DIY House Decorating from 1958

A basement can be a gold mine of extra space.
It can be converted into a bright, airy room
 simply by painting the walls and using cheerful
 colors in Armstrong do-it-yourself floors.

       There's hardly a family that hasn't been faced with the need for more living space at one time or another. So, if that's your problem, too, don't think it's anything unusual. Fact is, you can take encouragement from the way many other families have gained extra living space - right in and around the homes in which they were already living. Many of these ideas are contained in this post. It's filled with suggestions that you can put to use in your own home.
       Whatever the reason may be for needing extra space in your home, there are plenty of ways to get it through remodeling. Perhaps you can make more efficient use of space you already have. Or you may be able to expand your living space into other areas, creating completely new rooms.
       For any major construction, such as framing in a new roof area or an exterior wall, it will probably be wise to call in an experienced carpenter or builder. After he has done the heavy work, you can take over the less critical jobs yourself. This would be the work involved with the finishing of interior walls, ceilings, and floors. You'll not only save money with this plan of operation but also get a lot of satisfaction from doing the work yourself.
       One of the best ways to save money in your remodeling is to select one of the Armstrong do-it-yourself floors and put it down yourself. These flooring materials are low in cost and are made especially for the home handyman to handle. These beautiful resilient tile floors are available in a variety of handsome stylings and lovely colors. Your flooring dealer will be glad to show you samples of the actual materials. He will also tell you how to go about putting down your floors and how to create interesting design effects.

FLOOR - Tile in Cork design with cattle-brand insets helps establish "Western" theme. Spilled food, liquids, even grease splatters won't harm this floor, are easily whisked away. WALLS - Temboard in a swirl pattern - surface painted white and rubbed with a gray glaze for rustic, weathered look. ACOUSTICAL CEILING - Cushiontone - a perforated ceiling tile soaks up party noises, easy to put up yourself.  BAR - simple, wood construction covered with Vinyl Plastic Surfacing, a flexible material that's very easy to install. Resists stains, easy to clean. COPPER HOOD - over the brazier, connected to main chimney. OLD PLAYER PIANO - coat of paint helped blend it with room's decorative scheme. HANGING GAS LAMPS - add to authenticity of room's "Western" atmosphere, electrified for better lighting.

       Having a basement room where the family can relax or entertain friends makes the entire house seem larger. It reduces wear and tear on the living room, too. Many successful recreation rooms have a special decorative theme - such as, "Western," "Nautical," or "Pennsylvania Dutch." You don't have to be an expert decorator to bring off a handsome decorative theme. Choose a design in Armstrong  do-it-yourself floors (or create your own special design) that will serve as the foundation for your theme. You'll find this will help you achieve just the effect you have in mind. Before you actually begin to remodel, you should also plan to build in a few features such as swinging cafe doors, portholes, or whatever you need to establish the theme. They'll add an authentic touch to the decorative atmosphere of your room.

FLOOR - Asphalt Tile, richly grained Woodtone styling,  PATIO - a plus possibility when one basement wall is exposed or ground can be re-graded and drained - sliding glass doors provide airy, open look. HORIZONTAL WINDOWS - run length of wall, an attractive basement feature that increases natural light in the room. CURTAINS - hung ceiling to floor at patio end of room, add style, privacy, and make the ceiling seem higher. COLOR SCHEME - light colors in the walls and window draperies and sky-blue ceiling add to cheerful atmosphere.

       There's no rule that says basements can be made over only into recreation rooms. If you need an extra bedroom, turn your old bedroom over to the children and build yourself a big, luxurious new bedroom down in the basement. It's so easy to make a basement cheerful and livable. You can put down a colorful floor right over the concrete - and what a difference that will make! You can make the ceiling look beautiful, too, by putting up an Armstrong Cushiontone Ceiling yourself. And if you have supporting posts to contend with, you can camouflage them by building right around them. Don't be afraid to use your imagination because you can make your most fanciful ideas work with careful planning before you begin. 

FLOOR - Cork Tile - very quiet and comfortable underfoot. Window - part of end wall was re-built to make the dramatic peaked window - keeps the whole apartment bright all day.  FIREPLACE - free-standing metal fireplace was attached to main chimney rising through attic. BEDS - serve as sofas during the day, beds at night - placed against the chimney to eliminate need for additional headboards. BOOKCASES - built floor to ceiling, add gracious livability to "complete apartment" effect. - COUNTER - built in with range and sink.

       In the past ten years, more and more growing families have been growing right into their attics. The attic has come into its own as a wonderfully versatile and very practical part of the house. If you have a good-sized attic, you can make it over into two bedrooms and a half-bath, into a large den-guest room, even into a family-activities area. Perhaps you bought your home with much of the attic already "roughed in" by the builder. In that case, all you have to do is put in utilities (or arrange to have an electrician and plumber install them), finish the walls and ceiling, and put down a durable floor yourself. 

FLOOR -  Parquet Linoleum Tiles, laid end- to-end, give room elegance for formal dining . . . have the durability needed for carefree family living. AVALL CABINETS - TV, radio-phonograph section can be easily closed off - double sliding doors reveal or conceal bookshelves and china cabinets, depending on use of room. CABINET DOORS - covered with wallpaper panels give rich "carved" effect. SIDE TABLE - folded up, it's only 9" deep - yet it pulls out to make a full-size dining room table that will seat eight at dinner with ease.  LAMPS - "Pogo stick" type, with tension springs at both ends - can be moved about and set anywhere in room to create appropriate lighting effects,  CEILING - Armstrong Full Random Cushiontone - keeps the room restfully quiet - decoratively painted without lessening acoustical qualities.

       Are you getting the maximum use out of every room in your house? If you have a room that's in use only a fraction of the day, you have the makings of a good double-purpose room. One of the requirements of a room like this is that it can be changed from one use to another - quickly and easily. Special features built right into the walls, such as a cupboard, TV set, hi-fi set, and bookcases, will make it easy to change the room's purpose. You may have to make small structural changes to accommodate "built-ins" but you'll find they're well worth the cost.

