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PS 321 Crafts Fair This Saturday

PS 321 Crafts Fair This Saturday published on

Been a busy bee this week making stuff for Saturday’s PS 321 Crafts Fair. The annual event is hosted by the PTA to raise money for the Park Slope school. This is the first year I’ll be doing it, but apparently it gets very busy even though there isn’t much info out there for the public. ‘Tis why I created a Facebook page for the event.

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Anyway, between selling the house (not closed yet), the van, a bunch of furniture and doing a renovation and getting ready to refinance, I haven’t had much time to work. Hopefully, I’ll get some more done today and tomorrow and my booth won’t look totally pathetic.

Swing by if you can! Should be lots of cool crafters taking part.

PS 321 is located @ 180 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Hours are 11am-5pm on December 4th.

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Upcycled Etsy Gift Guide

Upcycled Etsy Gift Guide published on

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Ho f*in’ ho. Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to shop for gifts! Before I start posting my own recycled creations, I figured I’ll give you a look at my competition.

O.M.G. I love the platform shoe planter!! I don’t know where Giddy Spinster gets all the shoes from, but I’m jealous! Apart from the fabulous planters ($55 for the one in the photo), there are bookends and a vintage hair dryer planter.

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Look closely at this bird feeder. I didn’t see what it was the first time. Green? Yellow? It’s repurposed traffic signals! $60 from Red Yellow and Blue Ink.

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This vintage cookbook clock comes to us from the Welsh Tick Tocklers. $40

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Mitchell Glassworks melts wine, beer and soda bottles to make cheese plates and spoon rests. This Cabernet cheese plate is $34.

Etsy Find: Recycled Pillows

Etsy Find: Recycled Pillows published on

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Westchester Etsyan Alexandra Ferguson was in the fashion biz in her past life. Now she’s sewing recycled felt together to make these “statement” pillows. She had me at “Let’s Make Out”, but oh, there’s so much more!

Prices range from $49-$199. Need to give someone the message? This is one way to do it.

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Maker Faire Highlights

Maker Faire Highlights published on

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The Maker Faire at NY Hall of Science was the big weekend to-do for tech geeks and crafters alike. Was it excellent? Well, it was really good, but this cheap beeatch can’t get around the fact that I had to pay a $25 entry fee. I happen to know this turned some people away. I mean, 25 bucks? So I can go in only to spend more money?

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Apart from the vendors, there were free rides and demonstrations brought to us mostly(?) by The Madagascar Institute. Although they were extremely cool, these folks could have used some organizational skills. It was unclear who could actually partake. There were people hanging around and watching, but we weren’t sure if everyone actually got on the rides. My husband wanted to have a go at the Jet Ponies (video link)which took a good 20 minutes between rides, but it seems like it was an elite ride for friends and family only. That theory proved correct when it turns out that the guy I photographed was none other than publishing mogul Tim O’Reilly.

The tech geek buddy who was with us LOVED the faire! He was running around like a little boy. I’ll admit that most of the tech stuff was either was over my head or didn’t make sense for the real world. When I asked Tech Geek Buddy what the LED’s do, he told me that some make noise, some light up and I was like “Yeah, but WHY? Then what?” His wife (a.k.a. my bitching companion for the day) remarked that it seemed like vanity projects with no real use.

Well, the crafts were great! At least it’s something I can understand!

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I bought myself a lovely recycled purse/bike messenger bag. $135 from Vaya Bags (not the one in the photo, but close). Hopefully it will last me longer than those $2 bags I’ve been buying. The strap is a seat belt, so if I break this, there is no hope for me.

The yarn crafts were amazing! Check out the Coney Island and NY scenes from Lion Brand Yarn.

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I also loved the Princess Leia hat I saw. When I asked if it was for sale I was told that the pattern is online because “We’re all crafters here.” #1: No, we’re not ALL crafters. #2: I don’t knit. The pattern is sold on Etsy, but I found someone who makes similar hats on eBay.

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Finally, we all learned to solder for $1. Now I’m the Solder Queen.

