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THINGS WORTH DOING AND HOW TO DO THEM
THINGS WORTH DOING AND HOW TO DO THEM
Things Worth Doing and How to Do Them. Illustrated by the authors. $2.00. Recreations for Girls. Illustrated by the authors. $2.00 (postage extra). What a Girl Can Make and Do. New Ideas for Work and Play. Illustrated by the authors. $2.00. The American Girl’s Handy Book ; or, How to Amuse Yourself and Others. Illustrated by the authors. $2.00. The Field and Forest Handy Book. New Ideas for Out of Doors. Illustrated by the author. $2.00. The Jack of All Trades ; or, New Ideas for American Boys.
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PREFACE
PREFACE
We know our girls. We know and sympathize with their restless longing for activity. The normal girl simply must be doing something, and this ceaseless energy, at times rather appalling to her elders, is but natural and right. It is in the young blood coursing so swiftly and joyously through her veins, and it must find vent in one way or another. But there is no need of doing that which brings neither true pleasure nor the joy of accomplishing something worth while, for the world is full of delig
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CHAPTER I A FOURTH OF JULY LAWN FROLIC
CHAPTER I A FOURTH OF JULY LAWN FROLIC
Prepare your guests for something novel by issuing your invitations in the form of giant firecrackers. Decorate Your Grounds and make them as festive as possible with fluttering flags, floating streamers, red, white, and blue bunting, and Japanese lanterns. Also provide a number of small flags, one for each guest, to be worn in the hat, hair, belt, and buttonhole. This little touch of uniform will not only make the scene gayer and more exhilarating, but, like badges of an order, will have the ef
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CHAPTER II A WONDERFUL CIRCUS AT HOME WITH MOVING ANIMALS
CHAPTER II A WONDERFUL CIRCUS AT HOME WITH MOVING ANIMALS
MAKE your poster as nearly as possible like the one on the opposite page. Paint the lettering in gay colors on a big sheet of paper and a day before the show tack it up in a conspicuous place where all the family will see it, for, of course, your show must have an audience, and if you follow out all directions very carefully it will be well worth seeing. Have your circus on top of a large table, or on the floor, or out of doors on the bare ground. Almost any place will do where there is a good-s
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CHAPTER III A NOVEL EASTER PARTY WITH NEW EASTER GAMES
CHAPTER III A NOVEL EASTER PARTY WITH NEW EASTER GAMES
THERE are no end of delightful things to do at an Easter party, and every game may be in keeping with the season. The game of Egg Tennis is particularly pretty. As you play this new Easter game, showers of color will fill the air, sometimes descending in sparkling bits of orange, again reds, then greens or blues, yellows or purples, with all their beautiful tints. Quivering and shimmering, down the colored rain will fall, lightly covering your hair, clothing, and surrounding objects, while you s
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CHAPTER IV A DOORWAY PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW
CHAPTER IV A DOORWAY PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW
The only material necessary for The Stage will be a piece of plain solid-colored cloth, which must reach across an open doorway, be tacked upon each side and extend down to the floor, where it should be again fastened that there may be no danger of its blowing aside. Put this curtain up high enough in the doorway to reach a trifle above your head, for you must be completely hidden from the audience. The full-page illustration shows the back of the stage and gives the manner in which Punch and hi
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CHAPTER V HALLOWE’EN MERRYMAKING
CHAPTER V HALLOWE’EN MERRYMAKING
Novel Ways of Telling Fortunes Ask the fairies, gnomes and elves to your Hallowe’en frolic; they will be delighted to come, though of course, you cannot invite them in the usual fashion. Instead of writing notes, you must braid three Invitation Rings of Grass— fresh grass is best, but the dried will do—and hang the rings on bushes ( Fig. 48 ), or lay them on the outside window-sill, making a wish on each grass ring as it is put into place. To insure the fulfilment of the wish, you must not see t
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CHAPTER VI DANCE OF TITANIA, QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES
CHAPTER VI DANCE OF TITANIA, QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES
