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:
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… :)
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.
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...
you can kinda tell from the picture above...our buildings are right on the delaware river, which is awesome. i like the water.
the roof is torn off right now and i thought it looked really cool with the sunlight coming in...
i also saw this sweet van :)
i'll be sure to keep you all posted on the progress of our new building!
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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...
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.
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:
sparkle, shine and be the life of the party in these sequin skirts, tops and accessories:
throw on a leather jacket with some lace layers and stylish shoes to go window shopping in the city:
add some sparkle to a simple dress with standout accessories that are the icing on the cake:
get dressed up and deck the halls in these romantic shift dresses:
be the epitome of fashionably late in these trend-right dresses and jumpers, fur accessories and shoes:
get noticed by that special someone under the mistletoe with these eye-catching items:
warm up in these coats, tights and boots for a winter evening sleigh ride:
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.
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 :)
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...
in fact, the blog oh joy posted about it on monday :)
click through the above image to see the entire catalog.
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.
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!!! :)
not so crafty? you can find these for sale on her etsy site.
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!
exciting news! we are doing a holiday craft swap! spread a little holiday cheer with a hand-crafted gift from the heart…it can be anything you want, and it doesn’t have to be specific to any holiday. you can make something with a wintery theme, cold weather accessories, something decorative for the home, or just something to make someone smile.
if you haven’t participated in one of our craft swaps before, here’s how it works:
sign up by friday november 27. to sign up, fill out the simple form here with your name, email, and mailing address. people outside the united states are welcome to join, but if you live in the u.s., you can indicate if you do not want to ship internationally. i will match you up with a partner and send you their email and shipping address.
you have until friday december 25 to make a gift and mail it to your partner. we have set up a group on flickr here where you can discuss your ideas and inspiration as you’re crafting, and upload pictures of your crafts when you make/receive them.
another employee here at the home office shared this recipe - her all time favorite, which is her mom’s banana bread recipe. it is affectionately titled “meeshie’s banana bread” (her name is michele, nicknamed meeshie).
meeshie's banana bread
1/2 cup soft butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4 medium bananas)
1 tbsp milk
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
in a large bowl cream butter, vanilla, and sugar until light and fluffy. beat in eggs. in a separate bowl mash together bananas and milk. in yet another bowl combine remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda). blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture alternately with the bananas.
for bread fill greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. bake on 350 for 1 hr 10 mins.
for muffins fill cupcake wrappers 2/3rds to 3/4ths the way up. bake on 350 for 18-22 mins. (makes about 24 muffins)
let cool ten minutes then turn out of pans and let cool completely.
jennilee marigomen is a photographer who lives and works in vancouver, and nature plays a large role in her work as well. she explains her approach to photography in her interview with booooooom: “i shoot spontaneously within a small time frame, so i would say that that my photographs are not calculated in a pre-determined sense. many of my photos are made through serendipity – i’ll find something interesting by chance, or i will end up with accidental and beautiful light leaks – happy accidents. however, i am drawn to interesting shapes, especially those that occur within nature, so i agree with being drawn to geometry. i like simplicity and isolation and frame the subject matter carefully so that there are the least amount of distractions as possible.”
i liked so many of her photographs i had a hard time choosing which ones to include…
read her full interview here and check out more of her work here.
yesterday i wrote about the booooooom art show taking place in vancouver…and i thought i’d share some more work by a couple of the participating artists that i really like, starting with erika somogyi...
you wouldn’t know it by looking at her work, but erika somogyi is a brooklyn-based artist. in an interview featured on boooooom she explains the inspiration behind the nature themes in her work: “sometimes i wish i were living in a log cabin in the mountains. i have spent time backpacking and sleeping outside. i love visiting the national parks. the natural imagery i use in my work comes from my travels, photos i have taken, photos i have borrowed, field studies and memories. one aspect of the work i have been making is the longing for a connection with nature. the lack of expansive wilderness here is a big part of that. in a way i feel transported by the paintings.”
