This gallery contains 22 photos.
My latest “holy grail” has me looking for French mulberry shrubs, also known as beauty berry, specifically the Callicarpa americana …
New Orleans City Park Annual Spring Garden Show
15 Sunday Apr 2012
Category Archives: Shop New Orleans
Mirliton Fest Is Coming!
26 Wednesday Oct 2011
Posted in Community Events & Forums, Culture, Festivals, Food, Music, Shop New Orleans, The NoLA Life
Tags
Art, Festivals, Food, Kermit Ruffins, Mirliton Festival, Music, New Orleans
This gallery contains 18 photos.
I love Mirliton Fest. It’s my favorite out of all the gazillions of fests we have because it’s still a …
Fun with food and drink
25 Sunday Sep 2011
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Foodies, History, Katrina, Louisiana, New Orleans History, New Orleans Women, Shop New Orleans
Tags
Absinthe, Bruning's Restaurant, Riverwalk, Southern Food and Beverage Museum, things to do in New Orleans
This gallery contains 1 photo.
I was reading some of my favorite blogs on Friday evening when I came across this post from NOLA Defender …
Saturday in the Park
11 Sunday Sep 2011
Posted in Culture, Festivals, Food, Gulf Coast, Louisiana, Music, New Orleans Women, NOLA Bloggers, Photographers, Shop New Orleans, The NoLA Life
Tags
Amanda Shaw, Cafe Giovanni, Kermit Ruffins, Lafayette Square, Luke, Mr. B's, Neshia Ruffins, New Orleans Seafood Festival, September festival in New Orleans
This gallery contains 2 photos.
After a rain soaked Labor Day weekend , we were very happy to be given a picture perfect Saturday. We …
Gretna farmer’s market
14 Sunday Aug 2011
Posted in Food, Photography, Shop New Orleans
This is the second post in a series that promotes locals to buy local, supporting New Orleans metropolitan farmer’s market vendors and merchants. I went to the Gretna farmer’s market with a friend yesterday, had lunch and came home with some nice goodies. If you go, on the second Saturday of each month, beginning again in September, the Gretna Art Market accompanies the farmer’s market.
We drove across the Crescent City Connection to the westbank and took the Lafayette Street exit. Once you get off, you take a right on Lafayette street and drive down to 5th street. There you take a left and go to Huey P. Long Avenue. We stopped at Common Grounds Coffee for a strong cafe au lait, then proceeded to the market.
At the beginning of the outdoor market is a visitor center with a statue of baseball legend Mel Ott.
The market is covered held under the old train depot – a nice place in case a stray shower approaches then vendors have shelter from the rain.
At the entrance to the market, Schexnayder’s Acadian Foods is prominent – the business is located in Kenner, LA. and provides catering services as well as selling at both the German Coast and Gretna farmers markets. Their claim to fame is the Hurricane Sauce which can be used in many dishes. I’ve had their catered barbeque and I can attest it is some of the best to be had in the city! Their smoked chicken salad is to die for!!!
If you are looking for bromeliads, this gentleman had a lovely assortment.
Fleur de Bees, a local honey producer was selling honey, lip balm and bee pollen.
The next vendor was Sailey’s Restaurant and Catering. He described his artichokes and informed us they were available at local grocers like Dorignac’s.
The next vendor was Maria Plaisance Catering from Gretna, who gave me permission to post her phone number – 228-9557 – her jambalaya looked mouthwatering!
Next to Maria was Lori with Hungry Hounds Dog Cookies – My friend bought a few for my dog and I can testify that my pup ate every last crumb! She was also selling dried okra pods which were sweet and fresh.
There were a couple of vegetable vendors…
…and a gentleman on the end selling plants and citrus trees. I told him that I’d purchased my satsuma tree from him at the Gretna Market about 4 years ago, and how this winter will be the first that I let it set the fruit. I’d been pinching off the orange blossoms the last few seasons to allow the growth energy to go into the growth of the tree like he recommended and this winter I’ll have well over 3 dozen satsumas ripen – he was happy to hear the report back on his product!
