It took Wataru Itou, an art-student in Tokyo, four years to create this intricate paper castle! It's called Umi no Ue no Oshiro, or Castle on the Ocean, and aside from the pretty lights, it features a ferris wheel and a moving train! Absolutely amazing.
Via Tokyo Bling.
Aren't these embroideries pretty? I really really like them! I feel like I've never seen any needlework like that before! I would love to have a shirt or a dress with any of the above designs on it! They were all created by the talented Renilde Depeuter. Sweet!
Via ~O~.
These honbachi, or book pots, were created by graphic designers Tokyo Pistol. I really like how they look! I feel like it would be really easy to make one on your own with an old disheveled book, but one perk of buying one from Tokyo Pistol would that the old book you got would be in Japanese! Check out the bindings on the books stacked in the picture! Pretty sweet...
Via Spoon & Tamago.
I'm really excited to try out this tutorial from ThreadBanger- it shows how to knit your own bikini top! They go along very slowly and explain clearly what to do! The only thing is that there is a quick advertisement in the middle, but it's worth it because the tutorial is good. If you need a little basic knitting instruction first, check out our learn-to-knit videos here, here, and here!
These collages by Sarah Bridgland really caught my eye! To make them she uses all kinds of discarded paper, stationary, old books, newspapers, comics, you name it. The old staple boxes used for these particular pieces are really cool too!
Via Design*Sponge.
I love these book purses by Rebound Designs. Each purse is hand-made using a vintage hardback book and fabric. My only hang-up was, as an avid reader, I was a little bit sad to see the old books gutted to be purses. (Even though I want one!) However, Caitlin, the woman behind Rebound Designs, reports that most of the books she uses have already been damaged anyway. So hoorah! I'll take the Nancy Drew purse please! Check out Rebound Designs' Etsy shop here.
Earlier today, Debbie Schramer, the creator (along with her husband) of these delicate fairy houses, was kind enough to comment on one of my posts and leave her website! I am so glad she did, or else I may have never seen these lovely little creations! Aren't they so cool?! I wish I was tiny enough to live in one! They are amazingly detailed as well. I highly recommend going to her blog and clicking on the pictures she has posted there. They are huge, and do more justice to all the carefully created interiors! (She also has a lot of great photo inspiration on her blog!) I can only imagine the time and effort required to make these pretty homes! I love it!
Thanks for the heads-up Debbie!
You may remember a bit more than a week ago when these shorts appeared in one of the Office Style posts. They are vintage by Steel Jeans, and quite of a few of you asked about them - I really liked them too! As you can see above, Courtney, the owner of the shorts, lent them to me for a day so that I could look them over and prepare to make my own pair! I did, and it was super easy! Here's how I did it!
First I color-copied Courtney's shorts, so that I could have a real-sized pattern of the patches on the front. It also really helped to have a guide for placement! I have posted the pictures I used on Flickr so you can use them too! Click on the picture, then original size to get the whole huge picture! Print them out and you have the patterns too!
Next I went home and picked out a pair of shorts I wanted to alter, and some pretty fabric for the patches!
You might notice that my fabric is very wrinkly! I highly recommend ironing any fabric you use for this project, but I don't have an iron, so as for me, I just had to wing it! I folded the fabric I chose for the patches in half, and then drew an outline of one of the patterns on it. You could also use each pattern and draw each side separately.
My shorts are quite a bit bigger than Courtney's, so I drew my outline out a bit from the outline of the pattern to compensate.
Then I cut the patches out, and pinned them to the shorts! I used the color copy of Courtney's shorts as a guide.
Next, I sewed them down! I used a sewing machine for this part, but I think it would also be very easy to sew this by hand. With the sewing machine I had to be very careful not to sew down the pockets of my shorts!
Halfway finished!
Ta Da! Finished!
They turned out pretty good, right? I love them!
If any of you make shorts too, send us a picture of you wearing them at blog.freepeople@gmail.com! I would love to see how yours turn out!
This video from Petra Storrs is really fantastic! It's a little bit Alice in Wonderland, and much paper-craft! Check it out for yourself and see!
Don't miss this year's Art Star Craft Bazaar if you are in Philly this weekend! It starts at 11am and runs until 6pm, tomorrow and Sunday at Penn's Landing Great Plaza. Their site has directions if you need them!
There will be a ton of stuff to see and do (and eat) at the bazaar, which boasts over 100 artists this year! Of course there will also be plenty of live music - check out the schedule below!
Saturday Music Line-up
11am: Pairdown
12pm: The Josh Olmstead Band
1pm: The Documents
2pm: Gildon Works
3pm: Padre Pio
4pm: Toy Soldiers
5pm: Folklore
Sunday Music Line-up:
12pm: Perkasie
1pm: Photon Band
2pm: Like A Fox
3pm: North Lawrence Midnight Singers
4pm: The Mural & The Mint
5pm: Oh!Pears
Be sure to stop by if you need something awesome to do!
Art Star Craft Bazaar
Every Monday through Friday for 20 weeks, Ann Wood, of Ann Wood Handmade, made one horse, until she had 100! Each horse is made from cardboard and hand-painted, with cute button joints! Ann currently has the horses as decoration above her bed - don't you love them? I want to make my own, and conveniently, Ann put together a DIY tutorial for Design*Sponge! Check it out here - even if you don't want to make a horse it's pretty cool to see how she did it!
There's something really appealing about these yarn wrapped beads - I don't know if it's just that they are so whimsical and tiny, or the colors, or what! They're made by Maria Cavallero of Argentina, who has many more of these little charmers on her Etsy - take a look if you feel so inclined!
I saw these on Love Forever.
One of Design*Sponge's guest bloggers, (I can't figure out who,) made these adorable sheep crackers at home! Aren't they totally awesome?! She was kind enough to post a how-to as well, be sure to check it out!
Paige, of Paige+Modern, created this awesome portable picnic for your lunch! Isn't it so cute and clever! Paige made a guest post over on Design*Sponge that tells how to make one! I am so on it!
This clock is so awesome! Doe-C-Doe found it when she was thrift shopping for only $5! This is such an inspirational find - it occurs to me how easy it would be to make your own cross stitch clock! I have seen all sizes of clock fixtures at the craft shop for very cheap! It seems like it would be really fun to create your own cross stitch backing with numbers and decoration, and then attach the fixture for the hands!
I just adore these whimsical collages by Cafe Baudelaire, don't you? See more of her pretty and delicate collages here.
I've been really enjoying the clever images of Sarah Illenberger. She does lots of different work for companies like Vanity Fair, NY Times and Nike, all of which is original and fun like the stuff shown above! Check out her website for more fun stuff.
Via Love Forever.
These chunky felted bead necklaces are so cool! I love how they look, and you know they probably are fun to touch as well! Kleas made the ones shown above with her pre-school class, who then took the necklaces home to their mothers!
She put together some very nice how-to instructions for making the felted beads and the jewelry! It looks really easy and fun, check it out!
Twig & Thistle sewed this cute love letter to her husband. Isn't it totally adorable? It really brightened my day! I'll have to try my hand at letter sewing myself!
Via SwissMiss.
I love all these animal charms by Happy Owl Glassworks! There are so many different animals I could never pick one; they're all too good!
I can't believe you can get them as night lights, too - that is so awesome! Check out their site here.
Via My Love For You.
Ah! Almost too cute- Carina of Carina's Craft Blog made this little crochet holder for her lip balm! It's so pretty, and if you are the type that needs your lip balm always handy, really useful! Check out the tutorial she made here!
I love this awesome idea for a deer head decoration from doe-c-doe! She used the pattern from a vintage transfer (the middle picture) and embroidered the deer's features onto the fabric, then backed it with 1/2" foam core. Doesn't it look awesome?!
Be sure to check out doe-c-doe, it's good!
These blankets from Moxy Crochet are just so amazing and intricate! I think part of the appeal for me is the color combinations - too pretty!
I couldn't resist posting a few of these pictures from a little editorial in the April Jalouse Magazine! They are stitched representations of various designers by Olympia Le Tan - I wish her website were finished! I also wish these pictures had scanned a little better, because in the magazine they are just so cute!
I really like these cute little stools from All the Luck in the World, don't you? I especially like the cream colored ones! The crafty hand-embroidery really makes them!
Betty Joy found these!
Elsie Marley made these delicious looking carrot cake cookies using this recipe, which I am really excited to try! Apparently when Elsie made these cookies they got eaten right up, and no surprise - just looking at them is making my mouth water...
Craftzine found a really interesting article about how silk is made over on True Up. It's definitely worth checking out!
These spools of ribbon from Felt at Home are so awesome! It's such a beautiful way to send someone a message! You can get ribbons with poetry printed on them, or get your own things printed on them, like invitations or birth announcements! Imagine the love notes one could get! The wooden spools are vintage, and so are the buttons. No wonder they look so pretty! You can get yours at Felt at Home's shop.
Via Craftzine.
How cute are these little critters?! I love them! They are needle felted by Kit Lane of Minnesota. Be sure to check out her Flickr too!
Via the fabulous Penguin & Fish.
I am so inspired by this project Color Me Katie created! She and her boyfriend traced themselves in various positions on black paper, cut them out and taped them up around Brooklyn! Then they waited and photographed people passing by when they matched with the shadows. What fun! Check out her blog here!
I love this idea from Apartment Therapy - ribbons as curtains! It looks gorgeous, and you could think up infinite color combinations! I don't know why this never occurred to me!
This is some seriously impressive crochet work! I can't imagine how long it would take to create one of these. They're the work of artist Jo Hamilton, and if you live in or around Portland, you can go check them out in person! They are currently on display at Stumptown Downtown. If anyone goes, please tell me about them!
Via BettyJoy.
I know we've already looked at some animal sculptures today, but these are just so dear! Kyoko Okubo crafts these little figures from washi, a traditional Japanese paper. I can't believe they are made out of paper! You've gotta love the twig antlers too! See many more of Kyoko's cute creations here.
Via Booooooom!
Aren't these creations by Blaze Danielle amazing!? I just love them, they look so carefully and delicately done. I would love to have one of these pieces on a tee-shirt, even though I would have to be extra-careful with it! See more at Blaze Danielle's blog and Etsy.
Via Miss Jane.
I love this little project from Design*Sponge! With some Altoid (or other) tins and a few other supplies you can make one of these cute mini gardens! I think I will make the zen garden - a little sand to rake on my desk might be just the ticket! See the instructions for both here.
