on the road: part one

did everyone finish reading part one of on the road? what did you think? i love part one of the book because it really captures the feelings of freedom and independence as sal (kerouac) crosses the country for the first time. i was lucky enough to be able to take a road trip in the spring of 2008, starting in philadelphia and ending up in san francisco, and it was one of the best things i’ve ever done. after my trip i re-read on the road and found that i had a whole new appreciation for the book. certain passages now had a much more personal meaning for me, such as the part in chapter three where he describes waking up in a hotel room in des moines…
“i woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when i didn’t know who i was – i was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel room i’d never seen, hearing the hiss of steam outside, and the creak of the old wood of the hotel, and footsteps upstairs, and all the sad sounds, and i looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn’t know who i was for about fifteen strange seconds. i wasn’t scared; i was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, and the life of a ghost. i was halfway across america, at the dividing line between the east of my youth and the west of my future, and maybe that’s why it happened right there and then, that strange red afternoon.”
share your thoughts on part one! was there a memorable quote for you?

employee gift picks!

for our online holiday boutique we did a really cute photo shoot featuring fp girls who work here at the home office and some of their favorite holiday gifts – here’s a look behind the scenes at the photo shoot, which also features our resident ladies man here at the office, fritz :)

the song is “coldest night of the year” by vashti bunyan.
to see all of the photos and gift picks, visit the website here.

score!

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:

AND, bread & butter collective will be there doing live screenprinting.
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… :)

employee profile

meet our store operations intern!

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.

vintage photographs

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 3×5 or 5×7. if you have any great ideas, i’m sure she’d love suggestions :)

wednes-diy

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.