There was some music being played…
…and next to the musicians was the lady from Portera’s Panetteria (Bakery), located in Destrehan 985-764-0291. She makes Italian cookies and takes custom cake orders too!
There was an enterprising young lady helping her mother sell delicious canned goods – the zesty pickles were awesome!
Next to her was Candle Nature, selling all soy candles – they are stocked in the local Rouses Markets.
Chef Ernie of Fame Confectionary – 367-4775 – gave me a few wonderful samples of his delicious and creamy pralines. He and his family also makes heavenly hash, sugared and spiced nuts, all beautifully boxed and ready to give as lovely gifts.
And finally, the couple from Amato’s Winery in Independence, LA. was selling an assortment of their wines.
So afterwards, we walked another block to the riverfront amphitheater to share some hot tamale balls and pulled pork meat pies…
…and to look at all the bounty we’d purchased…
…while enjoying the nice breezes off the Mississippi River.
Another farmer’s market will be profiled in the coming weeks…
Healing Center Grand Opening August 28
10 Wednesday Aug 2011
Posted in Community Events & Forums, Health, Shop New Orleans
I wrote a bit about The Healing Center in a previous post. It sounds like a great concept but will reality match the vision? I’ve heard rumblings that some residents in the ‘hood aren’t too happy with some aspects of the center such as the apparent confusion as to the hours that Cafe Istanbul will keep and when liquor will be served. For a little inside info, read the comments on my previous post which includes a report by Lord David of a recent neighborhood meeting in the center.
New Orleans Most Interesting Market
03 Friday Jun 2011
Posted in Art, Artists, Community Events & Forums, Creativity, Culture, Festivals, Shop New Orleans
New Orleans artists and crafters are gearing up for the city’s “most interesting market”- Freret Market! Saturday, June 4 (tomorrow) catch your favorite NOLA crafters and artists from 12pm-5pm near the corner of Napolean and Freret.
I particularly love this market as 3 of my favorite things in life are sold there: food, art, and flea market items (which are always great for repurposing!) The day also includes live music…lots of live music…because let’s not forget- this is New Orleans! Tomorrow will be my third time participating in the Freret market as a vendor and one of the characteristics I have enjoyed is watching the market rapidly grow over such a short span of time. The momentum of the team that leads the market is incredible. Freret now boasts 80+ vendors with a waiting list! I (and my business partner in crime Jeremy) are honored to be among so many local talents. The camaraderie formed between repeat vendors is priceless.
Markets such as this are a huge reminder to everyone in our city about how important it is to shop local.
Mark your calendar to attend. Tomorrow will be the last Freret market until September. (Although we’re hitting record high temps now, July and August typically get even hotter!) And drop by our booth (SHULTZILLA) and say hi 
Keep it cheeky!
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For more info on the Freret Market, visit: freretmarket.org
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For the Love of Book Groups
02 Wednesday Feb 2011
Posted in Books, New Orleans Women, Shop New Orleans
I have a confession to make. A book lover’s confession. The kind of secret that could get me thrown out on my ass in certain bibliophilic circles around the city. I can’t stand William Faulkner, and before last May I had never attended even one book club gathering. That’s two confessions. Let’s stick with the second and just let the first one exist. (Although, I have to say here that Faulkner is the inspiration behind one of New Orleans’ best annual literary festivals.)
Last May I started working at Garden District Book Shop, one of the oldest and quirkiest independent book stores in New Orleans. (You just try and figure out how we organize our shelves. There’s logic to it, I swear!) An absolutely wonderful woman named Deb MacDonald had run the book store’s monthly book club for the last fifteen years, and due to unavoidable circumstances, she could no longer. She asked me to take over. If you were ever lucky enough to have met Deb MacDonald in her many capacities as book lover and reading promoter throughout New Orleans, you know there was no way I could tell her no.
