Etsy » Markets of New York

Aixa Sobin Hits the Streets with Fine Handmade Leather Wares

I met Aixa Sobin last year at Artists and Fleas in Williamsburg. Her leather bags, belts and bags are made from rich, buttery leathers, and she hand sews each ond of her original designs. I ran into Aixa on the the streets of Soho and asked her talk with my video camera. Two women nearby had just purchased stylish belts from her, and one of them said, “Can you imagine finding handmade leather products like this right out on the street?!”

You can find Aixa Sobin most days out in front of Balthazar on Spring Street between Crosby and Broadway.

Her website is www.aixasobinleathers.com, and she also has a store on Etsy. And follow Aixa on Facebook!

Inspired by Squash & This Art Print Could Be Yours!

Winter Squash Print by Claudia Pearson for Greenmarkets (image from Claudia Pearson)

Who doesn’t love a squash? Butternut, Potimarron, Spaghetti, Acorn, Blue Hubbard – there are more varieties than I ever gave this humble vegetable credit for.

And I absolutely love this new Squash Print by talented illustrator, Claudia Pearson, which she created in partnership with GrowNYC. I first saw this print in December in the Union Square Greenmarket information tent, where I was doing a very very cold book signing. The print is 18″ x 24″ and will be available shortly on Claudia’s Etsy Shop for purchase.

However, if you visit Claudia Pearson’s blog and leave a nice comment about one of your favorite ways to cook squash, you could win a poster of our very own! Claudia will pick the very lucky winner randomly on March 8th.

This winter, I picked out a few new kinds of squash at the Greenmarkets and peeled and hacked them up with my newly sharpened knives. I usually toss the firm, cool chunks in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, and popped them in the oven on a cookie sheet fro 45 minutes at 375°. They invariably came out crispy on the outside and warm, soft, and full of flavor on the inside. Frankly, it was kind of a revelation for me how much I love squash. Next winter, I’m making potimarron soup.

New Video! Sodas and More at the New Amsterdam Valentine’s Day Market & Apothecary

Love is in the Air: Three Great Valentine’s Dates at the Markets

Special Blog Event: I enjoy reading a good number of blogs. Some inspire me, some crack me up consistently, and some actually make me tear up with every posting. Oh – and some make me hungry. So I invited them to join me in a Valentine’s Day Blogger Round Robin. We’ve all got all the links to each other’s postings at the top of our own. So please click through and read all the blogs. And share them with your friends! (Thank you to Manhattan Users Guide for the original idea!)

Andrea Davis: Pure Food Nutrition: Valentine’s Day Chocolate: Good & Good for You?
Ann Mehl: A Man and His Word on Valentine’s Day
Artists & Fleas: Gift Guide: From Brooklyn-Tough Love, Show Your Love, and Lovely Little Licks, Bites & Nibbles
The Bitchy Waiter: Fuck Cupid
Brooklyn Flea: You Gotta Have Heart
The Experimental Gourmand: Valentine’s Day Special Dinner
Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market: A Blog Affair to Remember
Kumquat Cupcakery: My Messy Pink Kitchen
Metalicious Jewelry: Well Hello February
The NewNew: What Makes Valentine’s Day Sweet to Me

Love is in the Air

This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday, which means we have the whole entire weekend to hang out with the ones we love the most! So I thought to myself, “What would I like to do this weekend?” Of course, it is all about the markets. Here are three excursions to take with your one Valentine or all the Valentine’s in your family:

Artists & Fleas and the Meeker Avenue Flea: Artists & Fleas (70 North 7th St. in Williamsburg) offers hours of entertainment together, slowly wandering through the eclectic collection of talented artists and artisans, vintage collections, and mini-cupcakes. You never know what you’ll find in this market, and when you take your time, I guarantee there will be something there to knock your socks off. I’ve gotten Valentine’s Day gifts there, from decoupage heart magnets to a fantastic Beatle’s Yellow Submarine hat made from a recycled sweater. You may find a box of LPs, a handmade book, or a pair of awesome vintage shades. It’s a treasure hunt every weekend. A few blocks away at 391 Leonard Street is the Meeker Avenue Flea. This market specializes in vintage and antique furniture primarily. If you’re having romantic thoughts of moving in, or *gasp* something more serious, try broaching the subject as you are fondling a set of Art Deco bar ware or an Elvis lamp. Wouldn’t that look great in your new apartment…together?

