Crafts In Chelsea Deadline Extended!

Save the date - October 17, 10am to 5pm

PS 11 in Manhattan is partnering with us - The {NewNew} - a local NY Metro group of Etsy Sellers, to close 21st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, to host Crafts in Chelsea. A fall handmade street fair of the finest handmade arts and crafts the New York Metro are has to offer. From elegant jewelry to unique upcycled handbags, to cutting edge fashions, artwork, and more! All handmade within the New York Tri-state region.

There will be something for everyone with free food for kids, games, bouncy castles and a petting zoo inside the school - all to occupy the children, leaving the parents free to shop the best handmade goods in the Metro New York area!

Applications are still being accepted for this unique handmade event happening in the heart of Chelsea! Contact us or you can download an application here http://thenewnewny.com/CraftsInChelsea.pdf You have until Sept 12!


-Kimm
KimmChi.etsy.com

Meet Your {NewNew}

Meet Jill of J Davis Studio!

Shop name: J Davis Studio

Shop address: http://jdavisstudio.etsy.com
In a nutshell: Sterling silver and gold plated jewelry
materials: sterling silver, brass
I transform them into: jewelry
Tell us a bit about yourself :
The J in J Davis is for Jill. I'm from Ohio originally. I received my BFA in Metalsmithing from Syracuse University. Then I moved to Michigan and worked for a mall jewelry store whose name we all know, doing repairs and polishing and being miserable for a couple years. Then I moved to New York and got my Associates in Jewelry Design from the Fashion Institute. Then I moved out to Brooklyn, met the love of my life and I've been here for 2 years. I work part time for two different jeweler's here in Brooklyn while working on my own business as well.

What is the first thing you remember making?
I remember in preschool our teachers took pictures of each of us in front of this awful plastic fake wood wall. Then we pasted them on pink hearts and decorated them with stickers and what have you for Mother's day. I remember being completely fascinated with the laminator. Then we stuck magnets on the back of them and the one I made hung on our fridge for years. My Mom recently found it again a couple years ago and it's back on the fridge for all to see. Little me in my favorite cupcake dress.

What part of your life do you find is/was the most creative? Do you think back to these times when creating your work?
When I was an art major at Syracuse University, I was very creative. Not only because I had to be creative every day for 4 years, but because I was really inspired by the people around me, the challenges that were introduced, the art I was forced to look at for hours at a time. I also had plenty of time to make things, and design, and think about art (in between keg stands of course).

Did you have a creative mentor? A teacher or role model that taught you about creativity or simply inspired you to be creative?
I have so many mentors, from professors, to friends, to artists and designers I've never even met. A lot of people have helped me along the way, whether they know it or not! I'm obsessed with reading success stories, whether they be artists, designers, musicians, chefs, or business people. I love to hear how people "made it." It's very inspiring and it really pushes me to find that perfect balance of being happy with your career and making a living at the same time.

What is your creative process when making your product?
Things just kind of evolve. I'll get one idea, and I'll make it. I might like it, I might not. It might change from my original idea as it goes from a drawing to a three dimensional piece. I might love it, but when I put it on, sometimes it just doesn't work as a piece of jewelry. So things change, ideas lead to other ideas. The process defines itself. I have no control!

Do you have any creative thinking tricks you'd like to share?
Again, things just kind of evolve for me. When an idea strikes, it goes down on paper. I might not even look at it again for a few weeks. Then I go back through my sketch book and see what pops out. I continue to flesh out the winner ideas and see where they go.

When you get stuck, how do you get out of it?
When I get stuck, I just walk away. Things always look different with fresh eyes.

What is something about yourself that surprises people when they find out about it?
I was voted "Most Likely to Lead a Disco Revolution" Class of 2000. What can I say? I had a penchant for loud colors, platforms, big jewelry and crazy patterns in high school.

What inspires you?
My house jewelry, specifically, is inspired by my love for all things miniature. I wanted to be an architect when I was younger, but I'm not a huge fan of math and straight lines. I was very into dollhouses for a long time, even through high school. I was always making furniture, tiny food, dolls. Then I fell in love with silversmithing and there was no going back. There's just something magical about tiny things, especially when you're a child. I wanted to take that feeling and put it into sophisticated jewelry for adults without losing the magic.

