I’m not sure where I’ll end up over the weekend, but there are a couple of events that have certainly caught my attention.

Pam Older, a Larchmont-based jewelry designer, has let me know she’s participating in an arts-and-crafts show in her hometown this weekend.

I just met Older this summer, when I was attending the New York International Gift Fair in the city. Her booth, which I wrote about here, was an amazing showcase of her work.

Sounds like a great chance to see — and pick up — some of her delicate earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

The fair’s set to run from 2 to 5 p.m. tomorrow in Constitution Park, on Larchmont Avenue (across from the library). The rain date is Sunday. For more details, visit the Village of Larchmont Web site.

For those in the mood for antiques, the Park Hill Residents’ Association in Yonkers holds its third Park Hill Auction and Antiques Show Sunday at the Park Hill Racquet Club.

The antiques show, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., will feature glass, porcelain, silver and other collectibles. There will also be appraisals, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The day will also include an auction of antiques, art and collectibles, starting at 4 p.m. Park Hill resident Barrymore Scherer, a contributing editor of Art & Auction magazine, will be at the gavel. Proceeds will benefit the Park Hill Land Conservancy and the Park Hill Residents’ Association.

Admission for the day is $5, $3 for senior citizens and free for those under 5. The donations for the appraisals is $5 per item. Refreshments will also be available for sale.

The racquet club’s at Lakeside Drive and Van Cortlandt Park Avenue. Visit the Web sites of residents’ association or the racquet club for more details.

Fall may have only just started, but it’s already harvest time in Briarcliff Manor.

“Harvest at Holbrook Cottage” is scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday at the shop.

The noted destination for gifts, accessories, decorative accents and plenty of gourmet goodies invites shoppers to enjoy special activities during its regular store hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The weekly Thursday farmer’s market is expanding to run through Saturday, with a flea market, cooking demonstrations and tastings also scheduled over the two days.

The latest chutneys and fruit spreads from The Gracious Gourmet, for example, will be featured from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a drawing will also be held for a “Huge Harvest Gourmet Basket.”

Admission is free. The shop is at 1251-53 Pleasantville Road.

Call 914-944-0734 or visit its Web site.

I got a postcard on Monday, letting me know that the fall sale at one of the region’s most stylish stores — Fairground Attraction in Mount Kisco — was about to begin.

I’ve worked with the shop’s owners, sisters Joan-Marie and Nancy Gonzalez, a few times over the years, featuring their merchandise and tapping into their expertise in home-design topics.

Well, yesterday — this latest sale’s first day — kind of got away from me, so I had to settle for checking in with them mid-afternoon and making a plan to stop by this morning.

And I’m glad I did.

After all, the fall sale is featuring discounts of 20 to 70 percent off select merchandise.

And arriving on the second day didn’t seem to matter, based on what I saw (and bought) today.

Take a look around the shop, for a general feel of what’s always on offer:

As you can see, the shop features an eclectic mix of items for the home, as well as great gifts. There are pillows and jewelry, frames and topiaries, bowls and books.

The sale items are dotted throughout the store, but this charming vintage gate (just $20) caught my eye soon as I stepped inside:

Sure that won’t last for long.

This sale also features a number of items that are included for the first time.

Among them are holiday items (shop early!):

Selections from the existing stock of Barbara Eigen pottery, which the store has long featured:

And Jamie Young lamps:

Here’s just a glimpse of what else is on sale:

Quilts are a specialty here, too, with lots marked down:

As you can see, there’s plenty to go around.

Among my finds? I did pick up a gift or two — but this was a treat for myself, a funky Murval (!!) bag with faux trim.

As you know, I am of the “you-can-never-have-too-many-bags school” … and at $5, can you blame me?

Hope you find some treasures, too, as the sale continues through Oct. 6.

Fairground Attraction is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

It’s at 145 E. Main St.

Call 914-241-4433.

Summer, if you go by the calendar, is over.

But I had a feeling there was one person who definitely was not letting the season go.

And it looks like I was right.

Last night before heading home, I sent a quick e-mail to Suzanne Brown of Chappaqua, just to check in.

I had met Brown back in the spring, interviewing her for a feature story timed to the publication of her first book, “Summer: A User’s Guide� (Artisan, $19.95).

What a fun story — and what a fun book. Hope you got a chance to pick it up for yourself (or as the ideal hostess gift).

Anyway, I figured I’d see what Brown was up to and she gave me an informal update.

I know she was spending a lot of time this summer at book signings and special appearances across the country.

But she’s still quite the busy gal.

While awaiting an official offer, Brown has begun a new book. She’s also making a bunch of appearances on “Good Morning Connecticut.� Her themed segments on cooking and crafts continue next month with one devoted to “Ghosts, Ghouls & Graveyards.�

“Summer,� though, remains close to Brown’s heart. She tells me the book is still selling well. She saw some copies at a Borders by her house recently and it’s always in stock at Marmalade, right in Chappaqua.

Brown’s also been busy blogging away. I just LOVED her entry on “beach joy.” She perfectly described what I feel every time I hit my favorite stretches of sand down South Jersey (as I did earlier this month).

