I was on the road this morning, working on a story for next Saturday’s paper (and LoHud.com).

It’s a look at places where you can do last-minute Christmas shopping that looks like it wasn’t.

You know, gifts so great, so perfect that the recipient couldn’t imagine it wasn’t a long-planned, special purchase.

Among my stops was The Coop in Peekskill:

I’ve worked with owner Deb Guiffré before — and just love what she’s created on South Division Street, a place filled with items ideal for Christmas gifts.

Today, a bit of a photo essay — so you can just enjoy some of the things I saw (and plan to go there yourself):

For more, call The Coop, at 103 S. Division St., at 914-737-2194.

I just got off the phone with Lisa McTernan of Lifestyles & Interiors by Lisa in Croton-on-Hudson.

She had sent me an invitation to her special event planned for tomorrow — “Holiday Shopping… Stop by for music and sugarplums,” and I was wondering about her plans.

As of now, she said she’s still hoping to proceed — “like the mailman.”

That means shoppers are invited to stop in from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to catch her selection of home accessories, hostess gifts, fashions and accessories (think bags, jewelry). There will be 10 percent off purchases, with 10 percent of all proceeds donated to the Croton Caring Committee.

The shop’s at 33 N. Riverside Ave. Call 914-862-4163 or visit www.lifestylesandinteriors.com.

Be careful on the roads — get home safe and this time, I have to say, don’t stop off to shop on the way.

Nyack’s retail scene gained a new member a few weeks ago when the Soap & Paper Factory opened on North Broadway.

I was so pleased to hear about the opening, having written about the company earlier this year, becoming a fan of their products along the way.

I was away the weekend they had their opening party, and it wasn’t until this morning that I had a chance to check the shop out.

You will — let’s be clear about this — want to stop by yourself.

Let me give you a bit of background first. As I’ve said here before, I’ve long been a fan of Dewey Howard, a company that produces some of the best stationery I’ve ever seen (and bought).

I used to pick it up in the city, in shops like Kate’s Paperie, and when I was at the GAGA Arts Festival last year in Garnerville was so happy to find out that the company was based there.

Fast forward to this year, when I checked in with Elizabeth Grubaugh of Dewey Howard and found out that she was now collaborating with Brickhouse Soap, another local company that creates all-natural beauty products, to form … the Soap & Paper Factory.

It’s a clever, sweet-smelling and just-plain-pretty collection of products wrapped (by hand!) in these vintage-inspired papers designed by Grubaugh. She’s one of the owners, along with Lisa Devogelear (who started the soap business in her Upper Grandview basement some five years ago) and Shannon Burch.

I wrote a story for our daily edition back in advance of the June GAGA festival, a rare chance for the public to buy (in person) directly from both companies. Those attending the open-studio days could see how the products were made and also shop.

Their products, you see, have been carried in shops and online but there was no “full-time” retail outlet.

Until now:

I spoke to Grubaugh yesterday, who told me that Karen Close would be on hand today in the shop. I had met her back at the Garnerville studio— when she was busy hand-wrapping some products — so it was nice to catch up.

Here she is showing me the fizzing bath powder — you scoop it out with a real shell:

The space is just beautiful— and you get a real strong sense of their approach and aesthetic from the moment you walk in.

It’s spare yet welcoming, charming but not cluttered. There are so many vintage touches, from old typewriters to an old card catalog (ha!) that’s now used for display:

When Close said “What is up with the record player today?,” I thought she was kidding — til the sounds of Lena Horne came out of this ol’ beauty:

(And I loved how Close told me that when friends come over to visit her kids they ask to play “the big CDs.”).

Anyway, the shop has really been taking off after a quiet start, Close said.

“They had no advertising, no sign in the window. You kind of had to know the secret handshake to get here.”

Now, people are coming in to check out the soaps (that have earned attention of national magazines) joined just last week by the new beauty products such as creams, body scrubs and bath fizzies.

Everything is all-natural, created in the Garnerville studio (part of the Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center).

Scents range from orange blossom to fig, verbena to rosewood.

