Another Small-Town Store Goes Under

We got a flyer today announcing our local family-owned home and hardware store is going out of business after 90 years, the year my father was born. Our local newspaper ran front page headlines on the topic and it occupied the editorial column. From the time that the groundbreaking for a mega shopping center containing a Lowes was announced a few years ago, I knew with great sadness that Pyles time was limited. The family fought on heroically for a several years trying to match the pricing and overcome the new traffic pattern that made it difficult and dangerous to access the store, but this fall it looked barren and shabby. The owner said that he was just tired out. I sadly remembered the days when it was bustling with home improvers and its glittering and extensive Christmas shop was full of every kind of ornament you can imagine and wistful children. I used to come there with my daughter to pick out a few special ornaments every year and still have the fragile peapod, ear of corn, frosted plum and bear that we picked out so many years ago.

A month ago, I was in the nearby community of Oxford and stopped in at the home and farm supply store. It was bright with wooden floors and the lumber yard was full of life. It radiated the warm friendly family atmosphere that Pyles once did and they were starting to put out the Christmas displays. I have heard that the developers of another big box store have finally decided to start construction nearby, but I hope that Oxford Feed and Supply lasts long enough to give another generation of children the joy and excitement of small town life.

Halloween Treats

The grandkids are taking a break in their busy weekend social schedule and coming over for lunch on the Sunday before Halloween. I am thinking that maybe we could decorate cupcakes for dessert.....

Autumn Leaves

I love the colors of autumn. I remember when I used to collect leaves as I walked home from school and press them between 2 sheets of waxed paper inserted in a heavy book. These are leaves collected from our front yard this evening. It is definitely getting to be really autumn. It went up to 68 sunny degrees today so it was enjoyable doing the fall garden clean-up, but it is very chilly this evening.

Christmas Again

I am running into some difficulties with my Christmas ideas. Number one is that I can't find the type of wooden hanger I need anywhere. I have 3 that I bought in the UK about 10 years ago and that's it. They have to be a simple skinny almost straight piece of wood that has the hook attached to it. I have searched the internet and I can't even find anything close. Martha Stewart had an article on how to make stuffed hangers but no hint of where to get the bases. A couple of people wrote in and asked where to get them and someone else replied that she found lots of hangers in Target and Walmart. I don't know what Target and Walmart she has been shopping at but it sure isn't on their websites or in the stores around here. Looks like I am going to have to buy some cheap padded hangers, rip them apart and recover them.

The other issue is with the dried lavendar - but is solvable with money. I found some great sources on the internet and also found that a pound contains 15-18 cups, which is close enough for me. The only issue is that the tax, handling and shipping for a pound of lavendar costs about the same as the lavendar itself. I can't bring myself to order it yet but I will probably give in.

Ideas for Christmas

While ABJ and I were shopping in Liberty we saw these great (pricey) lavendar sachets, tied together in sets of 3, that would be great for Christmas presents. When I got home, I checked and I have the velveteen, ribbons, ribbon roses and of course lots of Liberty fabrics. I found a place that sells bulk lavendar on the internet and now I am just trying to figure out how much lavendar is in a pound. I think I have some laminating plastic that I once applied to seat covers, so that should work for the luggage tag, but I am concerned that they will be too thick to stitch with my machine. I have some leather needles that I need to try out.

I used to make belt buckles and belts for my dresses when I was a teenager. This is neat but I am not sure who I would give it to. I think I still have the belt forms around somewhere so I could try making one, but I also need to think about what I would use for the belt itself.

Then I remembered that one year when I was living in the UK, I made some of these for presents. Mine were gathered and cushier. No idea who I gave them to that year but I know I made them and I sure don't have any around. Still have a few of the wooden hangers, but need to get some more. This could definitely do for any woman on my list.

Camel Coats This Year Again

More from the October Issue of Harper's. They were even nice enough to write a horoscope suggesting that my money (job) worries would be resolved in October. This would mean that I could do more than just post pictures of lovely camel colored coats for the second year in a row.... They really fell down on hats in this issue though. These look like the hairdresser didn't show up for the shoot so they had to grap a rain hat from a passer-by.

Lovely jacket but what is the little shmata doing on this poor model?! - not many of us could get away with a towel thrown casually on our heads and she is no exception. Reminds me of the old Russian women who used to sweep the streets of St Petersburg with twig brooms back in the mid-90's.

And I love the color of the lovely soft sweater in the Coach ad.. maybe I could knit it (a little less baggy though) with all the spare time I have on my hands.

Ghoul Bunny

Well I am back again and recovered from my wonderful London, Kirkcudbright trip and ready to start posting again.

Harper's Bazaar redeemed itself this month with the exception of a section that was done in collaboration with Tim Burton representing his "reimagining" of current fashions in anticipation of his retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art. I call this the Ghoul Bunny. You can actually buy all the bits, but the boots are special order from Nina Ricci (Nina what were you thinking!) and since there is no price on the ears, I believe they were specially made for the shoot. The mitts aren't mentioned either. There are others that are too ghastly to post. I am not even tempted a little bit to see the exhibition.