We live in Brooklyn, the land of small railroad apartments. Most of us are constantly searching for more ways to store things while ideally not filling up the place with ugly plastic containers. Even if you are one of the lucky few to live in a beautifully sized apartment, the bathroom can always be a small, awkward or tricky spot to have the storage we need while keeping the tiny room looking good.
A while back someone gave me this vintage store display rack and it has become the perfect storage addition to the bathroom, although it could really work in any room. It is simple, hangs on the wall, and has the capability of holding a lot of stuff or looking great empty. They are somewhat easy to find on ebay and not too pricy.
The world is random; so is Greenpointers. The obsessive collector in me cannot keep my hands off any and all cool looking business cards that I find in coffee shops, art galleries, bars and those handed to meet when I meet new folks. I have a nerdy binder with laminated slots where I keep them, but since that has filled up I stuff everything into this pickle jar. Like a lot of organizational disasters in my life, it is one of the many elephants in the room of things I need to go through. I earnestly pocket these cards because they are attractive to me and I want to check them out.
Enter the new weekly post: “Pick a Card” in which I randomly pick a business card, show it to you, and tell you all about it.
This may sound boring, but this isn’t the “Leave a Business Card for Free Lunch” raffle jar you find in an overpriced deli in Midtown. This jar is filled with some of the most innovative and creative new companies, organizations, artists and musicians, all people who live in our neighborhood. Another column I want to do regularly is a weekly featured Greenpoint artist, so I am killing two birds with one stone here. I am psyched that the first card I pulled is artist/photographer Caroline Burghardt. Aside from personally loving her work, the timing is great because on Saturday she is working on her Pastoral Dreams photo project up in the Bronx at the Andrew Freeman Home, and it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun! Check out the facebook invitation for more info.
Three years ago, I went to a friend’s record release party at a club in New York City. In an adjacent room, there was a DJ playing Noel’s “Silent Morning“. I walked in, listened to this Classic record at full club volume, and it was like hearing it for the first time. I being not old enough to hear this record in a club when it first came out understood immediately why this music became huge in the first place. Continue reading →
If you love screen prints, there is a great show at Picture Farm in Williamsburg that you must see. Kayrock Screenprinting was formerly at Monster Island, but since the building evacuation, the shop has moved to the GMDC Building at the north end of Manhattan Ave, hence the name of the show “We Have Relocated.” (Note: The GMDC building stands to win $3 million in preservation funds if you vote here).
Calm down because you have one day left not to be a jerk to your Mom. A simple phone call is nice. “Good morning, thanks for birthing me!” And hugs are really sweet.
Cards & gifts are good, too. And food! Nothing says “thanks for putting up with all my crap” better than a delicious meal!
Don’t go buy a soulless hallmark card, make one. You can get all the glue sticks and crayons you need at Jam’s Stationary (835 Manhattan Ave) or buy a handmade card. the one well 165 Greenpoint Ave) has an assortment of recycled paper letterpress greeting cards ($4-$6).
Boxes make perfect Mom gifts; they’re great for stashing jewelry, pills and lottery tickets. Check out this adorable Mermaid Box ($32) from Old Hollywood (99 Franklin St.)
Vase @ Vintage Modern
Vintage Modern has this really pretty striped stoneware vase ($125) for that gorgeous bouquet Mom deserves for all those temper tantrums you threw (or still throw) in the supermarket.
Fill it with cut flowers from the Dutchmills Gardens stand at the Greenmarket. If she doesn’t have a greenthumb, Brandywine Gardens sells pretty cacti and other succulents. Too hung over to make it to the market on Saturday? Head over to the Greenpoint Florist on Sunday (703 Manhattan Ave.)
Bad allergies or the rotten cat you left her is a plant murderer? Flowers might not be a great idea, so pick-up scented oil from Genie in a Bottle at Kill Devil Hill (170 Franklin St.)
And of course food is always a great idea, especially for the person who has fed you since the day you were born. Cook for her! Here are a few quick and easy recipes.
Genie in a Bottle @ Kill Devil HillBellwether
Sink filled with dirty dishes? Take her out to brunch or dinner. My Mom absolutely loves Fives Leaves but if the wait is too long, head over to Nights & Weekends and enjoy the delicious Croque Signora Sandwich or check out the new Bellwether (594 Union Ave.)
How about a picnic in the park? I hear that the Lobster Joint will deliver to McCarren! Or get a yummy cheese and salami spread from Eastern District (1053 Manhattan Ave.)
Cheese @ Eastern District
Take her out to dinner. My favorite, The Greenpointer pie from Paulie Gee’s (60 Greenpoint Ave) always hits the spot, or the Cola Dorada, braised oxtail with rice and beans from Cafecito Bogota (1015 Manhattan Ave.) Give her an authentic Greenpoint experience on a budget with a BYOB dinner at the eclectic and delicious Lomyzynianka (646 Manhattan Ave.) Get pierogies and get them fried! The cheese filled blintzes for dessert are killer!
