Krrb Blog, Neighborly living

This set of vintage glasses and a brass cocktail shaker have gold banded detailing.

As part of the series called The Hot Corner, we’re featuring Krrb corners that catch our eye with their well-curated inventory. Whether it’s upcycled, secondhand, vintage or handmade, be sure to see for yourself why we think these Krrbsters have it going on.

After years of filling her home with vintage home goods, Elizabeth Aleckson launched her Minneapolis-based shop, Expo Facto. It was a natural move for this shopping addict with a career in merchandising. Nowadays, she keeps busy perusing auctions, antique shops and flea markets for beautiful finds to stock her business. Items like her gold rimmed agate coasters, antelope mounts and antlers make Expo Facto a hot corner among Krrb’s buyers. Read on to learn more about Elizabeth and this midwestern local business …

Left to right, Brian Wilcox, Marie Zellar, Erik Wivinus and Tim Schumann make up findfurnish. Photo: Jeannette Cleland

When we first caught up with findfurnish, the team of four was out on the road shopping. It was no surprise to us that the Minneapolis-based crew spends much of their time digging through barns and antique stores across the midwest for their fabulous finds. From Knoll loveseats to Danish dining chairs, this local shop located in the Casket Arts Factory is supplying Mill City with plenty of style. Read on to find out where Marie Zellar and her band of merrymen go to discover treasure around town and more …

You found your wedding cake! Now how are you going to top it? Photo: WeddingBee.com

As part of a series called 5 Easy Pieces, we’ll be gathering our favorite upcycled, re-purposed, vintage, and handmade stuff from around the web for you to buy or make yourself. So stay tuned for quick lists of 5 must-haves and get ready to wish you had thought of that …

We know you have no time for long-winded how-to’s, so we’ll keep it short. In under a minute, Quick Tips are here to help you with life’s little lessons. So unless you get caught up watching hundreds in a row, which – warning – you just might, you can quickly get back to monitoring your news feeds or whatever you were doing. Check out the full video series here.

If your Valentine’s Day roses are starting to wilt, we’ve got a surefire way to perk them up. Simply sear the stems in boiling hot water for 30 seconds, then cut off the tips and plunge into cool water. This should extend their life for a few more days.

Vintage I Yam Crazy About You Valentine’s Day Card

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by perusing past loves? We’ve collected an assortment of vintage valentines you’ll want to paw through again and again. These lovely finds from yesteryear really run the gamet when it comes to declarations of romance. So grab some chocolate, sit back and enjoy this Valentine’s Day eye candy …

Pay a visit to this vintage furniture shop in Bed-Stuy.

After buying his own brownstone in Bed-Stuy almost a decade ago, Ban Leow realized there was a need for good furniture in his neighborhood. So he opened CasaBAN to cater to the hip crowd, offering vintage furniture at an affordable price point. No longer Bed-Stuy’s best kept secret, CasaBAN was voted Best Home Decor by Citysearch last year. Be sure to visit CasaBAN on Krrb to see his quickly changing inventory of mid century furniture and read on to see what’s selling at this hot spot …

With physical boundries like the East River, the Pulaski Bridge and McCarren Park, and limited public transportation (ahem, G train) Brooklyn’s Greenpoint is a neighborhood all its own. First and primarily a Polish community, there’s also a growing young energy in the area. Creative companies such as Kickstarter, Atlas Obscura and Design*Sponge are making Greenpoint their homebase for work and play. And here to give us the lay of the land is Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge.

As a 4th year resident, explorer and tastemaker, Grace has discovered tons of nooks and crannies in her neighborhood, and breaks down what makes Greenpoint tick. From the area’s lone green space, Transmitter Park to geting your jeans mended by Mary Brockman of Kill Devil Hill, to the countless Polish grocery shops along Manhattan Avenue, join us for a video tour of Greenpoint.

Valentine’s day is rapidly approaching. While I’m a fan of this mushy ode to the heart’s tugs I find myself using it more as a reminder to simply open my eyes on my day-to-day journeys and appreciate my surroundings. Too often, everyday life has us so focused on tasks at hand that we forget that the joy of life lies in the journey, not the destination — in the search, not necessarily the treasure. So while there are millions of poems ready to be recited on February 14th over candlelit dinners and professions of true love, I’ve been busy memorizing Constantine Cavafy’s classic, “Ithaca,” penned in 1911 and first introduced to me by my older sister many moons ago. …

This pair of sisters doubles their forces when it comes to redoing homes inside and out. Photo by Jenny Januszewski.

There is nothing stronger than family ties. It’s why we’re taken with all the work Allison Allain and Marilynn Taylor, The Property Sisters do in California. Playing ying to each other’s yang, these sisters cover it all when it comes to homes. From building out new spaces to retooling furniture, Allison and Marilynn deliver. Read on to find out more about this powerful pair and where they go to discover treasures …

Get ready for the holiday at Greenpointers Valentine’s Market this Saturday.

You know what we love? A perfect Valentine’s Day gift for our honey and wallet still full of money. Greenpointers is at it again with a holiday themed market tomorrow in Greenpoint. Find plenty of locally made gifts to fill your heart’s desire. Check out the Greenpointers Valentine’s Market preview to see what’s in store and check out our top picks for a crisp Andrew Jackson …

Won’t you be ours? Photo: Etsy.com/shop/RetroVintageBazaar

There are so many things we love about the romantic allure of Valentine’s Day. In between perusing local pop-up markets this weekend like this one and this one in Brooklyn and eating fistfuls of candy hearts, the Krrb staff has pulled together our favorite gift ideas for others and of course, ourselves. Why? Because we love you so …

When she’s not making hot sauce, Erica DJs under her moniker Queen Majesty.

What’s Valentine’s Day without a little spice and flavor? At the Greenpointers Valentine’s Market this Saturday in Brooklyn, you won’t want to miss Queen Majesty’s Hot Sauce. Handmade by Erica Diehl, much like her music, her hot sauce is inspired by Caribbean culture. Performing under the name Queen Majesty, Erica DJs a weekly reggae party and hosts Jamaica Rock, a reggae show on East Village Radio. Read on to find out more about what Queen Majesty is mixing in and out of the kitchen and stream a playlist she made especially for us …

Groucho, Chico, Harpo and their misfit racehorse.

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.
Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

Although Groucho Marx probably wasn’t using “dog” as an analogy for a website, I shall with pleasure. Day in and day out, we’re training ‘ol Krrbie to do all these fancy tricks to help you buy and sell locally. And as we head into 2013, we’d like YOU to shed some light on our proverbial path …

Small spaces call for double duty furniture. Photo: Theshoppingsherpa.blogspot.com

Welcome to Krrbside Questions, a column created solely to answer your queries about living local and being the good neighbor we know you all are. First up with some super helpful advice is Jett Superior, recently featured in our Member Spotlight. This Southern lover of all things secondhand, vintage and handmade has what she calls “crackerjack ingenuity” and a knack for redoing roadside furniture. Have a burning question? Email us at blog@krrb.com and we’ll make sure to get it in the right hands …

Give your special someone something sweet. Photo: Notjustcute.com

What’s Valentine’s Day without some baked goods and special treats to satisfy your sweet tooth and that of your sweetie’s? Next Saturday, the Brooklyn-based Vegan Shop-Up is gearing up for its 3rd annual Vegan Valentines market! Dedicated to featuring vegan food purveyors and eco-friendly goods in the New York area, this event is sure to have enough heart shaped cookies, mouthwatering bon bons, and decadent chocolates to fill your heart’s content. Preview the Vegan Shop-Up to plan your Valentine’s Day menu and check out our five favorite gifts to treat your special someone …