HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-12-11, Page 19ANCIENT ART-FORM RENEWED
Mrs. Florence Seldon is shown with some of her beautiful works of
decoupage, an ancient art which has been renewed in recent years. Many of her mountings are shown
hanging on the wall while she adjusts the top of a milk can that has been finished to a porcelain-like finish.
Patience and precision needed
Times-Advocate, December 11, 1975 Page 5A
Exeter craftsman masters ancient art form
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This Christmas, some lucky
people will receive beautiful gifts
that.will be distinctively original.
These will be the ones whose
friend or relative had the
foresight to ask Florence Seldon
to make a decoupage mounting of
a very special memento or pic-
ture.
Over the past few years, Mrs.
Seldon has become a master of
the art form of decoupage and
while it is still just a hobby with
her, she finds time to fill orders
for many of her friends and
acquaintances.
Time is of the utmost im-
portance; one piece takes about a
month to complete, work being
done on it for at least a few
minutes each day.
Decoupage (day-coo-page) is
the art of decorating surfaces
with applied paper cutouts. It is a
most skillful art in which one can
achieve a dimensional quality by
cutting and tearing an irregular
edge of a picture. It is sealed,
pasted, then varnished until the
original decoration is so em-
bedded that all the fingertips can
detect is a smooth finish,
Mrs. Seldon applies a
minimum of 20 coats of varnish
before the final sanding and
polishing takes place. It is not
uncommon, however, for her to
apply as many as 30 coats to
enchant a picture,
The exact date of the origin of
the art is not known but some
very old Chinese decoupage of
glazed earthenware and boxes
date back to the 1400's. It was a
popular hobby in the days of
Marie Antoinette but became
virtually extinct in France by the
end of the 18th century.
In recent years, it has enjoyed
a renewed popularity and if one is
patient enough to follow the
methods carefully it can be a
unique and creative hobby.
Florence Seldon is one of these
patient persons, and every piece
of her work bears witness to
Painstaking care and precision.
Gvvyn's Cookery Corner
Mincemeat—
Christmas symbol
Surprisingly enough, mince pie
is perhaps one of our most
symbolic Christmas foods. At
first, it was made in an oblong
shape to represent the manger at
Bethlehem, The lattice top was
created as a symbol of the
hayrack in the stable. The apples
signified growth and fertility with
the New Year, and Oriental
spices were reminiscent of the
gifts of the wisemen.
Mincemeat Ice Cream Pie
1 qt. ice cream (vanilla)
1 c prepared mincemeat
1 2 c slivered blanched almonds,
toasted
1 tsp grated orange peel
9" baked pastry shell
3 egg whites
6 'I' sugar
Stir ice cream just to soften.
Fold in mincemeat, almonds and
orange peel. Fill baked pastry
shell and freeze firm. Before
serving make a meringue from
egg whites and sugar. Com-
pletely cover ice cream with
meringue, being sure meringue
comes to edge of pie. Bake in a
500 degree oven 2-3 minutes or
until lightly browned. Serve
immediately.
Each article is an example of
perfection.
Perhaps because of their
sentimental value, the highest
percentage of her mountings are
made from wedding invitations
or announcements. Wedding
Cranberry Mincemeat pie
1 cup raisins
14 cup boiling water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
11/2 cups cranberries
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon chopped mixed
peel
teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1,4 teaspoon cinnamon
34 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped apples
Pastry for 2-crust, 9-inch pie
1 tablespoon butter
Bring raisins, water, orange
and lemon juice and cornstarch
to a boil, Add cranberries and
continue cooking until skins begin
to pop (2 to 3 minutes). Add next 8
ingredients and cool. Line pie
plate with half the pastry, Pour in
filling and dot with butter. Cover
with pastry, seal edges and cut
steam vents. Bake 10 minutes at
450 degrees F; turn oven control
to 350 degrees F and continue
baking until pie is golden brown.
(25 to 30 minutes) 6 servings.
pictures are also high on the list
as are favorite poems, prayers or
mottos.
However, Florence has moved
into much more elaborate and
larger items such as boxes and
milk cans. These festooned with
antique pictures and motifs, have
a porcelain finish that make them
sought after as decorator pieces
and heirlooms of the future.
Perhaps the most unique and
interesting of Mrs. Seldon's work
are her decoupaged stones, These
are small, flat stones she and her
husband, Wally, pick up on walks
along the beach in summer.
Choosing a picture to suit the
shape of each stone becomes a
challenge and is all part of the fun
Florence says.
Finding the right pictures for
her work takes her into book and
antique stores. Many hours spent
browsing through old Magazines
and sheet music has become an
integral part of Florence's life
since she started this fascinating
hobby.
Decoupage is more than just a
satisfying hobby to fill Florence's
time. She gets satisfaction from
knowing she has created
something someone else also
enjoys. She cites cases of people,
whom she has never met but who
have received a piece of her work
as gifts, and who telephone her to'
express their appreciation.
"It's a nice feeling," she says,
"to know you've made someone
happy."
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Open All Day Wednesday
during December
EGG CARTON ART — Conducting his own re-cycling program is Murray Neil, Victoria Street, shown
with his wife. Mr. Neil changes ordinary egg cartons into works of art, and lovely floral centre pieces, He
also creates perky little angels for Christmas decorations, Mrs. Neil holds a large Christmas
made by her husband from pill containers.
Life memberships
presented to ladies
Caven Presbyterian Women
held their Christmas meeting at
the 'church, Monday evening
when Mrs. Wm. Sillery led
devotions centring around the
mystic city of Bethlehem,
Christ's birth place.
She pointed out that Christians
cannot disassociate the cross
from the manger. "Both are
made of wood," she said, "and
one cannot be celebrated without
taking the other into account,"
Assisting her were Mrs. David
Millar, Mrs. Ronald Iles, and
Mrs. Percy Merkley.
A carol-sing was conducted by
Mrs. Chas. Hoffman, and Mrs.
John Corbett read an interesting
excerpt from a book describing
Christmas, its customs and
traditions in Hawaii.
The new slate of officers was
installed by Mrs. Tom Pryde, the
new president being Mrs. H.H.
Strang.
Three members, Mrs. C.
Murray, Mrs. P. Merkley and
Mrs. R. Iles were presented with
WMS life memberships.
Gifts were brought to be
packed for the sick and shut ins.
Those assisting with the lunch
were Mrs. Harold Simpson, Mrs.
Edna Simmons, Mrs, Gordon
Hoggarth, and Mrs. Art
Whilsmith,
By MRS. FRED BOWDEN
Mrs. Lorne Hicks spent a
couple of days last week with her
sister and brother-in-law, Mr. &
Mrs. Clayton Scheifile in Kit-
chener. •
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Hodgins
and Marikay were weekend
guests at the home of Mr. & Mrs.
Keith Hodgins and family in the
Georgetown area. They were
celebrating Christmas,
Mr. & Mrs. George Snell visited
Sunday with Mr. & Mrs. Casey
Van Der Gulik in Wallaceburg.
White Gift Sunday will be
observed in the United Church
Sunday morning,
A shadow 'of gloom was cast
over the community on Sunday
when it was learned that John
Thompson a highly respected and
well-known resident of the village
had passed away in South Huron
Hospital.
T-A
ball
photo