Cheers

Best wishes for this holiday season.

Picking Up

On my way to The Mac Store at 5th Ave to pick up my laptop (fixed at last!) I walked through Rockefeller Center where for me the real star is not the tree but just to the North of it.
Penny Lane or the Penny Harvest Field at Rockefeller Center covers the pedestrian walkway between 50th and 51st Streets.
Measuring 165 feet long and 30 feet wide, with pennies stacked 8 inches deep, it is an impressive testament to the saying 'every little bit counts'.
Last year, students from 750 schools collected $650,000 in pennies. The small change translated into 1,460 cash grants to 850 community organizations, including homeless shelters, animal rescue organizations, community gardens and senior centers. My kids have participated in past years and found it empowering to be part of something big and surprised at how pennies CAN add up.

Learn more about Common Cents, creators of the Penny Harvest here. Learn more about the Penny Field here.

Think you know how many pennies are in the field? Submit your guess here to qualify for a 'great prize'.
Penny Field: Open free to the public every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., through Dec. 31.

Dropping Off

One good thing (the only good thing?) about dropping off my laptop for repair at the 5th Avenue Mac store (open 24/7 365) was the opportunity to see the Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Windows. They are really wonderful at extra sparkly when viewed in the evening (or after 4:30 when it starts getting dark - grumble, grumble).
Bergdorf Goodman's windows are a tribute to the famous designer Tony Duquette.

Duquette was a protégé of Elsie de Wolfe, from her Lady Mendl days when she spent much of her time in Hollywood. He designed jewelry, interiors, film and stage sets, costumes, and just about anything you could think of, for such clients as de Wolfe, the Duchess of Windsor, and Greta Garbo. He evolved a kind of Hollywood rococo style, sensuous, colorful, gilded, layered, and — the phrase pops up whenever anyone writes about Duquette — over the top. In other words, it is a perfect inspiration for Bergdorf's windows. - Francis Morrone - The Sun, November 19, 2007

The theme is "The Elements." Each of the windows in chuck full of grand stokes - a floating gold elephant - and little details - monkeys and mermaids. The smaller windows in between the large ones are just as scrumptious and worth pausing for.
Just the thing to get my mind off my now empty laptop case.
Bergdorf Goodman: west side of 5th Ave btwn 57/58th St

Mantra...

Yep, that's the mantra around here right now.
Keeping up with the holiday orders and missing my laptop which has been at the mac store all week for repair.
Just keep calm and carry on...
(check out keepcalmandcarryon.com for more 'calm' stuff)

Craftacular Spectacular

A belated post about Bust's Craftacular held last Sat at the Metropolitan Pavilion "featuring over 200 crafters, DJs, drinks, and dancing." Didn't see any dancing but maybe that's because it was PACKED. I went in the afternoon and waited in a quick moving line. There were lots of familiar faces from the Renegade - not a bad thing. Among my favorites were:




Clockwise: Ceramist Kim Westad, deer jewelry by figs and ginger, Jewelry by Imogene and prints by Etui
Also Mr Poncho an ipod case with a do-hicky for your ear phones that keeps them stored and untangled. Jewelweeds: eco-friendly handcrafted products. Beautiful cards (below) by Screech Owl Designs - (currently unavailable online - contact gs@screechowldesigns.com for more details. And one more: mouse pads (also below) from My Favorite Mirror.

Cheers!

GOOD December Pop Up Community Center

Good Magazine has popped up in NOLITA with a Community Center on 201 Mulberry St. (map) at the Openhouse Gallery. The center is organized around the themes of Media, Environment, Technology, Design, Education, Culture, Business & Money, and Health.

Yesterday I worked on setting up part of the space and didn't have the time to investigate the displays, but there's plenty of interesting products and ideas to merit a return visit for a closer look. There's lots of opportunity for hands on exploration and interaction.

Etsy will be holding screenprinting and fusing plastic bag workshops on December 8th and 9th from 11am to 5pm.
The space will be open to the public daily from 11am-6pm December 6th through 23rd.

Barneys New York Green Holiday Windows

Barneys holiday windows are always topical and fun. This years Green Holiday windows artful recycled bottle caps, cans, metro cards, plastic bottles, gift boxes and more.

The 12 Green Days of Christmas (according to Barneys) include:

12 Tons of Tofu
11 Solar Panels
10 New Age Gurus
9 Organic Carob Bars
8 Tickets to Burning Man
7 Sustainable Ostrich Farms
6 Compost Toilets
5 Rolls of Recycled Gift Wrap
4 Fair Trade Futons
3 Free Range Sustainably Farmed Organic Hens
2 Vegan Chefs

and a Pirus in a Pear Tree!

