Posted in scoop, tagged antique, flea market, gift, hint, holiday, mix, recycle, repurpose, reuse, sharing, vintage on November 17.2009 | Leave a Comment »
We love a good flea market find–and sharing a good secret–so check out the Brooklyn Flea Market…in Manhattan!
Starting on Black Friday, November 27th, thru December 24th, the pop-up venue will feature 50 vendors–just in time since the market goes on winter hiatus November 22nd.
For more information, including directions and hours, visit brooklynflea.com.
Posted in behind the scenes, tagged bicycle, decorate, mirror, recycle, repurpose, reuse, wall art on October 7.2009 | Leave a Comment »
Traffic as we know it is a mix of motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses. In India, it’s all that and more including tractors, camel drawn carts, auto rickshaws, pedestrians and sacred animals.
Here bicycles are a vital tool to fulfill ones’ livelihood–an elemental, low-tech solution to a myriad of needs. Literally thousands of bikes share the road with 
all of the above transporting workers to work, foods to markets, or materials and goods to factories.
It was inspirational to see bicycles transporting recyclables and a sistern to collect valuable rain water. The mindset of the culture is amazingly resourceful so just about everything gets reused–or used sparingly.
Some of these very bicycle tires have been selected and repurposed as spoke mirrors for CB2. Each is one of a kind and the iconic engineering mixes great with old or new interiors.
Posted in learn, tagged recycle, repurpose, reuse, textile, wall art, weave on September 24.2009 | Leave a Comment »
Recycled “textile” art weaves 75% recycled international newspapers framing a colorful square of 25% recycled painted canvases–handloomed with clear nylon.
Due to the availability of recycled materials and special looms required to handcraft this item, we can only receive small quantities as they are made. As you can see, each piece will be unique and well worth the wait!
Show us your Edition Do you own a CB2 Edition print? Show us your unique version! Just upload it to Flickr with the tags “CB2, edition”.
Posted in how to, tagged antique, decorate, hint, recycle, repurpose, reuse, trend, vintage on August 12.2009 | Leave a Comment »
Let’s start by defining a “tchotchke”. Officially it’s a Yiddish word for a trinket. Unoffiicially it’s usually what’s leftover at garage sales–for a song if not “FREE!”.
But before you toss that wacky 1950s porcelain figurine if it’s not quite your style, consider its potential value on the open market and take a look at what we spotted in Milan earlier this year.
That’s right! Mixing old and new is still a strong trend–and even more personal by including a family “heirloom” from your Grandmother. Why not try mixing that charming whozeewhat you looked forward to seeing when you visited your favorite Uncle with truly modern accessories like stainless steel cylinder vases or beaker glass candleholders?
Hint: pick one vintage piece per grouping so it becomes the highlight.
Do you have better taste than your ancestors and are you lacking the perfect tchotchke to complete your vignette? Why not check out local flea or antique markets? Remember when talking eco-friendly, reuse or repurpose comes right after reduce!
If this is old news to you, then how about sharing your favorite places to shop for vintage trinkets?
Posted in behind the scenes, tagged art, artist, craft, gift, recycle, repurpose on August 12.2009 | 1 Comment »
This original canvas is hand-painted by an almost extinct community of Bollywood artists known for their kitschy, glam movie posters and sets. With the Mumbai film industry’s move to digital vinyl billboards, the talent of these fine artists is no longer in demand. In an effort to keep this art form alive, this limited edition of 228 paintings has been commissioned from the hands of the original masters.
Once required to produce up to 20 posters a day during their movie days, this special initiative provides the artists not only a new source of income, but the opportunity for a slower pace focused on their skills and passion for painting. This portrait of a regal couple painted in black and white with theatrical color highlighting only jewelry and costume details, harkens back to the romance of a lost age…and an iconic art form.
Posted in behind the scenes, learn, tagged art, artist, craft, gift, recycle, repurpose on August 5.2009 | Leave a Comment »
This exquisitely refined set of nine alms bowls is handmade in Rajasthan, India by the Kharadi muslims for use by the Shwetamber sect of Jain monks. The white-robed Jain monks take five ethical vows–this includes renouncing all wordly possessions, including their name–owning only these bowls presented to them by their followers. In a journey of humility, the monks travel on foot with only their bowls, going door to door, village to village, seeking followers who fill them with food.
Now an almost extinct woodworking art practiced by only 30 families in the region, the begging bowls or “bhiksha patra” are lathed from local rohida wood, prized for its dense grain and strength. No wood is wasted, with each of the nine bowls scooped from the heart of the bowl before it.
Artisans apprentice for years to make these bowls by first making simple coasters and progressively improving their skill level once each has been mastered. In addition to the difficulty of carving a smaller bowl from the heart of a larger bowl, the walls are only 1/16-inch thin which further tests their skills.
As a continuation of their vow to renounce worldly possessions, when the bowls are no longer of use they are broken into pieces, buried and returned to the earth.
