There is no better time than the winter to set yourself up with some awesome art supplies and start a big project. Whether you want to paint, pound some clay or dye some fabric, the newest place to get your art supply bliss satiated is at Utrecht Art Supplies in Clinton Hill. This new outpost of Utrecht is their biggest New York City store and is stocked with everything from large pre-stretched canvasses to kids’ paint.  The store is adjacent to Pratt Institute. Here is their current coupon flyer: it’s good through March.

Utrecht Art Supplies
536 Myrtle Ave
Clinton Hill
718-789-0308

Monday 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Tuesday 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Wednesday 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Thursday 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Friday 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

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Parents in Prospect Lefferts Gardens have been thrilled with the addition of newcomer Play Kids to their area. Since it opened, it’s not only locals that come: parents from Ditmas Park, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and even as far away as Carroll Gardens are making the trip. What’s the draw? Their stellar lineup of unique classes and range of toys, baby items and clothing that meet the needs of Brooklyn families.

The specialty toy and baby shop, which opened on Nov. 1, 2011, is owned by Carl Blake and Shelley Kramer.  The owners, who reside across the street from Prospect Park with two kids of their own, saw a need for a neighborhood kids’ store that would carry products that are BPA, PVC, Phthalate Free and non-toxic but also those that are designed by local Brooklynites. As parents in the neighborhood, they believe in community and that “if we can buy and shop local, we will.” Local Brooklyn products include: Baby DeeDee Sleep Nests (loveliest sleep sacks!), Brooklyn Rocks tee’s, Herbal Postpartum Products made by Divine Daughters, Rooware (plates, bowls, utensils designed by a PLG mom) and felt flower barrettes made by local mom, Allyson Sen.

They have stocked their store only with items that don’t require batteries. Their belief in child engineered toys means they not only carry the classics toys but stock brands like Erector, Chugginton and Thomas, Trains, Playmobil, EeBoo, Djeco, Melissa & Doug, Faber-Castell, Automoblox, Seedling, Kid-O and more.  The store is filled with some of the most sought-after brands and there is ample space for testing them. Want to try a balance bike? Or an Ergo? Feel free to lay your things down and give them a spin.  The family-friendly store is buzzing with kids and parents coming to and from classes, meeting and checking out the shelves.

In true community spirit, Play Kids have opted to keep their classes affordable and so they offer as many “drop in” classes as possible. There isn’t any fee up front and each time that the class is offered, you can come as often as you are able. With a nod to the homeschooling group, they have classes for older kids too.

They are offering some special workshops this month too:

Saturday, Feb. 4 at 5pm they are offering an “Introducing Your Child to Solid Foods” Workshop. Maya Feller MS RD will lead the workshop which will include information on how to make your own baby food, readiness of the child to eat solid food, baby food making demonstrations, and a Question and Answer segment. The workshop will run about 90min and cost $20/person or $35/adult.

For Valentine’s Day, stop in for a photo shoot and craft-making at “Make Your Own Valentines” event.  The photo session is $20/print (five additional prints will be email to you to print or send at your leisure). Make your own Valentine’s will be free.

Classes:
Kids Can Cook!, Knitting (Ages 9+), Music Together, Rock-ucation, Art Classes from Manor Arts, Mom & Baby Yoga.
Tue 10 am Drumalong with Ivan ($5/family) All Ages
Wed. 10am  Story Time with Mary Jo ($5/family) All Ages
Thur. 9:45am, 12:15pm, 1:30pm Baby Clay with Melisa ($10/child) Ages 6mo-2yrs
Thurs: 11 am Baby Clay for Big Kids ($10/child) Ages 2 years and up
Fri. 10am  Sing-a-Long with Lloyd ($5/family) All Ages
(once a month) Sun 1:30pm Improv with Ashley ($8/child*) Ages 6+
2:30pm Creative Writing with Chris ($8/child*) Ages 6+
* $4 discount if your child participates in both Improv and Creative Writing*

