21 Friday Apr 2017
Posted in Brooklyn, Our Etsy Store, Shop, Vintage
Tags
Brooklyn, Brooklyn Flea, Dumbo, Etsy Jeanne Rondeau, flea market, flea market finds, vintage finds
Come out and say hi this Sunday, April 23 from 10 am to 6 pm at the DUMBO location of the Brooklyn Flea. We will have tons of fresh, beautiful and useful vintage treasure. Brooklyn Flea Market, Manhattan Bridge Archway, 80 Pearl St., 11201. Have a great weekend and we hope to see you there!
29 Tuesday Mar 2016
Posted in Brooklyn, Inspiration, Likes, Projects, Uncategorized
Tags
Asbury Park, Asbury Park NJ, beach, family, family vacation, flea market, Jersey Shore, Kids, Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove NJ, summer rental, vacation home, VRBO Ocean Grove
We have fallen in love with a magic little town on the coast of New Jersey. Chris and I drove through Ocean Grove one day and were charmed by the tiny square mile of preserved Victorian homes perched close to the shore. The houses were impossibly detailed and cared for and the town was beautiful, quiet and slow-paced. The beach in Ocean Grove was voted one of the world’s 15 best by Fodor’s Travel. A quick stroll on the boardwalk or over two footbridges brought us to newly revitalized Asbury Park. We joked that we would have to retire there when our kids were grown.
When I learned about the town’s twice annual Giant Flea Market I marked my calendar. The drive from Brooklyn took me less than 1 1/2 hours and the first time I went to the flea I was hooked. Wandering around town felt like a dream and each time I visited I liked it even more. When I returned to the flea this past May I called Chris to tell him I was going to talk to a realtor. In the whirlwind that followed we ended up looking at 10 houses. Our plan was to find a house that we could rent when we weren’t using it. The house we fell for was built in the 1880s and was owned by one family for more than 70 years. After talking to many incredibly friendly residents we decided Ocean Grove would be the perfect spot to spend time with our girls while they are still young.
The house at 6 1/2 Heck Avenue is calm bright and airy. It stands fifth in from the beach and has beautiful ocean views. Many of the home’s original antiques are in use throughout the house. The town of Ocean Grove was founded by a group of religious leaders as an ocean side retreat in the 1860s. Our home feels like stepping back into Ocean Grove’s early days when families would escape to the shore away from busy lives. The home is simple compared to some of its brightly painted neighbors and we love that it retains its original details and quiet beach cottage feel. Visit our Instagram feed @oceangrovehouse for more photos.
We are honored to be able to care for the home at 6 1/2 Heck Avenue and excited to share it for 2016 rentals. Details for the home can be found here. For rental inquiries and questions please contact Alfredo Fresnedo at (732)-763-2961, alfresnedo@yahoo.com. We still feel like we discovered a secret hideout every time we visit our home in Ocean Grove. So many memories have been made in the short time we have owned the house. We are so happy to share our home with visitors and hope 6 1/2 Heck will be a place for memories of your own.
18 Wednesday Mar 2015
Tags
Brooklyn, Brooklyn for Sale, Clinton Hill Brooklyn, Clinton Hill for Sale, Etsyjeannerondeau, Fort Greene Brooklyn, historic Brooklyn, home, house for sale, landmark Brooklyn, pre-war building
Good Morning!
It has been far, far too long since I have written on these pages. I so miss my quiet mornings of photo editing and typing. Somehow the three girls, two schools, our house, our bees, our Etsy shop, and life have crowded our days. I am not complaining, just missing this writing, and missing my readers and your sweet words of encouragement.
