I'm really taken with these pictures by Kenichi Hoshine! There's just something about the way the paint looks... when I first saw the tree one I thought there was pretty fabric torn all over it or something. See more at DesignDig.
I love all these crafty ideas for printed paper! They really inspire me to go do something with all those old newspapers I have laying around...
Love her or not, these photos by Hedi Slimane look amazing. I love the styling and that first photo is my favorite, with the mix of decadent fabrics.
Check out the rest of the images on Slimane's fashion diary...
I love that all the lights in these pictures are hearts! Color Me Katie did it by cutting out a little heart on a piece of paper and putting it over her camera lens. I would never have thought that the outcome would be lights turned to hearts! It would be cool to try with other shapes...
Check out some of the sweet outfits people are sporting around the office today!
I'm really into these uber-layered looks from Missoni's Fall 2009 collection. I just love the skinny pants with tons and tons of knits on top. What do you guys think? Would you wear piles of clothes?
Take a closer look at this picture...
They're crayons!
How creative is that!? This crayon-pixel art is the work of Ohio-based Christian Faur. You can see lots more of his crayon art, as well as his work in other mediums, here.
Via MetaFilter.
Happy Thursday everyone!
Last week we voted on our favorite tube top from a few that are currently for sale, with the Sunburst Tie Dye Top becoming the clear winner with 183 votes!
This week I am feeling pretty obsessed with our new Boyeee Tee. I have seen a ton of people around the office wearing it, and they look so cute and comfy! I really like burnout tees, and it seems to go with everything. I love all the colors so much, I can't pick a favorite! Can you?
Below is the tee in Orange Ocean.
Next is the tee in Grey!
Finally, here's the tee in White Trees.
What do you guys think? Which color is your favorite?
First of all, how amazing is that name?!
Wool and the Gang is a group of knitters selling Crazy Sexy Wool from Peru and making clothing and accessories. They were just in New York during fashion week for an opening on Bond Street that attracted attention from lots of the celebrities in town for the shows like Erin Wasson, Mary Kate, and Peaches Geldof (You can see the party photos on their blog.)
There is much exploring to be done on their website for knitting projects, accessories, wool, and inspiration!
These pictures that Sinem Erkas did for Exit are really interesting. See more shots (and more sets featuring balloons) here.
Via Unique Lapin.
Check out this work by 10 year old graffiti artist Solveig. I love it!
That fresh tat is also by Solveig! Some guy had seen a lot of her work around and really liked it, so he requested a tattoo! I'm so impressed! There's a little picture article about her on Telegraph UK, and it has a little bit more information about her in the blurbs. I couldn't figure out where she's from, though I'm sure it's in there somewhere. Whatever, she's awesome! Make sure to have a look at Solveig's Flickr too, she has a ton of terrific pictures!
I'm excited for this film Tokyo! based on the questions, "Do we shape cities, or do cities shape us?"
It helps that Michel Gondry is involved (director of Science of Sleep and Eternal Sunshine) and that the trailer looks so intriguing!
Check out the latest episode of DogTALK! Join Kevin as he interviews the totally cute Porter on an extremely cold day! Enjoy!
So I recently bought a copy of Kris' latest zine, Cool Heart, and I love it so much! I seriously look at it like 10 times a day. And I've had it more than a week now! It's so good, and really cute, I recommend it to anyone! Below, find a couple of pictures cut out from the zine. If you are a fan of Kris' work you should definitely check out her site, she has lots for the eyes there! And if you want a copy of Cool Heart, get one here!
German artist Pierre Kracht created these objects out of thread, and yes, they are hollow inside! Pretty cool huh? I really like how they look, especially the chandelier. See more here.
Via Dezeen.
These gorgeous pictures are from the Collectanea Botanica, a series of monographs by John Lindley issued between 1821 and 1826. I love things like this! I saw them on BibliOdyssey, which is becoming one of my favorite sites to visit lately. The guy who works on it finds pictures from all kinds of old books, ones that have been posted online and ones out in the library, and then posts all the best pictures from them.
What is your job here at FP?
Design Assistant - Coordinator for Knits and Beachwear
What is your current state of mind?
all over the place - lots to do
Who are your heroes?
Anyone who goes out of their way to make a difference or change in the world for the better.
If you could choose what to come back to life as, what would you be?
The most adorable puppy with an awesome owner OR a hippie. I was supposed to be a flower child but I came out high-strung!
What or who is your greatest love?
My bed (it is the most comfortable thing in the world I don't know how I get up every day!) And my dog Ariel & cat Mister Mookie.
Name one thing necessary to your happiness.
Food! Especially Kugel.
And good friends.
What do you hate the most?
Popping gum, mean people, and bad drivers.
What would the name of your band be and what genre? What instrument do you play in this band?
I would be the lead singer because that would be awesome. It's too bad I'm tone-deaf.