FLOOR - Tile, in the gay Spatter pattern used right over old concrete floor of garage and over old wood floor of kitchen - helps unite kitchen and family room in decorative harmony. WINDOW IN FAMILY ROOM - insulated glass wall replaced original garage doors. BOOKCASE AND CABINETS - extending length of room. built right onto garage wall - cabinets below hold TV set, toys, and games. DIVIDERS - resemble playpen railings, they slide easily on Armstrong Furniture Rests - push back into slots in walls. FAMILY ROOM RUG - is a woven Deltox Rug. These smart rugs wear wonderfully. BEAMS -roof joists are "built up" by framing with boards stained to look like solid beams.

       An attached garage offers quite an economical way to remodel for more space because you have so much to begin with - a roof, walls, and subfloor. Once you break through the dividing wall, or have a builder do it for you, you're ready to start finishing the interior of your new room. How can you keep the new room from looking less like an afterthought and more like part of the original house? There should be some bridge of harmony between the new and the old, and one good way to unite both areas is through clever decorating. By putting down a tile floor in a design and color that blends with the decorative scheme of the adjacent rooms, you lay the foundation for wonderful harmony throughout.  

FLOOR - laid on concrete floor of original breezeway. This floor is resistant to whatever might be spilled here. FIREPLACE - same type of stone as exterior walls - has built-in wood storage and carving boards.  WINDOW WALLS - an effective way to close in a breezeway.  CEDAR TABLE AND YACHTING CHAIRS - maintain casual air, cost little. KITCHEN ENTRANCE - enlarged to make serving easier - double sliding doors vanish into walls.

       Closing in a breezeway or a porch can give yon an area for year-round indoor-outdoor fun. Most of the costly work - roof, supporting beams, and floor slab -has already been done. You can put up inexpensive walls to keep out bad weather. ( Here, glass walls were installed to retain out-of-doors atmosphere. ) Picnics can't be rained out when you have a spot like this, and the children have an ideal place to play during blustery winter days. Obviously, such a carefree haven calls for a carefree tile floor. Asphalt Tile can be laid directly over the concrete slab and will stand up under the scuffing of active youngsters. Neither floor will be harmed by foods or liquids that are likely to be spilled. Once the walls go up and the floor goes down, the fun is ready to begin.

A smart "Chevron" design using 6" x 12" tiles. This exclusive tile shape permits many interesting designs. Stain-resistant, cleans easily. BUILT- INS - desk, chest, and bookshelves make a space-saving unit. 4 -POSTER BED - placed so that kitchen and bath are accessible from one side of bed and living room from the other.  DRAPERIES - hide the bed by day. KITCHEN AND BATH - concealed by accordion-type doors, the "Parquet" floor runs through the entire apartment. One continuous floor surface makes for fast, easy cleaning. CEILING - Textured Cushiontone . . . keeps rooms restfully quiet, can be put up easily with nails or staples.

       When you build a brand-new addition to a house, there's no limit to the type, size, and shape of the room or rooms you can add. How much you pay for an addition or for any remodeling project will depend on the nature and quality of the job. When building your addition, you may want to have a builder do the major construction and utility work for you. Then, you can finish the interior yourself.

Stone wall with fireplace tucked in flush with the wall. Striped upholstered
 chairs and sofa table with louvered top. Modern white and red linoleum tile floor.

Printable posters and logo for our Doll's Grand Hotel...

       Larger images depicting the Grand Hotel poster, illustrations and logo that I have cleaned and recolorized for little ones to print out for their hotel lobby or other accessories.

       These images originated from an old play about a "Grand Hotel" from  the 1930s and have a distinct Art Deco flavor to them. Do not redistribute these from alternative websites folks.

A poster of two love birds relaxing in the lobby of The Grand Hotel.

Guests at the Grand Hotel in black and white.

Guests at the Grand Hotel in black, white and pink.

The Grand Hotel Logo.

The Real Grand Hotel...

Sketch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, 1891

         In the United States, the Grand Hotel is a historic hotel and coastal resort on Mackinac Island, Michigan, a small island located at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac within Lake Huron between the state's Upper and Lower peninsulas. Constructed in the late 19th century, the facility advertises itself as having the world's largest porch. The Grand Hotel is well known for a number of notable visitors, including five U.S. presidents, inventor Thomas Edison, and author Mark Twain.

• The Grand Hotel official website

       Grand Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

• The Historical Hotels of America
• National Trust for Historic Preservation

       In 1886, the Michigan Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company formed the Mackinac Island Hotel Company. The group purchased the land on which the hotel was built and construction began, based upon the design by Detroit architects Mason and Rice. When it opened the following year, the hotel was advertised to Chicago, Erie, Montreal and Detroit residents as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrived by lake steamer and by rail from across the continent. The hotel opened on July 10, 1887 and took a mere 93 days to complete. At its opening, nightly rates at the hotel ranged from $3 to $5 a night (equivalent to $83.66–139.43 in 2018).

• Mason & Rice Collections at the Art Institute of Chicago
• The Architects: Mason-Rice & the Legend of Albert Kahn
• How Albert Kahn Became the "Architect of Detroit" by culture trip

Postcard of the Grand Hotel as seen from above.

        In 1957, the Grand Hotel was designated a State Historic Building. In 1972, the hotel was named to the National Register of Historic Places, and on June 29, 1989, the hotel was made a National Historic Landmark.

       In September 2019, Dan Musser III announced that his family, which owned the hotel "for nearly nine decades", is selling it to KSL Capital Partners.

       Carleton Varney, a protégé of Dorothy Draper, designed the Grand Hotel in its late 19th-century decor, including Pelargonium geraniums. Varney purposely designed the hotel so that all the rooms are different from each other in at least one aspect. There are four types of rooms: Category I, Category II, Category III, and Named Rooms. There are six two-bedroom suites consisting of two bedrooms connected by a parlor, of which two, the Grand Suite and the Carleton Varney Suite, overlook the Mackinac Bridge and the Straits of Mackinac. The presidential suite is located in the center of the hotel with a balcony over the porch. A detached structure added in early 2000 was named the Masco Cottage.

