April 30, 2007
last chance to swap
Today is the last day to sign up for our travel themed craft swap! This is such a fun opportunity to share your creative talents with another crafty free people girl, and all of the blog readers as well. Check out details here and sign up here.
I was walking home from work last week and spotted this amazing trunk in my neighbor's garbage. It's made of metal and super heavy, but I dragged it home. All the straps are leather and its marked with all these old labels from its travels. I think I might use it as inspiration for the swap! How perfectly strange is that?
April 26, 2007
travel swap update!
I want to thank everyone that's already signed up for the travel swap (probably about 150!) and encourage you to get even more people involved! I love the community the last swap created, and all of the back and forth in the flickr group was such a great chance to share your crafty talents with even more people. So the last day to sign up is Monday. Post the info on your blogs and let's get some more people involved over the weekend.
After Monday, it'll take a few days to get all the info together and then I'll email you with your partner's info and the link for the travel swap's flickr group.
I saw these globes and maps over at Terramia and it reminded to get thinking about what I'm gonna make!
April 23, 2007
camping
Rocket St. George posted the above images of tents in the spirit of the upcoming season of music festivals. I thought the whole camping idea could be added onto the list of inspiration for the Free People travel themed craft swap. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out!
But the tents also reminded me of this past exhibit called "Shelter" by Saviour Scraps, a Brooklyn arts collective that makes installations re-using scraps of fabric to create their imaginative environments. One of the FP girls emailed me their link a while ago because her sister is one of the artists involved. You'll wanna check out their site and their current work on view at Monkey Town in Williamsburg.
April 20, 2007
employee desk...heather
This is the desk of Heather. She is the Free People Direct Operations Supervisor. She works in the home office and oversees the distribution center and customer service concerns that require the above and beyond. She likes to keep her stuffed creatures in a jar.
Most of these little Mexican icons were gifts bought at the Eyes Gallery on South Street in Philly. The last piece on the right was a college art project titled "Good Girls & Bad Girls".
And Heather's in a scooter club. I use to wonder why she came into work in the morning wearing a helmet...
April 18, 2007
newest lula
I promised I'd share the goods in the latest (sorry, I managed to get newspaper smudges all over the cover)...So this issue made me start thinking that the crew at Lula has gotten into my brain. Featuring an ode to defunct teen wonder-mag Sassy, Henry Darger, Bat for Lashes and Grey Gardens, they just know what's up.
My absolute favorite part is a pull out poster illustrating a tap dance by Zooey Deschanel. You will love it.
help a girl out
Camille from the kissing knees contacted me about Alison, the designer at wonderland q and co-organizer of the Bazaar Bizarre craft fairs. Alison has just undergone emergency surgery and has no health insurance! Her friends have set up a fundraiser on etsy to help her out. Purchase wares from the crafters donating, or donate crafts to be sold. Click here and help a girl out!
April 16, 2007
new travel craft swap!
The Valentine's swap was a huge success and we've had lots of requests for another, so let's do it! A huge theme in recent FP collections is travel. We've had store displays and product inspiration from across the world (the last two collections focusing on India and Africa), and summer is coming, so think about vacations! Get inspired by maps, travel guides, road trips, exotic countries, you get the idea.
So this time each participant will be matched with a partner. You will make something beautiful inspired by the idea of travel and they will make something for you in return. (Last time I matched everyone with one person to send to and a different to receive from, and it got a little crazy.) The sign up will be open for two weeks, so get your friends involved! Then you will have
about a month to make you goodies and send them out.
Click here to participate, and make sure you fill out all your info! Your email and mailing address are super important. Oh, and make a note if you're totally against shipping internationally. Comment with any questions. Get to crafting!
April 13, 2007
cape town platforms
We are in love with these! What are we loving? Well, we're super into platforms, and the ankle wrap is key. The African prints are really cheerful for summer, and there are 5 different prints to choose from. The stitching detail is really great, and they're comfy. AND they were designed by our accessories designers so you won't see them anywhere else. Check em out here...