The Hester Street Fair

The Hester Street Fair published on

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Gonna be hawking my wares at a new (ish) market this Sunday. The Hester Street Fair is only a few months young, but both shoppers and vendors seem to be happy enough with it so far.

Like the Brooklyn Flea (Hello, I’ll be there on Saturday!), it’s semi-curated with a mix of vintage, crafts and not-your-average-sausage-fair-food. Hester has about 60 vendors on a given weekend and is open on Saturdays and Sundays.

My grandfather was a rag man on the Lower East Side when he arrived in this country. Looks like I’m taking the family history back a step. Wait till you hear about the seltzer delivery I’m hooking up…..

My grandparents are in their graves ROFLTAO.

New Online Craft and Vintage Shop!

New Online Craft and Vintage Shop! published on 3 Comments on New Online Craft and Vintage Shop!

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There’s a new kid in town ready to compete with Etsy. EFreeMe is a freshly launched, easy to navigate, craft and vintage shop that is totally free for sellers (except for the Paypal part). Right now they will also give you $5 if you create a store and list 20 items! Yes, THEY are paying YOU to list!

There aren’t tons of sellers on there yet. The site is brand spankin’ new.

The image above is from Atozillusions. Look at real close, like. It spells out the word “music”. How cool is that?

So, how does EFreeMe make money? No clue.

New Paltz Crafts Show Find

New Paltz Crafts Show Find published on

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So, remember how I previously mentioned that we are forced to attend the New Paltz Crafts every year and every year it’s the same tired vendors? Tired as in they haven’t updated their work since 1986. Well, we found one new vendor! Woo-hoo!

After running through the show in record time, we came across Bill Finks and his upcycled doll art. Bill and his wife Marcia have a company called Primitive Twig. The website hasn’t been updated in a few years and there is no doll art on display, but it’s cool stuff anyway and has current contact info.

As a craftsperson at a decidedly unhip crafts show, I was curious to find out how Bill was doing. He said he had done well on Saturday! It was still early when I spoke to him on Sunday.

*Editor’s note: Sorry if I’m coming off as snobbish with my “unhip” nonsense. It’s the same country crafts, color animal photographs, dichroic glass jewelry, stoneware pottery and tie dyes I’ve been seeing since the 80’s. They’re a little dated. But then again, the show brings people in who go crazy for stuff like that, so who am I to complain?

Anyway, back the the Reclaimed Home approved vendor….

Bill was telling us that he has tons of the same antique porcelain doll head. They come from Germany and there are so many of them around because the doll maker would throw them out if there was a tiny flaw. They are still being dug up today.

He sometimes gets people dumping their old junk on him (which he gladly accepts) so he can bring new life to it.

Prices were fair. I believe they ranged from the mid fifties to $700 range.

Brooklyn Flea Finds

Brooklyn Flea Finds published on 2 Comments on Brooklyn Flea Finds

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This Saturday I was back selling at the Ft. Greene Brooklyn Flea after an extended absence to work on my house. It was kind of nice to go away and come back because it made me appreciate it even more.

The photo above shows a sampling of upcycled light fixtures by Peg and Jon Van Dyne. It’s one of those things that makes me say “Damn, why didn’t I think of that first?” Because I checking out the market only for a few minutes when I was on a an extended bathroom break, I didn’t get a chance to get much info. The company is called French Vanilla. No website, but the phone number is 765-513-0255. No idea what prices are like, but I did notice that they take credit cards.

That large film reel on the right? Still has film on it.

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Fat Dog Fabrication is living in this century. Owner Don Wood has a website. A rather cute one, with a photo of Henry the fat dog on the main page (He doesn’t look so fat). Don also has an Etsy store .

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I didn’t get a chance to have a chat (another bathroom break) but I gathered from the internets that Don is a contractor who creates on the side. He uses recycled materials when he can, such as the pallet bench. The prices are surprisingly low for the quality, concept and location. $25 hand made concrete dog bowl/planter in Brooklyn? I think I spent that on a cup of coffee just yesterday.

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