On the Road - Smith Street Sunday Funday in Brooklyn

Last Thursday, I said goodbye to my second grade students for the summer, did a quick celebration dance, and promptly got into craft show mode. Being my first summer of doing outdoor shows, I have been prepping for the past few weeks. I got a new tent, weights, and all the doodads that go along with braving the great outdoors. Thom made me an amazing new spinning jewelry display out of an upcycled metal lampshade and patio umbrella base. He also created a lazy susan-type base for my favorite topiary display so my thimblism necklaces could really whoosh around like carnival swings. I couldn't wait to try my new set up at the Smith Street Sunday Fun Day Event.

new display

Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture and I miraculously squeezed both of our set ups into her car. We had a smooth ride into Caroll Gardens and pulled up to a fabulous neighborhood filled with interesting shops and tempting restaurants. Eight blocks of Smith Street were sectioned off for the event and there was a nice mix of handmade wares, import items, and food. Just a block away from us was a stage that hosted a great variety of music for the day and the stinky cheese eating contest. 

one car - two full set ups - pretty impressive if you ask me!

welcome to Grace's place

We were lucky to be surrounded by other great vendors. To our right was Avian and John of My Little India. You couldn't miss their colorful display of handmade pillows with bold colors, patterned recycled plastic area rugs, and tables made from upcycled wood and pipes. I would buy "one of each" from their shop if I had my way. On top of having amazing wares, they have to be the nicest couple around. They are well-loved regulars at the Brooklyn Flea. If you're ever there, make sure to check them out. I dare you NOT to leave with something from their shop!

dynamic duo

color abounds

I couldn't have been happier to be set up next to Heather of Bright Lights Little City. I had seen her clever cocktail umbrella lamps all over the internet and it was great to finally meet the artist behind the design. I enjoyed poking through all her stuff. She makes a great variety of limited edition jewelry and accessories from vintage items. Her nightlights made out of antique glass slides flew off the shelf, and I adored her headbands embellished with vintage cloth and plastic flowers. Heather had a bowl filled the the cutest tiny origami stars. Once she gave me a quick tutorial on how to make them, I had to go home with one of her star kits. Something tells me there soon will be tiny stars all over my apartment! 

Heather's treasures

oh my stars!

I enjoyed watching people "ooh and ahh" at Grace's creations all day. Many lucky ladies went home with her dresses and tunics, but one in particular literally stopped foot traffic at the fair. Sometimes the right outfit finds the right person and this was a perfect example of that. There was this one woman who tried on Grace's "Wild Thing" dress and once she stepped out of the dressing room, people stopped on the street and said she just had to take it home. Every time this attractive gal emerged from the dressing room with a different dress, the same thing would happen. She got so many compliments, she kept jokingly asking if the compliments were coming from one of Grace's sisters at the fair. Grace doesn't have any sisters...just lots of fashion panache!

wild and wonderful

great from the front and the back

Several of my "hot off the press" pieces went home with happy customers. Two of my favorites were the "Shady Lady", featuring a cameo framed by a perfectly patina-ed escutcheon, and "Steeplechase" a bold and brassy horse hurdling a protractor. The crowd really seemed to enjoy and appreciate vintage-inspired designs. I had some great conversations with people about their vintage collections at home. Meeting these folks is one of my favorite things about doing shows.

Sunday shoppers

Shady Lady

Steeplechase

After a busy day on Smith Street, Grace and I moseyed on over to Chestnut for dinner. The restaurant had an inviting interior with warm wooden tones and a relaxed but refined atmosphere. We sat down to some lovely rosemary focaccia and a bowl of pickles that perked us up after a long day outside. A tall, beautiful woman walked by with her kids and I instantly remembered her from the street fair. She came over to say hi and it turned out that she was the owner of Chestnut. Her name was Susan and her warm and welcoming personality definitely spilled over into her restaurant. Grace ordered a delectable bowl of house-made cavatelli with goat cheese and sausage morsels. I got a lovely, perfectly-cooked chicken breast with spicy Toulouse sausage stuffing and asparagus. The clean presentation, perfectly-sized portions, and clean flavors were a such a treat and a refreshing way to end the day. 

Chestnut  - 271 Smith St. (between Sackett and Degraw)

delish!

Grace and I hopped in the car and noshed on a few delicious French pastries from Provence en Boite while on the road. With a sigh and a smile, we headed back to Connecticut with a fun day behind us.

