The Diptych Project: Market

 The Diptych Project: two friends (once neighbors & now an ocean apart), one theme

Top photo: Ann, bottom photo: Evie

Oh how I love markets!  Flower markets, food markets, any market really!  I love this week's diptych because for me finding a market - especially one selling fresh, local produce makes me feel connected to where I am living.  This past weekend we ventured to a summer farmer's market located in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis.  There were flowers, produce, fresh pasta, fermented foods, honeys, maple syrup, as well as live music and prepared foods for sale.  We will definitively be back there!  Evie's photo is especially dear to me as it is of the market next to my local tube in London.  I have walked past that fruit and veg stand SO MANY TIMES (usually in a rush:)).  Happy summer marketing!


Click here to learn about what inspired Evie's photo of a market.
Click here to see the rest of the Diptych Project.

Winter market

 

Here are some glimpses from our recent trip to a winter farmer's market.  We filled our bags with beets, sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, carrots, and squash.  So good!  Lot's of roasting ensued.  It was also really special to be able to go there with my mother and father in law who have been visiting from England.  We have visited a lot of markets together, especially in London so it was lovely to introduce them to one in our new city.

Sundays on Columbia Rd

It may be BUSY AS ANYTHING but there is something so special about the flower market on Columbia Rd that makes it my favorite place to visit on a Sunday.  Flowers + great coffee + live music + fantastic, independent shops = Bliss!  A definite place to venture to if you haven't been to before!

best (mother's) day ever!!!

So this is a bit belated, but it was my first mother's day a little while back and Adrian planned the perfect day for me. The day included . . .

a. coffee

b. the flower market + live music

c. cupcakes

d. lots of flowers including ranunculus (one of my favorites!)

e. lots of Sammy cuddles + a gift from Sammy (the nautical scarf - he gives the best gifts:))

wow.

Flowers and much, much more!

Columbia Road flower market is the best! It combines so many of my favorite things - flowers, indie stores, delicious coffee, and lot's of character. I discovered this market during my second year in London and it was just the right time. The first time I went to the market I felt like I had found a little taste of the the things I was missing from NYC.

This market is only open in Sundays and many of the stores along Columbia Road have limited hours as well. It takes a little work to find it the first time, but you soon know you are heading in the right direction as you begin to see people walking towards you carrying potted plants, trees, cut flowers (it's quite a sight!).

I would definitely recommend adding this to your itinerary next time your in London. It can make for a great start of day. Afterwards you could head to Brick Lane or the Up Market or Hackney Farm and so much more!

Oh, and how cute is the little dog pictured above. He was the pet of one of the Columbia Road store owners and I fell in love with him immediately. Someday I'll have my own!

Sunshine & Food & Much More!

Recently I spent a leisurely morning at Broadway market in Hackney, east London. It's only a short bus ride from my house but this was the first time I was able to visit it and it definitely lived up to my hopes! It is next to the beautiful London Fields and is one of the best ways to spend a Saturday morning. The street is blocked off and filled with stalls of all sorts - from food to clothing to flowers and much more. I was especially loving the flower stall with ranunculus in several colors! There is such a fantastic atmosphere on the street and it's a great place for people watching as everyone looks impossibly cool. The street is also lined with some great shops including Fabrications (a textile shop) and Broadway Books, a cozy bookshop I could have stayed in for hours. I would definitely recommend visiting this market if you are ever in London on a Saturday? What are your favorite markets?

To market, to market we go

I recently had a stall at a market near Hampstead Heath selling items from an amazing women's textile center in India. I had the opportunity to visit the center in August and I was so impressed by the warm and loving environment the women are trained in and how fantastic their work is. When I returned to England I decided to place an order from the center and to sell it in England. People have been so receptive and positive about the products. I have had a lot of fun selling the items, too. I especially enjoyed the market because I loved the experience of setting up the stall and interacting with the customers and the other stallholders. As my job at the moment isn't a creative role, things like this market are such an outlet for me to get stuck in to and a place to express a different side of me.