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What I Love with Trudy Dujardin, FASID, LEED AP

Our Brother’s Keeper

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

It’s impossible to honor Earth Day without reflecting on the animals that share the planet with us. Although great strides have been made in animal protection and endangered animal conservation, we still have a long way to go. In our rapidly overpopulating world, where habitat is disappearing and animal species are declining, we have no choice but to see the animals as our brothers, and to do what is in our power to protect them.

One of the more disturbing news items was reported by The Huffington Post on April 14th, with a story about Sudan, the world’s last male Northern White Rhino.The Northern White Rhino has been on earth for 50 million years, but poachers in search of their horns have reduced this once plentiful animal, a subspecies of rhino, to only five left on earth. The last male and two female rhinos of his subspecies are cared for under 24 hour armed guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Two other females live in captivity.

To make Sudan less of a target for poachers, his horn has been removed, and he has been fitted with radio transmitters. It is hoped that the forty year old Rhino will one day be able to produce progeny, and save his species from extinction. Ground rhino horn is considered a health aid in Chinese medicine, and is particularly popular in Vietnam. There are just 1,037 rhinos of all subspecies still roaming wildlife parks and national conservancies.

There are many ways to help animals this Earth Day, from contributing to Save the Rhino, the World Wildlife Fund, or The Humane Society. Or you can do something closer to home, perhaps even in your own backyard.

If you’re using pesticides and herbicides on your lawn and garden, you’re using them on your pets, too. Whatever chemicals collect on your dog’s or cat’s paws and fur stay there until the next time you give them a bath, although unless you bathe them immediately, they have more than likely been absorbed into their bloodstream. Those chemicals also get tracked inside, where they don’t break down, due to the absence of water and sunlight. If you love the look of a vibrant, weed-free lawn, but you also love your companion animals, consider the following:

According to a study conducted over a six-year period at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Tuft University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, a dog’s exposure to lawn pesticides–specifically those applied by professional lawn care companies–raised the risk of canine malignant lymphoma (CML) by as much as 70%.

Dogs at highest risk for acquiring CML were over 50 pounds, living in homes where pesticides and herbicides were professionally applied, and where owners used lawn care products containing insect growth regulators (killing agents).

A 2004 study from Purdue University showed that dogs exposed to chemically treated lawns had a dramatically increased risk of Transitional Cell Carcinoma (bladder cancer). Breeds at highest risk include Scottish Terriers, Shetland Sheepdogs, West Highland Terriers and Beagles.

Many of our ideas about having a perfect, green lawn are leftovers from an era when pesticides were considered safe, and water was plentiful. The ideal of having a lawn like a green carpet began in the mid-1950s, but we’ve learned a lot about the dangers since then. If you don’t have pets yourself, consider that pesticide poisoning kills 60-70 million birds each year in the U.S. alone. Those chemicals also end up in our groundwater, through rainwater runoff, or by leaching through the soil.

I love animals, especially my three Bichons, G.G., Tuffy and Ellie, and want to give them the best possible life that I can. Lawn chemicals aren’t the only way we can unintentionally harm our pets. There are dangers from flea and tick products, and the marketplace is full of low quality commercial food that is not only unhealthy, but can even be contaminated with toxic chemicals, or melamine.

Here are my Ten Tips for keeping your furry friends healthy:

Instead of using commercial pesticides and herbicides on your lawn, hire an organic lawn and garden company that can feed your grass without endangering your pets or family. I use Growing Solutions, an organic lawn and plant care company that is dedicated to maintaining safe, healthy environments for their clients. The owner, Chris Baliko, is knowledgeable, helpful, and very responsive to his customer’s needs.

If you choose to do it yourself, begin by establishing a base of healthy soil. Healthy soil has a high organic content that discourages weeds and disease. You may have a few weeds, but some are actually beneficial, such as clover, which adds valuable nutrients. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection offers helpful information.

Before you apply commercial flea and tick products, be aware that at least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot on treatments were reported to the EPA over the last five years. The EPA assigns risk levels to all pesticides, and has said that some flea and tick preparations contain ingredients that are likely carcinogens to humans. Serious medical reactions for your pet can include heart attacks, seizures, and brain damage.