Twitch and Whiskers Summer Show Dates

Come visit me this summer on the road. Here are my upcoming dates. 

Sunday, June 26 - Smith Street Sunday FunDay Fair - Smith Street between Union St and Bergen St, Carroll Gardens - Brooklyn, NY


Saturday, July 9 - The Greenway Open Market - PREMIERE DAY! - Boston, MA


Sunday, July 10 - SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA


Saturday, August 6 - The Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA


Sunday, August 7 - SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA


Saturday, August 13 - The Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA


Sunday, August 14 - SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA

You can always find me at my Twitch and Whiskers Etsy shop and I may make an appearance or two this summer at the Brooklyn Flea. 

Check back for updates. I hope to see you out and about!

Love, Love, Love: Curtain Tie Backs

One of my favorite birthday gifts this year was given to me by my sister-in-law, her husband and kids. It was a pink felt square covered in vintage curtain tie backs. It looked like the world's happiest paperweight!

birthday in bloom

Over the years, I've acquired a collection of tie backs from estate sales, friends, and other places. Many are sculpted flowers made out of plastic or metal. Though tie backs have been around for many decades, I tend to use the ones from the from the 50's and earlier.

low maintenance garden

With some gentle finessing, I remove the pointy backs so the flowers can be incorporated into jewelry.

beware or prickers

When paired up with filigreed furniture hardware, figural brooches, and other floral accents, they offer a whimsical burst of color and eye-catching dimension.

Spring Peeper

My Vermillion Valentine

What are your ideas for using curtain tie backs?

You can find me on Etsy or visit me at these shows this summer:

Sunday, June 26th - Smith Street Sunday Fun Day - Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, July 9, August 6, August 13 - Greenway Open Markets - Boston, MA

On the Road - The Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg

It was officially "stuff made out of stuff" day at the Brooklyn Flea. Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture and Napoleon's Retreat and I were were sharing a tent. Grace offered both her hand stitched "clothes made out of clothes" and a nice variety of vintage treasures and I displayed my upcycled jewelry. I always enjoy showing with Grace because our goods really compliment each other and boy, do we have a lot of fun!

stuff!

dynamic duo

A view of the Manhattan skyline provided a picturesque backdrop to the bustling market. 

a flea with a view

more stuff

walkin' through Williamsburg

Before the crowds arrived, I did a quick go-around to see the other vendors. As soon as I saw bunnies and cats, I had to check out the t-shirts by Vivian at Valt Line. I flipped through the racks of adorable apparel and knew I just had to walk away with something. It was an easy choice for me. I got a ringer t-shirt in the best shade of purple with a Brooklyn kitty cat on it. I was a happy camper with my new shirt! Valt Line carries t-shirts and onesies with dogs, bees, and a whole variety of animals. Check 'em out!

love my new shirt

make a bee line for Valt Line

I enjoyed getting to know our neighbor Taliah Lampert of Bicycle Paintings. I was mighty impressed that she biked her tent, display, and goods over to the flea on her custom made bicycle with a cart built into the frame (especially on such a hot day).  I found the perfect birthday gift for my dad at her tent. Being an avid cyclist, I knew he would appreciate her bicycle prints, cards, and clothing with bold bike silhouettes. I ended up getting my dad a fabulous matted print and greeting card. I enjoyed hearing about Taliah's work, her boyfriend's bike shop, and bike events where she shares her artwork. If you are into cycling or need a gift for someone who love bicycles, I highly suggest checking out her unique OOAK paintings and prints on her website.

Talia of Bicycle Paintings

shirts and onesies

I got my dad a smaller print of this fabulous image.

Some may say it's difficult to eat on hot days, but not for me -  especially when surrounded by such great food! For lunch I had my favorite go-to meal from the Brooklyn Flea: chicken and cod papusas. Grace noshed on a lovely slice of crusty bread topped with freshly carved prosciutto, olive oil, herbs, and creamy ricotta from Salvatore Bklyn. Of course there's always room for a few snacks. At four for a buck, we couldn't resist the light and sugary donut holes from Dough. I later cooled down with the most delectable apricot salted caramel popsicle from People's Pops and of course I couldn't leave the flea without one bite-sized strawberry cupcake from Kumquat Cupcakery. I guess you could say I didn't leave hungry.

