how-to: paperwhite potting

on friday another free people girl and i attended a ‘how-to’ session on potting paperwhites…it was really easy and they’re so pretty – it will be a great addition to brighten up my desk at work. they’re also a great decoration for your home. here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it yourself.

first pick out a pot or container to plant your bulb in – you can use pretty much any type of container, just make sure to allow about two inches underneath the bulb for the roots to grow. i used a pretty little glass one.

paperwhites can be planted in soil, water, stones, gravel or decorative materials like glass beads. i filled my container most of the way with stones and then a layer of cute little pinecones.

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place the bulb on top, pointed side up. i surrounded it with some moss to add some color.

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you can plant several in one pot, and they can be placed closely together. here are some other creations being made:

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fill with water, but don’t submerge the bulbs, just have them sit on top of it. make sure to water the plant enough to maintain the water level.

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store your paperwhite in a warm room (60-65 degrees) and if possible, set it by a south-facing window for best development of the leaves, stalk and buds. once the flowers bloom, move it to a cooler place with less light to prolong its life.

next…sit back and let it grow!

william eggleston

william eggleston is a memphis-born photographer who is credited by many for establishing color photography as a legitimate artistic medium.  the majority of his photographs were taken during the 70s…i’m really drawn to the color and composition.

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“this is beginning to be my new favorite kind of light. it brings out a spectrum that appeals to me, warmer colors that i don’t always notice at other times. it’s like when a thunderstorm moves through and the light changes swiftly from cold to warm.” -william eggleston

check out more of his work here.

party time, excellent!

good morning! i have lots of fun photos for you today from last nights 1920s themed holiday party here at the navy yard…it was a blast, and building 543 looked beautiful. here are some photos i got while they were setting up, followed by some taken at the party.

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stay tuned for a 1920s office style post!

music really can change the world.

when edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, who i’ve posted about a couple of times, released their album up from below this year, they held a release party to raise money to help the gulu widows group of uganda so that they could start a farm to sustain their community. this group of incredible women have been widowed, abducted and abused as a result of the continuing warfare in northern uganda, southern sudan and eastern congo.

to thank the band, the women sang part of their song “home” after the first harvest on the farm…watch:

“home” in gulu from Voice Project on Vimeo.

the song is particularly meaningful, as most of these women have lost husbands and children who had to fight in the war.

i posted the band’s version not too long ago, here.

Read more about the voice project, which supports these amazing women in their efforts to reunite families in northern Uganda and live in peace, here.

pass it on.

pickin’ out photos…

whenever the images are ready for an upcoming catalog, our team lines them up in the hallway for everyone to look at. we pick our favorite and mark it with a post it note, and this helps them decide which images to use and which one goes on the cover. it’s really fun…these photos are for our march catalog, and they look great!

thursday poll – edition 72

good morning…hope everyone’s day is off to a great start!
for last week’s thursday poll i asked about our touched converse. there were several to choose from, and the most votes went to the hand drawn floral converse!
we’re loving tunics right now and we have quite a few different styles, so this week i thought i’d ask, which tunic is your fave?

the burbank tunic:

the davenport beach tunic:
davenport beach tunic

the pacific surf tunic:
pacific surf tunic

or the sunshine coast tunic:
sunshine coast tunic

now vote!!