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Hartsdale Pet/Canine Cemetary P1

I have to say I was a lil bit anxious heading to Hartsdale - partly because it was a VERY (3 ft!!!) snowy January Morning and partly because I didn't know how upset I would be or how traumatised - lets be honest Im just like you guys - I know I might do cremation jewelery but at the end of the day Im the biggest ball of smoosh and anyone who has ever met me in life or at a show etc will completely know this!!

BUT I was overwhelmed - it was beautiful. It might have been the serene snow or the quiet calm as a result of the snow but either way - even though I couldn't initially get into hartsdale ( I went in the wrong way - which was in my opinion the front way!)  I was blown away by the beauty and tranquility of it all. Honestly I might bring my blog to there - as in I might write it FROM there from now on.....its hard sometimes to find a quiet spot between NYC and Dublin!

And so began my conversation with Edward Martin Senior.  A complete gentleman if ever I met one. So relaxed in my company I felt no inhibitions or eagerness to impress or interest in trying to ...well I don't know...what do people try to do?! Sell themselves or other things? I feel that is often the way in America..... :-(

I feel we fell into natural conversation with each other.

In 1896 A woman who owned some property - Emily Burset, a wealthy lady decided to allow her friends to bury their pets for a small fee. The Story goes that she contacts Dr Samuel Jackson and he referred other people to her. After 10/11 years he took it over and it became Hartsdale Canine Cemetary BUT the charter then dictated that ANY pet must be buried not just canine (thus making the name redundant).

As with ALL true historic moments there are TWO stories to every story.

Now here is STORY NUMBER 2 - A Vetinarian called Dr Samuel Johnson took care of animals when they were just used for physical labour. Unfortunately as with all living things, thy pass away and up to then most did not as “What happened to the body?” but one lady did. Never asked before – she kept enquiring and got told the truth – pets are put out with garbage can. Those who are probably reading to this point are horrifiied. Yup you and me both. My baby aint going in NO trash!!!! So in steps Dr Samuel Jackson.....

“Well I have a place in Westchester County” he said and so She buried the pet herself and then other people started asking could they do theirs. It made sense. It became a business as most opportunities do.....and so the story continues.....More next week!

Nothing to do with pets but still....

I just HAD to share this - isn't this the type of eulogy EVERY eulogy (pet or otherwise) should be?!?! I think so.....I adoooooore this!

Cremation Jewellery - the origins!

Mourning Jewelry as it was once called (in some parts of the world, still is) is a general term for jewelry that people have used over centuries as a way of honoring and remembering deceased loved ones. It has been around since the 1600’s and the earliest known pieces were hand rings. Pearls were particularly favored as they were thought to represent tears and sadness.

Cremation jewelry began to gain momentum during the Victorian Age - named after Queen Victoria who reigned from 1837 until her death in 1901. Victoria’s husband Prince Albert died of typhoid in 1861. The Queen went into full mourning for 3 years along with her court and remained in mourning for the rest of her life. The Victorians were extremely superstitious, especially where death was concerned and hung black drapes over all the mirrors in the house when in mourning. It was said that if you looked into a mirror when a body was in the house, you would be the next person to die. Cremation Jewelry was popular in England during this era and in the United States during the Civil War hair work was a symbolic art that often served as a keepsake or a "love token" to show affection, commemorate the loss of a loved one or to keep a loved one close during times of physical separation. 

The first style of cremation jewelry involved intricately woven hair. Today, most people use a piece of hair or some cremains or ashes as they are more commonly known. Historically hair ‘art’ often served as a love token or keepsake to show affection or commemorate loss or during times of physical separations like war. When people died, hair was often clipped from the head of a deceased person and then woven into a bonnet that would be given to the next of kin.

Nowadays hair is still used in keepsakes and remembrance jewelry but it is more common to use ashes or cremains. The type of jewelry we (www.celtic-ashes.com) offer is bespoke and entirely unique to the wearer and the deceased because it fuses the ash (which for every single person is different) with glass and this fusion creates not a mold but a unique shape, texture and color.

DIY Christmas Paw-naments! :D

Ok so we make some pretty fabulous Christmas ornaments here at Rainbow Bridge Memorials BUT they are memorial items and we want you to celebrate your babies while they are still barking and purring at your feet right now so in honor of that and the upcoming Festive season here is a cool DIY Xmas Ornament you can do at home with your furry loved one!!

Dough Ornament Ingredients:

1 cup salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water

Or ratio of 1 salt to 1 flour to half water ;-)

Parchment paper or aluminium foil or just something unsticky! ;-)
A pen or pencil or general poking device for punching a hole - we're so tech here!

Mix the salt, flour, water in a bowl until it becomes firm. Knead the dough for 30 seconds and then cut individual circles with a Glass or Cup or if you're very fancy - a shape cutter!!! LOL

Now is the tricky part - hold your pet long enough to get the desired print!!!

Press your pet's paw into the dough and use the poking device to make a small hole at the top.

Bake at about 200 degrees in the oven for 2-3 hours or until completely dry and pray it doesn't crack!!

Once cool, paint the whole piece and then (suggestion!) Use a pretty (maybe red? or Green? ooh and even glitter!) to decorate the paw....

Another cool suggestion is to write the year and name with marker on the back (HINT: if you've painted a dark color, use a light sharpie like silver or white).

Annnnnd to prove you CAN be Martha Stewart - finish it off with a festive ribbon to hang on the tree! Voilà!! You ARE amazing and your furry one loves you even more ;-)

Win YOUR PET immortalized on our super popular Glass Picture Weight! Runners Up get a squeak toy!

COMPETITION TIME!

 

We want the FUNNIEST pics you've got of your furry babies - past and present! We will choose the top 5 and put it to a vote! Winner gets their pet immortalized on our super popular Glass Picture Weight worth 120 dollars or 110 euros or priceless in emotions!

 

Runners (2 and 3) up get a cute flat furry monkey squeak toy!