Grace displayed some newly-found vintage toys that had folks reminiscing and playing, including vibrant a green tin gun in pristine condition and a lovely old box of wooden ten pins. As always, people were impressed by her hand-stitched OOAK dresses and tunics. A nice variety of her playthings, clothes, bags, and vintage wares went to very happy homes.  

all fun and games

and a hat at that

I met so many great local artists/designers who were walking about the flea, including Jennifer Rae Beck, the vintage-inspired interior designer from Chalk Farm Home and "chaos conqueror" Jeanie Engelbach of Photo/Apartment/Party Jeanie. I especially loved meeting shoppers from abroad. I had several pieces go off to Australia and Japan including two of my favorite art supply inspired necklaces: Esther-onomy and A Fine Fineline.

Esther-onomy

A Fine Fineline

After loading the car back up, Grace and I recharged our batteries before heading back to Connecticut. We stopped by Il Porto and shared the most delectable white pizza, a Cesar salad, and a wholesome bowl of pasta bolognese. With full bellies and a full day behind us we hit the road back home. What a fabulous day at the flea!

Love, Love, Love : Cafeteria Trays

Back in the days of Western Elementary School, I can vividly remember waiting in line for lunch. For an impatient, hungry kid, the line leading to the cafeteria seemed to stretch on for days. You would be welcomed into the cafeteria by the "clack clack" of  trays being pulled off a tall pile by the lunch ladies. Our school had an endless supply of plastic, colorful lunch trays with confetti-like specks and swirls melded into them. Though I'm sure my mind was mostly set on scarfing down my food and chatting with my friends during our short lunch period, the patterned trays left a strong impression on my early memories.



linole-yum

 I recall most of them being a muted pea-green or pale pink-orange color. The flecks of yellows, blues, pinks, tans, and greens danced around the trays in a carnival-like display when not obscured by the Friday pizza or sloppy Joe spillage. Perhaps the colors were there to add a little life to our tan palette of food.

eat your greens

I hadn't thought about cafeteria trays in years until I started making jewelry. I had one pale green tray that I would pull out on occasion to sort out small mixed supplies or plan out materials for a necklace. As the tray got used more and more, I started looking for more at tag sales and thrift stores. As my collection grew, I branched out onto Ebay for more of a selection. When I did a search for cafeteria trays online, familiar images from my childhood flashed on the screen. Vintage speckled trays came up under searches for Fire King, Prolon, Melmac, Spatterware, and confetti. I found the identical trays I once used in elementary school plus a whole other world of color combinations. 

bling buffet

wild game for dinner

work lunch

Many auctions later, I have a happy collection of 7 confetti trays (and counting) that have been elevated to my "special occasion ware." I pull them out every once in a while for inspiration and when I need a little burst of color in my life. Lately, I have found myself drawn to confetti beads and using food charms in my thimblism necklaces. I can't help but think of lunch lady hairnets, half pints of milk, and my early "culinary experiences" when creating these pieces.  

a feast for the eyes

made from 100% recycled clown (or so I've heard)

Spring Carnival - with vintage Japanese confetti beads

thimbilism necklace from my very own craft-ateria

Though my prized confetti tray collection will not be used to sort materials like my other trays, their fanciful flecks will have a lasting impact on my design. You just never know what will serve up inspiration!

You can find me at these upcoming shows:

Sunday, May 29th - The Brooklyn Flea - Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

Sunday, June 26th - Smith Street Sunday Fun Day - Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, July 9, August 6, August 13 - Greenway Open Markets - Boston, MA

On the Road - BKCC's Shop the Archway

May 21, 2011 was a rapturous day. I was prepped and ready to go for Brooklyn Craft Central's Shop the Archway market in DUMBO 'neath the glorious Manhattan Bridge.

It was my birthday (and Mr. T's by the way), plus a little thing called "Judgement Day" was supposed to happen, say - around 6:00ish. After hearing that cataclysmic earthquakes were predicted, I felt great relief in knowing that I was underneath one of the world's strongest structures and if all were to end, I would go out surrounded by handmade crafts and delicious food.

