

really, even before sarah ryhanen of saipua became a beloved guest blogger on design*sponge, i had been an ardent fan of this great store. and now that we get to see more of sarah’s amazing personality through her weekly column weeder’s digest (such a great name — i still cannot believe that my parents subscribed to the real reader’s digest for years, really years, so that i could read each and every issue – and they even got me those condensed books — how weird is that). anyways, back to saipua. in addition to offering gorgeous flowers and arrangements, as well as a selection of candles and amazing smelling potpourri, the real attraction (for me at least) is the suds.

saipua makes the best soaps with the most incredible scents like rose clove and lemon geranium. they have a gardener’s soap made with rosemary and mint with a base of cornmeal to get the grime off and shea butter to keep your mitts smooth and silky. and they are made from things like saltwater, avocado, coffee and peppermint and french green clay. my apologies to friends and family if i have already given you a bunch of these soaps and you have received a second or third bundle. while i do try to avoid repeat presents, sometimes i get so excited by what i find here that i just think that these gifts would be perfect for any occassion. hopefully you won’t mind too too much. saipua, 392 van brunt street at dikeman street, (they’re usually open on weekends but not always during the week so call ahead).
with two small and darling kids and one lovely husband who all occasionally need some amount of tending to as well as a full-time job, this blog is an excuse for me to explore the streets of new york, with a focus on brooklyn -- my home -- and manhattan, for those great little finds that seem to appear randomly on all sorts of blocks around new york but are sometimes hidden from plain view. i gravitate toward small, beautiful, independent places with interesting things, fantastic and friendly service and mostly affordable stuff (or at least an excellent value) and food that is extremely tasty, reasonable and in a great space -- though taste will trump design every time. to help put all these ideas in one place, i also will provide a series of new york mini-guides. in each of these, i will highlight something fun to do and then give some food, shop and doing suggestions nearby. these mini-guides, soon to be accompanied by mini-maps, will help to fill an afternoon -- where to pick up a snack, what shops to check out nearby and is there a really sweet little park along the way for a much needed rest. and i am always looking for ideas -- so if you have any suggestions for where to eat and shop or what to do please let me know. . you can also follow me on twitter at cherrypatter.
and for those of you more interested in the photos, i have absolutely no photography training and while i have been picking up a few tidbits here and there, mostly i think the credit for the photos goes to my lovely camera. it is a canon rebel xti, and the lens i use most of the time is the 50 mm 1:1:8. i also have a 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 for longer views.
Excited that modern Chinese takeout spot (whatever that really means) might have a soft opening tomorrow in Gowanus next to fav 4&20 bbirds

[...] cherrypatter placed an observative post today on saipua: red hook brooklyn gifts of beautiful soaps, flowers …Here’s a quick excerptbeautiful soaps, candles and flowers designed locally and in a modern way in an independent shop in red hook brooklyn with great gifts for home and guests. [...]
i’m a great fan of their white grapefruit and bergamot.
you can never have too much soap, especially the good stuff. and my grandparents used to subsrcibe to reader’s digest, too. i don’t remember reading any of the articles, but i did like those little quotes and jokes at the bottoms of the pages.
[...] and finds also offers my favorite soaps from saipua, and then there are some knicknacks as well as lots of nostalgic candy — squirrel nut [...]
[...] they don’t carry that many accessories, cloth does carry my favorite soap saipua. and now when i have to hang around for k in case she decides to return to dance class at mark [...]