Have Titania’s Stage Ready that she may not be kept waiting, for queens and fairies will brook no delay ( Fig. 62 ). Find a wooden box 18½ inches long by 13 inches wide or larger ( Fig. 63 ). With a heavy hammer or a hatchet pry up and knock off the top and one of the long sides ( Fig. 64 ). The open side forms the front of the roofless stage. The coloring of the stage should be a light sage green. If possible, procure this color in cartridge wallpaper wider than the stage. With a string measure
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CHAPTER VII THANKSGIVING PARTY
CHAPTER VII THANKSGIVING PARTY
Apple, Orange and Pumpkin Games Little Pumpkins Select apples about two inches in diameter, all as near of a size as possible and preferably somewhat flattened at top and bottom. Cut a square of orange-colored tissue paper and stand an apple, stem uppermost, on its centre ( Fig. 79 ). Bring one side of the tissue paper up to the top of the apple and take a wee plait in the paper, at the same time smoothing it up from the bottom of the apple ( Fig. 80 ). Make several more plaits and bring the nea
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CHAPTER VIII IMPROMPTU MOVING PICTURES FOR THANKSGIVING
CHAPTER VIII IMPROMPTU MOVING PICTURES FOR THANKSGIVING
First make the poster, to be hung in a conspicuous place in hall or parlor. Print it in large black letters on a good-sized sheet of wrapping paper: There Will be To-night An Exhibition of The World-Renowned Moving Pictures Taken by Madam Moselle at Great Risk of Life and Property. No Expense or Effort Being Spared to Obtain the Real Characters and Settings of a Puritan Thanksgiving And Other Scenes from the Life of Our Forefathers. Make the picture screen by stretching a large white sheet on th
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CHAPTER IX A VALENTINE ENTERTAINMENT WITH ORIGINAL VALENTINES
CHAPTER IX A VALENTINE ENTERTAINMENT WITH ORIGINAL VALENTINES
To make the design, fold through the centre a square piece of paper measuring five and one-half inches along each edge. Fold this oblong crosswise through its centre, and you will make a small square of four layers of paper. On one side of this square mark the outline of a heart, allowing the corner of the small four-folded square, which is also the centre of the large square of paper before it is folded, to form the point of the heart ( Fig. 105 ). Cut out the top of the heart through all four
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CHAPTER X THE WILD WEST SHOW ON A TABLE
CHAPTER X THE WILD WEST SHOW ON A TABLE
But did it ever occur to you that the show could come to you—that is, you might organize a show of your own and arrange things to suit yourself? If you want the Wild West Show first and a circus after you can have them. Should you prefer both shows at the same time they are yours, for you can make the entire affair—horses, riders, Indians, wild animals and tent. You may do even more—you can cause all the performers actually to move, and that by the mere turn of your wrist, because your show will
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CHAPTER XI ROOF PICNIC WITH BROOK TO CROSS AND FLOWERS TO PICK
CHAPTER XI ROOF PICNIC WITH BROOK TO CROSS AND FLOWERS TO PICK
Sunflowers can be fashioned rapidly by cutting orange-colored tissue paper into strips twenty-five inches long and six inches wide, pointing the strips into petals three inches deep and two and a half inches wide at the base ( Fig. 132 ), ten petals to each strip; then creasing each petal lengthwise through its centre to give stiffness ( Fig. 133 ), and gathering each strip separately along its straight edge with needle and thread ( Fig. 134 ); in this way forming the two strips into two pointed
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CHAPTER XII THE MAGIC PEEP SHOW
CHAPTER XII THE MAGIC PEEP SHOW
Cut a large square opening in the end of the box, leaving a margin one-half inch wide at the top and sides ( Fig. 147 ). Make a small round hole in the centre of the front of the box, only large enough for one eye to look through, and cut a slit a quarter of an inch wide on each side of the box half an inch from the open end and half an inch from the top; extend the slit to the bottom of the box ( Fig. 148 ). Fig. 149 shows the box with the front, sides, and back cut. If the bent-down edges of t
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CHAPTER XIII PLANT YOUR GARDEN IF YOU CAN
CHAPTER XIII PLANT YOUR GARDEN IF YOU CAN
A New Flower Game I have it! A game of flowers with roses that will not wilt or fade but last for a long time fresh and bright. We will call it “Plant Your Garden if You Can,” because one cannot always be absolutely sure of planting the flowers, and that is part of the fun. Two Dozen Roses will be needed for this garden game, half a dozen white, half a dozen red, half a dozen yellow and half a dozen pink. The flowers are of tissue paper and very pretty. Cut squares measuring twelve inches along
