Hollyhocks
of every color can be made of circles of tissue paper five and a half inches in diameter, held at the centre, two circles one inside of the other, and the centre pushed and squeezed together, causing the edges to fold and turn until they resemble the real flower (Fig. 138). Smaller circles, crimped by drawing the paper through the partially closed hand (Fig. 139), can be made into pinks, and you may have brilliant, nodding poppies in the same way, only these are of smooth, uncrimped circles (Fig. 140), placed one inside the other, with a small circle of dark-green paper for the centre, and all three layers pinched together at the extreme centre (Fig. 141). Large peonies are similar in construction to some of the flowers you have made, so try to work these out yourself.
A simple way to make
Roses
is to cut tissue paper into strips two and a half inches deep; cut the square-cornered slashes two inches wide, then with knife or scissors blade curl the sharp corners of each separate division, making the slashes into rose petals. Curl the corners of the petals along half of the strip inward, and those along the other half, outward. Fold two or three plaits in the straight bottom edge of each petal; then begin with the half where the petals curl inward and wind the strip around the end of a slender stick. The first petals form the central group and are curled inward; the remainder, curled outward, form the outward circle of petals (Fig. 142). Make a generous supply of blossoms and tie them on bushes. Let each bush bear but one kind, that the flowers may appear natural and as if actually growing.
Get a Variety of Fruit, Peaches, Plums, Apples
or any other sort you may prefer. Tie the fruit to those bushes which have no blossoms, allowing each fruit bush to bear only one kind of fruit.
In case there are no bushes, or if the bushes are too few in number, use branches or sticks with natural foliage, or leaves made of green tissue paper; make the latter of paper in several layers, that a number may be cut at a time like the pattern (Fig. 143). Crimp through the centre by folding lengthwise over a hat-pin and pushing the folded centre together (Fig. 144). The method is quick and gives satisfactory leaves (Fig. 145). Cut leaves in different sizes as you will need some larger than others.
The sticks used as bushes should be of varying heights sharpened at the lower end and driven into the ground.
Pretend the sticks are fruit trees and flower bushes and plant them where they will appear to best advantage.
If your yard happens to be
On the Roof
of the house, as often occurs in large cities, there will probably be no earth in which to plant things; then you must fill flower pots and deep boxes with earth, sand, or gravel, and plant your make-believe trees and shrubs in them; such a garden will be entirely different from all others.
Build a wooden fence over which the girls and boys climb to enter the picnic grounds; even though the improvised fence may not closely resemble the real article, it will help to render the feeling of being in the open country more realistic.
Make the fence by sinking the legs of two strong kitchen chairs partially but firmly into the earth. Place the two chairs facing each other and a short distance apart; then run a large, strong pole or narrow board for a rail, across the chair seats, allowing the rail to extend out beyond the back of the chairs. Lash the rail securely to the chairs with the heaviest twine or slender rope, and place very heavy weights on the seat to keep the chair steady, and avoid all possibility of the rail slipping or chairs tipping.
If possible get either a swing, a teeter or a jogging board; all these will afford a lively time for your guests, as will also a wheelbarrow in which the girls and boys may take turns in riding and pushing or wheeling each other.
If you want to make the affair seem just like a regular
Country Picnic
let each guest bring his or her own little basket of lunch.
As your guests arrive, usher them into the house and do not let them even see the yard if it can be avoided; keep the grounds for a pleasant surprise a little later.
Form the girls and boys into a single file and lead them marching around the room while they join in singing some lively air. After winding in and out among the chairs and tables, open the door, let them look out into the pretty garden, and, while still singing,
Climb Over the Fence
and march among the flowers and fruit trees; end the procession by circling around the spot chosen for your dinner table, where all must deposit their lunch baskets. Of course you will not have an actual table, as the tablecloth must be spread on the ground and the girls and boys sit around it.
Mark the four corners of the space reserved as a table with sticks about forty-six inches high, decorated with bright flowers (Fig. 146), and the sharpened ends planted in the earth, or in flower pots.
Spread the Tablecloth,
bringing each corner to meet a garland pole; then let the guests take from their baskets the different articles. Reserve some space at the centre of the table for fruit, and let each boy and girl in turn walk about the grounds and select one piece of fruit, pick it, bring it to the table, and lay the chosen piece on the centre of the tablecloth. No person may pick more than one piece of fruit during one turn. Each player is privileged to place his fruit in any way he desires, remembering always that each piece goes to form the centre-piece, which should always be made as decorative as possible.
Crossing the Brook
is a lively game and great fun. Get a number of flat stones that will lie steady, and are large enough to step upon; arrange them about eighteen or twenty inches apart, in an irregular line, over a stretch of ground twenty or more feet across. Let the players in turn tip-toe on the stones just as though they were crossing a brook of running water, each girl and boy being obliged to pay a forfeit for every misstep into the make-believe water. If stones are not to be had, use blocks of wood, or, if need be, pieces of paper in place of stones. As each player crosses the brook, the rest of the party must call to her to be careful, not to fall, that she is going too fast, that she is going too slow, or make similar comments. They can cheer her, and in many harmless ways try to confuse the player with their calls, but it is against the rules to touch or even go nearer to her than two yards.