Chelsea Market and the High Line: There is something incredibly romantic about the High Line elevated park, no matter what the weather. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a slow park, designed for strolling hand-in-hand, or mitten-in-mitten in this weather. Take your sweetheart for a wander along the High Line to enjoy the icy vistas and brisk breezes. Then step off at the 15th Street staircase and explore the tasty treasures inside Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market Baskets is Valentine’s Day Central, with chocolates, candies and gift baskets for your beloved. Pick up fresh, luscious ingredients for a delicious home cooked Italian dinner at and Buon Italia. And for dessert, how about a moist, tender red velvet cake from Amy’s Bread? And, whatever you do, do not forget a handpicked box of delicate and delicious bonbons from Jacques Torres Chocolates. There is so much more to see, smell and taste in the market – savor every shop!

New Amsterdam Valentine’s Market & Apothecary: The first New Amsterdam Market of the year takes place this weekend. And it’s not just on Sunday! The market runs both Saturday and Sunday, and also Monday, Valentine’s Day itself. It’s a weekend for chocolate, and Liddabit Sweets and Mast Brothers will be supplying their delicious, handcrafted chocolates and candies. I have it on good authority that P&H Soda Co. will have a very limited edition Valentine’s Day strawberry soda syrup just for this market. In addition to all the great food vendors, Lore Tools.Ornaments.Provisions will be there, and you can pick up hand crafted love tokens by paper artist Robert Warner. There will be some fun events to do together too, including Valentine’s Day caligraphy (Saturday), Kombucha making (Sunday), and a wine and chocolate pairing at Pasanella & Sons (Monday). Location: Indoors at the New Amsterdam Market School, 224 Front St. (between Beekman St. and Peck Slip). Saturday & Sunday 11AM – 6PM, Monday 11AM-7PM.

The card pictured is a hand-printed design from Pumpkin & Honey Bunny!

Yee Haw Industries: A Sign for the Times

Yee Haw Industries Letterpress & Design Company

Yee Haw Industries‘ hand-printed letterpress signs, cards, tea towels and posters are a combination of down-home country humor, wicked wit, a touch of irony, and master printmaking craftsmanship. The Yee Haw Brain Trust consists of Julie Belcher and Kevin Bradley, who spend their holidays at the city’s markets, including the Jingle Market and the Bust Holiday Craftacular in 2010. They are based in Knoxville, Tennessee, but they may as well be New Yorkers.

They recently created the hot red devil poster for the 2011 NYChili Fest. You can get an original print of that poster for $20 at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in Chelsea Market, plus their Chili Fest t-shirts.

I first saw their large posters in a major exhibit in Chelsea Market in 2009, and their work with type print specimens me away. For Christmas in 2009, I did a bit of gift shopping in Yee Haw’s bins, including a “Carve that Possum” sign for my brother-in-law, who placed it gracefully at the top of the tree. Of course, I have two of their farmers market posters (purple onion and cabbage), which will soon be hanging in my new kitchen. And their tea towel that says, “You’re the Cream in My Coffee,” was the sentimental favorite at Christmas this year.

Shop on Yee Haw’s Etsy Shop for Valentine’s Day Cards! They’re sweet as Tupelo honey. (All their products are also eco friendly too!)

Totes To Make You LOL: Interview with Leslie Jowett Astor of Astorknot

Leslie Jowett Astor of Astorknot, Featured Vendor at the Brooklyn Craft Central Holiday Craft Market

Leslie Jowett Astor of Astorknot makes fun, vibrant, and somewhat irreverent appliqué tote bags, fusing brightly colored fabric on more brightly colored fabric. These are the totes you notice at the Greenmarket that make you actually LOL. I had the chance to ask her a few key questions.

Your totes strike a funny, ironic note. Where do you get your ideas? I have a deadpan sense of humor, and I get ideas from all over the place. My teenage nieces inspired the Text Message Totes. I’m amused by their Facebook postings, the way communicate such emotion with letters rather than words, like OMG and LOL. Pop culture is a source of inspiration.

Also, everyday stuff out of context just seems funny and maybe provocative. I like it when people on the subway start conversations about the tote bag I’m carrying. I have a friend who is a very busy mother, and knitting is her escape from the daily stress of being a parent. She inspired the tote that says, “I Knit So I Won’t Kill.”

Will you be bringing other items to the Brooklyn Craft Central Market? I only sell totes, but I’ve been playing around with other things. So I’ll be bringing some tote making kits. I sold them at The {NewNew}’s Crafts in Chelsea event, and people liked them. They are an non-intimidating way to do crafts with your kids, rather than filling your house with plastic toys. Of course, I have three sons, so my house is full of plastic toys.

Your Etsy bio says that you knew you wanted to be an artist when you received your first Crayola Caddy at age 7. What is your favorite crayon color and why? There are several new colors that are interesting, but I love the classic red crayon. Red and green are my favorite colors. Red is everywhere. Blood is red, and yet red can also be beautiful. Red is intimidating and soothing at the same time. I love red with everything. The classics never die.

