You may have noticed that I was blogging “just a bit” the past few days.

I had the rare chance to turn my full attention to my folders and e-mails just bursting with shopping news.

That kind of pace was fun, actually — and I couldn’t believe how much is going on!

I was also happy to get out so much information since I’m going to have to leave you to again “shop amongst yourselves� for a bit as I head out for vacation tonight, to return Dec. 10.

Before I go, though, I’d like to ask you to be sure and check out my story, set to run in the Life & Style section (and on LoHud.com) tomorrow.

It was a nice chance to put the spotlight on some events and places to find some pretty unique holiday gifts — isn’t that what we’re all obsessing about these days?

The focus of the story is the annual “Goods and Objects: Artisan Exhibit & Sale� at the Pelham Art Center, but I also touched on some other local events where unique, hand-crafted goods are featured.

There are so many of these sales that we couldn’t include them all… but my friend and colleague Barbara Livingston Nackman (and fellow blogger; check out “Book by Bookâ€?) let me know about yet another that I’d love to pass along.

The Putnam Arts Council’s 13th annual Juried Gallery Craft & Gift Sale will be held Saturday through Dec. 21 at the council, at Tilly Foster Farm, The Lodge, Building 8, at 100 Route 312 in Brewster. The hours will be from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, with some 40 regional craft artists showing their work. Admission and parking are free.

And on the “regular” shopping front, I also heard about some other events:

— Stephanie Leggio of Pretty Funny Antiques in Tarrytown just called to say that she’s having her “Holiday Open House” this weekend. I wrote about the shop’s grand opening last month, remember? Stop by this treasure trove, at 80 S. Broadway, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow through Sunday for a great assortment of vintage Christmas ornaments and other holiday items. Call 914-631-3368.

— Main Street in Armonk will be turned into a “Holiday Shopping Party” Monday and Tuesday. The stores will welcome shoppers from 10 a.m. each day, with special activities including refreshments from 5 to 8 p.m. These simultaneous parties, trunk shows and silent auctions will be featured at shops including Lilies & Lace, Pink Tea and S&S Boutiques. And the best part is that proceeds from the event benefit Gilda’s Club Westchester. The organization offers programs and support for those dealing with cancer and their families and friends. For more details, call the organization at 914-644-8844.

— Holiday items are filling the shelves of the Katonah Thrift Shop for its Christmas boutique that continues through Dec. 21. The shop is in the lower level of the Women’s Civic Club of Katonah Memorial House, at 71 Bedford Road. For more details, call 914-232-3010.

— The Ruth Keeler Memorial Library and the North Salem Historical Society are holding a Holiday Boutique and Gingerbread Contest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 9 at the library, at 276 Titicus Road in North Salem. The sale will feature works created by local crafters, from jewelry to ornaments, stationery to photography. Also, the Village Bookstore in Pleasantville will bring books and holiday gift items to sell. For more details, call 914-669-5161.
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That’s it for a bit — happy shopping, Happy Hanukkah and I’ll be back here Dec. 10.

Earlier this afternoon I wrote about a new book on Radko ornaments, as Christopher Radko’s company is based in Tarrytown.

Well, I just heard from the company that its annual Radko Sample Sale is set for this weekend.

Good news for collectors, to be sure.

The sale will feature discounts of up to 75 percent off the regular retail price of all holiday merchandise.

That means great savings on glass ornaments, cookie jars, snowglobes, light sets, holiday figurines, showroom samples and holiday tabletop items.

Doors open at 10 a.m. Friday and close at 6 p.m., with sale hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

It all happens at the Christopher Radko warehouse at 828 S. Broadway in Tarrytown. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

For more information, call 800-71-Radko.

I am hearing of more and more stores that help customers create holiday wish lists.

It’s really a very clever idea, especially if you just adore a particular store and all that it offers.

Basically, you stop by the shop, decide on what you’d love to receive (kind of like a registry, I suppose) and then those looking to shop for you can go in later and see what might become your ideal gift.

Might take a bit of the surprise out of the unwrapping… but it also might put an end to gifts that just are not you (and we’ve all gotten our share of those).

Tomorrow, as its 20th anniversary celebration continues, Maria Luisa in Nyack is holding a Wine & Cheese Party during which customers can create their own wish lists. If you can’t make it tomorrow — between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. — stop by the store at another time, before Dec. 15 for Christmas gifts.

For the season, too, Maria Luisa will be open daily — that includes Monday (a rarity in Nyack) — through Dec. 24.

And don’t forget its “Hugs for Hospice” fund-raising campaign continues through Dec. 30 and that the store is also a donation drop-off point for the Nyack Homeless Project. (Get details on these projects on the store’s site).

Maria Luisa is at 14 S. Broadway, with its second shop, ML2 Gifts & Accessories, at 6 S. Broadway.

Have a Francophile on your holiday-shopping list?