What color are you?
bright orange
What is your motto?
What you don't know can't hurt you and If it's meant to be, it will be.
These paintings by Amy Bennett really intrigue me, because they look to me like miniature models, not oil paintings! There are a few little places on each piece where I can clearly see it's paint, but for the most part it really tricks my eye! Don't they look like little figurines to you?
Via Design Crisis.
How do you guys like this Mona Lisa folding chair? You could put it on your wall, or sit on it! I really like it, weird as it is, it catches my eye. The frame is so cool! Created by Korean designer Kwang Hoo Lee, you can read more about it here on CubeMe.
This little gadget, which looks rather like a butter knife, is actually a portable toaster! Apparently you just "glide" the toaster over your slice of bread, and the bread gets toasted! And if you couldn't tell just by looking at your bread, the cute little graphic on the toaster changes as you toast your bread to let you know how far along your toast is. Sheesh! It looks cute, but it also looks like it has the potential to be more trouble than it's worth. What do you guys think?
See more about the toaster here. Via Oobject.
Today the home office is quiet, tranquil, and maybe even a touch sleepy. Here Agnes has found a wonderful patch of sunlight and is drifting away...
Danielle, one of our accessories designers, looks playfully mournful...
I could stare at Jenna's inspiration corner all day! Jenna is one of our print & color designers.
Sarah from our visual display team dyes some huge piece of fabric.
These awesome paper fruits appeared at the coffee shop in 543 over the weekend! I love them!
Accessories girls hard at work...
Pretty scarves on display!
Ryanne pins and sews and pins some more...
I am obsessed with these little mini-deer mounts! This is the only kind of deer mount I want in my house. They are so colorful, tiny, and well-sculpted! I would like one in each color, for each room of my apartment! Find them at Johnny&Stacie's Etsy shop.
Via for me, for you.
This little crochet necklace by Pretty Penny is so cute, and I'm really excited because it turns out she has a tutorial on how to make it on her blog! Check it out if you like the necklace too - I can't wait to start on mine!
I just love this gorgeous antique lotto game that Black White Yellow found! The wood tiles are so cool, and I really like the font that the numbers are printed in! What a find! It reminds me that I'm way overdue for another thrift store shopping trip...
I found the original music video for The Beach Boys' song Wouldn't It Be Nice and it makes me so happy, just like the song! It's really cute and it looks like they're having so much fun! The perfect song for a pleasant Saturday...
These amazing beeswax sculptures were created by Hilary Berseth, with the help of many bees! To get the bees to build their combs in the shapes he would like, he constructs basic frameworks out of wire and wax, and then puts them into a closed box in the spring. After that the bee colonies take over, filling out his templates with wax cells, then stuffing them with honey. Check out NYMagazine for more information and a really nice little slideshow about it!
Via For me, for you.
Today I discovered a really cool room in 543 that I had no idea existed before! I am so excited to share it with you! I was very lucky that I happened to wander into the sweater designers' room with my camera when I did, because I bumped into Lindsey, one of our designers, who asked me, "Have you ever seen the yarn room? I'm heading that way." Heck no! I hadn't even heard of it, and it is filled with things of interest!
Welcome to the yarn room!
Natasha is already working hard on one of the knitting machines! This particular machine is a domestic knitting machine. There are also industrial types, one of which you can see a little bit, behind Natasha. Both types are used in our factories. They are amazingly faster than hand knitting! Our sweater designers use them to create prototype designs right here at the home office!
I can't wait to see what Natasha makes with this cool sweater cloth she's created!
Meanwhile, Lindsey is quickly threading another machine and beginning her work!
In this picture, Lindsey is getting ready to pull the handle toward us - this will create a row of stitches.
...Tinkering with a couple of the stitches.
After just a few minutes, she has knitted quite a bit!
It's lucky Natasha and Lindsey know what they're doing, because these cool instructions posted on the wall might be hard for some of us to read!
Free People and Anthropologie share the yarn room, and one of our friends Hani from Anthro here too! She is working with another cool machine, which winds loose yarn onto a bobbin really really fast!
Perfect!
Dog.
Rat.
Sheep.
Horse.
Chicken.
All these animals were created using the land masses of the Earth, and without changing the shapes or dimensions! They're a little rough, but I like them! Does anyone know who did them? The site where I saw them doesn't say...
I would have never ever thought of using pop can tabs to make clothes, but Tiffany of The Art of Can Tabistry sure did! The corset made of can tabs is actually really cool! I'd totally wear it around, but I think I'd pick different colors for the yarn. Above is Tiffany's mother modeling a hat, corset, and shoes made of can tabs! Holy cow! I don't think I'll ever look at tabs the same way. There are a few tutorials on The Art of Can Tabistry too, so if you've got a bunch of pop can tabs laying around...