Though these dioramas are a bit less into realism than the ones by Thomas Doyle that we looked at last week, they are definitely just as cool! I love the creative use of random odds and ends in each little diorama. Aren't they cute? See more at creator Ethan Hayes-Chute's website.
Via Dear Ada.
I love this tutorial from Weekend Designer on how to make your own satin stole! It's such a gorgeous piece for spring and summer - great for dressing up an outfit, to go out dancing or to go to something fancy like a graduation! Try it for yourself here, it's a pretty simple pattern!
I'm not sure how many of you are into designing and making your own clothes, but I figured I'd bring your attention to this body form how-to video just in case. It's really cheap to make one, around 10 or 15 bucks it would seem, and amusingly, one of the supplies you'll need is a Christmas tree stand. Still, it looks like a pretty viable body form! Watch the video over here.
These stones with gold leaf decorations on them are so pretty! Poopscape Projects (unfortunate name I know) has a how-to for these little guys, and though I haven't tried it yet, it does look pretty simple. See it here.
Althea Crome knits things so tiny, you will hardly believe it even after you watch the video below.
Adding to her claim to fame is that she hand-knit all the little clothes that appeared in the movie Coraline. Awesome!
I love these heart, brain and lung doily drawings by Lisa Solomon. I had never seen her work before, and though I was initially attracted to her site for the organs, her other doily drawings are really cool too!
So pretty and delicate! Check out Lisa's site for more.
Via Poppytalk.
Thomas Doyle, the creator of these incredible dioramas, says in his artist statement that he feels work done in such small scale allows for the intimacy one might feel peering into a museum display case or dollhouse. I completely agree - and I think that is one thing that is so appealing about these pieces! It is quite like looking into a dollhouse for me, except rather than wanting to jump in and join the scene, I am worried for the little people in these dioramas - they seem like they are in peril! Still, amazing work, and you can check out Thomas' site to see more.
The girl who runs This is Love Forever just put a how-to on CraftStylish that shows how to make the springy centerpieces shown above! They are so adorable and chipper- I will definitely be trying my hand at this project! See it here!
Another clever use of obsolete music apparatus - record purses, by Chilean design student Natalia Pezoa! They look pretty cool! They would go very well with one of those cassette tape wallets, right?
I downloaded these awesome chick bookmarks from JinJurup, and I love them so much! I glued the printer paper to card-stock before I cut mine out, just to make them more sturdy. They are so cute! Get yours here, for free of course!
Via Folding Trees.
Okay, so there is no way I could have come up with a post for these two shots, but I just couldn't resist sharing them with you, so we have this random post!
First of all, this tax-form dress is awesome! Read more about the creator here.
That, and I'm in love with this little guy...
Isn't he sweet? Our graphic designer Kevin found this little cross-eyed Brussels Griffon on Flickr, with Keeping one eye on you as the caption. What a doll!!
You might remember the awesome electrical cords made to look like vines that I posted a while back - well these sweet beaded cords are another great option! The ones shown above are made by Nathalie Costes, and they've got me wondering how difficult it would be to make my own! And I've got to add, I love those big chunky beads! So awesome...
Ah! How badly do you want one of these relief prints by Bryan Nash Gill? Amazing - I agree with Swissmiss when she says she would like to have one decorating her home...
This video gets better and better! Paper art by Petra Storrs.
Found via Style Bubble
These gorgeous Easter eggs were decorated by Pam of Gingerbread Snowflakes. She hollowed the eggs first (tutorial for that here) and then used Mod-Podge to glue some flowers she had already dried onto the eggs. They sure do look beautiful!
See more of Pam's Easter decor ideas here.
Yum! This Butterless Almond Cake that Angry Chicken made the other day looks like the perfect breakfast. The recipe she used looks really easy too - almond paste, sugar, flour, eggs, and a pinch of salt - simple, and yummy! I can't wait to try it!
I simply couldn't resist mentioning the article on how to make a compost bin that was recently posted on Craftzine. Though composting is something you can get into any time, I feel like spring cleaning is a great time to start something like this! It's really easy too, and it seriously cuts down the amount of waste coming from your home, besides making all your trees and flowers happy! Plus who doesn't want to feed cute little worms?! Click here to learn to make your own!
I love this repair manifesto! I need to print it off and post it by my sewing machine...
Found on SwissMiss.
These special cracked colored eggs really caught my eye! I love them, they're so pretty! Barefoot Kitchen Witch has an easy how-to based on Chinese Tea Eggs, which are a relatively common street snack in China. Perfect for Easter!
Pictured above is the newest display in our lobby - which also happens to be the newest display in our stores! This display will be in all the Free People stores by next week, and we love it! Our Visual Display Team has been working hard for weeks to make all the pictures and accessories to go in each store, and we got Beth to show us some tips and tricks for making our own little displays! Check out the video below!
Thank you Beth!
I adore these collages by Linda Solovic - the colors, the printed papers, the shapes - they are so cute! You can see more collages here, and of course check out Linda's website as well!
Via Design Related.
Do you like these pretty lights? They're made from egg cartons! Apartment Therapy has some tips for making your own set. They would be perfect for an evening on the porch in the summertime, don't you think?
While I personally am not ready to drop 20$ for one of these little apple cozies, I do think they are a really cute and cool idea! No more bruises, I suppose. I love the leaf embellishment also!
Via The Trendy Girl.
I recently saw these cuddly crochet pals by GourmetAmigurumi and I can't get over the little details! I love their expressions and clothing and even their little eyes! Definitely check out GourmetAmigurumi's blog, as she posts lots of her work in progress which is cool to see, as well as patterns and tips!
I am so inspired by this beautiful crochet blanket from the ladies of The Purl Bee. I love the idea to just make one giant Granny Square as a blanket. The colors are gorgeous too! But the best part is that they have a really good tutorial for making Granny Squares! Now I just need to graduate to making giant Granny Squares.
One of our former design team employees, Michelle, recently dug up our Art Director Doub's glove project from many years ago, and posted it on her blog! You can see it above, it's pretty fabulous - I couldn't resist sharing it with you guys as well!
Here's a little note from Doub about where the inspiration for this project came from:
Well what became fascinating for me when I started the glove project was how elaborately detailed each pair of gloves were. And with each glove it's delicate little details really dictated each design. I had become obsessed with gloves and was scouring the city for them mainly for the strange need to cut one of the pair up into a silhouette. I still have such an appreciation for the amazing craftsmanship and design of gloves.
It really is a very inspiring project! And speaking of inspiration, our friend Michelle's blog is called Inspiration Resource, and aptly so! You should definitely check it out if you feel so inclined...
I seriously need a set of these crayon rings by Timothy Liles! How fun are these, for kids and adults alike?! If I wore them anywhere I'd probably draw on everything I walked by though... You can get yourself a set at The Future Perfect.
Via NotCot.
I really like this idea from Daily Danny to use stick pins as a wall decoration. I think the care taken in making the letters a good font shape really makes the decoration! It looks so cool!
Granted, some of us are less than keen to make a million holes in the wall... But, you could always use corkboard or something else as a base!
Via Apartment Therapy.
So I was browsing around Craftzine and I saw an awesome DIY for making zig-zag patches like the ones shown above! I love patches like that, and the DIY has a bunch of pictures; it seems really easy! Check it out!
One other thing, also on Craftzine, I saw the picture below:
It reminded me that everything looks better with googly eyes! I need to buy a little bag of them and go wild...
These are from a really nice photo how-to on Make Grow Gather. It looks really easy and cute! Check it out here!
Aren't these pin-pricked cereal box lights cool? What a great idea! They're by designer Anke Weiss. I love it!
Via Craftzine.
These silver rings come with one, two, or four Lego studs on the top - so you can put any Lego piece you want on them! I love it! If I had one I would definitely put the little Lego flowers on top, it looks so cute! These are by far the best Lego rings I've seen, and there are quite a few varieties out there.
Via CubeMe.
These collages by Anna Kunz may not be intentionally spring-y, but they sure do look wonderfully springtime to me! I love the colors she used, as did Dear Ada, where I saw the collages! She actually painted the papers first, then cut them up to make the collages. They're so appealing...
Believe it or not, Easter is already around the corner, and Retro Mama made these awesome little fabric Easter eggs! I love them! Even better, she posted a how-to make them on her blog - it looks like it will be really easy! Worth checking out if you want to make some cute Easter treats!
Via One Pretty Thing.
Pruitt mentioned a Bleach Black DIY yesterday, and of course we love Kristin and Val! So we are a little sad that we don't live in LA. The Bleach Black girls will be hosting a DIY session at Space 15 Twenty this Sunday! I hope someone gets some pictures!
If you go, make sure to stop by our We the Free store and say hello to the girls.
I'm loving these embroideries by Megan Whitmarsh! Aren't they awesome? See more on her site.
I'm really feeling these Matryoshka dolls by Irina Troitskaya. I've always loved Matryoshka dolls, and these ones are so cool and unique! All of her sets have a specific theme - for example, the top set is naturally white animals, another set is called the most popular animals from Russian fairytales. I love it! See more on Booooooom!
I saw these gorgeous map quilts by Leah Evans on Design Crisis, and I am really impressed with them! I love maps, I love quilting, it's a great combination! They sure look like they'd be difficult to make, though worth it! To see more of Leah's work, check out her site, and for more interesting quilts, see here, here, and here.
I love all these crafty ideas for printed paper! They really inspire me to go do something with all those old newspapers I have laying around...
First of all, how amazing is that name?!
Wool and the Gang is a group of knitters selling Crazy Sexy Wool from Peru and making clothing and accessories. They were just in New York during fashion week for an opening on Bond Street that attracted attention from lots of the celebrities in town for the shows like Erin Wasson, Mary Kate, and Peaches Geldof (You can see the party photos on their blog.)
There is much exploring to be done on their website for knitting projects, accessories, wool, and inspiration!
I would have never ever thought of using pop can tabs to make clothes, but Tiffany of The Art of Can Tabistry sure did! The corset made of can tabs is actually really cool! I'd totally wear it around, but I think I'd pick different colors for the yarn. Above is Tiffany's mother modeling a hat, corset, and shoes made of can tabs! Holy cow! I don't think I'll ever look at tabs the same way. There are a few tutorials on The Art of Can Tabistry too, so if you've got a bunch of pop can tabs laying around...
