she drapes herself in fabric the color of the earth and sky so she blends with the landscape as she walks barefoot, careful so as not to disturb the life that calls the ground and trees home. she gathers petals and leaves that have fallen and uses them to adorn her hair and body, soaking in their energy.
she lives by the sun, loves by the moon, dances with the stars, sings with the wind and grows with the trees.
click on images for sources. check out our nature girl collection here.
our third aussie guest blog post comes from another favorite of ours, the lovely liss of daydream lily!
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One of my favourite things about life in Australia is summer road trips!
Open roads, windows down, making a mix for the trip, road stops in little country towns for coffee and muffins, stopping off to explore, documenting the trip….
bliss!
Liss from Daydreamlily (http://www.daydreamlily.com)
Liss’ new online shop Stylemilk (http://www.stylemilkshop.com)
This week is Earth Week, so I thought I’d bring you guys a post about our lovely home and some tips for living in harmony.
I am part of the sun as my eye is part of me. That I am part of the earth my feet know perfectly, and my blood is part of the sea. There is not any part of me that is alone and absolute except my mind, and we shall find that the mind has no existence by itself, it is only the glitter of the sun on the surfaces of the water.
- D. H. Lawrence
as we celebrate our beautiful home this week, here are some simple things you can do to give back to planet earth. Remember, the earth is what you make it…
today’s recipe comes from our new intern naomi! i haven’t had a chance to “formally” introduce you guys to her yet but i will soon :)
These random days of gorgeous spring weather we’ve been experiencing, have me thinking one thing – SUMMER. My friends and I have already jumped the gun and pulled out the vinyl records and grill for summer-like evenings outside. My mind is on warm weather and night time meals, so I wanted to share a simple soup recipe paired with some delicious cornbread. I especially love this cornbread recipe because it is made with yogurt instead of butter. The meal is simple, light, and perfect to eat at the picnic table in the backyard with friends!
Both recipes come from my Moosewood (an organic and vegetarian restaurant based in Ithaca NY) cookbook which has proven to be a favorite of mine.
Cream Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
1 Large Onion
2 Medium Potatoes, peeled & chopped
3 Cups of Water
2 Tsp Salt
1lb. Spinach, cleaned & stemmed
5 Med Garlic Cloves, peeled only
1.5 Cups Milk (can be low fat, I like 2%)
White Pepper and Nutmeg to taste
Instructions:
Squash Cornbread:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Egg Whites
¾ Cup Greek Yogurt (can be nonfat)
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup Unbleached White Flour
½ Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
Instructions:
Enjoy!
My friend Lauren has lived in Australia for a couple of years now. She is British and has settled into the low key lifestyle Australia has to offer perfectly. She has an adorable blog that she uses as an online visual diary – sharing her thoughs and inpiration with the world. She let’s us take a peek into her lifestyle there. Below she shares her thoughts on Yamba one of her favourite beaches.
Here’s her Blog Baumbach
The Yamba Story.
I live in the land of sun and sky, beaches and beauty. I moved to Australia from the UK just over two and half years ago and have based myself in Brisbane.
Just over three hours drive from home and I can be in Yamba. One of Australia’s best-kept secrets, same beauty and wonder as Byron Bay but imagine it before the travelers took over.
One pub perched on the cliffs overlooks the beach and a perfect place to sip beer and soak up the views. The home of Billabongs creator and a pro surfer attraction with the famous Angourie surf break just down the road.
Yamba calms me, it has a presence and a serenity that I search for and haven’t found anywhere else yet. Beautiful coastline, perfect for learner surfers like myself to practice my surf skills and to get tossed around by the waves.
Pitching a tent and spending a few days is all you need to unwind and escape from the city.
Yamba I love you with all my heart, one day when I have made my mark I will buy a plot near the beach and call you home.
as free people expands and begins to ship to more international countries, we’ve been talking at the home office about getting to know more of our fans and blog readers around the globe. this month we decided to delve into the magical land of oz…aka australia. and what better way to do that than to ask some of our blogger friends who live there what they love most about their country!
up first, mandy of the blog oracle fox, who lives on australia’s eastern sunshine coast. from the moment i discovered her blog i was enthralled by her style, photography and most of all her surfer-girl lifestyle.
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The sunlight in Australia is like no other place. I travel a lot and I love the light here for photography, it’s just so beautiful and quite golden.
This is my local beach access, it’s my own private little spot that I come to every single morning when the sun rises. I stand here to check the surf and catch up with all the other locals to work out whether we should go out today and how good the conditions are.
My friends little boy and his dad swimming on the foreshore of my surfspot…
My friend Maddy heading out for a surf, I’d just got out already because I like to get up so early, Im a bit of a nerd :)
This weekend just gone we had amazing waves! It’s coming into winter but it’s still summer here so it’s actually one of the most beautiful times of the year, offshore winds but not cold. This is some of my very closest friends heading out for a morning surf on saturday.