Details:
Play Kids
676 Flatbush Ave (between Hawthrone and Winthrop St.)
Prospect Lefferts Gardens

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Though we only hear about the death of independent bookstores in the rest of the U.S., it seems like here in Brooklyn, small bookstores not only survive, but thrive. Why else would a seasoned Manhattan bookstore open a location in Cobble Hill? Idlewild Books will open this Monday, February 1st, though passers-by will note that the shops’ doors have been open for the past week or so. You might wonder how Cobble Hill can support another great bookstore when Book Court and The Community Bookstore do a pretty stellar job. Idlewild Books has a unique niche: they specialize in novels and kids’ books and language classes in French, Spanish and Italian.

Idlewild opened the first store in 2008 in Chelsea on 19th street between 5th and 6th avenue. That location is primarily travel books and world literature. For the past year or so, books in foreign languages were added. A lot of their clients came from Brooklyn and, the owner, David del Vecchio, thought it would be a great idea to open a store here where they would focus on French, Spanish and Italian (even though you will still find English language books about Europe and bilingual books for both kids and adults).

Idlewild Books in Chelsea

When I asked Idlewild about who has been popping into their store so far, they mentioned that they have had everything “from native speakers of all three languages looking for a good read, to Tintin fans looking to add another title to their collection, to parents looking for bilingual Spanish/English books for their children.”And, for that large French expat community we have in Brooklyn? The Idlewild staff said, “it is early to say who our main clientele will be but francophones and francophiles will probably take the lead.”

As of now the bookshop hasn’t planned any story times but they are considering doing it in the future. They do offer 10-week classes for children ages 7-9 and 10-12 in French and Spanish. They are an introduction to these languages that focus on oral communication and comprehension. The  children learn through songs, play, and arts and crafts. They will add more languages, levels and age groups in their spring term starting in April. Their Facebook page has a lot of up-to-date information, including the books they are unpacking each day.

Details:
Idlewild Books
249 Warren St (between Court and Smith)
Cobble Hill
Facebook page
718.403.9600

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Nellie Paltrow will talk about how to get started in the fashion business

If you are the owner of a small business, or are thinking of starting a new business, there’s an amazing resource in Brooklyn for you: The Business Outreach Center (BOC) Network. It’s a small business development group that helps New Yorkers do everything from putting together business and marketing plans to figuring out how to grow a business. I met with one of the private consultants there for free a while ago and was pleased with the advice I got.

BOC Women’s Business Center has a Start Smart Series this month and next. Learn the nitty gritty from real business owners about the fashion, restaurant and writing business world (though I bet their experience will help a lot of other kinds of business owners too.)

How to Get Started in the Restaurant Business
Thursday, January 19, 2012, 6-7:30PM
Featuring Farid Ali, owner of Bogota Latin Bistro, and Murat Uyaroglu, owner of Prospect Perk Cafe.

How to Get Started in the Fashion Business
Thursday, January 26, 2012, 6-7:30PM
Featuring fashion designer Nellie Partow and Christine Helm, manager of FIT’s Enterprise Center.

How to Get Started in the Writing Business
Thursday, February 2, 2012, 6-7:30PM
Featuring book consultant Jennifer Wilkov and Nicole Davis, the publisher of the blog Brooklyn Based.

Register via: www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/business/programs/events.jsp or call 718-623-7000 (option 4).

Location:
Business and Career Library
280 Cadman Plaza West
Brooklyn, New York 11201

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Joseph Lentol, Marty Markowitz, Julia Dawson (Co-Founder) and Carey Balogh (Co-Founder) at ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday at new playspace Frolic

With the grand opening of Frolic! today in Williamsburg, you have even more options for indoor play this winter.  Located in the new condominium building, The Edge, Frolic has the advantage of lots of space (approximately 5,000 square feet), ground floor access and ample stroller parking.

The soft opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was on Saturday (pictured above), where member-families got to be among the first to check out the much-talked about elements that make Frolic different: the interactive VW bus, interactive video wall installation, stage, ticket booth and best of all to some- the coffee lounge.

