Buttercups—a Design
Buttercups are so beautifully golden, so glossy and bright, you would think they could be made into many nice things, a gold necklace for instance. And so they could if they only would not wilt almost as soon as they are gathered. To be sure, they will revive and freshen up when put in water if they are not too much wilted, but we cannot make them into jewelry while their stems are in water.
Still there is something buttercups can be used for, and that is designs. [Fig. 28] is a drawing from the simplest kind of a buttercup design but a pretty one. It shows five wide-open blossoms placed in a row at equal distances apart with a little spray of leaves and bud at the lower end of each stem. These sprays do not grow as they are in the design but are added after the flowers are placed in a row.
As in all other designs, each flower, bud, and stem is touched with paste on the under-side to hold it in place on the paper. A design like [Fig. 28] should be pressed after it is arranged, and it will last a long while and keep its bright color. A number of other and very beautiful designs can be made of the common wild buttercup.
CHAPTER VI
PUSSY-WILLOWS
We all welcome and love the dear little pussy-willows ([Fig. 29]) whose fur is so soft and silvery. How pretty they look sitting along the slender, bare branches of the small American willow-tree which is their home. The pussies like to come early to assure us that spring is here. They are very tame little kitties, and will allow you to carry them away to your school or to your home.
Fig.29 - Pussy-Willows.
Sometimes pussy-willows turn into little rabbits, squirrels, bumblebees, and mice, but they need your help, they cannot make the magic change alone. It will be lots of fun helping them if you do it this way.
Fig.30 - The Rabbit and the Rabbit's ears, enlarged.
Fig.31 - The Pussy-Willow Bunnies.
| Fig.32 - Pussy-Willow Squirrel, enlarged. | Fig.33 - Paper tail, enlarged, for squirrel. |