how handsome is he??? this is toby, who i am very excited now gets to come to work in our office with our field recruiter! he came in yesterday looking very dapper in his tie, and i asked him some questions for the blog :)
where are you from?
manchester, NH.
what are some of your favorite things?
bananas, trash scavenging, sleeping, cuddling… and cookies.
what about your least favorite things?
being left alone!
what do you like to do during the day?
sleep and cuddle.
do you like coming to work in our office?
i love it! everyone comes over and says hello to me, they’re very friendly.
what is your favorite color?
green.
what kind of music do you like to listen to?
i like bluegrass.
what is your favorite food?
bananas and peanut butter!
what’s your favorite place you’ve traveled?
hiking in the white mountains in my home state of new hampshire.
anything else we should know about you?
if you feed me and hug me, i’ll love you forever :)
doesn’t this picture just make you want to lie down and cuddle with him?
i know some of you have been wondering about our wanderlust winner :) the lucky girl is andrea from fairfax, california! i asked her some questions to learn some more about her, and it’s clear she’s a real yoga lover and free spirit – it’s great she was able to experience wanderlust!
What is your theme song?
Breathe Me, Sia
If you could go anywhere in the world, free of cost, where would you go?
I’d sail the Caribbean (and the Mediterranean!) with my dad.
If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?
Since we’re speaking purely in hypotheticals… an eco-friendly, self-sustaining prefab dwelling; an old typewriter with the longest piece of banana paper imaginable; and an extensive supply of vegan pizza.
How would you describe your personal style? What are your favorite items from free people right now?
I’d say I’m kind of a boho badass, rocking torn jeans, oversized beanies and tight tops with draping jewelry and windswept hair. I’m really digging all the boots and the Ruffled Layers Maxi Skirt at Free People right now. And all the rough cut crystal jewelry is awesome (got me some of that).
our sweet and talented creative team intern is leaving us to go off to college. she will be missed – here are some photos from her goodbye party. ice cream sandwiches and root beer floats YUM!
and in case you missed them, check out the posts mallie did for the blog, here, here and here – they’re beautiful!
saw this on natalie off duty and had to repost it- this is natalie and her sister dylana (of the blog nana in wonderland) at the free people home office last week! how cute is this pic ?! you’ll find out why they were here soon enough… ;)
this is the lovely georgia of the blog dora’s fur – doesn’t she look adorable? our creative design assistant snapped this photo of her yesterday. apparently the shorts used to be a skirt that she altered herself! they are super cute and i love the knotted shirt look- so effortless and cool for summer.
does this painting look familiar? it was inspired by the photo below, which we posted a little while back. the painting was done by the girl’s father, mark lovett :)
free people worn in a music video by our fan danni rosner!
more lovely photos from our facebook fans – thank you thank you thank you for sharing your photos we love them <3
good morning! today i have a special treat for you – a guest post by the lovely and talented artist/designer kris chau! she has a really cool blog with illustrator hawk krall called “drawing for food” on which they review restaurants, food, and lots of hot dogs! and of course art makes its way in there too :) please enjoy this guest post from kris chau in which she interviews fellow artist rob sato!
Artist Series: Mr. Rob Sato
Rob Sato does not stop drawing. It actually gives me a huge complex about drawing. Why aren’t I drawing all the time too that I too need a special compartmentalized side satchel to hold my travel watercolor palette and brushes and various pens????? Then I look at his art and feel somewhat worthless and hide to eat my feelings. So with that introduction here is the amazing art of Rob Sato, eater, cook, drawer, and friend to Drawing For Food.
left: SweetBonesDeck–painting of Sweet Bones on skateboard
right: Satobites-imaginary food from my sketchbook
SweetBones–sketches for broken arm drumstick ice cream cone
DrawingForFood: What is your favorite dish your mom makes?
RobSato: Rum Cake.
DFF: What do you snack on for art deadlines?