I have to admit skepticism on my part at first. Many of these women had been attending this book group for the entirety of its fifteen-year existence. They’d formed friendships, deep attachments to one another, and certainly to Deb. I worried they wouldn’t accept me. I worried over what we would talk about. I’d attended dreadful lectures in the past where an overbearing audience member forced a writer to defend the moral choices of a character. Would we spend most of our time talking about our personal lives? What if they picked terrible books? And what was the role of a book club leader anyway?
What I encountered was a large group of incredibly intelligent and well read women who opened their circle of fold out chairs to me so that we could sit together and discuss our shared passion: books. In small and unrecognized ways, these women seem to me the backbone of the city. They are lawyers, artists, librarians, editors, teachers, and writers. Many have spent their lives in New Orleans, and many others have transplanted themselves and adopted this place as their own.
We’ve never unanimously agreed on a book, and I’d probably fall out of my chair in shock if we did. But we’ve consistently read incredible books I may have not picked up on my own. Whatever our opinions, we defend them in the circle with fire. During the best meetings, we change one another’s minds, broaden perspectives, shift ways of thinking. We also do a lot of laughing. And just a tad bit of drinking afterward. It is, after all, a book club. In New Orleans.
I’ve come to think that perhaps this book club wasn’t a great introduction to the world of book clubs. If my time with it ends, my expectations of my next book club are now so high they can’t be met. This book club has offered me a community unlike any other. While it is similar to the MFA program I’ve attended in terms of a deep love for writing, the book group allows for a unique dynamic of such disparate individuals to come together and share a reading experience. There is a beauty in this that I didn’t expect.
I know throughout I’ve kept saying women. We just haven’t had any men in our book group yet, but we would certainly welcome them. And we always welcome new members. You can join us every second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 inside The Rink at the corner of Washington and Prytania. We always like seeing fresh faces. Or, there are other book clubs you could check out around town. You could also always start your own. I highly recommend it. A book club engenders deep friendships where there is always something interesting to talk about.
Do you all belong to book groups? Have they been good experiences?
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Femme Fatale Friday: Bayou Salvage
08 Friday Oct 2010
Posted in Fashion, Femme Fatale Friday, My Menu, New Orleans Women, Shop New Orleans
Tags
Our Femme Fatale today is Kerry Fitts, creator of the vintage inspired southern gothic designs of Bayou Salvage. All of the materials in her designs are either vintage,commercial salvage or eco-friendly newer materials sourced in the USA and she’s been featured in an array of media including Mother Jones Magazine,Southern Flourish,Readymade Mag and New Orleans Homes & Gardens. Kerry is as charitable as she is talented – 10% of her profits go to local causes.
How long have you been making clothing and accessories and what inspired you to choose this craft?
I’ve been making clothes from an early age and started making jewelry in graduate school (UNO FILM) just for fun. It was a great release from schoolwork and first it was like ohh look at all the pretty colors and then after spending so much money on materials and supplies I started to sell them at the first show in town, Bywater Art Market. My first market there was Christmas 2001.After selling out at that show I was addicted!
Is it your full-time occupation?
No- I teach at Delgado Community College as a full time instructor- both are full time passions. I plan to sleep upon retirement.
What is your earliest recollection of design and/or sewing as a passion?
It started with Annie Hall. Not only did I love the movie when it came out but dressing in buttondowns, ties and vests was so much fun in 6th grade. It was like playing a part in a school play but no one knew you were in it. Shortly after my grandmother taught me to sew. We went to the mall and my allowance didnt afford buying all the clothes I wanted. We went to the fabric store and came home to sew. By the weekend I had 5 skirts just like the ones at the mall but better colors. Wish that cute pink and yellow striped dirndl number was still around…
My mother was also a bit of a fabric collector and clothes hound. It was heaven to look through her closets at her pill box suits, Chanel bags and crazy 70s caftans from her travels. You could piece together her mysterious girlhood with an outline of the outfits.
