Bella Knitting
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Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur spent nine consecutive years of a kind, a beloved e-commerce site known for featuring freelance designers you won’t find anywhere else on the internet. They closed shop last fall, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t stopped, well, purchases. With this in mind, we ask entrepreneurs (who are still writing a newsletter and host a weekly podcast) what they stocked in a store – if they still had one – shelf by shelf.
Let’s start by saying that if we were running a small business during this pandemic, we’d be freaked out – about revenue, our employees, packing and shipping e-comm orders (and when to stop?) , government stimulus benefits (and the confusing paperwork that tells us if we’re even eligible for it), and, of course, the health of everyone we know and those we don’t know. We try not to let anxiety paralyze us…and we don’t know if we will.
If we managed to take a long inhale followed by an even longer exhale and come to our senses momentarily, we’d aim to be nimble and flesh out our inventory with the things people want the most during that time (aside from Rancho Gordo beans) — things that might make all those weeks locked up a little more palatable, calming, and, well, prettier. If we got together – and had the cash to do it – we’d stock up on some of the best freelance crafts and games (small businesses!), the kind of hands-on activities done by real people that would fill a Tuesday night, a Thursday night, and maybe a Sunday afternoon as well, and that would brighten up a space in the process.
Talk about charm: this company is the fruit of the man who invented Connect 4 and his son. All of their creations come in pretty packaging (and without a million little bits), and they’re priced just right to ship to a friend as a little “Thinking of you but I don’t really want to FaceTime again this week, thanks “treat.
Something we learned in our research on self-isolation: there aren’t as many modern-looking cross-stitch/embroidery/needlepoint projects as there should be. Yes, the British brand Pompom’s pillow kit is expensive, but it’s something we’d be proud to have on our sofas afterwards – serving a secondary purpose as a keepsake of that truly crazy experience we’re all going through. .
A handful of very cool, designer puzzle companies have been launched over the past few years (looking at you, Piecework and Jiggy!), and, wow, is this their time. Galison, who’s been there since 1979, was way ahead of the trend, and they really hit the mark when it comes to assortment depth and major design collaborations (check out this trio from MoMA). We’d go big on 1,000 coins – that’s what everyone seems to be tackling, according to the porn puzzle flooding our IGs, and if not now, when?
This is not an adult coloring book. He’s an adult workbook — from New York-based creative director Shayna Kulik, whose expertise in trend forecasting lies in, you guessed it, prints and patterns.
When it feels like we can fix so little, why not at least fix our jeans? The visible repair is bubbling (see: this recent NYT piece), and we recommend pairing this kit with Build and Repair by Jessica Marquez.
Doesn’t throwing something against the wall feel so satisfying to you right now? And don’t Fredericks & Mae make a dart board look more like a work of art than it has a right to? Admittedly, this probably suits people with game rooms better than those of us huddled in apartments in New York…
There’s nothing wrong with the OG Yahtzee aesthetic. There’s also no harm in giving it a smooth, monochromatic makeover. Swedish company Printworks does such a great job with these glow-ups that we’d love to carry (or own) a range of their games.
So no one actually travels these days, but our product description for this watercolor set from San Francisco-based, woman-run Case for Making would encourage you to pick it up. somewhere — in a garden, a park (away from others!) or even a porch.
Maybe breaking out Upstate founder Kalen Kaminski’s hibiscus and sandalwood tinctures is the thing to do with the kids over the weekend when you’re absolutely have to mix things up. Maybe this is a way to liven up the sheets instead of your hair when you feel the urge to cut the bangs. No matter how you use them, you won’t touch your face, scroll or zoom. It looks like a victory.
With artsy crafts from Jaime Hayon, Sarah Sze, and Ai Weiwei, this book could spark creativity and kick-start a lighting project. Or he could live on a coffee table for 13 episodes of Schitt’s Creek. Or both! So full of possibilities – and so fun to browse.
Plants! Now more than ever! Since we lack window sills for them to live on, we have to turn to ceilings. When it comes to macrame, Emily Katz is queen, and her fair-priced kit is the perfect level of complexity so someone can flaunt it at home and on Instagram in no time.
We grant you this: it’s a weird season to get into knitting. That’s why we’re all about that warm-weather-friendly cotton project. From Loopy Mango in Beacon, New York, it’s suitable for beginners but will also satisfy those with more casting experience. To eliminate decision paralysis, we stocked it in three colors – pearl, ginger and indigo, perhaps?
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