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When I wore this set I got so many compliments and queries as to where they might be obtained that I seriously set to work making up a few sets. In the pages of Profitable Hobbies I had seen an advertisement for pin and earring backs so I sent for two dozen. I made up sets for my daughter and daughter-in-law, also for my sister, and wherever they wore theirs they attracted attention and inquiries, so I found myself in the costume jewelry business.

If I were to make these sets to sell, I thought, they should be packaged appropriately, so I bought some sheets of plain white cardboard and set to work to try to create little band-boxes and finally, by the trial and error method, I achieved just what I wanted, a darling little replica of a real hat-box just large enough to accommodate a pair of earrings and the lapel pin. I keep a pattern of this box, consisting of four pieces of cardboard, and can now make them in a uniform size.

I cast about in my mind for a suitable name for my creation and "Chapeaux Petite" seemed a natural, so each box lid is thus labeled, while under the bottom of the box is a smaller label reading, "by Stella Marsh."

ONE THING led to another and next I improvised two shadow-box display cases, each one electrically wired, providing indirect lighting which shows up the little hats to advantage.

In the beginning these were cardboard cases used to display small auto accessories and were obtained from the parts man at the garage where my husband works. One of these cases I lined with black velvet, the sides and back being slightly padded, which provides a sort of cushion upon which to pin the little sets. This one has a picture frame and is set on a small standard.

The face of the other case I painted a sort of rosy tan with lacquer and wrote the name "Chapeaux Petite" in cement and then sprinkled it with cut spangles or sparkle dust, pressing it into the cement. When this hardened I gave it two coats of clear lacquer so it makes quite an eye-catching trademark. The inside of this box I treated with black flocking and put in a small cup hook near the top on the back wall upon which hangs a black velvet covered panel; the hats are pinned on this. By the use of an extension cord these boxes may be set up anywhere.

One of these cases was placed in a local jewelry store and, although Fallon, Nevada, where we were then staying, is but a small town, several sets were sold on a consignment basis.

A trip to Reno, Nevada, resulted in ten sets being handled, on consignment, by a beauty and gift shop and five sets were sold outright to an art store.

The summer season at Lake Tahoe was then beginning, so I drove up there and was successful in placing Chapeaux Petite at three different resorts around the lake. A few days later I received from one of them, namely Effie Morgan's Gift Shop at Bijou, a rush order for ten more sets and that was when I found that my little hobby was really a man-sized job, because working against time always turns even the most simple pastime into real work. I worked night and day to fill this order and had paint, plastic, cement, etc., all over myself and bits of paper in my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, but I was happy when I finally got the ten sets finished and in the mail. Now I try always to keep a supply on hand.

AN UNUSUAL way of displaying the hats was employed by Effie Morgan herself for whom I made a complimentary set. This was made especially to order to be worn with a navy blue cocktail gown. At a party, she wore the earrings In the conventional manner but pried off the pinback from the larger hat and, with some adhesive tape she stuck the hat on her bare shoulder. Needless to say this caused a great deal of comment and she got orders that very night from six of the girls attending the party.

One girl wrote me from Chicago saying that she had lost one earring of a set purchased while she was at Lake Tahoe, and asking if I could replace it, which I did. Another request for a set came from Kansas City, the correspondent saying that she had bought some while in Nevada and wanted another set to give as a gift. I always enclose a card in each box with my name and address and stating that I will make Chapeaux Petite in any desired color or trimming. I was truly thrilled to know that my little hats were traveling.

A doctor's wife wrote me from Wenatchee, Washington, telling me that she had received a set as a gift but that she couldn't wear earrings and asking if I could perhaps change them into little scatter pins. This I did for her when she sent me back the earrings and she wrote me how pleased she was with them.

Chapeaux Petite have gone to Florida and to many near-by states. Many girls employed at Harold's Club and in stores and offices in Reno have been customers of mine and the Hotel Mapes is handling a few for me in their lobby gift shop.

Although now living in Reno, I still belong to Myrtle Chapter No. 12, O. E. S. at Fallon and recently they asked to use some of my little hat boxes to fit into their table decoration theme during the official visit of the Worthy Grand Matron.

When I sell the sets myself, I charge $5, but when ten or more sets are handled on consignment by dealers, I let them have them for $4. They sold at Lake Tahoe for $6.

I originally obtained the cord for the hats from the furniture department of a large Reno department store, paying 60 cents per ball. My husband, who is a car salesman, showed me some finer cord with a waxed finish which the garage used in their car upholstery department and that worked up so much more attractively that I now order large spools of this cord, which wholesales at $1.65 per spool.

