11/30/2007:

Part “11″ of the 10 part series of featured vendors for the upcoming Hoboken Holiday Crafts Fair starting December 1st. How can I not mention local shop-owner Megan Avery and her handbags and laptop bags?

While she’ll have her ready-made bags for sale at the fair, read more about her shop below.

M. Avery Designs LLC, creates & manufactures funky customized handbags, evening bags, bridal bags, laptop bags, travel bags, cosmetic bags, diaper bags, wine totes, and handbags of all shapes and sizes in the quaint Boutique & Studio in Hoboken NJ.

M. Avery Designs Studio / Boutique allows visitors to host Design - a - Bag Parties and Make Your Own Handbag Workshop Parties. Private in-home Design-A-Handbag Parties are available in Hoboken, Jersey City & New York City areas, as well as cities nearby.

11/30/2007:

Hoboken Mayor David Roberts has one of the nicest Christmas trees in Hoboken!! The contractors were hard at work when I stumbled by.

Gracias Senor Roberts!

11/30/2007:

Part 10 of the 10 part series of featured vendors for the upcoming Hoboken Holiday Crafts Fair starting December 1st. Stop by this weekend to pick up some unique gifts you can’t get at the mall!

This morning’s (because they’ll be 11 out of 10 actually) artist is Dee Turgemann. Her website is at www.canvasposters.com.

11/30/2007:

Tomorrow!

Here’s the schedule through March 2008.

FIRST SATURDAY

Parents seeking free local family entertainment during the school year can find it on the first Saturday afternoon of every month at the Hoboken Public Library. Most programs are geared to both adults and children of all ages, although an occasional performance will be recommended for a particular age group.

The programs, organized by the Library’s Children’s Department and sponsored by the Friends, take place at 2pm. The following programs are already scheduled:

• November 3: Robert Rogers Puppet Show, “Just So Stories”
• December 1: John Fogarty’s “It Happened One Holiday” (stories and music)
• January 5: Mr. Magic (comedy, magic and balloon sculpting)
• February 2: Crabgrass Theatre’s production of “Anansi the Spider” (marionettes)
• March 1: Tugboat Music (for young children to 6 years old)

11/29/2007:

In lighter news, the Hoboken Police Department certainly has a fun sense of humor. I’m sure in makes the day easier for them.

This afternoon, a concerned resident called PD about a “suspicious suitcase” near the flag pole at Sinatra Park.

Officers responded, indicating that the suitcase was empty, and near a garbage can, not the flagpole per se. They indicated that the bag belonged to “Mr. Samsonite”, in case he misplaced it. Chuckles ensued all around as they went back into service.

11/29/2007 Day 1 Update:

Complete recap of the first day of the Hoboken FY2008 budget hearings.

Day 1

Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Michael Russo laid down the ground rules for the committee of the whole session. The meeting would only run an hour and a half (it actually went closer to two hours), the council would get their shot to ask questions individually, and at the end the public would only be allowed 3 minutes each to speak, but only to ask questions, not make comments or statements. Russo said there would be two “fact finding” meetings (the second is tonight at 7pm) followed by two more meetings after that on December 4th and 11th for further discussion, followed by the mandatory public hearing at the regular city council meeting on December 19th. Mayor David Roberts was there with Business Administrator Dick England, Chief Financial Officer George DeStefano and other directors to answer the council’s questions. Russo decided to go around the table beginning with 4th ward councilwoman Dawn Zimmer, who sits at the far right side, and end with 2nd ward councilwoman Beth Mason, who sits on the far left of the table.

Read the rest of this comprehensive overview with detail you won’t see anywhere else after the break.

[Click to continue reading the rest….]

11/27/2007:

Part 9 of the 10 part series of featured vendors for the upcoming Hoboken Holiday Crafts Fair starting December 1st. Check back each day leading to the event to see a different participant.

Today’s spotlight is on Jennifer Place, who makes holiday ornaments from vintage metal kitchen items–tart pans, cookie cutters, tins, olive oil cans, and bits of hardware, then embellishes with glass beads, bells, glitter and tinsel.

Other items include tiny trees, wreaths and holiday jewelry made with flameworked glass.

See a few other examples after the break.

[Click to continue reading the rest….]

11/29/2007:

It’s been a year since local artist Raymond Smith announced his website: Hobokengreetings.com. His greeting cards are perfect to send your friends and family out of town!

It’s a ‘Season’s Greetings from Hoboken’ holiday card and is an extension of his ‘Greetings from Hoboken New Jersey‘ image line. It’s a nice big 5X7 card, blank inside, with a white envelope. It’s also on sale at Empire Coffee, 338 Bloomfield and Hoboken Frame and Photo, 326 Washington Street, and the Hoboken Historical Museum. He’ll also be selling these during the Hoboken Holiday Crafts Fair.

11/29/2007:

By T.G. Heins:

11/29/2007:

I’ve been like a human guinea pig since Trader Joe’s opened up in close by Edgewater, NJ. Over 100 products tried in the last few weeks alone! Nuts, salads, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, juices, breads, soups, and beyond.

While they’re supposed to be an overall healthy store, with many organic products, free-range meat and dairy choices, no preservatives, etc., I find myself eating many of their more junky items too, like frozen pizzas, tacos and others. However, seeing I’m the “busy professional”, I am frequently in need of a quick, easy-to-prepare meal.

Today’s snack is the Pizza Parlanno ($3.99). I’m a huge fan of pizza, even if it’s the sub-standard frozen variety. And as you’ll see in the weeks to come, their frozen pizzas are overall top-notch compared to most brands.

See the full review after the jump.

[Click to continue reading the rest….]