Yesterday kicked off the first day of New York Blogshop & we’re SO excited to be hosting for a second time! Bri, Angela & their amazing team are so much fun to have in the studio. And we love meeting the talented bloggers, photographers & creative types that are here to up their photoshop game. This time around we had lots of new decor to show off from our trip to Brimfield (read our tips here). Plus, we fringed garland (a combination of tissue paper and upholstery fringe), hung paper airplanes (made by Corrin’s son, no less!) and started showing off our collection of lady & dog portraits. We also teamed up with Molly Hartman of Glitter And Rye to fill our space with beautiful flowers & to create a fun arrow-themed photo booth! We’ll have a complete recap of Blogshop later this week, but here are some photos from around the studio & of all of the little decor touches we like so much…

1.   Get there early, and I mean as soon as the tent opens.   This is competitive shopping at its finest- you have practically every designer in NY (and many from LA) waiting at the gates. Plus, many of the big retailers send out their merchandising teams to buy up everything they can get their hands on we spotted people from Anthro, ABC, Rag and Bone, Tommy Hilfiger who scooped up just about everything in sight.  Many dealers replenish their inventory every day so even if you get there on day 3 you’ve still got to hustle.    Don’t forget to bring your granny cart so you don’t have to waste valuable shopping time going back for the small stuff.

2.   Layer up. Temperatures fluctuate dramatically during the spring up in Brimfield, we were freezing yesterday but its supposed to be hot on Thursday- you never know, be prepared with lots of layers.

3.    Eating = buying.  While the food court is no Smorgasburg, it’s important that you stop and eat.  Its easy to get carried away shopping all day but there was a study recent study that showed people are more likely to say” Yes”, than “No” just after they eat, so eating can positively affect your shopping mojo.  I highly suggest the lobster place in the main food court- it is Wicked Awesome.

4.    Bring cash, and a card.    Many of the larger vendors accept cards but are more likely to give you a better deal if you flash cash.

5.    Know your price limit. Just because it’s at a flea market doesn’t mean it’s a good price.    Some of vendors (you know who you are Meadows people) jack up their prices so much for Brimfield, when you see the same vendors, or same things at other flea markets for much less.   But, everyone is willing to negotiate so expect about 20% off the asking price, and more if  it’s late in the day, late in the show, or part of a bundle.   Know what you are willing to pay, give it your best shot, and don’t feel bad about walking away if the price isn’t for you.

Bonus tip- Yes, the Faddy’s apple cider donuts do taste as good as they smell.  Follow your nose, wait on the line and enjoy the best $1 you will spend all day.

Most of all, have fun!

Flowers (and model): Rebecca Shepherd

Venue: Brooklyn Grange and Pier 92

Photography: Kristina Hill

Makeup: Annie Bruno

Planning and Styling Team:  Brooklyn Betrothed

Earth Day has a special place in our hearts. We love any reason to celebrate all of the exciting ways we can reuse, recycle & repurpose our favorite pieces. So here are five fun DIY projects that celebrate all things green. Now go outside & play in the dirt!

1. Design*Sponge: Pressed Botanicals /2. A Subtle Revelry: Recycled Bird Feeders / 3. Krrb: Moss Art / 4. Better Homes & Gardens: Recycled Bottle Vases/ 5. Apartment Therapy: Succulent Book Planters

I’d use our Lola Sofa which is upholstered in this vintage red velvet, this Palm Prond wallpaper from the Beverly Hotel, add some bling with this Italian Chandelier and Gold Leaf mirror from 1st dibs.   I’d use or Sweet Jane Chair and a stack of vintage leather luggage or trunks as a coffee table.  I’d style the place with a few vintage cameras and other cool finds.  And I’d hang this orange beauty by Guy Bourdin.

That’s right, folks! We’re holding our very first upholstery workshop.

