What You Need to Know About the Craft Fair

Coming to our Handmade Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday? Here’s all the important info you need to know for this fun-filled day.

Q: Who are the vendors?
A: Oh, they’re a fabulous bunch. Here they are, loosely categorized (though of course many vendors cross categories). Check our their sites before the fair, and come back to this post afterwards to remind you of what you saw. On the day of, you’ll also get a directory and map of our 2-floor, vendor-packed Fair.

KwiltiACCESSORIES
Ben Simon Instruments
Bummer Baskets
Fifo Cycle
HerbanLuxe
KWILTI
Rachel Fixed in the USA
JK Accessories
WILDER ALISON
Urban Mano Maya
Munjoy Metals
Kids In Love Collective
b.good skincare
the two fish
The Dog and Pony Show
jwhite
Notions & Potions
Crooked Sister
Holiday Friends
Artikal Handcrafted Millinery
SEW Moni
Mokuyobi Threads
Chubby Cheeks & Company
Temporary Tattoo Project
The Worlds Fair

Gold Teeth BrooklynART
Biata Roytburd
Major Schell
My Needle Habit
RedTailFeathers
Florence Gidez
Howard Fink
Danger Studio
Kayrock Screenprinting

CARDS
Gold Teeth Brooklyn
House of Harte & Snow
Littlebunny
Alyssa Blumstein
Humunuku Shoppe

Le BentCLOTHING
CHANDI
Le Bents
Poison Oak Vintage
Textile Arts Center

FOOD
H.S. Chocolate Co.
Jacq's Kitchen by The Ethical Epicure
Shire City Herbals
Cutie Pies

HOUSEWARES
evolving habitat
Needleworks Inc
dootdot art & craft
Stockpile Designs
Twig Terrariums
MAD Soap Company
Fantasy Clocks
HAVEN
Halona Glass
Apotheke Soap
Welles & Graham
Berl's Brooklyn Poetry Shop
stephane hubert design

FortuneJEWELRY
Launa Eddy
FORT
Tirana Jewelry
With Roots
ashdel handmade
FORTUNE
Molly Rose Post Jewelry
Debris
Viva May Jewelry
Carrie Bilbo Art Jewelry
vintageQ
Diament Jewelry
Quinta del Sordo
Alis Volat Propriis
Whitehaus
SNASH JEWELRY
DLC Brooklyn
DorothyJune Jewelry

Plus, check out these vendor blog features for background stories on just a few of these great products.

Q: I saw your online store. Do you have a real-life version that I can see at the Craft Fair?
A: Yup, we do, and it’s making its big debut on Saturday! If you’ve always wondered about those great backpacks or want to browse any of our gorgeous books, here’s your chance. We’ll also have lots of other items that aren’t online and only available for in-store purchase, including supply bags, vintage knives, and totally rad earplugs. Plus, when you make any purchase over $5, you get a free drink at our bar!

This is just phase one of our store, and we hope you like and enjoy it.

Q. Will you have Education demos?
A: You betcha. Your favorite teachers will be conducting demonstrations in our lobby, and 3rd Ward Membership Associates can tell you all about joining.

Q. After seeing all this handmade stuff, I want to make something too! Will you have any hands-on projects?
A. Yes! We’ll have a Screenprint-Your-Own 3rd Ward Gift Certificate station. Buy them in any value and we’ll help you screenprint them on plywood right then and there, with two colors to choose from. It’s the perfect one-size-fits-all gift that you’ll have fun making and even more fun giving. Plus, save 10% and get a $100 Gift Certificate for just $90. No quantity limitations!

Q. Another Craft Fair? What makes this one special?
A. For one, our amazing vendors. We have a lot of repeat vendors from years past, plus some new tables that we’re excited to feature. Plus, we’re keeping things bouncing with two great musical acts. Mieka Pauley has been described as “Sarah McLachlan with a switchblade in her shoe,” and has shared bills with Citizen Cope, KT Tunstall, Natasha Bedingfield, Ben Kweller, John Legend, the Avett Brothers and many others. Chia’s Dance Party is a Craft Fair favorite and a jazzy brass band sure to make you smile.

And to keep things festive, you can also enjoy coffee, bloody marys, beer, or whiskey cocktails made with Red Jacket Orchards’ delicious apple cider or cherry stomp. All drinks are $5 or less (and free with any 3rd Ward store purchase over $5).

Q: I’m on board. What else do I need to know?
A: It all happens at 195 Morgan Avenue. Get off at the Grand stop on the L train. The Craft Fair takes place from noon-6pm, and the first 300 guests get a limited-edition 3rd Ward tote, packed with swag, for free! RSVP now at www.3rdward.com/rsvp.

