All Through the House 4
Sprinkled crystals or chemicals will also stick to these if they are first coated with glue or shellac. Then the bark can be tied on to cover all. Several such bundles secured with heavy yarn or twine and decorated with greens, cones and berries will ornament any fireplace. (Drawing 21)
Cones, similarly brushed with glue or shellac, sprinkled with chemicals and allowed to dry, can be packed in cellophane bags tied with gay ribbon. They look attractive even before they add their colored flames to the fire and
they make delightful, inexpensive gifts.
Another decorative present for the living room is a pot of red, or perhaps pink or white Poinsettias. These popular Christmas plants do not tolerate drafts and lose their leaves quickly if exposed to them. The living room is preferable to a hallway where there is likely to be frequent change of air and cold drafts. Cut Poinsettias may be attractively arranged, but each time the stem is cut the end must be sealed by burning over a flame or dipping into boiling water to prevent escape of sap. If the stem is held horizontally, neither heat nor steam will injure foliage.
When there is an auditorium to decorate, on a limited budget, large guaranteed-to-last Poinsettias can be made from rhododendrons. The ends of the branches produce leaves close to the terminal bud. In form, they resemble the red bracts of the Poinsettia. Of course, if you cut these you sacrifice next year's bloom, but in some woods and gardens rhododendron is plentiful enough for a few branches not to be missed.
These branches should be placed indoors in water to keep them fresh. To make them into Poinsettias, paint the leaves around the center bud with a dead flat red lacquer. This paint gives a dull, flat finish and most natural effect.
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