slow down, you’re moving too fast

this weekend was such a beautiful escape from the manic pace of daily life – everything moves slower at the beach, in the best way.  waking up with coffee and a good book on the porch, strolling on the beach with water lapping at your toes, the rays of sun creeping over your skin, cooking on the grill, watching the sun sink into the horizon…there is nothing better, in my mind.

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did you all have a nice weekend? where is your favorite place in the world?

monday quote

“our individuality is all, all, that we have.  there are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life’s bittersweet route.”

– tom robbins, jitterbug perfume

Berry Smoothie

There are two kinds of people in this world: sweet and salty. I unfortunately, am one of those with a huge sweet tooth. I’m always trying to come up with healthy options that can still satisfy my craving. This berry smoothie is one of my favorites. It’s made with almond milk which gives it the perfect creaminess, and I also throw in a few mint leaves to make it refreshing. The best part? Almost anyone can eat it! It is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. =)

Ingredients:

-1 cup frozen strawberries

-1 cup frozen blueberries

-almond milk (approx 1 cup)

-1tbsp mint leaves

You will need either a blender or a hand blender (shown in this example)

Instructions:

Fill measuring cup with berries and mint leaves

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Fill with almond milk until just a few berries are poking out on top

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Hand blend (or blend) ingredients

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Once ingredients have a purplish/pink color you can pour it into a glass or bowl and eat with a spoon.

**now that you’ve made this recipe feel free to experiment with any fruit combination you’d like. I like to stick to frozen fruit because they give it a nice cold iciness!

powwow

one of the blogs i frequent for finding really cool photography and artwork is booooooom – and it was through that site that i heard about “powwow.” what is powwow? i think their description says it best:

The beauty of art is most commonly enjoyed during its final stage. All the blood, sweat and tears happen behind closed doors. However, that is where the real grandeur lies. The process. Imagine for a moment a gathering of internationally renowned artists in one place. A place that will allow them to do what they do best: be creative. We give them the tools, the space and the freedom to paint for one week. We make that process open to the public, allowing them full engagement and interaction between the artists and their audience. They witness the creativity in its entirety and become an essential part of the artists’ process. It’s about the breaking down of those closed doors and making art accessible. Seeing creativity happen from beginning to end and bringing people together through art. A POW WOW.

amazing idea, right? the most recent powwow took place in oahu, hawaii, and i wanted to share some of the inspiring photos that came out of it.

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images via we love campfires.

summer swing giveaway!!!

summer is right around the corner and to celebrate, we have a giveaway that you will want to use every day until the cold creeps back in – our display team has donated one of the incredible swings from our new summer install and one lucky reader will get to call it their own!

these swings are completely sturdy and usable, with wooden slats as a base and colorful netting to cover it with. as with many of our displays, our team drew inspiration from india, where our senior store designer spends half of each year. the netting, trimmed with beads, pompoms and tassels, is the same kind that is draped over the backs of camels in india.  the rope used to hang the chair is also the same kind as camel reins in india, and consists of colorful string carefully wrapped around thick rope. we used similar pieces on the camel in our august 2010 catalog shoot and the same netting was used on the horse in our march catalog shoot!

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camel in jodhpur, india

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left- august 2010 catalog; right – march 2010 catalog

i can just imagine this swing on the front porch of a house or hanging from the limbs of a tree in the backyard of one of our devoted readers… dreaming the summer days away, reading, listening to music and swinging gently in the summer air.

and not only are you getting one of the coolest store display pieces EVER, you also get something that is quite symbolic of the free people aesthetic. this swing is truly special!

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TO ENTER:

1. fill out the brief form located on our facebook page here.

2. at the bottom of the form, make sure you “like” us on facebook

3. come back to the blog and leave a comment on this post letting us know you’ve completed the steps!*

*the winner will be selected at random from the comments on this post – make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you!

the giveaway will remain open for one week- a winner will be selected wednesday june 1st.

the swing will come with all the pieces you need to hang it, as well as instructions.

good luck!

wednes-diy

i’ve got lots of great diy inspiration for you all today so lets get right to it!

one of our readers made this bike lock inspired by our dog leash DIY! i love the fabrics she used…this is a great way to jazz up your bike lock, just wrap different scraps of fabric around it!

another reader, autumn, sent this awesome project she made for her environmental perspectives class, in which they were required to create an interior or apparel item made entirely out of recycled materials.

she made an up-cycled outdoor chandelier using an old wire basket, recycled glass jars, various necklaces and chains found in her dresser, a coat hanger to hang it up and a little bit (or a lot) of creativity! she spray painted the wire basket to match the necklaces and coat hanger, used some wire to hang the jars from the necklaces, filled the jars with collected sand and seashells then topped it off with a votive candle…..perfect for an outdoor summer garden party!

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speaking of outdoor parties, i can’t get over these string chandeliers from the blog wednesday!

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the seem like they would be so much fun to make:

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check out the tutorial here.

and here’s a similar project from shannon south that uses lace doilies! beautiful.

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hmmm…which project to try first…

tunesday

time for another edition of “what are you listening to?”! this is my favorite way to get ideas on new music and good albums :)

vintage buyer
listening to: phish, getting ready for the show in bethel this weekend!
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admiring the village people’s “macho man” album cover :)
last purchase: godspell, at the punk rock flea market!

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(i had to include a photo of her awesome jacket)

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assistant merchandiser
listening to: mumford and sons pandora station
(and rocking the nightcap lace bellbottoms!)

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vintage intern
listening to: anything from “glee”!
last purchase: adele

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senior web merchandiser
listening to: “i can’t stop listening to bob seger’s ‘night moves’! it’s the perfect summer song- and CSNY.”
last purchase: a van morrison live double album on vinyl

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campaign specialist
listening to: wiz khalifa, “black and yellow”

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store ops intern
last purchase: mumford and sons, “sigh no more”

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left: visual merchandising coordinator
listening to/last purchase: thao & mirah, they just released an album and are playing in philly soon!

right: visual merchandising assistant
listening to: foster the people and langhorne slim

your turn readers! what are you listening to?? i need some new music :)

animal instincts

a new vintage loves vignette went up today! this one is called animal instincts and i think its pretty apparent why :)  i found a bunch of great vintage photos of ladies rocking the leopard print that i wanted to share, maybe they’ll provide some inspiration!

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i love this more modern vintage take- jeans and converse kicks go with everything! here are some of the vintage pieces we’re carrying that i have my eye on…

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shop animal instincts here.