Alternatives exist! The best pest repellent is a radiantly healthy dog or cat. Fleas are less attracted to healthy animals.

In the house, sprinkle floors with a borate powder (such as 20 Mule Team Borax), then sweep or vacuum it up. It kills flea larvae very effectively without risk of toxicity.

A bath with any kind of shampoo will drown fleas. Just leave the lather on for 3-5 minutes, and you don’t need to use a flea preparation.

Comb your pet regularly with a flea comb to remove fleas from his fur, and dunk the comb in a glass of soapy water to drown any fleas you find.

One of my favorite stores in Westport, Connecticut is Earth Animal. Founded by Dr. Bob and Susan Goldstein to offer products for pets that are pure and natural, they offer a complete holistic flea and tick prevention program. By simply adding powder and drops to your pet’s daily diet, a combination of vitamins, minerals and herbs will change the odor of your pet’s blood chemistry to repel pests. At the same time, it builds their immune system. And it’s available online.

The Goldsteins are also advocates of a home-cooked diet for your dog, and so am I. I like Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health Organic Pre-Mix. You simply add hot water, a protein source such as chicken, beef, turkey or even fish, and a small amount of quality oil. Add a daily vitamin supplement, and your pet will thank you for making her healthier than she’s ever been.

Animals can be easily sickened by toxic household cleaning products, too. You can clean with ingredients from your kitchen, such as lemons, vinegar, and baking soda, or use organic cleaning supplies, such as those made by Seventh Generation.

I have many more tips for keeping your pets safe, including using Bucks Mountain Parasite Dust, among other methods. You can find my previous blog posts here and here. “The greatness of a nation can be judged by how its animals are treated,” said Mahatma Ghandi. We can do a great deal of good by giving all animals the respect they deserve.

Two Hearts and a Hospital

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

I’d like to tell you a story about two hearts and a hospital. One heart belongs to a little girl from Honduras, named Ana Cristina Quevedo. I’ve never met her, but her story matters to me. Little Ana had a congenital heart defect that caused her to struggle to breathe. She used to crouch down on the ground to conserve her energy, as she was often too weak to stand up.

The second heart belongs to my husband, Frank.

The hospital is the Cleveland Clinic.

Until two months ago, when my husband, Frank, suddenly needed open heart surgery, I was aware of the Cleveland Clinic, but only in a general, several-steps-removed way. Frank’s stress test and angiogram that showed an urgent (and unexpected!) need for bypass surgery introduced us to a world many others share, where we were caught up in a whirlwind of doctors, phone calls, questions, answers, and decisions.

Although we were blessed with many excellent options and caring medical professionals, we decided to go to the Cleveland Clinic, for their world-renowned cardiac unit, and some of the most skilled doctors in the world. I wrote about our journey to what we now call The City of Valentines here.

I will always have a love for Cleveland now, and for the Cleveland Clinic. When I learned that the Clinic is a non-profit institution that provides clinical and hospital care along with world-class research and education, in one of the largest and most respected hospital systems in the country, I developed a deep respect for the important work they do every day.

It’s impossible to overstate the incredible lifesaving surgeries and care they perform there. Frank returned home, whole and healthy, but he is simply one of thousands who come in through their doors, and leave to return to a full and vibrant life. The motto and mission of the Clinic is “Patients First.” Frank and I can attest to it. We experienced it first hand.

The Clinic’s March email newsletter told a story of another heart surgery, for little 9-year-old Ana, accompanied from Honduras to the Clinic by her father, Juan Ramon Quevado. Her heart’s congenital defect meant her heart wasn’t strong enough to pump blood throughout her body.

“When we first saw Ana, her fingertips and lips were blue from lack of oxygen in her blood,” said Brain Smith, director of Strategic Project Development at the Cleveland Clinic. He’s also a board member and volunteer for Helping Hands for Honduras, which provides cardiac care to Honduran infants and children with congenital heart defects at no cost to their families.