I'll bet you never thought to spend the night in a renovated sewage pipe! However, at Das Parkhotel in Austria you can cozy up and spend the night (or a few) along the banks of the Danube in one of these well-decorated (and clean) pipe rooms. There are some more pictures on the hotel's site. I'd totally try it! Would you?
Wow! I can't believe we've reached poll 30! It doesn't seem that long ago that we had our first poll!
Last week we thought about which current Free People tights we like, and like a couple of weeks ago, the vote was really close! The winner with 149 votes was the Pondi Cherry Paisley Tight, followed closely by the Courtneyrose Footless Tights which got 143 votes!
This week I wanted to ask you about tube tops, because I can already tell that this spring they are going to be a really prominent style! We have so many uber-cute tube tops right now, and we're putting more up on the site every day! For now, check out the tops below- I'm wondering which style is your favorite!
First up is our Tangled Tuscon Tube in coral.
Next is the Solid Seamless Tube in grey.
Now check out our Starry Night Tube in pimento!
Next is the Solid Lace Bandeau Tube in storm.
Finally, shown below is the Sunburst Tie Dye Top in purple combo!
So which of these tube top styles do you like the most?
Just for fun, I thought I'd post these pictures of random art cars. They have been giving me so much inspiration lately! What do you guys think?
Via. Yes, those are cameras...
I know I've already talked about sushi a few times lately, but I totally love this pillow! Who knew shrimp could look so darn comfy?! See the sushi pillow on it's own site here, and explore it a little bit to see other kinds of sushi as pillows! Hehe!
Via art esprit.
Looking for something to do in Philadelphia on Friday night? Wanna help raise money for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia? Come to the fashion art exhibition at The Fuel House on 249 Arch Street! Tickets are only 20$, and all the proceeds go to the hospital! Doors open at 8pm, and you can get tickets here. Hope to see you there!
As many of you have already picked up from reading this blog, Urban Outfitters Inc. owns quite a few buildings in the Navy Yard, one that houses Free People, another that houses Anthropologie, one for Urban, and others that I don't really even know what we use them for or which buildings they are.
One of the most important buildings we have is Building 543, which is shared by the three brands, and is also open to the public. 543 houses our restaurant/cafeteria, gym, yoga studio, coffee shop, mail room, I.T. Department, Production Department and the list goes on and on!
Many of us eat lunch at Shop 543, the cafeteria restaurant, almost every day! (Myself included!) So today I thought it would be fun to take you on a little tour of Shop 543 and show you where we eat lunch!
Welcome to Shop 543! Building 543 is very big and very open, so these pretty curtains act as sort of walls for the cafeteria. To the right you can see someone reading the very large menu board.
Here is our giant menu board! The Shop 543 employees carefully write down the specials for us on here each day.
I am immediately side-tracked by the dessert table - look at these delicious vegan red cupcakes! Our dessert chefs make the prettiest little tasty desserts ever!
Here is some sushi doing a very good job of advertising itself! Yum!
My friend Sara scopes out the soups to see if anything catches her interest...
I have finally settled into the sandwich line, after much consideration. Everything looks so yummy!
Some people we know are in the sandwich line too! Hey Ryanne, Lauren and Kris! See the little cup in Lauren's hand? Those are there so that we can try some soup and see if we like it before we buy it! I wonder if she liked it?
Chef John prepares my sandwich with the ultimate care and attention to detail.
Hooray! He did such a good job! It looks great! (It tasted great too!)
My friends Caroline and Sara waited very patiently for me. Notice all the official-looking business-people behind them? There are quite a few other companies based in the Navy Yard, and many people that work for those companies like to eat here too! I can't blame them! :)
This picture is not so great - I was attempting to show you how great our view is! We can see the mighty Delaware river right out the cafeteria windows, and lots of huge neat ships too! Unfortunately today is a bit rainy, and so the river didn't lend itself to photography so much... Believe it or not, this was the best shot!
And now we're leaving Shop 543! At least in this shot you can see how huge the windows are! Thanks for coming to lunch with me! ;)
And don't forget, Building 543 is open to the public - so if you are ever in Philadelphia and you want to see some awesome ships and eat yummy food from Shop 543, come on down to the Navy Yard!
I'm really digging this idea from fra(a)iing! She used water, glitter, some small cute jars, some plastic animals and waterproof glue to make these snow globes! You could really go wild with this idea, and put sequins, little jewelry or all kinds of things in a snow globe! I love it!
You met Bob and Nate in our Free People Guys video. Well they were such nice guys to the Free People family and gave all of the girls flowers and sweets for Valentine's Day!
This is the most awesome store front ever! This is The Guitar Store in Southampton England, with its security grate pulled down. I think it is so creative and clever to use the grate as the front of a speaker! Plus, the knobs on the speaker go up to 11, rather than 10! You can see that in the bigger size image, which is here. So cool!
