Letter Openers of Myrtlewood
JALTER L. GOSS, 75 years old, of Lawndale, California, makes unique TV letter openers from the myrtlewood tree which grows in Oregon.

This wood is of fine texture, extremely hard, with a variety of colors and curiously-formed grain. Colors range from silvery grey through warm tan, vivid browns and blacks.

Only about one tree in fifty is suitable for making the novelties.

These require years of seasoning in the open air, and another seasoning period in Goss's shop in order to cure properly and bring out the natural beauty of the wood.

From pieces of myrtlewood, Goss cuts strips 9 inches long, 1½ inches thick, and about 3 inches wide. He carves and smooths out designs with a sharp pocketknife, and then sandpapers them to a shining finish.

With each letter opener, which sells for from $1.25 to $2, Goss sends a mimeographed story of "The Mystery of the Myrtlewood." Last Christmas alone he sold six dozen of these novelties with a practical use.

Pins for Left Handers

I'm left handed and for years I complained about the fact that all broch and breast pins are made for right handed people are very difficult for a left handed person to put on straight.

Finally my husband made me a "Scotty" dog pin of copper with a safety pin soldered to the back and turned in the opposite direction from that of other pin fasteners.

He bought the copper by the pound in a sheet 6 by 12 inches. Using a sharp pointed instrument (a scratch awl or a scriber) he then marked out the outline of the dog, fastened the copper with a "C" clamp on a "V" board and cut with a jeweler's saw.

He filed the rough edges and etched in the details of the dog's hair and eyes with the same instrument in marking the outlines.

He soldered the safety pin to the back. Then he polished and lacquered. From sixteen to eighteen pins can be made from one piece of copper.

So a good profit can be made by selling the pins at almost any price. My husband receives 50 cents for each piece that he sells.

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Go to the Make Your Own Lens rectangle button at the top left corner of this page.

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Gardens That Grow On Buttons

MANY PERSONS think that a profitable hobby must start with a huge financial investment.

To the contrary, there are hobbies that take only discarded materials plus imagination to turn them into money.

Take Mrs. Florence Casebolt who made miniature gardens, button gardens she calls them, by the hundreds and thousands; and all of the necessary materials for making them are found in almost any home.

When she first started making the gardens,- she gave them to friends and placed them on exhibit at the Red Cross and other charity shows.

They drew so much attention that
she felt they were worthy of wider
circulation.

Soon she began making button gardens
for hospitals from Canada to the Hawaian Islands.

These gardens were colorful, scenic, something to talk about and easy to care for.

Encouraged by continued growth her gardens spread to
Gift shops where her imagination expanded and soon gardens featured minature squirrels and bears while others featured shells for beach settings.

She even turned her thriving business into a mail order mini empire.

But not by shipping the button gardens instead creating kits so others could show off their creativity and make their own.

Five complete gardens you could put together yourself sold for 5 dollars!

Soon button gardener's grew like wild flowers.

All that was needed besides the kit was a bit of dexterity and a fine imagination.