Archive for the ‘inspiring’ Category

Ok, the weather has been a bit freakish lately but it is still summer! Since I’ll be taking time off when the baby comes in August, I’m not getting to spend as many of my summer days up in the Berskshires as I normally would. I miss walking in fields up there and the sky and sunlight. Luckily we have some of Christine Rodin’s beautiful photos in the shop to gaze at and pretend.

Christine photographs landscapes and clouds in the Hudson Valley and Catskills with a WWII camera and then prints the images on watercolor paper creating a dreamy, painterly effect. She then collects antique gilt frames and glass at flea markets to frame the images. We’ve been carrying Christine’s photos for several months now and we absolutely love them and everyone else seems to as well! Come by and take a look at her work, it really is so special. We are planning a show and party for her at the shop sometime in October, I’ll update the details on this closer to the time. Happy summer to all!

My uber-creative, super stylish, organic baker friend Sarah Magid came out with her first book, Organic and Chic, on June 2! We will be celebrating her with a book signing and party at the shop this Sunday, June 14 from 1-3.

Sarah is a Brooklyn mom of two ridiculously adorable kids who uses all of her creative talents honed in the fashion world (she used to design shoes and jewelry for companies such as J. Crew, Frye, Liz Claiborne, Henri Bendel, among others) to make the most amazing, beautiful, tasty, organic baked treats. Her ‘Goldies’ (organic twinkies with golden frosting) served as my wedding cake last summer! The book is totally beautiful, with photos by Noah Sheldon and styled by Kim Ficaro (style editor from Domino). We will be selling books, drinking pink prosecco and eating Sarah’s cookies and cupcakes all afternoon, so stop on by!

Where:
abitare
309 Henry Street btw. State Street & Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11201
When:
Sunday, June 14 from 1-3pm

Our first women artists event was this past weekend and it was a big success! We had a great turn out and I had a fantastic day hanging out with these talented ladies. Thank you Frances, Llubav and Sarah! Here are some photos from the day:

Frances’ beautiful Pearl Collection on our table.

Sarah+Llubav. Hot mamas!

Llubav’s felt lovlieness in our window. Sarah’s gorgeous cake & new cookbook (due out in June) are in the background.

Sarah’s divine golden chocolate/espresso cupcakes and earl grey tea cookies. They look perfect on Frances’ plates.

Frances’ pieces can display ring pillows too! Llubav designed the one with the large flower just for us. Call the shop to order.

One of our brides, Libby, admiring some of the Frances Palmer pieces she registered for!

One more shot of the table. You can glimpse one of Frances’ amazing handmade vases.

Joanne with her cousin Mary and a pie plate by Frances, flower pin by Llubav

Me with my mom (who made off with Frances’ pie plate at the end of the event).

We will be hosting more events this spring/summer. Look for a book signing in June!

We are hosting our first ever women artists event on April 4, from 1-4pm. If you are in the neighborhood, stop on by! Frances Palmer (http://www.abitareshop.com/2008/11/07/women-artists-frances-palmer/), Llubav Choy Duerr and my lovely friend Sarah Magid will all be here in the shop sharing their talents with us! Sarah worked for years in fashion (for companies such as J.Crew, Coach, Liz Claiborne, Frye and Henri Bendel) and now she applies her creativity and amazing fashion sense to organic baked goods. And she has a cookbook coming out in June! Here is a sneak peek at the cover:

Sarah made our wedding ‘cake’ last summer which was actually 100 plus organic chocolate twinkies covered in gold frosting, she calls them ‘goldees’. Love!

And her cake creations are always so beautiful, creative and delicious.

It has been 2 1/2 years now since Joanne & I started abitare. Sometimes we work so hard I don’t take time to reflect on all that we have accomplished! But now that we’ve hired some wonderful employees, I have a little more time lately to pat myself on the back and enjoy. What brings me the most joy & fulfillment are the relationships that we have built with many incredible artists & artisans. I think because we are two women who love art and making things ourselves, we are drawn to the work of female artists. Of course we carry plenty of “man-made” products as well, but it brings me special satisfaction to feature the work of these amazing women! So over the next few weeks I will post about some of our favorite female artists.

Skinny laMinx is an illustrator, designer and writer living in South Africa. The images on these 100% cotton tea towels and aprons are screen prints of her own illustrations.

“Borrowed Spoons” in Red & Stainless Steel
This design is inspired by Skinny’s own wooden spoon collection. Tea towels $16/ea, aprons $25/ea.

“Orla” in Dark Charcoal Grey & Chartreuse
An homage to Orla Keily’s famous stem pattern. Tea towels $16/ea, aprons $25/ea.

This little bird looked so perfect in my parents barn in Massachusetts, I just had to snap a picture of it!

I just got back from 2 weeks in Asia. I meant to blog while i was away but I was too busy enjoying myself and soaking everything up! Matthew and I went to Singapore to meet my brand new nephew, then to Bangkok and Laos. We fell completely in love with Laos and came home feeling so inspired by everything we saw and experienced. Now we are back and I am feeling totally rejuvenated and excited for spring at the store! Isn’t travel the best? Here are some photos from our trip:
Matthew getting Kampong fish therapy on his feet. Check it out if you’re ever in Singapore! http://www.kampongfishtherapy.com/

Bangkok street food

Muay Thai

Luang Prabang street

Monastery in Laos

Sweet ride in LP

If you find yourself in Luang Prabang, check out my friend Tara’s museum dedicated to the ethnic cultures of Laos, http://www.taeclaos.org/. And if you are looking for a very special place to stay in LP, www.residencephouvao.com is amazing.
Phou Vao pool at dusk

Well, first let me tell you that I can’t believe I’m blogging! Yes, it’s true and I think it’s pretty damn exciting! You can find blogs on almost every subject if you look. I am partial to the New York Times Fashion blog, the food blog, and last but not least, the political blog .I’ve even made comments on them. It’s very liberating. I also love reading design blogs. I was just reading an article in the New York Times about small businesses and the writer said that blogs can be a great way to get maximum exposure, even more than having a website.

So, on my blog I want to write about my experiences on opening a store, having a website with blog and starting my own business at the age of 54. Of course it helps to have a business partner who’s in her 30’s! She’s the one who I count on to bring me up to speed with the latest technology. She understands how daunting all of this can be and has an infinite amount of patience with me. To be continued……

In trying to describe our shop to my Danish friends, I learned a wonderful new word: ‘hygge’. Hygge doesn’t have a direct translation in English but means something close to: living simply but living well, taking time and energy to create a beautiful living space, surrounding yourself with things that inspire you. Hygge is to the Danes what Chic is to the French. It is a way of life that has always been very close to my heart but I never had a word for it, until now! My Danish friends were pleased with the explanation that the shop sells hygge to Americans. So was I! Here are some items that might increase hygge in your home:

white flower hooks for your wall from a wonderful young swedish designer.

ceramic egg cup & adorable felt egg cosy (coming to the shop fall/winter in lots of great colors!)


ceramic votive holder. gives off the most beautiful light.

birchwood tray & trivet set. perfect for serving dinner to friends!


reuseable nylon shopping bag. take one to the farmers market. very hygge!
(only $8 and available in red, aqua, olive, fuchsia and grey)

Design can be art.
Design can be aesthetics.
Design is so simple, that’s why its so complicated.

Paul Rand