Want to check it out? Frolic! will offer Preview Passes for first-time visitors only (with advance reservations) to try out the space for a cost that will be applicable to membership if purchased within one month of visit.  Beginning today (January 9th) visit Frolic! in person to schedule a date for a Preview Pass as a limited number will be allotted each day.  As of now, they will only be accepting Preview Pass reservations in person.  Frolic! does not offer pay per play.

Details:
Frolic!
34 North 6th Street (between Kent Avenue and the East River)
Brooklyn, NY 11249

Hours Open 7 days a week
Monday to Friday: 9am – 6pm (Thursday: 9am – 7pm)
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sunday: 10am – 2pm

Directions By Subway:
L train to Bedford Avenue stop

By Water-Taxi:
East River Ferry to North 6th Street/North Williamsburg stop

Here are the details on what they offer for membership, classes and parties:

MEMBERSHIP:
Frolic! offers a membership-based indoor playground for ages newborn through six.  We offer three levels of annual membership with the option to pay on a monthly billing schedule (or pay upfront for added savings).  Annual membership packages start at $69 per month and include the entire immediate family plus caregiver(s).  There is no additional cost for more than one child.  Final days to receive our pre-opening offer of $100 off first year membership ends January 9th.  Sign up online with a $100 down payment at: http://www.frolicplayspace.com/membership.html

All Frolic! members have access to our 1,500 sq ft customized indoor playground and private coffee lounge seven days a week.  Members also have access to a variety of daily activities exclusive to members of all ages at specified times throughout the week, such as our customized video installation Creature Symphony, Open Gym, Members Meetup, Members Only Drop-off and Storytime.  See detailed descriptions and weekly calendar.

CLASSES:
Frolic! offers unique and custom classes to both members and non-members in music, art, dance/tumbling, language and yoga.  Exciting classes include Little Rock-its (our original Frolic! music program created by Tim Kubart of Tim and the Space Cadets featuring a live 3-piece band in every class), AudraRox Musical Theater, Super Hero Adventure!, Paint it Black…or Blue or Yellow! and Bilingual Birdies in French/Spanish.  We are extending our pre-opening offer of $50 off each semester class for early online registration until January 9th.   Click on the class calendar link to register online here.

Class participants and their caregivers also have access to the Frolic! private coffee lounge before and after scheduled class (note indoor playground use is reserved for members).

Frolic! ‘All Access’ and ‘I’m With The Band’ members receive 10% off each semester class (plus ‘I’m With The Band’ members receive one FREE Little Rock-its 15-week semester class per year).  If you sign up online before January 9th for the $50 early registration discount, we will honor an additional 10% off on top should you register for one of those two membership levels once we open.

The Winter 2012 class semester is 15 weeks beginning on January 16th and runs through April 28th (with 2 make-ups permitted within semester).  Language classes are 13 weeks and Parent & Baby Yoga, Mommy/Daddy Loves Babysitter Yoga and Prenatal Yoga classes are drop-in with the purchase of a 5-class card.

We are offering Little Rock-its classes for mixed ages at 6:15pm on Thursdays and 10am on Saturdays with working parents in mind.  If you are interested, please note these classes are filling up fast!

As we are unable to hold demo classes due to the close timing of our opening and Winter 2012 semester start date of January 16th, we will guarantee a 100% refund after the first class and 50% refund after the second class for this Winter 2012 semester only.  No refunds will be granted after the third class.

PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS:
Frolic! offers one-on-one music lessons in guitar, drums and piano in our Frolic! music studio also beginning January 16th for 15 weeks (ages 5 and up is recommended).  A concert performance will be held at the end of the semester for friends and family.  Please e-mail musiclessons@frolicplayspace.com to sign up and also to hear about our ‘meet and greet’ the week of January 9th with our teachers.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES:
Frolic! would love to host your birthday party!  We offer unique themes to customize your experience at select times on Saturdays and Sundays.  We are now accepting reservations starting in February (January is already booked).  See more information on Frolic! birthdays here.

