last week i was over in the area where our visual display team works on the amazing creations that you see in our stores, and i spotted boxes and boxes of these colorful little creatures…
so what are they? our new store displays for spring! here’s a look at the installation in our king of prussia, pa store:
i love it! our visual display team always does such an amazing job :)
our visual display and store design manager sent me these photos of the brooklyn store front…aren’t the flowers gorgeous?
i really want to try and make a rag rug. i’ve been looking around online for tutorials on how to do it, and i’m so inspired just by pictures of them! i think they’re so beautiful and a perfect way to use up any fabric you might have lying around.
these images are from the rag rug flickr group (yes, there is one)…check it out here…believe me, you will be inspired.
apparently there are several ways to make a rag rug…some tutorials involve crocheting, like this one on vintage chica. but if you don’t know how to crochet (like me) you can still make a rag rug just by braiding the fabric!
moda bake shop has a really great tutorial showing you step by step how to do it. once you’ve picked out the fabric you want to use, cut it into long strips and just start to braid! start at the center of the rug and work your way outwards, forming a circle with your braid as shown in the images above. once you’ve finished, just sew the rows of braids together! for the full tutorial click here.
i can’t wait to try it!
i want my bookshelf to look like this…with photos and little trinkets.
i love this idea…a collage of photos, cards and various keepsakes on a desktop, covered by a sheet of glass.
and i really want some antlers to hang jewelry from.
keith abrahamsson and kate young’s home photographed by the selby.
a friend of mine had one of these wine cork trivets in her apartment and i thought it was so cool! if you have a bunch of wine corks lying around it’s a perfect use for them, or if not you can always ask for some at a bar or wine store where they usually have a bunch lying around.
find a shallow tray like the ones shown above, and just arrange the corks in whatever pattern you like, using glue to fix them in place.
if you’re feeling really ambitious, take it a step further and make a wine cork…well…corkboard :)
i don’t drink much wine but i might have to get some corks and try this! that round one is awesome.
another birthday today – this time for our visual display & store design manager!
the birthday girl gets crowned…
and yes, the people magazine was a joke…
after my post about projects inspired by free people this morning, reader krystee sent me these photos of some of her crafts and they’re so awesome i had to post them right away! check ‘em out, along with her description of how she made them:
“the stool was inspired by your vanity stool you used to have in the FP store. i went to purchase one and they were gone so i did a lil twist on small decorative one for myself. i used some fabric from and old scarf and beach cover up and extra yarn from my crocheting, and added the flowers to give it that bright enchanted garden feel.”
“i found the bookshelf in my dad’s shed so i painted them and appliqued on fabric and added the yarn and flowers to make it pop.”
awesome work, krystee! thanks for sharing!
is it just me or do these interiors by irina graewe scream free people? i think it’s all the use of pink…the post it notes, tape and yarn. graewe has studied and worked in london and germany, and is currently a freelance interior and set designer.
these images are from her “africa meets neon” and “patchwork” interiors. check out more of her work here.
having a real christmas tree is nice, but not everyone has the time or resources to go out and get one and haul it home. luckily, there are plenty of DIY options out there for alternative “christmas trees” that look just as pretty and would be a really fun craft project that you can still do in time for christmas!
i love the idea of finding branches lying around outside and using them to create a very natural, earthy looking tree like this one, with some paper snowflakes for a delicate touch.
another really cool idea…suspend the branch over a table with some string and hang ornaments from it.
this awesome tree is a branch from outside, painted white and decorated with garlands and various found items like vintage potholders, crocheted doilies, cotton spools, buttons and thrift store figurines.
a neat idea, if you’re willing to nail a bunch of branches to your wall…
…or a bunch of items in the shape of a Christmas tree.
i think this might be the most creative idea of them all!
last but not least…a printable tree that you can actually download, here!
i have a very special preview for you today of a new segment on the blog called home sweet home! we thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse into the homes of some of our free people team members, and to kick things off we took a trip to the beautiful home of our managing director of design and image. she’s a big part of the free people look so we’re thrilled that she let us in and we got to see a little bit of her personal style and what inspires her. we also got to meet her adorable children!
here’s a sneak peak into her home, and stay tuned for the video… it’s coming soon!
good morning! i saw these homemade terrarium ornaments on design sponge and thought it was the coolest idea. they add some nature to your christmas tree, even though they’re actually fake (so you don’t have to worry about watering them), and as the blogger who made them suggests, they’d be a great decoration for the home after holiday season as well. read on for some instructions on how to make them!
what you’ll need:
– clear glass ornaments
– dried moss
– twine
– pencil
– q-tips
optional- twigs, fake butterflies, feathers etc…
1. tear off a small piece of moss and moisten slightly (this helps to keep the moss from crumbling a lot of dust inside).
2. with the eraser end of your pencil, gently push moss into the opening. repeat this a few times until you have a forest floor on the bottom of your ornament.
3. add any extras and poke with your pencil to style things as necessary.
4. bend a q-tip and clean any debris stuck to the inside walls of the ornament.
5. attach a piece of twine with a bow and hang!
on friday another free people girl and i attended a ‘how-to’ session on potting paperwhites…it was really easy and they’re so pretty – it will be a great addition to brighten up my desk at work. they’re also a great decoration for your home. here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it yourself.
first pick out a pot or container to plant your bulb in – you can use pretty much any type of container, just make sure to allow about two inches underneath the bulb for the roots to grow. i used a pretty little glass one.
paperwhites can be planted in soil, water, stones, gravel or decorative materials like glass beads. i filled my container most of the way with stones and then a layer of cute little pinecones.
place the bulb on top, pointed side up. i surrounded it with some moss to add some color.
you can plant several in one pot, and they can be placed closely together. here are some other creations being made:
fill with water, but don’t submerge the bulbs, just have them sit on top of it. make sure to water the plant enough to maintain the water level.
store your paperwhite in a warm room (60-65 degrees) and if possible, set it by a south-facing window for best development of the leaves, stalk and buds. once the flowers bloom, move it to a cooler place with less light to prolong its life.
next…sit back and let it grow!
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