Clay, Wood & Cotton

I'm delivering some recycled sail bags and pillows to Clay, Wood & Cotton today! Upcycling handmade mavens Kristen (Cakehouse) and Kristy (Beacon Bookmarks) have joined forces and opened a lovely shop at 149 Main Street in Beacon, NY which is full of handmade goods.

Crafts Night is every Thursay from 7-9 pm. You bring your project and they will supply the snacks! They also host classes. Check here for more info. Getting to Beacon is easy from from NYC by car or train: Check here for directions

Spring hours are:
Weekends 11:00 am - 7 pm
Weekdays 11:00 am - 6 pm (Closed Tuesdays)
Thursday: 11:00 - 9pm

LL Bean

Reiter8's recycled sail pillows are now available at LL Bean! I'm so thrilled that a large retailer like LL Bean is stocking handmade.

"Discover a great selection of home furnishings—all under one roof. You'll find one-of-a-kind handmade items, an assortment of vintage items, and fresh takes on our classic home products. Stop by anytime—we’re open 24 hours every day."

Look for them at the LL Bean Home Store located adjacent to the flagship store at 12 Nathan Nye Street in Freeport, Maine. Hours? 24/7 365. Map and directions.

It'll Be Divine

Just in:
I'll be at the Holiday Craft Sale at Divine Studios this Sunday, December 13 from 11-6. Organized by Marcie McGoldrick, a talented ceramist and Editorial Director for Holiday and Crafts at Martha Stewart Living, this event promises a unique mix of quality handmade gifts perfect for everyone on your list.

Divine studios is located on the 6th floor at 21 East 4th Street at Lafayette in Manhattan. View map.



Thanks to Jane at Foxy & Winston for the tip. She'll be there too with her sweet holiday card sets, organic children's clothing and more!

Come by, shop and say hello!

Ready, Set ...

Early load in at the Gifted Market today was a breeze (thank you Brooklyn Flea!). It was great to see old friends, catch up, leisurely unpack and set up. Trust me, this is going to be a great market to come to.

Check out the piece that Channel 7 Eyewitness News broadcast this evening about the market:



Enjoy your Thanksgiving where ever it takes you.

WIP - Sail Messenger Bags

Just completed another batch of recycled sail messenger bags. Couldn't resist taking a few outside today to photograph. It's a beautiful day in Brooklyn -just look at that sparkly water!

I love the sail seam stitching that's an original feature of the sail these bags were cut from. It's got a double row of olive zig zag stitching and a two thin red stripes down the center. These bags a lined with chocolate colored organic cotton canvas. I'm loving this combination and really tried to emphasize it on these bags.

This batch (and more!) will come with me to Brooklyn Flea's Gifted Market where I'll be selling from Nov 27-29 and Dec 2-6. Gifted will be located indoors (yeah!) at the old Tower Records Annex building at 20 E 4th Street and promises to be a fantastic' market. Can't make it there? Additional upcycled sail messenger bags are listed in my Etsy shop.

Locations: See Jane

One aspect of running Reiter8 that I really enjoy is meeting people. For example, wholesale vendor Katie Gibson who owns the shop See Jane located in the in trendy East Village section of Long Beach, California. Sweet and friendly, Jane has a good thing going with her shop in the Broadlind building, said to be one of the prettiest in Long Beach which she fills with many one of a kind handmade products.

"I like to be different and unique and that's a good selling point," she said. "People don't realize that handmade is good for the community because you're supporting your local artists, and it's good for the environment because it's not mass-produced and won't end up in a landfill."

Customers also get a well-made product with a story, Gibson said.

"Someone spent a lot of time making that item and put their heart and soul into it," she said. "Everyone that makes things - they do it because they love it. They don't do it because it's a job."

- from an article in the Press Telegram

Only someone who makes things (which she does) could nail that last part. I love that.

See Jane, 145 Linden Ave. Long Beach (map)
Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

Mom and Pop Shop

Have you found that special gift for mom yet? If not, pop in to 'Thanks, Mom' a pop up shop at 303 Grand. They have dedicated their space from May 6 - 9th to all things mom.

