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Miss Wit’s Industrial Light and Tragic T-Shirt Designs

I can appreciate a good funny t-shirt, except for the fellow I saw actually wearing his “I’m With Stupid” t-shirt in Paris. (His girlfriend was not amused.) When I see a really hysterical one, I’m happy to show my appreciation with a loud chuckle. The cleverest t-shirts I’ve seen in a long time come from Miss Wit, this week’s Vendor of the Week for the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Crafts Market.

If you spend a couple of minutes with Deb Goldstein, Miss Wit herself, you will understand her humor and great energy. The t-shirt that cracks me up the most says, “I can’t stop googling myself.” (But I’m too shy to wear it…) I also love her 1980’s music collection, including “Her name is Rio. She don’t need to understand,” and “Turn Around Bright Eyes.” Deb understands why the Beach Boys are funny too; her Black Flag/Beach Boys tee is one of her best sellers. Her “Ego Friendly” and “Mudflap Girl” designs are a must for today’s hippest fashionistas. Her Oscar’s tee, “…and I want to thank Harvey Weinstein,” struck a lot of people’s funny bones and was a runaway success.

All of Deb’s designs are her own, except for the Beach Boys Song Topics Venn Diagram (original design by Dan Meth) and the beautiful bird and branch designs by her mother. Her brother assists with the graphic design, but Deb learned Photoshop so that she could create more complex images. Some of her designs include “found” images and most are witty takes on popular culture. Her printing is done in Brooklyn.

I’ve posted her images of some of my favorite t-shirts, but you really have to go to Misswit.net to see them all. Or you can meet Miss Wit in person at the Brooklyn Lyceum Market on May 1 & 2! You’ll be glad you did!

Photo of the Day: March 31, 2010

Makhani Simmer Sauce from Calcutta Kitchens

Using traditional methods and spices combined with the freshest ingredients, Calcutta Kitchens make it easy for us all to enjoy wonderful complexities of Indian cuisine. The Makhani Simmer Sauce that I brought home took me no time at all to heat up with chicken, and it made for a sensational dinner! Calcutta Kitchens is a part of the Community Markets organization, and you can find their chutneys, simmer sauces and other Indian delicacies at these markets in and around New York City. (Market Schedule)

The chutneys and simmer sauces from is the perfect way to satisfy your frequent cravings for Indian Cuisine!

Community Markets

Toast as Design Inspiration Part 2: Toaster Central

Toastmaster Automatic Pop-up Toaster ca. 1926-1930, from Toaster Central

If you have been to the Greenflea in the past several years, you may have seen a dapper gentleman in a top hat, surrounded by some of the very best of examples of American industrial design in history. Michael Sheafe, proprietor of Toaster Central, sells toasters and other kitchen appliances manufactured from 1920’s to the 1950’s. He guarantees them all, but very few of them ever come back to him because these machines were built to last.

Scheafe has done extensive research on the appliances he restores and sells, the companies that manufactured them, and the brilliant design that went into creating them. They are made from high quality, durable materials, including brass, copper, steel and chrome. He prefers to deal in appliances made by Sunbeam and Toastmaster because the craftsmanship is superb, although he works with several other excellent brands as well. Carnegie Steel Mill would send a daily trainload of steel to Sunbeam in Chicago. Toastmaster was the largest consumer of chamois cloth to make sure all of their toasters shined like the top of the Chrysler Building, to quote a phrase.

Sheafe sells many gorgeous toasters, waffle irons, corn poppers, egg cookers and more. My personal favorite is the Toast-O-Lator, or “Walking Toaster,” because it more of a catwalk for toast than a mere toaster. You place your slice in one side, and you can watch through the peephole as it struts past the heating element. It exits the other side perfectly hot, fragrant, golden brown – and irresistible. It was produced in the New York area between 1937 and 1950, and it was beautifully billed to be “New as Tomorrow.” There is even a Facebook fan page for this toaster. It’s that great.

Sheafe once had a customer whose family lost their beloved childhood toaster in a divorce. To make matters worse, it was their stepmother who took it away with her. Sheafe was able to find four of the same model toaster in perfect condition so that all four siblings could have one of their own.

In addition to setting up his tables outside at the Greenflea when weather permits, as well as the London Terrace Street Fair (which will be September 21 this year, but I’ll remind you), his beautifully descriptive website is full of vintage kitchen treasures. Sheafe uses white and cinnamon toast to demonstrate his wares, but his personal bread of choice is a fresh loaf from Agata & Valentina’s at 1^st and 79^th.

So go online or meet Michael Sheafe in person at the Greenflea in good weather. Let me know which shiny toaster is your favorite!

Photo of the Day – March, 29, 2010

hells-kitchen-flea-bad-boys-of-39th-street

For a fascinating and eclectic collection of historic artifacts and antiques, go see the Bad Boys of 39th Street at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market. From Victrolas, old candlestick phones, and early televisions to sterling silver cigarette cases, skeleton keys, and swizzle sticks, the Bad Boys have some remarkable things on their tables every weekend. Just don’t ask why they’re known as the Bad Boys.