I love this video for Lisa Hannigan's new song, Lille! I think you guys will too, if not for the song then for the awesome pop up books! Enjoy!
Wow. When I first saw the top picture, I thought it was real for a moment before realizing it was one of those sidewalk optical illusions. Knowing that, the last picture still kind of freaks me out! Edgar Mueller is apparently who is responsible for this coolness, but the site is in French so I can only gather so much...
Via all the good things.
Spanish street artist Eltono uses confetti and paste to make his cool graffiti art. Check out his blog for more pictures and information!
Coriandoli - Eltono - Cripta747 from EltonoVideo on Vimeo.
Via Hooked.
Aren't these little knit sushi so cute and delicious-looking? I love them! You can get the pattern to knit some yourself from NeedleNoodles. Clever!
Via Black Eiffel.
I came across this awesome crochet rug by Little Circus on >O<, and I feel really taken with it! I love the total mishmash of all kinds of colors and shapes! It's great knit and crochet inspiration!
Jenna works with colors amidst a huge mass of swatches and cloth.
Megan works on color, amidst the same huge mass of swatches...
I just loved the way this pile of sheer material looked.
Trim Town got reorganized! It looks so neat and tidy!
Natasha shows off her awesome sequined unicorn shirt!
Jasmine stitching a sample and giggling away!
Dana is also very amused as she works on a sample! He he!
Photos are slowly trickling in from the Valentine's 2009 craft swap, and there are some truly creative and amazing crafts. I really love the stuffed bird from recylced fabrics! Check them all out in our flickr group, and leave some comment love for the crafters:)
These interesting chairs and table are by VivaTerra, and are made entirely from rulers and yardsticks. I like how they are made in a sort of vintage looking style too. Cool!
Via Apartment Therapy.
I love this phone charger! Wires can get so tiresome and ugly - I love that MicroWorks turned the wire into a vine! However, they are not selling these chargers, but who cares? I'm going to make it a point to hit up my nearest craft store in the next few days, buy some fake flowers and leaves, and turn my phone charger into a beautiful flower vine! Easy! And pretty!
I saw these pin cushions on Penguin & Fish the other day, and I keep thinking about them! They are made by Lucy's Locket, out of sweaters! I especially like the turtle, it just seems so cleverly designed! Though the beaver is so so cute! There are a ton of other animals on Lucy's Locket, and I was amused and pleased to see that each pin cushion comes with the 3 beaded pins shown with them. :) Too dear!
Today I bring you the last of our trio of Valentine's Day playlists, the Valentine's Classics Playlist! Enjoy!
Be sure to check out our Falling in Love playlist and our Breaking Up playlist too!
xoxox
FP
Hongtao Zhou, an art student from University of Wisconsin, made this awesome ice and snow furniture on the currently frozen Lake Mendota in Wisconsin! It looks so delicate and pretty- like something from an ice queen's castle!
Via Dezeen.
A hearty congratulations to the winner of the Free People Best or Worst Date Ever Video Contest, Molly! Check out her video below!
All of the entries we received were so special, it was really really difficult to pick a winner! You guys have had some crazy dates, good and bad! Thank you so very much to everyone who participated!
And if you weren't a winner, fear not! There are more contests and giveaways in the making! Stay tuned!
First off, I wanted to thank all of you who have already filled out our blog survey! It has been so helpful to us, and if you haven't already taken the survey, please do! It's really quick and fun!
We have been paying close attention to your survey responses, which leads me to my next point - there is a new category in our sidebar! The how to/DIY category is a new place where we will be sure to tag all of our how-to and DIY posts, so that you can easily find them all, in one place! I have gone through and marked our previous how-to and DIY posts, so you will find them there, and from now on, you can look for our new how-to and DIY posts in there too!
Thank you so much for your readership and feedback! It means so much!
Free People is so excited to be the first and only place you can get Swedish Hasbeens in the United States! We have 3 styles, a strappy sandal, a covered sandal, and a super high slip in clog.
I LOVE the story behind these, so enjoy this bit from the Swedish Hasbeens:
Her name was Anita and she was the hottest mum in all of southern Sweden in the 1970’s. While smoking Camel she screamed at her kids until her curlers fell out and just looked fabulous in her white high-heeled clogs.
One summer day in 2006 we found the shoes she wore (300 pairs of red, white and black beautiful clogs from the 70’s) in the basement of an old clog factory in the neighboring village and brought them to Stockholm. So for all these people that shared our love for Anita’s wooden shoes and for ourselves we started Swedish Hasbeens.
Our ambition is to continue to release more incoherent and fun shoes and stuff inspired by Hasbeens that once ruled the planet.
The Hasbeens are based on original 70’s models and are made of ecologically prepared natural grain leather since it’s the most beautiful and the highest quality at the same time as it’s environmentally friendly.
