our visual display team just recently installed a new community wall here in building 15, and we have a cool time lapse video of them creating it – they put a lot of hard work into it, and even dyed the fabric outside in the rain!
and here is the finished product:
very warm and cheerful :)
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.
good morning! i’m really excited to bring you a guest blog post from andrea of the blog fly, who also happens to be the artist behind our hand drawn floral converse! read on to learn about where she drew her inspiration for the shoes.
When I was approached by Free People to use my doodle-style illustrations for a small run of sneakers I immediately thought of flower gardens. Aside from the feminine elements that can be associated with Free People and flowers, I really liked the idea of an eclectic garden of quirks and fun, much how I see the brand.
Over the years I’ve collected tons of vintage fabric swatches and ephemera (like magazine clippings and wallpaper scraps) featuring various forms of floral designs. I particularly like to use Secondhand Rose wallpaper swatches and William Morris’ floral designs for references. Using all these elements for inspiration I developed little clusters of tiny flowers, abstract roses, and dingbats to create the doodles for the shoes.
thanks so much andrea, we love your shoes!
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!
today i thought i’d ask some folks around the office what their favorite memories from 2009 are, and of course i love any excuse to make a collage…
what was your favorite memory from the past year?
i can’t believe tomorrow is new year’s eve! this year went by outrageously fast…i haven’t even had a second to really think about new year’s, let alone what i’m wearing, but luckily i’ve found some really great DIY ideas that i’m dying to try…
accessories are a great way to dress up a simple outfit on new year’s, so here are a couple of things you can do that will stand out, and probably start some conversations as well!
bleachblack had this brilliant idea involving fool’s gold (remember fool’s gold?) that would be a sweet new years eve accessory…all you need is an old cuff or ring, some pieces of pyrite (fool’s gold) and embellishing glue. check out the tutorial here.
and i got to thinking, if gold isn’t your thing, this would work with any kind of crystal or gemstones that you can by at a hobby or crafts store…
hair accessories are big right now too…we have quite a few awesome ones on our website right now…but i also love these “wild” hair pieces i saw on design sponge that you can make yourself:
these are made with items you can find in your garden or a store, or leftover holiday decorations- the top one is a peacock feather, poinsettia leaves and a sprig of evergreen wrapped in floral tape- i love it! check out their full tutorial here.
finally, if you’re looking for a great holiday makeup look, don’t forget about our how-to video… watch it here!
thank you so much to all 196 people who participated in our holiday craft swap! you guys are so creative and i love seeing photos of your projects…i hope the craft swap brought you all some added holiday cheer!
make sure to check out our flickr page for more craft swap photos!
good morning everyone! if you are participating in our holiday craft swap, it’s about time to get your crafts in the mail if you haven’t already! the photos are starting to go up on our flickr page, and i’m so impressed with what i’ve seen so far…
that last picture is adorable! keep an eye on our flickr page as more photos come in!
there’s a cool event going on this saturday on south street in philly. the south street winter solstice celebration, hosted by philadelphia’s magic gardens, will start at 11am and last until 9pm with live entertainment, hands-on activities and discounted holiday shopping at participating shops up and down south street. plus the theme is warm, tropical climates, with live latin music and dancing to help take your mind of the frigid temps!
click here for more info on the event and activites throughout the day, which include art workshops and free guided tours of the incredible magic gardens at 12 and 4.
what’s everyone up to this weekend (besides last minute christmas shopping!)? any fun events going on in your area?
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!
a lot of people think that when it comes to giving gifts, gift cards are the easy way out. but that’s not necessarily true…a lot of times if you don’t know exactly what to get someone, it really is the ideal gift…especially if you personalize the gift card by giving it a creative touch. here are some suggestions for fun ways to wrap a gift card that are so cute, no one can accuse you of copping out…
frame it! frames are great gifts anyway, and you can find a pretty inexpensive one and decorate it or paint it yourself for an added touch. Tape the gift card to a piece of patterned paper like the one above.
these are some fun things you can do with felt that look very simple to make. i especially like the mushroom, which is actually meant to be a business card holder. but on second thought, why not make a holder for your gift card that can be re-used as a business card holder as well?
put the gift card in a cute little coin purse or pouch like one of these…they’ll think that’s the gift, and when they look inside they’ll find an added surprise! see more of our small bags and purses here.
happy holidays!
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!