Saturday DO

DO: go to bed an hour early and read.

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I have two problems: 1) I never seem to get enough sleep, and 2) I never have enough time to read as much as I’d like. Rather than continue letting this bother me, I’ve begun a little experiment. An hour earlier than I typically would, I force myself to get into bed. I’m usually not tired, but I get into bed anyways and pull out a book. Eventually from reading, my eyes begin to get droopy. As soon as this happens I roll over and go to sleep. Reading serves as a perfect way to let the tiredness set in, and it helps you feel more settled before bed.

I don’t get too much more sleep than I did before, only about 15-30min, but I think that’s the best I can shoot for with the way my life goes. The biggest success of this experiment has been the added reading time. I find reading to be one of life’s biggest pleasures. Fiction, non-fiction, fantasy…whatever it is – reading opens your eyes, and lets you experience things/people that you may never otherwise encounter. It’s a great thing to incorporate into your everyday routine.

I quite like the effects of my experiment so far. I’ve decided to keep up the efforts, and try to make it my new thing. You should all try it out sometime soon and see how it works for you. It’s a great way to wind down your day, and I think you will all enjoy the added one-on-one time with you, your book, and your bed.

Style File: Production Assistant

This week’s style file is for all of you Lou’s out there who find inspiration in menswear. Believe it or not, there are a decent amount of men working around this office, and their fashion is just as much fun to observe as the ladies.

Our (fairly new) production assistant is one of the sharp men making a statement here. He has an eye for good fashion with tailored pieces, luxe sweaters, and vintage details. I love that he’s not afraid to wear a patterned sock, and how sharp does he look in those men’s high-water pants??  You can pretty much bet he’ll have a button-up shirt on, but the range of color, pattern, and fabric combinations in the outfit as a whole steer it away from ever getting boring. There’s a true refined quality to the way he dresses that takes a good eye to pull off.

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Office Style: Shooze

This week’s office style is dedicated to every girl’s number one fetish – shoes. There’s no shortage of killer kicks around this office. Every day I’m in awe of all the amazing shoes that appear. Some are so unique you can’t help but stop and stare while others have a chic that is equally paralyzing. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sneaker, boot, or wedge, each pair is perfection. See some of today’s amazing shoes for yourself…

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The Free People Pretty Leopard Ankle Boot!

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Thursday Poll: Fall Trend Report

There are a lot of great trends going on for fall, and if you’ve been to the Free People homepage lately, you’ll have seen our wonderful Fall Trend Report. Personally, I’m feeling one part menswear, one part color blocking, and a bit of polka dot. Which trend are you all loving for fall?

70’s

Lady Lace

Maxi Dressing

MOD 22073

Menswear

2011_09_08 LOOKBOOK 21543

Mod

LONG SLEEVE PRINTED BODYCON RED COMBO 22055

Color Blocking

FP UTILITY JEAN W ZIPPERS ELECTRIC BLUE 21694

Polka Dot

LOOK 36385

[polldaddy poll=5525183]

Inspiration: The Space We Inhabit

I love this video by Ben Wu and David Usui of Lost & Found Films about the idea of home. John Coffer’s home is beautifully imperfect. I’d love to escape to his oasis for a bit and participate in one of his wet plate workshops.

It’s so interesting how the space we inhabit really becomes an extension of us. As we change our homes change with ourselves – reflecting pastimes, values, tastes…everything. It’s “like [your] own little kingdom that [your] the boss over,” in Coffer’s words.

The video is part of a miniseries titled “This Must Be the Place.” Check out the other video on their website here.

Superfood Watermelon Chia Fresca

One of our amazing readers, Julie Morris, is an employee for Navitas Naturals and just came out with her very own recipe book, Superfood Cuisine. She kindly sent me a copy of the recently published book, and I have to say, it’s amazing. The whole concept is cooking delicious cuisine with high-energy, nutrient-rich ingredients – superfoods. She defines superfoods as natural food with an exceptionally high nutrient density (nutrient:calories). They are ingredients that help to rejuvenate the body and keep the mind sharp. The funny thing is that most of these ingredients (mostly fruits, roots, seeds, plants, and berries) were discovered long ago by ancient cultures, but have since lost their popularity. The book is packed with info on superfoods. If you’re interested in learning more on why they’re so good to incorporate into your diet, I suggest picking up a copy.

