THE fashion of collecting pictured advertising cards, so much in vogue among the children a few years ago, seems to have run its course, and dying out, it has left on the young collectors’ hands more cards than they know well what to do with. Many of the collections have been pasted in scrap-books, of which the children have long since tired. While examining one of these volumes with its row after row of cards, it occurred to me that these advertisements might be utilized in a new way by dividing and combining them. The experiment proved a success, and I will now try to show you how, with the aid of scissors and mucilage, the pictures which have become so familiar may be made to undergo changes that are indeed wonderful, and how from them may be formed a
The nursery scrap-books made of linen or paper cambric are, perhaps, familiar to most of our readers; but for the benefit of those who may not yet have seen these durable little books, we will give the following directions for making one: Cut from a piece of strong linen, colored paper cambric, or white muslin, four squares twenty-four inches long by twelve inches wide. Button-hole stitch the edges all around with some bright-colored worsted, then place the squares neatly together and stitch them directly through the centre with strong thread (Fig. 313). Fold them over, stitch again, as in Fig. 314, and your book is finished and ready for the pictures.
It is in the preparation of these pictures that you will find the novelty of the plan we propose. Instead of pasting in those cards which have become too familiar to awaken much interest, let the young book-makers design and form their own pictures by cutting special figures, or parts of figures, from different cards, and then pasting them together so as to form new combinations.
Fig. 313.—Scrap-book Opened and Stitched through
the Centre.
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Fig. 314.—Scrap-book Folded
and again Stitched
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Any subject which pleases the fancy can be illustrated in this way, and you will soon be deeply interested in the work and delighted at the strange and striking pictorial characters that can be produced by ingenious combinations.
Stories and little poems may be very nicely and aptly illustrated; but the “Mother Goose Melodies” are, perhaps, the most suitable subjects with which to interest younger children, as they will be easily recognized by the little folk. Take, for instance, the “Three Wise Men of Gotham,” who went to sea in a bowl. Will not Fig. 315 serve very well as an illustration of the subject? Yet these figures are cut from advertising cards, and no two from the same card. Fig. 316 shows the materials, Fig. 315 the result of combining them.
Fig. 315.—“Three Wise Men of Gotham.” |
Fig. 318.—“Little Jack Horner.” |
Again, the little man dancing so gayly (Fig. 317) is turned into “Little Jack Horner” eating his Christmas pie (Fig. 318), by merely cutting off his legs and substituting a dress-skirt and pair of feet clipped from another card. The Christmas pie in his lap is from still another card.
In making pictures of this kind, figures that were originally standing may be forced to sit; babies may be placed in arms which, on the cards they were stolen from, held only cakes of soap, perhaps, or boxes of blacking; heads may be ruthlessly torn from bodies to which they belong, and as ruthlessly clapped upon strange shoulders; and you will be surprised to see what amusing, and often excellent, illustrations present themselves as the result of a little ingenuity in clipping and pasting. Another kind, which we shall call the
will be found exceedingly amusing on account of the various and ever-changing pictures it presents.
Unlike any other, where the picture once pasted in must remain ever the same, the transformation scrap-book alters one picture many times. To work these transformations a blank book is the first article required; one eight inches long by six and a half or seven wide is a good size.
Cut the pages of this book across, one-third of the way down. Fig. 319 shows how this should be done. The three-cornered piece cut out near the binding allows the pages to be turned without catching or tearing. Leave the first page uncut; also the one in the middle of the book.
Cut from picture-cards, or old toy-books which have colored illustrations, the odd and funny figures of men and women, boys and girls, selecting those which will give a variety of costumes and attitudes.
Paste a figure of a woman or girl on the first page, placing it so that when the lower part of the next page is turned, the upper edge of it will come across the neck of the figure where it is joined on to the shoulders.
Cut the heads from the rest of the pictured women, and choosing a body as different as possible from the one just used, paste it upon the lower part of the next page, directly under the head belonging to the first body. Upon the upper part of the same page paste any one of the other heads, being careful to place it so that it will fit the body. Continue in this way, pasting the heads upon the upper, and the bodies on the lower, part of the page, until the space allowed for the women is filled up; then, commencing at the page left in the middle of the book, paste upon it the figure of a man, and continue in the same manner as with the woman, until the spaces are all used and the book is complete.
The combinations formed in this way are very funny. Old heads with young bodies; young heads with old bodies; then one head with a great variety of bodies, and so on.
The first picture may represent a man, tall and thin, dressed in a rowing costume, as shown in the illustration. Turn the lower part of the next page, and no longer is he thin and tall, but short and stout, the position of this body giving the expression of amazement, even to the face. The next page turned shows him to be neither tall nor short, thick nor thin, but a soldier, well-proportioned, who is looking over his shoulder in the most natural manner possible.
The figures in the illustration were cut from advertising cards, and the head belongs to none of the bodies.
A curious fact in arranging the pictures in this way is that the heads all look as though they might really belong to any of the various bodies given them.
Instead of having but one figure on a page, groups may be formed of both men and women, and in the different arrangement of the figures they can be made very ludicrous indeed.
A scrap-book for older girls, which might be termed more fitly
can be made by mounting engravings, wood-cuts, photographs, and water-colors on pieces of thin card-board all of the same size. If any one subject be chosen, and such pictures selected as tend in some way to illustrate that subject, the book will prove more interesting in the making, and will be quite valuable when finished.
There will be no difficulty in mounting the pictures; simply paste them on the card-board with good flour-paste, and press under a heavy weight, keeping them perfectly neat and free from smears of paste on the edges. When two or more are mounted at the same time, place clean pieces of blotting-paper between, pile one upon another, and put the heavy weight on top.
Such a scrap-book should be bound in a
which is made in this way:
Fig. 320.—One Side of Book-cover
with Holes cut near the Edge.
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Fig. 321.—Book-cover
Tied with Ribbons.
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Fig 322.—Book-cover
Laced together with
Silk Cord.
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Take two pieces of heavy card-board a trifle larger than the book you wish to cover, make three holes near the edge of each (Fig. 320) and corresponding holes in the edges of the book, which must not be too thick—that is, contain too many leaves; pass narrow ribbons through these holes and tie in bow-knots, as in Fig. 321. If the leaves of the book are thin, more holes can be made in the back and the covers laced together with silk cord (Fig. 322).
These book-covers may be beautifully decorated by anyone who can paint in water-colors, and tinted card-board can also be used for them. They are pretty, and suitable as covers for manuscript poems or stories, or for a collection of autographs.
In making any kind of scrap-book it is very necessary that the paste used should be good. If the paste is poor, the pictures will peel off or the paste turn sour. The recipe given below we can recommend as an excellent one for
Mix one-half cup of flour with enough cold water to make a very thin batter, which must be smooth and free from lumps; put the batter on top of the stove—not next to the fire—in a tin sauce-pan, and stir continually until it boils; then remove from the stove, add three drops of oil of cloves, and pour the paste into a cup or tumbler. This will keep for a long time and will not become sour.