• Carleton Varney Suite Designs
• Visit Dorothy Draper & Company

       Additionally, seven suites are named for and designed by seven former First Ladies of the United States. These are the Jacqueline Kennedy Suite (with carpet that includes the gold presidential eagle on a navy blue background and walls painted gold), Lady Bird Johnson Suite (yellow damask-covered walls with blue and gold wildflowers), Betty Ford Suite (green with cream and a dash of red), Rosalynn Carter Suite (with a sample of china designed for the Carter White House and wall coverings in Georgia peach), Nancy Reagan Suite (with signature red walls and Mrs. Reagan's personal touches), Barbara Bush Suite (designed with pale blue and pearl and with both Maine and Texas influences), and the Laura Bush Suite (decorated with bright cream and floral patterns inspired by the Texas prairie).

• The Named Rooms & Suites at The Grand Hotel...

Theatrical film poster of "Somewhere
in Time" set in the Grand Hotel.
Classic Trailer

       Grand Hotel's front porch is the longest in the world at some 660 feet (200 m) in length, overlooking a vast Tea Garden and the resort-scale Esther Williams swimming pool. These areas are often used by guests on a casual family vacation, for large conventions, or concerts during the hotel's annual Labor Day Jazz Festival. The hotel has drawn some criticism for its policy of charging a $10 fee for non-guests to enter the building and enjoy the view from the famous porch.

       Before 2007, air conditioning was only available in public rooms, such as the lobby, parlor and Salle a Manger (main dining room). Due to the building's design it was difficult to add air conditioning to the guest rooms. That year, the entire hotel became air conditioned after 170 guest rooms were installed with heat exchangers which cool the air through contact with the bathroom cold water system.

       Mackinac Island does not permit motor vehicles (except for emergency vehicles and, in winter, snowmobiles), and transport to and from the dock to the hotel is via horse-drawn carriage. The only other motor vehicles allowed in recent history were cars brought over for the filming of "Somewhere in Time." During the winter months, when ice prevents ferry transport from the mainland, the hotel is closed. The island also has a small airport (no fuel or services) for private aircraft. The horse-drawn taxis will take guests from the airport to the hotel or any other destination.

• All About Mackinac Island

       U.S. Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have visited the hotel. The hotel also hosted the first public demonstration of Thomas Edison's phonograph on the porch, as well as regular demonstrations of Edison's other new inventions. Mark Twain also made this a regular location on his speaking tours in the Midwest.

• Presidents At Mackinac
• ...When Mark Twain Came to Michigan

       In May each year, the Grand Hotel serves as the headquarters for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce's Mackinac Policy Conference that attracts politicians, businessmen and labor leaders from across the state and the northern Midwest region.

Conde Nast Traveler "Gold Lists" the hotel as one of the "Best Places to Stay in the Whole World" and Travel + Leisure magazine's lists it as among the "Top 100 Hotels in the World." The Wine Spectator noted the Grand Hotel with an "Award of Excellence" and it was included in Gourmet magazine's "Top 25 Hotels in the World" list. The American Automobile Association (AAA) rates the facilities as a four-diamond resort. and in 2009 named the Grand Hotel one of the top 10 U.S. historic hotels.

Grand Hotel Mackinac Video Tour

More About The Grand Hotel and Mackinac Island:

• Mackinac Island: Grand Hotel
• Mackinac Island in the Winter
• Story of Mackinac Island
• Mackinac Island in 1944 film
• Fall Color Walking Tour on Mackinac Island

Ideas for Five Dream Kitchens from 1935

       Are you, too, a little weary of working hour after hour in the kitchen? Wouldn't you like, sometimes, to just give up the whole business of housekeeping? Most of us would. It all seems so monotonous . . . that is, until we learn the secret. And the secret is this: Beauty is a cure for the blues! A beautiful, modern kitchen will lighten any housekeeper's work!

"...even your best friend, for a moment, will be jealous of you for cornering so many darling ideas.

       Let's go straight to the point and talk about the main feature of this kitchen -- that unusual plan of placing the sink at right angles to the window: First, the light comes over your left shoulder instead of straight into your eyes; second, it saves valuable wall space and puts otherwise useless floor space to work; third, it concentrates the food preparation center so that a minimum of steps is required to reach the sink, cupboards, refrigerator, and stove; fourth, two people can work at the sink comfortably. Why didn't we think of it before? However, the laboratory-like efficiency of this kitchen would not be so appealing were it not clothed in such an abundance of color. There's nothing subdued about this daring scheme of bold red and cream.

"A refreshing symphony in greens."

       A vision of coolness, this kitchen suggests the freshness of a garden after a shower - let's say a vegetable garden, because that very new and very smart wall paper with the naive and playful colored vegetable motif has given such delightful zest to a simple color scheme. Oh - you say you are tired of green kitchens; they've been done to death! Well, there are greens and GREENS. The deep myrtle shade in this plan gives the lighter green a certain distinction. Three good decorative materials make up the background for this tidy little kitchen - the floor of Armstrong's Embossed Linoleum , the wainscoting of linowall in close gradations of soothing green, and the fanciful wall paper.

       Instead of the usual and obvious treatment, the floor was bordered in white linoleum with inset strips of jade and evergreen plain linoleum for accent. This same dark green linoleum was used for quiet counters and table tops and for the new type of linoleum and Stainless Steel sink. It's this sharp contrasting note of deep green appearing in stove and kitchen cabinet fittings, under-cut baseboard, and chair that give character to the room. And, lest you miss it - make a mental note of that convenient rack for trays.

       Of course, the liquid quality of the green rubberized silk curtains further emphasises our cool idea and completes the scheme with the exception of that cozy little breakfast setting at the left of the picture. In front of a white leather padded and cushioned banquette is a just-right, long, narrow but practical breakfast table.

       That white painted tin epergne for fruit - the oblong china trays to hold the egg cups and cereal bowl in lieu of the usual plate and doily combination - the maple leaf plates for rolls and butter, and the deep green thumb print goblets are refreshingly new and different.

"Chinese Modern in a Breakfast Room and Kitchen."

       If you like modern things you may find in this plan a formula for your own ideal breakfast room and kitchen, especially if you live in an apartment, keep house on a small scale, and would like a breakfast room that might be used for lunch and impromptu suppers as well. Of course, it would be just as useful in a big house.

       The floor suggested the Chinese motif and the mad bright green for a dominant color which, in combination with gray and black becomes quite dramatic.

       Several arresting decorative ideas distinguish this two-purpose room. To begin with, the dull polished black walls, the Chinese grill, and the curtains in brilliant parrot green are simply breathtaking.