Manhattan Bridge

pre-show arch

Thom and I drove out early and met Grace Napoleon at the Archway. Grace's Folk Couture booth was set up next to mine. This was my first time seeing her amazing new clothing display in use. When she did Craft Boston back in March, she commissioned her friend Steve Thompson of Junk Lab Design to create a fanciful, fully functional combination clothing display and dressing room constructed out of pipes. Steve created a jungle gym of curiosities that surprisingly sets up and breaks down in a breeze. I was quite impressed. I also loved seeing Grace's new chairs-out-of-clothes. She found the cutest little chairs and worked her "Grace magic" on them by sewing on fabulous patterned fabrics, vintage buttons, bold images, and fun trim. They definitely caught many eyes at the show.

Folk Couture by Grace Napoleon and display by Junk Lab Design

three cheers for two chairs

ready to go

In honor of Judgement Day, Grace proudly displayed her rapturous Blondie dress and I put a special ring out, front and center.

Thom caught up in a rapture...and Grace's new chair

don't leave earth without one

I enjoyed walking around before the crowd arrived to meet new people and say hello to familiar faces. It was great to see Julie from Bugsella and Rocks and Salt, who were just at Twist several weeks ago. I dropped off one of my thimbilism necklaces at the raffle table. All proceeds from the tickets went to a great pet adoption organization called Ready for Rescue. They had a mobile adoption truck set up by the archway filled with furry friends.

just some of the fabulous prizes

My breaks screeched to a halt when I came to SepiaLepus' table. Bunnies, bears, and other wildlife with whimsy abounded in Carrie's work. She offered a great variety of original whimsical illustrations, prints, cards, and magnets. My favorite of all were her OOAK wooden brooches with animals. It was hard for me to decide which brooch to take home, but in the end, I think I made a great choice. I asked Carrie if she had ever illustrated a children's book and she said she had one in the works that was being shopped around to publishers. I am hoping to see more of her soon on the shelves of my local bookstore.

Carrie of SepiaLepus Illustrations

I loved every brooch. I ended up getting the apple shaped brooch with the bear and squirrel (at 9:00).

Next to Carrie was Liz of Liz Rodriguez Ceramics. She presented  hand crafted mugs, chopstick/bowl sets, and plates, which swam in lovely shades of blue with floral designs and bird accents. Her flower vessels really caught my eye because of their unique bulbous design and scalloped openings. Her use of color, texture, and pattern really made her pieces stand out and gave a perfect burst of brightness in the archway.

Liz of Liz Rodriguez Ceramics

beauty in blue

With a name like McFlashpants, I had to check out the booth and the person behind it. I got a warm and wacky welcome from Jen who creates jewelry and accessories out of spoons, forks, knives, and other tableware. Jen does things with silverware that I have never seen done before. She fashions rings, belts, hair picks, necklaces, bracelets, and you-name-it out of every, and I mean every part of the utensil. My favorite pieces were her Inro Box Pendants, made from the hollow ends of knives. With a 90 plus acre farm, a 4 year old, a husband, and goats on the way; I am amazed she musters the creative energy to do what she does. Phew!

Jen of McFlashPants

so forkin' amazing

I got sweet birthday wishes from two fabulous NY friends. Dana of Danamade swung by to spread joy to me and her other vendor friends at the show. I loved her handmade ring and smile to match! It's always pure joy to see Karen Seiger of Markets of New York. There was so much going on that she and her husband James divided to conquer and cover all of the fabulous weekend markets. Check out her great slideshow of the archway below and definitely visit her blog if you are a fan of NYC markets. 

Want the ring dontcha? Well DanaMade it!

Thom worked up a major appetite by going for a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and looping back around the Manhattan Bridge. When he returned, we enjoyed Pollo Tingo tostadas from our neighbors Hermelinda and shared a big ol' bottle of fresh lemon brew from Kombucha Brooklyn. I met so many nice customers who showed enthusiasm for upcycling and sold a variety of pieces, including my favorite springtime necklace called "Blossom Bliss." 

yum!

Blossom Bliss

At the end of the day, somehow we managed to load up the car just seconds before it started to downpour (just good old fashioned rain - no fire, brimstone, or toads). Grace, Thom, and I headed to Chez Oskar in Greenpoint for a post-show, non-apocalyptic, birthday dinner. From fresh strawberry mimosas to a mouth-watering cod dinner, everything was delicious and just right after a busy day. The grand finale was a trio of desserts delivered with a champagne glass that sprayed a plume of sparks. Thankfully, that was the only explosive thing to happen on this memorable day. 

graced with Grace on my b-day

a toast to my love

May 21st did end with a bang!

I was surrounded by the people and things that I love on my birthday. Now that's what I call rapture!