WIP Re:volve/Reiter8 Dove Tote at Fred Segal

WIP actually now stands for 'was in progress' as these bags are finished and out the door. Now that I my fingertips have healed -!- I can type about it.
I was approached by Amy of the RE:VOLVE Apparel Project back in October about making a custom bag for an upcoming event. After reading about the peace promoting, environmentally conscious company that is all for sustainability and contributes a portion of their profits to organizations like the Waterkeeper Alliance and the Peace Alliance, I was on board.

The Event: December 6, 2007

RE:VOLVE Green Carpet Event, Ron Robinson at Fred Segal, 8100 Melrose Avenue, LA
Join Ron Robinson during a special day of shopping to launch the Re:volve eco-friendly clothing line for men, women and children and help raise public awareness of the Global environment. Enjoy a gift with purchase and enter to win $250 worth of Revolve apparel and a basket of Apothia Aromatics products.
From 7-10pm Special appearance by Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown on CSI) who will be spinning his favorite records

The Tote:
RE:VOLVE's dove and olive branch insignia applied and stitched on recycled sail. Fully lined with bright green organic cotton. Available exclusively at Fred Segal.

Green Tree General Store

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting Ariel Sheldon, owner of the soon to open Green Tree General Store in Greenpoint Brooklyn. I was delivering bags for her eco friendly store that will be soft launching today Sat 12/1 from 12:00-8:00. As if a store full of her finds isn't reason enough to stop in and check it out, she is offering 15% off all day!!
She gave me a peek at some of the goods she will be carrying - everything from natural cosmetics, cuffs made from vinyl records, organic cotton baby onesies, beautiful jewelry to belts woven out of recycled plastic grocery bags.
GreenTree General Store. 95 Norman Ave, Brooklyn -map

Good Thing - Bad Thing - Good Thing

Good Thing: A custom order of bags got finished and was sent out last night (more about that later).
Bad Thing: I was still sewing and missed the reception of Kyle Stavers recent work.
Good thing: Kyles show runs until December 22 at the Lohin Geduld Gallery on
531 W25th St. NYC. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 to 6

Kyle Staver presents a world of bikers, loving couples, and voluptuous women. Ordinary moments that make up the fabric of human existence are transformed by Staver into vignettes filled with grace, empathy, and surprise. Men and women cohabitate environments, intimately relating to one another. A biker and his rider are chased by a frenzied dog. A woman reflects upon her mirrored self. Staver investigates the fragility and drama of life, complete with all its trappings, joys and sorrow.

These contemporary scenes are enhanced by Staver’s remarkable painterly inventions. Light flickers and bounces through her compositions. Luminous passages of translucent color daze and warm our senses. Her looping lines can suggest the speed and joy of the open road, or the subtle caress of undergarment on skin. Space and light are not merely depicted, but seem to be felt and massaged into existence. Staver composes with planar shifts and scale changes, creating abstract patterns and directional vectors that propel her narratives. Imagined interior dialogues mingle with visual pleasures, as we become both voyeur and participant in Staver’s sensually painted world.

pictured below is Bad Dog on Sparta Road, 2007 oil on linen, 68 x 56 inches

Brooklyn Sampler - Update

Curated by Nicole Davis, founder and editor of Brooklyn Based, the Brooklyn Sampler is poised to go on sale for just $20 this Saturday (12/1) at 10 am PST, or 1 our time, online at homeofthesampler.com. Nicole gives a sneak peek and offers an email reminder on her site. As Nicole describes:

It’s an incredible value for one-of-a-kind work made by your gifted neighbors ... artists, designers and crafters who hail from Bed-Stuy, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Ditmas Park, East New York, Fort Greene, Greenpoint, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Sunset Park, Williamsburg, and Windsor Terrace, and whose work is available at fabulous boutiques like Spring in Dumbo, Rare Device in Park Slope, the Brooklyn Indie Market, or online at that one-stop-shop for handmade goods, Etsy.
This box is so Brooklyn, it’s even wrapped in Brooklyn maps and lined with The Brooklyn Paper (there’s also a map of the future Brooklyn Greenway and a Zagat’s guide to BK restos inside).

Reiter8 has contributed 100 card holders/mini wallets made from sails and lined in denim. I'm excited to be a contributer in such great company!

Trunkt Showcase

Trunkt is a curated buyer's guide to the best of independent art and design. My showcase has been published on the front page! A showcase is a collection with a theme. Trunkt members have such beautiful photography of their products so it's fun to troll and pick and choose and create connections.
Not much time to comment as I am working on a a really fantastic custom order. More about that tomorrow...

Restocked

Been busy making bags and taking pictures. Reiter8's Etsy shop has been updated and there are some great bags up for grabs!

Cozy in Carroll Gardens

Thinking about knitting something special for the holidays? Head over to the Brooklyn General Store at 128 Union St (btwn Columbia & Hicks) in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The aged wooden wall to wall shelving units are stocked full with cashmere, silk, wool and cotton yarns. The back of the store features patterns and books and magazines including not so easy to find Selvedge magazine.

