It’s tempting to compare Stephanie Kheder to a recently convicted doyenne of doing it yourself. Like Martha, Kheder is the kind of person who gets excited about decorative painting, embroidery, and making greeting cards, and it’s not enough for her to excel at, say, découpage—she wants to teach others to do it, too. The crafty graphic designer does all that and more at Bocage (177 Orchard Street; 212-979-2909 or bocagenewyork.com), her tiny Lower East Side shop.
The products in the store reflect whatever Kheder is into making at the time—whether it’s ribbon belts with vintage buckles or pincushions crafted from antique fabrics. You can buy Kheder’s creations, take classes to learn how to make them at home (except the belts, which are available ready-made at $36 to $60), and buy all the materials you’ll need to do so. The shop is chock-full of papers, trims, markers, stickers, paints, buttons, velvet flowers (used in hat designs), small paper roses, fern leaves, and, of course, gift cards galore.
Prices range from 15 cents for a feather to about $200 for a pincushion, but there’s a lot in between. And that, as someone used to say, is a good thing.