Books:

Discovered! 505
Odd Enterprises

Hidden Dollars

How to Make
Money at Home

Small Business
of Your Own

You Can Own
a Business

The first phase of Mrs. Corey's hobby began five years ago when she and Mr. Corey were vacationing in Florida. Up to that time she had been kept busy with routine duties on their dairy farm near Lafayette, Oregon, and had given little thought to hobbies of any kind. After disposing of their farming interests, the Coreys purchased a trailer and set out to see the country, the first winter being spent in Florida and other points of interest in the south.

Even though vacationing was enjoyable, the energetic Mrs. Corey was fully aware of the fact that idleness breeds discontentment and was determined to avoid such a catastrophe. A hobby, she reasoned quite logically, might be a satisfactory solution to her problem. With that thought in mind she cast a quizzical eye at every handmade item she saw in shops, hoping to glean an idea for some type craft work that would be suitable for her to pursue in the somewhat crowded quarters of their trailer home. Finally she decided to try making a small basket from pine needles and raffia. With nothing to guide her but the vision of one she had seen displayed in a shop window, and her enthusiasm, she set out to make her first piece of pine needle work. As in any craft that is self-taught there are certain tricks that have to be learned by trial and error. The work proved to be so fascinating that she kept making more and more of the little baskets for her own use and to give as gifts.

At the time it never occurred to Mrs. Corey to commercialize on her hobby. Sufficiently satisfying was the feeling that her new-found hobby was something to which she could turn whenever restless or lonely. Several years passed before her hobby became profitable and then it came about quite by accident.

BECAUSE SEA shells were somewhat of a novelty to her, Mrs. Corey often picked up and saved some of the smaller and more unusual types that washed ashore near camps where they often stayed. She put them to no particular use until the summer of 1952 when they were spending some time at their home town in Oregon. Suddenly it occurred to her that just as a good cook often combines a little of this with a little of that to make a more tasty dish, so might she combine shells with her pine needle work to achieve a more unusual and interesting type of craft work. Not until she had worked out the idea to her complete satisfaction did she show her creation to anyone except her husband. Then, proud of her achievement, she told one of her friends that she had a bouquet she had brought from Florida she would like to show her. The bouquet was in reality a spray of flowers made from shells covered with an oval-shaped convex glass and bordered with a frame made of pine needles. The manner in which the flowers were arranged on a black background, as well as the convex glass, gave the picture a three-dimensional effect. The initial showing of the picture really started things! Her friend wanted to buy it and Mrs. Corey obligingly sold it to her. Soon other friends and relatives ordered one or more of the unusual pictures and so without any effort on her part she was launched on a profitable hobby.

Within a few months' time, Mrs. Corey had taken in nearly $600 from her pine needle and shellcraft project. Her six-by-eight-inch oval pictures were selling for from $2.50 to $3.75 each. Her profits would have doubtless been greater had she devoted full time to her hobby. During that particular period there were many times while the Coreys were traveling and sightseeing that little or no time was spent on craft work.

LIKE THE true hobbyist she is, Mrs. Corey does not withhold the secrets she has learned while making these clever pictures and other similar items. She warns that there are two distinctly different crafts to be learned before combining the two, each requiring a certain amount of practice before desirable results can be expected.

"One of the first steps," says Mrs. Corey, "is to make ready the foundation upon which the shell picture will be mounted and around which the pine needle frame will be constructed. This foundation may be made from medium weight cardboard, such as hosiery or shirt boxes. Lay glass on cardboard and trace around it with a pencil; cut cardboard ¼ inch larger than the size of the glass since this extra margin is needed onto which to sew the pine needles. The next step is to make the pine needle frame."

While Warren Corey asserts that he has little to do with his wife's hobby, he does help considerably by gathering and preparing the pine needles. The variety of needles that are best for this particular purpose are those which come from the longleaf pine tree (Pinus palustris or commonly called turpentine pine). The needles from these trees are extra long, often from ten to fifteen inches, and are more flexible than the shorter types. Because this type pine tree is more plentiful in the south than elsewhere, Mr. Corey gathers an abundance of the needles while they are touring in such localities so his wife will have an ample supply to draw from when they are living in other regions where such choice needles are not available. For convenience and to conserve on storage space he sorts the needles, saving only the usable ones which he ties into compact bundles that are easily stored in a cabinet drawer.