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It’s the New Year, which means that everyone is energized about their resolutions from losing weight to streamlining their life.  This week Doodle Deals is offering a way to start the New Year off right with 43% off a 2 hour in-home organizing and decluttering session. It caught my eye because it is being offered by Genius Organizing- the women who helped me make our life and home sane this summer. The Doodle Deal reminded me that I wanted to write about them and how much they helped me.  As specialists in organizing children’s rooms and play areas, Genius Organizing know how to whip those particular spaces into shape, but, I found they were also great in doing just about everything!

Nicole and Julia, the founders of Genius Organizing, are totally fun, easy to be with and nonjudgmental (an essential characteristic for this business!).  I worked with Julia the entire time due to scheduling though I have met Nicole many times since she lives one street from us. I actually looked forward to Julia’s visits: she was interesting to talk to while we sorted, had clear ideas, she worked her butt off (never took a lunch break and instead drank some sort of monster power shake!), dug in and got dirty and took charge. I was happy to defer to her about decisions- it was a relief to give up role of chief decision maker for a few days.

Here were my projects:

• Project 1: The Basement
  Clear out our entire basement which meant 16 years of tax filings, old rugs and furniture, camera equipment and moldy books. This part of the project involved stepping on cockroaches (we both wore hiking boots!), loads of dust, and hauling boxes of books out into the light.
• Result:
  Julia lugged 12 boxes of old tax filings up from the basement, checked them and then called a shredding company. She met the truck with me and we dumped the papers into the high-tech truck while we watched a video monitor for verification that all the documents were shredded.  We boxed valuable art books and I took them to book shops in Brooklyn where I ended up with some serious cash for them. We emptied bins and tubs, deciding which items needed to be discarded, donated or kept. We found cassettes, reams of brochures and my old journals and sorted, sorted, sorted. After days of dust, bugs and dirt, we had a clean and organized basement! To make sure our family kept up with the new system, we labeled areas of the basement so that our family could easily shelf items.

The shredding truck! Julia and the driver inspect the monitor to make sure it all goes down!

• Project 2: The Closets
  Go through all our closets and donate or sell clothing, equipment and shoes.
• Result:
  First we went through my clothing. We sorted the maternity clothing, out of style clothing, can’t-fit-in-it-anymore clothing and put them into piles. My vintage designer duds were taken off by Julia to be photographed for ebay and sold. Additionally, Julia bagged some clothing to take with her for a stoop sale she was doing with friends. She actually sat out on the stoop instead of me and sold my clothes and shoes. On another day, Julia and I pulled the children’s outgrown clothes out from under beds and shelves and organized them in groupings by size and style and then tagged them. I held a sale in our apartment and what didn’t sell, Julia bagged and donated. The sale went well and visitors loved that the clothes were bundled. Julia explained that the bundling eliminated leftover one or two pieces. I thought it was brilliant.  For the leftovers, Julia arranged for a pick up by St. Marys and put the bags out on the stoop.

My office with all the kids' outgrown clothing. Yes, it's a mess.

Here is how Genius Organizing bundled and tagged all the clothing for sale.

What a nice clear way to get clothes organized for donation pick up!

• Project 3: The Camera Equipment
  In my former life I was a serious photographer (though not particularly good) and have loads of equipment from that time period as well great gear from my grandfathers and mother who were also in the biz.
• Result:
  Julia and I went through the equipment with her assistant. Her assistant photographed each piece and then loaded them up to ebay. Julia sent me a check for over $900 for my stuff and I never had to touch it! Lovely!

List of items they sold for me at stoop sale and on ebay. This is ORGANIZED!

Julia was dying to help me go paperless and I would have let her but I was getting addicted to this organizing and I think my husband was beginning to think that Julia was living with us. I think I will go digital next time with her. I loved doing payments online with her and then getting paypal payments and electronic receipts from her as she sold my items on ebay.