Then you might want to turn to Quel Objet.

It’s the Web business owned and operated by Susan Sears of Briarcliff Manor.

Sears took a love of France and turned it into a company that seems to be a perfect fit. I can remember how she told me of finding small factories and family businesses as she roamed the French countryside.

The products she finds are then featured on her Web site, which includes everything from soaps to linens, foods to decorative accessories.

For the holiday season, Sears sent along a little update — and she has gathered yet another lovely collection.

There are mouth-blown vases made just for Quel Objet, scented candles, tapenade crackers from Provence, lavender sachets in pyramid shapes, wool throws and…

Well, just visit the site, and you’ll see.

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is wrapping gifts.

I love taking time, picking special papers and ribbons. Once I even made color copies of some of my vintage Christmas postcards and used them to decorate some gift bags.

All my efforts, though, pale in comparison to the work of Sarah Fitzmaurice.

It seems that Fitzmaurice and her co-workers at McLaren Engineering Group in West Nyack were tapped to wrap Bank of America’s temporary 3,500-square-foot pavilion on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The glass box, designed as a “gift” to the city and remaining up through this weekend, features restrooms, ATMs, free gift wrapping, hot chocolate and other services to shoppers.

Topping the building, at the corner of 36th Street, is a 12-foot-bow with ends that actually blow in the wind:

It works thanks to a hidden system of cables and supports… another of the McLaren projects that have also inicluded work with The Rolling Stones, Jeep, Cirque du Soleil and more.

Check it out if you’re in the city.

Lovers of Christmas ornaments know the name Christopher Radko, whose company is based in Tarrytown.

We’ve written about him often over the years — and with good reason.

He and his fanciful creations are known around the world and collected by countless admirers.

Now, those fans have a new reference if they want to place value on their treasures.

The company has just announced the publication of “Christopher Radko Ornaments Price Guide, Volume 1 (1986-2000).” (Bangzoom Publishers, $55).

Edited by David Olsen, the hardcover, 320-page edition is the first half of a reference set to be sold through Radko’s premier gift-store retailers. (A second volume will be published in 2008).

In addition, the company has anounced the release of its company-owned archive inventory of glass ornaments, which features more than 5,000 rare and limited editions of Radko pieces dating back to 1986. This collection will be offered for sale this holiday season, also through the premier gift-store retailers.

For more details on the stores that will carry the book and the collection, visit the Radko Web site.

Earlier this year, I wrote about Pound Ridge designer Suzanne Fonarow, whose company, Lap Sack, sells hand-crafted laptop cases and other goods.

I haven’t yet made it down to the Grand Central Holiday Gift Fair — where Fonarow has a booth through Dec. 29 — but am looking forward to catching up with her when I do.

In the mean time, I’ll pass along this bit of news — place any order with the company by Dec. 17 and shipping is free.

Yep, free.

Check out the site for the latest styles and options — or visit Fonarow when you are on your way through Grand Central.

Walking on Roses, the Mahopac-based flip-flop company run by Gail Fiero and her daughter, Marlyse Minnich, has sent me a couple of updates, which I’m happy to pass along.

First off, the company is putting the spotlight on “Mary Ann’s Garden of Hope,� another of its fund-raising efforts featuring a special pair of flip-flops.

This style, featuring shades of purple, was designed by the family of Mary Ann Hvolbeck, a Brewster woman who passed away from a rare form of cancer.

The family is working to raise awareness of the disease through a foundation, and Walking on Roses is donating $5 from the price of each pair to the foundation.

Check out the Web site for more details.

And while you’re there, keep in mind that the company’s holiday promotion is on. Purchase two pairs and receive on pair free, through Dec. 15.

I have to admit, I’ve not yet tried the Method products.

I know one of my friends is a fan of the eco-friendly line, though I can’t remember is she likes the laundry detergent or the dish soap.

Anyway, the company’s latest promotion got my attention — you know any time there’s a free bag involved, my attention is there…

Well, if you spend $20 on Method products, you are entitled to a free tote:

This Plastic Bag Rehab promotion is set to continue through December.

Visit the Method site, or GiveGreener.com, for complete details.

If you’re in the city this season — and who isn’t? — make time to stop by the Liora Manné studio and showroom.

Those who read this blog regularly know all about Manné and her wonderful creations.

I met the designer — first and best known for her rugs — a few years ago at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in Manhattan, found out she lived both in the city and in Katonah — and there we had a great local story.

I had been to her factory in Chelsea when doing that story but visited the space again in May when the company opened a new showroom.

Anyway, that’s where creations from her Lifestyles Collection are now on sale for the holidays.

Expect to find an assortment of bags, including totes and clutches, along with platters, placemats and coasters.

Prices are incredible… and quantities are limited, so shop early!

The space is at 210 Eleventh Ave., on the 7th floor.

For more details, or to order, call 212-989-2732.