After all the girls and boys have taken their turn at crossing the brook, try
Japanese Tag
Each player must keep her hand on the spot where she was last tagged, making the game present a most laughable appearance, with all the young people dancing about in strange attitudes, holding a hand on the top of the head, on the knee, chest, back, or foot, as it happens. The players are not allowed to remove the hand until tagged in another spot. When tagged in the middle of the back or any spot difficult to reach, the player may hold a stick in his hand with one end resting on the spot where he was tagged.
In starting
The Game
any person who first shouts, “Pick her up and stone holder,” may hold both hands in front of her, each doubled up tight and one clasping a small stone, immediately some one calls out “First knock,” another player cries “Second knock,” another “Third knock,” and so on, according as they are able to get the call in after the preceding cry. The player calling
“First Knock”
taps one hand of the girl or boy holding the stone; if the hand touched contains the stone, the player knocking is “it,” and the game begins, but if the hand is empty, the player is free and the stone-holder puts her hand back of her while she does or does not change the stone to the other hand; again stretching her clinched hands forward, she allows the player calling “Second knock” to try her luck by tapping one of the outstretched hands. The trials are continued until a player taps the hand holding the stone and becomes “it,” then
The Others Scatter
and “it” endeavors to tag some one, who in turn becomes “it,” and so the game goes on.
After the players have grown tired of this game, there are many others which will suggest themselves to the young people, and it will be found a good plan to alternate the livelier kind with those of a more quiet nature.
When the picnic is over give each guest one of the pretty paper flowers to carry home, and your roof or back-yard picnic will have been an event long to be remembered.
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 the box-lid are wide, cut them off within half an inch of the top; then put the lid on the box and it will be ready for the slides (Fig. 150).
The Slides
must be stiff and perfectly opaque, so they will appear black when held up to the light. Make them of pieces of pasteboard boxes cut to fit in the side slits and long enough to extend a trifle beyond on each side of the box (Fig. 151).
Draw the different designs given here on separate slides, and with a sharp penknife cut them out, leaving holes in the slides exactly the shape of the designs. The holes should appear with clean-cut edges.
Of course, the complete designs on the slides must be drawn much larger than in these printed diagrams, but you can enlarge the drawings by the system of squares. Explained in Chapter XIV.
After the designs are cut out, paste colored tissue paper over the openings, and when you look through the little hole you will see wonderfully bright and gay scenes all in transparent colors. An ambitious red cow will be found jumping over a yellow moon, and instead of being accompanied by the usual dish running away with a spoon, you will find an energetic wood sprite dressed all in Lincoln-green. The sprite has tied a rope of wild grape-vine to the cow, and, clinging to the rope, is sailing through the air and over the moon with his queer steed. Fig. 152 shows
“The Cow Jumped Over the Moon”
Cut out the group and paste a piece of dark-red tissue paper over the entire cow with the exception of the horns. Across these paste white tissue paper. Cover the moon with one piece of yellow tissue paper and the sprite with green, all except his face; have that pink. Cut out a thin line for the rope and paste a bit of brown tissue paper over it. Fig. 153 shows the wrong side of the slide and explains how the work is done; dotted lines designate the openings, which are covered with tissue paper, in the manner described.
The tissue-paper coverings may be cut in any shape, but each piece must cover well the opening of the figure or portion of figure intended to be the color of the paper. Have the white paper across the horns lap less than one-eighth inch over the red paper of the cow (Fig. 154), and manage the pink paper of the sprite’s face in the same way where it meets the green of his cap and clothing.
In making the other slides, follow this method throughout whenever two pieces of tissue paper come in contact on the figure, and when pasting paper over designs on the remaining slides always use one large piece of paper in preference to several small pieces for covering different parts of the design, which are the same in color. Figs. 155, 156 and 157 give the cow, sprite and moon for you to copy or trace.
Life in Fairy Waters
Fig. 158 shows how dark the slides appear when seen in the peep show and gives an idea of the decided contrast of the light design against the dark background, only the black and white print cannot give the charm of the clear, bright, transparent coloring of the mermaid feeding her many-hued pets as she rides her sea-horse in the fairy waters.
The different parts of the composition are Figs. 159, 160, 161 and 162, and the food merely little oval-shaped holes covered with white tissue paper. Make the mermaid’s hair and ribbon brown; her face, arms and body to the waist line, pink; the remaining portion of the mermaid’s figure orange-color. The fish, scarlet, purple and white. Paste wee round pieces of black paper on the fish for the eyes.
As soon as you finish the slide, fit it in the peep show box, turn your face to the light, then peep through the hole and find how pretty the bright group looks with all the eager fish gathering around the little mermaid as she calls them to breakfast.
Next comes Fig. 163, the
Easter Chicks
Make Fig. 164 light yellow; Fig. 165, blue; Fig. 166, orange chick, white shell; Fig. 167 A, green, B, purple; Fig. 168, white chick, scarlet shell; the broken shells (Fig. 169) red, blue and white. The poor little chicks are glad to escape from the shells even though the shells have been gayly painted.
