thursday poll – edition 90

we have a really fun poll for you today! take a look at these five girls and vote for the one that you feel like you relate to the most:

girl number one:

girl number two:
two

girl number three:
three

girl number four:
four

girl number five:
five


we had a huge turnout for last week’s dress poll – 898 votes! the winner, with 35% was the casablanca dress.

shooting the morocco catalog

the morocco catalog was shot by photographer dan martensen – he also shot our february catalog – we love him. the team also worked with morocco-based producer fred fantun, who has worked on numerous fashion editorials, and his familiarity with the area saved our team on multiple occasions. one obstacle? the lack of cars- our team had to use three carts to carry all of their shooting equipment, but luckily their porter was awesome and had a huge smile on his face the entire time as he helped them maneuver the narrow streets and alleyways.   our team shot the catalog in several locations, including marrakech, essaouira, the house where they stayed and on the balcony of the villa maroc hotel. they did an amazing job and found some truly beautiful locations for this shoot…next time bring me along, please!?!

see more behind the scenes pics below!

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wood & wool stools

i first heard about these adorable custom-made stools on decor8, and i fell in love! the contrast of the recycled distressed wood and brightly colored crochet definitely reminds me of something i’d see in my grandparent’s house.  the best part is, you get to pick your colors and creator ingrid jansen will custom make your stool – so it is unique, personal and special.  in going through her flickr stream i found myself saving photo after photo as the inspiration was endless…

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wednes-diy

i’ve seen a lot of different DIY bookmark projects but this one really stuck out – i love the “X marks the spot” and although it appears to just be fabric it’s actually a pretty sturdy little bookmark so you’d be able to use it for a long time. kootoyoo has a full tutorial for how to make one – don’t be scared by the math in step 1, it’s not too bad!

what you need:
embroidery floss, scrap cardboard, calico, scissors, craft knife, needle, fadeout marker, adhesive backed magnetic tape.

step 1: cut a 13 cm (about 5 inches) square from scrap cardboard. cut a right angle triangle measuring 7.5cm x 7.5cm with a hypotenuse of 10.5cm.

step 2: cut your magnetic tape to fit and stick it to the triangles so that they come together neatly. set aside for later.

step 3: use the square template as a guide and cut out your calico. leave a seam allowance outside the template of approximately 1.5 cm (3/4 inch).

step 4: press your calico square around your cardboard template:

iron the corners as pictured above.

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iron each of the sides as pictured – this removes the bulk in the corners and will keep the folds nice and neat.

step 5: remove the cardboard template and fold the square in half to form a triangle:
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iron, fold in half again and iron.

mark

step 6: print this template and trace it or draw your own X – you can be creative and make your own symbol or even a quote!

unfold the pressed triangle and position it right side up. with your fade out marker, check your folds carefully and mark the “X” where you’d like it positioned on the face of the bookmark. make sure you mark your X in the left hand triangle of your square. keep in mind that the center seam will run parallel to the spine of the book.

step 7: stitch your X or whatever you’ve chosen!
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step 8: once you’re finished stitching, place your work face down on the ironing board as shown above and repress the folds.

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step 9: position your triangle shapes (magnet side down) inside the seams and fold in half.

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step 10: pin to secure.

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step 11: stitch along each of the short sides of your triangle.

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step 12: make the final fold and remove your pin. now stitch the short side closed to form your “cuff.”

voila! you’re done – now you can use this as you read the perks of being a wallflower for our book club :)

the perks of being a wallflower – part 2


“sam tapped her hand on the steering wheel. patrick held his hand outside the car and made air waves. and i just sat between them. after the song finished, i said something. “i feel infinite.”


“i walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. there were a lot of little kids there. i watched them flying. doing jumps and having races. and i thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. and all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. and they will all kiss someone someday. but for now, sledding is enough. i think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn’t.”

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“things change. and friends leave. and life doesn’t stop for anybody.”

It’s all about the Body Con

We are obsessed here @ home office with the body con,and also a little obbsessed with Alexa Chung. I’ve got all excited about styling tips for this very versatile little number.

I’m the type of girl who doesn’t like the look too ‘Ginger’ (Fp’s term for the Sexy girl) So I play down any item I have that might scream Wowzer! With quirky accessories and layering.

Rock Vintage T’s, playful jewelry and messy / dreaded hair are details that will tag along with my body con. However if I had a body like our models below… Sure I’d Rock out in one all day everyday!

The items above are:1. French Terry Dress 2.Scandalous Lace Tunic 3.East Meets West Tunic

coachella this weekend!

to get you all in the mood here are some beautiful images taken by hedi slimane at last year’s coachella festival. i’m used to seeing festival images in color, and i think seeing them in black and white really adds to the emotion and starkness of the images.

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book club post: the perks of being a wallflower

so i have finished reading the perks of being a wallflower and i must say that i am so glad we chose this book.  i had never read it before and i found it very moving and full of wisdom that is relevant not just to someone around the age of the narrator (a freshman in highschool) but to anyone of any age.  everyone can relate to the feelings of loneliness, sadness and longing that charlie experiences, and those emotions can occur at any age.  deep down, i think we are all searching for that moment of ultimate freedom and happiness- when you truly feel infinite.   throughout the week i’ll be posting inspirational quotes from the book along with images that it conjured up in my brain…please feel free to share your thoughts on the book in the comments section!

“it’s much easier not to know things sometimes.”

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“…it’s just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.”

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“we accept the love we think we deserve.”