Brooklyn Brainery

Turns out our teachers are quite the talented bunch outside of the classroom! And since the holiday gift-giving season is officially in swing, we thought it'd be fun to highlight some of their projects, all of which would make aaaaawesome gifts. 

Jewelry & Accessories

We are Here - Emilie Shapiro's absolutely lovely jewelry line

Datter Industries - Kaye's an all-around super talent, and if jewelry's not your thing (though it should be), check out her illustrations and prints. 

Gothamsmith - super cool 3D printed jewelry and cufflinks with a sense of humor

Worn & Wound - Blake taught a class on folk card games last year, but the stuff from Worn & Wound is all about watches. All of their straps are made in the USA too!

Baking Makes Friends Tote - Lillie's baking blog is full of amazing recipes, and her tote speaks the truth. 

Toys and Fun Stuff for the House

Toobalink - from our pal Will Sakran, who teaches electronics and soldering, comes this neat connector set that lets you turn trash (cardboard tubes) into structures and sculptures. Like life size legos!

Textiles from Whitney Crutchfield - Bright, gorgeous pillow covers, pouches, and fabric from Whitney, who teaches low-tech screenprinting with us. 

Divine NY & Co.  - Rekha's home accessories are just plain beautiful. Check out the very-cool burlap coasters! 

Handmade Books - if you're looking for blank pages, check out Woody Leslie's handbound books. You can purchase online by folllowing the link, or find Woody at the Ditmas Park crafters market each Sunday, if you want to peruse in person.

Food!

Chutneys & More from the DP Chutney Collective - Drake's taught half of Brooklyn how to pickle and preserve at home, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try his ridiculously good chutneys. Check out his site for a list of local stores that carry them or purchase online at Samplrs.

Books

The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan - Diana teaches a class on wontons & dumplings for us, and her first cookbook features recipes on everything from moo shu pork to black sesame ice cream. 

Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschaft - A way to kickstart your creativity with adorable handmade projects, even if you might not think of yourself as a crafty person. And the iPad edition just came out, so now you have no excuse not to buy it! 

Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden by Brooke Wilensky-Lanford - A lot of people have spent a lot of time looking for the Garden of Eden on earth, and Brooke covers some of the most interesting ones here. 

Dear Dad, It's Over by M Dickson - Though M usually teaches on serial killers, with a huge dose of humor, thankfully, she tackles her own memoir here, with a similar, very funny approach.