       If you would like your friends to grow faint with envy, make a note of those unusual curtains over the natural bamboo shades - widths and widths of gause-like Chinese silk accordian pleated. They are positively glamorous!

       The handsome yet casual bamboo chairs were a bit expensive but they do so much for the scheme that they are worth all they cost, especially when you save so much on your floors! As a foil for the breakfast room, the kitchen is done in restrained gray and silvery Monel Metal with just a touch of red. The walls and cabinets are simply pale gray with metal trim, the curtains a fascinating silver rubberised silk. Even the stove is pearly gray. And lest we forget that extra quip of smartness, the aquarium is illuminated from the bottom and incorporated as a part of the grill design.

       Somewhat sophisticated yet undeniably practical, this kitchen is commended to young moderns who want chic for a song.

"A cottage kitchen...homey and intimate."

       This kitchen was planned for the woman who is happily and frankly domestic - and proud of it - the nice sort of person whose husband, children, and friends just naturally drift into the kitchen to be with her while she works. So, efficiency experts to the contrary, this kitchen is purposely a bit roomy.

       There is a certain serene charm about the scheme of copper and brown - how friendly and warm it seems in contrast to the wintry landscape. The pretty informal plaid linoleum floor is one of those highly satisfying combinations of beauty and serviceability. Best of all, it won't throw your budget into a panic. 

       Linowall, the new linoleum-like wall material, has been enthusiastically received by every housewife who has seen it. Instinctively she seems to sense its practical qualities. The coppery tones of the linowall wainscoting chosen for this room suggested the delicious color used for the cupboards and wood trim, a sort of pink apricot, or it may be salmon is a better description. Metallic copper paint was used for the scalloped frieze to harmonize with the polished copper hood over the stove which, by the way, is one of those modern miracles - a really good-looking, flat-topped gasoline range.

       Those filmy soft curtains are embroidered batiste - the fifty-cents-a-yard kind. Sunlight does such fascinating things with eyelet embroidered material. You will be interested to know that what may look like a complicated style in that graceful swag, is really very simple. One long length of material was used for the diamond casement group of windows, two ordinary straight curtains for the other.  The trick is all in the draping with the cotton cords and the glass tie-backs. For those necessary jewel-like accents, without which no picture is complete, clear green was used in small accessories - the table setting, the curtain tie-backs, and the child's chair. It goes without saying that this scheme is at its best in a northeast kitchen where the light is cold rather than on the sunny south side.

       Warm, inexpensive, and friendly, we commend this kitchen to those home makers who by choice or necessity, do their own work and crave a joyous place in which to do it.

"Peasant charm in a kitchen workshop."

       Here is a kitchen that doesn't have to be coddled, worried over, and spared. It will take the grueling wear that any family kitchen receives and look pleasant because it's almost completely "linoleumed" from top to bottom. Yes, those soft brown walls; the floor a marvel of serviceability; and the counter tops plain terra cotta; are all linoleum.

       This new Linowall is really something to become excited about. It's like linoleum except for the backing. You know, genuine linoleum has a burlap back - linowall has a strong, evenly woven fabric back which is better for walls. Like linoleum, the colors go through and, therefore, will not scrub off.

       A business-like kitchen is desirable, but not at the expense of beauty. This is how the two qualities were combined . . . Starting with a permanent finish Linowall and an equally serviceable floor, natural wood was the logical choice for cupboards and wood trim and, between you and me, there's really nothing quite like stained and waxed wood trim for a kitchen that gets hard use. The stark simplicity of plain wood was softened with a bit of free hand decoration in green, red, and blue on the cupboards, frieze, window recesses, and the tiny built-in desk at the left.

       Peasant chairs, cheerful decorated boxes, waste-basket (on a swinging crane), makeup mirror, the black china cat so often seen in French Provincial kitchens, shiny copper utensils, and colorful table setting lend charm to serviceability. Another interesting item is those double sash curtains. Even if you don't know one end of a needle from the other, you can make them yourself for they're really a large coarse plaid linen lunch cloth with fringed edges, cut into four pieces. Of course, you do have to sew a casing for the rod. That's all, however.

       And what makes it all unblemished joy is the fact that with expenses nudging you from the left and right, you can still afford this quaint, permanently finished kitchen, for both the walls and floor are surprisingly low in price. edited by grimm

Vintage Ideas in Home Decorating from 1929

       With good taste as her guide, the home decorator follows any period or group, she chooses from each as she wishes, or she decorates to please herself, without so much as a bow to either schools or leaders. A selection of decorative materials which would have been the envy of kings makes her task easy. 

       Nature is an infallible guide to correct color balance and harmony. Follow her and your problem is solved. Put the lightest shades upon the ceiling, where they will diffuse light throughout the whole room. The moderate tones go upon the walls just as nature puts them about the horizon, where they constantly meet the eye. The darker shades go upon the floor, but here, too, dashes of color will prevent dullness, just as fields are saved from drabness by color in flower, tree and shrub.

       Planning a room is really very much like planning a setting on the stage. And many decorations consider not only the practical purposes of the room, but strive for a distinct aesthetic effect.

Living room of the author and designer.

       This was a very ordinary little house when I bought it - with not one thing to mark it from all the others that stood beside it in a row. But color wrought such a difference inside this little house that hundreds of people have come to see it. Notice how it was done in my living-room.
       For the floor I chose a lovely terra cotta linoleum, embossed in six-inch squares. A yellow-pink wall paper, with green and coral Toile de Jouy draperies, blended splendidly with this floor and the Cafe an La it woodwork. A little half-circle rug, and a character map over the mantel complete the decoration of the room. During the past few months many people, interested in home decoration, have come to visit my little house. And all who have seen this room have said, "What charming use of color, and how much the floors contribute to the effect!" And they have guessed the secret!
       I started this living-room with color in the floor, and now the whole room sings with color. In fact each room in my little home in a row depends for the basis of its decorative scheme upon an attractive linoleum floor.

Home of Mr. Hanning W. Prentis, Junior.

       On one of the rolling hills that lie to the north of the Lincoln Highway, just outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the home of Mr. Henning W. Prentis, Junior - an architectural achievement combining modern comfort and convenience with period design. Mr. Prentis had this home planned to combine the charm of the Georgian period with many modern ideas that you cannot so quickly sense. Walls, for instance, are all insulated with Armstrong's Corkboard. Underfloors are concrete over steel beams, completely fireproof.

