Well, folks, they’ve done it again! The craft fair wizards of Renegade are putting on an incredible event in McCarran Park this weekend. We spent a lovely afternoon strolling among the colorful tents, marveling at the beautiful, creative, witty, clever, and superlative designs. There are over 300 independent artisans from around the country, and I guarantee that you will be amazed by many-if not most-of the people you meet and the things you see.
Take a look at some of the creations that caught my eye, listed below and in the photo gallery above (all photos by James Wesolowski):
- Delicate ceramic figures by Michiko Shimada, sharing a tent with ceramicist Beetle and Flor
- Soft and funny handmade dolls with great expresses and even mustaches by Pinkypunk
- Rustic birdhouses made from reclaimed wood by Eric Erf Wood Design out of Chicago
- The Better Than Jam Co-Op features handmade fashion and accessories by local designers
- Knitsybitsy works with Ecuadoran artisans to kit their hysterical sea creature toys
- Ornamental Things brings her handmade jewelry all the way from Austin, TX (and the recent Renegade Craft Fair there)
- Gold Teeth Brooklyn makes great and unusual gold teeth jewelry, and other cool things like pistachios, not to mention greeting cards featuring Peeps (and more)
- Clay, Wood & Cotton has a collection of beautiful home decor items under their red tent, which they’re sharing with the super cute and clever KnitKnit Knits
- Shara Porter prints lovely and familiar items, from hedgehogs and guinea pigs to bicycles and horseshoes, on leather handbags, wallets, and purses, many of them vintage
- If you’re looking for chalkboard bedside tables to remind you of your To Do list every morning, check out Scraptones, who is also selling very cool decorative wooden blocks with architectural images printed on them
- Illustrator Virginia Kraljevic’s “tent” is actually a small boutique full of wit and charm. She’s right next to the ever talented members of The {NewNew}
- I picked up the cutest octopus necklace from Destroyed By Design. I may need to get that kiwi too. This artisan is sharing a tent with her fabulous sister and clothing designer AngelRox
- Moth Written is selling really fun t-shirts with sayings like “I Love Brooklyn,” or “Kiss Me I’m Irish,” except written in Arabic, the idea being to foster a dialog between East and West. I almost got a “Peace” pin, but I opted for “Breakfast,” because nothing fosters dialog like toast and eggs (only not with your mouth full).
These are just a few of the thousands of handmade items at the Renegade this year. Put on your walking shoes, grab your sunblock and water bottles, and enjoy a day of inspirational shopping!
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.
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
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)!
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