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CHAPTER XIV JOLLY LITTLE SANTA CLAUS WITH HIS REINDEER AND SLEIGH
CHAPTER XIV JOLLY LITTLE SANTA CLAUS WITH HIS REINDEER AND SLEIGH
It would be difficult to say positively how long Santa Claus has lived, or when he first made his appearance, but we all know just how he looks, We know that he is sure to come every Christmas, and the girls and boys look forward gladly to his visit. The little Hollanders name our Christmas Saint Santa Claus, the same as we do, though sometimes we call him Kris Kringle. In England he is both Santa Claus and St. Nicholas, in Switzerland Samiklaus, in Russia he is St. Nicholas. But no matter by wh
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CHAPTER XV A LIVING CHRISTMAS TREE
CHAPTER XV A LIVING CHRISTMAS TREE
You can keep the preparation of the living tree absolutely secret and make it a complete surprise, for it does not have to be set up where all may see in order to be decorated, and no hint of its existence need be given until the time arrives, the door is thrown open and the beautiful, sparkling Christmas tree glides slowly into the room. How to Prepare the Living Christmas Tree. Choose quite a tall girl for the angel of the tree and from dark green, undressed cambric cut a long, plain cloak tha
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CHAPTER XVI HOW TO GET UP A GIRLS’ FAIR
CHAPTER XVI HOW TO GET UP A GIRLS’ FAIR
Form a Managing Committee and talk over arrangements with them. If the fair is to be large, you will need either one large room or several small ones. When the question of place has been settled to the satisfaction of all, make out a list of the various girls and boys who will help with the entertainment, and divide the list into as many parts as there are young people on your managing committee, including yourself. Give each member of the committee his or her portion of the list, with instructi
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CHAPTER XVII CAMPING OUT IN YOUR BACK YARD
CHAPTER XVII CAMPING OUT IN YOUR BACK YARD
It is a wild land, full of wild creatures if you choose to believe in them. Cats you will probably meet on the trail, and they are wild ones if you will. Wolves, too, may prowl around, for what else are Tramp and Nipper, your own dearly loved dogs, but descendants of the wild wolf. There will be plenty of sailing, fishing and outdoor sports. Guides can be secured at headquarters and you will not have to travel far, for the camping ground is your own back yard. You must have your Camping Outfit,
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CHAPTER XVIII OUTDOOR FUN WITH HOME-MADE TETHER-BALL
CHAPTER XVIII OUTDOOR FUN WITH HOME-MADE TETHER-BALL
The Pole may be a stationary clothesline post, a small, unused flagstaff, an extra long clothesline pole, a long curtain pole, or a very long, straight bean pole, and for smaller children the handle of an old long-handled broom will answer. Use strong, soft twine to make The Cover for Your Ball Cut twelve pieces, each twenty-four inches in length; place all the lengths straight and evenly together; then tie a string around the entire bunch, an inch and one-half from the centre ( Fig. 270 ). In t
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CHAPTER XIX THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT
CHAPTER XIX THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT
Cheops’s Home was in Egypt, where there are more crocodiles than you can count, and doubtless the little brown fellow, at a safe distance, enjoyed watching the sleepy creatures while he vaguely wondered why crocodiles always crawled up on the banks to lie so long and still in the sun. There were many other strange animals and queer Egyptian things—unlike any you have ever seen—that interested and delighted the child. When Khufu grew to be a man he was A Great Monarch, an Egyptian King, and inste
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CHAPTER XX THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES
CHAPTER XX THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES
Now, we will play that Your Name is Chares of Lindus, that you are a great sculptor and can model all sorts of wonderful and beautiful objects, and that the city of Rhodes has commissioned you to make a gigantic bronze statue of Apollo, their sun god. So you must pretend that you have built two small islands at the entrance to the port of Rhodes, and that on each island you have erected immense stone pedestals fifty feet high, so that your Colossus need not be obliged to stand in the water. The
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CHAPTER XXI THE PHAROS OF ALEXANDRIA AND THE MAUSOLEUM OF HALICARNASSUS
CHAPTER XXI THE PHAROS OF ALEXANDRIA AND THE MAUSOLEUM OF HALICARNASSUS