RS: It used to be whiskey. When my body couldn’t take it anymore, I had to switch to almonds, bananas and water.
DFF: Do you make better art hungry or full? Why?
RS: Reasonably well fed is what works. Being too full makes me nod off over my work. A few times I’ve come-to with my face planted in a painting, drool pooling, and an unintended paint stroke streaking across the surface. I also fall into time warps after I eat where I suddenly become aware that I’ve been lying on the couch for hours reading or watching movies. On the other hand, being hungry causes panic, pacing, frantic snacking on weird food and long stares into the fridge. This can then lead to being overly full on snacks instead of simply preparing a decent meal. Every so often hunger mixed with creative blockage will drive me to the following menu, consumed in a near-zombie state wandering back and forth between the kitchen and the studio– It usually starts with a handful of nuts, then maybe a strip of beef jerky, soon a hand plunged into a box to eat cereal dry, more nuts, a bit of chocolate, an apple, a bag of baby carrots, cheese melted on toast, bites of cold gray dinner leftovers directly from the tupperware, a spoonful of peanut butter, a fried egg with more toast, more chocolate, just biting cheese directly off the block, a longing look at any alcohol in the house then maybe a beer, all the bananas, the remainder of the package of beef jerky, a few spoonfuls of ice cream, a cup of coffee in an attempt to shake it all off and calm the frenzy. Then a dreary, stupefied drawing session or an unintended, unsatisfying, guilt-ridden nap.
DFF: Wheres your favorite place to eat?
RS: With Ako, on our porch.
****DFF: coincidently this is one of Kris Chau’s favorite places to eat too…
DFF: If you could cut up and eat any artist in history to absorb their strengths and talents who would it be?
RS: This was a tough question. After much thought, the final and obvious choice is Leonardo Da Vinci. Absorbing him would deliver a massive load of skills and knowledge which I could mix with my own visual taste and pursuits. He does seem like he would taste pretty awful though. I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m imagining a combination of dust, dry burnt bread and bad, foul smelling cheese. The first artist that comes to mind who seems like they might actually have tasted good is Picasso. He reminds me of a cartoon drawing of a glistening ham. I’ve just disturbed myself.
Ako with our dinner from the other night: Sea Bass with miso marinade, Tamago (japanese omelet) brown rice, avocados and pickled ginger.
DiscountBurgers–stickers I found that look like burgers
BurgerFolk–sketchbook image
Ako with Thai Iced Coffee
And here is a recipe from Mr. Sato!
Chicken and Fruit Curry
2-4 tablespoons oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, or butter all work–amount varies depending on how greasy you want this)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 apples chopped into chunks (fuji or gala tend to be the least mealy, but all seem to work OK)
1 banana chopped into chunks (you can also use papaya or mango, or go with just apples but I prefer the banana)
1 cup tomato, diced
1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken meat, cubed (about 2 breasts, or 4 cutlets, or 3 -4 thighs)
salt
2-3 tablespoons of curry powder
1/2 cup yogurt (optional)
hot pepper (optional)
soy sauce to taste, at least a tablespoon
handful of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
1. Heat up the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or skillet that you are able to cover
2. add the onions, stir occasionally, cook until they become soft, 5-10 minutes
3. lightly salt the onions and then add the curry powder, stirring into the onions until they are fully coated with the powder,
4. add the chicken, the fruit, tomatoes and hot pepper (if desired)and mix them into the onions
5. pour the 1/2 cup of yogurt over the mixture (if desired)
6. cover the pan and cook covered for 8-10 minutes
7. check to see if the apples have softened, if not, it will need a little longer to cook
8. once the apples are soft, uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. cook until the mixture thickens slightly, another minute or two.
9. add the soy sauce and continue cooking for one minute
10. taste, adjust soy sauce if necessary
11. Serve over white rice, season with a spoonful of fresh yogurt, the cilantro, and mint
you’re done.
serves 3-4
thanks chau!!
make sure you check out her blog drawing for food, it’s awesome :)