dallas shaw

dallas shaw is a delaware-based artist who’s work ranges from acrylic and watercolor paintings to notecards and tee-shirts. she also happens to be a big fan of free people! dallas was kind enough to answer a couple of questions for me and picked out some illustrations that she feels are representative of free people.

when and why did you decide you wanted to be a professional artist?

oddly enough i knew i wanted to be in art in some way when i was very young. i wrote a letter to the head animator of walt disney world when i was in 6th grade and asked him for a job! i think i was a little too young, but i worked at it since grade school, kept drawing, majored in illustration… as i grew older i really began to love the fashion industry and wanted to work in fashion but the right opportunity hasn’t come up just yet so here i am!

i read that you’re inspired by fashion and music…what designers and musicians are your personal favorites?
i do listen to music when i paint but i am really heavily influenced by the fashion industry. my personal favorites change by season but i am currently crushing on collections by phillip lim, lanvin & peter som.

what do you like to do when you’re not drawing and painting?
i don’t have a lot of free time on my hands this year. if i do end up with a few extra hours during the week i try to make time to spend with my really supportive husband. if I’m not with him during those couple of hours you’ll find me shopping!

to see more of dallas’s awesome work, check out her website!

he-art & sole

on wednesday i took a little field trip over to city hall to check out the philadelphia mural arts program’s winter art exhibition, which featured the work of their very talented big picture and mural corps students. big picture students designed and painted sneakers and large-scale mixed media “treasure maps” representing their ideas on how to “be the change you wish to see in the world” (based on the gandhi quote). mural corps students explored notions of identity through self portraits. i spoke with some of the students and they were so proud to show of their work, which was available for sale to raise funds for the program…and they have every right to be proud- they are seriously talented!

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for more information about philadelphia’s mural arts program, visit their website.

evergreen…

what is your favorite holiday tradition?

i used to love going to the christmas tree farm when i was little…it was one of my favorite things about the holiday season.  i have vivid memories of riding around on the tractors and getting yelled at for jumping on and off the wagon while it was moving.

something you can do this weekend wherever you are…tomorrow just happens to be look for an evergreen day! so if you haven’t already done so, head on out to a tree farm where you can pick one out and cut it down yourself…

south street winter solstice

there’s a cool event going on this saturday on south street in philly.  the south street winter solstice celebration, hosted by philadelphia’s magic gardens, will start at 11am and last until 9pm with live entertainment, hands-on activities and discounted holiday shopping at participating shops up and down south street.  plus the theme is warm, tropical climates, with live latin music and dancing to help take your mind of the frigid temps!

click here for more info on the event and activites throughout the day, which include art workshops and free guided tours of the incredible magic gardens at 12 and 4.

what’s everyone up to this weekend (besides last minute christmas shopping!)? any fun events going on in your area?

thursday poll – edition 73

well well well…it’s thursday poll time!

last week i asked about our pretty floral tunics and it was a close vote but the winner was the burbank tunic, with 32% of the vote!  this week, with the holidays upon us, i wanna know which of the following items you would splurge on…or would most want someone else to splurge on for you!

a fashionable piece like the graham & spencer faux fur vest:

a pair of must-have shoes like the keira buckle boot:

a leather bag like the obi cross body bag:
obi cross body bag

a vintage statement necklace like the one-of-a-kind vintage cluster necklace:
one of a kind vintage cluster necklace

or a fabulous jacket like the leather bomber by giorgio brato:
Leather Bomber Jacket By Giorgio Brato

time to vote!

how-to: holiday makeup!

our makeup artist shows you how to create a gorgeous holiday look…featuring the lovely model renata.

if you want to try out this look, here are the products she used:

eyes: NARS silk road
– apply pale pink all over lid up to brow
– apply pink w/ gold flecks on lid
– to intensify the pigment, apply a face gloss (she used MAC gloss creme brilliance); aquafor will also do the trick.
lashes: maybelline colossal volume mascara

shimmer face powder: NARS hungry heart

cheek color: NARS orgasm powder blush

lip: NARS orgasm lip gloss

sneak peak: home sweet home!

i have a very special preview for you today of a new segment on the blog called home sweet home!  we thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse into the homes of some of our free people team members, and to kick things off we took a trip to the beautiful home of our managing director of design and image.  she’s a big part of the free people look so we’re thrilled that she let us in and we got to see a little bit of her personal style and what inspires her.   we also got to meet her adorable children!

here’s a sneak peak into her home, and stay tuned for the video… it’s coming soon!

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wednes-diy

good morning! i saw these homemade terrarium ornaments on design sponge and thought it was the coolest idea. they add some nature to your christmas tree, even though they’re actually fake (so you don’t have to worry about watering them), and as the blogger who made them suggests, they’d be a great decoration for the home after holiday season as well. read on for some instructions on how to make them!

what you’ll need:
– clear glass ornaments
– dried moss
– twine
– pencil
– q-tips
optional- twigs, fake butterflies, feathers etc…

1. tear off a small piece of moss and moisten slightly (this helps to keep the moss from crumbling a lot of dust inside).

2. with the eraser end of your pencil, gently push moss into the opening. repeat this a few times until you have a forest floor on the bottom of your ornament.

3. add any extras and poke with your pencil to style things as necessary.

4. bend a q-tip and clean any debris stuck to the inside walls of the ornament.

5. attach a piece of twine with a bow and hang!

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