Check out Brown’s “day job,” too, at her design firm’s Web site.

Well, gotta say, it was fun to hear the latest from Brown, who reminded me that this week’s “early Indian summer makes it feel like it’s still July.�

Back in the spring, Brown told me something about the season she’s now made her own — something we all can draw on in the cooler months soon to come:

“It’s not just a vacation thing… It’s just something about the spirit of summer that makes people feel so good.”

Don’t let it go!

It’s here. It’s here!

Well, it might not exactly be boot-wearing season — someone just told me it’s supposed to feel like 90 degrees tomorrow — but it’s definitely time to be buying boots.

So, to welcome autumn in style, I felt, um, obligated to buy a pair over the weekend.

I know… I have a few pairs of boots that I absolutely love, including the fantastic slouch boots I long searched for last year.

Those, of course, are mainstays. I even had new heels put on them at the end of the season because I couldn’t bear to see them go.

But, I happened to be wandering around Payless in New City on Saturday morning and these caught my eye:

I actually liked a lot of what they had, but these ones seemed pretty fun and comfortable, even with the bit of heel.

So, in the spirit of autumn, I decided to get them.

They had so many new styles — remember, this is a place where you don’t have to feel guilty picking up several pairs since the prices are so low — that I came home and told my sister.

Well, later in the day, I was back in the car, riding over to Payless with her and yep, she decided to partake in the ritual autumn-opening buying of the boots, as well.

Her purchase?

Don’t you love the change of the seasons?

It was just before I went away earlier this month that the Holiday 2007 edition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store catalog arrived.

I immediately searched for the scarf section, as I had fallen in love with a particular one during the “Christmas in May� preview I attended at the museum this spring.

Well, it was right there on page 55: The William Morris Patchwork Oblong Scarf.

It’s a gorgeous stretch of silk based on 19th-century textile designs by Morris and priced at $60. From the moment I saw it, I decided it would make a lovely birthday treat, so I may just have to pick it up soon.

The catalog, to be sure, is filled with dozens and dozens of other great finds that will help fill out those holiday-shopping lists.

But before moving on to that ol’ holiday-shopping season, I’ve just heard that the store’s fall sale is soon to get under way.

And it sounds pretty impressive, with savings of 20 to 50 percent off original prices on selected merchandise. The sale will feature sculpture reproductions, decorative arts, jewelry, scarves, ties, accessories and books.

Some of the choices? An orchid shawl in pink that was originally $175 will be $87.50. It’s based on the works of British artist John Nugent Fitch (1840-1927).

That’s one of the things I love about the items sold at the Met store — they are based on works in the museum’s vast collections or created in cooperation with other art, botanical and historical institutions around the world.

There’s a story behind all that beauty and function.

Take the Chinese butterfly trumpet vase, for another example. Its design is adapted from a pair of 19th-century white-satin sleevebands (which decorated the wrist openings of garments in the Qing dynasty, 1644-1911). It’s going to be reduced to $63.75, from $85.

Also, a Flora gold-beaded pearl necklace, based on one worn by a subject in a Rembrandt painting, was $175 and will be $131.25.

Of course, there’s plenty more on sale.

The special pricing will run Thursday (Sept. 27) through Oct. 28 at all of the MMA retail locations.

This includes, of course, the shop right at the museum itself, at 1000 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan, but also at The Westchester, at 125 Westchester Ave. in White Plains.

Hurry in, too, as quantities will be limited.

For general information on store locations, call 800-468-7386.

To reach the local store, call 914-993-1470.

I just got off the phone with Henrietta Porter of Island Imports (which includes the Christian Livingston Collection and Island Designs by Harry Haslett) in Hawthorne.

I had seen Haslett (her son) — and the companies’ incredible fall collections — at the New York International Gift Fair in Manhattan last month.

Actually, Haslett had given me a bit of a preview by sending me the catalog the month before that (highlights of which I posted here), but it was great to see things in person.

At the fair, he told me to check in with Porter to find out when the next warehouse sale would be. (He travels the world finding the goods; she is based here running the warehouse).

Well, Porter was ready to let the dates out.

All I can say is: SAVE THESE DAYS!

If you remember from my posting about the last sale (in April), this is one event not to be missed.

This time around, it will be Oct. 18 through 20 and again the following weekend (Oct. 25- 27).

The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Thursdays and Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Saturdays.

Porter is kindly allowing me in for a preview of what will be on offer — so stay tuned for a full report, likely to be posted the week before the sale.

Guess shopping can’t always be for “fun” — but still can be rewarding.

A vacation incident with a giant dragonfly (don’t ask) led to my tossing out my insulated lunch bag, which had been brought to the shore for carrying cool drinks to the beach.

So, I found myself in Target looking to replace it — and was pleased to see such a variety.

I decided to splurge and grabbed an oversize version from Igloo, which has room for a feast and cost just $12.99.

Here it is:

The trip also found me picking up a new bed pillow and an anniversary card.

Nothing frivolous, nothing wasteful.