The gift shop will be filled with mom-centric gifts including soaps, handmade cards, fake “MOM” tattoos, bags, gardening accessories and more. It’s the perfect place to find a gift that truly says: thanks, mom.
All merchandise is hand-made by designers, artists, and crafters from across the country. Sorry, no macaroni necklaces here, but shoppers will be able to find limited edition and one-of-a kind gifts that can be found only in this store.

I dropped off an arm-full of special totes and purses for the shop (you can see some in the picture below) - perfect for mom!

Dates:
May 6th-May 9th
Store Hours:
Wednesday- Friday 3:00pm-8:00pm
Saturday 12:00pm-8:00pm
map

WIP - Thanks, Mom

Sewing some extra special bags today for Thanks, Mom a pop-up-shop at 303GRAND in Williamsburg Brooklyn. 303GRAND is a revolving storefront where you can find unique gifts for mom from local artists and designers.

They are also building a Thanks, Mom collage wall:

Bring in a photo of you and your mom and we will place it on the wall. We’re starting to collect photo’s now, and we’d love to include yours. It’s really easy, just bring a photo by the shop, send it to us via snail mail, or shoot us an email and we’ll print it out. (email jpeg format 1mb or less to thanksmom@303grandnyc.com)

May 6th-May 10th
Noon-8pm each day
303 Grand St. btw. Havemeyer & Roebling in Williamsburg

Renegade '09

Oh, Yeah! Reiter8 will be at The Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn on June 6 + 7 from 11am - 7pm, at McCarren Park.

More info and booth number etc to follow.

Grand Location

Reiter8 bags can now be found at Grand Heron in Aberdeen, WA
Find a full list of shops that carry Reiter8 products here.

Off to the Brooklyn Museum!

No, not me unfortunately. I'm talking about an order of Reiter8 bags, pillows and mini wallets that went out to Brooklyn Museum Shop.



Reiter8 products will be on sale in the shop in conjunction with their upcoming exhibit of Gustave Caillebotte's impressionist paintings. What do recycled sail bags and impressionist painting have in common? Read on:

The approximately forty paintings included in this focused thematic exhibition reveal Caillebotte’s extraordinary passion for subjects in which water plays a central role—as an enigmatic, magical element reflecting its surroundings, as an essential atmospheric ingredient, and as a scene for sporting activities. As a passionate rower and yachtsman, Caillebotte approached his motifs with the trained eyes and hand of an accomplished engineer and sportsman. The exhibition will also include drawings as well as models and sketches for the construction of Caillebotte’s sailboats.

More about the museum's merchandiser's quest for related items in their blog here

Although I will not be going to the museum today to view art I'll be going soon to teach a class - more on that in my previous post here.

The Gustave Caillebotte exhibit opens on 3/37 - 7/5. Hours and directions here.

Gifted

Come on out to the Gifted Holiday Market presented by the Brooklyn Flea and Time Out New York.

We curated the mix of vendors at Gifted to be sort of like the Flea: stuff you can only find there; folks selling beautiful, unique items they made themselves; vintage/antique objects that are distinctive and affordable; snazzy jewelry; cool, quality art; and of course yummy foodstuffs. Our goofy tagline is "Edited + Eclectic for Everyone."

Reiter8 will be there for one Sunday only: 12/7 from 11-6.

The Gifted Holiday Market takes place at the Masonic Temple on 317 Claremont Ave in Fort Greene - right next to the Brooklyn Flea Sundays through Dec 21.

Bustin' Out!

I'm so excited. Reiter8 will be at this years Bust Craftacular! I went last year to check it out and it's definately a one stop shopping handmade extravaganza. 200+ vendors, dj etc. Here are the vitals:

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008
10:00 AM – 7:30 PM
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street, NYC

Back to making more bags!

Neighborly Fleas

A beautiful day at the Flea yesterday. Had great neighbors. Patty, the veteran dealer (17 years!) was a treat not only because she had a great collection but she is a wonderful character who has been there done that. Slightly jaded by shelping her bins (leaves her house at 5:30 am), she loves what she does and the people she meets by doing it. I observed a steady stream of friends pop in - those dealers are quite a close knit supportive group.