I'm really digging this idea from fra(a)iing! She used water, glitter, some small cute jars, some plastic animals and waterproof glue to make these snow globes! You could really go wild with this idea, and put sequins, little jewelry or all kinds of things in a snow globe! I love it!
Aren't these little knit sushi so cute and delicious-looking? I love them! You can get the pattern to knit some yourself from NeedleNoodles. Clever!
Via Black Eiffel.
I came across this awesome crochet rug by Little Circus on >O<, and I feel really taken with it! I love the total mishmash of all kinds of colors and shapes! It's great knit and crochet inspiration!
Photos are slowly trickling in from the Valentine's 2009 craft swap, and there are some truly creative and amazing crafts. I really love the stuffed bird from recylced fabrics! Check them all out in our flickr group, and leave some comment love for the crafters:)
I love this phone charger! Wires can get so tiresome and ugly - I love that MicroWorks turned the wire into a vine! However, they are not selling these chargers, but who cares? I'm going to make it a point to hit up my nearest craft store in the next few days, buy some fake flowers and leaves, and turn my phone charger into a beautiful flower vine! Easy! And pretty!
I saw these pin cushions on Penguin & Fish the other day, and I keep thinking about them! They are made by Lucy's Locket, out of sweaters! I especially like the turtle, it just seems so cleverly designed! Though the beaver is so so cute! There are a ton of other animals on Lucy's Locket, and I was amused and pleased to see that each pin cushion comes with the 3 beaded pins shown with them. :) Too dear!
First off, I wanted to thank all of you who have already filled out our blog survey! It has been so helpful to us, and if you haven't already taken the survey, please do! It's really quick and fun!
We have been paying close attention to your survey responses, which leads me to my next point - there is a new category in our sidebar! The how to/DIY category is a new place where we will be sure to tag all of our how-to and DIY posts, so that you can easily find them all, in one place! I have gone through and marked our previous how-to and DIY posts, so you will find them there, and from now on, you can look for our new how-to and DIY posts in there too!
Thank you so much for your readership and feedback! It means so much!
I love the print on this tote! It reminds me a little bit of Elsita's papercuts, and it would be pretty cute for keeping valentine's too! Agree?
Hooray for Pattra! She made the absolutely adorable little shirt that Trixie is wearing below! You may remember Pattra from previous posts, as she is a grower of Shitake mushrooms, and a creator of things, like this cute ring, Free People wovens, and of course, awesome dog shirts! Thank you Pattra! You really made my day, and Trixie's day especially!
I frequent Elsa Mora's blog - I usually check it every day - so I already know that whenever she makes something, it's going to be gorgeous. Her papercuts are carefully indexed in her papercut blog, which is a good hour of browsing fun at least, and her drawings and sculptures are so talented and inspiring! She has a lot of heart. Still, I was just blown away when I checked in today and saw her latest set of pins. They are so tiny, and so textured and intricate, and just so darn cute- I love them!
See more of Elsita's fantastic artworks here and here, and you can visit her Etsy shop here!
What do you think of these fabric feathers that Sian Keegan makes? I'm really digging them! I love that they are made of scraps and sewn on pages!
Via Penguin&Fish!
How cute are these little puffy felt heart pins?! There's a tutorial on Purl Bee, and the step by step photos are just as pretty as the project itself. I want to make a million of them!
I know I already featured some very cool wallets earlier this week, but these cassette tape wallets were just too cool to pass up! It's such a smart idea, and the wallets are so visually appealing! Still, I can't help but think to myself, Are cassette tapes really so obsolete? Already? I still have so many cassettes from when I was a kid! Get ready for CD wallets, you know they'll come eventually!
At any rate, the wallets are totally rad. See this page at DesignBoom for more.
Via BoingBoing.
What do you think of Jessica's new ring? I just love it! Pattra made it for her, and they are total buddies, as you can see from the picture!
Pattra tells me the little rhinestone for the ring is a button from a discarded blouse. She really liked the popping color of the elastic string, and she just felt the urge to make them into a ring! So she did! It's hand-sewn. Cute!
I know I've mentioned the indie craft DIY documentary Handmade Nation. There has been a lot of buzz and some clips released, but the official screenings are finally happening!
In Milwaukee at Oriental Theater 2230 N Farwell Ave. on February 5th!
If you're near New York, the film debuts on February 12 at the Museum of Arts and Design.
Following the screening, Faythe Levine (the filmmaker!) will be joined in a post-film panel discussion about the indie craft movement by artist Mandy Greer, and Kate Bingaman-Burt, Handmade Nation typographer. The discussion will be moderated by essayist Callie Janoff.
There are some other screenings listed on the blog (including Canada and Spain) so check it out. I can't wait!
This lamp that doubles as an earring stand is so smart! You can buy one here, (they call it the Sofia Lamp) but I think you could easily make an earring lamp with a little drill or some other hole-poking device, and a lamp shade! I bet it would look so awesome with a ton of earrings on it...
Via CubeMe.
Wow! Now these are wallets for me! This is exactly what I need. These clever and very useful wallets cane be found at the Etsy store of treeswithknees.
I saw them on Happy Cavalier.
How beautiful are the paper hats from the Chanel Couture show? Designed by Katsuyo Kamo who also did the hair and other flower ornaments. I love how most of them are white and then the black ones look more interesting against all of the white.
I guess these hats are no good for the rain.
photos via style.com
The talented Portuguese carpenter Carlos Alberto created the awesome wood Mota and wood Vespa shown above. Aren't they beautiful? I want one! His 'normal' carpenter work is also very impressive. See more pictures of all at his site.
Joetta Maue is making beautiful statements with vintage textiles and needlework. She also makes these encouraging banners (ok, some are not so encouraging) that are inspiring me to make a permanent banner to hang in my apartment!
Any suggestions on what my banner should say??
Check out Joetta's other artwork and her etsy shop. Found via Love Forever.
Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for our Valentine's Day Craft Swap! Sign up here and read this for all of the details. Happy crafting!
I can't imagine how much time it must take Stephanie Metz to felt wool into these amazing sculptures! The teddy bear skull at the bottom is part of an interesting set she did called Teddy Bear Natural History, which seriously looks like a museum exhibit!
Lately I've been feeling really inspired by the work of UK artist Jennifer Collier. Her favorite medium to work with is paper, and she makes all sorts of things with it, as you can see above. I needed the reminder of how many things you can do with paper! I especially love the hair clip at the top- it's so pretty and unique! I'm wondering where she finds all her neat vintage paper though- like the paper used for the tie - wow! You can see a whole online gallery of her work on her website. Check it out for more paper inspiration!
Nikki at our NY showroom got a million compliments on these jeans last week, to which she replied, "Thanks, I made them myself!"
Everyone was was so impressed and needed to know how, and I thought you might like to know too. Nikki used a pair of thrift store $10 jeans, but you can use any old jeans that fit you well. This is what else you need:
A cheese grater
Scissors
Bleach
Scrub brush
It's so simple here are the steps:
1. Pour some bleach where you desire to have to denim to be washed out looking (you will most likely have to pour it on several times to get the desiered wash and affect) Take the scrub brush and scrub the bleach into the thighs and the knees to make them more worn and lighter.
2. Lay them out in the sun to dry if you can
3. They'll look a little different once they're dry, so make sure denim is the desired wash. If not repeat steps 1 and 2
4. On dry denim take cheese grater and run up and down legs of the jeans… this will wear away the denim making them softer and more distressed looking!!
5. Take the scissor and use it to make holes in upper thighs, pockets and knees.
6. Repeat distressing with cheese grater and scissors until desired effect is reached!
Meet our featured Facebook friend - Myra!
We found Myra, (or rather, she found us) after she posted some amazing photos of her clothing designs on our Facebook page! She also wrote us a little note about how her designs and photo shoots are inspired by Free People! We could totally tell, and were very flattered!
Myra is from Chesterfield, Missouri, and is creating things all the time! She starts out her process by envisioning a story, which includes a specific model and setting, and goes from there. She has been designing ever since she received her first sewing machine in 2004! She will be attending school for fashion design starting this fall, and is currently planning a booth for her wares at a local art fair!
Myra was so sweet as to put together an awesome how-to for the camisole tank dress that she makes! You can see examples of how cute the dress looks when it's finished in the pictures above and below! We just love the details on this dress! I can't wait to make my own! Myra even shows us how to cinch the tank at the top! Click here for all the instructions on how to make the dress, with a ton more pictures too!
Just for fun, we asked Myra a few interview-type questions!
What is your current state of mind?
I am enthused about my future for the endless possibilities!
Do you have any pets?
I have a big black cat, named Big Boy
What inspires you?
Nature, vintage photos, vintage styles, and of course Free People!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Sewing, going to music stores, shopping for vintage clothing, eating at places I’ve never been to.
Do you have a favorite artist?
Erté a French designer and artist in the early 1900’s, and Mucha
Who are your favorite designers?
Free people, Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, and myself.
Who is your favorite celebrity inspiration?
Kate Moss, Sienna Miller
What did you want to be as a child?
I wanted to be an elementary teacher I thought it would be fun to create activities for kids to do.
What do you like best about where you live now?
My friends and family, and the inspiring mid-west countryside
What superpower would you most like to have?
Definitely to fly, I’ve had dreams of flying and it’s the craziest feeling to be above everything.
What is your favorite article of clothing that you own right now?
My collection of vintage plaid shirt’s, I can’t just pick one!
What is your motto?
Out of good comes good
And the mysterious fate
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing one of your beautiful designs with us Myra! I can't wait to work on my own camisole tank dress!
I'm LOVING how many fashion DIY projects are all over the web. I'm excited about this one from Park & Cube, showing you how to get the look of those Wang chained up cutoffs. Head over there to learn how it's done!
We had lots of requests for a Valentine Swap, so here it is! Sign up, I'll match you with a partner, you make your partner a Valentine gift, they make you one, and you both have a happy Valentine's Day.
Sign up is open for one week only, so spread the news to fellow crafty friends so we can get as many people involved in the week. Get your creative juices flowing and I'll send you your partner's info next week, and of course the craft will be "due" on (around) February 14th.
Here are some past Vday swap flickr groups for some ideas. Here and here.
I am just falling in love with Carbon Couture, especially with her crafty ways of creating fashion accessories! Shown above are some cool tassel earrings from the Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 collection, and below are the earrings she made to look just like them! I love it! See here on her blog to create your own with her easy instructions!