That’s everything you need to know. Now see you on Saturday!

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #89 // Keep It Clean with MAD Soap

We're all in a lather about the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair this weekend. Here's another vendor preview to put you in the mood.

'Twas a day like any other way back in 2008 when Allyson Dohan and Molly McCullough each (independent from one another) wanted to see if they could make soap in their New York apartments. "We quickly discovered that, yes, you can and well!" Dohan says. Three years later, MAD Soap Company is a full line of bath products, lotions, lip balms, and facial potions. Everything is vegan, all-natural, and made from scratch. 

So now the only question is what to get? Dohan says the charcoal soap is her favorite and a big hit with customers. "We use activated charcoal that draws out impurities from the skin but leaves moisturizing oils to make you feel fresh," she explains. But since 'tis the season and all that, Dohan says "Nothing gets you into the holiday spirit quiet like our chai tea lip balm. The unique spice blend makes your lips tingle while healing them from the cold weather." These two and others will be available, and we'll be extra excited for our postholiday showers.

--Layla Schlack

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #47 // Evolving Habitat Will Help Adorn Your Home With Rustic Goodness

Can you tell we're excited? So continues our ongoing preview of what to expect (and buy) at the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair.

Imagine if you're favorite rustic pieces from places like West Elm and ABC Home & Carpet were way more affordable and salvaged from natural materials. That's the gist of Evolving Habitat. "It's important to me to find a new purpose for organic materials being left behind, and I truly enjoy reshaping it's original story," says creator Meri Vallo of her birch lamps, antler wall plaques, lightboxes, and terrariums.

So yes, each piece is made of reclaimed or recycled materials and we think that's great, but each piece is also one-of-a-kind, which just enhances all their rustic loveliness. It's just the right blend of hip and nostalgic, and that's why outlets like Re-Nest and Artists and Fleas are taking notice. Click the jump for more images--and if you're not mentally redesigning your own apartment, well, you're stronger, more dedicated holiday shoppers than we are.

-- Layla Schlack

YOUR DAILY INSIGHT // As Told By: Malcolm Gladwell

Those three things--autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward are--most people will agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying.

A Day in the Coworking Life

We recently made some awesome improvements to our coworking space. But what’s it like to cowork at 3rd Ward? Here’s a morning-to-night persepctive...

8:00 am - You have a big deadline coming up and want to start working bright and early. We open at 8am and offer free Intelligentsia coffee for Members.

8:05 am - Set up in the coworking area. Note the panels in these custom-made tables hide all your wayward wires. Clear your desk, clear your mind.

9:30 am - Pretty soon, the coworking area starts to fill up! There are writers, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, photographers... Your productivity picks up when there are other people around.

1:30 pm - Plus, it’s cool to be exposed to people you probably wouldn’t encounter working in a coffee shop—like woodworkers, architects, jewelry designers. And it’s fun to be inspired and stimulated by other people’s ideas.

2:00 pm - Some people are launching their own businesses with a breakthrough idea. Some people are already successful. Others are just starting out.

7:00 pm - The coworking space and all of 3rd Ward is pulsing with life, ideas, and people. Classes and events keep you sharp and creative.

8:30 pm - Random beauty and surprises are around every corner.

You get space, tools, and community at 3rd Ward. But more than that, it’s a creative catalyst and just the thing to help take your career to the next level.

Want to experience 3rd Ward yourself? Sign up for a Membership or schedule a personal tour. Learn more about our Coworking space here. We have shared desks, dedicated desks, and even an option that lets you take unlimited classes. Come work here!

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #93 // Stockpile Designs Sheds Some Light On Vintage Military Equipment

And our preview of highlights from this Saturday's Handmade Holiday Craft Fair continues...

Stockpile Designs began with a bomb, but rather than triggering an explosion, it lit up a light bulb, both in the head of founder Jake Wright and in the lamp that he was inspired to create. "I saw a tail section of a bomb from the Korean War being sold as junk," Wright says. "Where it wasn't covered with rust it was encrusted with filth, but underneath the patina was this graceful form that reminded me of streamline deco lighting. It took a lot of sanding and polishing, but the finished piece was more striking than I had imagined."

Wright's idea wasn't born out the blue, though. It owes much to his unique upbringing. "As an air-force brat, I grew up with strange décor - exotic furniture from the places my parents were stationed, excellent mid-century design picked up for pennies on-base, and model planes, rockets, and military antiques littering bookshelves and hung on the wall," he says.

