indoors it must have a metal liner so water will not drain on to the floor. A tinsmith will make a sheetiron box for between 50 and 7o cents, according to size. * Paint your flower boxes with at least two coats of paint. After the flirt coat has dried putty all tracks, joints and nail holes.

FLOWER BASKETS. The cornucopia basket in Fig. 1 is a dainty holder for wood violets and other small 'flowers, and its depth makes it a desirable shape for longstem flowers also. Fig. 2 shows how to fdTFup a sheet of heavy wriling-pa’-per into a cornucopia. Lap and paste

the edge of the paper as in Fig. 3, then cover the outside with colored tissue paper, gathering this into small plaits at the bottom, and slashing it to form fringe. Cut a strip of paper 2 inches wide, slash it as shown in Fig. 4 to form fringe, and paste it around the top, allowing the fringe to hang down. The basket handle is made of strips of tissue paper 2 inches wide, rolled lengthwise into slender tubes, then braided together (Fig. 5). Stitch the ends to the top edge of the cornucopia. Fig. 6 shows a unique form of basket made from a writing-paper box. The dotted lines in Fig. 7 Indicate how to cut the box ends at their centers, and the dotted line in Fig. 8 shows how to score the box bottom with a

knife, along the center, to provide for telescoping one half into the other as shown in Fig. 9. Stitch the telescoped ends together, then cover the outside of the box with tissue paper, and attach a ribbon to the corners for a handle. , A berry box furnishes the material for the pretty little hooded basket in Fig. 10. The first thing to do is to cut the bottom of the box in half, diagonally, from corner to corner, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 11, and remove one half (Fig. 13). Then prepare a triangular piece of cardboard like that shown in Fig. 12 of the same size as the remaining half of the box bottom, with flaps along the two short edges, and glue the piece between the box sides opposite the bottom half (F|g. 13). Instead of cardboard, the triangular piece may be cut out of berry-box wood. Cover

the box with tissue paper, or else stain the wood green or brown. Tie ribbon to the box corner for a handle, The cover from a tin can, with a band of heavy paper or lightweight cardboard wrapped about it, provides the foundation for the cylindrical re* ceptacfe shown in Fig. 14. The dotted lines in Fig. 15 show the position of the cover. Paste tissue paper over the outside, and attach a ribbon handle. - Keep your wild flowers in water until you aie ready to use them, so they will remain fresh.