Category: love it

renegade craft fair: new york edition

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I love a good fair. Craft fair, food fair, furniture fair… really anything but a street fair. You know, the kind that shuts down part of Sixth Avenue when you’ve decided that’s the day you’re going to rent a zipcar and go to Home Depot or something.

There is no shortage of craft/food/antique fairs to choose from in New York City. For example, I’ve blogged before about the Hester Street Fair; have spent many a happy afternoon wandering the outdoor Brooklyn Smorgasburg; there’s still the Brooklyn Night Bazaar to try out, and MadSqEats in the fall is one of my favorites for food. Two weeks ago a friend and I checked out the new winter home of the Brooklyn Flea in Crown Heights after our Brooklyn Bodyburn class, and poked our heads into the adjoining Berg’n beer hall, too. I am also highly excited for the Hester Holiday Market opening on December 1st at One Penn Plaza. Hey, sometimes I’m in midtown.

Last weekend the Renegade Craft Fair came to town – it’s been here before, I’ve just always missed it in the past. Unlike some of the other markets, it doesn’t hang around. It’s here for two days and then it’s gone, so I was thrilled to finally attend, and I have to say I was really pleased to see such quality stuff, and to chat with small business owners and makers who are really excited and passionate about what they do. There was a little bit of everything – clothing for women, men, kids. Great scarves, bags, and jewelry. Really yummy bath and beauty stuff. Beautiful ceramic vases and spoon rests. And my favorite category – kitchen and tabletop goods, like tea towels, wooden spoons, cast iron pans, trivets, and aprons. You name it, someone is making it. These are some of my favorites! Enjoy.

1 planters from Cara Taylor ceramics | 2 wooden arrow spoons (plus everything else) from Amelie Mancini | 3 indigo clothing & accessories from Katrin Reifeiss | 4 ceramic sake set from Soul Vessel Designs | 5 i’d like everything from btw ceramics, but this striped serving bowl is top of the list | 6 all kinds of beautiful wooden boards and serving pieces at East to West Woods | 7 Herbivore Botanicals gorgeous Pink Clay soap | 8 i love the knotted ropes from Tack & Ward | 9 city metro maps from line posters…especially the Paris one.

hello again/ on my radar…

hello again! i took such a long hiatus from the blog that i almost couldn’t remember how to sign in. there have been a lot of things i wanted to share over the last several months, but sitting down to create a post seemed just like too much work lately. which sounds crazy. so i’m snapping out of it!

in june i went to see my friend tammy of stella jams fame in bozeman, montana. she took me to the farmers market on a rainy saturday morning and introduced me to meredith rivers, the ceramist behind dishes with soul. i truly wanted to cram the whole collection into my carry-on and call it a day. instead i’ve procrastinated for four months. but i have my eye on so, so many of her pieces. i love the raw and undulating edges, and the way some bits fold over almost like a dumpling skin. for my line of work, the shallow bowls and platters are perfect for shooting salads, soups, roasted vegetables… oh pretty much anything.

i have a feeling this line is destined for the shelves of ABC carpet & home. (also known as heaven on earth). since i last looked at meredith’s site back in late june, it looks like she’s been nominated as 2014 finalist for martha stewart’s american made award. congratulations, meredith! i love your work.

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make it: chia chocolate pudding

bkp_5_6_13_chiachocpudding1i’m not normally much of a chocolate person but i do have a taste for it once in a while. i’ve been trying to cut back on sweets, too, but i don’t think this really counts as anything to feel bad about. unlike the pudding that comes in a little disposable cup and has absolutely zero nutritional value, this version actually brings something to the party – lots of protein, natural sweeteners, and, it’s dairy free. i like it better than the real thing.

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chia seed chocolate “pudding”

add 1/2 cup filtered water to 2T chia seeds. let it sit and thicken for about 10 minutes, transfer to the vitamix, and add:

1 cup raw unsalted cashews, 5 or 6 dates, (remove the pits!), 1T unsweetened cocoa powder, 1T maple syrup or agave nectar, 1t vanilla. start with 1/2 cup of coconut milk (or almond milk) and pulse, adding more milk to achieve desired consistency. i usually add about 1 cup of the milk total. also, if you like a stronger chocolate flavor, you can add another tablespoon of the cocoa powder.

it’s good to eat right away, but i think it’s even better once it sits in the fridge for a few hours. it seems like the chia seeds keep thickening even once they’re ground up, and the texture is just great.

bkp_5_6_13_chiachocpudding(photos by laura kinsey for bklynprairie.com)

 

food illustrations

ryotakemasa_3i bookmarked Ryo Takemasa’s website a while back, but for the life of me can’t remember how i came to find it. i love the food illustrations, but he does great insects and city scapes as well. most of the site is in Japanese, but prints are available through his etsy shop! these are some of my favorites…

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ryotakemasa_1amazing work…

someone said it’s spring.

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today is the first day of spring, according to ms. calendar. but in nyc it is still so cold that i would need a coat to go over this coat. plus a hat and a big, big, scarf.

tomorrow’s forecast calls for snow.

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friday favorites

for the record, i hate when it rains. it’s raining right now, and will rain tomorrow and probably saturday, too. however…. watching a big, dramatic thunderstorm unfold from inside the apartment is kind of great. it has to be the kind of thunderstorm with crazy, fast-moving clouds, sun streaking out from behind as it rushes past. not just regular old rain. (snore…)

anyway, i hope the weeked isn’t a wash for everybody… i’ll keep my fingers crossed. but just in case you’re stuck inside with your nose in your computer, here are some interesting dribs and drabs for you.

ice cream sandwiches are great… but how about an ice cream slider?

delicious looking ideas for bell peppers… thank you mark bittman…

this looks like a lovely spot for brunch in fort greene…

this edith wharton exhibit sounds really interesting…

i’m trying this over the weekend… my arms better get ready…

sweet nyc cab story

is it weird that an eataly just opened in rome? i do love the one in nyc, though.

have a great weekend!

(photos by laurakinsey)