Book Review: Gifts for Baby - Toys, Clothes & Nursery Accents to Make with LoveWritten by Merry Vincent
By Joanne O'Sullivan ©Copyright 2003 128 pagesWith Christmas fast approaching, there is still time to create a thoughtful gift, for special baby, in your life. This book includes projects for, both, those who sew and those who enjoy crafts, alike. In addition to easy to follow instructions, and colorful photos of each project, book also covers topics such as choosing right gift, tips on fabrics and embellishments, common stitches, gift presentation ideas, safety issues, and a helpful, standardized baby sizing chart. Templates for each project are included, as well. Another interesting feature of Gifts for Baby is fact that Ms. O'Sullivan has included several examples of "welcoming new baby" traditions, which cover various cultures, and time periods. Did you know that in Cambodia strings with money attached are tied around a baby's wrist as presents? Or, in Ancient Greece new parents placed a piece of woolen fabric over their door, to announce birth of a baby girl? A wreath made of olive branches was placed over door, if child was a boy. All of projects are practical. These gifts will be used, not stored in top of a closet. Many of them are educational, in nature.
| | The Gifts We Give our DogsWritten by Carolyn Schweitzer
Whoever coined phrase, "It's a Dog's Life" wasn't familiar with 21st century dogs. Time was when average canine slept outside, ate whatever scraps of food were tossed his way, and if he was lucky, was thrown occasional bone. He was even expected to earn his keep! Times have changed. As world has grown more affluent, so have our pets. We're obsessed with keeping our canine companions happy, healthy, and properly accessorized. So much so that many of us worry about our own welfare less than that of our dog. This didn't happen overnight-- trend started decades ago. Take, for example, my grandmother Rose. During 60's and 70's, Rose and Henry discovered cruise vacations. On every cruise, whenever they pulled into port to "shop", Rosie made it her mission to find stray dogs and feed them. She'd head straight for butcher, buy a few pounds of fresh meat, and comb islands for hungry and homeless. She would exclaim, "It's a crime way these animals live!"-- in spite of fact that people of those islands were desperately poor! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not passing judgment on Grandma, or anyone else. I spoil my pets as much as next guy or gal, and take immense pleasure in it. Truth be told, I'd rather hang out with my dog than with a whole lot of people I know. We share a special bond, my best friend and I. Hey, admit it... lots of you feel same way! The fact is, man has always had a close relationship with animals, and has enjoyed having pets around for companionship. Having a pet can bring great pleasure into our lives, and is believed to have a therapeutic effect on owner. For empty nesters and those who've delayed or opted out of having kids, pets almost take place of children. We bond with our pets especially because they don't judge us. Dogs in particular offer kind of unconditional love we all crave. They're always thrilled to have us around! So, how do we spoil our pets? Probably in much same way that we spoil our children! Aside from all of care attention lavished on America's pets, a tremendous amount of money is spent providing goods and services that were once deemed a luxury-- but are now considered essential. Today's dog sees vet for regular checkups. She eats premium dog food and munches on gourmet doggie treats, is enrolled in obedience classes, and runs agility courses. She has her own collections of toys, clothing, and possibly even dog jewelry and canine cologne. She sleeps indoors on a luxury orthopedic bed and takes shelter outdoors in her cedar dog house. She wears a safety harness when riding in family car, a reflective vest on hunting trips, and rain gear in foul weather. She can even dodge UV rays with a pair of doggie sunglasses. Her responsibilities are few. I could go on (don't worry, at some point I will!). But one of most notable signs that we regard our dogs as members of our family is fact that we buy them gifts. A dog gift for holidays, a dog gift for a special occasion, or a dog gift to show our appreciation for how much our dogs appreciate us. Any reason will do. Heck, we even wrap our dog gifts! Here are some very interesting statistics regarding gifts for pets:
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