Out and About ~ It's October!

Hi! Did you all have a great week? We had roller coaster weather, hottest summer days so far, high eighties, ''feels like 94*" hot and humid days, then a dip into the 60s. Back to normal now, I think, high 70s.
Summery though it seems, October is looming, time to give the house a little fix up for the holidays and winter ahead. I talked my friend into a trip to The Christmas Shop.

Once a simple Cape Cod shop, now they have stores all over the east coast. [And sadly were recently bought by Bed, Bath and Beyond]. Perhaps it began as a shop to buy Cape Cod Christmas souvenirs and tree trimmings---you know, a sand dollar with Memories of Cape Cod on it and a drawing of a bewreathed Nauset Lighthouse, red bow, a little glitter?---, then the store[s] grew and grew to have amazingly cheap and fun things for your summer beach house, plus year round holiday decor.

Despite the changes over the years I still love going there and got good stuff, all under $200.00. Some put away, for Fall fix up:  The gorgeous hand embroidered pillow, center of their famous flyer, above; Waverly chair pads, Christmas cards, broom and dustpan; throw rugs, simmering potpourri, and more.
The store sill specializes in faux but wonderful Nantucket baskets. A new authentic handmade by an American artist Nantucket Basket can cost thousands of dollars. These are more utilitarian, at about $6.oo to 15.oo.

You never know what you'll find: ''beauty aids'', as these drugstore items are called here in NY, shampoo at half usual price, cheap mascara,

Pumpkin salsa, $2.oo.

Fall paper goods for holidays entertaining, a candle wreath, a bag of faux acorns.

Fake LL Bean canvas tote.

Quilted place mats to cut up for water bottle covers, and planned Kindle propper uppers, think tiny pyramids filled with bean bag pellets.

I passed up funny Halloween decoupaged carpet balls, a Fall wreath---number one item on my list, but soooo $$$, and quilted bedspreads for computer chair slipcovers. They did not have dog beds or doggy strollers this time either.

We went a different way, fast if not so pretty, 40 minute drive. This time we did not go wrong and end up on Fire Island! And we're planning to go again for Christmas shopping fun.

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More out and about-ing---since August I've been snapping pix of fun things I see in stores. I just can't buy Halloween in August, but looking back I see some cuties I missed. Here's a Fall home decor roundup, mostly Home Goods with a soupcon of Pier One.
Starting off with very pretty but too early mums at the grocery stores.

Colored glass pumpkins are replacing plain  mercury glass as a fad.

I really loved this duck egg blue and gold metallic glass pumpkin.

Ghosts and ghoulies. Love these, so spooky when lit, wick flickering.

A macabre take on classic transferware, below, kinda wish I'd bought a couple even tho I'm not a fan of  death images.

If my friend's succulent garden doesn't survive, the Tonka truck could be filled with little pumpkins? [it is thriving, so far, though.]

  

Pretty and different Fall palette, Pier One linen napkins. Might grab a few for my quilt fabric stash!

Adorable squirrel and bird serving china, nice woodland change from the ghastliness of Halloween. Notice the little squirrel figures, so cute.

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Poor Mo---his costume had to be returned, he was terrified of it.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Autumn sunset with crescent moon....

Summer Afternoon, Summer Afternoon

Hi! What a beautiful summer weekend this was! Temps in the high mid-80s, blue skies. No wind which isn't so good. The evil flies have mostly gone.

Today I almost didn't go down to the beach, but my kids were so excited and encouraging. They love the endless summer days and were so happy summer is finally back to normal. [it was cool here, sometimes very cool, all summer]. I just had to get myself in gear and go and I was so happy I did. Friends were there, with children, drinks, boogie boards. Early afternoon almost everyone hiked over a few blocks to where a food fair was being held. I stayed and watched all our stuff, sewed on Bitty, and was rewarded with two classic yellow mustard drenched NY style hot dogs. What could be more fun than eating hot dogs on a hot sandy beach and watching the surfers and boarders try to eke out rides on the piddly waves.

Gully is definitely here!  You remember Gully, my little sea gull friend?

When I sat alone he slowly approached and finally politely snatched a few fallen pretzels.

He had followed me home the other night, when the flies attacked me. I was so happy to see him. Could he really remember me, with his brain the size of  a dime?

And huge flocks of sanderlings, arrived here for the winter from their tundra nesting grounds.

See the two slightly deeper sand colored areas, center right? Those are hundreds of tiny birds.

Spooked by a jogger, they took flight, look closely along the white seafoam line.

Walking back home, I spied interesting tiny tracks. Whatever could they be?

The water is almost gone from the swale, from previous post.

Later Mo enjoyed the cool green grass!

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Quilt stuff:
I finished Bitty to the point where I can work on the bias stems. Sadly the photos I took this evening are crap, so I'll show them another time. This is a problem with sewing in a beach chair, on your knee. The circles look good, they're, well, round. But they are placed wrong, should stack up in a straight line.

And this week I made Step Two of Lori's/ Humble Quilts sewalong. 24 half square triangles, a color and muslin.

I made two sets bec I can't decide when a sewalong is  mystery. And the pink set is scrappy, on purpose.

Step 3 tomorrow, I am excited to see what happens next!

Hope your weekend was wonderful too! Did you have summery days, or has Fall poked out her dreary head?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach~~~

PS

I wanted Mo to be a unicorn this Halloween. But I was voted down.

''Mooooom. He's a BOY!"

"Unicorns are boys. They're magical beings just like pugs!''

eye rolls ensued....