On my other side was a blast of color exploding from Martine's Dream's booth. Sadly no website or pictures to be found at this time, but she is a regular at the flea selling children's and women's clothing and accessories that pack a big punch of vibrant hues. Fun. Did I mention the color?

Across the way was Coral and Tusk. Really lovely embroidered goods: onsies, Ts, pillows etc. Mostly nautically inspired hand drawings that are redrawn in stitches for the embroidery machine to do it's magic. There's a nostalgic sweetness to Stephanie's aesthetic and attention to detail that doesn't quit. (see the laser cut business card pictured below.)

A little blip on their website explains the company name choice and philosophy:

Use of the words coral and tusk originates from the powers entrusted to these precious objects across cultures and over time as symbols of good health and fortune. More importantly we chose these words to evoke awareness and action toward the protection of the animals and the environments from which they come.

Nice.

The Reveal

If you've been following, you seen the process from sail to pieces and now the finished product:


And this:



I particularly like the fuzzy detail in the phone above:




I'll take these bags (and many more) with me to the Brooklyn Flea next Sunday (9/21). Hope to see you there!

WIP for MAD

No anger issues here. Just churning out some wonderful '2' bags for the Museum of Art and Design. The museum has moved to 2 Columbus Circle and will re-open in September. I'm lovin' the statement these bags will make when displayed in multiples.

A must see is the upcoming exhibit: Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary - on display from September 27, 2008 - February 15, 2009

The exhibition features work by 50 international established and emerging artists from all five continents who create objects and installations comprised of ordinary and everyday manufactured articles, most originally made for another functional purpose.

Right up my alley.

More about the exhibit here
More about 2 Columbus Circle in a NYT interactive slide presentation here

Moving Sail

No, not moving sale (sorry).

Literally moving sail. I'm so very happy to say that I have a dedicated work space OUTSIDE of my home! My family was thrilled and only too happy to help me haul sails and everything else that had been slowly but surely taking over every room in the house.

It's better than better to have sewing machine, supplies, work table (on wheels!) sails and computer all in one space. OK so it's a little bit of a mess. But it's my mess and I don't have to clean it up by dinner time so we can eat off the same table that I had been working on.

It's been a long time coming and I'm so grateful for the opportunities that are here today and for those that lie ahead.

Weather Patterns

Seems to me that every fair I attend ends wet. Really wet.
Renegade Craft Fair - wet.
Brooklyn Flea - wet.
Above is a picture of one of the funkiest storm clouds I have ever seen taken at about 2:15 on Sunday. Then there was the lightning...and thunder....and lightning. The lightning was those classic bolts. All beautiful and slightly frightening as I'm standing under a metal tent in an open space full of metal tents.
It poured.
And cleared.
Instantly the market was back in business. Surprisingly quick.
Then there was the second storm: the soaker. It hit at about 4:30. Close enough to closing time that we all packed up and attempted to get out dry. My attempt was half hearted. With all the bags safely packed in the car, I took my time packing in the tables - the rain was a refreshing way to end the day.

Renegade Ready?

Well, almost! Gearing up for this weekends Renegade Craft Fair. I LOVE this fair! There's so many (over 200!) talented creatives selling their wares in a truly unique venue. The fair takes place this Sat and Sun 6/14 - 15 from 11:00 - 7:00 at the McCarren Park Pool. PLUS - Popshop DJ Squad will be playing tunes throughout the weekend, and tasty treats will be provided by: Lefty's Silver Cart, The Treats Truck, Wheeler's Frozen Desserts, Fizzy Lizzy, 1 Bite 7 Days and Mr. Softy.

I'll be at booth number 140. I'll try to update with a map later. Must go make more totes. mini wallets and messenger bags!

My Earth 360

Visit Lynn from My Earth 360 today at The Green Fair 4PM at Countryside School in Barrington, IL. Not only will you be introduced to local "green" businesses, you will also have a opportunity to purchase Reiter8 bags from her! She will be giving a percentage of sales back to the school to support environmental awareness. Sounds like win win.

Not able to make the event? Check out My Earth 360 to purchase eco friendly products including school supplies.

Lynn is also founder of I Count for myEARTH which partners with schools to inspire children’s environmental awareness and help families sort out the ways they can make a difference.

Nice work.