What a weekend!  Jessica and I trekked up to Brooklyn last Friday for the Renegade Handmade Festival.  It was my first time doing the festival, and my first time getting to know Williamsburg a little better.  After stowing our stuff at our Airbnb, we just started walking.  Our first stop was Lodge for some BLTs, Bluepoint Blueberry {amazing blueberry aroma} & Butternut Porkslap beers!

Then we were off towards the water to check out the fair site.  It was a little stormy but we were hoping that the weekend would clear up as promised.

Our next stop was a Williamsburg legend, catbird for inspiration and a little treat.  I have known about catbird for a while now, and I often get people in the shop who reference the little store off Bedford {I am always extreemly flattered to have Schatzelein and catbird mentioned in the same sentence}.  I couldn’t resist and ended up leaving with a little extra arm candy to go with my Hortense Bird bracelet.

We grabbed some dumplings to go from Vanessa’s, the famous Chinatown Dumpling House’s new Williamsburg storefront, and it was off to bed in preparation for the long day ahead.

Saturday proved to be dry, but hot and windy.  The booth was set with some new displays and table runners, and we were ready to show Brooklyn what we had!

Sunday was thankfully a little less windy and we were able to actually walk around a bit, meet some of the other designers, and grab a few treats before the end of the day.  I snagged an amazing necklace from Brooklyn designers Nikkuu {who has amazing light fixtures!} and some porcelain from newly transplanted Londoner Johanna Flores. {Pictures to come!}

Monday was our first trip into Manhattan.  We started off with a the typical NYC diner breakfast before heading off to CJS, aka The Jewelry Graveyard!  A hoarder’s dream, CJS buys out manufacturers that are going out of business, old warehouses deadstock, and so much more.  The store is organized into categories but everything goes.  Boxes are piled 6 high with rows 8 deep, and avalanches are not an uncommon occurrence.  The only rule- never wear white!  While I managed to get out with about 15 lbs in metal, beads, and finds, Jessica found herself with over 30lbs!  Good thing they gave us free backpacks to cart it all away.

We ended the evening with a fabulous dinner hosted by our friend Phoebe’s parents at their midtown apartment, and finally it was back to Brooklyn to sleep it off and prepare for day 4 and the trip back to Texas.

My last day in Brooklyn started off with breakfast with my old art school friend, Jessica Parker Valentine, and the cozy Marlow & Sons.  Jessica is one of those lucky artists who gets to create art, show in galleries across the world, and travel for residencies in collaboration with amazing institutions.  Although our breakfast was brief, it was a great recap on the past 6 months!  I left with this lovely postcard that came along with our check.

Finally there was a little shopping in Soho before leaving NYC.  I was definitely ready to get back home to my man, our house, and Austin!  Thank you Brooklyn for a great weekend!

 

 

 

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