"divining light"
"falling"
"walking watching waiting"
"questions and answers"
"violet"
i also like the quote she ends with:
“how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” - annie dillard
you can read the full interview here and check out more of her work here.
i'm not the only one celebrating a birthday this weekend...so is our portland store!
to celebrate they're having a party tomorrow, november 14, with refreshments, raffles, and more! they even made adorable gift bags, pictured above, that include handmade hair clips with peacock feathers and satchels made out of free people shopping bags! so cute.
anyone have exciting plans for the weekend? my birthday is on sunday and i get to celebrate by seeing edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros at first unitarian church in philly!
i love, love, love these photos of the band taken by autumn de wilde...
any vancouver readers out there? i wish i could go to this art show taking place tonight…it’s the first art show curated by the blog booooooom in collaboration with lifetime collective, and from the looks of it, they’ve done a great job getting some local and non-local artists whose work is pretty incredible.
take a look at this cute behind the scenes video from our november 2009 gift catalog shoot. this shoot and catalog are extra special because they feature our customers as our models! the girls in the catalog are from our open model casting that was held over the summer.
the song in the video is "hobo girl" by the fruit bats...if you haven't heard their latest album the ruminant band you should check it out...just sayin.
one of the awesome things we have at the free people is yoga! if you don’t do yoga…i highly recommend you try. it’s an amazing workout, and you feel incredible afterwards - body and mind. paige chapman, our in house yoga instructor, shared her experiences with me, including an amazing retreat in mozambique, africa. read on to learn more about paige and the style of yoga she teaches. she also teaches at yoga child on 9th & south in philly.
when did you start doing yoga?
"i started doing yoga in college when i was about 19. i was in the dance company at school and thought it would be a good way to compliment my dance training as well as keep me in shape during the summer."
why did you decide to be a yoga instructor?
"i fell in love with yoga immediately. since i started, it has brought me so much joy, peace, and an overall feeling of well being. after graduating college, i moved to NY where there was a very well respected teacher training that i could do on the weekends while working full time. it took me eight grueling months - eight intensive three day weekends a month with yoga classes and assignments in between. i joke that i never was more stressed out than during my yoga training, but it was by far one of the best decisions that i ever made. i didn't actually start teaching full time until i moved back to philadelphia about three years ago."
your classes are a blend of hatha and vinyasa…can you explain what that means?
"hatha is probably the most recognized style of yoga in america and is what was typically practiced as yoga started becoming popular here in the 60s. i like to think of it as a very classic form of yoga before we got into all kinds of crazy styles, the use of heat, etc. although still challenging, it's not overwhelming to beginning students and i like the fact that its slower pace allows for concentrating on form and body alignment - rather than just rushing through the poses which can often lead to injuries. vinyasa is more of a flow style, linking the asanas (poses) together with breath and quicker transitions. It gets the heart rate up and therefore brings more of a workout factor to the mat. i like teaching a combination of both so that you feel like you really got the body moving, but there is still the quality of being mindful about your practice. when all is said and done, yoga was created to ready the mind for meditation. i want my students to feel as rejuvenated, relaxed, and as peaceful as possible when they walk out of class."
i read that you recently taught a retreat in mozambique, africa…what was that like?
"the retreat in mozambique was absolutely incredible. a friend of mine whom i got certified to teach with in new york, married a south african, and set up a yoga studio in johannesburg (http://www.yogawarrior.co.za/). she invited me to teach the retreat with her at a magnificent eco resort on a completely undeveloped coastline in mozambique (http://www.pontamamoli.com/index.html). you sleep in wooden bungalows with monkeys jumping on your roof, swim with wild dolphins in the ocean, go whale watching, horse back ride, watch elephants in the distant reserve, and eat local organic food. the combination of the natural serenity of that location along with teaching yoga was quite an extraordinary experience."
what is your favorite place you’ve travelled to as a yoga instructor?