See our styles on freepeople.com :)
How about these photo chairs by Distant Origin? I want the top one the most. I love the cow! The deer in a suit on the last chair is pretty great too though. Which one do you like most? Also, Distant Origin has many more photo chairs on their site for your browsing pleasure.
Via Design Crisis.
Comments are now closed for the February catalog giveaway. The lucky winner is Priscilla! Her comment was randomly chosen by random.org and she wins these trinkets our creative director brought back from the photoshoot in Mexico.
Here was her answer to the question "What is your favorite thing about the beach?"
My favorite thing about the beach is the sounds. Obviously, the ocean waves, the screech of seagulls and small children, pieces of conversation... I am so ready for summer to be here already. :P
This was fun! The answers to the animal question were hilarious. Scroll down a few entries and read them all.
These Anti-Theft Lunch Bags make me laugh! The mold is totally believable too! When I first saw these pictures I wondered for a moment- what is this picture of a moldy sandwich? Even if your lunch isn't under attack, these would still be fun to have around for a gag!
Via Design Dig.
I have been enjoying this rather strange music video for Animal Collective's song Water Curses very much lately! It's kind of funny how it goes with the song, which is awesome...
Happy Thursday everyone! The week is nearing a close and that means it's time for our Thursday poll!
For last week's poll, I wondered which of our new swim suits was your favorite. It was actually a really close vote, with the Rubix Cutaway One Piece winning by 15 votes, with 139 votes total!
Lately I have been loving all the printed tights we have, they really make a dull outfit a lot more exciting! So, this week I wanted to ask you about our printed tights and see which ones you find most appealing!
First take a look at our Pondi Cherry Paisley Tight, shown here in grey.
Now, see our New Wings Footless Tights below.
Next, check out our Rainbow Fade Footless Tights.
Finally, shown here are our Courtneyrose Footless Tights.
So, which of these tights do you like the best?
What is your job here at FP?
Office Coordinator
What is your current state of mind?
energetic
Who are your heroes?
My mom 'cause we have so much fun together.
If you could choose what to come back to life as, what would you be?
Butterfly
What or who is your greatest love?
Food!
Name on thing necessary to your happiness.
Fun people w/ a good sense of humor.
What do you hate most?
Traffic and mean people.
What would the name of your band be and genre? What instrument do you play in this band?
Glitter, and pop. I would have to be the singer! :)
What color are you?
Pink
What is your motto?
Stay positive!
I love these wallpapers! They're by Trove Design out of New York City, which is a two man team that favors a more natural and unaltered look in wallpaper. I feel like these wallpapers would look good in any room of the home - but my favorite is the moths, extra-perfect for a bedroom!
Read and see more on Yatzer.
Lauren, our stylist, would like to tell you the story of our photo shoot for our newest catalog!
We shot our February catalog in Tulum, Mexico at the end of October, and stayed in a beautiful eco-hotel called azulik. Azulik is comprised of about 10 or so thatched huts that sit in the jungle, right on the beach- there is no electricity, so the room is lit by candlelight at night, and sunshine throughout the day. Each room had a bed that was covered by a mosquito net, a swinging hammock, and beautiful doors that led out to a porch that overlooked the ocean. It seemed like magical place to take a break from the world.
In November the sun sets in Mexico at about 530, so by 6 or so the little resort is pitch black and a little spooky. We would go to bed pretty early as we had to wake up at 430 to shoot at sunrise, and by 9 o’clock it felt like midnight as it was so dark. Doub and I shared a hut, and on our second or third night, I woke up to a loud clicking noise. Outside of our mosquito tent, I could see something fluttering- (we slept with a candle burning) and I assumed it was a moth, and tried to go back to sleep. But the clicking continued and it seemed that the moth was insistent upon getting in our tent! I caught a glimpse of the thing in the candlelight…it was a bat! I woke Doub up and told her that there was a bat in the room, and she reassured me that we were safe in our little tent. She made me feel a little better, though I didn’t sleep well that night as the little bat was clicking all night long.
When we woke up in the morning, we realized what the bat had been doing all night long..on the table was a bunch of bananas that had been completely hollowed out and eaten!!! The little thing had a field day and demolished nearly all 3 bananas. We looked around the room, and realized the bat had pooped everywhere. Everywhere. Especially on top of our mosquito tent. There were little bat poop pellets all over the floor, table, and every other possible surface you can think of.
After that night, we were too creeped out to sleep in our hut anymore, so we slept with our hair and makeup artists, Monica and Deanna, on their little hammock bed. We didn’t even have a mosquito net! We didn’t care though, so long as we didn’t have to sleep in that bat-poop hut.
GIVE AWAY FUN:
Our art director picked up a few fun trickets while in Tulum, and she'd like to give them to YOU!
Just leave a comment with your answer to one of these two questions and we will pick one commenter by random. Make sure to include your email address!