Ana desperately needed a complex surgery which would reconfigure her heart. It was impossible to perform the surgery in Honduras, so emails and phone calls were exchanged at a frantic pace, and soon Ana was on her way to Cleveland. Helping Hands for Honduras arranged medical visas and passports, and American Airlines contributed airline tickets.

On September 2, 2014, the pediatric cardiac surgical team gave her a second chance at life. Today, she has an oxygen saturation level of 97 percent, well within normal range, and has grown an inch and a half in two months.

Frank and I have become contributors to the Toby Cosgrove Innovation Fund,supporting the clinic in the name of its CEO, Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, and in honor of Frank’s doctors, Dr. Donald F. Hammer and Dr. Edward G. Soltesz. The path we walk through life can open our eyes to needs we never knew were there.

The best paths through life can also open our hearts. Frank’s heart is open today, because of the Cleveland Clinic. They have our lifelong gratitude. Eight weeks after Frank’s life-altering surgery, we’re back home and back to work: healthy and happy!

Frank and Trudy at an installation in New York City

Our journey has included an exploration of wonderful heart-healthy meals. A fabulous book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, by Cleveland Clinic Cardiologist Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., has, in turn, inspired The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, by Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn. Here’s one of our new favorites. If you make it, let me know if you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ted’s House Salad

3 cups spring greens
1/2 jicama, peeled and cut into strips
2 carrots, sliced
1 purple bell pepper or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
2 purple potatoes or red new potatoes, cooked and sliced
1/4 cup raspberries
1 small apple, cut into thin horizontal circles with the beautiful center star featured
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Dressing

2-3 tablespoons hummus, prepared without oil or tahini
1 tablespoon vinegar (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (to taste)
Splash of orange juice

Combine the greens, jicama, carrots, peppers, cucumber, potatoes, raspberries, apple, raisins, and pumpkin seeds in a funky bowl, dress, and serve with wacky tongs!

The wacky tongs are optional.

Every Room Has a Beginning

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Have you ever walked into a room and wondered where to begin? Interior designers face this question all the time. There’s always a starting point, a moment of inspiration. It may be the window with the stunning view and the way the sunlight slants into the room, or a family heirloom or painting that helps define colors and style.

In this case, the entire house we’d first designed and completed in 1995 was picked up and moved across Nantucket Island. Erosion on Sconset Bluff had caused the home to be moved from its precarious position first in 2008, and again only a few years later.

When the house was carefully set down again in its new location facing Nantucket Harbor, it was time to take a new look at the Edwardian-era home. The owners still loved what we created almost 20 years earlier, but wanted an updated version, while still retaining their favorite pieces from the original design. As part of the design process, my team and I began with detailed scaled drawings that showed our concept of the space.

In the living room, the owners loved the custom rug in their favorite colors, with a floral pattern reminiscent of their beloved gardens. The decision to keep the rug I designed in 1994 set the stage for everything that followed. Besides the “green” ideal of re-using existing pieces, it is so rewarding when a client loves what you created so much that they want to keep the feel of the original design from years ago.

Renderings are particularly helpful with long-distance clients. A board was sent to the owners detailing the fabrics, the carpet runners and the faux paint wall treatments. The colors were updated. Celestial blue and white blended with soft touches of buttery yellow would make the home as inviting as a summer sky. The designs, though traditional, were clean lined and reflected the simpler tastes of the 21st century.

Fabrics for the living room were sent for approval, along with the design for window treatment. An up-to-date tailored valance with panels replaced the floral English country house look. Both panels and valance were accented with a custom trim we created from a striped fabric.

We also retained most of the original furnishings, which were reupholstered with new fabrics. The chairs were redone in indoor/outdoor fabric, with cording and tape trim for a touch of detail.

Options for additional pieces of furniture were proposed for the living room. From the pieces submitted, the clients chose two conversation groups and a game table area to be placed by the windows.

An artist created the unique wall treatment, with stenciled shells accenting important architectural features. The shell pattern related the home to the harbor and the sea beyond. The Blue Willow patterned fabric on the sofa pillows recalled Nantucket history and the days when sea captains brought back gifts of Chinese Export porcelain.