There’s even a seasonal display in the window featuring products in cinnamon-clove scent:

Prices vary. You can pick up notecards for $12 or some of the stocking-stuffer sets that include a journal with lip balm or soaps ($15 to $20). Tubs of body cream are $56, with scrubs at $44.

There are also all kinds of cards, wrapping paper and perfect for the holidays — gift bags and sets that can be customized by scent:

There are also T-shirts, scented drawer liners, scented stationery and candles:

As I had seen the close-knit group of workers in the studio a few months ago, I asked Close how it was to now be facing customers.

“People really respect the fact I know how everything is made — because I make it… so beautifully wrapped — because I wrap it.”

Love it!

For those looking to do some serious shopping, stop by these days when hours have been extended in the run-up to Christmas. The shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Christmas Eve) before going back to its regular hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

The Soap & Paper Factory is at 23 N. Broadway. Call 845-353-3234.

I have always thought that books make a really nice gift, especially if it’s either something you’ve, um, hinted that you’d really like — or a book that’s on a topic that you really enjoy.

As a home-and-design writer who also covers antiques, collectibles and shopping (of course), I get a nice mix of books that come across my desk.

Happy to pass along details on those that seem like they’d make good gifts.

(And for more on books in general, be sure to stop by my friend and colleague Barbara Livingston Nackman’s blog, Book by Book ).

Here’s just a sampling of what you might consider when out holiday shopping.

Want a peek into the Westchester home of a fashion icon? If so, check out “Architectural Digest: Private Views, Inside the World’s Greatest Homes,” edited by Paige Rense (Abrams, $50). There’s a chapter devoted to “Ralph Lauren’s Bedford Beauty” — and that’s exactly what it seems to be. The piece, written by Stephen Drucker and photographed by Durston Saylor, explores of one Lauren’s five homes, found right here in our midst. It’s described, by Lauren, as a “combination hunting lodge and stately home.” Take the armchair tour, and you’ll surely agree. The book, billed as a follow-up to “Hollywood at Home,” is an international tour of homes featured in the magazine over the last 30 years. There are 30 properties, from David Bowie’s escape on Mustique to an artist’s castle in Uruguay to a Moorish fantasy in… Norway. The book is sure to delight those with an eye for architecture, as well as an appreciation for the high life:

Collectors of everything from Tiffany lamps to pocket watches to baby carriages can see what their treasures might command in the 40th anniversary edition of “Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price List 2008” by Ralph and Terry Kovel (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, $27.95):

A few years ago, I spent a fun afternoon on a shopping expedition of sorts. Pamela Banker, a veteran interior designer and her daughter, Leslie Banker, a writer and decorator, came up from the city to shop at The Yellow Monkey in Cross River. They were promoting their new book, “The Pocket Decorator,” and we spoke about the book and what to look for when decorating a home. The book has turned out to be an invaluable tool, which has a place on my desk here and is used every time I want to be sure I use the right reference, be it a cartouche or quatrefoil. I recently heard from Leslie Banker, when she sent me a copy of the duo’s latest effort. “The Pocket Renovator” (Universe, $19.95). This time, the Bankers offer up information designed to help those going through home improvement and renovation. Think this is another that will be on my desk for the duration:

Those looking to pare down might find inspiration in “Sell, Keep or Toss? How to Downsize a Home, Settle and Estate and Appraise Personal Property” by Harry L. Rinker (House of Collectibles, $16.95):

Have a desire to simplify the season? That’s the focus of “Home for the Holidays” from Hallmark (Gold St. Press, $25). There’s nothing groundbreaking here (think we’ve all read something like this before: “With good food, good conversation and good times on the menu, an evening party with your closest friends sets a warm mood for the holidays”…) but it might make for a sweet hostess gift or coffee-table accent. I did, I admit, just LOVE the idea of a bouquet combining winter-white roses with seasonal berries and want to try the recipe for artichoke and sun-dried tomato frittata. And there’s a pull-out holiday planner inserted in the book that helps you track the season’s tasks:

I’ve never been to the event (I grew up going to the Orange County Fair) but after reading “The Dutchess County Fair: Portrait of an American Tradition” by Molly Ahearn (Black Dome Press, $15.95), I might have to take a trip there next summer. The fair, a Hudson Valley tradition dating back to 1842, is held in Rhinebeck. Ahearn, who for many years lived in Millbrook, presents a captivating look at the fair further brought to life through fantastic vintage photographs:

