Snapping Bonbons,
such as are usually served at parties with the refreshments. Choose
Fig. 369.
Fig. 370. the largest and best petals (Fig. 368) and gather up the edge of one all the way around, holding the folds securely; a little, bag-like object is thus formed (Fig. 369), which, when held firmly with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and struck against the out-stretched palm of the other, snaps with a loud noise. If any opening is allowed when gathering up the edges of the petal, the air will not be confined and consequently the bag will not snap, and you must try another.
Of the thorns covering the stems of the roses you can make chains by sticking the point of one thorn into the base of another and continuing in this manner until the chain is as long as you desire (Fig. 370).
The party being over we will make some
Baskets of Green Burs.
They are pretty and rustic and can be shaped into almost any style; each bur is provided with little hooked fingers (Fig. 371) that lock when the two burs are pressed against each other, enabling them to stick fast together—not so tight, however, that they cannot be separated when desired. Be sure the burs are young and fresh; they will then be free from all dryness and perfectly safe to work with; if too old they will be difficult to handle and apt to drop the small, thorny particles. Before commencing the work spread a newspaper out in front of you, then, placing your burs on that, take one bur and with several others form a circular row around it; another row around completes the bottom of the basket (Fig. 372). Build up the sides on the top of this last row and form the handle with a row of burs long enough to reach easily from side to side Fig. 371.