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One day Mrs. Willits wanted to visit a friend in a hospital, who was allergic to the scent of fresh flowers. Mrs. Willits decided to take her a bouquet of her paper flowers. Her friend was so pleased with this little gift that she showed the bouquet to other patients, nurses and doctors. The following week Mrs. Willits repeated her visit and her friend greeted her with a big smile. "Surprise!" she said, and proffered an envelope filled with orders from patients and nurses. Mrs. Willits was very proud that her little bouquet had proved so popular, and eagerly she promised to fill all the orders. As her hospital customers insisted on payment to her, she finally agreed to a very moderate price to each one, as she still considered this craft as a pleasant hobby.

There was still room for improvement, however, as Mrs. Willits learned when one of the nurses remarked that it was a pity that the paper flowers seemed to fade in sunlight, and that the paper grew limp on damp days. As Mrs. Willits was determined to please her customers, she did some intensive thinking as to how to make her flowers more durable. She remembered that her father used to brighten up book covers, maps and lamp shades with an inexpensive fluid he prepared himself. She still had the formula, which consisted of four ounces of gum sandarac (a resin) and eight ounces of denatured alcohol, mixed together.

Somewhere in her possession was a bottle of this solution. She looked around and dug it out. Now she poured the contents in a glass jar and immersed some of her flowers, holding them firmly by the stems. After shaking off the surplus, she hung them up for drying. She was pleasantly surprised with the results. Her flowers not only had stiffened, but they looked more glamorous than ever with a glass-like coating to protect them against soil and moisture. She tried dipping them in lukewarm soapy water, rinsing them with cold water, and letting them dry in the open air to find out if they were washable. Everything worked out satisfactorily. Now she hurried to fill her orders, and with satisfaction, she delivered her bouquets. Again her talent was admired and the women were only too willing to pay the asked price for them.

AFTER FIVE years of happiness and contentment, Mrs. Willits' young husband passed away. It all came very suddenly, and she was left with only very moderate means. She was desperate, and did not know which way to turn; how to pay the big doctor bills, or to meet other expenses. Her beauty shop, slacking off in slow seasons, hardly provided for her maintenance and all the other obligations. There was nothing else to do but to find a way to make extra money in her spare time.

One day, just when she felt very low, a friend visited Mrs. Willits, and suggested that she attempt to expand the market for her paper flowers. Mrs. Willits agreed and this was the turning point in her life.

Enthusiastically, she told all her friends and neighbors, and also her customers in the beauty parlor about her idea, showing them samples of her flowers. Some of her neighborhood stores offered to help her to start, and they put her business card in the corner of their windows. Others allowed her to place a little display of flowers on the corner of their counters. They recommended her work and took orders for her product. She also did some effective advertising by distributing illustrated circulars in the mailboxes of her community, offering her homework. Gradually the orders came in and her evenings were well occupied. She made bouquets for sale at church bazaars and school exhibits on a commission basis.

She also made giant flowers, and found a market for them for display in windows of women's apparel shops, in lobbies of hotels and as decorations for better restaurants. As orders kept coming in, she decided to buy ready-made paper flowers at wholesale prices, and only do the glaze-coating herself. She also taught some of her friends who were also glad to make some extra money how to do the glaze-coating. Her life started to get rosy again, and she was able to run little steady advertisements in local and club papers. Now she received orders for decorating festivity and dance halls. She made wreaths for cemeteries, and flower arrangements for weddings and birthday parties. Often customers dropped in on weekends and in the evenings to order their bouquets. They were in no hurry to select the colors and liked to talk things over with her. Mrs. Willits knew that it took goodwill to build up a trade and patiently she listened to her customer's desires and promised to get them what they wanted. They considered her more as a friendly adviser, and often unloaded their troubles on her, shoulders. With her friendly attitude, her prompt services, and her moderate prices, she made a very satisfying and comfortable income.

THE COST of her glaze-coated flowers varied according to the size of the bouquet. Mrs. Willits had to take into consideration all the material she used and the cost to her; her time for production and other small expenses. Of course she did not want to overcharge her customers, but on the other hand, she had to figure out enough profit to make a sale worth-while. Mrs. Willits sold a small bouquet for 75 cents to $1.50. As her expenses on material were only moderate, she sold her flowers with a net profit margin of about 70 to 80 per cent. Her homemade liquid-glaze amounted to about $2 for sixteen ounces, which is very inexpensive, considering that the surplus can be used again. Glaze-coating for a small bouquet usually ran from 6 to 10 cents, or even less. Sometimes she also sold the matching containers or wax holders for her flowers.