April 12, 2007
catalog stories
Got a comment from Paige asking about this little girl in our latest catalog. And Danie asked about the location. So here goes...
The catalog team shot the book in Puerto Rico. They travelled all along the north east coast, visiting San Juan, Ceiba, and El Yunque rainforest. They were driving through a beach town, saw the rooster mural on the side of a building and thought it would be a cool place to shoot. This little girl kept riding her bike by and watching the models. The FP girls asked her to be in the photo but the girl was super shy. Eventually she warmed up to them and decided to be in the photo if she could hold the model's hand.
April 11, 2007
calling fp girls!
We're looking for Free People girls to work in our stores! Check out our store locations to see if there's one near you. Apply here!
April 10, 2007
journey is the destination
I promised to share a couple of books that were really inspiring to the creative team while working on April's catalog. The first is called "Zara's Tales" , a memoir about Peter Beard's adventures in Africa and dedicated to his daughter, Zara. Beard's beautiful photography and drawings are scattered throughout.
The second is called "The Jouney is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon". Dan was an accomplished photo journalist by the age of 22 and was also a fantastic artist, combining collage techniques with his amazing photographs. This book was compiled from several scrap books he kept and his family assembled after his tragic death at 22, when Dan Eldon was working in extremely dangerous conditions in Mogadishu. A truly inspiring man of passion and talent. I recommend you check out this website "An Electronic Revolution" inspired by his life and work.
April 9, 2007
april in africa
Our newest catalog should be on its way! Continuing with our theme of travel, the latest is inspired by Africa.
Our graphic designer took the oppurtunity to really run with the theme and did a ridiculous amount of artwork to collage into the catalog. Above photos show the pile of original works of painting and markmaking.
She also hand cut linoleum blocks to get the stamping technique seen in some of the titles. This book proved to be a truly hands on project. Stay tuned for more Africa "behind the scenes" and check out the catalog here...
April 6, 2007
a bit of gossip
So we're not usually ones to gossip, but I heard through the grapevine that a Miss Kate Bosworth did a little shopping at our store in Boston. She was shopping with her parents, and was the first to buy our Shocker in Pinktown Pool Party Nailpolish. Her mom insisted she buy one of our emery boards to go with it.
April 5, 2007
the moldy doily
no good for me posted today about Kime Buzelli, an amazing artist and one of my favorite bloggers (check out The Moldy Doily). She makes it sound like she has way too much fun in her Echo Park hood in LA. And through The Moldy Doily today, I discovered the latest issue of Lula is out, and Kime contributed! I'll be at the mag shop after work. I'll be sure to share discoveries over the next few days...
(This is part of Kime's work featured in Lula)
April 4, 2007
matriochka dishcloth
Somebody commented on kate's desk entry about their common love for matriochka dolls. So I thought I'd share these hand made screen printed dishcloths with a matriochka motif. I spotted them in April's issue of Dwell and you can check them out on roseandradish.com. This site has a lot of really clean modern designs, but they occasionally break it up with something cute and whimsical like these towels. I personally fell in love with the one below featuring cutlery and cars.
April 3, 2007
fictional travels
Coolhunting did this great post about how touching it can be to read a story set in a place that you personally know. Penguin UK has organized a series of stories based on travels called Great Journeys. Stay tuned... when our next catalog drops I'll share a couple of books about "journeys" that really inspired our creative team.
So the Coolhunting post reminded me of something I wanted to share about Penguin. They produced a series of classics with blank covers that you can design yourself, and then they display them in a flickr gallery (like the two pictured above). All in all I'm totally fascinated with Penguin. They have a cute blog, are responsible about their environmental effects, and have a number of other interesting programs for the community of readers.
April 2, 2007
hi waisted sailor
For those of you looking to mix up all the hipster skinny legged jeans in your dresser, we have found the perfect pair of high waisted wide legs. We love how comfy they feel and are totally into the "true blue" wash. We did some experimenting and tried them on with some tops over the waistband instead of tucked in, and they still look super cute. So you can get the high waisted look or just appreciate the amazing fit. Check em out on freepeople.com...