My friend Penny chatting to another local guy who’s an amazing surfer about her new surfboard. I love that when i go to the beach, even when you go on your own you can find someone you know to chat to, it gives me a warm old fashioned feeling inside.
I love the late afternoon storms that we get here on a warm day, this is the view off my best friends balcony looking out to an afternoon storm 2 weeks ago.
driving in australia you need to keep an eye out for kangaroos!
I don’t really eat meat, or meat pies but I looovvee the smell of them when you walk into a “Servo” which is short for Service Station – when I went to Hawaii everyone looked at me funny when I asked where the servo was, I think you guys call them Gas Stations :)
the best way to get around :)
This photo is 100% natural, untouched, unphotoshopped not even cropped, no contrast, tweaking, nada. A beautiful sunset right outside my house!
~*~
check out mandy’s amazing blog oracle fox, and stay tuned for more aussie guest posts!
last week my friend geron played a short set at the north star bar- it’s been a while since i’ve been to a show there, actually. i think it’s because of the location- it’s a little out of the way, over in the art museum area -but it’s such a great venue to see bands in before they get big.
upon entering the corner pub you’re met with the same bar that has been there since prohibition, mahogany bar top, wooden ceiling fans, tin roof and all. walk towards the back and go through a door on your right to get to the stage area, a wide open room with wood floors. the stage is covered with well worn oriental carpets and in front, a staircase leads down to a lounge area with bright green walls that could probably tell some great stories… i thought i’d share a few pics from the other night!
image 1; image 2; all others by me.
geron’s first single will be available very soon on itunes!
“temari is an ancient folk art form originating in china and later introduced to japan by traveling chinese monks. first crafted as a child’s toy from remnants of old silk kimonos, temari evolved into an art form adopted by noble women in japan’s imperial society and handed down from mother to daughter.”
awesome. must learn how to do this. all of the above by julie and co.
the beach has overtaken my mind! i blame our march catalog for that…but i found this beach combing photo series by quercus design the other day and i think they’re so beautiful! they make me want to go to the beach right now and search for shells and stones and other treasures.
the arrangements are so beautiful…and it’s fascinating to think how the found objects differ depending on the location. what a cool idea… reminds me of our castaway trend!
view more here.
top two photos from here.
our creative team sent me some outtakes from the march catalog that they didn’t end up using, so i decided to have a little fun with them and create some mood boards – each centered around a theme: castaway, in the city, and swim.
castaway
she treads barefoot through the sand, her skin tickled by the salt and sand. she dances along, dipping her toes in the ocean and stopping to pick up sea shells that shine like pearls. she drapes herself in sheer fabrics that don’t add any weight, so she can take off in whatever direction the breeze blows her.
(items pictured: summer layers skirt, fp-1 rainforest maxi dress, starlight lovers dress, fp-1 tie dye sunburst maxi, open stitch beach tunic)
the city
evening sets in and the temperature in the air cools as she steps out for a night on the town. dressed in bold colors and patterns, crimped hair and red lips, skin glowing from the day’s sun and eyes alive with excitement, she dances down narrow streets into the magical night.
(items pictured: fp-1 tie dye sunburst maxi, rugby stripe column, sheer yoke floral skort, seneca rising live twice short, pleated florals top, buttoned up in pleats skirt, crosswords maxi tube dress, daughters of the revolution striped tunic, lady in leopard dress)
swim
she takes a breath and dives deep, the cool water shocking her skin after the sun’s intense heat. she savors every second of the feeling of freedom one gets when they hit the water. all other sounds are drowned out, it’s just her and her thoughts as she moves languidly under the surface.
(items pictured: fp-1 wavebreak smocked tube dress, crochet bikini, summer layers skirt, lace cropped kaftan)
which of these mood boards/ lifestyles do you guys identify with most?
our director of design and image is taking part in an event this weekend called “yoga stops traffick,” with the goal of helping the odanadi organization put an end to human trafficking in india. last year 1,500 people joined together in yoga studios, parks, beaches and mountaintops around the world to show their support. the event takes place tomorrow, march 12th, all over the world. here in philly you can join in at mount airy yoga between noon and 2 pm, and provide a suggested donation of $20. for more info click here.
i always loved that scene from the breakfast club where ally sheedy dumps out her giant bag, revealing all the clutter she carried around. maybe because i’m the same way… my friends make fun of me because i always have so much pointless stuff in my bag and it takes me forever to find my keys in it.
it’s fascinating to see what’s inside peoples’ bags, it gives you a little peek into their personality. here our some of ours!
our office coordinator:
graphic designer:
creative design assistant:
graphic designer:
videographer:
creative director:
jemma:
and me:
p.s. thanks A. for the awesome idea!
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