McFlashpants » Markets of New York

Sun, Sea, and Design at The {NewNew}’s Summer Home on Governors Island

This weekend marks the official opening of The {NewNew}’s Treasure Chest Boutique, their summer outpost on historic Governor’s Island. The {NewNew} is a group of New York area artisans who all sell their handmade items on Etsy.com, the world’s most vibrant online handmade marketplace.

Over 30 artists, designers, makers, and crafters have created a boutique that evokes the perfect seaside home filled with beautiful handmade wares, with attention to every corner and detail. It is the kind of place that will make you want to look at every detail and linger on the porch for a chat. You will find fashion designs, jewelry, ceramics, home decor, toys, stationery, and much more. I guarantee you will not leave without a treasure of your own, or the perfect gift for someone special.

It is a short and beautiful ride just across the harbor. Governors Island was a US Army and Coast Guard military base that was closed down in 1996. After years of consideration, the island is now a public space, managed by the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation and the National Park Service. There are concerts on the island, a huge picnic ground, bike rentals, and Water Taxi Beach.

This weekend, in addition to The {NewNew} Boutique, the 3-acre organic farm run by Added Value opens on Saturday, June 5. This farm is a wonderful education initiative and a great opportunity to volunteer and get your hands dirty.

You get to Governor’s Island via a free ferry from the Battery Maritime building at 10 South Street, leaving every 30 minutes on Fridays through Sundays. You can find The {NewNew} Treasure Chest Boutique bringing new life to Historic Home 6B in the heart of Nolan Park, a 5 minute walk from the ferry landing.

Pre-Publication Book Launch at the Brooklyn Lyceum This Weekend!

I will be at the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Craft Market with The Little Bookroom this weekend! Please stop by, say hi, and pick up your advance copy of the guidebook!

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)

•KnitKnit Knits: 10% off one item

•Lovely Day Designs/LuCrafts: 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

Brooklyn Lyceum Holiday Craft Market – A Procrastinator’s Paradise

Yes, I left some of my shopping until this weekend. But I totally scored at The Brooklyn Lyceum Holiday Craft Market. In addition to cupcakes, chocolate, and sandwiches that kept me going, the handmade merchandise was impressive. The Lyceum is an excellent space for a market, and I heard a lot of people saying that they liked the way the crowd could easily flow through the aisles this year.

To see all the wonderful exhibitors, you’ll have to brave the snow yourself on Sunday. But I’ll give you a few examples of some of them.

Lovely Day Designs has hand-poured soy candles in vintage teacups, pressed-glass votives, and porcelain gravy boats, and other decorative items as well. One of the more unusual things I came across was the living jewelry from McFlashpants, tiny plants rooted in eensy vials hanging as pendants on a necklace. McFlashpants also makes unique jewelry made of vintage cutlery. Everything Tiny creates laser cut accessories using bright colors and fun images like dinosaurs, Leggos, deer, and (my favorite) dachshunds. Fortunately for my little nieces, I came across Pickleboots and got some really great kid things for them.

I really liked the graphic images printed on pages torn from unusual books by Girls Can Tell. The soaps from Nordea all smell divine, and her felted scrubber soaps in bright colors would be great stocking stuffers. The framed prints from Raw Toast Design are colorful, skillfully drawn, and darkly funny, like the “poor calamari” being eaten by seagulls. For really great T-shirts, I couldn’t resist the bright pink giant squid from Squidfire. And Miss Wit lives up to her name with some really great shirts, like the one that says, “I can’t stop googling myself.” For the nostalgic people on your list, definitely stop by Another Work In Progress for handmade spiral notebooks made from vintage board games, like Candy Land, Bingo, Monopoly, and more.

Brooklyn Lyceum: Saturday and Sunday, December 19 – 20, 11A – 7 P

Tomorrow is the last weekend day to shop! So pull on your ear grips and mukluks and hit the markets!