By removing the end from a discharged rifle cartridge (.22 caliber) Mr. Corey made a simple device which his wife finds most useful for a guide through which the pine needles can be drawn as the frame is being constructed. After removing the hull-like substance from the blunt end of the pine needles, Mrs. Corey draws a bunch of them through the guide, using a sufficient amount to fill it completely; however, the guide should not be packed so tightly that it will be difficult to slip it forward as work progresses.

When working with pine needles in a climate where humidity is high no preliminary preparation is necessary. If, however, lack of moisture has made them dry, they may be restored to a workable condition by wrapping them in wet towels for a few hours.

Using natural color raffia, which she purchases in one-pound hanks for 55 cents each, and a large-size darning needle, Mrs. Corey begins sewing the pine needle border onto the cardboard. In making the first round it is often necessary to use a small pair of pliers to pull the needle through the cardboard. With the guide pushed a few inches ahead of the starting point, Mrs. Corey makes the raffia stitches on a slant, spacing them about ⁵/8 inch apart. The pine needle roll is bound tightly to the cardboard with simple overcasting stitches. When within several inches from the tip end of the roll, Mrs. Corey adds more needles to keep the guide full at all times. She adds the needles, a few at a time, to the center of the rolls, blunt end first. By so doing there are never any ends protruding which, unless this precaution is taken, is often the case. After binding the first row of pine needles to the cardboard with the diagonal stitches, Mrs. Corey works backward to make another row of stitches that cross at the top of the row of needles. When completed, this brings the worker back to the point of beginning and the second row is begun. Only the first row is attached to the cardboard; all other rows are sewed together by holding the roll of pine needles tightly against the preceding row and are caught with overcasting stitches through the raffia at the point where the stitches cross at the top of the first row.

Mrs. Corey finds the pine needles settle into position better and the roll is made more solid if the needles are given a slight twist as sewing progresses. She also discovered the raffia is less apt to become "ragged" if it, too, is twisted slightly. When the length of raffia is nearly all used, a new piece may be knotted to the short length and the knot drawn to an inconspicuous place between rows or to the back of the cardboard. Work is continued as described until the frame is made the desired width. To achieve a neat and unnoticeable ending of the roll of pine needles that form the outer edge of the frame, Mrs. Corey first removes the guide and reduces the size of the roll by using less needles until a slender, tapered end is made. The end is brought to the back of the frame and securely sewed into position. A firm loop is then made from raffia and is attached to the frame for a hanger.

Mrs. Corey usually makes four rows of the pine needles to frame a six-by-eight-inch picture. Three of the rows are made before placing the glass in position; the last row (the fourth) is added to the inner row of the frame and in addition to being a part of the frame serves as an anchor to hold the glass in place. The sewing of this row is the last work done and is, therefore, not done until the shell decorated picture is made and placed under the glass. At this point Mrs. Corey temporarily changes from a pine needle craftsman to a shellcraft artist.

Using the glass as a guide, Mrs. Corey cuts a piece of velour paper to fit smoothly onto the cardboard, gluing it lightly to hold it in position. This velvet-like paper is obtainable in different colors and is sold by the sheet, approximately thirty-six inches square, for 50 cents. The color of this paper, which is used for the background of the picture, is a matter of individual taste but Mrs. Corey finds a deep, dark shade enhances the beauty of the shells more than if a vivid or lighter color is used.

WHILE ALMOST any floral pattern or like design can be reproduced in shells, Mrs. Corey usually creates a spray-like design having curved lines that conform to those of the oval frame. A vase or bowl made of cockle or coquina shells and filled with a floral arrangement made of smaller shells is also a suitable design for framing. Although she sometimes "borrows" designs from floral pictures in magazines or on post cards, more often Mrs. Corey sketches her own designs free-hand. Because lines made with a lead pencil do not show up clearly on the dark color paper, Mrs. Corey uses a white or yellow colored pencil to draw the design lightly before cementing the shells into place. Sometimes, when in an extra adventurous mood, she constructs her design directly on the paper without any kind of guide lines.