Photo of the Day: March 27, 2010

Red Jacket Orchards provides delicious fresh apples and wonderful fruit at the Greenmarkets year-round.

Photo of the Day: March 26, 2010

The apple cider donuts from The Orchards of Concklin at my local Greenmarket are a true weakness for me. I’ll grab a bag of six moist, delicious, cinnamon coated donuts “for later,” and end up eating them all before I’m done buying carrots. They sell other wonderful baked goods – pies, cookies, muffins as well. Right now, they are also bringing cut tulips and other bedding plants to the market to help us all ring in the springtime.

Amazingly, The Orchards of Concklin has been owned and run by the same family since 1712! That’s over 60 years before the American Revolution, folks. In fact, they are the 8th oldest family run business in the United States. I’d say that’s an accomplishment worthy of celebrating with donuts!

You’ll find their market stand at the Greenmarkets at Abingdon Square on Saturdays and and Bowling Green on Tuesdays.

Toast as Inspiration Part 1: Virginia Kraljevic, Doodler Extraordinaire

Featured Artisan – Brooklyn Lyceum Spring Market and Handmade Cavalcade!

There is something about toast that evokes a sense of comfort, home, breakfast. Maybe it’s the fragrance that wafts through the house, or maybe it’s the crunchy bread combined with the melted butter and jam. So I wasn’t surprised when I started noticing the influence of toast on creative design in the artisan markets around New York City. This is the first of two postings on toast as inspiration for design.

Illustrator and graphic designer Virginia Kraljevic doodled in her school notebooks – a lot. And they were good. She would continue to hone her drawing skills through her professional experience in publishing, fashion design, and window display design. She has created unique artwork for album covers, business cards, stationery, and more. Her work evokes a sense of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton meet Jim Henson; dark-ish yet whimsical.

Virginia’s wonderful notecards feature many of her illustrations, including one with two pieces of toast that caught my eye. The boy and girl toasts are obviously in love with each other, and the caption simply reads, “For the Love of Toast.” It turns out that Virginia likes to create characters out of random inanimate objects, and toast is one of those things with great potential for fun and silliness. When I first met her, she had turned those two toasty lovers into 1” toast puppets with tiny movable legs to amuse her (older) brother, who was visiting her at the market. I thought they must be an important part of her permanent display because they were ridiculously adorable. Imagine my dismay when she told me later that someone else had bought them. I can only hope that I’ll have toast puppets of my own to play with some day…

Virginia finds that organic spelt bread makes the tastiest toast.

You can see her designs on her illustrated website, virginiakraljevic.com, and purchase them on her Etsy shop. I like to check Virginia. The Blog! on a daily basis for inspirational tidbits.

Come out and meet Virginia Kraljevic in person at the upcoming Handmade Cavalcade (April 21) and the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Craft Market (May 1& 2)!

Photo of the Day: March 25, 2010

Bugged Out's Eggplant Hoodie for kids at St. Anthony's Outdoor Market on Houston Street

The expressions on faces of the bugs, fruits and vegetables on Bugged Out’s children’s clothing and tote bags crack me up completely. Designer Dina Lerman’s Bugs Collection includes 12 colorful images of different kinds of bugs, including a yellow bee, a blue caterpillar, a purple fly, and more. Her Fruits and Veggie Wear was originally designed exclusively for the New York Botanical Garden Shop but now available directly from Bugged Out as well. This line includes smiling carrots, round green peas, plump red tomatoes, and the sweet purple eggplant (featured in the Photo of the Day). Rumor has it that Angelina Jolie may be carrying Bugged Out’s black ant tote bag in her new movie, “Salt.”

You can find Bugged out at the Greenflea, at the St. Anthony’s Market on Houston Street, and other markets around the city. A portion of the proceeds from all of Bugged Out’s sales goes to Multiple Sclerosis Research at the MS Care Center of NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases.

Photo of the Day: March 24, 2010

I found this gorgeous specimen of Maitake or “Hen of the Woods” mushroom from Madura Farms Mycomedicinals at the Abingdon Square Greenmarket this past Saturday. This is my very favorite mushroom. It was my dad’s favorite mushroom too, and we’d go hunting for them together in the forest when I was kid. This weekend, my sister Andrea peeled off bits of the hen and sauteed them in olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. They were transcendent. In fact, for centuries Buddhist monks have drunk a tea made from the maitake mushroom to deepen their meditative state. I prefer to slurp them down with a glass of red wine. But that’s just me.

Photo of the Day: March 23, 2010

Jan Huling creates colorful, whimsical, and incredibly detailed artwork using tiny seed beads. She is a beadist – you really need to click on this photo to see the incredible detail on the featured piece. I first saw her work at the American Crafts Festival at Lincoln Center, and you can hear her speak Wednesday, March 24th the Bead Society of Greater New York’s meeting at FIT.