Vintage fashion was very accessible and undervalued in that day. It was nothing to go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and buy gorgeous vintage clothing for just a few dollars. I started buying early and often. At one point I had close to 10 leopard coats. Kinda crazy for the deep south!
Tell us a bit about your creative process. Do you start a project with a beginning, middle and ending in mind or does it evolve as you go?
I am inspired by both materials and nostalgia at the same time. The beginning is amassing fabrics or sample vintage pieces that remind me of a time and place that seems fun to visit or revisit.
Deconstructed pieces take a bit longer to realize. I usually work with a silhouette that works well and then go into the vintage stash to see what will work well with those constraints.
Who’s work has inspired yours?
I have an undergrad degree in creative writing and an MFA in film. Literature and film are a guiding influence. I love dressing characters in my mind from Tennessee Williams’ plays, Flannery O’Connor’s short stories and films by Elia Kazan. I grew up watching Perry Mason and Turner Classic Movies on the sly all night long at home. The only designer I know of to any extent, besides Edith Head, is Coco Chanel because of a school paper on her.
If you find yourself losing interest in a project do you feel guilty and push yourself to finish or set it aside saying, “ah it’s just not meant to be”? Do you have any tips you can share regarding motivation and/or discipline in completing projects?
Some projects just cannot be saved. It is hard to let items go. Over here, seasons dictate the viability of designs. If samples arent completed before the season begins, chances are they will have to wait until next year anyway. It is a good idea to put the project out of site for a while- maybe in a box- and date it. If you do not go looking for the box for over a year, probably best to let it go and dont look back!
Where do you see yourself and your work in 5 years?
I’d love to design costumes for another film-it is really cool to see how wardrobe wraps itself around narrative and character. It would be great to do a few more fashion shows and even a video or two.Collaborating with more fabulous women artists like the pictures shown. I hope to intersect design and story perhaps by fashioning characters into the written page as well…
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WARNING: Be prepared for a Bayou Salvage addiction when you visit her Etsy shop. I’ve already contracted a serious itch.
Thank you, Kerry, for a delightful chat!
Connect with Bayou Salvage on the web:
Bayou Salvage on Etsy
Bayou Salvage on Twitter
bayousalvage@yahoo.com
Buy Handmade! Buy Recycled! BayouSalvage!
Photos styled,modeled and taken by Janet Antene 2010
Local Photographer Organizes Humanitarian Project
29 Wednesday Sep 2010
Posted in Advocacy, Art, Culture, Haiti, New Orleans Women, Photography, Shop New Orleans
Tags
Art, Doctor's Without Borders, Haiti, Images Without Borders, Magazine Street, New Orleans, Photography, The Shop of the Two Sisters
Art for Art’s Sake is rolling this week-end and one of NOLAFemmes favorite sisters is participating in a photo show on Magazine Street. New Orleanian Laura Bergerol is a world-renown professional photographer who contributed to our Katrina Photo Project this year with several of her beautiful and haunting photos of homes in the city. Laura and Boise based photographer Stacy Ericson created Images Without Borders in the wake of the Haitian earthquake in an effort to supply humanitarian aid through their talent as photographers. They enlisted other photographers to join the cause and now you can view and purchase their stunning photographs this week-end at a showing at The Shop of the Two Sisters, 1800 Magazine Street during Art for Arts Sake. All proceeds with be donated to Doctors Without Borders, less the cost of printing, and are limited edition prints that will be retired after purchase.
Laura was kind enough to give NOLAFemmes access to the photographs in the show so we could share a few of them with our readers. So, if you’re out and about for this event Saturday evening, be sure to stop by The Shop of the Two Sisters to catch Laura’s show between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m. Here is a listing of participating Magazine Street merchants.