The First Lighthouse Ever Known Think what that means: When it is finished the people from other countries will see your Pharos and wonder why it never occurred to them to build a lighthouse, and they will hurry to erect similar structures on their coasts, that sailors on all the seas may have guides in times of danger and not be dependent upon bonfires burning at the entrances of harbors. These chance watch-fires are now the only kind of lighthouses the people have, so get ready your material a
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CHAPTER XXII THE STATUE OF ZEUS AT OLYMPIA
CHAPTER XXII THE STATUE OF ZEUS AT OLYMPIA
You can make a little statue of Zeus, but you must pretend that You Are the Sculptor Phidias and that you are actually modelling the real giant statue. Make believe that hundreds of elephant tusks have been sent to you from distant regions to supply enough ivory for the work, and that you have an abundance of gold, precious stones and ebony. Make Zeus of a doll ( Fig. 332 ) five and one-half or six inches in length. Pry off its wig, then give the doll a coat of varnish. Should the arms be flat,
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CHAPTER XXIII THE TEMPLE OF DIANA AT EPHESUS
CHAPTER XXIII THE TEMPLE OF DIANA AT EPHESUS
Look at Your Column; see how gracefully the capital curves into a roll on each side, reminding one of a blossom on the end of a stem. The column you have made is called Ionic, and when you examine the columns or pillars of buildings, you will easily recognize those with Ionic capitals. It was principally because of the beautiful rolled capitals crowning its columns that the temple of Diana was known as one of the Wonders of the World, for it was the first structure that utilized this beautiful s
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CHAPTER XXIV HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON
CHAPTER XXIV HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON
These are the famous Hanging Gardens and you are in the ancient city of Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar is king, and the time is about the year 580 B.C. The King’s Wife, Amytis, used to live in the mountainous country of Media, and when she married and came to Babylon, she longed for the sight of a hill, so her husband, King Nebuchadnezzar, had the Hanging Gardens built for her. Pretend that The Queen Has Invited You to explore the gardens with her. Up, up the many flights of marble steps you go to
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CHAPTER XXV NEW CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
CHAPTER XXV NEW CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
Paper enough for the making of Christmas greens to decorate an ordinary room quite lavishly may be bought for fifty cents or less. One sheet of tissue paper will make thirty-two holly leaves. One sheet of tissue paper will make a large bunch of mistletoe and one sheet of tissue paper will make one yard of evergreen rope. Complete success in this work depends largely upon the paper used and great care must be taken in selecting the colors. The quality should be good, else it will lack the necessa
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CHAPTER XXVI DOLL HOUSE OF PASTEBOARD
CHAPTER XXVI DOLL HOUSE OF PASTEBOARD
A Large Spool and you will have a pretty little table; paint it a red brown to resemble mahogany. If you need more suggestions, spool furniture may be found in “What a Girl Can Make and Do.” To make the doll house. Get three stiff pasteboard boxes about fourteen inches long, thirteen inches wide and six and one-half inches high ( Fig. 423 ). Cut the thirteen-inch front and the right-hand side from the first box ( Fig. 424 ). Take the second box and lay the fourteen-inch front down flat on top of
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CHAPTER XXVII THE MAKING OF A BAYBERRY CANDLE
CHAPTER XXVII THE MAKING OF A BAYBERRY CANDLE
A quart of bayberries, a little time, a little trouble, and we have a beautiful green wax candle, hard, brittle and smooth, that hot weather will not melt and whose expiring flame yields an incense sweet and aromatic. There is a peculiar joy in using the raw material fresh from Mother Nature’s hands and starting at the beginning of things—a joy unknown to those who work only with materials that are manufactured—and to get the most out of the work of making bayberry candles you must begin with th
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CHAPTER XXVIII WATER TOYS—LITTLE WAX PEOPLE THAT SWIM AND RIDE ON RAFTS
CHAPTER XXVIII WATER TOYS—LITTLE WAX PEOPLE THAT SWIM AND RIDE ON RAFTS
The Patterns for the Little People are given in Figs. 464 , 466 , 477 and 480 . Cut ten girls from ten pieces of folded white writing-paper after first tracing the lengthwise half of Fig. 464 on half of the paper ( Fig. 465 ). Cut ten boys ( Fig. 466 ) from white writing-paper ( Fig. 467 ). Paint each girl’s hair a different color, varying from light brown to raven black, from golden blond to dark auburn. Paint their bathing dresses red, blue, pink, orange, brown, green, yellow, purple, striped
