Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store A Modern General Store where Fun and Function reign supreme
Guest Toothbrushes, $14
We were pretty psyched to find ourselves on the pages of June’s issue of Country Living. They picked our beautiful Guest toothbrushes as the perfect detail for your guest bath. We love them, too: they’re made from sustainable bamboo and bring beauty to an otherwise mundane object. Check out the latest issue of Country Living for even more great design tips and recipes!
Tiny World Terrariums, $19.95
A few weeks back Ann and I went on a “company retreat/terrarium-making workshop”. Terrariums are really hot right now, and we’ve both been dying to make one. We found the perfect opportunity when Greenery NYC paired up with Ann’s friend Chef Joseph of Yummy Eats for a workshop here in Brooklyn. Joseph cooked up a delicious brunch while we created our terrariums. Since we loved the experience so much, we had to get this great new book, Tiny World Terrariums. It walks you through the basics of building a terrarium, from choosing a container to assembly. They also offer tons of inspiration for beautiful and fun designs. I couldn’t resist adding a little glass squirrel to mine for a bit of whimsy. Check out the pictures of our terrariums, and check out the book to start your own!
Supplies
Ann's terrarium-in-progress
Jess's terrarium-in-progress
Ann's finished terrarium
Jess's finished terrarium
Everyone loves candy, and we have quite a selection of delicious sugary treats at the store! But I must ask, have you tried BrooklynHardCandy yet? If you haven’t, you most definitely should! Handcrafted in the most amazing borough and packaged with care it comes in a variety of flavors including: wild strawberry, blueberry, green apple, tangerine, concord grape and golden pineapple. These are great for gifts or favors, for kids as well as adults. Check out their website and swing by the store to pick up a locally made sweet treat!
We recently got in these wonderfully all natural, multi-purpose cleaning products and I have to gush about how fabulous they are. I started with the soap, above, which replaced 3 cleaners I had next to my kitchen sink: Dish cleaning liquid, Hand Soap and a separate “free & clear” baby bottle cleaner. They were all stressing out my beautifully clean sink (thank you, Fly Lady!) and so I am soo glad to now have one, all purpose soap which is elegantly displayed in Haven’s Pump Dispenser ( I debated between the Spout Dispenser & this one, but for my lifestyle I went with the pump- but it’s a tough call)-
Next up was the All Purpose (part of the appeal of all of Haven’s products) Cleaner. It works well, smells nice (lemon & mint) and makes me feel good knowing I can clean Coco’s High Chair Tray with it too- since it’s all natural. All contents are listed on our website, but as an example here are the ingredients in the All Purpose Cleaner, above: Distilled Witch Hazel, Organic Castile Soap (Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive and Jojoba), Organic Aloe Vera, Vegetable Glycerine, Organic Essential Oil Blend (Lemon, Lemongrass & Peppermint), Grapefruit Seed Extract.
I am getting this one today to dive into my bathroom (along with our enamel scrub pads)- SCRUB. This product is the ultimate multi-tasker, it’s a non-scratching powder that can clean bathrooms, scour dishes, deodorize fabrics and even be dissolved for use as a vegetable wash. Woah. I thought I could do many things at once…
Polish does just what is says– this cleaning and conditioning spray traps dust and adds luster to a variety of surfaces. From wood furniture to stainless steel smudges to your car’s interior, POLISH is a hard-working cleanser and conditioner that keeps everything looking shiny and new.
And Air Linen Spray- with the purifying scent of organic lavender- is a must in our house (btw the Big Gorilla working from home, Diaper Pail odors, you name it…). All Haven products are handcrafted from raw or minimally processed ingredients in Brooklyn, in small batches and are sold in large sizes for easy cleaning and refilling. Make your home a HAVEN home!
Soap- $26, Hand Pump Dispenser & Spout Dispenser- $25 each, SCRUB- $12, Polish- $14, Air & Linen Spray- $20 (all BIG sizes).
I just checked in on the New York City Marathon and already it’s over! At least for Geoffrey Mutai, who crossed the finish line at a record-breaking 2:05:06! For the rest of the slow-pokes (just kidding–the thought of running 26 miles makes my old lady foot ache) still working their way through the five boroughs, we wish you good luck and a large beer at the finish line…..
XL Beer Glass, $13
Love Letter To Brooklyn by Steve Powers
If you’ve been in and around Downtown Brooklyn lately, you may have noticed (somewhat cryptic) messages on the old Macy’s parking garage and nearby. I first caught a glimpse of it as I was exiting our local grocery, Brooklyn Fare. If you look up as you exit the store you see the word “DOWNTOWN” almost perfectly framed between two buildings. It’s part of the phrase, “MEET ME DOWNTOWN FOR A FEW” painted on the garage at Hoyt and Livingston. The works are by the artist Steve Powers (also known as ESCO) and are titled a “Love Letter to Brooklyn”. I saw the “ALL I NEED IS YOU” piece last night after closing up shop. It’s particularly amusing as the building is in fact a shoe store, one of many on the Fulton Mall. I love the way the statements work with the context of the neighborhood. In the 19th century the Fulton Mall (a stretch of Fulton which now includes over 200 stores and serves as a major transportation hub) was the major shopping district of Brooklyn. It included the department store Abraham & Strauss (now the location of Macy’s Brooklyn), Frederick Loeser & Co, and numerous dressmakers and tailors. As you walk around the neighborhood, the ghosts of these business’s advertisements remain on the sides of buildings. The area’s current retail tenants are largely discount stores, cell phone stores, and of course shoe stores. The “Love Letter To Brooklyn” to me, combines the nostalgia for the area’s history with the revitalization currently happening. Check it out when you’re in the neighborhood!
The much-anticipated Atlantic Antic is tomorrow, October 2nd from 12-6pm! The Antic is the largest street fair in NYC, drawing upwards of a million people to Atlantic Avenue. The fair stretches from Hicks Street to Fourth Avenue and includes tons of great vendors selling delicious food, fun crafts, and gifts to name a few. Come enjoy the Antic—and stop in to say hello!!
It’s Atlantic Avenue Artwalk Weekend! This is our fourth Artwalk and I must say it’s a beautiful day to walk around Brooklyn (the last few Artwalk Weekends have been CRAZY hot!). Come check out our artist, Diana Leidel, and see what’s new at the shop. We have maps of all the artists/locations- hope to see you soon! For more info, visit the Artwalk website–it’s today (Saturday June 4th) and tomorrow (Sunday June 5th) 1-6pm.
Loving these new Letterpress Kraft postcards we just got in, designed and printed by a local artist. They are a fun mix of new and old. Brooklyn and Boerum Hill (our ‘hood) postcards available- $3.50 each. Send one! Frame one! Keep one!
I can’t wait to hang this great Brooklyn Poster at the shop AND at in my apartment! It combines several of our loves- “Brooklyn, typography, color, 50′s inspired illustrations, and urban signage.” Hand screened and signed by the artist (on thick 100% Recycled acid-free 100# soft white paper stock)- 16″ x 24.” Brooklyn Poster by Jim Datz- $60.