"I would advise the beginner to practice considerably before attempting to make up a design in shells without a pattern or sketch to guide her," says Mrs. Corey. "Mistakes loom up horribly on the soft finish of a dark background and are extremely difficult to correct once they are made." The choice of shells, colors and designs rests with the individual artist. However, as is the case with any craft work, the worker is less apt to become discouraged if a simple design is used for the first attempts.

Many of the flowers Mrs. Corey uses in making a picture, such as daisies, roses, violets, forget-me-nots and pansies, are made up separately on a piece of glass she keeps just for that purpose; later they are attached to stems and combined with shell leaves to form the desired designs. The flowers are constructed from shells varying in size from the tiny lilac to the larger size face shell. Medium-size cup shells lend themselves especially well to the making of roses which Mrs. Corey uses freely in many of her pictures.

THE PROCEDURE for making any flower which requires the grouping of several shells is much the same. By way of illustration, Mrs. Corey offers the following directions for making a rose: Using transparent cement, which may be purchased at shell supply houses or craft shops for 30 cents a tube, squeeze a drop on a piece of glass or heavy wax paper. With tweezers pick up six or eight medium-size cup shells one by one, touching the edge of each with a bit of cement, and arrange in a circle at the edge of the drop of cement. Always overlap each shell slightly. Cement additional shells to the center, arranging in rose bud fashion. Allow to stand until cement hardens, then cut free from glass with a sharp knife or razor blade. Pigtail plastic-covered wire, which costs about 10 cents a yard, is used for flower stems. Cut wire the desired length. Twist one end around to form a circle somewhat smaller than the bottom of the flower. Squeeze a drop of cement on the wire circle and mount flower on cement. Let stand undisturbed until cement is completely hardened. The wire may then be bent to give the flower a natural appearance.

Another type flower, slender and spike-like, is easily made and adds interest to almost any floral arrangement. Here's how it is made: glue a piece of cotton the size you wish the flower to be when completed around a wire stem; next spread glue all over the cotton and roll in tiny lilac shells until the cotton is completely covered and a flower-like appearance is achieved.

The final step in the construction of the shell picture is accomplished when the individually made flowers, stems and leaves are cemented into position. At this point the artist is either disappointed or delighted with her efforts. Much depends on the artist's ability to create pleasing color combinations and to arrange the flowers in an artistic manner—both can successfully be accomplished as the worker gains experience. Mrs. Corey warns that extreme care must be taken as the arrangement is cemented into position, since the velour paper spots easily; any misplaced bit of cement is there to stay. Therefore, the exact placing of each shell leaf and flower should be predetermined and only a sufficient amount of cement used to hold each in place.

The completed shell picture is then covered with convex glass. Mrs. Corey buys the glass by the dozen, paying $1.78 for the six-by-eight size. At this point she reverts to the pine needle work. Using the same size roll of needles as she had used in making the three rows of the frame, Mrs. Corey places them on top the glass, fitting the roll snugly against the edge of the first or inner row of the frame. As before stated, this row now being added holds the glass tightly in place and is overcast with raffia to the frame by the same method as was described earlier in this article. When completed, the frame is given a coat of clear shellac. Some larger pictures are covered with oval or round sheets of flat glass and used for trays. These bring as much as $25 each.

Mrs. Corey also makes wall plaques, decorating them with shells. These are not framed with pine needles and, since much less time is spent in making them and the material cost is slight, she sells them for 75 cents each. The plaques are made from a square (4¼ by 4¼ inches) piece of tile, marbleized or plain, such as is often used in finishing the walls of bathrooms or kitchens. Onto the tile square she cements a shell floral arrangement. The cost of the tile and the sticket-type hanger which she attaches to the back does not exceed 10 cents each.

When Mrs. Corey first started using shells for making craft items she gathered most of them from the beach. Many of these she dyed herself. Artist's oil paints, mixed with gasoline or lacquer-thinner, were used for the purpose. However, both the gathering and the dyeing proved to be quite time-consuming so now she relies almost entirely on buying ready prepared shells from supply houses. The fifteen or more varieties she uses vary in price. The average price, when purchased in small quantities, is about 25 cents for three packages. Prices are considerably less when the shells are bought in large quantities.