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CHAPTER XXIX HOW TO WEAVE WITHOUT A LOOM
CHAPTER XXIX HOW TO WEAVE WITHOUT A LOOM
Method Invented by the Author A Board forty inches long will answer for weaving anything one yard or less in width and is of a convenient size to handle. The one-yard width is what an ordinary loom produces, but if you would have your rug or portière wider there is no reason why the board should not be longer. To prevent the material from catching, your board must be smooth on both sides and on the edge and it should be as wide as possible. A good-sized pastry board is excellent for weaving a pi
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CHAPTER XXX HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN EASTER CARDS AND GIFTS
CHAPTER XXX HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN EASTER CARDS AND GIFTS
A simple, inexpensive Easter card may carry with it happiness, for “it is sweet to be remembered,” and you can think of many designs from which to choose a cheery greeting to send to every one. Cards Made to Represent Easter Flowers are always welcome. Trace Fig. 491 on heavy paper; paint the flowers to resemble as nearly as possible the natural blossoms, shading the lily lightly and coloring the passion flower in natural hues. Paint the violet a light blue purple and its foliage green. When dry
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CHAPTER XXXI HOME-MADE CANDLESTICKS
CHAPTER XXXI HOME-MADE CANDLESTICKS
Candlesticks are always decorative; even the old tin candlestick with its half burnt tallow candle has a certain picturesqueness that the artist recognizes when he chooses that as an accessory to his picture instead of the prosaic oil lamp. Then again, candlesticks give a wide scope to individuality in design, and that it gives expression to one’s originality is one of the greatest charms of pottery making. A potter’s wheel is not at all necessary. The primitive method of coiling the clay and gr
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CHAPTER XXXII WHAT TO MAKE OF BANANAS, ORANGES, AND APPLES
CHAPTER XXXII WHAT TO MAKE OF BANANAS, ORANGES, AND APPLES
In the orange groves the great golden balls are ripening, and on the long-leaved banana trees hang the queer bunches of bananas, growing in their funny upside-down fashion. Pineapples, lemons and many other fruits are there, all growing and ripening that the children of the North may have them when their own delicious strawberries, peaches and plums have gone. We are very glad of these Southern fruits, even the skins seem too good to throw away. And so they are. Save Your Orange, and Banana, and
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CHAPTER XXXIII LITTLE PAPER COLUMBUS AND HIS PAPER SHIP
CHAPTER XXXIII LITTLE PAPER COLUMBUS AND HIS PAPER SHIP
Before we make the little paper people, let us build Columbus’ Ship. This ship is to be as nearly like the Santa Maria , the real ship in which Columbus sailed, as is possible to make of paper. Cut a piece of light-weight cardboard fifteen and three-fourths inches long and seven and one-half inches wide; on this draw the diagram of the boat ( Fig. 589 ), making the greatest lengths of the diagram exactly as long and the greatest widths as wide as the cardboard. Find the lengthwise centre of the
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CHAPTER XXXIV HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE STARS
CHAPTER XXXIV HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE STARS
There is one animal in particular with which you must make friends—a bear, an immense creature called Ursa Major. Never could an earthly bear have such a tail as you see in Fig. 616 . However, the Great Bear is very different from the ordinary bear, and needs the big, bushy tail for three bright stars. Four more equally bright stars are on the creature’s side. Trace the big bear on cardboard, and be sure to get the stars in the right places. Cut out the pasteboard bear, and with a large, coarse
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CHAPTER XXXV STENCIL PAINTING AND HOW TO MAKE THE STENCILS
CHAPTER XXXV STENCIL PAINTING AND HOW TO MAKE THE STENCILS
With the stencil you can decorate a window curtain, portière, table cover, bedspread, bureau scarf, screen or the walls of your room. You may even paint the trimmings for a dress if you like; it has been done. Stencilling is effective on almost any material: silk, cotton, linen and wool. Swiss and cheese-cloth sash curtains are particularly attractive decorated in this way, and swiss bureau and pin-cushion covers are very dainty. The drawing on page 427 is of a white cheese-cloth short sash curt
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