THE HATS are entirely hand made. I use no core or form. I begin at the center of the crown, holding the end of the cord and lapping or doubling over a small bit to start and then gluing each round to itself and when the desired size is reached, begin to wind and glue downward, each strand under the other to get the crown height and then begin to wind outward, as was done with the top of the crown, continuing around and gluing until the desired width is reached.

I use a white resinous or casein glue which is very adhesive and when dried is flexible and transparent. A toothpick may be used to apply this glue the cord as it takes very little and it grips while one is working, so there is no necessity to use clamps to set it. In fact, it has such tenacity that I fastened my knife holder to my tile wall with it, not wanting to use screws, and it is still holding after having knives of all sizes and shapes jabbed into it innumerable times.

The earrings vary in size, some customers liking them small, others preferring the large size which now seems to be the prevailing style. The lapel pin also varies but the usual size is about 2½ inches in diameter. Some are made with flat crowns, others tall but mostly the crown diameter is about 1 inch and brim width about ¾ inch. The most popular size for the earring is 1¼ inches over-all; with the crown diameter about ½ inch, crown height ¼ inch, and brim width ¼ inch (the crown slants in where the brim is begun). The hats may be bent into various shapes, some with both sides slightly tipped up, even tri-corn shape or left flat.

After the hats are made I shape them and when dried I give them two coats of clear lacquer. Then I mix my own colors to achieve the desired shade and give them either one or two coats of this. They are then left to dry thoroughly.

For the purpose of drying the hats I made a stand by using the lid of a cardboard box, filling it with wet plaster and sticking in numerous wires. When the plaster hardened the wires were securely anchored but could be bent in any direction.

THE HAT trimmings are varied, some being little French bows of satin ribbon or tiny flowers which are also hand made. At first I used only a paper base for these flowers but found that they sometimes cracked if dropped, so I experimented and now I laminate sheets of organdy and shelf paper (on the order of small children's picture books), making them quite durable, so they neither break nor tear. Tiny disks, some plain and some with petaled edges, are cut from these sheets and threaded onto buttonhole twist with the knot forming the flower center. They are then dipped into liquid plastic and strung up to dry and then are painted by hand. The leaves are made in the same manner, some plain and others with serrated edges. For tiny clusters of cherries, pearl beads were used until I discovered that I could make them of clay at less expense.

Some of these chapeaux are adorned with tiny plumes and others with more tailored-type feathers, which are used in making fishing flies and are many-hued and delicate but perfect in size and shape, making them just right for the miniature hats.

When I first began I would sew on the trimmings, but now I use a plastic cement.

After the hats are trimmed the hollow crown is filled with cotton and small disks, cut from art paper, matching the hat color, are cemented over this; then the earring and pin backs are attached with a generous amount of cement. A bit of one's favorite perfume may be poured on the paper disks, being absorbed by the cotton beneath as only the edge of the disk is cemented.

THE HAT boxes are made of cardboard, the kind used for poster making, which may be bought at stationery stores. The four pieces of my pattern consist of two long strips and two oval, rather than round, disks. The diagrams show the dimensions and method of putting together these pieces. The two strips are pasted to sheets of shelf paper. When cutting these laminated strips, leave one inch of the paper extending on one end so when the two ends of cardboard are brought together this extension is lapped over and pasted, thus holding the cylinder in place. Both the upper and lower sides are done in the same way, Then place these cylinders on a piece of paper well smeared with paste and for the top push down the larger disk through the short cylinder onto the paste and hold it in place until it adheres. Then, leaving 1½ inches extending around beyond edge, cut out and clip paper and paste to side strip. The lower half is similarly done, using the slightly smaller disk for the deeper cylinder.

After these are set they are covered with "gift wrap" paper. I always endeavor to get a striped paper to simulate more nearly that on fancy hat boxes.

The labels are also hand made through the use of silver embossing powder and ink. Kits for this are available and contain a bottle of embossing ink and one bottle each of silver and gold powder which is sprinkled on the ink and then held over heat; raised lettering is the result.

These labels are made on white paper. The name is outlined with a jagged line, which I cut around, thus making an attractive label. These are pasted on the lid and under the bottom as stated previously.

At first I used two long strips of ribbon anchored under the bottom labels, but in tying and untying these the ribbon became wrinkled, so now I make a bow of several loops and fasten it securely to a strip running across the lid and which is glued inside; two other strips come up each side from the bottom label and are glued inside the top edge, thus giving the same effect, but the lid can be removed without disturbing the ribbon bow.

Tissue paper is used just as in a regular hat box, and, when the earrings are put in first, the larger hat peeks out of its tissue nest just as does milady's new spring bonnet.

The larger hat may be worn anywhere on suit or dress, on shoulder, front or belt, or may also be pinned on one's purse or bracelet. The sets have been purchased as birthday or other gifts, as bridge prizes or just to add the right touch to a costume.