I decided to recreate one of the many delicious looking recipes in Julie’s book for this week’s recipe. Watermelon Chia Fresca is made using the superfood chia seeds. These tiny seeds were originally used by the Aztec, Incas, and Mayans to increase stamina on a long journey. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber (1tbsp = ¼ daily fiber needs), and important minerals like calcium and iron. Another fun fact about Chia seeds is that they can absorb 9x their own weight in water which means that once in the stomach they will expand and increase your feeling of being full. Check out this delicious fresh beverage using the powerful superfood, and stay tuned next week for another of Julie’s recipes.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Water

2 Teaspoons of Chia Seeds

2 ½ Cups of Chopped Watermelon Flesh

1 ½ Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

Stevia or Agave Nectar to taste (I used Agave)

Directions:

Combine water and chia seeds. Stir.

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Place into the fridge for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, take out and stir. Then place back into the fridge for another 10 minutes. This allows the chia seeds to plump up.

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Place chia mixture and remaining ingredients into a blender and blend.

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Chill and then serve.

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Style File: Senior Sweaters Designer

Funky jewelry – check. Little black boots – check. Great floppy hat – check again…

Our senior designer for sweaters here at Free People has a modern day rock star style. She’s a master of textures, and knows how to rock a great sweater outfit (as she should).  Just by looking at her style you can tell she’s an expert.

Although you’ll often find her in sweaters which are soft and cozy, there’s a great grunge quality to the way she dresses.  She’ll mix in tattered pieces and vintage tees while piling on jewelry for that right amount of edge. I especially love the feather earrings that she often wears. Not only are they sweet pieces, but she will only wear one at a time, and it looks awesome.

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She has a great tattoo that says “feed the good” above a wolf. The words were inspired by a Native American folktale:

An old Cherokee told his grandson, ‘My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, & ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, & truth.’ The boy thought about it, and asked, ‘Grandfather, which wolf wins?’ The old man quietly replied, ‘The one you feed.’”

Such a good lesson for us all to remember!

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Office Style

Everyone showed up ready for work and looking good this week. Femme lace and preppy elements like classic stripes and trousers seemed to have a big role in how we were feeling. The classic touches were accented with funky bellbottoms and cheetah print punches throughout.  On top of it all there were some great maxi dresses and fun pops of lipstick. I have to say, this week in office style there was much for the eyes to enjoy. Check it out…

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Thursday Poll: High-Heeled Ankle Boots

I can’t help but notice all of the great new ankle boots we have up on the Free People site. I’m especially loving a bunch of the heeled/wedged styles. I think that my wardrobe could benefit from one or two pairs of the following. What do you all think? Any favorites?

Avila Ankle Boot

Darla Platform

Dustin Wedge Boot

destin wedge boot

Ponderosa Boot

ponderosa boot

Saffi Lace Bootsaffi lace boot

[polldaddy poll=”5506643″]

Homemade Tomato Sauce

As requested, a recipe for delicious, fresh, homemade tomato sauce.

If there’s one thing an Italian child is raised on, it’s tomatoes. Italians are obsessed with tomatoes. I’ve even seen it go as far as a dinner conversation centered around the different kinds of tomatoes and their individuals uses – for a whole hour! Anyways, their obsession led to tomato sauce, which is something I think many of us could not live without. They’ve perfected it into one of the world’s best comfort foods, and it’s also pretty easy to make. I’ve taken tips from various individuals and come up with my own personal recipe. There’s nothing like homemade tomato sauce, so enjoy :)

Ingredients:

1 – 28oz Can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 – 6oz Can of Tomato Paste

2 Extra Large Garlic Cloves (minced)

Approx 10 Basil Leaves (ripped into thirds)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

10 Cherry Tomatoes

½ Cup 2% Milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

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Directions:

Place olive oil, garlic, and half of your basil into a sauce pan to sauté

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Once your garlic is browned, lower the heat as low as it will go, add in tomato paste and whole peeled tomatoes (it’s important to lower the heat A LOT so that it doesn’t explode all over you when you pour in the peeled tomatoes). Sprinkle with oregano, add remaining basil, and stir.