"africa was hands down the most fantastic and exotic place that I've traveled as a yoga teacher. it's going to be hard to top, but i'm going to try!"
what inspires you on a daily basis?
"that's such a good question for us all to answer. i would say being in nature (even if you're in the city - it could be watching the leaves change), kindness from friends and better yet - strangers, and doing what i love to do."
why do you think more people should incorporate yoga into their exercise routine?
"bottom line, it just makes you feel so good! our daily routines can be intensely stressful and sometimes we don't even know how much tension we walk around with. over time, it takes a toll. whether you're a beginner student that's really tight and stiff or an advanced student that can do all kinds of fancy poses, yoga brings the same benefits: it calms the mind, makes us conscious of our breath, eases tension, brings awareness to the way we hold the body when we're out in the world, and perhaps allows us to become more mindful - opening our hearts to what's happening in our lives just a little bit more."
thank you, paige! i don't know about you all, but i want to go on the africa retreat...it sounds unreal...
in a world where snail mail is used less and less… these handmade cards are lovely!
one of our many artistic employees shared her hobby of making her own cards for loved ones on special occasions. they are drawn and collaged by hand, adding a personal touch that is sure to put a smile on the recipient's face. i know if i opened up my mailbox and found a card like one of these it would make my day :)
she said she'll be making her own holiday cards as well, i can't wait to see those!
it's thursday...you know what that means...tomorrow is friday!!!
...and, it's time for another thursday poll :)
last week we asked about party dresses and got a whopping 741 votes! the winner is the on the fringe lace dress with 28%! the moonlight tiers dress was a close second with 23%.
this week...it is cold and rainy in philly so i thought it would be appropriate to ask which sweater you all want to cozy up in...
cold cave - death comes close
listening to this with my roommate, she asked me “is this electro?” and i said, “no, this is new wave” and then next song corrected myself – “well this is kind of electro”. truth is, i was wrong both times. cold cave sways between heady, bleached out melody and something more aggressive – it can’t easily be categorized. whatever bucket you put them in, they’re creating songs that deserve to challenge you.
julian casablancas - phrazes for the young
with such a distinctive voice it’s hard to listen to casablancas without making straight up comparisons to the good times that were the strokes albums, but phrazes for the young is a different beast. reviews for this album have been pretty acerbic, but when he’s good he’s very very good; “out of the blue” and “river of brakelights” are both beauties and once you let “glass” warm up you’re going to be happy you gave this the chance to grow on you.
bricolage – bricolage
there’s seems to be a pattern in scottish music which has veins part bitter and part raucous. this glaswegian band has created an album of poppy goodness that every once and a while bites back. i’m trying to avoid using sour patch kids as a reference...
the big pink – a history of love
with vocals that swoon and swell with shards of guitar and drums, this album is a sonic gem. by far one of my favorites of the year, a history of love lives up to its bravado.
patti smith - horses
horses doesn’t prove that smith has an exceptional voice or that she needs to work only with her own material. but it is her real, pure music at its core, and that is rock and roll.
perez prado - havana, 3a.m.
better known as the “mambo king”, prado leads his band in the perfect cuban mix of spanish and african rhythms. he finds himself with a better flow on this record than some of his others . the band is so tight, and yet when sections break way into solos they feel like an entirely different entity.
bonus: following the break up of the clash, paul simonon named his (short-lived) new band after this album!!
various artists - 41 original hits from the soundtrack of american graffiti
this is mostly a mix of rock and doo-wop hits from the late '50s and early '60s. george lucas and francis ford coppola spent almost all of the money allotted to music in the film on obtaining the rights to these songs. because of that the film doesn’t have a score - think of what that could have meant for some of their other, less known, films…
the national - alligator
very understated, yet feels a bit rambling. it is amazingly gloomy and catchy all at once. how can you not love a man with that deep baritone?