Why did you choose tote bags as your artistic medium? Tote bags are another way of being expressive. Like it says on one of my totes, “Remember that you’re special just like everybody else.” I try to strike a balance between my creative life and my family life. It can be tough, but it’s so worthwhile.

You can find Leslie and her totes at these events:

Sunday, December 5th: Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Book & Craft Fair, where she’ll be selling custom challah covers.
Saturday, December 11th: Artscetera Pop Up Shop, 12 Smith Street, between Baltic and Butler Streets in Brooklyn
Sunday, December 12th: Astoria Market
Saturday & Sunday, December 18th & 19th: Brooklyn Craft Central Holiday Craft Market

Pick up a tote from Astorknot, and you’ll never want to leave home without it!

Photo of the Day – October 5, 2010: Sego Jewelry

Architectural Cuff from Sego Jewelry at Artists and Fleas (Photo by Sego Jewelry)

I met designer Samuel Guillén of Sego Jewelry at Artists and Fleas in Williamsburg this past weekend. I was drawn to his simple and sleek display, which featured fine, geometric, handmade jewelry with a modern and architectural look. Sego’s Silver Bead and Wire Cuff has little beads that travel up and down a silver matrix around your wrist. This kinetic design move as you move, giving it an extra dimension. The cuff pictured isn’t kinetic, but the angles and layers make it quite striking. Pull on that black power suit and funkiest glasses because this bracelet will command attention, and you must be prepared for all of it.

Try on Sego Jewelry and met Samuel weekends at Artists and Fleas!

Sego Etsy Shop

Artists and Fleas

Photo of the Day – August 31, 2010: Sock Monkeys from Brooklyn Craft

Seriously Cool Skeleton Sock Monkey and Friends by Brooklyn Craft

I seriously love sock monkeys. I have never see a cooler sock monkey than this black skeleton bad boy by Brooklyn Craft. Tamara Stoddard, the crafter, stitcher and designer behind the sock monkeys, also creates other great soft toys, including terrycloth elephants, catnip mice, and many more. Her appliqued onesies sell like hotcakes at the Hester Street Fair, with tyrannosaurs, goldfish, and other creatures. Brooklyn Craft has an Etsy shop as well, where you can purchase baby bibs with appliqued hamburgers and whales on them. Tamara’s dream is to open a Brooklyn Craft store, “a store that’s like a craft fair every day.” I for one, would be first in line on Opening Day. Especially if she calls her store, “Sock Monkeys R Us.”

You can find Brookyn Craft and Tamara stitching away at the Hester Street Fair and Artists and Fleas. Check her very fun blog for locations and details.

Photo of the Day – August 10, 2010: Grey56 Leather

Tweed and Leather Bag from Grey56 Leather at the Old Cathedral Market

Grey56 Leather sells their beautiful handmade leather goods at the Old Cathedral Market on the sidewalk in Soho every weekend. Their designs are geared towards men, including buttery leather bags and masculine cuffs and belts. The bag pictured is their original design made from wool tweed fabric and soft leather, and it is fully lined. All of their pieces are handmade in Manhattan with an extremely fine level of craftsmanship.

These designers are another wonderful reason to shop at the markets of New York City to find high quality and trendsetting artisanal products.

The Old Cathedral Market is open weekend days on Spring Street between Mott & Mulberry in Soho. You can also find Grey56 Leather’s products in their Etsy shop online

Photo of the Day – August 3, 2010: Macaron Parlour

Classic Meets Hip at the Macaron Parlour: Nutella, Rocky Road, Salt Caramel, and S'Mores Macarons

The thing I love the most about Macaron Parlour is their distinctly American twist on the most classic of French classics, the Parisian macaron. Without sacrificing the incredibly refined and delicate texture of the macaron, Christina Ha and Simon Tung create flavors that would hopefully thrill but just might shock the bakers at Laduree, one of my favorite patisseries in Paris that has been making these light, crispy delicacies since the 1860’s.

Ha studied pastry making at the Atelier Pierre Herme de Formation a la Haute Patisserie in Paris, and Tung “always had a soft spot for sweets and loves being in the kitchen.” Together, they maintain the beautiful, soft, pastel colors of the traditional macarons, and even some of the flavors, like salt caramel and vanilla. But many of their flavors pull from the American palate, including Peanut Butter Cup, Rocky Road, and S’Mores. The Asian-American influence is really wonderful too in their Thai Chili and Matcha flavored macarons.

And then there’s the Candied Bacon with Maple Cream Cheese macaron, a perfect combination of maple sugar with a hint of savory bacon. It’s like a tiny bite of Sunday brunch.

As I wrote yesterday, Macaron Parlour was one of the delightful stops on our “Sugar Fest” this past weekend. Pick up all the flavors at the Hester Street Fair every weekend, or place your order on the Macaron Parlour’s Etsy shop.

Vive Le Macaron Franco-Americain!