Be Back Soon!

The Summer months are finally upon us, and with it our blogging has gotten a little inconsistent. We’re working on lots of new content for the rest of July & August, and will be gearing up for some lovely Fall things in the very near future. So please stay tuned & check in with the shop for exciting new products!

See you soon!

New Product: Two’s Company Bud Vase

If the idea of putting together a floral arrangement makes you nervous, why not start a bit smaller?

These beautiful glass bud vases from Two’s Company turn the task of creating an eye-catching floral centerpiece into an absolute dream. You can never be too understated with a bud vase, and that’s what we love! And because these ones are glass, shells or rocks in the bottom of the vase can make a BIG statement. We really like the idea of putting singular stems, or even wheat grass in these bud vases to add color and texture to a solid colored tabletop.

And is always the case, marthastewart.com has some really lovely inspiration pictures to get you thinking about the possibilities! Stay tuned this weekend, and we’ll have more on bud vases & how to incorporate them into your home!

Summer Guacamole Recipe

A few months ago, a friend of mine presented me with a beautiful mortar & pestle… You can do tons of amazing things with these handy little things, but my definite favorite has to be making guacamole! There’s something so pleasing about mashing up avocados in the big stone bowl…

So here’s my (mostly improvised) recipe for delicious guacamole.

INGREDIENTS

4 avocados
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbs cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime
sea salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Pit & scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl or mortar & pestle. If you’re looking for the best way to pit your avocados, check out this great lifehacker tutorial with accompanying video.

2. With a potato masher, fork, your fingers, or pestle, mash the avocados up – adding some sea salt & pepper. I’ve seen many recipes use cayenne pepper, cumin, or other spices as well. Now would be the time to add them, if you’d like them.

3. Dice the tomatoes and onions, mince the garlic & finely chop the cilantro. Fold them into the avocados, adding the lime juice & more salt & pepper to taste.

Proportions are all subject to personal taste. I reaaalllly love garlic & cilantro, so my guacamole is always heavy on them. But, as I always say, choose your own adventure! Guacamole is such a fun & easy food to make & is always a big hit with dinner guests…

Happy avocado mashing!

Michelle

Father’s Day Gift Roundup!

Father’s Day is THIS SUNDAY! Which means you only have a few days left to shop for the special father in your life. Whether it’s your husband, dad, or grandfather, men can go a little under-appreciated with the gift giving sometimes. That’s why we’ve put together a great roundup of all of our favorite Father’s Day gift ideas.

From funky glass belt buckles to totally hip screenprinted ties, we have your books, accessories, and cards to make this Father’s Day really special.

So browse the gallery by clicking on the pictures, or jump to after the cut for more details about each gift idea!

Backyard Summer Accessories…

(Photo courtesy of flickr user gareth e owen)

(Photo courtesy of flickr user TheGiantVermin)

(Photo courtesy of flickr user zazman design)

Nothing says summer entertaining like paper lanterns & glass votives! Whether you’re grilling, having cocktails, or just enjoying an evening outdoors, good lighting can really set the right mood. That’s why we’ve stocked up on these ULTIMATE outdoor summer accessories in bright, fun colors…

Small Paper Lantern, $15

Large Paper Lantern, $12

Paper lanterns are a really inexpensive way to add a charm and elegance to any space. Use outdoor for parties, or inside to add a splash of color to any room in the house. We especially like the idea of replacing ceiling light fixtures with these gorgeous alternatives.

blue votive, $5

pink votive, $5

green votive, $5

Votives in bright colors can be hung on fences, grouped together on tabletops, or used as dinner centerpieces. We like the combination of pinks, greens & blues for summer, but you can mix & match with our great selection.

Today is the prefect day for a BBQ, so stop by the shop & see the rest of our hot summer accessories!

Brooklynski Goes Victorian PUNK!

