the back yard today!

want to come over for a snack on our patio?


the front window




plants doing well inside by the window


and the flowering azalea

after the hail storm

the garden on october 3

I had almost forgotten how spectacular the garden looked in early October. I was out there one day pulling the remaining morning glory off the chain link fence when I found this grasshopper family. They let me get close but were clearly aware of my presence and tolerated my lens for only so long.

meanwhile my friend the grey and white cat came out from behind the rear fence. It was not long before I heard hissing and saw a tiger-striped cat with a large, triangular head start to give my buddy trouble.

I walked to the east side of the yard and was amazed by what I saw- two enormous cucumbers growing over the fence from the neighbor's garden. I picked them and gave one to Bobbi and Carlos- they must have weighed a pound each. Easily the best cucumbers I've had- super crisp, with a lemony flavor.


Here's the vegetable patch. Okay, maybe my memory was a little fuzzy in saying that it suffered minor damage from the storm. Post-storm photos to follow.


basil, lettuce and thyme


the lettuce, while it was small



tomatoes


lamb's ear


the flower bed, near the house

the garden in december

it's been a great while since i posted about the back yard garden. As we spent about two months preparing the store to open, late summer turned to early fall. We were so busy day to day that the garden became a welcoming break- really the only way I could relax. I spent many mornings sneaking some time in, tending to the harvest and sharing the bounty with friends and my newly formed staff. We had piles of ripe, yellow pear tomatoes, tall stalks of lemon grass, voluminous basil plants and plenty of thyme and rosemary, and a bit of oregano. The eggplants grew tall and started to fruit a second time- but some critter came and stole the tiny fruits. I bought an already- fruited hot pepper plant and gave many of the peppers away, as I had no time to cook anything.

As I was walking home one day in the early fall, I passed Gowanus nursery and stopped in. I asked for some recommendations for fall plants and came home with two young lettuce plants and a packet of *French Breakfast* radish seeds. I had pulled the thyme out of the garden to pot and planted the lettuce in the emptyish bed. I never did have time to plant the radish, but the lettuce thrived up until our first frost, which was just a few weeks ago. Problem was, cats started discovering my now empty garden and used it as a litter box. I had heard that cat poop is toxic, so I was wary of eating the lettuce. I kept scooping up and discarding the poo, but it's hard to stop once they've started. In reality the poop probably didn't touch the lettuce or its roots, but the thought of it grossed me out. I sadly watched as the lettuce got bigger and made it through to December, but went untouched.

In the mean time, I gradually brought in the herbs that were in pots and moved inside some other potted plants. Since we live in a basement apartment, I thought it would be best to bring nearly all of the plants to the store, and that's what I did. But then... as the weather got colder I noticed some of the plants having a hard time in the icy cold window. The store might get more light, but it's gigantic and drafty. At the same time I noticed that the plants I left at home were doing well. So back on home they came! The plant pictured below, which never left the apartment, is beginning to flower. Our upstairs neighbor Aki, who moved out over the summer, gave me her plants and this was one of them. I don't know what it is. anyone? anyone? btw, it sure is nice to have my herbs at home and it makes me wonder why I didn't try growing herbs inside A LONG TIME AGO.





okay, so I almost left out one of the most important parts of this story. the day before our store opened, bobbi and carlos came down to help us with some last-minute things. before they left I cut them a bunch of stuff from the garden and they kept saying, "are you sure? it's too much!" to which I replied "take it! please!" my garden looked amazing on October 10- the peak of its beauty. then on the night of our opening party, as we were chatting with friends, the sky started to darken. a few of them had come on bike, and wondered if they should leave right then, before the impending storm came in. I went outside to check the sky, and I could see dark clouds coming from the north. Ariel decided to leave (on bike) and as a few others were making their way to their car, a huge wind started up and they came back inside. the group of us who were left watched as giant hail stones covered the sidewalk and with them, piles of broken leaves that were sliced off the trees.