What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
Oh, things are brewing. That's all I can say right now.

Why should people buy handmade?
Support a person, not a corporation. It's a great feeling to know that the item you bought was made by hand, just for you. The quality and attention to detail cannot be matched by commercial products.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
I don't have this in my possession per se, as it lives at my parent's house. It's a macrame Santa face, complete with big wooden black bead eyes and a beard and hat, of course, that my mother made in the 80s. It's actually pretty ugly and very dated, but it hung at the top of the stairs every Christmas for as long as I can remember. My brother and I, every time we went down the stairs, would see how far up we could reach on Santa's face. When we were younger and were still growing, we could reach further and further every year. I unfortunately stopped growing in 7th grade, so it kind of lost its appeal. But to this day we still make my Mother hang it up. It's a reminder of growing up in that house and it just doesn't feel like Christmas without it.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I like food and cooking (but mostly eating). If it weren't for Food Network and Tastespotting.com I'd have a lot more time on my hands. I always have a good book to read. I love scouting around the city and pretending I'm a tourist. I love sitting in dive bars with cheap pitchers and a quiet-ish atmosphere, talking with my friends.

When and why did you start your business?
I started my business officially in June of 2007. I love making jewelry. It's all I know how to do! I am also very interested in business. I love researching, doing paperwork (pathetic I know), brainstorming new marketing ideas. I love being in control of what happens to my designs and handiwork.

Do you make all the products yourself? How long does the production process take?
I do make all the products myself. Depending on the item, they can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

What are your your best-selling items?
It changes all the time. My sterling silver does the best online and my gold plated jewelry does the best at fairs.

In ten years I'd like to be...
Working on my business full time. My boyfriend and I are currently fighting about where we want to live in 5 years. (His vote is San Francisco so far.) I also want a dog and a little backyard where I can grow herbs and grill and where my dog can pee.

-MaryAnne LoVerme

wabisabibrooklyn.etsy.com
wabisabibrooklyn.com

Autumn Plums

I will admit to a bit of a weakness for fashion magazines. My sister collects soda bottle caps and about the only thing you can really get with them is lots and lots of magazine subscriptions. That being said, the fall issues of "Lucky," "W" and "Vogue" have made me a very happy girl when it comes to color pallet.

Previous seasons of grays and pastels and muted neutrals - BLETCH! I hate beige. I'll say it. I hate it, I hate beige. So, I was quite thrilled to see all the gloriously deeply hued and fully saturated jewel tones all over the fall page spreads. Plums and purples are two of the most important, so they say.

The great thing is, especially when it comes to playing with the colors of fall, you don't have to have the latest designer dress--or even dress up! That's one reason I wanted to feature {NewNew} member, KimmChi 's etsy shop. Kimm Alfonso, creator, is a Brooklyn-based artist who uses silkscreening to add strong, bold and abstract designs to American made clothing.

She also has several shirts in gorgeous shades of purple! A personal favorite, accented with an art deco inspired design in pink, is shown here. (A cap-sleeved variation is also available at her Etsy shop.) And don't worry, if purple's not your color, she has plenty of variety, too.


-Izile
Izile's Oddities

Where to Find the {NewNew} August 29 + 30

Even in the twilight of summer, the {NewNew} is out representing the best of NYC homemade products. Check out a {NewNew} contingent at the Brooklyn Flea this Sunday in DUMBO.

The {NewNew} will be at the DUMBO in Brooklyn this Sunday. Artisans include Jantar, BetterThanJam, and YaniaCreations.
Location: Water Street and New Dock Street, under the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn. Sunday, 11am - 6pm.

Enjoy your weekend!