Also, a while ago, she made a how-to for this Dries Van Noten bracelet that is really great if you're in the mood!
Yay Carbon Couture!
So pretty, and so colorful! Don't you love these sparkleballs? It may be after the Holidays but I would still like to make one! Would you? Learn how here, and see more neat pictures here!
Ever since I saw these pin cushions on Bettyjoy, I have been desperate to get one! Aren't they so cool? They are made by Naori Priestly. I could probably make one, right? I just don't know that it would look as good as Naori's do!
I really love this idea for updating a plain old leather belt. This particular belt looks cool with the eyelet details. I like the way it looks when the leather splits.
Head over to Bleach Black for the details! (I also recommend reading the first comment on her entry:)
I am just loving these quilts by Quiltsrÿche! I love the colors, and I especially love the guitar, speaker, and skull on the alphabet quilt! I feel really inspired to keep working on my quilt! See more of her fun and kind of hard-core quilts here!
Barbara of Bobbi Clothes teaches you how to make a simple loom and a beautiful hand woven scarf or belt from scraps of fabric. I love how she connects the pieces of fabric and how hand touched the finished piece looks. It's also cool way to recycle your extra bits instead of trashing them.
And how inspiring does her studio look?
Check out Threadbanger for more crafty tutorials
Can you believe Brother's snazzy new sewing machine? The QuattroT 6000D features a HD screen where a bird's eye, zoomed-in view of the needle and its surroundings are displayed. It also has a LED light for the sewing platform. They haven't announced the price yet, (I bet it's crazy!) but you can check out a little more about the machine here on Brother's website. I never thought I'd see a personal sewing machine with a screen!
So, I wandered over to The Moldy Doily yesterday, and she had these incredible pieces up. Aren't they just insane? I can't even think what to say about them, other than that I just like them so much, and even though I bet a lot of you read The Moldy Doily anyway, (as you should,) I had to post these, just in case you didn't see them! They are the creations of Irregular Expressions, a family operation out of Istanbul! Aside from their Etsy, they have a ton of pictures on Flickr, definitely worth checking out!
Pruitt and I both did posts recently about different clothing label related art projects (here and here), and then I spotted this! These are custom designed Doc Martens by Fake London for the project Original Since1460.
Doc Martens asked designers across Great Britain and the world to customize boots. Some of them are completely wearable and awesome like the Chrome Hearts ones, and others are more artistic or fun, like the Barbie cars by Jason Kirk.
Found via Bleach Black
The Free People Art of Giving Winter craft swap is coming to a close. Some of the swappers have posted photos of their beautiful handmade gifts in our flickr group. They look so amazing!
Thanks to everyone that participated. I hope you all had fun:)
Check out the flickr group to see all of the gifts, and leave these crafters some comments if you love what they made. There should be more photos posting all week, so check back too.
Who would be interested in a Valentines swap??
Lately I have been working on making a quilt, (I'll be sure and post when it's finished!) and so when I saw this pillow on Familyman5k's photostream, it really caught my eye! It never would have occurred to me to collect and use labels to make a patchwork anything! Clever!
Here's the blurb that Familyman5k wrote to go with the picture: My mother made this patchwork quilt pillow from labels I saved for years from old clothes, mostly from me, some from my kids. I really love how it turned out and wanted to share this as it's such a creative and beautiful idea!
Remember to save those interesting labels from clothes before you throw them away. I feel that once people see something like this, many will want to save their labels and someday have one.
So true! I know I'll be saving my labels now!
I am sooo very inspired by this q & a with Kate Bingaman Burt over on My Love For You. Kate did the handlettering in Handmade Nation and writes the blog Obsessive Consumption. She DRAWS all of the things she buys, and draws all of her credit card statements.
You need to read the interview and check out her blog. It will change the way you think about shopping, consumption, and your general relationship with money. Oh and art and craft too:)
The new year is quickly approaching, and if you are like me, you are going to have a couple of defunct calendars on your hands soon! I'm always at a loss of what to do with them, since I usually like the pictures so much! This year however, I am looking forward to turning my old calendars into envelopes and notecards! Both Mara Rivet at Thrifty Fun and Kelli on There is No Place Like Home have really cute and easy tutorials on how to do it! Definitely check them out if you are looking for a fun way to reuse your calendars! You could use magazine tears too!
The cute old calendar picture above was found at this interesting site.
Chet and Dot makes these adorable little drink cozies out of old sweaters and such! I saw them on her blog, and can't help wondering to myself- gosh why didn't I think of that? I just love them! They can be found on her Etsy shop if you feel so inclined!
I really like this bracelet that was spotted on Dries Van Noten's Spring runway! It's so cute and festive - but even better is that Carbon Couture has created an awesome DIY version, with step-by-step instructions so it's really easy to make! See how cute their version is below - I kind of like it even better than the Dries Van Noten one! Click here to go to the instructions!
I'm really digging the work of Emma Ferguson. She's already pretty well known it seems, and has been featured in magazines and such - but I just saw her work for the first time on Design Dig and I'm loving it! Motherboards as the subject of embroidery rocks pretty hard! Her website has a kind of blog-esque format - I'll be checking it regularly for sure.
A lot of you have a little break next week, and maybe you want a fun holiday craft to do? I posted these a couple years ago and everyone loved them, so I thought I'd share again!
Our display team made these beaded trees with those styrofoam cones you can buy at the craft store, a bunch of beads, and straight pins. They are SO easy to make and look so pretty and festive. Dump out that bead box and start pinning!
I can see these looking really pretty in more specific colors too, like if you did one all white and sparkly, or used just a few colors instead of the rainbow.
These photos were taken at the Paper Boat gallery in Milwaukee as Lisa Congdon set up her show called Life in Wonder Mountain. The show opened on Friday, so if you're near Milwaukee check it out and let us know how amazing it is in person!
Found via my love for your is a stampede of horses
If you've ever seen Futurama then you'll recognize these cute little crochet figures as Dr. Zoidberg, the lovable lobster-like alien on the show. I saw them and went crazy - they are so so cute! The first one was created by ThatNanda of Craftster. She used a pattern for a Cthulhu from the book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden as the base, but edited it a little to make it more Zoidberg-like. Amber at Cthulhu & Cousins Crochet made the second one, based on ThatNanda's pattern, and then went on to create a crochet Nibbler too!
Wow! So cute!
Anna has been busy at the showroom preparing for the holiday. She's handsewing names on stockings for everyone in the NY office! Later they'll be filled with treats:)
Check out this entry for more of Anna's handtouches at the showroom
Need some web browsing for the weekend? Check out the December issue of N.E.E.T. magazine. What I love about this web zine is that even the ads are introducing me to new crafters and web sites and shops I've never seen before, and all the links are clickable. So, it leads to lots of exploration!
This coming Monday, December 8th through Wednesday, December 10th, Urban Outfitters Incorporated (that's us!) will be hosting a special holiday sale, featuring artwork, handmade crafts, jewelry, and all sorts of other goodies! The sale will showcase the work of numerous different artists and have something for everyone! It will definitely be worth checking out!
The sale will take place in Building 543 from 11am to 3pm each day, and while you're there you can stop and get lunch at Shop 543, which is where many of us get our lunch each day while we're at work! It has a really pretty view of the Delaware River too!
Below are a couple of pictures of work by artists who will have work in the sale! To see a list of more (but not all) of the artists who will have work in the sale, check out this page. It also has a map to help you get down to the Navy Yard!
For those who use an advent calendar during the holiday season, I sure thought this was a cute one! Brooke, author of the blog inchmark, made it out of felt for herself and family to use. I absolutely love that for each day there is a little ornament to hang on the buttons of the tree! It's such a fabulous idea! And a fun craft project too!
Everyone's favorite place to buy handmade goodies has been nominated by the World Economic Forum for a 2009 Technology Pioneer. Check out this video with Etsy founder Rob Kalin to learn a little more about the business he created and the dreams he has for the internet craft market.
read more on the etsy storque
I love this wreath! I feel like one could use it at any time of year and it would look appropriate! It's so colorful! It was created by Lindamade, and she has put up instructions on her blog so that we can make it too! I can't wait to try it!
Via Craftzine.
It's beginning to look a lot more like the holiday season here at the Home Office!
These awesome yarn trees appeared in Building 543 yesterday! They are a lot more tall than the photos suggest!
They are each a bit different from one another.
Santa has decided to keep one of his spare sleighs at Building 543 - an excellent sleigh-garage.
Here we have our friend Luren enjoying her lunch beside the goldfish pond.
Walking a little farther, we come to my favorite take on the yarn trees - a yarn tree dress! Wouldn't that be fun to wear?!
How cool are these knitted masks by 23 year old artist Stephan Golddrajch? They were on display at the Berlin Preview art fair, and spotted by a blogger on The Moment. Read the entry to hear their view on the "woolly territory between fashion and art."
I also think these are so appealing because the sweater quality makes me want to wear them, even though that would probably look a little scary. Maybe on the slopes. Anybody else loving the cardboard box display?
Jasmine, of our sweater design team, joins us again for another knitting lesson in this fun video! This week we learn how to do a purl stitch to go with our knit stitch, as well as how to cast off and finish our project! Check out Jasmine's first knitting lesson to see how to cast on and do a knit stitch! Get psyched for our next installment too, when we will learn how to make baubles on our knit projects for a more festive look!
I'm loving the gift tag tutorials from A Little Hut. My favorite is tutorial #2 fabric + paper. The contrast of the straight edge of the paper and the soft frayed edges of the fabric is really appealing. And I always need a reason to use up fabric scraps!
Check out all of the Little Hut tutorials (there are more gifty ones)
found via Crust Station
It's the day after Thanksgiving, and the holiday season has officially started! We are already getting excited, and our graphic designers have created a little holiday card for you to use! Click here to be taken to a page where you can download and print it! Once you print it, simply cut along the dotted lines, then fold it in half, and half again! Presto- cute little holiday card!
For anyone that signed up for the Art of Giving winter craft swap, you should have an email waiting in your inbox with your partner's info and the link for the flickr group. Please leave me a comment if your email is missing info (there was lots of fast copying and pasting, so I'm sure there are some mistakes) or comment if you did not receive an email.
Here is a list of people that signed up and did not leave their email address. Please leave a comment so I can give you a partner:
Karyn Frazer
Wendy Grupka
Zoe Phillips
Dattani Vidhi
Audrey Hamrah
Happy crafting!