In just ten months, we managed a comprehensive house redesign, incorporating favorite pieces from the original home and seamlessly blending them into a sophisticated, 21st century style for an expanding family of parents, grown children, new in-laws, and grandchildren. From a two- to three-month planning and selection phase to a six- to seven-month ordering and implementation phase, we completely redesigned a house with four floors and seven bedrooms.

It was an amazing amount of work in a short time frame, but the clients were happy with every single detail of their new home, and so were we.

Green Gifts

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Finding the perfect gift for the people we love is always a challenge, but so many of us enjoy the blessings of a good life that the task becomes more difficult. What to get for someone who has everything is a common problem, but no one truly has everything. On the contrary, even people who have many material comforts will always find their lives enriched with a gift that honors nature, wildlife, and the earth.

That’s why I love the Natural Resource Defense Council’s list of “Green Gifts.” They’re easy to purchase online, and come with either a print or online card sent to the recipient. Here are a few of my favorites.

Bee a Hero: I’ve written about the plight of honey bees before, and I used to keep bees myself, so they’re near and dear to my heart. More important is the fact that they’re an indicator of the general health of our ecosystems, and today they’re dying at an alarming rate. One third of the human food supply depends on bees for pollination, which is why more beekeepers are being called upon to travel with their hives to orchards and farms to help the process along.

For $25, you can buy a “buzz worthy” gift offered by the NRDC in conjunction with Seedles, a company dedicated to promoting bee health. Seedles will donate bee-friendly wildflower kits, including seeds, pots, compost and instructions, to classrooms which will plant wildflowers.

And in honor of these sweet pollinators, you can buy a Bee Love greeting card from Seedles for just $2.00, drawn by artist Sunny Solwind.

If things that fly are your gift of choice, consider Butterfly Beauty, and add a gift of a half dozen milkweed plants–

the one thing Monarch Butterflies need to survive–for another $25.

Still feeling generous? Add $25 more, and save bees, butterflies and birds with Save a Songbird. Protect Canada’s boreal forest, our continent’s most important songbird nesting area.

All that for under $100!

The Nature Conservancy has their own program. One of the most popular is the “Adopt an Acre” gift. For $50 (or more if you choose), you can help protect some of the world’s most beautiful and diverse habitats. The Nature Conservancy has Adopt an Acre programs in Africa, Australia, Costa Rica, the Northern Rockies, the Appalachians and the Southern Forests of the United States. Pick one and your loved one will receive an adoption certificate along with a fact sheet listing the wildlife you’ve helped to protect.

Still need convincing? According to RecycleWorks.org, household waste increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We throw away four million tons of gift wrapping and shopping bags in America, and buy 2.65 billion holiday cards. With an average of $800 per household spent on holiday gifts, imagine the good we can do if we support earth-friendly organizations.

Don’t forget about your four legged friends! Since 1997, Planet Dog has been recognized as one of the leading socially responsible canine products providers. With their motto “Act locally, think doggedly” to guide their corporate vision, they develop and create premium non-toxic, recyclable “chomped” chews, squeaky toys, leashes and more.

Make this the year that you give less stuff, and do more good. The whole wild world will thank you.

Inspiration Starts Here

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

On my new Dujardin Home website, I say that “Inspiration Starts Here!” I want to inspire all of you to see your home with new eyes, to be delighted with the very special items we’ve searched the world to find, and to find new ways to bring elegance, beauty and health to your lives.

I thought you might be interested to see where my inspiration comes from. My life and my work have taken me to some of the most wonderful places on earth. I have seen so many beautiful sights just this year, from the shores of Long Island Sound where I make my year-round home…

…to the harbor of Nantucket Island…

…from the excitement of New York City…

…to the town of High Point, North Carolina…

… from the castles of St. Andrews, Scotland…

…to the canals of Venice.