Question #1: What animal would you NOT want to share a hut with?
OR
Question #2: What is your favorite thing about the beach?
Do you have a couple minutes? (Just a couple!) Do you like filling out surveys? Take our blog survey!
We came up with this survey to see what you think of the blog and of Free People, so that we can keep coming with what you like, and improve too! Needless to say, we are really anxious to see your survey responses because we really want to know your opinions! So please, if you have a moment, take our survey! We'd really appreciate it!
P.S. The cute picture of the kitty with the Atari (I like to think he's trying to take a survey,) is from here.
Today I bring you the second of our trio of Valentine's Day playlists: the Breaking Up Playlist! Sad as it is, the fact of the matter is that sometimes love stinks, and sometimes we dump or get dumped. So, we asked everyone at Free People to tell us their favorite breaking up songs, and have compiled them into this playlist for you! Don't miss our Falling in Love playlist from earlier this week, also!
Having trouble viewing the playlist? Click here to be whisked away to a page where you can view it!
I love the print on this tote! It reminds me a little bit of Elsita's papercuts, and it would be pretty cute for keeping valentine's too! Agree?
These cool projections have been popping up on the sides of buildings in Bristol, UK, thanks to the Watermarks Project.
From their website:
Sea levels are rising due to climate change… but how much could they rise and how quickly? And how could this affect the city of Bristol?
Watermarks is a public art project that will use a series of large-scale projections at sites across the centre of the city to explore these questions.
Interesting!
For a gallery of the projections, see the Watermarks Project's website.
Via It's Nice That.
Do you recognize the little boy and his red balloon? When I was a little girl I had this book, Le Ballon Rouge, and I loved it so much! It's the story of a little boy and his best friend, a red balloon. It has fabulous pictures, and the story is really cute and touching!
However, I did not realize it was also a movie! Not only is it a movie, (looks just like the book, must have been one shoot for both the book and movie) but you can see the movie on Google video! I doubt it will last, movies never stay up for free for long! So if you are interested, you should go check it out! You'll enjoy it!
Via Oh Joy!
This sideboard is so cool! You scratch words or drawings onto it, and it glows for you all night, displaying your creativity! By the next day it's faded and ready for your next artwork! I would stare at something like this all night...
Via good old CubeMe.
I'm really excited about this documentary called "Our City Dreams" about 5 female artists in New York. I won't pretend I can explain it better than this, so here is the description from the Film Forum site:
CHIARA CLEMENTE’S AFFECTING LOVE LETTER TO THE CITY STRINGS TOGETHER THE SELF-TOLD NARRATIVES OF FIVE WOMEN ARTISTS (ages 30 – 80), each of whom has a passion for making art inseparable from her devotion to New York. Swoon, the youngest, exhibits cut-outs directly on city walls and subways, and exudes idealism and energy while carrying a two by four the way some women would a briefcase. Cairoborn Ghada Amer mixes media — embroidering with painting — to confront sexual taboos that cross cultural boundaries. After experiencing The New York Dolls in San Francisco, Kiki Smith realized she needed the energy of the big city to create her wildly influential paintings and sculptures; Marina Abramovic, originally of Belgrade, is a performance art pioneer who often uses her own body as a canvas. And Nancy Spero returned from Paris with artist-husband Leon Golub in 1964, to meld art and activism during the Vietnam War and become, in her own words, “a woman warrior.” Ronnie Scheib in Variety writes that the film is “exquisitely crafted” and “ranks as a work of art itself.”
There's an exclusive clip on The Moment blog, and you might recognize one of the artists, Swoon, from a post on the free people blog a while back!
Hooray for Pattra! She made the absolutely adorable little shirt that Trixie is wearing below! You may remember Pattra from previous posts, as she is a grower of Shitake mushrooms, and a creator of things, like this cute ring, Free People wovens, and of course, awesome dog shirts! Thank you Pattra! You really made my day, and Trixie's day especially!
I frequent Elsa Mora's blog - I usually check it every day - so I already know that whenever she makes something, it's going to be gorgeous. Her papercuts are carefully indexed in her papercut blog, which is a good hour of browsing fun at least, and her drawings and sculptures are so talented and inspiring! She has a lot of heart. Still, I was just blown away when I checked in today and saw her latest set of pins. They are so tiny, and so textured and intricate, and just so darn cute- I love them!
See more of Elsita's fantastic artworks here and here, and you can visit her Etsy shop here!
I am obsessed with the Flickr set Plastic Life by Vincent Bousserez! There is just something so interesting about these photographs! They look half-real to me, like the little people are nearly alive. What do you think?
Thank you Yatzer, for showing me this set!
What do you think of these fabric feathers that Sian Keegan makes? I'm really digging them! I love that they are made of scraps and sewn on pages!
Via Penguin&Fish!
