we’re crazy about denim at the home office! all of these photos were taken yesterday :)
office style!
the new girl
meet eloise! she’s the latest addition to the fp dog family. she’s part husky, part german shepherd and has the prettiest blue eyes and softest fur ever- plus she’s quiet as a mouse.
her owner better watch out because i kind of want to take her home…
wednes-diy
i’ve seen a lot of different DIY bookmark projects but this one really stuck out – i love the “X marks the spot” and although it appears to just be fabric it’s actually a pretty sturdy little bookmark so you’d be able to use it for a long time. kootoyoo has a full tutorial for how to make one – don’t be scared by the math in step 1, it’s not too bad!
what you need:
embroidery floss, scrap cardboard, calico, scissors, craft knife, needle, fadeout marker, adhesive backed magnetic tape.
step 1: cut a 13 cm (about 5 inches) square from scrap cardboard. cut a right angle triangle measuring 7.5cm x 7.5cm with a hypotenuse of 10.5cm.
step 2: cut your magnetic tape to fit and stick it to the triangles so that they come together neatly. set aside for later.
step 3: use the square template as a guide and cut out your calico. leave a seam allowance outside the template of approximately 1.5 cm (3/4 inch).
step 4: press your calico square around your cardboard template:
iron the corners as pictured above.
iron each of the sides as pictured – this removes the bulk in the corners and will keep the folds nice and neat.
step 5: remove the cardboard template and fold the square in half to form a triangle:
iron, fold in half again and iron.
step 6: print this template and trace it or draw your own X – you can be creative and make your own symbol or even a quote!
unfold the pressed triangle and position it right side up. with your fade out marker, check your folds carefully and mark the “X” where you’d like it positioned on the face of the bookmark. make sure you mark your X in the left hand triangle of your square. keep in mind that the center seam will run parallel to the spine of the book.
step 7: stitch your X or whatever you’ve chosen!
step 8: once you’re finished stitching, place your work face down on the ironing board as shown above and repress the folds.
step 9: position your triangle shapes (magnet side down) inside the seams and fold in half.
step 10: pin to secure.
step 11: stitch along each of the short sides of your triangle.
step 12: make the final fold and remove your pin. now stitch the short side closed to form your “cuff.”
voila! you’re done – now you can use this as you read the perks of being a wallflower for our book club :)
the perks of being a wallflower – part 2
“sam tapped her hand on the steering wheel. patrick held his hand outside the car and made air waves. and i just sat between them. after the song finished, i said something. “i feel infinite.”
“i walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. there were a lot of little kids there. i watched them flying. doing jumps and having races. and i thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. and all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. and they will all kiss someone someday. but for now, sledding is enough. i think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn’t.”
“things change. and friends leave. and life doesn’t stop for anybody.”
coachella this weekend!
to get you all in the mood here are some beautiful images taken by hedi slimane at last year’s coachella festival. i’m used to seeing festival images in color, and i think seeing them in black and white really adds to the emotion and starkness of the images.
book club post: the perks of being a wallflower
so i have finished reading the perks of being a wallflower and i must say that i am so glad we chose this book. i had never read it before and i found it very moving and full of wisdom that is relevant not just to someone around the age of the narrator (a freshman in highschool) but to anyone of any age. everyone can relate to the feelings of loneliness, sadness and longing that charlie experiences, and those emotions can occur at any age. deep down, i think we are all searching for that moment of ultimate freedom and happiness- when you truly feel infinite. throughout the week i’ll be posting inspirational quotes from the book along with images that it conjured up in my brain…please feel free to share your thoughts on the book in the comments section!
“it’s much easier not to know things sometimes.”
“…it’s just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.”
“we accept the love we think we deserve.”
inspiration from marrakech
photos taken by our producer in marrakech… let them take you on a journey through a world of lights, color, activity and inspiration as far as the eye can see.
monday quote
images: we heart it; nobody at the wheel.
a taste of morocco
much like the culture itself, moroccan cuisine is extremely diverse – a literal melting pot of berber, moorish, mediterranean, arab and african influences. spices, dried fruits and vegetables are used extensively in most dishes, often served with couscous. meals are also typically served with bread, which is used as a utensil for scooping up food and soaking in its rich flavor. our team told me they ate a lot of tagine- morocco’s most popular and common dish. tagine is a slow cooked stew that combines meat, vegetables, sometimes fruit, and loads of spices. they’re usually served in really neat looking pots called tagines, like the one above, from which the meal gets its name.
rachel t. robertson
i discovered the artwork of rachel t. robertson a few weeks ago and i thought it was so reminiscent of our new website creative concept, sweet jasmine. rachel is a san francisco-based artist who creates whimsical collages reminiscent of a scrapbook, combining nature imagery and mixed media with tiny details like graph paper, envelopes, stamps and thread.
love dream be free
where to stay in marrakech
when our team went to morocco to shoot the april catalog their first stop was marrakech. they stayed in a gorgeous spot just outside the city, where small streets and alleyways recede into a vast grove of palm trees. the sounds of the city are a distant memory as you enter a peaceful oasis where oranges grow on trees and roses climb the walls towards your balcony window. the hotel is called les deux tours and these pictures taken by our producer speak for themselves…