Add to that the many showrooms I visit in the Decoration and Design Building and at 200 Lex in New York City, and in Design Centers in other cities around the country. I see and handle sumptuous fabrics, brilliantly designed lights and chandeliers, hand carved wooden case goods and deeply comfortable upholstered furniture. All of it becomes part of my thoughts and my dreams.

Now I’ve realized one of my dreams, which is to bring this beauty and elegance to you. Our curated collection is inspired by the best of what I see and live every day, and the many creative and talented people I meet and work with.

Here I am with John and Chad Stark, of the Stark Carpet Corporation

And we’re just beginning. Stay with me. We’re going to some wonderful places, and I have some more wonderful things to share at Dujardin Home!

From Model-T to Model S

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Imagine if it was possible to drive a car without worrying about polluting the atmosphere, and what you were contributing to climate change. Imagine a country without gas stations, and without dependence on fossil fuels. Imagine more American jobs.

Anyone who has made a commitment to living in an environmentally responsible manner has confronted the difficulty of everyday choices. As one of the first design professionals to embrace green design in the 1980s, I’ve seen huge changes in the building industry, and in the marketplace for sustainable goods and services. As a passionate environmentalist, I’m heartened by the number of manufacturers who are responding to the demands of their customers by making better, greener products available.

I first wrote about electric cars in October, 2012. After highlighting a number of cars available at that time (the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf, the Mitsubishi i-MIEV), I ended with a promise: that my next car would be an electric one.

I’ve kept that promise. I’m now the owner of a new Tesla Model S. I made that choice for a few good reasons, most of them outlined in the first paragraph of this post. Like other writers on this topic have said, I never would have spent this much for a car without Tesla’s advanced technology. I’ve driven a Toyota Prius for some time, and appreciate that hybrid car for what it offers. My new Tesla takes electric technology to the next level.

Here are a few things I considered in making my decision:

1. Zero Emissions and no fossil fuels: This car is 100% free of pollutants, and frees us from dependence on foreign oil sources.

2. Quick recharging capability: A Tesla can be 50% recharged in 20 minutes, and 80% recharged in 40 minutes. If you’re driving a long distance, you can recharge at a supercharger station in the amount of time it takes to grab a cup of coffee and take a comfort break. And with its extensive range (up to 300 miles), most recharging happens overnight. Other electric cars can take hours to charge.

3. It’s Extremely Safe: With all the weight in the floor where the batteries are, the car’s center of gravity is very low, making it safer than many other vehicles.

4. It’s Recyclable: The car’s battery and motor use no rare earth minerals, and the car frame and body are recyclable aluminum. The battery pack is recyclable, too: One of the criticisms of electric vehicles is that a battery pack, once exhausted, becomes waste. But there is a growing aftermarket for these batteries in static energy storage application. That will only grow in the months and years to come.

5. It’s Made in America: The Tesla Model S is made in Fremont, California, at a defunct plant once operated as a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. At the time of my first post on electric cars, Tesla had 3,000 employees. Today, that number has grown to almost 6,000. I like knowing I’m supporting American jobs.

Other Options:

Other than the Tesla, you might consider the Chevrolet Volt, the Smart ForTwo Electric, the Nissan Leaf, or the Mitsubishi i-MIEV.

It’s true that charging your car on the electric grid means that the environmental cost is transferred to the utility company. But battery powered cars are more efficient at converting energy into transportation. My Model S can travel almost 300 miles on a single charge of its battery, which equates to less than three gallons of gas.

We may not have perfect solutions to all our automobile-based problems yet, but supporting new technology is one way to ensure that someone is working on the issues.

A Bookstore on an Island

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

In the fictional bookstore in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, the author offers readers a glimpse into what it must be like to operate that endangered species, an independent, neighborhood bookstore. If you ever watched the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic comedy, You’ve Got Mail, then you’re familiar with the feeling of rooting for the small business owner, the bookstore owner whose heart and soul is tied to the community and the authors she serves.

