I was in the Stop & Shop the other day and guess what? They’re already giving out red tickets! This is a sure sign that from now on we’ll be getting reminders that Christmas is coming. We just finished Halloween and the best and surely biggest parade ever on Main Street. This community really knows how to dress appropriately for any occasion and outdid themselves this year. It’s fun to see the parents, not just the kids, in costume.
Nantucket Looms reported having handed out over 800 pounds of candy!! It must be that scary wolf in front of the store that keeps em’ comin’. Apparently, kids still like going door to door and the development in Pine Valley, specifically Mizzenmast Rd. was the target after the parade. My daughter lives there and reports going through $80. worth of candy in less than an hour!
Youngest firefighter on Main St.
The Saltmarsh Yard Sale was another big success last weekend. These charity yard sales are the best. You never know what you’ll find and everything is priced right. A card table was loaded with yarn and all things for needlepoint. I quickly filled my bag with huge cones of different yarns, mostly in mole and neutrals with one blue skein. I don’t knit. I don’t crochet. I don’t do needlepoint. But who could resist that gorgeous stuff for a whopping $6.50? (Something will spark my imagination – check out my blog closer to Chrismtas). Then there was the string of orange lights, good for exactly one night a year. And finally, two clip-on, bronze-colored, beaded candle lamp shades. I don’t have the lamps to go with them but for a dollar apiece they might come in handy. You might have guessed that with this lack of restraint I always have material to write about in the “how to de-clutter” department. The shades are already packed in a box and ready to send to my friend Patrick in Key West who always loves getting my yard sale finds.
Saltmarsh Yard sale (photo by Mike Wodynski)
Unfortunately his wife, Sophie has instructed me to stop this nonsense, but now and then I ignore her. If you love going to yard sales and bargain shopping, it’s always good to have a few friends to buy for. This gives you an excuse to grab something you know is terrific at a terrific price when you see it. Where’s the fun if you only buy for yourself.? There’s just so much stuff anyone needs. The thing I miss most about not having a store any more, aside from the people, is the buying. I’m convinced that people who open retail shops do so in order to justify a abnormal need to shop. It’s such a turn on to find that one-of-a-kind something, those really cool items that you know are great, and then to be able to display them for someone else to discover. There are some things where to hunt is the thing. Finding a use for them, living with them, having them take up space in your home is a whole other deal. We all buy things we need, but things we simply want takes a little more thought.
Sunday morning our big road trip was out to Sun Island for the Nantucket Looms warehouse sale. I was overjoyed to find nothing I either needed or wanted. Although the pillows on a sofa and a round coffee table were tempting. Fortunately, I already sated my yard sale needs on Saturday with that bag of yarn.
Nantucket Looms warehouse sale at Sun Island
The Festival of Wreaths is just over the hill and I’ve got my entry almost complete. This year I’ve got cranberries on my mind. Love the colors and the shapes. You might think red and round, but having cut out hundreds of cranberry prints for my decoupage plates and the tray for the festival, I can tell you with a hint of authority that cranberries come in lots of shades of pink, red and purple and not too many are a perfect sphere. If you’re gearing up for crafting for the holidays consider the cranberry for creative inspiration.
Right now is the time to gather any natural materials from your garden, the beach, forest, chestnuts that have fallen from the tree in front of The Homestead at 115 Main St. to make Christmas decorations and gifts. You don’t have to have a creative thought in your head, just gather. Ideas will come to you and you’ll be glad you have the materials. Just wait. There will be a cold Sunday in our future and what a perfect time to spread out the fixings, some glue, scraps of fabric, paper and maybe yarn!! And I guarantee something will spark an idea to get you in the Christmas spirit.