I just love this! You can get your own at the Curiosity Shoppe.
found via No Excuse for Ugly
These little felt brooches are so adorable and carefully detailed! They were created by Kup Kup, whose Etsy store, Kup Kup Land, is filled with many more equally cute little somethings. I would love to pin a tiny collection of these treats on my jacket!
I saw this on Penguin & Fish blog!
Ever wanted to learn to knit, but found book instructions too difficult? Jasmine, of our sweater design team, teaches how to cast on and how to do the most basic knit stitch in this fun little video! All you need is some yarn and a couple of knitting needles, which you can get real cheap at any craft store, or Wal-Mart, Target, etc...
Look forward to our next episode too, when Jasmine will teach us how to purl and how to cast off! I can't wait to learn more stitches!
I love these ABC buttons by Plug & Play Design! Nine-holed buttons - have you guys seen anything like these anywhere else? What a great idea!
Via Smarts & Crafts.
This looks like so much fun! This wallpaper is perfect for those of us who are tempted to write and draw all over our walls, or who have children prone to do the same. It was created by Jon Burgerman, and can be bought from this store in the UK.
See some other cool wallpapers we've come across in our internet travels here, here, and here!
I saw this coloring wallpaper on Freshome.
I was introduced to Oh Joy!. The tree shapes are cut from toilet paper rolls and then mounted on dowels on the wall creating the forest and shadows.
Browsing the artist's site I found the Notice-Forest made with a McDonald's Happy Meal bag. At first I wasn't sure what I was looking at. I thought this was the inside of a room, and the McDonald's graphics were projected with light or something. But the photo is actually take INSIDE the bag, and the tree has been cut out from the top of the bag and stood up inside. It's amazing!
I love all these different kinds of tape! I was thinking about our post about decorated tape from the other day and did a little search for adhesive tape and found I love sticky tape! It's a blog which is, as you might imagine, devoted entirely to tape, and it has many cute and cool types of tape featured on it! I especially love the tinsel tape - it gets me in the mood for the holidays!
In response to our request to send us your favorite crafts, Free People girl Ariel from Lexington Kentucky sent us these really awesome Free People-wearing Sims that she created! It might not be a craft in the most classic sense, but we just loved them! I can pick out all the Free People items they are wearing too! Don't they look so cute! It makes me want to go play the Sims and build them a fun little house to live in!
This was such a cool idea Ariel! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Free People is hosting a winter craft swap called The Art of Giving! It's been a long time since our last swap, so I am super excited. Join us in handcrafting some amazing gifts for your fellow Free People friends and spread the winter cheer.
Here's how it works: You fill out the simple form with your name, email, and mailing address. People outside the United States are welcome to join, but if you live in the U.S., you can indicate if you do not want to ship internationally. I will match you up with a partner and send you their email and shipping address.
You'll have until New Years to make a gift and mail it to your partner. You can make anything you want. The wintery theme can be your inspiration. You can make something to keep warm, decorate your home, or simply make your partner smile.
Click here to join the swap. Sign up will end next Friday, November 21.
Check out some of our old flickr groups from previous swaps! Valentine 08, Dark Fairy, Travel, and Valentine 07.
I'm loving these patterned tapes from Present & Correct. They'd be awesome for gift wrapping! I'd like them with just plain brown butchers paper dressed up with the pretty tapes.
Check out these other printed tapes I had found awhile back, lace tapes and frame tape too.
Then of course there are the donunt tape dispensers!
Don't forget about our internet craft party! Do you love to create and craft? Do you have a favorite craft project? Is there something you've made that is so wonderful that you want to show us how? We would love to see it!
We're hoping that all the Free People girls out there will send us their favorite craft projects!
Send us your project with pictures (and step-by-step instructions if applicable) at blog.freepeople@gmail.com! Be sure to include your name, town, and website or blog if you've got one!
We will be trying our hand at the projects ourselves, as well as featuring some of them on the blog!
For inspiration, check out these revamped Altoid tins! I am so amazed at the clever things people have thought of to do with them!
Don't you love this tiny little letter? It's from the World's Smallest Postal Service, a one-woman letter transcribing service run by Lea Redmond. For a small fee, Lea takes your letter and writes it on a tiny teeny piece of paper, puts it in a tiny teeny envelope, closes it with a tiny teeny glob of wax, and even sends it to the recipient if you like! I just think the letter is so darn cute! I would really like to try and make one myself, but for now at least, I definitely don't have a small enough pen! :)
I saw this on ali loves curtis!
Happy election day everyone! Tomorrow when we wake up we'll have a new president! I am so excited and impatient to see what happens, but until then, these funny little finger puppets made by Mullish Muse are making me smile. They could play with the little Halloween bat finger puppet we had on the blog the other day...
At any rate, don't forget to get out and vote today!
I'm totally inspired by this tutorial on childhood flames for artfully shredding a t-shirt. Check out her blog for the step by step, or just checkout the video. It takes hours, but looks amazing!
I love these cute little mushroom stumps made by Small Stump. They are like mini-worlds to escape into! I want to be a tiny person that sits on the mushrooms...
"Bedecked, Bedazzled & Bejeweled: Costume Ornamentation at New York City Ballet" is a small online exhibition of some of the most beautiful ballet costumes.
There is a great article on the website to accompany the exhibit, and I really loved this bit about the maintenance and continuity of the costumes:
The expected life of a costume at NYCB is about 10 years, depending on wear and tear. Just as Karinska used to slip secret details into costumes that only the wearer would know about – a colorful bow, a strip of gold – so the NYCB Costume Shop continues the tradition. Hynes reports, “If we make a new frock, something we love to do is use some of the trim from the old costume and put it on the brand-new one. I tell the dancer that the diamond edging on your wrist is from Jacques d’Amboise’s jacket, that this flower is from Patty McBride’s costume. I love to find some little morsel to remember.”
Soto Softies provided step by step instructions for this adorable bat finger puppet! I love him! He'd be such a cute Halloween gift.
They even provided a PDF pattern. Check out the blog for more pictures.
Found via Indie Fixx. Check it for more Spooktacular Craftiness.
Heidi over on My Paper Crane made these amazing gingerbread skeleton cookies. They look so cute and delicious. The recipe is vegan and can be found on ChooseVeg.com.
Blog reader Alyssa covered this jewelry box with images she found in old Free People and Anthropologie catalogs. It's so pretty! Thanks for sharing, Alyssa!
If you have craft projects you'd like to share, check out this post, and email blog.freepeople@gmail.com.
Loving this candy corn soap from Smoky Mountain Scents on Etsy! Found it on Etsy's Halloween Gift Guide. Check it out for a lot more spooky handmade gifts!
I've posted one of Ann Wood's castles and a boat before, but this one was made for Halloween! Ann constructed this cardboard wonder for the window at the Lower East Side shop Johnson (you can see it in person until Halloween).
Check out her blog for some detail shots and to hear about the hidden ghosts and enchanted horse!
I really loved these ideas about the sculptural nature of crochet. Wunderkammer on SuperNaturale explores how crochet stitches are not unlike pixels in the way that they are individual elements making up the whole. The artist also points out how technical or organic a crochet can be.
I really love the "CURVE + DECREASE" specimen. That says it all for me!
So beautiful with the autumn leaves! This nest house was designed by Gerard Moline for Droog. The concept is that you can construct this shelter and use materials from the natural surroundings to complete it. Create your own experience that relates to how the animals are connected to their natural surroundings and gain a better appreciation of your own.
found via pan-dan
Do you love to create and craft? Do you have a favorite craft project? Is there something you've made that is so wonderful that you want to show us how? We would love to see it!
We're looking for all the Free People girls out there to send us their favorite craft projects!
Send us your project with pictures and step-by-step instructions at blog.freepeople@gmail.com! Be sure to include your name, town, and website or blog if you've got one!
We will be trying our hand at the projects ourselves, as well as sharing some of them with you on the blog! Think of it as an internet crafting party!
Check out the craft projects created by RubyEllen and NinkyBink if you need inspiration!
Many of you already know what a huge fan I am of Elsa Mora- her wonderful personality, and her artwork! I am a regular reader of her fabulous blog, so you can imagine my delight when she recently introduced her new, additional blog, which is all about paper-cutting! (One of her many skills.) On it, you can find many of her papercuts, all organized by category, as well as all kinds of information about the art of paper-cutting! Of course, as you can see above, my favorite part is browsing all of her paper-cut work... wow! So delicate!
I saw these on Kiosk, and I just love the seller/creator's description about them...
Clear lollis made in the traditional way with a candy mold, molds which are 100 years old; the maker has a collection of 300 of them. How fast your pour the lollis determines how clear they will be, clearness = perfection.
Colors: clear, red and green. The tradition was brought to America by German immigrants who historically produced them at Christmas, hanging the little ones in the tree.
We chose these forms to represent Massachusetts, the state we focused on for this first collection: windjammer boat = boat = the Mayflower, bear = black bears = the Berkshires, squirrel = the famous black squirrels of Westfield. Flavor = Sugar Beauty = 100%!
Haha! I love it! I want to see what molds they will pick for the rest of the states for sure!
If you want to possess these tasty suckers for yourself, visit their spot on Kiosk.
Lusitania makes the cutest little felt-wares! She was featured on Penguin & Fish so I had a look at her Etsy, and now of course I have quite the colorful felt wishlist - especially the little pins and the yellow coin purse at the top!
Many of you may recall these wonderful kitties made by friend of Free People Penguin & Fish! Besides making adorable kitties, she has a fabulous blog, which many of us here at Free People frequent every day! She features all kinds of great art, (including her own!) and more than a few of her posts have ended up being the inspiration for our posts! She has also been sweet enough to feature us on her blog from time to time. In other words, we just love Penguin & Fish!
Today when I returned from lunch I found on my desk a package addressed to me, with a really cute drawing of a kitty on it! You can bet I just tore right into it, and here's what I found inside:
OH MY GOSH! I am still delightfully shocked! My very own Penguin & Fish kitty! I love him so much! I have had my eye on these kitties for a long time, and I am just so grateful to get one as a surprise! It totally made my week! Month even!
The kitty is even more squishy, soft and huggable in person! My dog Trixie and I got together with our new friend for a little photo shoot:
Thank you so very very much Alyssa! This kitty is absolutely wonderful!
If you would like to give a home to one of these cuddly kitties yourself, have a look at Penguin & Fish's Etsy shop, where you can find kitties of all colors!