Last Wednesday we had a blast hosting our very first High Design On A Dime event, with the wonderful & talented Cy & Corby of Vive Designhaus. We spent days transforming the shop into the backdrop for our punk-twinged tea party & invited all our friends & customers to learn about D.I.Y. dinner party essentials. Ryan Eggensberger created our gorgeous window display with recycled materials, and our dear friend Rachel from The Blue Stove even supplied tasty scones for all our guests!

We’ll get Cy to re-cap some of her points for us later in the week, but check out these beautiful photos & start getting inspired to have your own garden tea party! Click for descriptions & details.

Cy’s Favorite Cupcakes…

New Product: O Plus D Notebooks

It seems like every time we turn around, the brilliant and talented minds behind O Plus D – that stands for Offensive + Delightful – come up with something so fun & exciting, we can’t wait to put them out on our shelves! This time, it’s a series of notebooks with amazing graphics, and… well… truly offensive & delightful sayings.

Better yet? You get over 100 lined pages, for just $9.00. We’ll have these babies out for the weekend & we expect you all to come in & fill your day with snark.

Cheers to Summer!

School is winding down, the sun is becoming more frequent, and we even saw some bathing-suits peaking out from underneath sundresses today. Maybe it’s only May 13th, but we’re PSYCHED to have two new fresh summery items to share with everyone today.

(M. Carter Summer Tote, $25)

M. Carter’s summer tote reminds us of just about every great thing about summer in New York: Ray Bans, cocktails, the beach, & of course the city itself! We could say something about “going wild” for this tote, but we’ll just recommend that you fill it with flip-flops, sunscreen & a nice cool beverage. Fire Island, anyone?

 

(Diana Summer Hat, $56)

Second, we have this brilliantly sunny hat from the ever-prolific Diana. She’s responsible for a lot of the knitted hats you saw over the winter, as well as some of the gemstone rings. Now she’s wowing us all with these amazing hand-crocheted summer hats. They also come in black, green, pink, white, and straw… For our fairer ladies out there, it’s the perfect summer accessory.

Stop in today to see these great new gift ideas!

P.S. Mother’s day weekend was a total blast! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the store & did your shopping with us!

Happy Mother’s Day!

We’re open till 6 today, but if you’re stumped for a last-minute Mother’s Day gift, why not try the elegant & thoughtful gift of flowers??Ladies, and especially moms, can’t deny a beautiful bouquet with a loving note attached…. Here are a few videos &  links to help you put together the PERFECT bouquet!

The Design*Sponge Weeder’s Digest column this week is all about flower arranging! Check out this amazing instructional video.

Last month Remco Van Vliet and his brother Cas Trap were on the Martha Stewart Show demonstrating how they put together a handhelf bouquet. This article on the Martha Stewart website sums it up pretty beautifully!

Also, a special shout out to Hip Hostess who wrote a great review of our  O+D (Offensive & Delightful) greeting cards & has some really yummy Mother’s Day themed recipes up. Please check it out, and happy gift giving!!

Mother’s Day Gift Roundup, Round One!

The word ‘busy’ can’t even begin to describe the past few weeks at Brooklynski. We officially launched our blog, got loads of new products in, started twittering, and set up in McCarren Park over the weekend as part of the outdoor Artist & Fleas! So instead of one big gift round up this week for Mother’s Day – May 10th, p.s. – we’re going to hit you with two round-ups & a special friD.I.Y. filled with recession-friendly craft ideas just for mom.

So today we’re going to feature gifts that you can buy on our website & have shipped to wherever mom may be. It takes all the hassle out gift-giving, and we’ll even wrap it up with a nice brown ribbon! So without further ado, here are five gift ideas to start your Mother’s Day wheels a-turnin.

For The Tea-Drinking Mom…

Teaposy Daydream Teapot, $30

Teaposy Blooming Tea, $20

For The Artsy Mom…

AS Battle Graphite Drawing Object, $60

For The Mom Who Likes Something Sweet…

Archipelago Pomegranate Citrus Candle, $35

For The Mom Who Misses You…

Brooklynski Eagle T-Shirt, $20