The scene at last year’s party. Who’s got two thumbs and is ready to party with bloggers? via the Brooklyn Chem

So it’s bright and shiny outside when it isn’t gray and rainy. It’s still really close to Christmas, even if the weather thinks we’re in the middle of spring in Scotland. And there’s nothing better about Christmas than the parties. One of which is being held by ourselves and our bloggers-in-arms, Fucked in Park Slope, the skint and Brooklyn Based, Thursday at 7:30 at Littlefield. Oh, did you think I was gonna say the gifts are the best part of Christmas? Yeah, I’m Jewish, so I wouldn’t know. (more…)

Will you put your Jacksons into action?

File this under ideas we’re open to but not sure about. This Saturday (March 24) is National Cash Mob day, which is designed to get people to spend money at local businesses. Amy Cortese, the Brooklyn-based author of Locavesting, is spearheading Brooklyn’s first on-the-spot shopping spree at an as yet undisclosed Park Slope business. To join in, show up at Tea Lounge at 4 p.m. on Saturday with $20 in your pocket to spend at mystery shop, plus a few more if you want to go drinking with the crew afterwards. Our friends at Brooklyn Based have the whole story here.

Merry boobsmas!

You’ve been reading lots of gift guides here, from gifts for foodies, gifts from Pinterest and gifts under $25. What about when you don’t have $25 to spend? Like, when you’re down to pocket change? Our friends at Brooklyn Based did some comprehensive scouring of 99 cents stores to find things you can actually give. The cool finds include painted carafes, cheap pots, margarita glasses, some “flesh colored, squishy boobies with hard pink nipples, as fun to hold and squeeze as the real things,” and much more. Put the right bow on it and no one will even know you shopped at a store with the price in the name.

Santa knows you've been naughty. And he likes it.

Thursday’s No Office Holiday Party had so many highlights: those high-quality photos from Shootbooth and their 100-year old camera; Kurt Braunohler turning your workplace horror stories into comedy gold or the jams of DJ Colleen Crumbcake that kept everyone dancing way past curfew. For us, the highlight might have been the 10-person Team Brokelyn live-band karaoke rendition of Blister in the Sun, which might have shook the stage (and scared the band) a little. You can relive the freelance-fueled fun via these pictures from our friends at The Brooklyn Chemistry, who documented all the singing, dancing, sexy Santa (and Santa-ess) loving evening. A few of our favorites below! (more…)

Your friend in Akron will thank you.

You have that one friend who visits all the time but can’t bring themselves to move here for whatever reason (fear of SantaCon attack, e.g.). Tempt them even more by sending a sampler pack of great locally made offerings: Brooklyn Based has curated this holiday themed gift box containing: a Tumbador chocolate bar (PB&J flavored!), skinnyskinny lip balm, sample of Dalaga perfume, bag of Brooklyn Roasting Company coffee and holiday card from PostScript Brooklyn.
$15 (+$3.50 shipping), online. 

Mistletoe mischief ahoy! Poster by Meghan Doherty.

If you’re a freelancer/work-from-home type, you get to miss out on all the annoyances of the office: the commute, the horribly claustrophobic cubicle walls, the need for “personal hygiene,” etc. But you also miss the good things: namely, a chance to get wasted with your coworkers and blame it all on “holiday cheer.” Well, Brooklyn blogs to the rescue! We’re teaming with our friends at the skint, Brooklyn Based and Fucked in Park Slope to bring you the No Office Holiday Party on Dec. 15 at Littlefield. We’ve got cheap holiday punch, a hot Santa photo booth, live-band karaoke and the always hilarious Kurt Braunohler. And you can make out with whomever you like under the mistletoe; we promise the boss isn’t watching. Full details below. (more…)

Can you spare a Torch?

Are you upset enough about the American economy to … remove yourself from it? You might get that chance in north Brooklyn, where a new currency called the Brooklyn Torch is about to launch, Brooklyn Based reports. The Torch is what BB calls a “barter system mixed with performance art and dash of idealism” with the goal of sparking the local economy and encouraging social interactions that go beyond the typical dollar exchange. The Torch folks won’t say when they’re launching yet, but they’ve already got a list of participating businesses, so you eventually could pay 100 Torches for an hour of tattooing or 30 for an hour of guitar lessons. The Torch is equal to $1, but organizers hope to encourage special deals and discounts for Torch wielders. Read more at BB. Would you use it?

In late August, our minds naturally turn to end-of-summer beach bonfires, brainy fall pursuits and the South by Southwest interactive conference only seven short months away. OK, it may seem a little early for most of us to start thinking about Geekstock, but not for the organizer elves, who are faced with selecting dozens of panels from hundreds of applications. And what do you know, there’s one about Brooklyn in the pile! Erica from Fucked in Park Slope has put together a pitch on How the Internet Made BK Famous, featuring speakers from the likes of Brownstoner, Brooklyn Based, and some blog about living big on small change in Brooklyn. The competition at SXSW is fierce — and we need your vote if we wanna bloviate, Brooklyn-style. Please pick our panel, and we’ll buy you a beer in Austin. (Long as they have Brooklyn Brewery.)

A touch of Flavorpaper goes a long way. Photo via Brooklyn Based

Maybe you’re staring at your wall watching the water stains your landlord refuses to fix and wondering if you can Dumpster dive enough cans of similar looking paint to cover it all up. Fancier fixes for your home decor problem — like, actually covering the wall with an attractive, matching pattern — probably fall down the priority list below making sure your rent gets paid. Here’s your chance to win a free installation of the same wallpaper that adorns Lenny Kravitz’s home and Steve Madden stores: Our friends at Brooklyn Based are teaming with The Sweeten to giveaway about $1,000 worth of paper and installation from boutique Brooklyn shop Flavor Paper. Contest ends Aug. 2, so find out how to enter here and you could have a whole new room before you know it.

Brokelyn's Lauren Cannon gets some blogger love at last year's meetup. Photo by Jill Harrison.

If you live in Brooklyn and read this site, odds are you have a blog, have dreams of starting one or, at the very least, have a regular rotation of your favorite blogoville residents you check each day to stay informed (or maybe just stay procrastinated). As cut-throat as New York City is, Brooklyn bloggers are an intensely supportive and friendly bunch; now we’re coming again together for one of our favorite causes — drinking, mingling, seeing your face — and an actual cause: helping a Bay Ridge family facing a double-dose of aggressive cancer. Join us as we form a superfecta with our friends (and kick-ass blogs) Fucked in Park Slope, the skint and Brooklyn Based May 17 for the 2011 Brooklyn Blogger Meetup at the Bell House! Details below: (more…)