I love this idea for postcards! Traveling around a particular area? Get a map of the area, some thread, and stitch in the path of your travels. This would make great postcards, or something to stick in your own journal or scrapbook.
Image from Contor Design
Found via swissmiss
This jewelry, which I saw on Design Dig, is so fantastic! It was created by Rebecca Purecell, apparently for our sister-brand Anthropologie, though I can't seem to find the jewelry on their website right now. (Which is too bad, because I want that necklace at the top especially!) I love how Rebecca uses all kinds of random patches and charms and other sort of sewing-box stuff on the jewelry! She has a pretty cool little website, but watch out when you go to it because it will resize your browser window, which is kind of annoying. Maybe just open it in a new window altogether...
Anyway, love this jewelry!
I once worked for a while as a waitress at the 'fancy' Italian restaurant in my hometown. As with any serving job, there were many things to like and dislike about working there, but one thing I always really liked was our uniforms- black pants, white buttoned shirt, and a necktie. We looked good, and I found that I really enjoy wearing neckties. Neckties of any print or color were acceptable for our uniforms, and in time I amassed a pretty interesting collection!
Lately I have been thinking about my neckties, and aside from wanting to pull them out and wear them in the classic style, (I sometimes think a woman looks better in a necktie even than a man,) I have felt the urge to do something with them... what, I wasn't sure.
But today I am brimming with inspiration thanks to some great ideas found on the internet! People have found so many things to create using neckties!
This cute dress, made totally of neckties, was created by a student at Tampa Academy of Design & Technology.
RickRackRuby on Craftster made these fun little necktie daisy pins! You can find a tutorial on this page- it's down a few scrolls from the top.
I found this amazing quilt (and the cool dress!) on Artful Ties, which is a little blog all about sewing with ties! I bet a quilt made of ties would be so warm!
This skirt is so awesome! There are so many possibilities with a skirt like this too - color choices and length choices while making it, and ways to wear it when it's finished!
This cute little necktie bag has a tutorial on CraftBits!
These are just a few of the sewing with necktie ideas out there! I'm definitely inspired to do something with all those ties now!
I found many of these links thanks to this Metafilter post.
Erinzam makes these adorable little notebooks out of discarded library books and old card stock. Way to reuse and make something cute! I love them! See more here.
You in NY?? Check out Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. Here's some info from them:
"Williamsburg Fashion Weekend continues to show the work of designers that have their fingers on the hip and now, with a nod to the past and wide-open eyes on the future. In this, our third season, we've assembled a group of eight Brooklyn-based designers who make one-of-a-kind or small-run collections, with an emphasis on fair-trade, eco-friendliness, and artisan techniques that celebrate the handmade and the visionary."
Check out the website for location info and links to some of the participating designers.
These amazing crochet artworks were created by Emily Barletta. I love them and how organic they are! They look like coral to me! In her interview on My Love for You, Emily says she is inspired by internal biological functions, organs, blood, cells, etc... Check out her site for more pictures of her work- she has a cute blog too!
Via this great interview on My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses.
Anna works at the front desk in our wholesale showroom in New York. She takes care of all the details, and likes to add her own special handtouch to everything that she does.
When our wholesale buyers come in, we always offer them a beverage. Anna made these Free People labels to make the water bottles a little more special!
Need a fun craft project for this month that also helps the needy? Crafty Me Yarns, Elgar Richardson, and the Montgomery Hospital in Norristown, PA have gotten together to create a project called Knitting for Babies, which is working to provide warm winter clothes for underprivileged babies, from newborns to about 4 years old. Want to help? All you have to do is knit or crochet a baby item, such as a little hat, sweater, or booties, and send it to:
Knitting for Babies
Crafty Me Yarns
515 Maple St.
Conshohocken, PA 19428
If you have any questions, feel free to drop Anita at Crafty Me Yarns a line!
anita@craftymeyarns.com
This sewn up sewing machine is so incredible! Made by artist Danny Mansmith, who has a history and a personal connection with the sewing machine as a means to make his art.
You have to check out his website and read his thoughts about art, and the inspiration behind creating things with your own hands.
Danny says, "My favorite sweater was one my grandma made out of a towel and embroidered a D. on it."
Danny also says, "I love bad sewing. When you see something put together really roughly, you see—despite the individual’s apparent lack of skill and perfected technique—creativity."
found via penguin & fish
Meet our first ever featured blogger, Rubyellen!
Rubyellen writes a wonderful blog called Cakies, which we first stumbled across when she mentioned a Free People–inspired bag that she made! (We get an email showing all the sites that mention us each day.) We went crazy over all the amazing things she makes with her hands and her sewing machine! She is so creative! We knew she was just perfect to be our first featured Blogger!
Aside from agreeing to be interviewed, she also created a wonderful craft project to share with you! Click here to learn how to make an awesome bag inspired by Free People!
Where do you live?
My husband, our two kids, and I live in a suburb of Los Angeles, about one hour from main city of Los Angeles.
Where did you grow up?
I have always lived in southern California.
When did you start sewing and how did you learn?
I started sewing right after I gave birth to my first daughter, True. I wanted something a bit more funky and personal, and since I am a stay-home mom, I couldn’t afford to have a shopping habit, so I turned to sewing.
I learned to sew by taking lessons at a local Joann’s fabric store. It was nice because the teacher let me choose what I wanted to make, then she would show me how to make it! It taught me enough basic skills to figure out the rest of sewing. Then, when I bought my sewing machine, the shop where I bought it offered free sewing classes! That place really helped me learn more tricks of the trade.
What advice would you give to someone who’s never sewn before but would like to start?
Learn how to do a straight stitch and after that you can pretty much learn to do anything!!!
What other crafts do you enjoy?
The first medium of art that I loved was drawing, but I haven’t done that in so long! I also love to crochet, needle felting, and how I wish I could paint! I would also love to learn how to make pottery one day…
What or who inspires you?
My husband, Ben, and my two little girls, Brave and True, are my greatest source of inspiration, but sewing for my little girls is what started all this. Ben is my quality control guy, and he just tells me if something looks cool or not!
Okay, not just because this is Free People, but Free People and Anthropologie catalogs really inspire me too!!! I get so excited and can look at each page over and over again! If you look at my inspiration wall it is nothing but torn pages from the two catalogs.
Also, I have a list of favorite blogs that I often frequent, which include:Black Eiffel, The Black Apple, Sugar City Journal, Soulemama, and so many more! (You can see a link list on the sidebar of my blog.) There is so much talent and creativity out there that I think everyone is learning and growing from one another.
Flea markets are also inspiring. I love that people can take something old and used, but give it new life with a new purpose. It is the same with sewing, taking something outside of the box and making it work. A tablecloth could be used as a dress or bag, doilies could be sewn in for some detail, the possibilities are endless…
What are your favorite projects?
I have to say I enjoy making myself a new bag every season and sewing dresses for my girls (and for me). There are just so many different little things I like to make that it is hard to pick a few!
Where are your favorite places to find hidden treasures for projects?
I love perusing through Etsy because there are so many ideas there that will spark another idea for me.
What are your favorite websites?
I have too many to name! (You’ll see I’m not lying if you look at the favorite websites I list on my blog!)
Where are your favorite places to travel?
I would love to go back to London & Paris, but with two kids, who knows when we will be able to do so!
Being a busy mother, a wife, and working, how do you find the time to balance it all and still make such wonderful, creative stuff?
I have been very blessed that my little girls both still take two 2-hour naps, so that allows me about 4 hours a day of alone time. This is when I try to get as much craft and work time as possible.
Please tell us about your little girls!
My daughter True is 2 years old and is really bashful and playful. She has honestly loved shoes since before she was a year old (scary, I know)… always has been drawn to putting them on. She can sometimes be very opinionated about what she wants to wear.
Brave, my 1 year old little girl, eats anything in sight! She just started walking, so she is keeping me really busy of late.
Their names are very different, but we love them and that is all that matters! When we meet people, I can’t wait for them to ask what our girls’ names are because their reactions make me laugh. You can really tell who likes them and doesn’t by their reaction! True wasn’t named until the day she was born–we fought the whole 9 months! And with Brave, it was worse–she came home from the hospital without a name, and was finally named 4 days later! I am little nervous for when we have more kids because who knows what we will name them!
Tell us about your blog and your Etsy shop.
Cakies is the name of my blog and my Etsy shop because when my girls were each in my belly and nameless, since we couldn’t think a name, we called them both “babycakies” -hence, we have Cakies.
On my blog, I try to document all of the different crafting adventures that go on in our house and other parts of our lives. It is a fun little space and community to learn and grow from one another. In my Etsy shop, I mostly sell hand-crafted hair accessories for babies to adults, though I do plan on adding more items for adults! When True was a baby (I guess she still is), I couldn’t find anything cool to put in her hair, so I experimented and came up with these hair clips. I love them because they had dimension and were different from the bows and flowers you see on all the other little girls, plus they were the only hair accessories that got a thumbs up from Ben to put in their hair, otherwise, he would have them in Mohawks all the time!
Don’t forget to check out the fantastic craft project RubyEllen made for us! You will want to make this bag! And if that isn’t enough, Rubyellen has generously offered to give away the Free People-inspired bag she made! To win her gorgeous bag, (shown here) just go to Cakies and leave Rubyellen a comment on her post about Free People! Be sure to tell her your favorite crafting site, and which items you like best from her Etsy!
Thank you so very much Rubyellen!
Good luck everyone in the give away, and happy crafting!
Laura McCafferty makes me smile. The English artist creates these illustrations with a mix of fabrics and hand-stitching.
She has a great collection of work on her site, divided into catagories like travel, clothes/accessories, and ladies/hairdressing/market. Check out her web site!
Under the names Lizette Greco or grecolaborativo, the Greco family of southern California create these awesome stuffed animals! Using the drawings of their son and daughter, Mom and Dad create the plushies, representing the drawings as accurately as possible. It's a family collaboration! They make up little stories for each of the animals too! You can see everything they have made right here, and if you like something so much you want to have it for yourself, they also have a little shop!
I am crazy for these funky glass earrings made by OddGlass! Check out their Etsy shop if you feel so inclined...
You can see a much bigger version here.
This intricate cross stitch was created by RubyKhan, who got her inspiration from Craig Robinson's Minipop drawings on Flip Flop Flyin'.