the next day as the sun shone, the sidewalks of brooklyn were covered in lacerated leaves, and most of the trees were stripped bare of their still-green leaves. I somehow thought that since our back yard is usually protected from the wind, my garden would be spared. the west side seemed okay except for some minor damage to the vegetable garden. I was out there for a good while before I turned and saw the other side- and let out a huge O MY GOD! the potted plants on the east side looked like they were hacked up with a machete. the worst hit was the wandering jew- it had been so lush and full before, but it was now chopped down to its stem.

a lot of the potted herbs had been damaged a bit, and have since been recovering indoors. so anyways, it is great to be able to continue *gardening* through the winter, always discovering new things about plants and how best to take care of them. I've brought most of the potted plants back home, except for the large palm from Aki, which is hearty enough to thrive in the store. b even added to the indoor garden by buying a bunch of miniature evergreens. they are so darn easy to take care of! maybe next fall I'll have more time to do a proper transition out back, and I'll introduce some evergreens outside.

emily rothschild

emily rothschild is an industrial designer who just happens to make some of the most innovative jewelry around in her free time. we first got emily's pinky wings in the store, and they have been a great success. the wings can be worn on the pinky or ring finger and come in left and right hand orientation. they're made of cast bronze, plated in your choice of silvery rhodium or white powder coat.

when emily told me (rather excitedly) that she was coming out with some new necklaces, of course I wanted to see them. each great design contains its own form of trickery.

the whirlgig necklace is a tiny animation that you can wear around your neck. based on a 1920's concept, two slightly different images decorate each side of a rotating disk. We chose the Dancing Couple and the Lumberjack for ebmerc. they're made of brass and are hung on a fine gold tone chain.

the black box key is a particular favorite of mine, as I love surprises. Emily has made a series of necklaces, each one slightly different, from vintage keys have been powder coated in various colors. they come packaged in a black box, tied with ribbon and sealed with red wax.

and saving the best for last, we have the 2010 Mourning Locket. In another nod to the past, Emily tweaks the idea of a Victorian mourning locket, in which you would carry a photo of your dear, departed one. In this version the photos have been replaced by a two-gig flash drive. enough storage to hold all your photos if you like.

all items are available both in the Red Hook store and online.

new poketo

the donutsu and mushroom mugs sold out so quickly in the Red Hook shop, I knew I had to place another order with Poketo soon! we have three new styles of mug- the raygun is my favorite- and also three new wallet styles in stock. woo hoo! bright and cheerful Poketo gifts for $20 and under!


raygun mug- the best!


alien mug- this one's okay too.


elephant mug- b requested this one. it's cute.


bear wallet- it's my cute pick.

buddy wallet- c'mon!

unicorn wallet- lush and trippy

fyi the mushroom mug and wallet are both back in stock. the donutsu mug, sadly, is discontinued. I saw a photograph of it in the promo for Poketo's warehouse sale and I was all, "hey! no fair!" If you don't know Poketo, you should. This L.A.- based company makes all sorts of limited edition items emblazoned with the work of artists, illustrators, doodlers and designers. They are the ones responsible for the amazing SPACETIME wall art we have plastered on the walls of our store. so check 'em out.

new in the ebmerc shop

well we decided to consolidate my online shop with ebmerc- so look for a few items starting to appear on the website. b has some ideas for how the molliedash site should change and I'm excited to work on that. in the mean time:



we've received so many great, new items in the Red Hook store over the past two months. they are steadily making their way to the webshop, for those of you who can't make it to Brooklyn. We are particularly into the Jao Products and so are our customers! I just put Jao's new OutScent and perennial favorite GOE oil on the site. Also new are Italian bath products Tabiano sulfur soap, (yes, sulfur!) Omega Eucalyptus Shave Creme (no aerosol cans here) and shaving brushes with a handy stand. (coming soon) and don't forget a Van Brunt Street favorite- Star of David Kosher Soap in lemon-eucalyptus and honey-almond.