So, here’s to a great Doodle Deal! Now is the time to bite the bullet and get started as the deal ends after this weekend. While you’re at- I would suggest buying one as a gift for a good friend. It’s the perfect “welcome baby”, “I love you!” and “you need help!” present. (They work in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Riverdale, and Westchester County).

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I got an email plea from New York Cares asking if I could help get the word out that they are in desperate need of coats for children and infants this winter. Can you help? Perhaps you have a snowsuit, coat or snow pants that are too small? Any gently used coat would be greatly appreciated. Collection continues through December 31st, so please make it a fun activity to do with your family before the year ends.

To see a complete list of their public collection sites, download the complete list or see below for the list of locations in Brooklyn. To see where you can donate your coat at a Storage Post Self Storage, click here.

Click Here To View All Locations In Google Maps

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Park Slope Farmers Market. Photo courtesy of Nicole Reed.

How does fresh chutney, milled cider, farm-raised duck and locally grown kale sound to you this winter? Stop drooling and start marking your calendar for the grand “reopening” of the Park Slope Farmers Market on Sunday, January 8th.

In the past, the market went indoors for the winter—sometimes leading to bewildered tracks in the snow as people sought their weekly grocery stop. Community Markets, the team behind the market, announces that devotees will find the Park Slope Farmers Market in its outdoor home all year long. After a brief holiday hiatus, the market will resume its weekly schedule on Sunday, January 8th, 2012.

The vendors at the 2012 Park Slope Winter Farmers Market include: Fork and Glass, American Pride Seafood, Bombay Emerald Chutney Company, Bread Alone, Brooklyn Cured, Dr. Pickle, Breezy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill, Feather Ridge Farm, Hudson Valley Duck Farm, Jersey Farm Produce, Migliorelli Farm, Mortgage Apple Cakes, The Pastures, Raaka Chocolate, Tierra Farm, YisRoyal (vegan cookie dough), Flour City Pasta, and Calcutta Kitchens. Baked goods from Made by Molly will return in March.

Hector Perez of Jersey Farm Produce is cultivating crops in 7,000 square feet of heated greenhouses. He’ll soon harvest vitamin-rich leafy greens and other vegetables in the chill of winter. “The people of Park Slope really support farmers,” said Perez, “Our greenhouse produce is looking good and we’re looking forward to the winter market.”

Details:
Sundays from 11am-4:30pm
Fifth Avenue, at Fourth Street, in front of P.S. 51, Park Slope, Brooklyn
In addition to the items from local food crafters, shoppers will find fresh produce as a result of greenhouse growing and the time-honored skill of root cellaring.

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“Small hands can bring big changes.” It’s the perfect time of year for your kids to see how true that statement is.  From making cards to holding someone’s hand, there is great potential to make a difference.  We found some wonderful opportunities for your family to help out this holiday season.

Stockings with Care
Stockings with Care works with coalitions that assist families either living in homeless shelters or who are in jeopardy of becoming homeless and can not afford to celebrate their holiday. Social workers at each of these coalitions work with the parents to make their wish lists. These lists are passed on to Stockings with Care. Through the generosity of our individual Santas, private and corporate donors and a small army of volunteers, we make sure that every child gets at least two things on their list and that each child has at least three gifts to open on Christmas morning. Thousands of gifts are wrapped and delivered to the parents, empowering them to create magic for their kids.is an organization in Manhattan that gives presents to children living in homeless shelters.  You and your children can help wrap presents for the children. For more information go here.

Park Slope Presbyterian Church Meals
The PSPresbyterian is providing meals to residents at Bishop Boardman Apartments on Christmas Eve. Contact Shay Roedemeier to sign up for what dish you will bring. They will bring their contributions to Bishop Boardman (8th Ave between Windsor Pl and 16th St) at 11AM on Christmas Eve to begin plating the food and delivering to the apartments. This is an excellent service opportunity for kids! 174 Prospect Park West (b/w 12th and 13th Streets) Brooklyn, NY 11215

Food Pantries for Holiday Dinners and Help
I did a post on where to volunteer for Thanksgiving at Brooklyn food pantries. These food pantries also need help during the winter holidays- stocking, sorting, serving, setting tables and putting smiles on visitors’ faces. You can call your nearby food pantry to see how your family can help them. The full list of them is here.

