our creative director’s story about the flag:
“I have had this flag pinned up and ready to sew for months now but it never got sewn. But recently my dear, sweet mother came to visit and she took this flag home with her and she sewed for me so I would have it for the 4th of July!! Moms rule!!!”
so sweet! happy fourth of july everyone :)
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.
i have another gorgeous piece from our summer store displays to give away! this amazing rope swirl tapestry was hand-made by our talented display team using rope, various brightly colored strings and pom poms and tassels inspired by india. hang it on your wall, use it as a carpet in a hallway, a table runner – whatever your heart desires! one thing’s for sure- no one else will have anything like it :)
this tapestry is actually two pieces – so you can take it apart and hang them separately or keep it as one long piece!
lots of you are asking for a diy – you’re in luck, we did one :) find it here.
a couple of weeks ago, inspired by a tutorial on honestly…wtf, one of my coworkers was inspired to bring back her love for making friendship bracelets, and created this masterpiece :) personally, i’ve only ever been able to do the straight line across or the V pattern, so i had to know how to do this.
for this tutorial we’ll learn how to make a smaller scale version of the bracelet, and once you get the basic steps down you can start experimenting with more string and lots of colors!
what you need: embroidery thread, scissors and tape.
click read more to see the full tutorial!
…and me i’m in a rock and roll band.
Actually, my name is Liz. I am a young designer, a recent graduate from Parsons The New School for Design, and a current associate at Free People in Soho, NY. I started crocheting these vests this past year and asked some of the Free People girls to rock them for me.
This past season I looked to craft and the charm in handmade objects for inspiration. I had just moved into my new loft in Brooklyn, NY and found my place was a collection of crafts. My most prized possession is a yellow chevron pattern crocheted blanket my mom made when I was young. I owe all of my talent to my mom, who taught me how to crochet. As for the vest itself, I focused on creating a piece that would complete every outfit in my closet. My style is that similar to that of the Free People girl. I look to Pamela Love and Erin Wasson for style inspiration, who both share that endearing, yet individualized free-spirited vibe. I feel like a vest is something you can wear year round: in the winter, I’m always looking for another layer and in the summer, it’s great with a tank and shorts or just over a bathing suit!
thank you so much for sharing liz!!! not only did you quote one of my favorite songs but the vests are amazing and i’m insanely jealous of your rooftop garden…xoxo
I first found out about Willow Rose one day when I stumbled upon her adorable blog. She posted lots of stuff that inspired me creatively, so I decided to find out more about the woman behind the blog. What I found out – excitingly – is that she’s a beautiful woman living in the UK who creates neat hand-made treasures.
I fell in love with these fabric covered notebooks she custom-makes for people. All of the fabrics she personally sources herself, and she’ll even cover actual books if you’d like! I love the idea of having one of my favorite books made special by covering it in beautiful fabric.
For this week’s DIY, I’ve asked Willow to show us how we can make one of these notebooks at home and she was kind enough to share =)
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To find out more information and see Willow’s other projects check out her boutique website.
i’ve got lots of great diy inspiration for you all today so lets get right to it!
one of our readers made this bike lock inspired by our dog leash DIY! i love the fabrics she used…this is a great way to jazz up your bike lock, just wrap different scraps of fabric around it!
another reader, autumn, sent this awesome project she made for her environmental perspectives class, in which they were required to create an interior or apparel item made entirely out of recycled materials.
she made an up-cycled outdoor chandelier using an old wire basket, recycled glass jars, various necklaces and chains found in her dresser, a coat hanger to hang it up and a little bit (or a lot) of creativity! she spray painted the wire basket to match the necklaces and coat hanger, used some wire to hang the jars from the necklaces, filled the jars with collected sand and seashells then topped it off with a votive candle…..perfect for an outdoor summer garden party!
speaking of outdoor parties, i can’t get over these string chandeliers from the blog wednesday!
the seem like they would be so much fun to make:
check out the tutorial here.
and here’s a similar project from shannon south that uses lace doilies! beautiful.
hmmm…which project to try first…
a few of you have asked about the amazing rope swirl tapestries in our new store displays and you’re in luck because one of our display artists put together a tutorial on how to make them! it looks like such a fun rainy day project.
what you need: a large piece of cardboard, black marker, scissors, rope in various sizes and colors, neon twine, pompoms.
use a variety of different colors and textures to create a fun swirl – these purple and orange tassels are just another piece of string woven in with the others!
once you’ve got it down, you can make a whole bunch in different sizes and colors, to create a whole wall tapestry just like the ones in our stores :) i can’t wait to try this!
Be sure to check out our new DIY Projects category for more DIY Inspiration!