Bookselling, like most industries, is a complicated business, and I’m grateful for the many booksellers, large and small, that operate across the country. I’ve always been a supporter of my neighborhood bookstores, though, and as a constant reader who buys more books than I can read in a lifetime, I encourage everyone to support them. There’s something charming about the way each small bookseller arranges the world inside his door. Instead of working from a corporate merchandising plan, the lighting, shelves, books and comfortable chairs are one of a kind.

Nantucket Book Partners, which operates both Mitchell’s Book Corner and Nantucket Bookworks, provides islanders and visitors with just that kind of experience . Both locations offer an enticing view into a wide-ranging inventory of books and boundless ideas for what to read next. As is fitting for an island bookstore, they have a wonderful selection of books about Nantucket, whaling and the island’s genealogy. And best of all, they are a true community resource, with book signings for local authors, advertised on their blog through “What’s on the BOOKS?,” a dedication to providing the best in customer service, a blog feature called “Meet a Nantucket Book Worm,” to let us look over our neighbor’s shoulder to see what she’s reading, and even offer space for a weekly Memoir Writing Group in the store.

As the faded sign on the porch of the Victorian cottage that is home to the fictional Island books says, “No man is an island; every book is a world.” A bookstore is a world, too, and we’re lucky to have two to call our own.

Three Lighthouses

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

There is magic and mystery in lighthouses, beacons of safety for hundreds of years for sailors and ships at sea. There is only one manned lighthouse left in the United States today, the very first lighthouse ever built on U.S. soil: Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, established in 1716. We are fortunate to have 680 lighthouses remaining in the U.S. today, though, three of which are located on Nantucket: Brant Point Light, Great Point Light, and Sankaty Head Light.

The very first “lighthouses” were simply bonfires built on hills to guide ships away from dangerous coastlines, with the first known structure appearing in the old city of Alexandria in 285 B.C.E. Julius Caesar described the light, also known as the “Pharos,” as a key part of his strategic advantage in subduing Ptolemy’s armies. The Pharos was one of the tallest manmade structures on earth for centuries, and was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It became an abandoned ruin after being damaged by three earthquakes between 956 and 1323. In 1480, the last of its remnant stones were used to build the Citadel of Qaitbay on the site.

Nantucket’s lighthouses have a long and storied history as well. The most photographed and recognizable Nantucket light is Brant Point Light, seen by every visitor to the island as the ferry rounds Brant Point on its way to the island. The original Brant Point Light was a simple wooden building established in 1746. After it burned to the ground in 1757, it was replaced with a new wooden structure in 1758. That one fell to “a violent Gust of Wind” and began a succession of lighthouses which either burned or were destroyed by storms.

Brant Point Light: Photo by David Fingerhut

The existing Brant Point Light was erected in 1901 as a 26 foot wooden tower, the shortest lighthouse in New England. The Coast Guard took over the property in 1939, when the last lighthouse keeper left.

Brant Point Light: Photo by David Fingerhut

A second lighthouse was added on Nantucket in 1785: Great Point Light. Sadly, the original wooden tower was destroyed by fire in 1816. Rebuilt in 1818, erosion claimed the second lighthouse in 1984, due to a brutal storm with gale force winds.

Great Point Light: Photo by David Fingerhut

On September 6, 1986, a replica was lit, three hundreds yards west of the previous tower. You must have a four wheel drive vehicle and a permit to visit the light, seven miles from Wauwinet. It is part of the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge.

Great Point Light: Photo by David Fingerhut

The last lighthouse built on Nantucket is Sankaty Head Light. As the first U.S. lighthouse to receive a “Fresnel lens,” it was the most powerful light in New England when it was built in 1849. Local fishermen referred to it as “the blazing star,” and it was visible from 20 miles away. The Fresnel lens was replaced by aerobeacons in 1950, but the original lens is on display at the Nantucket Whaling Museum.

Erosion came close to claiming the Sankaty Head Light in 2006, when the tower stood only 79 feet from the edge of a cliff which was losing a foot a year to the sea. The tower was moved 400 feet to a new location, where it safely stands today.