Some of her customers were eager to learn this fine work, and asked her to teach them. She decided to paint the sun parlor gaily and convert it into a classroom. Mastering the craft well enough to know all the finer points and being able to answer all questions regarding it, she had confidence in her ability to please and satisfy any person who wanted to learn the craft.

Mrs. Willits decided to conduct her classes in the evening as this was the most convenient time for the housewives who were busy with their household duties and children during the daytime. She started her lessons with eight pupils and charged $1 a lesson per person. The women had to sign up for a course of ten lessons, making a down payment of one-third. Mrs. Willits purchased the needed materials herself at wholesale prices. Her pupils profited by receiving the benefit of a discount. She was now very busy and swamped with orders and decided to hire help for her beauty shop. Some of her pupils helped her to fill orders, as one customer told the other, and also the school was a good advertisement for her profitable hobby.

For two years her work provided more than living expenses and allowed also for some extra luxuries. Mrs. Willits had already a substantial amount of capital saved up with which she intended to open a little gift shop downtown in Providence.

About that time Mrs. Willits went to visit a friend in San Francisco, California. A few weeks later her friends in Providence learned that she had remarried. As her husband was settled in California, they returned to Providence and sold Mrs. Willits' beauty shop and artificial flower business.

NOW, MRS. WILLITS is a busy housewife, living in San Rafael, California. She considers her first duty to keep her husband happy, and she also busies herself with her plants and pets. She attends many social affairs and makes new friends, but best of all she loves to create again with her hands. She makes beautiful gifts, something personalized and unique, that cannot be bought in a store. She paints wall plates, wooden bowls, novelty boxes for her living room, den, veranda and kitchen; she buys inexpensive unpainted Dresden figures and decorates them with colors, flowers and laces. Mrs. Willits finishes all her objects with a protective glaze-coating against soil and moisture and to add beauty and charm to them. Already orders from admiring friends and neighbors have started to come in; they suggest their favorites and Mrs. Willits makes them to order. Her prices range from 75 cents to $4—according to time and material needed to make the handcraft. The demand for her work has at present increased to such a point, that she intends to hire help for the housework in order to devote more of her time to her profitable hobby.

For finishing purposes, Mrs. Willits uses three methods: dipping, brushing and spraying. She does not use any firing or casting, no expensive tools or machinery. The methods can easily be learned and even beginners get good results with the first handcraft.

Mrs. Willits prefers the dipping method for glaze-coating her paper flowers in order to get an even finishing. She uses a glass jar large enough to hold the entire flower. She dips only one flower at a time, lifts it out quickly and shakes it hard against the inside wall of the container, to remove surplus glaze. She places the dipped flower upright in a vase for drying. With an orange stick or a pointed match she puts the petals in place and removes any surplus glaze with a rolled up piece of paper. Flowers can also be placed on a cake-wire or old window frame for drying or may be held upright with spring clothespins.

To keep leaves and stems flexible, she prefers to paint them by hand with a fine brush, giving them only one coat of liquid glaze. It is not necessary to paint the paper flowers, as the original color of the crepe paper shows through the transparent glazing. If a deeper shade is desired, the color should be rubbed lightly along the grain of the paper with a piece of cotton. This work has to be done before the glaze finishing. In order to get beautiful colors it is very helpful to study painted or natural flowers and copy the shades.

For glaze-finishing miscellaneous articles such as novelty boxes, lamp shades, glassware, trays, etc., Mrs. Willits uses the brushing method. It is the easiest method for beginners and good results can be obtained with the first piece. She applies the glaze with a soft brush, exactly the same way as for enamel painting. She starts at the top of the article and paints down, using light even strokes. She is very careful not to overlap the previously applied glaze as this would result in uneven coatings. She places her object to be coated on top of a tin can and turns it slowly while finishing. Each time when the brush is dipped in the glaze, she removes the surplus by slapping the bristles inside against the wall of the glaze container. For better results she gives at least two coats, and allows enough drying time between each coat. Any air bubbles, appearing while coating, she punctures with the end of her brush, or she blows on them.