Like many craftsmen who utilize some basic materials that are free for the gathering, it is naturally difficult for Mrs. Corey to estimate accurately the actual cost of each item she makes from pine needles and shells. However, all things considered, she is certain it does not exceed 35 cents for each of the pine needle framed shell pictures made up with the six-by-eight size glass. She is able to make three such pictures, ranging in price from $2.50 to $3.75, in a day in addition to doing her routine household duties.

PRACTICALLY ALL of Mrs. Corey's sales are made by direct contact with people she meets at trailer courts. Because the Coreys travel extensively, new contacts are easily made as they take up temporary residence at various courts from Alaska to Florida. One characteristic common to most trailer court inhabitants is that they are a gregarious type of people. Therefore, it is not surprising that acquaintanceships are easily and quickly made. While Mrs. Corey never goes from door to door to try to sell her craft work she does make it a point to let fellow trailerites know her products are for sale. She finds one good way to advertise is to work on her products outside the trailer whenever weather permits. If for no other reason than curiosity, people often stop to watch as she works. Frequently watchers become customers, or if not customers themselves, they spread the news about her activities, and still others come to watch her work. These onlookers usually leave with a greater knowledge of how her products are made but many leave with less money in their pocketbooks—they cannot resist buying some of her finished products.

Most merchants agree that if you can coax prospective buyers into a place of business so they can see at close range the merchandise offered for sale the chance of making a sale is greatly increased. Mrs. Corey does not have a shop so she uses the outdoor workshop method to attract customers. The Coreys usually spend the winter months in the warm climate of the south while the cool areas of the northwestern states and Alaska attract them in the summer. Following the seasons as they do, enables Mrs. Corey to take full advantage of the outdoor workshop method of advertising.

On a few occasions, Mrs. Corey has sold some of her work to shell shop owners as models, these people finding it advantageous to have displays of unusual pieces that suggest to customers the varied ways in which shells can be used for decorative purposes. Mail orders are few but when Mrs. Corey does fill such an order, an additional charge is made to cover packing and mailing expense. Since Mrs. Corey has no desire to expand her hobby into a large scale business that might demand all her time, she finds the methods she uses to advertise her products bring her all the business she wants.

To people, especially those living in trailer courts, she suggests the following advertising methods: In addition to setting up an outdoor workshop where those passing by can see you at work, make, or have made, a neat and attractive "For Sale" sign. Place the sign in a window or door of your trailer. This sign can be a simple one made of cardboard if it is to be put inside a window away from possible weather damage. Or it can be made of more substantial material and attached to a fixture outside the trailer. The sign should indicate what you have for sale. This method, of course, can also be used if you live in a regular house.

If permissible, place an advertising card in the trailer court office. Many people come and go to such an office and therefore such an advertisement affords an opportunity to let newcomers as well as others know of your activities. This card should specify what you have for sale, your name and the location of your trailer.

If you are going to be located in a trailer court a month or longer, an advertisement in the local newspaper might bring you customers. And, of course, this method can also be used by permanent residents of a town.

Even though your stay at a certain trailer court may be of short duration, shop owners in the vicinity, or in your hometown if you are a permanent resident, often welcome the opportunity to display craft products on a consignment basis. If your products create enough interest and sales are readily made the shop owner may give you an outright order. If, on the other hand, he wishes to continue handling your work after you leave, it is advisable to have a full understanding as to how your product will be displayed, how long it will be held before it is returned to you, who will pay the return postage or express, etc. You, as a consignor, should keep the shop owner posted as to where you can be reached if additional items are needed.

At some of the larger trailer courts and in many towns and cities hobby shows are sometimes held, the exhibits being made up of work done by people living at the court. Never pass up an opportunity to attend such gatherings, displaying your own work if possible. It is a well-known fact that hobbyists like to help one another. Contacts made at affairs of this kind are of great value. Inspiration as well as new and different methods for production and marketing are often gleaned from mixing with fellow hobbyists.

Mrs. Corey advises anyone trying to sell handmade articles to put originality into the product. In her own case she attributes much of her selling success to the fact that she is producing unusual items. She is fully cognizant of the fact that neither of her hobbies, shellcraft or pine needle work is in itself especially unusual; however, by combining the two and creating new and different items from them she has developed a craft that is appealing to many because of its unusualness.