If you think these images are as cute and colorfully appealing as I do, be sure to check out Jinjerup! There you will find these images, and many other equally cuddly ones, available as free desktop wallpaper! Sweet!
Via Design is Mine.
I really enjoyed this music video by Friendly Fires for their song Skeleton Boy, which is going to be on their new album coming out in a few weeks. It's a happy little song and I love the snowy stuff floating all around and turning them into skeletons! There's a higher quality version on YouTube if you click through, also.
Via Black Eiffel.
How cute are these little puffy felt heart pins?! There's a tutorial on Purl Bee, and the step by step photos are just as pretty as the project itself. I want to make a million of them!
Remember the cute Jindo puppy that visited our office the other day? I just got a hold of these shots from when she visited the web studio that same day! She and Jenny posed together, and the pictures are so so cute! I had to share!
I can't believe Valentine's Day is in just a little more than a week! It seems like New Year's and the inauguration were so recently!
We have put together three different playlists for Valentine's Day, and today I bring you the first: the Falling in Love playlist! We asked everyone in the company to tell us their favorite falling in love songs, and here they are! Enjoy! And click here if you want to see it on Playlist.com!
You've met a lot of the Free People Girls here at the home office - well get ready to meet the Free People Guys! They are very sweet, and a bit camera-shy, but we managed to catch them just long enough to introduce them to you! Enjoy!
I know I already featured some very cool wallets earlier this week, but these cassette tape wallets were just too cool to pass up! It's such a smart idea, and the wallets are so visually appealing! Still, I can't help but think to myself, Are cassette tapes really so obsolete? Already? I still have so many cassettes from when I was a kid! Get ready for CD wallets, you know they'll come eventually!
At any rate, the wallets are totally rad. See this page at DesignBoom for more.
Via BoingBoing.
Nguyen La Chanh created this completely awesome bath mat with the hopes of finding "a new way of having your plants inside." It is definitely that, although I think the mat is a brilliant idea for a slightly different reason - I hate picking up a nasty wet bath mat up off the floor and setting it on the tub to dry. Yuck. But with a mat like this, I could just leave it on the floor and let the moss enjoy any water that falls. After all, the moss reportedly does not smell when damp, and feels pleasant on your feet. Not to mention that moss is super pretty. I want one!
Via the Telegraph.
Have you ever wondered where your Free People orders come from? Here a few pics from our distribution center in South Carolina.
This is the infamous tilt tray sorter, the 5th largest in the US!
Here we have Calvin, our DC supervisor
And Tracy, the QA and DC manager
And here is our lovely lobby!
It's time for our Thursday Poll!
Last week I asked which drapey top out of four that we are currently selling appealed to you the most. Your favorites were the Double Drape Tank, with 164 votes, and the Embroidered Floral Hoodie with 136 votes. Excellent choices- especially the Embroidered Hoodie I think, since I have one myself! ;)
This week, I am trying to get myself out of this wintry mood and into a more springy frame of mind. We recently started coming out with our beach line for this year, and I am obsessed! I have been perusing all of our bathing suits with interest as they come out, and of course I want to know which one is your favorite so far!
First, have a look at the Sandy Dot Cut-Out One Piece below.
Next up is the Full Fringe Bandeau Bikini.
Below, check out the Stardust Fringe One Piece!
Next is our Feather Frill Bandeau Bikini.
Finally, see our Rubix Cutaway One Piece below.
So what do you guys think? They're so cute, right?! Which one is your favorite?
P.S. Ever wanted to know more about our model Jenny (above), since you see her around so much? A few months ago we profiled her and made a fun video! See it here.
The West Virginia University has created this awesome online library of vintage Valentines! There are three categories: cards, 3-D cards, and postcards. The postcards are some of my favorite. You can even send one of the vintage Valentines via email from the website.
I love the hot air balloon the best! Do you have a favorite??
These beautiful ceramic boxes are part of a collection called Oohhh, by recent Central Saint Martins graduate Lok Ming Fung. The set itself is inspired by Russian dolls and Japanese Inro boxes, while the decorations are more barnacle/lichen inspired. They're all gorgeous. See the rest of the set here.
Via Yatzer.
These patterns are just so incredible! The first two are actual wall-hangings, the last is a sketch of ideas for wall-hangings. All are the work of Gunta Stölzl, a German textile artist from the early 20th century. She entered the famous Bauhaus School as a student in 1920, and ended up as a teacher there in 1928. Still, I'd never heard of her until today when I saw her on Now Voyager, who is also real impressed. If you are interested too, check out this website, it's got a detailed biography and quite a few pictures of her work.
Something about Gunta's designs reminds me a little bit of the Gee's Bend Quilts. What do you think?
This cute little gal is a Jindo Dog! She is visiting the office today with one of our employees - she is going to be a gift for the employee's dad! I don't want to say who of course, since I don't want to ruin the surprise! Boy don't you just wish she was a surprise for you!?