(side note from the blogger...this is one of my favorite albums...ever.)
and for your listening pleasure, here is a mixtape featuring songs from the above albums!
book club selection 1: on the road by jack kerouac
good morning everyone…i am so excited to announce about the launch of the book club! we have chosen on the road by jack kerouac as the first book featured in the free people book club! this is one of my favorite books of all time, and I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say about it.
since we’re new at this, we’re just going to learn as we go…if you look to the list of categories on the right you’ll see we’ve created one for the book club. you will still be able to see the posts on the main page, but if you ever want to see only book club posts, click there.
here’s how it’s going to work:
on the road is broken into three parts, so we’re going to give you all some time to read the first part and then we’ll start discussing! check back for a post - maybe in the form of a question, a highlight, not quite sure yet - on monday november 23 about part one of the book, and leave any comments you have in the comments section as you normally would. but make sure you don’t spoil the ending for anyone who might not be finished the book yet…
i recently came across the work of rachell sumpter, an artist who lives in tiny island, n. puget sound. some of her work is currently on display at the richard heller gallery in santa monica. what I love about these images is that the subject matter invokes fall, winter and coldness but the colors she uses are so cheerful and warm…perfect on a day like today.
finery, 2009
igloo, 2009
brothers in sport, 2009
jokulhlaup, 2009
ghosts, 2009
molten kin, 2009
other interesting facts about rachell…she is inspired by big, big trees, and living off the grid…she is reading born to kvetch, the orchard keeper, the lone ranger and tonto fistfight in heaven…and she is listening to beach house, bonnie "prince" billy, and bruce.
do you love animals? do you love yoga? do you live in philly? then you'll love this event...
this saturday, practice yoga studio and the monster minders present upward dog: a yoga benefit for paws. the event will take place in the beautiful sanctuary at fleisher art memorial (8th and catherine) at 4pm, with two full hours of yoga led by ellen greenberg, owner of practice yoga studio on fabric row.
this event is free but there is a suggested donation of $25 that will go to the philadelphia animal welfare society to aid in their efforts to save shelter animals.
what’s not to love about fall leaves? isn’t it sad how quickly the bright oranges, reds and yellows go away? check out this awesome DIY activity from creative kismet to make some pretty autumn leaves! i think they’d be great decorations at home, or even to spruce up your desk at work.
here’s a step by step tutorial on how to make them…
what you’ll need:
A brown paper bag
acrylic craft paints in assorted autumn colors (yellow, orange, green, red, brown, copper, gold)
paint brushes, sponges, old toothbrush
blow dryer (optional)
scissors
twine
1. take one brown paper grocery bag, tear it open into one flat piece. tear into 3-4 large pieces and crumple into a ball to give it lots of texture. flatten out.
2. prep paints by diluting with a bit of water
3. slop paint all over paper.
4. allow to dry. use a blow dryer to speed the process (optional).
5. lightly sponge on metallic gold and copper paint
6. spritz some diluted brown paint with a toothbrush to create speckles.
7. admire your pretty paper :)
8. when paper is completely dry, cut into leaf size squares and cut out leaves. if you are lucky to have sizzix machine with leaf shapes, that would be a really easy way to make leaves. If not, try stacking several squares together and cutting multiple leaves at the same time. another way to cut the leaves would be to use leaf shaped cookie cutters!
9. glue stems onto twine and hang your pretty garland on a window or around a door.
grizzly bear, one of my favorite bands right now, just released this awesome video for their song “ready, able” on friday. the video is directed by allison schulnik, a claymation artist that the band likes…if you dig this video, you may also enjoy her short film “hobo clown,” which also features the music of grizzly bear.
i have always loved album covers…i think they’re a very special form of art that tends to get lost in all the online sites that allow you to download music these days. having the actual album means something to me, and to a lot of people who still insist on buying them, and when my dad gives me his old record collection one day (i hope...!), a lot of the albums are going in frames and up on my wall.