Trending on FP.com:
Floral dresses, high waisted bikinis, bralettes, off the shoulder tops, party dresses, gladiator sandals, lace dresses
i’m so excited to show you our new summer store displays now that they’ve been installed in all of our stores! these photos are from the opening of our new houston galleria store.
here at the navy yard our display team gets to work painting straw baskets! these photos make you realize just how much hard work and crafting they do…
ombre rope dying for what will be a very cool part of the display!
welcome to houston!
the new store space is like a blank canvas about to be brought to life.
the display team works their magic with the ombre rope to create an amazing macrame wall installation!
love.
the opposite wall is adorned with this incredible rope tapestry pieced together with yarn, pom-poms and trims from india.
the delicate “sari dori” display that drapes from the ceiling is made of strips of fabric from indian saris strung together.
i love all the beautiful dark wood.
the bottoms of the baskets have been painted with neon colors and hung on the walls and above the cash-wrap as lights! so awesome.
they’re also great for holding plants :) which leads me to my favorite part of the new displays…
the window display, where these incredible swings live! i would kill to have one of these at my beach house. i mean really…
so beautiful. and stay tuned, because i have not one but two amazing pieces of the summer displays to give away on the blog… trust me, you don’t want to miss this one ;)
In response to popular demand, I messed around with some scrap fabric this weekend, and came up with this extremely easy to make dog leash!
Cut scrap fabric into about 2.5 inch-wide strips. They should be at least a foot long.
Taking three strands, make a knot about 2 inches from the end.
Make another knot about 10 inches from your first knot
Fold the section between your two knots in half and begin braiding. You’ll want to add the tails left from your first knot into the braid at the beginning so that they don’t stick out.
Add in new strips of fabric as strands are running out. Don’t worry if they stick out a little, it gives the leash a nice hand-made look. If you don’t like the way it looks, you can always trim them down afterward.
Once the leash is your desired length, tie off the end with a hair tie – leaving about 10 inches of excess unbraided fabric at the end. Feed the unbraided strips through the end of a Swivel Eye Bolt Snap Hook (you can get this type of snap anywhere, but I got mine from the home depot)
Tie off the end by making several knots around the hair elastic. You shouldn’t be able to see it once you’re done.
Trim excess fabric
And you’re done!
My dog Abigail definitely approves ;)
if you love dreamcatchers as much as i do, you must check out the work of rachael rice. she’s a very talented artist who makes dream catchers that are beyond anything i’ve ever seen. and that’s just one thing she makes – she is extremely creative and was kind enough to share some of her projects and how she makes them for our blog!
once you have the basic steps down for making a dreamcatcher, it becomes much easier to experiment and get a little crazy with them! here, rachael demonstrates how to make small ones using bangles and string – these would be adorable for key chains, bag charms and hanging in your car!
once this part is complete, attach feathers or any other embellishments using string!
rachael has also been making more conceptual dream catchers using pieces of cardboard or thick paper, vintage doilies and hand-made paper feathers!
“Doily is a funny word. What I love about them is that they’re like lace mandalas, and whenever I hold one I think that some woman’s hands probably created it. I like collecting them, and you can find them for next to nothing at yard sales and antique shops.
Pieces of cardstock, cardboard, or even stiff paper can be a home for a lost doily reincarnated as a dream catcher. Paint or collage on your disc (I used silver) and glue your doily on top!”
“To make the feathers, start with some heavy paper and use crayon or oil pastel to create designs. Add any collage elements you’d like (you can use FP catalogs!) – be random, don’t think too much. Paint over those designs with watercolors, or thinned out acrylics or tempera paints. Let dry. You can also do the back! Cut feather shapes out of the paper: I made a stencil and just traced it with pencil. Use markers to make feather designs, or just doodle – you can’t do it wrong :) Attach the feathers to your dream catcher with some embroidery floss, simply hang them where you like!”
amazing! on the right is an example of another one she made called “dark star.”
and last but not least – i think these are my favorite – lace quartz pendants!
“Vintage lace and doilies find new life when cut up and glued onto the tops of quartz crystals. That way we can wear pretty rocks without having to drill holes in them! Simply cut a strip of lace or doily and use a glue gun or regular Elmer’s to attach it to the top of a pendant. A little jump ring or piece of wire run through the holes makes it ready to hang from a piece of leather cord, or a chain.”
Be sure to check out our new DIY Projects category for more DIY Inspiration!
Other related posts: Rope Swirl Tapestries DIY, DIY Desktop Dream Catchers
Trending on FP.com:
Floral dresses, high waisted bikinis, bralettes, off the shoulder tops, party dresses, gladiator sandals, lace dresses
i didn’t have a chance to do a diy for this week since i’ve been traveling, so i thought i’d share some inspiration that i have saved with you guys…all projects i want to – and hopefully will – try soon!
left – these little pouches remind me of our leona beaded fringe belt! i’m thinking a combination of the two would be amazing. right – love these colorful rope necklaces by rachel rice.
one of our readers told me about these moroccan lanterns and i love them! via design sponge.
left – a lovely fabric wreath for spring, via blue moss and right – awesome embroidered cuff via windyriver.
a couple of our readers tried the tie-dye cupcakes we posted a couple weeks back and the results are beautiful! these would be great for easter or a spring party :)
