Unique, handmade gifts: Holiday Marketplace annual sale Oct. 24th & 25th

Two very talented ladies in my area hold a wonderful sale every October in a home in my neighborhood.

This year their sale is Friday, Oct. 24th from 7pm to 10pm, and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Together they transform artist Heidi Dutcher Bohn's Brookfield home into a shoppers wonderland.

You have to see it to believe it!

Heidi specializes in hand painted items: Seasonal decorations for fall and winter, picture frames, and tiles.

She paints kitchen items as well.

I believe artist Kim Keays' specialty is wire art, wire decorated glassware, and jewelry work.

Every room is features beautiful displays of their creations.

Many ceramic items are available too.

Seems like a great way to start your Christmas shopping or get something new for your home.

The Holiday Marketplace house is located at 13645 Tulane Street, Brookfield, WI 53005.

Tulane crosses Sunny Slope Road 2 blocks north of Greenfield, or about 3/4 miles south of Bluemound. Turn east on Tulane.

The house is on the south side of the street, almost to Edwards Street. Just follow the signs and look for the gold stars!

If you need more information, just call 262-352-5939 or 262-366-5565.

Links:

Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Jay Weber, Mark Levin, Vicki Mckenna

Puffball mushrooms at Kinsey Park

There was a buzz of excitement amongst the adults in my aunt and uncle's Brookfield home, as they laid their treasures on the kitchen counter.

They had just returned from a mushroom hunting expedition at Kinsey Park and the 2 neighboring homes and had struck pay dirt.

Boxes of Puffball and Morel mushrooms were their prize.

This was back in the late 1950s and I was just a kid. What was so exciting about mushrooms I wondered? They were good to eat! (I was a picky eater back then and wouldn't touch even a button mushroom with a ten foot pole!)

About 10 years ago, the puffballs were out again en mass in the park and adjoining yards. They looked like volley balls strewn about the hillside. Since then I always looked for them but haven't seen any.

But last weekend, I spotted 3 while on a walk--one in the park, 2 in nearby yards. Another name for them is Le crâne de la mort, Skulls of the dead in French, and they do resemble a skull. If you are in the woods, keep your eyes open for the puffball mushrooms.

They are interesting and edible. BUT BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE YOU CONSUME THEM!!! Check the websites below. They have good photos and compare the true puffball with the deadly, smaller look alike.

Puffballs

Lycoperdaceae: The True Puffball Family

Wikipedia

American Mushrooms: Gem-Studded, Pear-shaped and Giant Puffballs

Kids often like to find very mature Puffballs. They get quite large and more tan in color. When kicked, they spew a cloud of spores into the air.

Let me know if you have ever eaten them. I have never quite had the nerve to try them.

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Links:
Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin, Vicki Mckenna