Karina
WindowsOfAgate

Free Download: Printable notecards from The {NewNew}

I'm a big fan of writing notes. Sometimes I even write little notes to myself on fancy paper because I tend to keep them around longer than an ugly yellow post-it note. I wanted to give the readers on The {NewNew} blog a little end of the summer present with a free printable card. You can leave little notes to yourself or someone you love. I thought a lot about what I should put on the card, and when a little bird decided to take up a nest on my fire escape and lay some eggs in my cilantro, I decided on a drawing of birds that I painted earlier this year. Keep in mind this card is for personal use only. You can download the printable file here. Thank you all for making The {NewNew} part of your daily blog reads!

~jen

peppersprouts.etsy.com

Fresh Berry Crumble

The best part about Summer is the fantastic fresh fruit available. Sure, you can pretty much get anything all year round in your typical supermarket, but nothing beats fresh fruit that is in season, and even better, that is local.

A couple of months ago, I was visiting a farmer's market and came across a nice gentleman selling some raspberry/apple crumble. It was simply delicious, and left me wanting more. I went back to the same market a couple of weeks later, and could not find the same vendor.

I was crushed, and still craving this delicious dessert. Frustrated and seriously upset, I went to my fave recipe spot: allrecipes.com and found a great recipe so I could make my own fruit crumble!

I settled on a recipe that called for 3 berries, but I decided to use blueberries and strawberries. I also loved this particular recipe because it was made with crumble on the top and bottom....yum!

So without further ado, here is the recipe (w/a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:

2 pints of strawberries (sliced)
2 pints of blueberries
1 cup of flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 stick of butter

Directions:

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. melt butter in a saucepan, remove from the stove & mix in the rest of the ingredients except for the fruit
3. press 1/2 the oat mixture into the bottom of a small cakepan (8" or 9" square,) top with the fruit, then cover with the remaining crumble
4. bake in the oven for 30-40 mins, or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
5. spoon into small bowls and enjoy (also tastes great w/ice cream!)


ok, a few notes/variations....

1. you can add a few tbsp of regular sugar (or splenda) to the fruit depending on the tartness
2. you can sub peaches, apples, raspberries, or whatever fruit you like best (keep in mind, apples may need a bit longer in the oven)
3. this recipe is really easy to double...just make sure to use a larger pan.
4. be careful, this crumble is a bit addictive. I have bags of fruit in my freezer just waiting for the next opportunity to make some more!

-Nordea
Nordea's Soaperie
Nordea's Soaperie (on etsy)

Essentials For A {NewNew} School Year

This fall I'm gearing up for my return to college as a full time student to get my teaching certification. It's been 8 years since I lived the student life and recently I've had to think about all of the essentials I'll need to be a prepared and organized student. Here is my list of some {NewNew} team goods that will start any student out on the right foot this school year.

Since I'll be taking my lunch everyday, this bright lunch bag will be perfect to carry my food:
Oil Cloth Lunch Bag by copabananas


I know I'll be taking lots and lots of notes - a durable and cute notebook will do the trick:
Blue Flowers Notebook by JournalisticTendency


I love my pens, pencils, and highlighters so a pouch like this will fit them all:
Kelp Zipper Bag in Marine by RedBridge


And my laptop will need to be by my side at all times - a tote like this would fit my trusty computer:
Owl on Branch Laptop Tote by muppetloon


I hope my essentials will help give you some ideas about what you'll need to get through this semester.

-Misty
http://www.lapistolera.net/

Clean Up That Mess - Of a Dress!

Back in April, Karin of better than jam taught us how to screen print over a stain to bring a shirt back to life.

I am not a screen printer, but I am a spiller, and so when my favorite traveling dress developed an unsightly stain, I was eager to try a less technically savvy version of Karin's cool trick.

I have an India ink stamp pad and a collection of cool stamps that I use to personalize the reusable bags I package my jewelry in. You can find a similar one here. It's important not to use a regular run of the mill stamp pad, because the ink will not set and your clothing will be even more ruined than it already was.

Here's the offending stain pre-stamping: (It's not so visible in the picture, but believe me it was noticeable.)



Step 1: Test your stamp on a section of the fabric that is not visible when you wear the garment.

