WINDFALLS

PASTA



Rosaria and Jim Popplewell, owners of Italian Fresh Pasta, sell some of the best pasta in Dallas. Tagliolini, linguette, conchiglie, agnolotti-all kinds of pasta you won’t find at your local supermarket. Yet, it’s as easy to cook as dry macaroni available on the grocery-store shelf-but tastes so much better. Rosaria and Jim insist that pasta is the perfect food. It’s also simple to prepare; most pasta cooks al dente in 2 to 9 minutes in boiling water. It should be firm and tender, not sticky or mushy. Each morning, the Popplewells make a batch of dough from semolina (a durum wheat that is not overly re-fined) and eggs. Then, they make the various kinds of noodles that are needed for the day. All their machinery was brought to Dallas from Italy by Rosaria’s brother, Tommaso. When Rosaria and Jim first started their business, Tommaso came to help them, but after several months, he became homesick and went back to Italy. His name is now the retail logo for Italian Fresh Pasta, which markets a variety of pasta and sauces. Rosaria and Jim sell wholesale to the public from their small factory, other outlets for Tom-maso’s Italian Fresh Pasta include Fresh Approach, Marty’s, Kuby’s, Chicotsky’s in Fort Worth and Vic’s Produce in Arlington. Tommaso’s Italian Fresh Pasta. 2302 Myrtle Springs. Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Call ahead. 556-2109.

CANDLELIGHT



This Valentine’s Day, keep the flames of romance burning bright with these handcrafted stoneware candles. Artist Tacha Vosburgh from South Portland, Maine, designed these pottery candles for easy use. Fill the bottom of the bowl half full with odorless kerosene or lamp oil. Let the wick absorb the oil and light. Since the oil burns-not the wick-the wick should last indefinitely. Another artist, Nancy Rakela from Berkeley, California, designs porcelain candles decorated with Oriental motifs. Stoneware candles by Tacha Vosburgh ($12.50 to $16.50) and Nancy Rakela ($19.50) are available at The Ole Moon, 3016 Greenville. Mon, Tue, Thur and Fri 11-7; Wed till 9; Sat 10-6. 827-9921.

SWEATS



Fashions come and go-one minute miniskirts are in; the next, they’re out-but sweatshirts have been trend setters for as long as Levi’s have been in vogue. First, there was the basic gray sweatshirt. Then, with a little help from designer Norma Kamali, the lowly sweatshirt was elevated to high-fashion status. Within months, the “in ’ shops across the country were selling bold-turquoise, hot-pink, vivid-red and jet-black sweats. Now, thanks to Dallas artist Caroline Magers, sweatshirt fashion has taken a new twist. Using glass beads, boas, thread and paint, Magers creates one-of-a-kind sweatshirts and T-shirts. Most of her designs are abstract, but she also silkscreens sweatshirts with the names of well-known foreign cities (not to mention such esteemed neighborhoods as Highland Park and Oak Lawn) emblazoned across the chest. Magers also plans to create sweatshirt jackets colored with various pastel paints. Her sweatshirts range in price from $30 to $50 and are a 50-50 blend of cotton and polyester; the 100 percent cotton T-shirts sell for $14 at Harteart Designs, 559-2397; HD’s Clothing Co., 3018 Greenville, 821-5255; and International News, 3207 Knox, 528-5717.



LIBERTY



Nothing feels as good against the skin as pure silk and cotton. The Dallas branch of Liberty of London, the renowned British fabric shop, offers beautiful silks, cottons and lightweight wools in prints, solids and pin-stripes. Liberty of London first opened its doors in 1875 on Regent Street in London selling fine silks. Years later, founder Arthur Lazenby Liberty expanded his shop to include women’s ready-to-wear and small gift items. For spring, the Dallas store will carry several fine fabrics by the bolt. Tana Lawn pure cotton prints are designed after the works of American impressionist artist Mary Cassatt ($14 a yard). Tana Lawn also makes pin-striped shirting for $12 a yard and solids for $10 a yard. Also available at Liberty is 100 percent cotton furnishing fabric at $25 a yard. The store’s fabrics rotate throughout the year, except classics such as the feather design (which used to be the Liberty logo), paisley prints and tiny floral prints. Liberty of London, 56 Highland Park Village. Mon-Sat 10-5:30. 528-1380.