Brooklyn Flea

We found these groups of friends enjoying the Flea and each other over the weekend. The final picture came from the Amanda Rose Blog—nice mirror shot, thanks Amanda!

There are two unquestioned facts in my life: you can never have enough notebooks and, “put a bird on it.” These two facts get me through many tough purchase decisions, like rent or notebook and, rent or bird necklace?  So I was appropriately overwhelmed when stumbling upon Sheepshead Design over the weekend. A place that has hand-painted birds on reclaimed wood and adorably decorated notebooks—my head looked like it would explode from excitement. Suddenly my usual ways of deciding purchases was no longer accurate, I had to think fast. Of course, I ended up getting the notebook, but when rent is paid, I’m coming back for the bird. Sheepshead Design can be found on the main floor at Skylight One Hanson, the notebooks go for $8 or 3 for $20 and the paintings on reclaimed wood (bird or otherwise) are $15 each.

We looked around all corners of the internet for this week's Fan Fotos. The first comes from an awesome blog dedicated to all things vintage and DIY, Second Wind Cabin. The second comes from Pepper and Parlor, attached to the adorable apparel store. The last comes from Instagram, our favorite place to look for pictures—thanks to @StaceyMeyian for this lovely photo.

Remember, you can send your own photos to us at info@brooklynflea.com or post them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (@bkflea, #bkflea).

This weekend we have the pleasure of welcoming back some vendors of yore to Skylight One Hanson.

Old Village Hall will be breaking out their lovely and wonderfully curated antiques, pillows and fascinating finds.

Miss Amy’s Preserves will be bringing delicious and creative fruit spreads, tapenades and other delightful confections to brighten up the last dregs of winter.

Awards season wraps up this Sunday night at the 84th Oscars, when 2011’s biggest cinematic cliffhangers will be revealed: Who will take home movies’ most coveted gold statue—and what will they be wearing when they do it?

Will My Week With Marilyn Best Actress nominee Michelle Williams go with the elegant understatement of recent Oscar de la Renta, Chanel Haute Couture, or Erdem champagne-hued standards, or will she mix it up? (Her appearance earlier this month at the 2012 British Academy of Film and Television Awards in an H&M column gown will lend her arrival some added suspense.) In the Best Supporting circle, Octavia Spencer, who took the Golden Globe for her turn as The Help’s brassy Minny, has made increasingly bold red-carpet statements. Will her colorful winning streak continue? As for the A-list presenters and spectators, their current runway faves portend Stella McCartney (Kate Winslet), Armani Privé (Anne Hathaway), and Gucci (Jennifer Lopez) sightings.

But the more compelling question for those of us who love vintage is who will take the bigger risk and rock some old-school Hollywood glamour? Going vintage hasn’t always seemed a suitable red-carpet choice. It rarely crossed starlets’ (or their stylists’) minds until the 2001 Oscars, when Julia Roberts, in a 1992 Valentino, fittingly paved the way, winning Best Actress for playing another type of firebrand: legal clerk-turned-environmentalist Erin Brockovich. And many stars have since followed suit—most recently Kristin Davis, Tina Fey, Christina Hendricks, and Gillian Anderson.

But there’s no telling who else will make what’s old—or in the case of Julia’s Valentino, older—new again. And at this point, it’s a little late to pitch vintage. The pre-Oscar juice-fasts to make choices fit mean most final selections are already hanging on the back of the dressing-room door. But it’s fun to play armchair stylist, and the recent picks of these stars from across the entertainment galaxy suggest a trip to the Flea might have awarded them more than a few sartorial runner-ups.

For your consideration…

With all the jackets, bags and bulletin boards in my home screaming for adornment, I’ve become quite a fan of vintage buttons. They add a little bit of spark to everything they decorate, and often the stories behind them are as interesting as the buttons themselves.

That’s why my favorites are always old campaign buttons—they’re a nifty bit of history and just the right amount of kitschy. I found these wonderful old pins at dAN's Parents House, on the ground floor. The holographic Nixon button is a surefire conversation-starter, but my favorite is “Brooklyn Wants Carter.” It’s sweet and simple, and to be perfectly honest, I have a soft spot for the one-term President. The buttons go for $3-5 depending on the size and the President in question. Now, if only I can find a Bobby Kennedy....

We found these girls looking at, and through, all manner of things over the weekend at Skylight One Hanson.

Just inside the entrance to the One Hanson vault in his own little nook, you can find one of the most gleeful vendors of the Flea, Manny Maldonado, with some of the most fun stuff. Manny's Collectibles is packed to the brim with vintage magazines, trinkets and huge amounts of vinyl—always something to catch your eye. Over the weekend we sat down with Manny to ask him a few questions:

What is one of your most memorable sales?
One of my most memorable sales was a bike, actually. It was one of those giant bikes with the large front wheel. That was pretty memorable.

Who are your favorite Flea vendors?
Casey with EAT Records next door. He's a favorite.

What's your booth like?
A combination of collectibles, records and antiques. I love it here, I love to do the Flea. I meet a lot of interesting people, and I get to do what I like to do the most: sell my vinyl.

We are grateful he continues to sell his antiques, collectibles and amazing selection of vinyl every weekend. Be sure to go see Manny next time you are at the Flea, and add to the interesting people that you know.

We found some beautiful pictures of all the treasures at the Flea courtesy of For Fi Love, Me, a cool blog by Melissa Burriss—check it out for more nice Flea pics and some inspiring style from Melissa. Thanks for the photos, keep 'em comin'!

Remember, you can send your own photos to us at info@brooklynflea.com or post them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (@bkflea, #bkflea).

The ultimate cure for any sweet tooth is a big liege waffle piled sky-high with berries, whipped cream and Nutella—it's a proven scientific fact. The guys behind Waffles by Matt began selling their deliciously decadent creations in the vault at Skylight One Hanson only a few weeks ago, but they're already a huge hit. How can they not be with such sweet treats? We asked Matt Ingber, one of the waffle chefs, a few questions about how they started out and what they love about selling at the Flea.

What first got you interested in waffles?
I can't say it was any one thing in particular. We both went skiing in Vermont and fell in love with the waffles there at a time where we were both sort of bored with ourselves. We joked about coming up with our own recipe and selling them in New York. The more we discussed it, the more we realized it was actually a pretty good idea. Fast forward two years and here we are!

What do you like shopping for at the Flea?
I'm always looking for clothing that you won't find anywhere else and if there's one place for unique clothing, it's the Brooklyn Flea. To be completely honest though, it's the food that I really look forward to every week.

Who is your favorite vendor?
Choncho's Tacos sell, hands down, the best fish taco I have ever had. I have yet to come to the Flea and leave without a fish taco.

Describe your booth in an elaborate metaphor.
I'm not sure that this is elaborate enough but i like to think of these waffles as edible hugs. It's impossible to eat one of these and be in a bad mood.

Next time you're in a bad mood, or any mood really, make sure to stop by Waffles by Matt and get a made to order edible hug.