Caravan of Curiosities

November 20, 2009

score!

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if you’re in new york this weekend you should check out score! at 3rd ward- it’s a massive free exchange where you can bring your old clothing, records, books, housewares, etc and swap them for other people’s old stuff.

not to mention you get one of these free tote bags:
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AND, bread & butter collective will be there doing live screenprinting.

you really can’t beat it…all items are free, and all remaining goods go to charity…plus all proceeds from the event go to city harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization dedicated to feeding new york city’s hungry men, women, and children.

so gather up your junk and head over to 3rd ward tomorrow between 1pm and 7pm…entry is just $3, and you can rsvp here.

because you know the saying…one man’s trash is another man’s treasure… :)

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puttin on the fritz...(that's this guys' name, by the way - fritz)

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be well and keep warm and rock on!

employee profile

meet our store operations intern!

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what is your theme song?
can i kick it? / a tribe called quest

If you could go anywhere in the world, free of cost, where would you go?
back to TANZANIA or south africa

if you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?
an endless supply of whiskey, a rugby ball and my ipod with dock (solar powered of course).

what is the one article of clothing you can’t live without?
my hoodies hoodies HOODIES

what is your biggest fear?
not being able to do what makes me happy.

winter, spring, summer or fall?
summa summa summa time

what color are you?
everGREEN

what is your motto?
there’s no reason not to be nice.

what is your favorite hobby?
anything and everything involving rugby / finding new bands :)

if you could spend a day with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be?
neil patrick harris. it would be legendary.

friday mixtape

just some old songs I’ve heard recently and was reminded how much I love them…


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MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

hope everyone is having a beautiful friday :)

building 25

we're going to be moving into a new building down at the navy yard next year, and the other day i decided to walk over and check it out. as you can see, construction is underway, so i wasn't allowed in without a hardhat...

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you can kinda tell from the picture above...our buildings are right on the delaware river, which is awesome. i like the water.

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the roof is torn off right now and i thought it looked really cool with the sunlight coming in...

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i also saw this sweet van :)
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i'll be sure to keep you all posted on the progress of our new building!

wanna go shopping tonight?

click through this image after 7pm tonight (EST) for a special discount :)

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* Discount will only apply for orders placed between 7pm and 11pm EST (4pm and 8pm PST)
* Free Standard Shipping - $7.95 value
* For international orders, $7.95 will be subtracted from total shipping cost

November 19, 2009

soundsuits

i first heard about the artist nick cave when i saw a post about him on our brooklyn we the free store’s blog. then a reader on our blog suggested checking him out and i couldn’t put off posting about him anymore. cave is a chicago based artist who is also a trained dancer and former clothing designer…all of which is evident in the creations he makes, called "soundsuits", because of the noise they make when moved around in. he uses a variety of found materials to create the soundsuits, which can stand on their own as artwork or be worn by dancers as performance art. here are some of them...they're pretty wild...

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i wasn’t able to find a website for nick cave, but you can find more info about him on the website for the jack shainman gallery in new York, where he has recently shown his work.

thursday poll - edition 69

hope everyone is enjoying their day so far...how about some thursday poll action?
last week i asked about sweaters, and the most votes (28%) went to the voluminous fairisle sweater!
this week i wanted to ask you all about the outfits in our holiday boutique...we have looks for any holiday occasion, and you can check them all out here. so which look do you love the most?

fight off cabin fever with fuzzy hats, feminine tops, distressed denim and tall strappy boots:
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sparkle, shine and be the life of the party in these sequin skirts, tops and accessories:
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throw on a leather jacket with some lace layers and stylish shoes to go window shopping in the city:
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add some sparkle to a simple dress with standout accessories that are the icing on the cake:
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get dressed up and deck the halls in these romantic shift dresses:
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be the epitome of fashionably late in these trend-right dresses and jumpers, fur accessories and shoes:
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get noticed by that special someone under the mistletoe with these eye-catching items:
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warm up in these coats, tights and boots for a winter evening sleigh ride:
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office style!!!

some pics of this week's office style :)

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lots of light

not just our stores get pretty decorations…yesterday i caught one of our visual display artists working on a holiday display here in the building 15 lobby.