I write this morning’s post feeling a bit bittersweet. We have decided to put our beloved apartment on the market. 451 Clinton Avenue was our first home, on a truly lovely street. The apartment is bright and sunny and full of pre-war details. Chris and I moved there when I was pregnant with Ada and I was ecstatic about my first real design job in Manhattan. We lived at 451 until Josie was three months old. The house is so full of memories for us, and we look forward to finding someone to love the space as much as we did. Here is the listing:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/451-Clinton-Ave-APT-1E-Brooklyn-NY-11238/79719337_zpid/
05 Wednesday Feb 2014
Tags
Brooklyn General Store, cashmere yarn, diy hat, easy knit hat, knit child hat, knits for kids, knitting pattern, Lyalya Etsy, Lyalya Hoodie ABC Pattern, ribbed hoodie pattern
Chris has been begging me to knit him a sweater for years now. I am sure I will get to his sweater one of these days, but there are so many sweet knitting patterns for children to get through while our kids are still small…This is one of my favorites: The Lyalya Hoodie ABC Pattern. The pattern comes with directions for ages six months-adult. I knitted this one up in Brooklyn General Store’s cashmere. I splurge on this amazing yarn once in a while and it is the softest, most beautiful yarn I have ever knit. (Even the letter-pressesd label is gorgeous). I made Ada a couple of hats made from the yarn and they still look beautiful after years of use. Lyalya’s pattern knits up quickly and it is fun to watch the ribs build as you go. The result is a snuggly hat that does not require tying on to a wiggly three-year-old. The cashmere is so soft that scratchy-hat whining is completely avoided.
13 Monday Jan 2014
Tags
backyard bees, beekeeping, bees and kids, Chris Harp, Grai St. Clair Rice, home, Honeybee Lives, life with bees, natural beekeeping, organic beekeeping
My amazing bee teachers Chris Harp and Grai St. Clair Rice from Honeybee Lives are running their Winter Weekend Organic Beekeeping Workshop on January 25 and 26. This class is perfect for a novice, or anyone who wants to improve beekeeping skills and learn about natural techniques. I took the class last year and savored every minute of the two days’ teachings. We learned enough from Chirs and Grai’s class to start our own set of hives in the back yard this spring. Learning about the summer habits of honeybees is a perfect way to spend a frosty January weekend. Here are the details:
HoneybeeLives.org
A NATURALIST’S APPROACH TO BEEKEEPING
Winter Weekend Organic Beekeeping Workshop
Held at The Commons, 388 Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn
January 25 & 26, 2014
This two-day class will introduce students to Organic/Natural Beekeeping with a Biodynamic influence. You will come away with the knowledge, as well as the inspiration to nurture your honeybees and respect these hardworking, gentle creatures who live in complex and beautiful communities. We can help you obtain bees and we suggest you wait until after the class to purchase your equipment so you have a better understanding of your choices.
$200 per person for both days (individual days are $110)
Intro to Organic Beekeeping: Planning a New Hive for Spring (Saturday 10am – 6pm)
Learn about the basic requirements and responsibilities for organic beekeeping. Understand the community of a hive, the tools involved, elements of site selection, where you can obtain honeybees and equipment, and an understanding of a naturalist approach to their needs. This class introduces students to a nurturing way of beekeeping, and a philosophy of respect and love for these amazing creatures. There is a hands-on demonstration of assembling a wooden hive, and extensive class handouts to help new beekeepers.
Understanding and Caring For Your Bees (Sunday 10am – 6pm)
Topics will include: hive congruency and design to benefit the colony (including Top Bar Hives); Honeybee health and disease management the natural way; seasonal concerns and methods to help keep your honeybees strong.
PRE-REGISTRATION AND PRE-PAYMENT IS REQUIRED.
Email HoneybeeLives@Yahoo.com Or Call 845-255-6113
Visit our website http://www.HoneybeeLives.org for more info on our approach to beekeeping.
Visit http://www.TheCommonsBrooklyn.org for other interesting programs Chris Harp and Grai St. Clair Rice HoneybeeLives.org
19 Thursday Dec 2013
Posted in Brooklyn
Tags
Andrea Elliott, Brooklyn, Dasani, family, home, homeless child Brooklyn, homeless children, LIttle Essentials, NY Times homeless children
I finished Andrea Elliott’s chronicle of the life of a homeless child in Brooklyn one morning in bed, snuggled next to two of my sleeping children. I had begun reading the night before, on my phone while feeding the baby. I quietly shuttled Ada out the door to school and then snuck back under the covers and prayed for the two little ones to stay asleep so that I could finish. Many of you have likely read the piece by now. It ran in the New York Times last week. The piece is so beautifully written. Dasani’s story is haunting, and both so far and so close to our own life here in Brooklyn. It broke my heart and has followed me around since I finished the story. I often wonder how to talk to my children about how lucky we are, and what our good fortune means in a city where the rich and poor live pressed up against one another. We struggle with how to teach charity and compassion to our girls, without condescension. Little Essentials is an organization that directly reaches families with homeless children in Brooklyn. They have been overwhelmed with donations since the article was published, but they still need donations of money and time. We are planning to work with them in the upcoming year.