Sankaty Head Light: Photo by David Fingerhut

About the photographer: David Fingerhut specializes in nature photography. His photographs have been shown in 16 countries at exhibits sponsored by the Photographic Society of America. He has been designated a star exhibitor in both Nature and Color Slide Photography. His photographs are for sale as prints, or as high resolution images for publication. Contact him at Davidfingerhut.com.

Photo by David Fingerhut

Sailor’s Souvenirs and Whirligigs

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Are you interested in collecting nautical antiques, but aren’t sure where to begin? There are few things as exciting as beginning a new collection, particularly when the items are reminders of love from long ago. Sailors in the 19th century were often away for long periods of time. It was common practice, then as now, to bring a girlfriend or wife something special when returning home from a long trip. A popular item was a glass rolling pin, often decorated with poetry or artwork. The rolling pin opened on one side so it could be filled with salt, a treasured commodity as a high tax on the preservative made it very expensive until about 1845.

Most of the blown glass cylinders came from Liverpool, Bristol, or Nailsea, all known as manufacturers of glassware. Bristol was the best known; I have two Sailor’s Souvenirs of my own from Bristol. Some of the glass items popular at the time were vases, candlesticks, salt cellars, cups and saucers, and other ornamental items.

Nailsea was quite close to Bristol, actually started by a Bristol glassmaker in 1788. Nailsea made many little “fairings” and love-tokens, including the rolling pins. Some people believe the rolling pins were used to smuggle spirits during the strict British Excise laws. Most likely, however, they were filled not only with salt, but also with spices, cocoa or baking powder.

To keep the salt dry, the glass rolling pins were often hung by a fireplace. Superstitions abounded in the maritime community, and it was thought that if a rolling pin fell to the floor and broke, that the sailor would either be in a shipwreck or lost to another woman.

Another charming folk art collectible is the sailor whirligig. Because the whirligig depends for its movement on the same principles which propels a weathervane, it is thought that the first whirligigs were made by either farmers or sailors, the groups most concerned with wind direction and a change in the weather. “Nantucket” or “sailor” whirligigs were popular toys in the 19th century, and the most common form is that of a sailor twirling his paddle arms.

Supposedly the whirligig was a child’s toy during a time of strict religious practices. A father would whittle a toy that moved by wind alone to entertain a bored child who was forbidden to play during the day. It’s unclear whether or not this is a true story, but the whirligig today is among the most valued of folk art objects, particularly with its original paint.

There are Victorian-era collectibles for any budget, so start searching for some of the beautiful and fascinating items that interest you. Some rolling pins can still be found quite inexpensively; others are rarer and cost more. An interesting source of additional information on folk art and antiques is Jim Linderman’s blog Dull Tool Dim Bulb. Find it here.

Some of these images were found on the internet, and are included under the U.S. Fair Use Law because their inclusion in this post illustrates an educational article. If you are the owner of any image which you believe to be copyrighted, please contact me at info@dujardindesign.com.

Pretty Porches

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Grass is growing, flowers are blooming, and our spirits are lighter, along with daylight lasting longer into the evening. The living areas in our homes expand with patios, decks and porches back in use. The foyer as a transitional space has given way to the garden gate, with paths and borders providing a tantalizing hint into the nature of your home.

Container plants at the door and gate add a lush note. Think of your pots as living architecture. Here the terra-cotta containers are a complement to the brickwork. Blend height with interesting textures and leaf shapes. Although flowers are always beautiful, you can create an arresting focal point with grasses and greenery.

Sometimes less is more, and sometimes, more is more! This cottage garden is overflowing with color and blossoms, and the gravel path is an old fashioned way to lead guests to your door.

Comfort and color go hand in hand when you add brightly colored cushions and throw pillows. Cobalt blue glassware is a lovely accent.

Don’t skimp on outdoor furniture. It should be as sturdy and comfortable as any other piece in your home. A covered porch adds protection from the elements.

A whimsical sign with the name of your summer home is always a fun touch.

Candles make the porch twice as inviting when evening falls. There’s no better place to enjoy a glass of wine with your partner or friends as you watch the stars come out. These are the months we waited for all winter. Take the time to enjoy them!