Step 2: Tape around the edges to protect the fabric you don't want to stamp. Slip a magazine inside the garment to give you a smooth stamping surface and to prevent the ink from bleeding through to the back of the fabric.



Step 3: Start stamping! I chose a stamp larger than my target stamping area because I wanted the image of the leaf to be abstract. I alternated the leaf position by rotating the stamp with each use. I tried to keep the images evenly spaced, but I just eyeballed it.



Step 4: Heat set: I blasted the stamped area with a hairdryer for a few minutes.

And that's it!








-MaryAnne LoVerme
wabisabibrooklyn.etsy.com
wabisabibrooklyn.com

Where to Find the {NewNew} August 22 + 23

The {NewNew} continues to heat up the summer with great handmade merchandise. Check them out at the venues below!

The {NewNew} will be in Fort Greene on Saturday and DUMBO in Brooklyn. Be sure to check out: vyphuisdesigns, BoxOfJoy, and Jantar in Fort Greene and YaniaCreations, and NordeaSoaperie in DUMBO.
Fort Greene Location: Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues, Brooklyn. Saturday, 10am - 5pm.
DUMBO Location: Water Street and New Dock Street, under the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn. Sunday, 11am - 6pm.

Williamsburg is a great place to spend a warm summer day, and McCarren Park is the perfect place to play! While you're there, check out SaruStar at the Artists and Fleas Market in McCarren.
Location: North end of McCarren Park, adjacent to the McCarren Field, Brooklyn. Saturday, 10am - 6pm.

Have a lovely weekend!


Karina
WindowsOfAgate

Felted Memories

Every time we come home from the beach, we return with at least a handful of rocks scavenged from the sea. I recently saw some felted rocks at a museum store and decided to try this technique to decorate our rocks instead of painting them. My research led me to two blogs that discussed the manufacturing process in some detail:

Julie of Crafting A Green World explains her process, in which she felts a rock by hand. Margaret of resurrection fern had enough of handwashing and decided to use her washing machine to do the job. I tried both methods and these are my findings:

Materials

For this project you need

Rocks, mine were about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter

Wool roving, you can find it on Etsy

Dish soap

Pantyhose, if you want to try the machine method

Take a bit of wool roving and wrap it around your rock. I didn't want to fully cover my rocks so my layer is somewhat thin.


Using the dish soap and hot water, soap up your rock. If you decide to follow Julie's hand felting method, continue to wash the rock, move it around, squeeze out a bit of soap, and continue to rub it until it is felted to your liking. If you are hand felting, squeeze out as much of the soap as you can making sure that the rock is covered with the felt and let it dry.


If you want to felt your rock in the machine, cut off a pantyhose leg, and begin to fill it with your soapy rocks tying off each rock separately so they don't felt against one another.

I live in an apartment building that just got new machines. Because I didn't want to incur my neighbors' wrath, I limited myself to two rocks, tied those into my pajama pants, and washed everything together with a heavy blanket on hot. Margaret is much more courageous. She made a string of 19-plus rocks. Whether you follow her example depends on your living situation.

So here is the outcome. This is the hand felted rock. Not as smooth and somewhat fuzzy.


These are the machine washed rocks. They are very smooth and quite perfect looking. All of them are beautiful, I think. It just depends what your personal preference is.

Just one thing, if your super gets upset when you felt your vacation souvenirs in the machine, don't refer him or her to this blog.

Thanks

Simone
groundsel.etsy.com

{New New} August Green

Every month has a shade and for August that shade is green. From the luscious green color of the grass in city parks to the overwhelming number of block parties and street closures, August is when NYC comes together to embrace and embody everything that is green. Whether you choose to celebrate this August by living green, eating green, or shopping green the {New New} has got you covered. So get in the green spirit and check out the following collection of organic, green items handcrafted by individual members of the {New New}.

