SEASONABLE DECORATIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7267, 30 November 1901, Page 3

SEASONABLE DECORATIONS.

When the big 'blue flags or irises come into season, they form a great aid to successful table decoration, for many are the schemes which can be carried out with t3ieir assistance. Let the tablecloth be of linen, with a/ centre slip of pals mauve velvet ; in the middle of this stand a very tall gris-de-Flandres jug, filled with the wild blue and purple flags and orchid iris, intermixed with long sprays of the midget wild ivy. At each corner of the table a squat mug may be placed, also- filled with the big blossoms in Ml bloom, and.' if carefully cut away, the rest of the sheaf need not be wasted, as the break will not show. Then fill some odd shaped vases of the same ware to match, and place them here and there irregularly, and one in front of host and hostess. "Connect all with strand® of the wild ivy, 'and attach them to the various jugs," etc., by means of smartly made bows of silver tissue ribbon. The sweets can be pale mauve, and tine faint orange seen in the orchid 1 iris. The menu cards of white, prinlted in blue. Let •the goodies be Contained in silver 'bon-bon dishes,- and th* table glass be,. if possible, of Nuremburg throughout; failing that, white crystal, but the Nuremburg will give the best* effect. Another charming suggestion has a table centre of scarlet Liberty gauze, lightly puffed, amd covered with a lattice work of smilax, and a centre-piece of silver-stone ware filled with blue flags ana scarlet gladioli or nerine, intermixed witih long trails of smilax. Small quaint silver-stone ware vases should stand at either end of rise table, in front of host and hostess, with a silvered basket at each of the four corners of the table, containing the same kind of flowers. Scarlet wax candles m silver candlesticks, with scarlet silk" shades. Scarlet and blue bon-bons in silver dunes, rolls and salt sticks' tied with scarlet and blue ribbons. Menu cards of white, printed and bordered with, scarlet. Table glass of scarlet Bohemian ware, unless you are fortunaite enough to possess a, crown Derby dinner service, would look particularly well with this scheme of decoration, so, too, would' a service of old Worcester. . . , •,, This idea is charming carried out with yellow kingcups. Get six or seven of the Japanese metal fish vases and a larger one for the centre-piece. Fill all these with kingcups and their leaves, with some young trails of asparagus fern, but do not pack the flowers tightly. Use the little silver Japanese metal dishes for sweets ; the latter should 'be deep yellow in hue, just the shade of the kingcups. Candles in Japanese metal candlesticks, with yellow silk shades. Menu cards of yellow, printed in chocolate This arrangement would be equally pretty carried out with the ordinary buttercups in place of kingcups, and also with cowslips ; but both these are schemes only possible for country readers. Another lovely decoration could be evolved with wallflowers and forget-me-nots intermixed, arranged in majolica jars or bowls. Real majolica, is beyond the means of most of us, but the modern imitation is in such excellent taste, and so cheap withal, that no one need be without a set of table vases and specimen glasses in this effective ware. However, suppose you are already possessed of a set, and desire to utiliso'it. Select a tablecloth of unbleached linen, hemstitched, and use a length oi pale blue Liberty silk gauze ruffled as lightly and artistically as possible by way of a table centre, and for a centre-piece a majolica jar filled with wallflowers centred with forget-me-nots. Other vases filled to match should stand at the four corners of uie table centre. The sweets should be amandes brulees and pale blue fondants in majolica dishes ; the tiny art trays sold of this ware form excellent sweet dishes if the real ware is unobtainable, or thought too costly. The menu cards should be of white, printed in chocolate, and tied with pale blue ribbon of just the shade of the centre slip. Candle shades of pale blue are permissible certainly, but as they cast such am exceedingly unbecoming reflection upon the face, the candles, if any, should be used without shades. For daylight use, an exceedingly pretty effect can be obtained by moans of using a table slip of wallflower-brown Liberty velveteen in place of the pale blue gauze indicated above. The gauze, however, gives the best effect when seen by artificial light.