       No one could step into this living-room without being conscious of the fine, old-fashioned charm that belongs to the Georgian period. Every line and color bespeaks Colonial days, gracious living, comfort. Yet with all its atmosphere of old-time charm, this room represents the last word in modern-day convenience.

       While the dignity of the Georgian demands that the large expanses of walls and floors be unobtrusive, notice that the beauty of this room is still kept very warm and vital. The yellow-cream of the walls is carried into the mantel and reflected in the brass fender and and irons. The whole scheme is based upon a rich, black floor. A two-tone border sharply defines the junction of floor and walls. Mulberry drapes and tan upholstery blend charmingly with the room effect.

A dining-room with a Duncan Phyfe table and Venetian blinds.

       This up-to-date dining-room is of no particular period or school, yet it combines the choice features of several in a way that is altogether charming. Note the graceful lines of the Duncan Phyfe table, the strong, vigorous feeling of the modernistic service buffet, the painted, paneled, walls, the Italian note in the colorful Venetian blinds. Note too, how well the contrasting effects, both in color and line, are made part of a harmonious room scheme, by a rich, regal design of Handmade Marble Inlaid Linoleum. The decidedly predominant blue of the room does not seem a bit extreme in combination with this delightfully-toned floor. Blues, browns, and colorful florals of the glazed chintz drapes are pleasantly at home together.
       The service buffet, by the way, indicates the most pleasing way to use modern furniture - with the furniture that you already have. One of the virtues of things modern is that they are friendly with almost every popular period and type. You can have a modern room without throwing out all the other furnishings, if you are careful to select a floor that will keep them friendly. And isn't this a rather clever way to use the sunny corner of the dining-room? Have breakfast there on a small table, with lots of sunshine, and no need to set the large table.

Spring comes indoors in a sun room!

       Springtime whenever you want it is the gift that a bright sun room such as this will bring to your home. 
       This room, like most sun rooms, had more than its share of sunshine. And yet, when I was asked to plan its redecoration, it lacked zest and character. So I put color to work, in the furniture, in the walls, and especially in the largest single expanse that meets the eye, the floor. Notice how the whole room scheme is tied together by carrying the blue of the linoleum into the upholstery, the wood trim, and the Delia Robbia placque above the Spanish table.
       Look at the room now! There may be snow just outside the window, but in here it will always be spring. Color can capture springtime for you, too, if you give it a chance. You will find your own sun room respond amazingly, as did the sunny setting pictured above. If you would like to have me do so, I will be glad to give you my suggestions for its decoration.

A bright, cheerful playroom.

       This room is a happy place - and a magic place. Who ever heard of a drum for a light, of scalloped and tasseled walls, and a wind-wrinkled sea for a floor? Who couldn't be happy in such a  sunshiny playroom? And who wouldn't be neat and tidy, too, with secret cupboards for storing  toys - and a floor that didn't tell tales, even when you rode a great big elephant over its Jasper face?
       Mothers who were once little girls will know that there is magic in a room like this. And they'll find a lot of real magic, too, if they plan it around a lovely floor. Like the touch of a fairy wand, any quality floor covering magically transforms an old, scratched-up one - hides it forever with new and lasting beauty. Somehow the rest of the decorations just fall into place, once the floor covering is selected.

An Early American bedroom with green jasper floors.

       The above bedroom is unquestionably Early American. And yet it does not have the cast-from-a-die look that so unfortunately characterizes many period rooms. There is no slavish following of stiff-necked rules here. The whole room sparkles with spirit; it is different and unusual. And all because the designer showed ingenuity in selecting the floor. The designer has boldly set forth . . . discarded some obsolete ideas about floors . . . and let pattern and color combine in a way to command admiration. 
       Like a meadow of rippling grass is this floor of Green Jasper. It makes the whole room look fresh and clean. It's new. It's modern. And yet it blends perfectly with the old maple chest, the canopied four-poster, and the salamander chairs. The room is still Early American in spirit, but it is modern in tone. No matter what period you may select, there is an Armstrong pattern that will help you put a  touch of your own personality into it. And the modern floors are as easy to select as draperies.

A friendly and bright breakfast room uses three primary colors.

       In such a space as this breakfast room above you may give color free reign. Notice that the three primary complementary colors have been brought all together here in the same room. The vermilion tone of the floor is carried to the wall by the china closet and the small table. The blue-green of the wall is brought to the floor by the chair seats. The lighter tone of the cream-yellow ceiling is nicely tied in with the whole scheme by the warm beige drapes. Let me call your attention to the two tiny flower-pot shelves and to the cunning way in which the wall motif has been picked up by the scalloped edging around the closet and along the upper wall border. If you look closely, you will note an added and highly effective color touch in the red edge of the scalloped sides on the china closet. The nest of tables in the corner is separated and used when tea is served on the adjoining sun porch. edited by Grimm

October Thoughts...

October Thoughts

Author Unknown

Some people are very poetic--

They speak of the October sky;

But my first autumnal thought

Is of a great big pumpkin pie!

You know that kind of pie I mean,

The one that with goodness swells;

And of the spices hidden within

It's tempting fragrance only tells.

And all across the top is seen

A golden brown, delicious skin

That only heightens the prospects

Of the goodness placed within.

Oh, the crust, a dainty morsel

Fit for any king, I vow;

Deep down within my very heart

I wish I had some now.

Harvest moons may be delightful,

And so is the autumnal sky,

But when October rolls around,

My thoughts turn to pumpkin pie.

Stitch Peanuts Pillows for Halloween

Pictured above, a white doll rocker for American Girl dolls, ceramic pumpkins,
  a snuggly doll afghan and Peanuts themed pillows stitched from a pair of
Halloween novelty socks.

       These Halloween pillows are made from one sock. Snoopy in the pumpkin patch and text that reads "Happy Halloween" make adorable holiday decorations for any dollhouse.

       Use Fray Check to keep the edges from unraveling while you work. I cut out the parts of my sock that I wanted for each pillow, both the back and front, from a novelty, print sock. 

       Face the right sides of your fabric together, sew a straight stitch around the pillow, leaving a one inch gap for turning the pillow inside-out. Then stuff the pillow with cotton batting and stitch the hole closed.