Tea and Cucumber Vegan Soap - made with all natural ingredients and packaged using eco-friendly materials by dirtylovesclean


Olive Green and Yellow Flower Print Pouch - made with material recycled from an old skirt by pandawithcookie


Green Peridot and Gold Ring - made with 100% recycled gold by luisfernando


Greeting Card. Organic. - made with 100% cotton rag Aurora Natural cardstock by studiopetite


Organic Cotton Baby Booties - made with 100% organic cotton yarn by smallestfriend


Cassandra Candlestick Necklace - made with materials from an old candlestick and decorated with live plants by mcflashpants



-by Karla
luisfernando

Back to School with the {NewNew}

Students and teachers dread it, parents are counting the days: it's almost time to head back to school. Luckily, there's still time to gather a few stylish essentials for class, courtesy of The {NewNew}.

Left to right, top to bottom: bookmark by Beacon Bookmarks; tote by Felt It; print by LiPeony; mousepad by Ardent1; pencil case by Karen's Monsters; pencil cup by Lenny Mud; tote and pencil case by Bungaloe; compass necklace by MadebyMoe; and notebook by Blue Stitch Books.



-MaryAnne LoVerme
wabisabibrooklyn.etsy.com
wabisabibrooklyn.com

Where to Find the {NewNew} August 15 + 16

Hot weather has finally arrived! What better way to celebrate the dog days of summer than to head outside with the rest of NYC to enjoy cool drinks, refreshing food and desserts, and great handmade shopping. The {NewNew} is back in our old haunts in Brooklyn this week, so swing by and say hello to your favorite artists!
The {NewNew} will be at the Flea in Fort Greene on Saturday and DUMBO on Sunday, so swing by these rockin' markets and check out Adornments NYC, vyphuisdesigns, and PandaWithCookie in Fort Greene and StudioPetite, YaniaCreations, and AnneArden in DUMBO.
Fort Greene Location: Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues, Brooklyn. Saturday, 10am - 5pm.
DUMBO Location: Water Street and New Dock Street, under the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn. Sunday, 11am - 6pm.

Have a lovely weekend!


Karina
WindowsOfAgate

How to plan a child's tea party

This summer has been especially moist in NJ/NY and trips to the beach have been scarce, but there's a way you can take advantage of a few hours of sun and stay close to home. Throw the kiddies a backyard tea party--all the enjoyment of being outside, but close enough to home if bad weather threatens.

First thing's first: Figure out where to have your party. I live in a two family home but I'm lucky to have a small yard out back. Since we have very little shade I use my pop-up tent to keep the kiddies from getting sunburned. If you have trees, you can dress them up by hanging nettings or garlands. To dress up my tent, I added paper lanterns in bright colors like pink, turquoise, and purple.


Don't stop there with dressing things up. A brightly decorated table will invite everyone to sit and stay awhile. To save money on flowers and avoid pesky bees, make your own centerpiece. I made mine out of tissue paper flowers, but don't be afraid to be creative. A collection of brightly colored teapots or cups could set the mood. A glass cake pedestal filled with treats could also tempt little tummies and provide color.


Since we're talking about treats...what's on the menu? Typical tea fare consists of little sandwiches, scones, and tea. To save time, you can opt to order a finger sandwich platter from your local grocery store like I did or you can make your own finger sandwiches. Check out AllRecipes.com for some great ideas. Sweets don't have to be limited to scones. We had little store-bought cupcakes we decorated with ballerinas and fresh cut fruit.


And tea...the main component of the tea party. Brew your own: herbal, black, or green. Or buy it from the store. To beat the heat, make iced tea served in little tea cups. The kids will get the grown up feeling while drinking something that's refreshing. I found great little teacups that each guest was free to take home as a party favor.


No party would be complete without games or activities. For the little ladies, I laid out foam tiaras and stickers to decorate. Beads were available for making necklaces and bracelets, and paper dolls were colored, cut, and played with. Sidewalk chalk was available for games like hopscotch (boys can play skully) and of course there was pretend play with dolls and paper fans.

At the end of the day, each child enjoyed a new experience. They really got into the idea of playing grown up and we managed to enjoy the sun for a few hours before the clouds rolled in. The key to success with this type of party is to take the basic framework of a tea party and think outside of the box, making it fun and accessible to children of all ages.

Danielle

Collective Elements