Brooklyn Lyceum Spring Food and Crafts Market

Fabulous Food and Crafts at the Brooklyn Lyceum

On May 1st and 2nd, the Brooklyn Lyceum was host to the wonderful Spring Food and Crafts Market. I went to the Lyceum’s Holiday Market in December, and I bought loads of gifts. The manuscript for the guidebook had already been submitted, but I called my editor at Little Bookroom and asked if there was any way we could make a last minute addition. This market was too good to leave out of the book.

Fortunately, Little Bookroom and our wonderful book designer worked it all out, and the Lyceum Market is indeed featured in the guidebook, which is officially released on May 11. So when the Lyceum invited us to do a pre-publication launch of Markets of New York City at the Spring Market, I was thrilled.

There were over 100 truly talented artisan and food vendors, and likely over a thousand wonderful shoppers. I cannot say enough about the high quality of the handmade goods. It was nice to see vendors meeting their repeat customers who come find them at the various markets around town. And there was a good deal of buzz around the food, which was in abundance, including BaconMarmalade, P&H Soda and Syrup (who kept me going in the heat with icy cream sodas), and the beautiful macarons from Macaron Parlour. I also brought home Niki and Doug’s Ramp Butter, which we have been slathering on pretty much everything this week (everything that wasn’t already slathered with BaconMarmalade, that is).

People were very excited about the guidebook, those who wanted to know where all the great markets are and even those who know all about them already. This was my first experience as a New York market vendor, and I had a great time, although it gave me first-hand experience as to how hard the vendors work every weekend while the rest of us are strolling through the markets munching on cupcakes and Yona’s mini-quiches. On Sunday evening, I went home, put my feet up, and fell sound asleep.

Announcing The Book Launch Events!!!

Markets of New York City (Little Bookroom, 2010)

I am so excited for the launch of Markets of New York City: A Guide to the Best Artisan, Farmer, Food and Flea Markets (Little Bookroom, 2010), I can barely stand it! It has been such an incredibly rewarding experience to explore, shop, eat, and get to know the wonderful, dedicated, and talented entrepreneurs at the amazing markets throughout the boroughs. Please come out, have some fun, and show your support for these fantastic institutions that give so much character to our fair city!

Weekend of May 1 & 2 – Pre-Publication Launch at Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food & Craft Market

Get an advance copy of the guidebook! Many of the vendors featured in the book are offering generous deals and discounts with your book purchase! Book signing from 11 am – 4 pm on Saturday & Sunday
Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn (R Train to Union Street)

Many of the wonderful vendors featured in the guidebook and blog are also going to be at the Lyceum, and they are offering awesome special discounts with your book purchase:

•Alison Tauber: $5 off one shirt

•Bacon Marmalade: Discount on Jars or Baked Goods

•Fine and Raw Chocolates: Chunky Bonbon 2 for $10 (regular price $7 each)

•Lovely Day Designs: 20% on total purchase

•McFlashpants : 10% discount on total purchase

•Meow Meow Tweet: $1.00 off total purchase

•Miss Wit Tees for Good Times: 15% on total purchase

•Nordea Soaperie: Free 1.5 oz Body Polish with $45 total purchase

•Off the Mat: 20% discount on total purchase

•Pumpkin and Honey Bunny/P&H Soda and Syrup Inc.: $.50 off purchase of sodas and greeting cards

•Rocks and Salt Design: 10% discount on hats

•Sour Puss Pickles: $1.50 off a jar of Green Tomato Relish

•Take Me Homeware: 20% discount on total purchase

•Virginia Kraljevic Illustrations and Cards: 20% discount on total purchase

•Yona’s Gourmet Delights: $1.00 off your purchase of any two combos

Thursday, May 20 – Publication Party! You’re Invited!

Book signing and reception from 6 pm – 8 pm (Bonus – Meet my mom, Haydee, to whom the book is dedicated.)
Refreshments will be provided by Chelsea Market shops, including Manhattan Fruit Exchange, Chelsea Wine Vault, Buon Italia, Amy’s Bread, and more!
Posmans Books at Chelsea Market
75 9th Avenue at 15th Street, Manhattan (A, C, E, 2, & 3 Trains to 14th Street)

Saturday, May 22 – Markets of New York City Celebrates Handmade Brooklyn!

Meet many of the vendors featured in the guidebook at this full-day event especially for Brooklyn! Book signing from 11 am – 5 pm
Brooklyn Indie Market, Details on Yelp.com
Smith Street & Union Street, Brooklyn (F & G Trains to Carrol Street)

[On a sober note, I wanted to do something to honor a colleague who died in the earthquake in Haiti, Gerardo Le Chevalier. So, with permission of his family, we will be collecting donations for Doctors Without Borders at "Celebrate Handmade Brooklyn" in Gerardo's memory for their ongoing work in helping Haiti recover from the disastrous effects of the earthquake earlier this year.]

I’m only going to have one first book launch in my life, so please come out and help me make the most of it!

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)!

Meow Meow Tweet – Vegan Soaps Handmade in Brooklyn

Markets of New York City is an official sponsor of the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Craft Market (May 1 & 2). This week’s Vendor Spotlight is on Meow Meow Tweet!

This morning I finished up the last teensy sliver of Fennel Orange Oats soap from Meow Meow Tweet. I bought a whole stack of their great smelling soaps over the holidays at the Makers Market at the Old American Can Factory, thinking I would put them in people’s Christmas stockings. But I didn’t. I used a Black Tea and Honey bar and decided that everyone else would be getting jellybeans. Yes, I totally gave the soaps to myself.

Meow Meow Tweet proprietors Jeff Kurosaki and Tara Pelletier set out to create healthful, natural inspiring soaps, and I am happy to report that they have succeeded! The soaps are made from “an all-organic base of olive, palm, castor, and coconut oils with an addition of shea or coco butter.” They are vegan and never tested on animals other than humans.

The soaps are inspired by flavors, like Grapefruit Mint, and Lavender with Lemon Peel. The Cinnamon Coffee is like a breakfast appetizer in your shower. The ingredients are widely known to nurture your skin, such as tea tree oil, oats, kelp, and honey, and coffee grounds and black walnut powder are natural exfoliants.

I also save the labels because they are tiny works of art in and of themselves, each one drawn and printed by hand by Jeff or Tara on 25% hemp and 75% post-consumer recycled paper. I love that the images don’t necessarily have to do with the ingredients in the soap, except for the Yeti and raccoon in a pine forest on the bar of Citronella Fir (this bar is actually designed for campers).

You can buy your bars of Meow Meow Tweet soaps on their website, or you can meet Jeff and Tara in person on Sundays at the Makers Market at the Old American Can Factory. Meow Meow Tweet will also be participating in the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Crafts Market on May 1 & 2, 2010!