In the Three Blind Mice
(Fig. 170), which are pursued by the knife belonging to the farmer’s wife, the first mouse can be orange-color; the second, white, and last one brown. The blade of the knife, scarlet, and its handle green, or any other colors which may please your fancy. Remember, this is a magic peep show, and often the natural color of animals is changed to more brilliant hues in order to secure a more vivid effect.
You can make all three mice from one outline (Fig. 171) and the knife from Fig. 172. Set the slide of mice in place in the box, peep through the hole and “see how they run!”
The next illustration will undoubtedly prove to be the most amusing of all, and will bring forth gales of laughter from your little brothers, sisters or friends. It is the
Dance of the Dolls (Fig. 173)
On Fig. 174 paste orange-colored hair, a scarlet dress and green shoes; then over all paste one large piece of white tissue paper which will make the doll’s face, neck, arms and stockings white. The layer of white paper placed over these colors does not affect them in the least.
Cut a circular hole for the ball and cover it with brown tissue paper. Dress Fig. 175 in the same manner as the doll just described, but in other colors. For instance, make her hair brown, her dress light purple, her shoes yellow, and her face, arms and stockings white. If you want features on the faces, use a very soft lead-pencil and draw eyes, nose and mouth, though features are not really necessary, and, as a matter of fact, the dolls look very well without.
Let Jumping Jack (Fig. 176) be all in blue, except his face—make that white. Joints on all the toys, as seen in the illustrations, are indicated by pasting thread lines of black paper and pin-head dots of black paper over the places where joints should be, according to the outlines and dots at the elbows of the girl dolls and the shoulders and hips of dancing Jack.
The Bouquet
(Fig. 177) consists of a red tulip (Fig. 178); a deep-yellow ox-eye daisy with a brown centre pasted over the yellow—in this case it can be done (Fig. 179)—a bluebell (Fig. 180); and a white daisy with yellow centre (Fig. 181). You will find that this piece, with all its bright colors, will be one of the prettiest of your designs. Fig. 182 is a branch of green leaves.
Cover each blossom with its respective color, and then paste one piece of green tissue paper over all the leaves and stems and the effect will be very natural.
The Little Sun-bonnet Girl
(Fig. 183), playing with a lot of bright-colored balloons, forms the last slide. Make the little girl’s dress blue, her sun-bonnet white and her hands, feet and ankles pink (Fig. 184). Let the strings of the balloons be of white tissue paper and each balloon of a different color from all the others; one may be dark red, the others green, pink, purple, light yellow, blue, scarlet, orange, brown, light green, white and vivid yellow. The slide will be very brilliant.
Invent other designs yourself. Think of something you would like to see and try it on a new slide; when you succeed with one, you will want to make another and another. The more slides you have for your magic peep show the longer the fun will last, and you will be able to give no end of pleasure to your little friends.
When exhibiting the peep show set the box on top of a table where the light will shine through the slides and let the party take turns facing the window and peeping through the little hole at the novel, brilliant scenes beyond.
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 each of the four sides, from white, pink, yellow and red tissue paper; the dotted lines on the diagrams indicate where the paper must be folded (Fig. 185). Fold each square across the centre (Fig. 186). Fold again crosswise through the centre, forming a small square of four layers (Fig. 187). Again fold, this time diagonally (A to B, Fig. 187), and you will have a triangle (Fig. 188). Fold once more diagonally (Fig. 188) A to C; this will give Fig. 189. Cut straight across from E to dot D (Fig. 189), then cut a slash an inch and three-quarters deep in the centre of the edges as shown by the line F in Fig. 190. Open out the paper (Fig. 191). The slashed edges will form the petals of the rose. Curl each corner edge of every petal with a blade of a pair of scissors according to dotted lines on the petal (Fig. 192).
Begin by holding one corner of one petal between the thumb of your right hand and one blade of the scissors; gently pull your thumb and the scissors blade outward, sliding them along each side of the petal, while you hold the remainder of the paper steady with your left hand. The thumb rubs over the petal; at the same time the edge of the scissors blade scrapes the under side of the petal, which causes the paper to curl. Fig. 192 shows one petal with both of the side corners curled. When you have curled around the first half of the circle, turn the paper over and curl the petals around the other half of the circle in an opposite direction. Fig. 193 gives two petals curled forward and two backward, representing two petals on each half of the tissue-paper rose. After all the petals are curled lay the centre of the tissue paper out flat and place on it three level teaspoonfuls of flour; then gather up the edges of the rose and wind a strong thread several times around below the petals and above the flour-bag formed by the centre of the paper (Fig. 194). Tie the string, adjust the petals and the rose will be finished (Fig. 195).
Mark Out Two Flower Beds
where the roses are to be planted. Each bed must measure three yards in length and one yard in width. The beds must run parallel to each other and be separated by a space of three yards. Each of the two flower beds must then be divided crosswise through the centre, making four flower beds in all, two on each side—one for every player. Fig. 196 shows the plan with flower beds divided. The circles denote the station points or places where the players stand, and the dotted line the direction the roses should take when played by the girl or boy stationed at the position marked “Barbara.” The other players send their roses in like manner over the intervening space to the flower bed diagonally across from their position.