Mrs. Willits uses the spraying method for glaze-finishing Dresden figures, glass ornaments, etc. In this case the glaze has to be thinned down to a water-like consistency to flow easily through the fine nozzle of the insect or pressure sprayer. She protects the table and wall with paper. She places her object on top of an unpainted small box and turns it while glazing. Also an empty cardboard box can be used for spraying by opening the box at the front side and placing the figure inside. This method is clean and simple. As the glaze is very thin, it is essential to give at least three coatings for stiffening in order to obtain a china-like appearance.

AT THE present time there are many good liquid-glazes on the market which are ready to use, also automatic sprayers with glaze can be operated with good results. Only a very small amount of glaze is necessary for coating an object, and as the remaining glaze can be used again, the cost of commercialized plastic glaze is not great. Mrs. Willits buys her transparent glaze in a paint store, and follows the directions religiously. The results of the finished products are the same: a durable protective coating with a brilliant transparent finish.

Mrs. Willits decorates kitchen wall plates by giving paper plates first a heavy coat of glaze as a sealer. After drying, she paints them with enamel colors, and then decorates them by pasting decals of butterflies, flowers or fruit on them. Finally she applies one or two coats of plastic liquid glaze. She lets them dry overnight, and glues on paper hangers or ribbon on the back for hanging-up-purposes.

Mrs. Willits fashions flowers and novelty jewelry from ordinary shells, which she gathers along the beaches where the tide has washed them. When she wants a special kind, she purchases them. If they are not clean, she soaks them in a household bleach bath and then scrubs them with a small brush. After they are dry she tints them by rubbing some dainty colors inside the shells. If she wants the whole shell painted, she immerses them in a watercolor dye bath. The paint should be so thin that none of the beautiful transparency is lost. Some shells are prettiest in their natural sea-born color. They can be used as they are and be glamorized with a transparent liquid coating. Mrs. Willits makes attractive souvenirs from shells, such as ashtrays, frames, etc. Shell decorations are easy to do and a lustrous finish gives a professional appearance to the objects.

Mrs. Willits makes attractive doilies, covers for books and pictures from wallpaper. She says: "It is not necessary that these beautiful patterns always go just on the wall. The designs may be adapted to interesting ornaments." Before cutting the wallpaper, she determines what design she wants to use and then she cuts off the surplus. The backing material may range from heavy cardboard to very heavy paper, and mounting in the frame can be done by merely using the picture. After coloring the background, she pastes the design on the cardboard, allowing drying time, and then gives the whole picture one or two coatings of transparent glaze.

MRS. WILLITS uses wooden bowls not only for practical purposes, but also as decorations, and places them on her buffet. For her outside luncheons she painted a set, consisting of a large bowl with matching spoon and fork, six smaller bowls and six wooden plates. This gay outfit adds individuality to her table and the good designs make living more interesting. Before she starts decorating she plans a color combination. In her mind it looks like a pretty painted picture. She starts by sanding the bowls down with fine sandpaper, then she applies one coat of transparent plastic as a sealer against moisture. When her bowls have a beautiful grain pattern, she adds very little decoration, as often a natural grain surpasses any hand applied colored design.

Decorating wooden bowls is simple and fun to do. When a bowl is made from basswood, Mrs. Willits paints the inside with an enamel paint after sealing it first with a plastic glaze-coat. On some bowls she uses free hand drawings, on others she pastes decals. Also fancy and fantastic designs, cut out of magazines, are very effective. The rim might be painted in one or more contrasting colors. After she completes the decoration, she lets the bowl dry overnight, then she gives a finishing of two or three coats of plastic liquid glaze. For a decorative mellow appearance she buffs the bowl with wax, or she applies a coat of orange shellac. Wooden bowls should never be soaked in water, but only wiped off with a damp cloth and rubbed dry with a soft rag.

Mrs. Willits has one desire to make her dreams come true; that is to open a little gift shop some day. She would then sell her own handcraft articles, and maybe also some antiques and greeting cards. She loves to deal with people and help them to choose beautiful things, the right object for the right occasion.

"Glaze coating," she says, "is a fascinating home craft and the demand is increasing from year to year. This technique once mastered may be applied also to many faded and worthless objects around the house, down in the basement, and up in the attic. A few cans of enamel and plastic liquid glaze can do wonders, and give new life and brilliance to all kinds of articles. Give your community something different, something that is desirable and attractive, but do not expect to get rich overnight, and you will not be disappointed. You can start right in your own home in a small way and grow up gradually.