Go here for a little guide telling who each person is on the sampler - I found Hugh Hefner and the Royal Tenenbaums on my own, but I needed a little help on some others! She also has a ton more awesome pictures!
So cool!
I noticed this in one of the glass display cases at our company's coffee shop. I have been thinking about it and ways for me to make one myself all day! Regular readers won't be surprised, since they know my affinity for maps and map-inspired things! Still, I am so impressed! Someone put so much work into this - they even stitched in quite a few of the countries! So great...
This book looks so beautiful! Deanne Cheuk illustrated this book called Mushroom Virus Girls: A Guide to the Identification and Study of Our Commoner Fungi with Special Emphasis on the Edible Varieties. You can see some of the amazing illustrations on Deanne's web site. The book is sold out on the site, but you can still buy it on Amazon.
The cover is supposedly the world’s first fully embroidered linen cloth cover. I would probably want to take the book apart and frame all the artwork!
Thanks to design for mankind for the link:)
These knitted light-bulbs are just achingly cute! Created by Disco Smurf, you can find the pattern to make your own here! (It's a .pdf)
I'm getting my knitting needles ready...
To my delight, last night there appeared this little camper in our lobby! It was created by our display team to go along with our current outdoorsy-themed trends. The frame is made out of bamboo, and they enlisted the help of a local girl out of West Philly to create it! The binding for the joints of the frame is made from old bicycle tires! Other than the frame, everything else on or in the camper is made from paper or cardboard! It's incredible, and totally adorable! It makes me want to climb right in.... :)
You've seen FP girls create awesome jewelry and some very cute picture frames using their Free People catalogs. Well now have a look at this incredible journal made by Rebecca from Sudbury, Massachusetts - using, of course, Free People catalogs! It looks so good!
Here's a little note from Rebecca too!
Well, I live in Sudbury Massachusetts. There isn't much to do around here so I spend most of my time drawing, painting or just doing something creative. My real passion is photography and my dream job would be a photographer for National Geographic - I want to see all the far corners of the world! I'm currently a senior in high school and I hope to go to Connecticut College next year.
Some things that I love: lying in grass, the smell of art rooms, karma, dreams, cranberry and grapefruit juice, city lights, planetariums and museums, the universe and the thought of how something can be infinitely big, the smell of the ocean, hands, first snows, and meaningful conversations...
Thank you so much for sharing your journal with us Rebecca! It is wonderful!
I'm sure you toss some cereal boxes in the recycling bin. And you've probably been stuck without a gift box for your friend's birthday and especially around the holidays. Head over to instructables to learn how to make a gift box from a cereal box! My only advice would be to dress it up a little more than what they've done in the photos. Paint it, get pretty ribbons, glue on some sequins, make it pretty!
This morning I wandered into the Display Team's room, and found them working on this sweet little project!
Turns out they are thinking of creating big rugs to hang on the walls in the stores. (Which would be awesome.)
So today they have been creating lots of little mini-rugs, to try out different techniques and see what looks best and allows for the most detail.
They are so cute! Next time I wander into that room, you can bet I'm going to be asking for rug-making lessons... ;)
I found a link to this in the archives of a blog last week (sorry, I can't remember where!) I loved the image above, the fabric books of an Italian manufacturer, Mantero.
The Herald Tribune featured the photo accompanying an article titled The Globalization of Fabric. Check it out to learn a little about the difference in the quality of cloth used by some of the brands you would find at your local shopping mall versus those used in the world of luxury fashion. The story also explains some of the countries that supply the luxury market, and the types of fabric they specialize in.
How incredible?! Jennifer Marsh was sick and tired of staring at this eyesore of an abandoned gas station and decided to take matters into her own hands. She brought together a group of international artists and U.S. school children to help her craft the covering for every inch of the old Citgo including the lights, the pumps, and the signs. Crochet, knit, patch, and stitch!
found on Wooster Collective
Feel like doing some quilting? Or maybe you'd like to make a bag for your yoga mat?? Amy Butler offers free pdf patterns for doing just that. Of course the samples are made up in her beautiful floral fabrics, but you can run wild with your own combinations of prints!
Find some pillow cases with pretty lace borders and make comfy dresses! MayaMade has a tutorial so you can learn how. She made hers for her nieces (who are sooo cute), but you could use a king size case, or just make a tunic to wear with cutoff shorts or jeans.
found via craftzine
I saw these adorable handmade books on cruststation. Made by the French writer/crafter Apol Lejano-Massebieau, these are her la pomme stories. Check out her etsy store. There's a great interview with her on Heart Handmade.
Above are some of her other crafts from the la pomme shop.
About a week ago, our friend Adrianne Lee of Ninkybink.com did a fabulous guest post for us, in which she taught us how to make a cute corset tank!
Well, this weekend I finally had a little bit of extra time, so I tried my hand at making a corset tank, Ninkybink style! Here's how it turned out! (Don't mind the red shirt underneath!)
I used an old t-shirt that had been dyed, and then spray painted with a lace and floral stencil. After I made the corset top I put some iron-on stars along a couple of the side seams for effect. I haven't had a chance to make the cute quirky brooches yet, but that's my next project!
I love my new shirt! I will definitely be using Adrianne's corset tank method again! It was easy and fun, and has pretty limitless possibilities. Thank you again Adrianne! This was awesome!
If you've made a shirt too, we'd love to see it! Send it to us at blog.freepeople@gmail.com!
You know you've thought about it, about leaving the office for you yarn, your glue gun, your sewing machine. These crafters have made a living for themselves doing just that, and are sharing their stories on Etsy's Stork in a series called Quilt Your Day Job. Find out how they did it!
Head on over to my love for you for a great interview with Fayth Levine, author of Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design. Learn about the makings of her book, a documentary, and how to help support the projects!
The picture above is one of Adrianne Lee's awesome fashion illustrations! She posted it on Free People's Facebook profile a while ago, and from there we found her website, NinkyBink Boutique! On her website we found a ton of other cool fashion illustrations, as well as some really cute clothes she has designed! One thing lead to another and we asked Adrianne if she would be willing to do a guest post here on our Free People blog - and she was! So today it is my delight to bring you Adrianne's awesome post, where she teaches us how to easily make a really cute corset tank! (With a lot of her great illustrations too!) Enjoy!
In less than two hours from now, you can have in your possession a corset worthy of envy from Marie Antoinette herself! This corset will defy the idea that corsets are uncomfortable (it’s made of a t-shirt!), it will be adorned with exquisitely quirky pieces of flare, and it will be made by the finest couturier, you! Don’t have a sewing machine? A needle and thread will be fine! I assure you, even if you have never sewn before, this project will be something you can handle with success!
Furthermore, this project was intentionally created to work as a coordinate with your Free People wardrobe! While it’s hot out you might pair it with a skirt and some fun leg wear and as it gets colder layer it with sweaters, jackets, and other tops! I drew a picture to give you a few ideas but I am sure you can come up with more.
This tutorial video will walk you through the steps! Good luck!
Here's a little scrapbook to go along with the project!
I love this! I can't wait to make my very own corset tank! Maybe tomorrow... on a relaxing Sunday? Thank you so much to Adrianne Lee! What an awesome craft project!
Also, if you find yourself wanting a corset tank very badly but not wanting to do the work, you can find other gorgeous tanks at Adrianne's Etsy Shop!
I saw these cool books on PingMag. I think what makes them for adults is that the pictures are more detailed, and the pictures are real pretty and pleasing! It is nice to be reminded that coloring is for everyone, not just kids! I feel inspired to color now! If I can't get my hands on one of these though, I think a children's coloring book might just suit me fine too... :)
These pictures are from Ian’s Shoelace Site, where you can learn how to lace your shoelaces in each of these different ways! I am so inspired!
I'm loving these vintage collages by artist Valerie Thai. See them all along with her stationary, woodburnings and accessories on her etsy shop, Cabin + Cub Design.
found via print & pattern
Elena Corchero is a designer working with technology and incorporating traditional craft techniques, combining solar technology and textiles. Here are some of her beautiful accessories, that collect energy during the day, and become luminescent decorations in the dark. I love that these are completely beautiful on their own, and their function and technology do not define the design. Check out the lost values projects for more information.
Found via Crust Station
Check out the new crafting community getting together at CraftStylish. Learn some new skills with the crafty tutorial and get inspired by the work of featured crafters, like these embroidery hoop bulletin boards called hoop.dee.doo.
There are tons of great projects on CraftStylish, some of your favorite bloggers are contributing, and I'm sure you'll discover some new ones too!
Head on over to Poppy Talk and read the week's worth of guest postings from Cartolina Cards designer Fiona Richards. Fiona takes us on a blogging journey of her small artist community of Nelson BC. I loved seeing all of the beautiful scenery, buildings, art, craft and businesses flourishing in the remote town.
I'm sure you've seen all of Ann Wood's pretty handmade birdies, but check out this cardboard castle she constructed for an ad job! And I'm loving her ships too! Check out her blog and leave her some love.
These photos are so beautiful I can't even stand it! From a Japanese fashion label called writtenafterwards. Can you believe the last photo is the original piece of lace used to make the globe??
found via labour of heart
Nea makes these "wall wear" cross stitch embroidery decorations, and has transformed the idea into a necklace as well! I love the metal details mixed in with the threads! Check out the nea etsy shop and the creativadoration blog for more info. (The blog is half in French and half English, but you can always enjoy the pictures!)
Found via crust station
Aren't these frames so cool? Recently we got an email from Free People girl Chelsea Wilcox, who asked us if we might like to see some picture frames she made out of Free People catalogs. We did, and we loved them so much, we wanted to share them with you!
Here's a little note from Chelsea, who is pictured on the right in the top two photos:
"I'm 18 years old and an avid lover of Free People clothes! I recently made a bunch of frames decorated with snippets from the two most recent Free People magazines. I just cut out all the designs I liked into squares and rectangles from clothes and patterns that were within the magazine. Then I placed the cut-outs on a photo matte-board that had been cut to place a picture inside. You don't really have to use a matte-board, a hard piece of cardboard would work as well. And, you do not have to have the matte-board pre-cut, you could also glue your photo in the center and work around it--but having it pre-cut makes the photo a lot more evenly placed!"
I think this is such a cool idea. Thank you for sharing Chelsea!
Check out this older post for another cool way to craft with Free People catalogs!