in the kitchen department we have three new styles of soy sauce pot. all made in Japan of porcelain in beautiful, functional forms.

new colors in the PlayForever bruno racing car, (royal blue) mimmo aeroplane, (army green) and enzo motorbike. (red and gunmetal)

very exciting is the introduction of Emily Rothschild's interactive necklaces. We have in stock the dancing and lumberjack whirlgigs- an image on each side of the pendant flips to make an mini-animation. and the truly outstanding 2010 mourning locket which replaces victorian-era trimmed photographs with 2 gigabytes of storage!

enjoy and I'll keep uploading!

origamitron

We are PSYCHED to announce Everbrite Mercantile Co.'s first art show. Our intern Jenna Kole is installing a collection of sculptures, made of hand-made and folded paper. Some are lit and some are sound-actived. They are starting to creep in around the store and the full show will be up Friday, December 10. Join us for a reception that evening from 5 to 9:30 pm.

where to find molliedash jewelry

hey kids!

as you might have noticed, there are a lot of changes going on behind the scenes at molliedash/ everbrite mercantile co. Since we opened the store roughly a month ago, it has necessitated some logistical adjustments. so for now, I've placed my website under construction. it was bugging me to hell, having it a mish-mosh of styles, with out of date information, and no time to work on it. I might be moving some of the merchandise over to the ebmerc site so watch out for that. if you're in brooklyn or thinking of coming to brooklyn, my collection can be found in the everbrite brick and mortar store in red hook. or at Old Hollywood in Greenpoint and Chelsea.

originally I was thinking to have two separate business running, but now I see that it just doesn't make sense. plus, I just don't have the time to run them that way. this involves more than websites and blogs- it has to do with bank accounts and record keeping also.

the question of keeping this blog running is also on my mind. most of my posts lately have been everbrite related, so merging the two into one blog is something we're considering.

for now we're heavily into holiday preparations for the store- ordering, ordering, ordering. then a new window display to be revealed for black friday, and the challenge of putting out all the new merch, pricing it, putting it into inventory, etc.

but be prepared- our first month in the store was great and we are stocking WAY back up for the holidays. we'll have more of your favorites such as vintage-inspired Playforever toys, animal shot glasses from Goody Grams and loopy metal home accessories from Black+Blum. Look for new colors and designs from these great lines, as well as all-new creations from Emily Rothschild and Pop Chart Lab.

yoga class with felecia maria

we're hosting our first event at everbrite mercantile co. next wednesday night- yoga by donation with felecia maria. for those of you who don't know, felecia is my good friend, a brilliant clothing designer, mom of two and a great yoga teacher. she's a dancer/ choreographer too, and began constructing her own costumes, which led to her current line of yoga pants! (which we have available at the store, hint, hint) so anyways... come unwind with us for a sweet one-hour vinyasa style class in red hook this wednesday. it's by donation, so don't stress out about the cost. I promise you will leave the class feeling blissed-out and relaxed.

New Toys!

We've been keeping secrets from our online customers! If you've been frequenting the store you've seen the awesome TOYS I'm talking about but they're just going up on the online store this week, so get ready.


We are carrying the most perfect and most shiny wooden yo-yo's in silver, red, and black. A classic toy that never gets old, until the string breaks, and then you'll have to replace it. At $12 they are kind of the perfect gift for anyone.


We have two models of wooden cars with fancy rolling wheels. These cars come with removable drivers and are just as practical as a desk ornament for a Chevrolet executive as they are a toy to be adored by a small child. We carry the "Oldtimer" that resembles an antique car and features an oscillating front axle, and the "Streamliner" a more compact and modern version.


........ and then........


The Eames blocks. Everyone I know wants to play with these. The set includes a miniature model of the original Study #8 Eames house and studio. When you disassemble the blocks they reveal letters like classic wooden blocks on one face, gorgeous graphic patterns on another edge, and the representation of the outside of the Eames buildings. Each block is hand screen-printed with lead-free non-toxic inks and they are entirely U.S. made. Is there a more luxurious and amazing block set available? Who knows, but it doesn't matter because this one is hands down the best.