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looks lovely :)

November 18, 2009

change it up

we have a new changing room video up on our website! it's adorable...check it out for some great holiday outfit ideas...

**the song in the video is "the boy with the arab strap" by belle & sebastian.

women at work

our we the free team and our president hard at work on new concepts for the future...

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i think their eyes are tired from working so hard today :)

vintage photographs

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finding a great vintage item (especially t-shirts for me) is like stumbling upon your own personal treasure. it’s unique and personal and immediately special.
these photographs were brought in by our marketing manager, who recently discovered them at her grandmother’s house. she’s trying to come up with a cool way to display them at home…they’re of her grandparents in their younger years, and not only are they awesome because they’re vintage, but they’re simply great photos too. check ‘em out… as you can see the sizes are different than your typical 3x5 or 5x7. if you have any great ideas, i’m sure she’d love suggestions :)

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winston

have you seen our new november gift catalog yet? well then you'll probably recognize winston...
he has stolen the hearts of many as a result of this catalog...

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in fact, the blog oh joy posted about it on monday :)

click through the above image to see the entire catalog.

inspirational workspace

i’m always inspired by stuff i see over in the space where our print and color team works…for instance, this desk. it’s awesome.

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and this pretty fabric...

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wednes-diy

one of our call center reps shared this awesome DIY tutorial for the adorable sleep masks that she makes …these would be such a great gift for friends or an awesome stocking stuffer for the holidays.

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quilted sleep mask

supplies:
2 6”x10” pieces of cotton fabric
2 pieces of 6”x10” cotton batting
matching thread
matching ribbon for ties (36” total)
sewing machine is helpful but project could be done by hand

start by picking out a fat quarter of your favorite cotton fabric, you can use a scrap you have laying around as long as it is at least 6” by 10”.

from your 6”x10” fabrics cut out the shape of a sleep mask. I made my own pattern for it, its not too hard. Practice on a piece of paper and once you get a good size and shape use that for you pattern. **remember to allow 1/4 “ seam allowance all the way around.**

place the front fabric right side up on the 2 pieces of cotton batting, pin and quilt whatever pattern you like. i used diagonal lines to create a box pattern but anything will work! use your imagination!

now cut your ribbon in half to make two 18” ties and position them on the front of the mask with the long part facing in leaving 1 " overhang over the outside side edges of the mask. i roll and pin mine so as not to sew more then just the one end to the edge.

now place the back piece on the quilted front piece right sides facing, stitch around the edge with a ¼ inch seam allowance leaving 4 inches at the top of the sleep mask open so that you can pull it right side out.

once you are done sewing cut around the stitching to remove the excess batting and then pull the mask right side out making sure all your edges are pushed out completely and flat. ironing at this point does help but not required. now pin your opening closed with the unsewn seam allowance tucked in. sew 1/8” from the edge all the way around the mask. once you trim off your extra threads you will have an adorable, comfy sleep mask!!! :)

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not so crafty? you can find these for sale on her etsy site.


November 17, 2009

take a hike

did you know today is take a hike day? It’s a great day in philly to get outdoors… if you can’t actually take a hike, just go do something outside!

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images: summer teeth, summer teeth, amalia chimera

whole lotta oxfords

where is she off to with all those shoes?

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maybe it had something to do with this...

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tunesday

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people have been buzzing about jersey-based indie/pop band real estate since the summer, but they’re just releasing their debut self-titled album today. while the songs might seem more summer-appropriate (just look at titles like “beach comber” “pool swimmers” “atlantic city” “lets rock the beach”), it’s a great listen at this time of year, especially if you’re missing warm weather and the shore (like me). the album does have an underlying moodiness that darkens it a little bit, but for the most part it’s simple, light and breezy…great for a lazy sunday. i especially like "suburban beverage" and "black lake". the band, made up of martin courtney, matthew mondanile, etienne pierre duguay and alex bleeker, list paul mccartney, the doobie brothers, kokomo, the boss and new jersey among their influences. also, they’re touring right now so check out their myspace page for dates and to listen to some tunes!

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November 16, 2009

something neat...

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how cool is this new image on our website? what's even cooler is that it moves...click through to see.

by one of our awesome graphic designers :)

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