For the serious-minded home enthusiast, consider “Furniture Restoration: Step-by-Step Tips and Techniques for Professional Results” by Ina Brosseau Marx & Allen Marx (Watson-Guptill Publications, $50):

Forget East Coast snobbery when looking through “Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern: A Fresh Design Spirit for the Modern Lifestyle” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $35). With an emphasis on simplicity and respect for the craft tradition, Butler’s approach proves to be a fresh one. It’s nice, too, to have a book that encompasses everything from room designs to sewing projects to gardening:

“Classic Country” by Kathryn M. Ireland (Gibbs Smith, $39.95) is a tour through the various spaces of a home, offering colorful interpretations of designs of many styles:

Needed someone to help me lift the next book — “Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People” with a foreword by Calvin Klein and introduction by Hamish Bowles (Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, $75). It’s a heady tour of homes and gardens around the world as featured in the fashion magazine. There’s a gorgeously retro shot of Babe Paley in Jamaica from 1956; a view of a glorious rose pergola from a South of France estate; a glimpse into Julian and Olatz Schnabel’s New York home (circa 1995); and a visit with model Stella Tennant at home in the Scottish glens (I’ve always found her interesting as her family’s ancestral home is Chatsworth, a British estate in Derbyshire that I’ve been lucky enough to visit). Readers will also meet Isabella Rossellini, Madonna, Manolo Blahnik, Karl Lagerfeld, Sofia Coppola … it just goes on and on:

“Lyn Peterson’s Real Life Kitchens” (Clarkson/Potter Publishers, $40) is the latest from the Scarsdale designer and decorator, filled with solid advice and inspiring (including local) examples:

After I wrote about the new book on Christopher Radko ornaments, the publisher sent me another of their titles. “TV Guide: The Official Collectors Guide” (Bangzoom Publishers, $29.95) is filled with more than 50 years of TV Guide covers (through 2005). It’s great fun to look back through the years, from Lassie (1958) to David Cassidy (1971) to a headband-wearing Valerie Bertinelli from 1984 (“How I Grew Up One Day at a Time”) to “The Year’s Hottest Sensation” from 1999 – Ricky Martin.

And since you know antiques and collectibles hold a ‘special place’ in my heart, here are two more to wrap things up.

There’s the “Collectibles Price Guide 2008” by Judith Miller and Mark Hill (DK Publishing, $25):

and “Antiques Price Guide 2008” by Judith Miller (DK Publishing, $40), which is filled with more than 8,000 antiques. Should keep you (or whoever you give this to) pretty busy:

So, any sound good to you? Let me know if you like to give books as presents… or receive them.

Back in the office today after being off since Nov. 29.

So — what have you been buying?

I didn’t go away but instead spent my days going to movies, museums, day trips, lunches out… all the things you never seem to have time to do on a regular basis.

And of course, some shopping was involved.

I finished up most of my holiday shopping (is it ever really done?). Also picked up a few things for myself along the way.

Took a drive down to Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. one day. I love the beach, especially in the “off” season. This town has some fantastic antiques shops and lots of little boutiques and gift shops.

And in one shop, Stella e Luna, I was stopped right in my tracks by this bag in the window:

It’s a great bag/tote from a company called Big Buddha.

The color’s kind of hard to see from the picture  — it’s not as harsh a green as it appears.

Happy vacation to me!

Another day found me in Nyack, where I stopped by the Grace Thrift Shop. It’s a favorite haunt, though I don’t find as much costume jewelry there as I used to.

Still, a top caught my eye:

It fit — as did the $3 price tag.

And when I went to pay, it was apparently part of a sale and half off.

Not bad for $1.50. (And since the tote was a bit of a splurge, this was a welcome bonus).

Finally, what I didn’t buy, spotted at a Dollar Tree shop:

Yes, it’s Chef Mario’s Dining Disasters… “stretchghetti & critters.”

It says to “collect all styles.”

Um, no thanks!

Catch up on a few other buys in coming days — and also share some local shopping events and books that you’ll want to keep in mind for the holiday season.