       I used a blanket stitch around the pillows to add strength to my seams and added a decorative button to the center of the larger pillow on both sides.

High and Low

A fat golden pumpkin lay in the field,

A golden moon rode in the sky,

The pumpkin shouted, "Hallo there, brother!

Who put you up so high?"

The man in the moon smiled a jolly smile

At the pumpkin far below--

"I'll light the sky while you light the earth,

On Hallowe'en, you know."

So the fat golden pumpkin smiled at the moon,

And the moon smiled back at him

All through the night till the morning came

And the twinkling stars grew dim.

And each felt content with the task he had 

And called it a work of love.

Though one lay low on the cold black earth

And one rode high above.

Sew a Snuggly Afghan for Cool Fall Evenings

       Even if you don't know how to knit, you can pick up a few Halloween themed socks at the dollar store and stitch together a cozy little afghan for your dolls.

      I cut up four pair of new Halloween novelty print socks to make this patchwork version of an afghan. Young crafters may wish to use a bit of Fray Check on their edges to keep these from unraveling while they work. If you are accustomed to sewing very tight seams while working with knit fabrics and socks, you probably won't need it.

       Before backing this simple afghan, I quilted between stripes, around cat portraits and added a few spider web's inside of the solid pumpkin colored squares. You don't need to be formal about design here: use different colors of thread and make several different stitches if you prefer. I even stitched in a tiny spider on one of the webs. Holiday themed trims should be playful and spontaneous!

        I also lined the back of my doll afghan with a plain grey knit fabric and used a bit of white seam binding around the edges in order to hide imperfections. 

       These pirate kittens will look charming draped across our doll's couch this year.

These cute knit squares include stripes, stitched cob webs, pirate kitties and witch hats.

Pauline Makes Bow to Film Patrons

Pauline Makes Bow to Film Patrons

Interest Instantly Aroused
Chicago, April 4, 1914

Miss Pearl White. Born near Kansas City, Mo.,
 May 2, 1895. She was the heroine in "The Perils of
Pauline," and "The Exploits of Elaine," pictures
that made her internationally famous. She was
a typical western girl of great charm and beauty.

       "The Perils of Pauline" have begun their interesting unfolding to the thousands whose curiosity regarding the culmination of this series of thrilling pictures, will mean that the story, as told in seven of the largest Sunday papers, and thereafter shown at leading motion picture houses, will be followed closely from the first to the last reel of Pauline's perils.

       This picture series includes popular stars at the Pathe studios both in America and Europe who have been leased to make this production for the Eclectic Film Company. Those being featured, however, are the better known American ones, among whom are Pearl White, as Pauline; Crane Wilbur, as Harry Marvin, son of Pauline's guardian; and Paul Panzer in the role of Raymond Owen, trusted secretary of Hanford Marvin. The last mentioned character is impersonated by Endora Jose.

       The first release of the series is in three reels and confronts the spectator with the question, "What did the mummy say?" But to begin at the beginning--Hanford Marvin is interested in the days and people of more than a thousand years ago and is overjoyed at the announcement that a mummy is being sent to him from Cairo, Egypt. Marvin's son, Harry, centers his interest in his father's ward, Pauline, and is happy in their tennis-playing days on his father's rich estate. Mr. Marvin has a secretary whom he trusts "not wisely but too well," as the secretary is possessed of a "past" of which he is reminded by a former chum who extorts money from him.

       Marvin summons his son and Pauline from their tennis game and proposes to Pauline her marriage with his son. Pauline answers, "Some day, maybe, but first I must see the world that I may progress with my writing." Both Marvin and Harry laugh and, indignant, Pauline brings forth a new issue of the Cosmopolitan and show them a story signed "By Pauline Marvin." Surprised Mr. Marvin turns the pages and reads. The illustrations flash upon the screen, the characters in them assume life and the story is enacted before the spectators.

Pauline proves her literary ability.

        At its conclusion Marvin expresses his pleasure in Pauline's talent and says that he will send her around the world to gather material and atmosphere for stories, and that she shall go in the care of his trusted secretary. Pauline is over-joyed, Harry is not, and the secretary is visibly interested.
       The mummy arrives and the elderly Mr. Marvin is delighted with its authenticity. He cuts the burial cloth about its head and releases a braid of black hair. From the box and earthen bottle falls out. He uncorks it, a heavy gas escapes and Mr. Marvin drops into a chair, unconscious. To his deadened senses the mummy assumes life and the appearance of a beautiful young girl who steps from her burial wrappings and flits inquisitively from one to another object in the room. Finally, she sees the portrait of Pauline and approaches it. Her gaiety changes to seriousness and pointing to it, she turns to the silent figure of Marvin and speaks a message that seems to portend a warning. Somebody approaches along the hall, taking a bracelet from her arm, the girl places it on that of Marvin then, in fright, seeks the shelter of the coffin, upright against the wall. Slowly her form stiffens, fades into a mistiness of outline and when Marvin recovers, the mummy is in its box just as he had left it.
       Excitedly, he summons his secretary, his son and Pauline and tells them what has happened. He cuts the bandages at the mummy's side, inserts his hand and takes from the mummy's arm, a bracelet exactly like the one the girl had placed upon his arm. The shock of the extraordinary incident is too much for the old man and he has an attack from his heart. A doctor is summoned, Marvin's minutes are said to be numbered and he makes his will, bequeathing half of his wealth to his son and the other half to his ward, to be held in trust for her by his secretary.
       The next day the secretary files the will and incidentally, asks what disposition would be made of Pauline's share of the Marvin fortune should she die before coming of age. The lawyer replies that it would belong to him, the secretary.
       A continued-in-our-next announcement is flashed and the spectators are left to conjecture as to what the mummy said and what interesting adventures are in store for Pauline on her trip around the world.
       The story is that of Charles W. Goddard, co-author with Paul Dickey of "The Mis-Leading Lady." "The Ghost Breaker," and "The March to Sea." It is marked by the unusual in plot, by the reality of settings and scenes and by a fineness in photography. It is with genuine interest that the next release in the "Perils of Pauline" series is anticipated. Motograpy Magazine, 1914

• Pearl White, An American Actress      

Paper Dolls And How To Make Them

Paper Dolls, and How to Make Them 

author unknown, published in 1857 by Anson Davies Fitz

My Dear Young Friends:

       I have often pitied myself, because there were no paper dolls when I was a little girl. I supposed that all little girls, now-a-days, played with them, until a few days ago, when a lady told me that she knew a number, who had never heard of paper dolls, and then she said: "Why can't you make a little book, and tell how to make them?"  And Mary looked up and said; "Please, do, Mamma, it would make a great many children happy." So, as I am kept in my room, not able to do much else, I will try to teach you how to enjoy this delightful amusement.