Needless to say, being as cute as she is, she is very popular, and has made the rounds all around the building. Last I saw her she was as in the last picture - tuckered out after all the fun!
What do you think of Jessica's new ring? I just love it! Pattra made it for her, and they are total buddies, as you can see from the picture!
Pattra tells me the little rhinestone for the ring is a button from a discarded blouse. She really liked the popping color of the elastic string, and she just felt the urge to make them into a ring! So she did! It's hand-sewn. Cute!
I want to live in this house! Built in Wales and extremely environmentally friendly, it was cheap too! Less than $10,000 to build - really! Check out the website for many interesting details about the house, as well as better pictures!
Via CubeMe!
You can bet this cool music video of Nico's I'm Not Sayin from 1965 made it on my YouTube favorites list! I love it! I bet you will too!
I just have a few random shots of your friends here at the home office today...
Kris takes a little break to chat animatedly!
Indiana Jones is alert and ready for action!
Heather carefully dyes some panties.
Trixie has decided that the new cool thing is to sit on top of her box, rather than inside of her box.
Hilary prepares a cool new store display in the workspace.
Meanwhile, in the web studio, our make-up artist Deanna is shocked by something one of our models tells her!
Katie carefully checks information at the web shoot...
I know I've mentioned the indie craft DIY documentary Handmade Nation. There has been a lot of buzz and some clips released, but the official screenings are finally happening!
In Milwaukee at Oriental Theater 2230 N Farwell Ave. on February 5th!
If you're near New York, the film debuts on February 12 at the Museum of Arts and Design.
Following the screening, Faythe Levine (the filmmaker!) will be joined in a post-film panel discussion about the indie craft movement by artist Mandy Greer, and Kate Bingaman-Burt, Handmade Nation typographer. The discussion will be moderated by essayist Callie Janoff.
There are some other screenings listed on the blog (including Canada and Spain) so check it out. I can't wait!
I really wanted to share this little video clip with you! It'll really brighten your day! It's just about the cutest thing ever! It's a little story about a man who adopted a little pet duck and now the duck goes to work with him every day! It is just too much! Enjoy!
Via Jezebel.
This lamp that doubles as an earring stand is so smart! You can buy one here, (they call it the Sofia Lamp) but I think you could easily make an earring lamp with a little drill or some other hole-poking device, and a lamp shade! I bet it would look so awesome with a ton of earrings on it...
Via CubeMe.
I adore this cake that Brooke over at Inchmark made for her daughter's birthday. It's so cute- the polka dots really make it! I wasn't really sure how she made the dots, but it turns out that they are edible! They're made of frosting, and happily, she tells how to make your own cake dots right here on Inchmark! This might just make me a tiny bit excited for my upcoming birthday...
Hint:
La Tennis Bensimon is the fashionable French girl's answer to the Converse. And we have them at Free People in 3 colors: Grey, Marine, and White.
A little about the history of this classic sneaker:
At the end of the World War II, Serge and Yves Bensimon’s grand-father started a business in importing American second hand clothes to France. In 1980, his two grandchildren decide to follow this tradition. Traveling through the world, they bring back uniforms and work clothes that they customize with a personal touch. Inspired by the military pieces and the travel, they designed the line that was immediately adopted by the fashion community and 25 years later became a “must have” in French women’s wardrobes.
Check out the Bensimon Midtop on freepeople.com!
What is your job here at FP?
assistant in soft woven
What is your current state of mind?
fast + furiously designing
Who are your heroes?
Tina Fey (I love nerdy gone chic) + Kathy Griffin (grade A trash talking)
If you could choose what to come back to life as, what would you be?
the Obama daughters new puppy
What or who is your greatest love?
Titus Welliver in Deadwood (my sexy 19th century cowboy)
Name one thing necessary to your happiness.
paycheck advances + eating out with girlfriends
What do you hate the most?
"Debbie Downers"
What would the name of your band be and what genre? What instrument do you play in this band?
name: trans-fatty
genre:poppy
role: fly girls w/ occasional cowbell
What color are you?
purple
What is your motto?
"ya never know" ;)
Wow! Now these are wallets for me! This is exactly what I need. These clever and very useful wallets cane be found at the Etsy store of treeswithknees.
I saw them on Happy Cavalier.
These pillows by Matt Jones crack me up! If I were to get a set I think I'd get the headphones/plugged ears ones, though the angel/devil ones are sweet too! Fun!
Via CubeMe!
Don't forget, there is only one day left to enter a little video clip in our Best or Worst Date Ever Video Contest!
What was the worst date you have ever had? How about the best? Tell us about it for a chance to win a Free People Valentine Goody Box, including some cute Free People intimates wear and many other treats!
Click here for all the information, and a video of Free People employees talking about their own dates!