"Military design has a reputation for being industrial and spartan, but out of context it can be strikingly refined and minimal," Wright explains. "With Stockpile, I take military equipment out of its aggressive context, concealing the function while highlighting the form." On Saturday Wright will be selling a range of lighting décor, from repurposed cluster bomblets to the tail of a 100 lb bomb, as well as a pair of end tables made from WWII naval ammo.

Check out more Stockpile Designs pieces after the jump.

-- John Ruscher

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #81 // Kids In Love Collective: Where Avant-Garde Design And Organic Hand Craft Collide

The Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is getting closer and closer but we can't stand to keep all of the goodness to ourselves. That's why we're previewing some of the amazing gifts that you'll be able to pick up this Saturday.

Founder Cathy Hsiao describes the aim of the Kids In Love Collective as "the marriage of avant-garde and graphic design with organic hand craft techniques...Avant-Craft!" Combining dye and print techniques, she's created an array of unique and vibrant apparel and accessories. "I love aesthetic dualities, nature's forms and textures contrasted with the abstractions of design, things that are unkempt and raw but still very natural and soft for my super sensitive skin," she says.

The philosophical perspective that Hsaio takes with her work is natural, as she was a philosophy teacher before starting the Kids In Love Collective. "I left my PhD program to be an artist and designer, to be able to work with my whole body, eye, hand and mind," she says. Her experiences with learning music and art in a DIY community inspired that decision. "The idea of a collective is important to me," she says. "I want to think 'invert the corporation, join the collective.'"

This will be the Kids In Love Collective's first craft fair, and they're debuting with a bang! Stop by their booth for hand-dyed and hand-painted scarves made with organic cotton, modal tops, printed canvas clutches and a hand-printed and hand-died calendar. They've also collaborated with Tom Tom Magazine on hand-painted drumsticks and will be offering a $10 discount when you buy two Kids In Love items.

Hit the jump for another look at Kids In Love's Avant-Craft goodness.

-- John Ruscher

YOUR DAILY INSIGHT // As Told By: Leonardo da Vinci

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.

HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #77 // With Roots Brings Jewelry To Life With Tiny Terrariums

 

Our Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is just a few days away, and it's no secret that it'll be full of irresistible gifts for all of your friends and family (and probably lots that you'll want to snatch up for yourself.) To keep you from getting too overwhelmed with such abounding awesomeness this Saturday, we're offering up a steady stream of sneak previews of some of that handmade goodness.

With Roots is a homegrown jewelry line. We say that not only because it's a Brooklyn-based, one-woman business, but also because each With Roots piece features a tiny terrarium with real plants growing inside. Sharon Goldberg, also an accomplished photographer, started With Roots about a year ago. "I had made some custom terrariums for a friend of mine," she says. "He liked them so much he told me he wished he could wear them! I did my research and made it happen, and With Roots was born."

With Roots pieces aren't mere novelties; they're well-made terrariums that are self-sustaining and designed to be worn on a daily basis. In Goldberg's own words, they're "the perfect way to wear nature." At the fair you'll find most of the pieces featured on the With Roots website, including an array of necklaces, a terrarium ornament and perfume bottle terrarium, as well as some one of a kind pieces and vintage glass terrariums. Get there early though, these will go fast.

Hit the jump for a couple more photos of Goldberg's amazing creations.

-- John Ruscher

THIS THURSDAY // Holiday Photo Op: Say Cheese And Get Your Own Holiday Photo At Etsy Labs

Photo by sinstuff

With their seemingly infinite range of unique items, our friends at Etsy are an essential stop on your holiday gift hunt. But for those of us in the NYC area, they're offering up another way to spread the holiday cheer. This Thursday, December 8 from 6-9pm Etsy Labs in DUMBO will be hosting Making Smiles Bright: A Holiday Photo Card Event.

Bring along your family, friends, apartment mates, coworkers and whomever else you can think of and pose for a classic holiday portrait. You'll get to choose from three hand-curated backdrops featuring merchandise from Etsy sellers, and Magnolia Photo Booth Co. will be their to print and send your pictures. If you want to turn your photo into a proper holiday greeting card, printshop Moo will also be offering a 15% discount on their services. Etsy will be leading workshops to help you make your own envelopes, so bring along your favorite paper, old or new.

In addition to walking away with a timeless snapshot, you'll also have the chance to win some of the items featured in Etsy's backdrops as they'll be raffled off throughout the evening. So pull on that ugly holiday sweater, gather up your friends and grab your ticket for Thursday's event. We'll most definitely be seeing you there.

-- John Ruscher