so i think it’s really cool that next year, britain’s royal mail will launch a new series of stamps that celebrate ten classic british album covers. for the near-impossible task of selecting which ten to use, they did a series of polls and conferred with music editors, designers and writers. the stamps will have the unique shape seen in the images above, allowing for the vinyl disc poking out of the sleeve.
here’s the full list:
the clash – london calling
rolling stones – let it bleed
led zeppelin IV
david bowie – the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars
pink floyd – division bell
blur – parklife
primal scream – screamadelica
coldplay – a rush of blood to the head
mike oldfield – tubular bells
new order – power, corruption & lies
don’t be too shocked that no beatles albums made the cut…they have already been on stamps.
do you agree with the british choices? if they did this in the US…what classic album covers would you want to see on stamps?
i saw the monsters of folk last night at the academy of music in philly, and i was so impressed that i felt compelled to write about them today. MOF is a “supergroup” consisting of jim james (frontman of my morning jacket), m. ward, conor oberst and mike mogis (brighteyes), all of whom have had great success in their respective careers. so it seems odd then that they’d put their main projects on hold to record an album and tour together, but seeing them live makes it clear why, as they have amazing chemistry together on stage. they each bring something different to the table, and they feed off of each others talents to create a sound that is incredibly unique – sometimes folky, sometimes it rocks out, sometimes you’re not really sure what it is (“dear god”)…but it’s always good. what i also really enjoy is that they don’t lose their individuality, and seeing them live is almost like seeing several shows in one, as they play a mix of their new music along with my morning jacket, conor oberst and m. ward songs.
i highly recommend checking out their album, monsters of folk, which was released this fall, and seeing them if they play in a town near you! in the meantime, you can watch this video for the song "the right place."
thank you so much for all of your feedback on starting a book club! we're so glad you all like the idea, and you've given us so many suggestions to think about.
stay tuned for an announcement about the fp book club later this week!
did you know yesterday was book lover’s day? what better day to announce that we would like to start a free people book club! first, we want to know straight from our readers if that is something you guys would like to participate in, and we also want suggestions! have you read a great book lately? let us know…it might be the first book in the free people book club!
if you’re in the portland area this weekend, the 3rd annual siren nation women’s music and art festival is taking place through sunday. this year’s festival includes an art and craft sale showcasing women artisans from the northwest, an art show featuring local portland artists (female of course), a film festival featuring documentaries about four female pioneers in politics, performance, poetry and partisanship, and a music festival featuring an all female lineup.
siren nation's mission is to inspire and empower women of all ages to create their own art and to highlight the many achievements of women in the arts. the organization showcases and creates performance and exhibition opportunities for women throughout the year, and it is the only women’s collective that produces an annual festival showcasing the original work of women in music, film, performance and visual art.
one of my co-workers sent me this really cool video from the chanel spring/summer 2010 show during paris fashion week...they put a spy camera in the model's hair before her runway walk! it's really interesting to see from her perspective...
i love the one-of-a-kind patched bf jeans we just got in, but i love ‘em even more now that i know the story behind them. read on for merrie’s story about the inspiration behind these unique, one-of-a-kind jeans.
“we recently met a young woman from kutch, a desert area in the state of gujarat in india. she had a huge collection of tribal embroideries, which we bought to piece with delicate embroidered net from a market in Delhi and patch onto vintage denim.
we have always loved making clothes out of vintage pieces, cutting them up and adding bits of trims from another era, some tribal embroidery or some old denim. we had already created a small workshop in india where we make most of our store fixtures...embroidered hangers, cane stools, dressing room curtains, beaded chandeliers...etc. adding a few sewing machines to that set-up seemed the next step.
now we are able to find assorted fabrics in the markets, collect trims we love, and put them in the newest silhouettes for the stores within a month or so of the initial inspiration. the assorted fabrics keep that one-of-a-kind feel, while making several of the same silhouette allows us to keep the prices reasonable.