How to Pay Your Verizon Bill

1. Wait for bill to arrive
2. Bill never arrives
3. Receive disconnection notice
4. Attempt to pay online. Try to set up online bill pay- requires that temporary pin arrives by a)phone call at phone location. (the phone is at the store. I am not at the store while attempting to set up bill pay.) b)U.S. Postal service, which may arrive in 5-10 business days. Phone bill is due by 5pm, three days from receipt of disconnection notice.
5. Resume attempt at online billpay registration at the store. Receive temporary password. Enter temporary password. Verizon's website freezes up.
6. Return home and try entering temporary password on home computer. Verizon rejects temporary password.
7. Search Verizon's website for in-person payment locations. Search provides me with two locations in Brooklyn. (Brooklyn has approximately 2.5 million people)
8. Insert location into Google Maps. (no map is provided on Verizon's site)
9. Will call tomorrow to make sure that the Pawn Shop Verizon is sending me to is still in business.
10. Notice this feature on the top right of the bill, Pay your bill quickly by phone. Call 1-800-345-6563 any time day or night. Call and pay the low, low fee of just $3.50 to pay my bill with the assistance of an automated telephone system.
11. Check email and find that Verizon contacted me an hour before paying by phone, with a three-digit code that will enable me to validate the email address I have on file with them. HEH?
12. Make plans on filing a complaint with the PUC, claiming that Verizon makes it purposely difficult to pay your phone bill.

jao ltd.

since the store has been open, we've had the chance to introduce some new products to ebmerc. the whir of activity has slowed down updating of the website, but that is happening as I write this. one line we love in the store is JAO. I don't know which is better- the quality and purity of the products or the retro-inspired package design. according to the family-run company, Jao is a mystical word inscribed on a 2000-year-old charm believed to prevent and cure disease. the line, developed by Gale and her pharamceutical chemist dad, includes products that are created without dyes, petroleum or artificial fragrances. the yummy hand refresher, GOE oil body moisturizer, face creme and lip balm include such soothing ingredients as calendula, chamomile, rosemary, avocado oil and shea butter. (things you can eat!) I am totally hooked on Jao products and people in the neighborhood are becoming fans as well. come by the shop if you're in brooklyn and try our Jao samples!

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if i had a milli

It's a dreary day in red hook which means plenty of time to look around the store and ponder. I gave myself an imaginary 150 dollars and picked out what i want most. I challenge you to do the same and stay within budget. It's tricky tricky i tell you.


option one:
I blow most of my budget on a silver ring with lincoln's face imprinted on it and then i have a little left over to satisfy my denim craving with kwilti's patched potholders and enjoy the fantasy of french ready-to-wear by buying a chouette tee, designed by a fancy french lady in the early nineteen eighties.
kiel mead lincoln ring 100
chouette dots tee 22
two kwilti potholders 12+12=24
total: 146


option two:
I am a vintage and antique lover. Antiques are so good at taking my money because they have such a persona that new items don't possess. it's as if they look me in the eye point out to me that "this is it, we may never see each other again," and i swear the day someone buys the polynesian hand i will shed a tear.
Polynesian Hand 78
antique metal cowboy toys (in store only) 10+10+10+10=40
antique wooden cars 10+10+10=30
total: 148


option three:
This is the most impressive and practical option, but not my top choice. I can add a few awesome details to my home life and have the softest skin ever all at the same time.
Kwilti pillow 60
Goe oil (in store only) 28
serious moisture 17
three sake cups 10+10+10=30
three handmade magnets (in store only) 5+5+5=15
total: 150

I would have to go over budget to really make the perfect combination. I'll stay itemless in the meantime. Oh, but you shouldn't hesitate to spoil yourself. Here i'll make it easy for you. xo lou