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Turn the heat up to about a medium flame. Once it starts boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir every 5-10minutes.

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While the tomato sauce is thickening you’ll want to peel the skins off of your cherry tomatoes. After you’ve peeled them, quarter each one.

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Once the sauce is almost to the desired consistency, put water on to boil for your pasta. As you do this, add the cherry tomatoes into the mixture so they have about 5-10 minutes of simmer time. Once you’re ready to throw in the pasta, turn off the sauce’s burner, and slowly stir in milk. Let sit until pasta is ready.

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Drizzle over or mix into pasta.

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Getaway: Hong Kong

It’s tough to come up with an all-encompassing answer when people ask me how my trip to Hong Kong was. I jump to, “it was great,” because it definitely was – but it was also more…

The city has a lot to take in. Just walking around, your senses are overloaded with incoming sights and smells like you’ve never experienced before.

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Visually, it’s a city full of contradictions. The city is half built on an island and winding up a mountain full of lush greenery and wild animals. As you wander through its labyrinth-like pathways, your eyes take in the many skyscrapers (each a mind-bending architectural fete) juxtaposed against an abundant natural foreground.

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The people and setting are a mixture of old-world and new. Modern-day businessmen walk amongst temples and traditional street vendors while at every turn you are discovering something of British influence alongside the Chinese heritage.

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And the smells! Markets with strange foods waft new scents your way. Dried seafood, bubble tea, and strange grills line the street.

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I loved learning more about some of the traditional Chinese practices. One of which – ancient Chinese medicine – is very interesting. From what westerners who have sampled the remedies tell me, it really works!

I hunted down this neat place where they prepare you remedies using obscure ingredients. Once you are given the makings, you take them home and brew everything into a bitter tea-like concoction that you drink down for healing. It was amazing how busy they were doling out remedies for a crowd of clients.

In addition, I picked up some Tiger Balm which is found everywhere. I’ve fallen in love with the stuff. It works on anything from sore muscles to head-clearing for a stuffed up cold.

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Lastly, there was a lot of food sampling on my trip – some good, some bad, and some just okay.

Traditional Dim Sum was as I expected. I’m not a huge dumpling fan, but it was consumable. Sadly, the congee didn’t really fly with my palette. I wasn’t a fan of the texture and overall flavor. What I really fell in love with though, was hot pot and the century egg.

Not only is hot pot a fun sociable activity, but it also tastes great. I made my sesame dipping sauce extra spicy which left me in heaven, but, if you’re not into spicy, you can prepare it however you want and it still tastes great. For those that don’t know what Century eggs are, they are eggs that are buried underground for a supposed 100 years before they are dug up to be eaten. You have to have an open mind to consume these black eggs, but I swear – they taste amazing. Also, if it’s on the menu, order a milk iced tea to go along with your meal. It has a particular, creamy, tea flavor that is well worth the try.

On top of these suggestions, I also enjoyed the variety of noodle soups, munching on dried mango, and hydrating with a selection of great iced teas that comes in fun juice boxes. There are so many things to try! If you ever go, I suggest tasting anything you can stomach. It’s an entertaining eye-opening experience – and for those who like to cook, it’s always fun to expand your horizons.

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Office Style

It looks like the rain has people dressing a bit more casually this week. Today in office style we have some great laid back tees, close-toed shoes, high waters, and cozy sweaters or jackets. Where people decided to battle the elements and thrown on something more put together, we have great combinations of color and texture. Who would have thought to layer plaid over lace or to throw in and pop of blue with rusty orange and zebras? I love it all!

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The Sleeveless Printed Tie Buttondown

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The Dursoduro Maxi Cardigan

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