Imagine that.

I even think the latest issue of Country Living magazine, which I also grabbed, falls into the practical (maybe slightly indulgent?) category.

Still can’t believe I didn’t detour for a new bag, shoes or earrings!

As promised, I’m back from vacation with a couple of shopping-related tales. I have to warn you, they are of the “feel-good” variety, so don’t expect any dirt.

I took a bus trip to the antiques shows of Brimfield, Mass., on the first day away from the office. I went on the same trip I did in May, the one coordinated by Jo Ann Basile of West Nyack. We had a ball, wandering the various fields, looking for “finds.”

Soon after our arrival, I met a dealer named Susan. I bought a lovely mirror from her, and she said she’d hold it for me until the end of the day. By mid-afternoon, each of the shoppers I was spending the day with had collected some treasures. And we were getting tired of carrying them. Since Susan’s booth was pretty close to the bus pick-up point, we decided to go back and ask (beg, ha!) if we could stash the rest of our stuff with my mirror. Well, she was so nice about it — made room for our stuff at the back of her tent and promised to keep an eye on it all. I even found another mirror among her wares — a Shabby Chic-inspired white one for $10 that I added to my pile.

We headed out for some more shopping. It was, I suppose, a leap of faith on our part — but you have to trust people. And when we went back to pick up our bags (and bags), she greeted us all like old friends, helped us pull out our loot and even offered to help us carry things back to the bus. I tried to give her a $10 bill, saying she should buy lunch on us the next day (we had been telling her about the delicious “pilgrim” sandwiches we had enjoyed earlier) but she would not accept the money.

Yes, it sounds awfully corny — but the whole experience with her made my day. (And you can be sure if I go back again next year, I’ll stop by her booth, say hello and likely buy from her again).

Most of the rest of my time off was spent in the Wildwood-Cape May area of New Jersey.

You always buy some things on vacation (I know I do, at least) — and I had fun shopping… imagine that!

Well, one evening my sister and I were in the Sunset Beach gift shop at the tip of Cape May. We picked up some souvenirs; I got a calendar for myself. The owner was very chatty and helpful, asking us where we were from, etc. After we each paid for our things, he went behind the counter and presented each of us with these necklaces made out of tiny shells. He said they were a gift; they didn’t sell them.

Now, I’m sure the necklaces aren’t “valuable” in dollars and cents, but they certainly hold value to me. Again, it made my night — and I have taken that strand of shells and entwined it among the whitewashed branches and roses that hang over my bureau, a simple reminder of a nice “shopping moment.”

Finally, we were in Morrow’s Nut House, a candy/gift shop that just screams old-time vacation. It’s near the old Convention Center in Cape May and is a place I like to stop in every visit. We were scoping out the candies and saw one we had never heard of — “pontefract cakes.” I asked the woman at the counter what they were and instead of telling us, simply opened the jar and handed us each one.

Again, simple gesture of kindness, big impression.

Enjoyed my time away… any shopping tales to tell me?

I got a call from Pamela Goldman who told me that her fabulous shop — Grand Concourse Antiques in Mount Kisco — will be closing at the end of the year.

I’ve worked with her quite a few times over the years, tapping into her expertise and spotlighting her shop and its distinctive wares in various stories.

Vintage lighting is a specialty — and her selection is incredible, rounded out by other decorative elements.

Well, Goldman says her lease will soon be up and added that “quite honestly, I don’t even want to start thinking about moving or looking for another place.”

Instead, she will focus on her consulting duties.

The former fashion, television and movie-set stylist still provides props for films (check out her latest work in “Across the Universe”) and is quite involved in work related to staging houses that are for sale.

Goldman will also be phasing out her New Rochelle warehouse, set to close in April.

Hate to hear of a good resource being lost. But for shoppers, guess it’s a little bit of “good” news, too, since Goldman’s offering “generous deductions” on all items in her shop from now until she closes up.

Stop by Grand Concourse Antiques at 205 Lexington Ave., or call 914-244-1568.

Now, for a bit of fashion-related shopping news.

March, the Briarcliff Manor boutique run by Lynn Puro, is holding a few special events in coming weeks.

There will be a “Back to Reality/End of Summerâ€? party from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 14 and 15. Get started on your fall wardrobe while also sharing in “sweets, drinks and free gift with purchase.”

The shop will also have a trunk show from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 29. Designer Beth Bowley will present her fall and winter collections. Wine and cheese will also be served.

Finally, the shop will mark its first anniversary from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 19 and 20. Stop by for cocktails, free gift with purchase and prize drawings.

March is at 1250 Pleasantville Road. Call 914-923-2100.
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Well, as I’ve mentioned her a few times before (not too excited, huh?), I’m headed back to Brimfield, Mass., tomorrow for a shopping trip.

And that leads right into my annual vacation “down the shore” …

Yes, you can be sure I’ll be squeezing in a bit of shopping between my sitting on the beach, gazing out into the waves and my sitting on the balcony, um, gazing out into the waves.

So for now, happy shopping — and I’ll be back here Sept. 17.