Amy Butler fabrics, needles in every size, thread, embroidery floss, blankets, dolls, pillows, bags - there's so much to inspire. Need to brush up on your skills? There are classes from sewing 101 to Fair Isle Mitten Workshop.

Store Hours: Tuesday – Thursday: 12 – 7, Friday: 12 - 6, Saturday: 12 – 6, Sunday: 12 - 5 or by appointment

The Flurries Are Starting to Accumulate

No, not snow flakes or presents it's the holiday catalogs that are stacking up. They came a few at a time and then a couple weeks ago the onslaught started and hasn't let up. My husband Peter joined Catalog Choice, a free service that allows you to opt-out to getting catalogs and has been diligently updating our list
According to Catalog Choice:

Over eight million tons of trees are consumed each year in the production of paper catalogs.

There are other significant environmental impacts from the catalog cycle. The production and disposal of direct mail alone consumes more energy than three million cars.

The manufacturing, distribution, collection and disposal of catalogs generates global warming gases as well as air and water pollution. Reducing the number of unwanted catalogs that are mailed will help the environment.

Green Dimes came to my attention this morning. They claim a 90% reduction in junk mail and they plant trees as part of their program. I'm sure there are tons of other programs out there.

walking trends: color

This beautiful color combination caught my eye today.
And here it is again:


And again and again:



And this was accross the street. Some color combos are screaming to be noticed.

Storque Spotlight

I got an order via Etsy the other day and the delivery address was...Etsy. Etsy HQ is within walking distance so I couldn't resist personally delivering the bag. Vanessa, the recipient, was very gracious and despite my unannounced visit took time to chat and gave me a great tour. The Etsy people have a pretty sweet set up over at 325 Gold St on the 6th Floor. There's lots of equipment, supplies and spaces to work. It was great to meet everyone in person. I am a big fan of Etsy. The interface is fun and easy - kind of like the atmosphere over on Gold Street.

Read more about the visit in the Storque Spotlight.As always, thanks for your order!

Etsy Virtual Labs

Ok, this is way too fun. Etsy has created a virtual lab were members can drop in on scheduled classes and discussions. For example, Wednesdays at 3:00 the Marketing Room holds classes like 10 Minute Marketing, Marketing Your Shop 101 and Marketing on a Shoe String.

Fridays at 1:00 there are shop critiques in Shop Setup. Daytime hours not convenient? Shop Critique is also offered in the Tree house on Thursday evenings at 9:00. Check the Storque for upcoming schedule and archives of past classes.

Once you settle into the room (yes, the very interactive interface allows you to change seats, spin, raise your hand, laugh, blush, send little hearts, cupcakes or paper airplanes flying) there's valuable info to taken in. The moderators are on a video link and can upload pics and post links. Everyone can comment and add to the content. Voting and polls are periodically run real time and there's no lurking as your icon shows which way you've voted or if you abstained.

It's fun and fast and informative. Thanks Etsy!!

It's Fresh

I'm always excited to see the latest issue of Edible Brooklyn - the quarterly free magazine all about the boroughs food scene - and the Fall 2007 issue is out.

Everything about this publication is delicious. The articles are varied and informative. The photography is absolutely beautiful. And not to be overlooked is the heavier weight paper it's printed on.

Edible Communities Publications currently offers 38 regional issues and more in development.

Browse through the current issue and archives here

Pick up Brooklyn issues at these locations

Fall 2007 cover photo credit: Michael Harlan Turkell

With a Little Help From My Friends

Introductions first: This is Alex. He is a 2 1/2 yr old cock-a-poo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix). We adopted him and no-good-cute-as-can-be brother, Beau, when they were 8 months old. We were looking for one but they were a "two-for" and are truly inseparable.

I cut all of the sails used for my products by hand. I like personally making sure that I am getting the most out of every sail. Trying to squeeze use out of every inch of material. I'm also looking to place a little character (grommet, sail seam) within the pieces I cut when ever possible.

Laying a sail out on the floor is like a magnet for pets. Instantly they rush to check it out. 'What's this? What's under? Oh, this is fun to run on. Can you find me if I tunnel under it? The edge is nice to bite' Eventually they settle and take on the roll of 'sail weights'. Thanks guys, I can work reassured that I am covered should a sudden gust of wind blow through. Now could you move a little to the side...I have to work here.

**NOTE: All sail pieces are cleaned prior to sewing

Wings and Petals

Poppytalk Handmade- November Market is up and running.
I am thrilled to be a part of the online street market this month over at Poppytalk. Birds and flowers caught my eye this morning as I was poking around the market. There are a wide variety of handmade products curated by hardworking and gracious hosts Jan and Earl.

Check back often at the market as we will all be updating our 'tables' throughout the month.

row 1: sugar loop, deadbird finds, alicia bock
row 2: cabin + cub, 3 P-3, ditazol
row 3: beehive kitchenware, yumiyumi, the foundling
row 4: liz mathews, lauren alane, megan auman

**I will try to update with individual links!**