we'll send a photo of our happy workshop soon. on any given day, there might be: men sitting under the mango trees, hand weaving cane stools for the showroom in new york...tailors sewing prototypes for our next fp one season...wood carvers making doors for our newest fp store...pinwheel makers sitting in the grass making hundreds of paper pinwheels for our next display...anshu the gardener's son studying his abc's...it is quite a group effort!”
kayte terry, the crafty author behind the blog this is love forever, will be holding an appliqué workshop and book signing tomorrow at jimmystyle in philadelphia. the workshop takes place from noon to 1pm and participants get a hands-on demo with kayte and a kit with materials for three woodland animal-inspired felt ornaments like that cute owl above...then have her sign her new book appliqué your way!
for more info on the event and how to register for the workshop, click here.
one of the best things about the holidays are the twinkling lights that decorate streets and houses…seeing them brings back that childhood anticipation of holidays, parties and the end and beginning of another year. color and light played a big role in our new catalog, and we’re lighting up our stores as well! our display team just finished installing the in-store holiday displays and shared some of the images that inspired them…
and here are the results! love the walls of lights…
it's already time for the thursday poll again! last week's topic was rings, and the most votes went to the emerald wings ring, with 33%. this week we're starting to think about the upcoming holidays, and we want to know which party dress is on your wishlist...
in keeping with the photography theme of the day...did you ever have to make a pinhole camera at school when you were younger? i didn't, but i kind of wish i had. luckily someone at work showed me this site where you can download and print out a pdf of a cute little pinhole camera that you can make with just a few additional supplies.
plus, look how cool the photos can turn out...
to make your own pinhole camera, go to the website and download the pdf here!
i think i'm going to make one and decorate it to look very free people...if it turns out ok, i'll share on the blog :)
rene micheli is a philadelphia photographer who did some of the close-up, fairytale-like shots in our november catalog. I was looking at her website and I really love the dreamy style of some of her portraits.
free people is looking for an in-house hair/make-up artist to join our web team!
a candidate for this position should understand the free people aesthetic inside and out, and have creativity and technical skills to back them up. this person should have extensive experience in both hair and make-up for commercial and fashion photography. he or she should be able to produce fresh, innovative hair and make-up styles in a timely fashion. he or she should be experienced and prepared to groom one model daily for the FP.com and FPwholesale.com websites, and stand on set to ensure that the model looks her best in photographs throughout the day.
-have extensive knowledge of various hair/make-up tools/tricks of the trade
-should be able to stand on his/her feet for 8 hours.
-have experience working with all hair and skin types.
-be highly creative, keep a book of tears for inspiration.
-experience working in a studio setting.
-a hair and make-up kit will be provided.
-please come prepared with your portfolio.
if this sounds like you, please apply online here!
have you seen our new november catalog? it's so pretty and full of light...
the inspiration behind this catalog, with the holidays quickly approaching, was the play of light and color in the images. i like it because instead of feeling dark and cold like a lot of holiday stuff, it feels very warm and soft.
to get these cool effects they strung christmas lights in front of the camera...something i might have to try.
there once was an artist who really wanted to encourage the neighborhood to get to know each other. so, he decided to help them. he gathered all of the neighborhood doormats and brought them to a gallery. the neighbors were stumped by the mysterious thievery. then, each neighbor received an invitation to come and get their property. later, they arrived at the gallery and saw that their doormats were much prettier together than apart. they began to talk and get to know each other – at least i hope that is how it turned out for the sake of kevin harman, the artist behind the installation...
i'm home sick today :( ...but i made this playlist of songs that feel very november-ish (or have november in the title) and listening to it is making me feel a little bit better...hope you enjoy it!
i was in nyc this weekend and my friend/go-to for new music introduced me to lykke li. she exudes creativity and beauty. so far, "little bit" is my favorite song. hope you enjoy her as much as i do...
sometimes i'm amazed by the artistic abilities of the people who work here...this image was done by the very talented gal who was doing the blog before me.
