I want to make these articles entirely practical and within the scope of the readers of THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, so I take a girl's room--a bed sitting-room, because I feel sure that I shall appeal to a wider circle than if I merely dealt with the decoration of a sitting-room only, and I shall hope to show her how much the girl owner may do herself in the beautifying of her "den." I want to avoid launching into expense, so I shall first of all deal with the doing up of old furniture, for in every house one finds what may be called derelicts, articles of furniture which have outwardly at least had their day, and yet like many an old weather-beaten craft there is a lot of good work still in them if one takes a little trouble and spends a little time in putting on a coat or two of paint and a little varnish. I had myself three such derelicts, one a chiffonier which had originally been grained in imitation of mahogany, but which had got chipped and worn until it looked worth nothing more than firing. Yet as a piece of woodwork it was in good condition, for I daresay it was fifty years old, when furniture was much better made than it is now. The first thing was to clean it thoroughly, and to this end I got some soft soap and an old painter's brush (a good scrubbing brush will do), and with some boiling hot water gave it a thorough cleansing. It took some time to do this, for the dirt had collected in the corners, and the grease from two generations of dirty fingers had to be removed. It is most important where you are going to paint to have every vestige of grease removed; otherwise your paint will not dry. While you are washing it have a piece of pumice-stone (procurable at a good oil shop or decorator's colourman), and thoroughly rub down all the old paint so as to remove any roughnesses, blisters or other blemishes, and obtain a nice smooth surface. Don't hurry this part of the work, as much of the after success depends upon your preliminary efforts. Give the furniture a rinse in clean hot water and then wipe it dry with an old towel. The next day or within an hour or two it is ready for the first coat of paint. [Illustration: FIG. 1.--_Chiffonier painted white and decorated with stencilling._] PLAIN PAINTING.