I hate going to the grocery store and putting my tomatoes in one plastic bag, avocado in another, and broccoli in yet another. I need to start bringing some reusable produce bags! You can buy the one pictured from lima bean home on etsy, make your own, or even use your Free People muslin shopping bags.
These cool scenes are from Terrain's first store! Terrain is a sister brand of Free People, as they are both affiliated with Urban Outfitters Inc.
Terrain features a lot of the things a garden nursery would feature, like an array of plants, flowers and trees, and landscaping services. It also has some stunning and eclectic furniture and decorations for the home. Besides all that you can find some really incredible skincare products and even books at Terrain!
The store is located in Glen Mills, PA, a town outside of Philadelphia. This weekend they are having a fun container gardening event, on Saturday at 10am and again at 2pm! Check them out if you are in the area!
Yesterday we did an employee profile on Sara, our Web Production Assistant, and found out that one of her hobbies is cooking! So today, Sara has shared with us one of her favorite recipes, which aside from being easy to try on your own, is sure to hit the spot if you like chicken!
Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme
You Will Need:
1 Roasting Chicken (5-6 lbs)
Salt
Black Pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme (some for inside the chicken, some will get tossed with the veggies)
1 lemon (cut in half)
A few cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons of butter (melted)
Olive Oil
Vegetables - 1 large yellow onion, 1 bulb of fennel cut into wedges, 4 carrots cut into 2 inch pieces
You can also add various veggies to your taste! Some suggestions include squash, zucchini, broccoli - any veggies you like, as they will all roast in the bottom of the pan.
To Begin:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets.
Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry.
Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
Stuff the chicken with a bunch of thyme, the lemon cut in half, and all the chopped garlic.
Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
Place the onions, carrots, and fennel and veggies in a roasting pan.
Toss with salt, pepper, some sprigs of thyme, and olive oil.
Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
Remove the chicken and vegetables to a plate and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes.
Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
So tasty and easy to make!
Here is a picture of the finished product from the last time Sara made this dish, for her mother!
I discovered ruby's lounge animal heads on etsy's featured seller. Jennifer Khoshbin hand crafts these beautiful animal heads from resin and graphic wallpapers. See the whole series of Handmade Wilderness-The Paper Deer Head Project on her etsy shop and read the feature interview while it lasts!
Check out this week's Decor It Yourself episode, the Backyard Overhaul. They have lots of good ideas to turn your backyard into a beauty, even if your yard is just a concrete wasteland.
Many of you have at some point in your lives come across worry dolls, which originate for the most part in Guatemala. A person who worries too much to sleep tells their worries to the doll and then places it under their pillow. The doll worries for the person and the person awakens rested and worry-free.
But what you may not have seen is a cute and amusing worry doll that is specific to ones particular worries, in this case, weight worries. Our wovens design assistant found this at the Cincinnati museum of art. I think the extra string around the middle is really cute!
How amazing are these merit badges for adults? I would much prefer a handcrafted merit badge to celebrate an achievement than, say, a greeting card (I'm talking the hallmark variety). Lee Meszaros of goodEGG Industries is creating these badges lovingly silkscreened, painted, and embroidered on cotton by hand.
I think my favorites are "getting back on the horse" "being a dirtbag" and "having meat on your bones." What are your favorites??
found on my love for you
Check out these awesome shadow puppet cards our wovens design assistant Jessica got from Optical Toys, which specializes in pre- and proto-cinematic toys, paper toys, and simply cool old-time toys. I checked out their site and saw a lot of interesting finds! These particular cards were reflected from the original cards made in 1890, and show you how to make different shadow animals!
I just wanted to give everyone in the Philadelphia area a heads-up about the Art Star Craft Bazaar taking place this Saturday and Sunday at Penn's Landing! It should be a blast, and have tons of awesome stuff! Bands too! Check out more info about it at Art Star's site!
Illustration by Julie West © 2008 Art Star, LLC
xo
Chelsea girl,© Elisabeth Lecourt, www.elisabethlecourt.com Photo: © onepom/London
Reglisses roulees,© Elisabeth Lecourt [year], www.elisabethlecourt.com Photo: © onepom/London [year]
I discovered these works of art over on labour of heart. These paper map dresses are crafted by French artist Elisabeth Lecourt. She has made over 60 garments from cut up maps (each garment represents only one region) folding and ironing them to beauty. Check out her site for more info.
Floating around the office of late has been an extraordinary old book filled with
even older postcards and snippets, some dating as far back as the 1870's.
The lucky owner of this beautiful book is our Senior Knits Designer, Gianna.
The book had been passed from friend to friend for many years, with each of its
possessors adding to its pages while keeping with the general theme, until it
reached Gianna's uncle. After a time, he gifted the book, now full, to her, seeing
her inclination to art, drawing and the like. At this point, Gianna has had the book
for ten years, and has no plans to give it up! (Who can blame her?) I wanted to
share this wonderful book with you, since we have all enjoyed it so much,
and even gotten some scrapbooking inspiration from its pages!
Observe these wonderful flower girls created by Elsa Mora!
I have been perusing her blog and there is a lot of wonderful and interesting stuff!
You should check it out! She also has an Etsy shop for your pleasure.
You might have already discovered these, since I've talked about Love Forever so many times, I'm sure you have the blog bookmarked. But seriously, how amazing are these garlands? I'm in love. I want to go home right now and cut up little shapes paper and string them all over my ceiling.
Sophie Cuvelier is a French artist, from what I can tell because her site is all in French. But click on Diaporama and browse through all of her photos; I think there are a million of them. She also sells some garlands and Selvedge, and it looks like through her site too.
Mackenzie from our photo team makes these adorable creatures
by applying glitter to everyday objects one might find at the dollar store.
Here's what she has to say about them:
"I’m obsessed with glitter. It makes me happy! It always has.
I love peeps too...their facial expressions crack me up, they’re all so different."
friend of fp Julia Pott has some pretty
sweet illustrations. She's also selling great handmade cards in her etsy shop! Get them while you can..
I walked into the NY boutique LP & P this weekend, and I just stared at the back wall for a good two minutes before the shop girl snapped me out of it. The entire back wall of the store is covered in this super chunky huge amazing knit wall covering. Giant flowers and cables in tonal grey colors. It is amazing. The shop girl explained that they are known for their knitwear (which was not obvious from the summer collection, understandably) and they do doggie clothes and women's clothes as well. The shop is named after designer Catherine Fung's two dogs, Little Prince and Piggy.
The Coral Reef project has displayed in Pittsburgh and Chicago and is currently on display in New York. I had seen a small bit of it in the windows at NYU, and checked out the website for the Institute for Figuring and wasn't all that impressed with what I saw in person or the images on the site. But then, I saw the pictures posted on Love Forever and now I am excited!
The project is an effort to draw attention to the disappearing wonders of the marine world caused by global warming and the disgusting amounts of trash in the ocean. The crochet technique they used is called Hyperbolic Crochet, based on an algorithmic technique discovered by mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina.
Check out the Institute for Figuring; there is a lot to read about the intentions and process for this exhibition.
I spotted these on Bloesem. Ladak blankets are designed by Jantien de Wilde and Jane Stroink in Amsterdam. The blanket is made from a tough material of recycled sweaters, blankets, jeans and even parts of mattresses. They then embellish with pretty lace and trims. Not only are the blankets made from recycled materials, but 15% of the proceeds will go to a shelter for the homeless in Amsterdam. Your comfort is theirs!
I'm not sure if you can order these on the US, but it is a great idea to embellish an old blanket you might usually use for picnics.
A few people asked how they can buy the FP tutus from the photo I posted. We do not have them for sale, but Luren from the display team has some tips.
To make these tutus, Luren used camisoles from past FP collections and petticoats she found on the internet. But you can make your own!
It's easy to make a tutu: just find a color range of tulle and netting at your local fabric store and a thick band of elastic. If you have a sewing machine you can sew tiers of tulle onto the elastic band in a pleat-y way, folding an inch of the tulle under itself and sewing that inch, then folding more tulle under and sewing that inch so you're making pleat after pleat after pleat right on the elastic band.
You can make several tiers of pleated tulle on a thick elastic band. Then you can add little bands of pleated tulle onto the bottom of the layers of tulle for extra bulk. We layered bright colors under pastel colors so that when you saw the tutus from below you got a special surprise pop of color.
Then we sewed them to Free People camisoles. The effect of this can be achieved with your homemade tutu or any tutu you can find at a thrift store or a dance shop. Most dance shops carry the donut style tutu (really big and thick around the waist) and the more relaxed skirt-y tutu. You can just pin the tutu to the bottom of the camisole all around and then use a needle and thread to whip stitch them together.
Good luck!
Luren (see this entry to learn more about Luren)
Courtney and Lizzy made some beautiful marbled papers for our "trend walls." As the designers are developing a trend, they designate a wall in the hallway where they post all kinds of inspirational images, artwork, magazine tears, trims, etc. You'll have to wait a few months to see what comes of the trend with the marbled colors... The painting sure looks like fun though!
Here are some of the supplies and tips:
Paper was from Pearl Paint
Big white tub was from Ikea
The marbling kit was from Pearl too.
Innovative Marbling Suminagashi Dye Ink Set:
6 colors, in 12 ml. tubes and it comes with instructions!!
The girls put a little baby oil (does not come in the set) in the water too, just to make it more interesting. Wherever the oil is, the paper will remain white.
Check out the comments from an expert marbler for some more tips...
Check out this amazing beagle birthday cake that Jill (the Training Manager at the Customer Service Call Center) received for her birthday. It was actually made by her husband Pablo, who works in the South Carolina fulfillment center where all Free People orders are shipped from. Pretty impressive. The design was likely inspired by Pablo and Jill’s dog Baylee, who they found roaming around the woods near the South Carolina facility. The beagle and doghouse are made of marshmallows!
You guys are coming up with all kinds of ways to recycle FP stuff like making jewelry from our catalogs, or turbans and headbands from our bags. My friend just sent me these photos of a clothes line she made in her back yard, and used the Free People gift wrap bag to hold the clothes pins. So cute! Good job Jill.
Ok, so it's not fall, not even close. But if I wait, I'll forget to share this with you. And I think this is really cool. So just bookmark this and save it for 6 months. Check out haha.nu for a the step-by-step to making roses out of maple leaves. This could be soooo pretty!
One of our designers spotted this photo on flickr and then we found the blogfullofjelly! Here is some more Free People recycling in effect. You have to check out her blog. She makes lots and lots of beautiful things...