I know that Mother’s Day seems like another consumeristic holiday, but she actually made you alive, which is a big deal, so a small token of gratitude once a year is the least we can do. And keep it local silly!
Currently showing at Cleopatra’s, a small art gallery (sidenote: here’s a brief story about its inception) tucked into a thin slice of space on a quiet stretch of Meserole, is an array of drawings by Poznań, Poland based artist Leszek Knaflewski, or, as he signs his drawings, Knaf. I’ll leave Cleopatra’s website to chronicle the lion’s share of the history of Knaf’s work, but it is important to recognize his work in the context of the collective with which he associated, Kolo Klipsa.
The works on display at Cleopatra’s utilize a number of quotidian images – boxy, stereotypical houses, basic furniture, trees, cats, and so forth – run through Knaf’s surreal imagination before being drawn out. It reminded me of images that you may hold in your mind of half-remembered places and people to which you ascribe dreamlike qualities to make up for a lack of actual details. Did the vase look like the cat, or did the cat look like the vase? Simple inversions in elements of even the most basic drawings, as in the work pictured above, add a depth to images that far exceeds their composition.
Knaflewski’s work will be on display at Cleopatra’s (110 Meserole Avenue) until May 27.
Wagmag is a non-profit Brooklyn Art Guide that promotes art venues and exhibitions in Brooklyn, including Greenpoint. Tonight is their yearly benefit at The Boiler (191 North 14th) from 7-9pm. Tickets are $20 to attend or $200 to enter the artwork drawing. This is a great chance for collectors to get in on amazing Brooklyn artwork on the major cheap. By donating $200 you are guaranteed artwork. There is a raffle drawing which determines which order ticket holders make their selection. I hope I get to chose first!
There is some amazing artwork in the raffle. My money is on: Ward Shelley, Scott Chasse, Brian Leo, Daniel Zeller, Peggy Cyphers, Mark Masyga, Robert Walden & Lisa Levy.
The Cinco de Mayo Launch Party at Greenpoint Heights last night was a blast! Here is a sneak peek at some of the photo booth shots. I foolishly thought I could automate this process but that is not the case. More to come…
Midtown sucks, we all agree. I try to be in and out, but when I have to wait around I seek a haven; a quiet place or I go to therapy, shopping therapy. It’s slim pickins’ but when I need a snack and reading time I head to Fika, a swedish espresso bar, with great coffee and pastries, including chocolate balls, great macaroons and my favorite sandwich, avocado with arugula, red onion and cream cheese on raisin bread.
And when I need to get a brain fix I head to Argosy, a 3-story fetish shop for used books and old prints. On the bottom level you can find prints from $3, like that sweet flamingo (bottom right). I also picked up that Brooklyn Amusement Park poster (top left) from the late 80s for $10. The other two, a graphic novel with a dude chain sawing a tree (top right) and a weird Russian canned food print (bottom left) were $20 each. Pretty cheap for awesome artwork!
After a ride back home on the G train, which made me wonder they leave one door half open in each car when you wait at Court Square, I realized maybe it’s to keep the A/C inside. The MTA being energy conscious?
The plan was to go to Vintage Modern for the We See Stars trunk sale, but since the train ride was supersonic fast, I mosied around The One Well and chat with Kerry. I wanted to buy a gift for my friend’s girl who is visiting from Japan. The problem with shopping for someone else is you always find things for yourself.
“That is totally normal!” Kerry assured me, so I bought these pearly pink old lady earrings ($28), which weren’t clip-ons, hallelujah! And for the lady friend I bought this adorable flower bowl ($12). Then I headed over to the trunk sale and scored those arrow earrings ($18) and ate a gallon of potato chips. See that spread! Erica, the jewelry designer, also sells at the Dekalb Market on weekends. Jon met me down the block for dinner at EAT after he ate a hot dog. Lucky! Our salad had the most delicious honey vinaigrette. Seth told us how to make it: just whisk together honey, oil and apple cider vinegar with a little salt. Magic.
While there I started unraveling all my wares from my shopping spree.
“Well I had a lot of time to kill!” I reasoned.
“So you shopped. You are such a good American,” Jon said.
“Look how adorable, right? She is going to love it!” I said proudly showing him the flowery bowl. Then I turned it over.
“MADE IN CHINA! I can’t give this to her!” Every year, my parent’s friends, the Watanabe’s send us Christmas presents from Japan. As a kid (and as an adult) I beg to open all the origami wrapped gifts. When we turn them over we find the “Made in China” sticker and laugh, even though the gifts are always gorgeous. Meanwhile, we probably send them gifts made in China, too. Or worse, Canada!
Without thinking too hard about the history of far eastern diplomatic affairs or mass consumerism, I bought her the slate colored handmade bowl from Eat instead ($7), which is Made in Brooklyn and I happily kept the cute little Chinese bowl for myself.
Oh the blunders and plunders of gift exchange with the Japanese! Now hide my wallet and hope today is payday!
