Brooklyn in Da House (You know, like, my house)

In addition to the Design*Sponge yard sale booty I recently scored, I seem to have an influx of items in my home from some fab Brooklyn designers. (And that deserves a "woot!", wouldn't you say?). Here's the latest.

A bananas-cute set of cotton quilted coasters by Carrie Strine. Because I love Carrie Strine.

A birthday gift from my wonderful friend Glenn (thanks, GG!): "The Space Between" letterpress print illustrated by Erik Marinovich. Available at enomouschampion.

And last but totally not least: "12 Portraits of Native Pennsylvanians" postcards by Tim Lahan. (This cracks me up.) (Also, I love a clever series, ya'll!)

Top, clockwise: Daryl Hall & John Oates; Charles Bronson; Joan Jett; Frances McDormand; Fred Rogers; Kevin Bacon

Bottom, clockwise: Andy Warhol; ACADEMY-AWARD WINNER Trent Reznor; Tina Fey; Michael Keaton; Noam Chomsky; Bret Michaels

Stuff from the Design*Sponge Yard Sale

I've recently started a weekend tradition with my friend (and neighbor) Kristin of hopping on the bus on Saturday or Sunday mornings to hit the Red Hook Fairway--a wonderous, magical food palace that offers all the things that are good and delicious in the world (and the only grocery store in New York City that makes me feel like a regular person again. Such options! Normal-person-size carts! A real-live parking lot!).

This weekend, however, we took our morning to make a detour in Park Slope to check out the Design*Sponge Yard Sale in Grace Bonney's soon-to-be-former apartment. (Kudos to Grace, her husband, and senior editor Amy Azzarito for making the experience easy on everyone. 350 RSVPs was probably a bit overwhelming!)

 

Although I contemplated buying a retro orange lamp and a painting of a pickle jar, I only ended up walking out with this silkscreen print by Brooklyn-based artist Wayne Pate. I've always liked it (doesn't it remind you of the opening to the Patridge Family?) and I got it for just $40--a great deal, seeing as how it may no longer be available at Wayne's online shop, and since his prints now start at $55. It was also professionally framed (not an IKEA frame in sight!), so that saved me a chunk of change right there.

And Kristin? She scored a delicate glass terranium, also priced at $40. It's lovely. And also, I'm secretly hoping she'll use to grow fresh mint so she can make me a little mint-chocolate chip ice cream sometime soon (she's becoming an ice-cream-making expert these days--read about it here). And if not, I'm totally going to sneak some in her normal-person-size cart during our next grocery-store excursion. Get ready, Appenbrink!

Happy end of the weekend, friends.

Advertising is fun!

You know what I love the most about these pics? That someone actually had the glue AND the googly eyes on them in order to easily deface that ad with the kayaking lady. [What's THAT all about? I took the photo in Brooklyn, so could this possibly be the work of someone from, say, the DUMBO-based offices of D.I.Y. Mecca Etsy?] [Just sayin'.]

How to Be a Champion in 72 Easy Steps

Everyone's gonna fly now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Obviously.