Frugal flocking chronicled in writer's historical account

Festive frugality is nothing new, as writer Elizabeth Findley Shores of Little Rock demonstrates in her new book based on her grandmother, Earline's Pink Party: The Social Rituals and Domestic Relics of a Southern Woman, to be released in spring 2017 by the University of Alabama Press.

"My grandmother, Earline Moore Findley, used soap flakes, cornstarch and food coloring to make pink snow for a large Christmas tree that was the piece de resistance of her decorations for a bridal tea on Dec. 22, 1948," says Shores, whose books focus on social customs and creativity in the first half of the 20th century. "At the time, many middle-class women made party decorations by hand, often with a color scheme, and the local newspaper described their artistic efforts in detail.

"The pink snow, called flocking, was goopy, messy stuff so Earline probably had her husband erect the tree in the bay window of their living room before she applied the mixture," says Shores, adding that the Findleys always used cedars for Christmas trees. "And because cedar needles will scratch and sting, she probably wore long sleeves or a coat for the project, grasping each branch with one hand and spreading the flocking with the other," she says. "To allow the flocking to dry, she had to complete it at least a day before the tea."

-- Linda S. Haymes

HomeStyle on 12/10/2016

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