       All that I knew about Paper Dolls when I was a little girl was, that sometimes a kind friend would cut from a long, narrow strip of paper, (usually the edge of a newspaper) folded a great many times, so that all could be cut at once, a row of little men and women, like this:

Even these poor little things were very amusing.

       Eight or nine years ago, I first saw a genuine modern Paper Doll. It was cut out of Bristol board, and painted to represent a little girl, very fat, with a very small waist, and a very high forehead, and red cheeks, and a great quantity of curls. It had three dresses, one pink, one blue, and one yellow, of different fashions, and a hat trimmed with flowers and ribbons. The dresses and the hat were also made of paper, painted very nicely, and could be taken off and put on again. My little girl had never before had any toy, which gave her so much delight. This was the beginning, in our family, of the reign of paper dolls, which has lasted, without interruption, to the present day.

       There are now a great many Paper Dolls in the country. I have seen many, made by the same person, who made the one that I have described. She is a little girl in Boston, who, I have heard, is paying for her education, by the money which she receives from the sale of them. They have been sold, for many years, at the book store of Munroe & Francis, in Boston where, I presume, they are still to be found. From different parts of New England, and even from New York, little girls have sent to this store for a lady, or a girl, or a boy, or a family, and have been delighted at receiving, in exchange for their shilling, or quarter or half dollar, an envelope, containing the doll and it's pretty wardrobe, larger or smaller, with more or fewer dresses, according to its price.

      Then, of late years, there have been Jenny Linds, and other famous ladies, with their elegant wardrobes. Fanny Gray too, with her history, and dresses to match, is a beautiful toy.

       These are engraved and richly colored, and made to stand upon a wooden pedestal, by fitting into a groove. They are intended to be admired and respected, but are quite too stately to be treated with familiarity. They can not be taken to the heart, and petted, like our paper dolls. Yet for those, who do not enjoy the simpler and more varried pleasure of making them for themselves, these are very delightful.

       There is also a less expensive kind of ready made dolls, printed, and sometimes colored, a dozen or more upon the same sheet of paper, with a dress and hat to fit each one, upon another sheet. The dolls and dresses have only to be cut out, and put together, and then they can go a-visiting, or do any thing which other dolls can do. But they are not what I mean by paper dolls.

       What I mean by paper dolls are little homemade figures of boys, girls, ladies, babies, any bodies, drawn on paper, and cut out, and dressed in paper clothes. These dolls and dresses may be drawn or painted, they may be well made or badly made, they may look like elegant ladies, and dear little babies, or they may be cross-eyed, and their foreheads may be larger than all the rest of their faces, and their heads may grow out of their shoulders, and their fat arms may stand out straight, and end in little knobs it is all the same, they are, little darlings,  perfect beauties, the sweetest little things that ever were seen, and nothing in the way of paper is too good to cut up and make their dresses.

       Indeed, I have sometimes thought that the more out of proportion a paper doll was, the better it was liked. I have tried to improve some, made by my little friends, by cutting down a monstrous neck or arm, but the change has not pleased them; it made the doll less like the pattern‚ which Sarah or Anna had given them. I do not think that they learn in this way to admire deformity, for they certainly would not like to see a human being shaped like their little pets. The fact only shows how much their imaginations can supply.

       And this is one of the charms of paper doll playing. Out of an old card, and a few bits of colored paper, with the aid of a pencil and a pair of scissors, a child can create for herself a world of enjoyment. Babies to be nursed and cuddled, little girls and boys to be taught and entertained, rewarded and punished, mammas to keep house, and go visiting, and take care of the little ones, with an endless variety of dresses suited to all occasions, are fashioned by their little fingers, with as much delight as they receive from the most expensive doll, which has come all the way from London or Paris. I have often been surprised at the ingenuity and taste which children have shown, in designing the different articles of dress, out of almost nothing. Little bits of paper which would else have been thrown away as useless, acquire a new value. "What a beautiful basque this will make for my little Lilly! Here's a piece of gold paper perhaps it is half an inch long by an eighth of an inch wide; it will make some buttons and a buckle for little Freddy's jacket." Even the stray feather escaped from a pillow, a nuisance to all other eyes, is seized upon as a treasure, and converted into a graceful ornament, as all must allow, to "little Willy's cap.

        But I suppose that you want to see one of these wonderful paper dolls, if you are so unfortunate as never to have had that pleasure. So I must make haste and tell you how to make them.

       What are they made of?

       Any kind of stiff paper, the backs of old cards, paste-board, Bristol board; the finer and smoother and cleaner it is, so much the better. A glazed, shiny‚surface will not answer, for you can not draw the face well upon it.

       For the dresses, I dare say that your father will give you the colored covers of old pamphlets. The unprinted backs of these are better than the glazed colored papers which you find at the book-stores, because you can paint upon them, and thus shade and trim them as you please. The folds are made by painting  with a darker shade of the same color. Some of the prettiest dresses which I have seen, have been made of white paper, painted, but it requires more labor and skill to make them well in this way, than of paper already colored. There is scarcely any kind of paper, even brown wrapping-paper, out of which you can not make something pretty for your little ladies and gentlemen. Colored note-paper or letter-paper is perhaps the most desirable material. The colored tissue motto-papers make elegant dresses for parties, if you allow your little people to go to such places. Of plain white paper you can, with the help of a pencil, make beautiful embroidered jackets, and aprons and baby dresses.

       These are the materials. Now we are ready to begin.

       You will need a pattern to guide you in your first attempts. You will find several at the end of the book. Take a piece of thin paper, and lay it over one of these, and trace it. Out out the figure that you have drawn, and you will thus have a pattern, which you can lay upon stiff paper, and draw its outline by passing your pencil around its edge. Out out this stiff one for your first paper doll, and I wish you much joy in playing with it.

