toilet paper rolls wrapped in red wrapping paper filled with goodies and tied at each end with purple ribbon. Pill bottles with spray painted red lids filled with "Memory Pills" red an purple candies. So first time on this forum typed this out and realized the question is from June oh well posting anyway just in case someone else wants the ideas. LOL

honestly? it doesn't last. the shinier the pleather, the faster it peels. part of the problem is that the shoe flexes when you walk, and it will tend to crack along those wrinkles. that being said... if they're 'patent' you will need to scrub them with a scrubby pad to give them some 'tooth'... deca 'ceramicoat' paint has the best holding power of any of the brands that I have tried... however, I have had some surprising luck with Krylon spray paint. I've been through about a hundred pairs of painted tennis shoes in my life- at one point, I had 30 pairs of them, mostly painted to match a specific tie-dye. THAT's easy. pleather is a whole different story.

The second lady was into the essence of what Red hatting is supposed to be about. It's a social club for women of a certain age. I belong to 3 chapters. The first one is huge with over 100 members. It basically holds a monthly dinner (banquet style). Many of its members belong to other smaller chapters and it serves as a good source to fill out events and find out about what other chapters are doing and often getting invites to their events. We have a lot of varied fun. The second one is a smaller group of around 16 members. We rotate meeting in each others home once a month. it is up to the hostess what we do there. We've had potlucks, drinks by the pool, luaus, BBQ's and game nights. We also do an outing once a month. This could be visiting a tea garden to something like whale watching or taking in a cooking class. This is the group of ladies I feel closest to. We often meet in pairs to do other things. The only downside is they are shy about dressing out and being seen. I'm working on them. They call me the Hat Nazi. LOL Third group is the newest. We do a lot of plays and cultural events. Great Queen but a bit too inclusive inviting men along. That messes up the dynamics of a girls day/nite out. She's disturbed that there hasn't been a good group involvement. I think it's because people are using her for cheap date nite tix as couples. In order to be taken more seriously as a women's club she has to make it more of a women's club. I love the events and like her a lot but I feel the least Red Hattish when out with this group. It has potential though. You have to find the right fit for you. The Queen sets the tone and thee are as many different ways to Red Hat as there are Queens. Where I see things get messed up is when some members who already lead very busy lives join up and then seldom participate. Red Hatting works best for women who are done with the child raising, are independent enough to leave DH at home for the night and sometimes the weekend or longer if they travel, and and aren't afraid of being thought silly when they go out in their red and purple attire. You need to be willing to wear a Red Hat, wear purple clothing and leave you home life and troubles at the door. It's for FUN.

Finally got to read this thread! What with a computer problem and watery eyes, I got all behind. As regards having a house elf, that would be lovely. When I returned to work about 40 years ago, after the children went to school, I tried employing neighbours who were 'stay at home mothers' to do a little cleaning for me but after a couple of weeks they decided that they liked having their own money and got fulltime jobs! I picked up a couple of audiotape books from my local library for $1Aust each, that is really cheap! I have not tried listening to books until recently but found it ideal as I could not read for too long with the watery eye problem. Now I'm hooked because I have to listen word-for-word instead of skipping as I often do. It does seem to depend on the person reading how much I enjoy the book. Sometimes I disagree with their pronunciation and correct them as I would have done with my children when they did that! I have picked up an edition of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" which has his illustrations. Very interesting but it was a pity that he did not like Regency fashions and clothed the characters in mid 19th Century styles. I could not relate to them like that. We are used now to seeing the correct dress in the TV and film versions usually although the Greer Garson 'Elizabeth Bennet' was dressed incorrectly, I seem to recall.