Home & Garden

Design

Kids' walkers were in use for centuries

by Terry Kovel/King Features Syndicate

Friday November 14, 2008, 3:00 PM

Although there were no cameras in the early 19th century, images of children tell much about their lives. This 6½-inch figurine shows a child in a walker. The toy lamb at her foot is a copy of a popular stuffed toy made with real wool. Her hat with a tassel at the back is a European style. The figurine, with a German maker's mark used about 1900, sold for $75.

Mothers in the past, like those today, were eager to see their children walk, and many different toys were created to help.

Most would not be considered safe today because both the baby and the walker could fall. Standing stools, also called baby walkers or baby minders, were shown in pictures as early as the 15th century. By the 18th century the favored design was a wooden frame with four slanting posts and some cross pieces. The baby stood inside the frame and could hold the cross pieces to stand. Some other stools were made with a square base on wheels. The child could push the frame easily because of the wheels.

By the 19th century, there were improvements: a small shelf on the front-held toys; springs added to allow the child to jump up and down. In the 20th century, walkers were made of colorful plastic with all sorts of added shelves and toys. Although the early walkers are rarely seen today, there are some collectible figurines that show children using walkers.

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A reader's refuge

by Mary Beth Breckenridge/McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Friday November 14, 2008, 2:56 PM

LEW STAMP/McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE Mary Lohman's new library in Hudson, Ohio, is part of an overall design by interior designer Susan Lobalzo.

AKRON, Ohio -- A home library is to the brain what a kitchen is to the body.

It's a place for nourishing the mind, for feasting on the comfort food of the written word. For an avid reader, it is perhaps the ultimate escape.

It has also become an attractive feature to home buyers. In a 2007-08 survey by the National Association of Home Builders, 13 percent of potential or recent buyers described a library or den as essential in a new home, and another 50 percent called it desirable.

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Meaningful memories: Scrapbooks offer historians a more personal view

by Jennifer Forker/Associated Press

Friday October 31, 2008, 4:00 PM

Pages from the 1920s scrapbook of Lydia Blanchard, a Louisiana socialite, appear in Jessica Helfand's book "Scrapbooks: An American History." Every page of Blanchard's scrapbook can be viewed at lydiablanchard.net.

Scrapbooks have come into their own.

These very personal, handmade snapshots of a person's life have gained new respect as research tools by historians. Rare-book dealers discuss their monetary value while archivists focus on conservation. Historians have begun using scrapbooks to flesh out their work.

It's the humanness and individuality of the humble scrapbook that has made it a respectable medium for historical research in recent years, says Susan Tucker, an archivist at the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women at Tulane University, in New Orleans.

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Owls are a hoot for home decorating

by Kimberly L. Jackson/The Star-Ledger

Friday October 31, 2008, 3:43 PM

Owl umbrella stand

Owls have a mysterious sort of beauty that can be both alluring and intimidating.

Think of how often their calls are used to build tension in scary movies. Their nocturnal habits, glowing eyes and utterly silent flight make these predatory birds the epitome of eeriness, says Mary Burnette, a spokeswoman for the National Wildlife Federation. "Owls are nocturnal to avoid competition for prey with day-flying hawks. Their giant eyes and the fringed feathers that make no noise when the bird is flying allow them to hunt in the darkness," she says.

Add to that the fact that an owl has the amazing ability to rotate its head and look backward over its shoulders, and you have a very intriguing bird.

Owl enthusiasts can find more, including a link to a New Jersey-based blog on screech owls, by searching "owl" at the Rutgers University website (rci.rutgers.edu). Contact the National Wildlife Federation at nwf.org or (800) 822-9919.

Owls also are in fashion as the latest "it" bird for home decor. Here are a few fun ways to keep some around the house.

Whooo needs a place to stash her umbrella? The oversize owl umbrella stand above can hold at least three of them. Check burkedecor.com for the 19-inch tall white ceramic umbrella stand, $96. There's also a white ceramic owl pitcher vase that's $38.

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America on the move: Stamps celebrate cars with fins

by Joseph Bakes/The Star-Ledger

Friday October 31, 2008, 3:35 PM

If you weren't around during the late '50s, your question might be, "What were they thinking?" But if you were, you probably either had or coveted those big cars that we later derisively called "boats."

The U.S. Postal Service is recalling "America on the Move: '50s Fins and Chrome" with five 42-cent commemorative stamps depicting those monsters that looked more suitable for flight than highway traffic

The stamps feature paintings by automobile illustrator Art M. Fitzpatrick of a 1957 Chrysler 300C, a 1957 Lincoln Premiere, a 1957 Pontiac Safari, a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk and a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. The designs were products of a prosperous post-war America in which demand for cars was high and the automakers were seeking to reflect the forward-looking trends of the Jet Age.

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