       Next draw the hair and features as well as you can. Try to make the eyebrows alike, and the eyes of the same size, and looking the same way, and the nose in the middle, and do not let the mouth stretch quite from one ear to the other. The curls, I dare say, will have rather a singular appearance; but never mind, you'll do better by and by. It would be well to practice making faces upon your slate. I presume that almost every child has some older friend, who will be very glad to assist her in both drawing and painting the faces of her dolls.

       If, after your first doll is finished, you should say, "What a horrid-looking thing!" which I do not believe you will say, do not destroy it, but make a dress for it, and give it to your little sister, and she, I am sure, will be delighted, and call it "pooty baby." Then try again, and make another, and if this second one does not look as well as you hoped it would, still I think that you had best make a dress or two for it; for after all, the great charm of playing paper dolls is in dressing them. If you can not succeed in making respectable-looking faces, you can perhaps find in some fashion-plate at the end of an old magazine, a suitable head, which your mother will allow you to cut off, and paste upon a body of your own making, for these fashionable things have no real bodies; their dress is the whole of them.

       For such, and many other purposes, you will find a bottle of gum Arabic very useful. Two or three pennies worth of gum, dissolved in water, will last you a long time. There are bottles which come on purpose, with wide mouths, and a camel's hair brush fastened into the cork. With a bottle of gum Arabic, you are prepared to do great things in the millinery and dressmaking line.

       In order to help you a little, I will draw some dolls for you. On Plate I. are a boy and girl. You have only to cut them out, and they are ready to be dressed. As I said before, playing with paper dolls consists more in dressing them than in making them. It is the dressing them which makes all the difference between paper pictures and paper dolls. Even those, who can make them for themselves, are much pleased to have new patterns made for them. So I will proceed at once to the dressing, for I am in a great hurry to have you begin. 

Left, On Plate I. are a boy and girl. Right, the dresses drawn for antique paper dolls. In 1857, little boys often wore dresses until they turned four years old, during the Civil Ware through the Victorian era. This was done for the purposes of toilet training. The doll on the left is actually a little boy. The doll on the right is a girl. Read more about breeching here.

       Now the great invention, from which paper doll playing may be said to have its beginning, consists simply in making the dresses doubled at the top, so that they may stay on. I consider this one of the greatest discoveries of modern times. As soon as paper frocks could be kept on paper shoulders, you may be sure that there were plenty of little fingers ready to put them on. The way is simply this; to fold the paper of which the dress is to be made, having the fold at the top, so that the dress is cut double, front and back, and the folded part makes a shoulder-strap. You will understand this by looking at the print. (Plate III. Fig. 2.) In order to make the dress fit the doll, you must lay the doll upon the folded paper, and mark the paper so that it will fit at the neck and the belt, and, as far as possible, draw the outline of the sleeves, waist and skirt, according to your fancy. Then remove the doll, and finish the outline and cut it out. Plate III. Figs. 1 and 2, will make this plain.

       Be careful and do not cut the shoulder-straps so narrow, that they will be torn open the first time that the dress is put on. And yet the space must not be too wide, or it will look very awkward. If your paper is scant, it is not necessary that the back should be the whole length of the front, for only the front is painted and ornamented and expected to be looked at.

       Now that you have learned this great secret, the way is clear before you. You can make dresses to your hearts' content, long waists, short waists, long skirts, short skirts, long sleeves, short sleeves, flounces and furbelows.

       You have as yet learned to make only low-necked dresses, which can be slipped on over the head. But certainly the little ladies will need some high-necked dresses for winter. I am sure that you would not send your doll to school with nothing on her neck. Yet you can not expect her head, if it is paper, to go through a hole, which is only big enough for her neck. So what can you do?

       Make the neck of the dress to fit the doll's throat, and then cut a slit down the back; or, what is still better, cut the back like Fig. 2. Plate IV.

       Jackets, aprons, cloaks, mantillas are all fastened on in the same way. Collars and belts can be neatly fitted, by making them long enough to fold over on the back, as represented in Plate II. Figs. 1 and 2.

       Bonnets and caps are made of two parts, the back and front, cut in the same shape, and gummed at the edges, leaving barely room for the head to slip in.

       It is a good plan to keep each doll, with its wardrobe, in an envelope by itself. My little girls name their dolls, and write their names and ages upon their backs, and upon the backs of their clothes. You will see how useful this would be, in case one of the little ones, who can not talk, should get lost.

Plate 3, drawn in 1857, the clothes were
painted with watercolors.

      I have given you directions for only the simplest and easiest way of making dresses. You will soon learn to vary from them in some respects. In Plate V. you will see that the cloak can not be doubled at the top. The edges of the front and back are gummed together at the sides leaving a space large enough for the head and shoulders to slip through.

       In Plate VIII. Fig. 2. the white neck-kerchief which is gummed to the dress, is folded behind, leaving an opening for the head.

       In cases where one or both arms fall within the dress, like Plate III. Fig. 1, you can either cut out the lower part of the arm, so that the dress will fit beneath it, or draw and paint a false arm, as in the baby's dress (Plate VI.) or cut one from cardboard and gum it to the sleeve.

       In the sack Fig. 3, Plate III., cut a slit at the bottom of the sleeve, and slip the arm through it.

      Collars, cuffs, belts, buttons, trimmings, under sleeves, pantalettes, even legs with shoes and stockings, can be cut out and gummed to the dresses, or, when the dress is painted upon white paper, the white articles can be left unpainted, and shaded and ornamented at pleasure.

       I think that you now know enough to be left to yourselves. You will find patterns of various articles of dress for boys, and girls, and ladies, and babies, at the end of the book. These are not to be cut out, but to be copied. There is no end to the pretty things that you can make. You will, soon collect, in one way or another, the simple materials which you can convert into beautiful dresses. I am sure that you and your mothers will all agree with me in saying that playing with paper dolls is the most delightful, the most varied, and at the same time the most simple and the least expensive of all your amusements.

Note. These small volume was published in New York in 1857 by an anonymous lady. It is believed to be the oldest copy about the topic ever published in the United States! The images here have been cleaned. There are a few additional examples in the original volume that I have yet to alter and post.