CHINA MAIL. HOME SUPPLEMENT
Silver goes
HE trend of modern decora
Ttion is to achieve the
utmost simplicity,
Although
the early Victorian period motifs seem dominant in the new fresh fashions with all their frills, bonnets, ribbons and feathers, as far as the, house is concerned the Vic- torian ideas are gone forever.
on
Whatever that mysterious "some. thing" is that made woman decide " return to the romantic fashions, in her house she remains strictly utilitarian. With the dis appearance of anti-macassara and all the other useless knick-knacka, the housewife has tended to sxect such useful articles as have at the same time a decorative value. And us there are more ornamenty, the selection of materials has come to play an important part in in terior decoration. Metul is one of the most suitable materials, and nothing enhances the appearance of the modern interior as much as silvera
The manufacturers of utilitarian objects, realizing this trend, have employed excellent designers to make even the simplest machine- made product an object of high artistic merit. A fork was former- ly just a fork with a traditional' shape, but to-day, when held in a graceful' hand, it seems to be just
Silver Teu- Caddy
By courtesy of Lane, Crawford Ltd. Photo D'Anis
Pepper Mill in Silver and Ivory and
Silver Tea-Caddy
MODERN ●
Mappin and Webb Athenian design Princess Plate
as much a part of the decoration of that hand as the 'ring or the bracelet.
The over-ornate silver dishes and- tea-kettles look out of place on a modern side-board or tea-table; but their new brothers and sisters with their geometrical designs belong to the furniture on which they stand. Instead of the heavy richness of the ornate, the modern silver is a cool, gleaming, highly-polished metal that lends a new refinement and elegance to the modern room.... During the warm weather, silver gives an effect of coolness, and in winter it reflects the firelight and fends warmth,
The modern tendency is to dis-: penso with the table cloth and provide the dining-room with a table of highly polished wood, sometimes glass-topped. Nothing lends a more distinguished appear- ance to & fuble like this than fine. and delicate allverware...
A Novel Way To Decorate Easter Eggs
If
you no longer believe the
little time to spare, here is a. way to prepare Easter eggs in a manner which, if you are. clever enough, can be quite an artistle achievement.
You all know the little packets of analin dyes which are sold for this purpose; but the peasants of Cen- tral Europe, where Easter egg making has a great tradition, never use those dyes. They use certain natural vegetable dyes of which the most popular is the outer skin of the onion. This dyes the egg a rich brown colour. The limitation In colour-scheme {s overcome by applying decorative motifs to the egg.
Take an egg and wrap it into the outer skin of the onlon, Tie with a fine thread. Put in boiling water "and leave to boil for about 15 mina. That is enough to dye the 'egg a brown colour.
If you want to have a decorative egg there are several ways to do it. First draw the motifs with penell lightly on the egguhell, remember- ing that the background will be dark. Then rub candle-wax on the motifs; wrap in onion skin and boll as described. Or dye the egg plain and with a sharp penknife scratch motifg lightly into the eggshell surface.
BOOKS FOR WOMEN
A
BOOK that might be of
interest to women gener-
ally is "My Life' by Annie S. Swan, at present on sale at Brewers, Ltd.
The pen-name of Mrs. Burnett Smith, C.B.E: is familiar in Eng- lish literature to-day, In this autobiography she tells us with simple artistry the story of her own full life. It starts in a farmhouse in, Berwickshire and tells of her innate literary ambitions. She married Dr. Burnett Smith and de voted herself to the exacting duties of a doctor's wife in Scotland, the Midlands. Eventually and inevit- ably they went to London, where she was soon a regular contributor to the famous "British Weekly."
There are pages of tears and overwhelming tragedy in this chronicle, but there are also fas- cinating glimpses of such women. as Queen Victoria, Lady Frances Balfour, Sarah Bernhardt, and Mrs. Walter Page.
Such a busy, eventful, changing life is here mirrored by a master hand; and as the gifted authoress looks back over past scenes she shares them with her renders as aho might over her own fireside. And each woman who reads this book will have the privilege, of meeting a lovable and understand- ing friend.
BIBS AND ETON COLLARS
THE cuffe and collars on this
season's summer frocks are ofica o plented" and goffered organdie or lawn, with fluted edges. Biba and Eton collare of pique or starched and waxed linen ure noticeable novelties,
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The only reliable store of beautiful Chinese art in
the Colony.
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SWATOW DRAWN
WORK CO.
14, Pedder St. Hong Kong
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