We found some opportunities at Lutheran HealthCare.
A neighborhood institution since 1883, the Lutheran Medical Center expanded in order to provide support services to families, seniors, home care and more in Southwest Brooklyn.  They need help year-round too and if you are interested in options to volunteer without family, there are additional programs.

1. Reach Out and Read – Parents and their kids ages 14 and over can serve as storytime volunteers with the pediatric literacy program based in 5 of their family health centers.  Please contact Liz Berger at 718-630-7175 for more information.
2. Services for Older Adults – Parents and children of all ages would be welcomed to make cards and visit homebound senior citizens. Visits would need to be coordinated with the program due to staff supervision issues.  For more information, please contact Sr. Fran Picone at 718-630-8302 for more information. (We did this last year with the whole family. My husband brought his guitar, PA and microphones and he and the kids sang songs for 30 minutes to the senior citizens in their cafeteria. It was, hands down, one of the best experiences we have ever had as a family. It was super easy to coordinate too.)
3. Warren Street Center for Children and Families – their day care, preschool, and after-school program would welcome volunteers.  Please contact Nikki Cosby at 718-237-9578 for more information.
4. Lutheran Medical Center – The main hospital’s volunteer department would be happy to accept greeting cards or toys for their patients.  More extensive volunteering would be limited to kids ages 14 and up.  For more information, please call Mary Hetherington at 718-630-7296.
5. Toy Drive – If you are interested in donating a toy please call Orianne at 718-630-7171.

Lutheran Family Health Centers
6025 6th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11220
718-630-7171

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When my son says, “I need that lego set”, I understand what he means. He feels that that toy is essential for him to have right now. But, what is truly essential to the 51% of Brooklyn kids who are  living below the federal poverty level? Cribs, car seats, carriers, clothes and diapers.  Many of these children live in single mother households or who have mothers who are teenagers. They do have essential needs.

Little Essentials is a community-based organization that provides free baby and toddler (to age 4) clothing, furniture and other essential items to Brooklyn families living in poverty. Little Essentials helps keep children safe (in cribs, car seats and clothing); lifts the spirits and provides hope to their parents; takes care of our environment by reusing items that are only briefly used.

Since its founding in June 2010, Little Essential has collected donations from 242 families and distributed these essentials to 464 children in need living in Brooklyn with product donations currently totaling $40,388.

The idea that became Little Essentials was born in June 2010 when Sandie Trombert, the founder, noticed multiple listings from other parents in her neighborhood for free baby items. As a mother of a young child, living in Brooklyn, she recognized that low-income mothers often lack basic necessities for their children and concluded that these items would be useful to local Brooklyn organizations who serve mothers living in poverty who do not have access to traditional sources of assistance. The response was tremendous- both the influx of product donations and the need in the community.  In fact, it turned out to be much more than a small volunteer effort could support, so in May 2011, Little Essentials became a 501 (c)(3) not for profit.

Here are some essential needs:
Cribs (no drop side)
Pack & Plays
Diapers (opened ok)
Strollers
Car seats
Carriers/Slings
2T-4T clothes

What is accepted is here:
All gently used donations must be in excellent condition—not stained, torn or dirty. Equipment must have all parts, straps, be in good working condition (instructions are helpful). Toys must include all parts and pieces, and be bundled together. If you plan to donate a car seat please complete this waiver form and submit it with your donation.

Schedule a pick-up
Little Essentials will at no cost to donor pickup if you have large items (e.g cribs, bassinets) and/or (3) or more large kitchen sized bags of clothes, toys or other essentials on designated days from donor homes in Brooklyn New York.

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