Colleen Ford White of Timber & Cloth (@timberandcloth) will be helping 12 lucky students do a dining chair makeover here at our studio. Colleen makes the upholstery magic happen at Patina & she’ll be leading the class through a basic slip seat - which covers about 90% of dining chairs. A slip seat is a removable upholstered seat, slipped or inserted into an open chair frame. Because of its simplicity, it is a perfect starting point for learning upholstery.

Date: Sunday, April 21st 2013

Time: 10am-1pm (3 hours)

What to bring:  A dining chair in need of a pick-me-up, 1/2 to 1 yard of fabric (or choose from ours). Also, please wear comfortable clothes & be prepared to get your hands dirty!

We will supply:  A kick-ass teacher,  upholstery tools & supplies, coffee & refreshments.

Cost:  $85

Location: Patina Vintage Rentals, 7 St. Nicholas Ave., Brooklyn NY 11237.

Interested? Sign up here. 

Patina Skate Party from McKenzie Miller Films on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago we hosted the Brooklyn incarnation of  Blogshop. The three day workshop focused on photoshop & video skills for bloggers, and was taught by the talented & charming duo of Bri Emery (Designlovefest) & Angela Kohler (Angela + Ithyle). Bri recently posted her recaps of the photoshop & video classes, but here are a few more of our favorite moments from BlogshopNY…

Our friend Michelle Edgemont designed this awesome photo background for us!

BlogshopNY Photoshop Class!

BlogshopNY Video Class!

We also had a great time seeing all of the creative instagram photos from the workshop. There were SO many amazing photos of our space, our pieces, and of course the wonderful bloggers that we hosted.

(photo credits: @mmadalynne, @qc_style, @allegrab, @krystina_erin)

(photo credits: @designlovefest, @kmontagueart, @lovelybride, @meyersstyles)

(Bri, Angela, Michelle Edgemont & Kim)

We had SUCH a great time at BlogShopNY & we hope to see Bri & Angela back here soon…

When we first got our 5,000 sq. ft. space in Bushwick, we conjured up all sorts of dreamy things we could do with it. I had just watched Heather Graham roll around on skates in the movie Boogie Nights & all of a sudden the idea for our party emerged. But how would we ever get the skates? It turns out there’s an amazing mobile skate rental service called Skate Truck NYC. It’s just like a food truck, except that instead of yummy food they dish out roller skates! They also give skate lessons & teach people the basics so there’s less falling and more fun. Our new friend Gypsy, who is a coach for the Gotham Girls, launched the business last year & we think it’s going to be a huge success!

No skate party would be complete without awesome jams… So after asking around, we knew there was only one person for the job. His name is Kenan, and he’s one half of the seriously talented duo Les Loup. Kenan rocked our worlds that night with the perfect mix of throwback skate jams & dance party hits. The other half of Les Loup, Ro, photographed the party & turned out all of these amazing pics. Not only does she have great visual eye, but she’s a really awesome person & we’re loving all the images on her gorgeous BLOG! We were so lucky to have them both be a part of this…They really made it special. Check out what Ro did with the light here…

Speaking of the light… Benji at Kanye Live went all-out with crazy LED lights,  smoke, and even bubbles – this guy knows how to produce good stuff! Benji can rock our parties anytime.

RADISH, our favorite caterers in the WORLD banged out some super tasty bites. They took classic skate rink treats like nachos, milkshakes & french fries, and put an elevated spin on them. They also created a signature skate-themed cocktail called the Root Cherry Fizz. And yes, they served them in a pop-rock rimmed glass – how creative is that?!

top: white truffle popcorn cones
middle: mini grasshopper milkshakes with crushed cookies
bottom: root cherry fizz cocktail

Our friends & neighbors over at The Bosco came over with their amazing .gif photo booth. It’s my absolute favorite! It takes 4 different pics & turns it into an animated .gif that you can print or share online.  Check out all the fun pics here.

And finally, our new friend McKenzie Miller is putting together a little video of the evening. We can’t wait to share it with you! Until then, here are some more pics from the night. Thanks, again, to everyone who came & partied with us. You made it great!