Last Minute Christmas Shopping at the Brooklyn Flea

 Like most of Brooklyn, we headed out to the Brooklyn Flea's Gifted market this weekend to try to find unusual, artistic and unique presents for friends and family. We're kind of picky AND don't have as much money to spend this year . . .  but we're happy to report that we found some really excellent handmade gifts that we never would have found in the typical department store or gift shop.

This year the Flea is operating through December 23 at One Hanson Place (the old Williamsburg Bank Building) from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

We bought handmade T-shirts (some with really dark designs, like evil-looking black crows); jewelry; cast-iron wall-mount bottle openers; teeny-tiny terrariums; ceramic kitchen stuff; magazines from 1943; fingerless gloves; skin cream and a really unusual jewelry/accessory thing.

Here are a few photos -- the Brooklyn Flea web site lists all of the holiday vendors so you can check it out before you go.

WrecordsByMonkey: These Wrecord bracelets, above, are hand-fashioned out of recycled records. WrecordsByMonkey also makes postcards, mirrors, switch plates and other amazing things, all out of recycled records.

Tiny Terrariums by Twig: We saw Twig's terrariums at P.S. 29 last week and were blown away. These teeny, tiny terrariums are created with little scenarios inside -- scenes of love, crime or  melancholy -- a living world in a little container.

TMR NYC (Total Metal Resource) was selling these chunky rings and other jewelry, above. They were also selling some amazing steel MetroCard holding belt buckles (see here for photos).

If you want to buy someone some jewelry you will probably find something you like here. (If  you want to buy someone an antique typewriter, that's here, too.) There is plenty of cute handmade kids clothing at the Flea, as well as brass knuckle/rosary bead necklaces and raw chocolate.

If you can head out there at odd times you'll be better off as the vendors tell me that the place is packed during your typical shopping hours.

Photos by MK Metz

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