we love these amber and macramé bracelets because not only are they beautiful but they have an amazing story behind them.
the bracelets are hand made by women in ecuador to raise money for the eden’s rose foundation. this foundation is working to build job skills and sustainability in the impoverished outpost communities of tosagua, ecuador, and proceeds from the sale of these bracelets go directly towards building a basic needs center in tosagua to help young children in need.
the region of tosagua, ecuador is affected by heavy flooding.
each bracelet varies slightly in the color of the string, and they all feature columbian pre-andean amber. this is a rare and lovely amber that comes in a few different shades. some specimens include the fossil remains of the wood the amber was once attached to, and others have bugs and other creatures from the time period. most of this amber is from before the aquitanian age of the miocene period and some predates the formation of the andes!
by purchasing one of these beauties you are not only getting an extremely unique and special item but you are helping a very worthy cause – what could be better than that?
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 :)
in april our team shot two catalogs- our first wholesale catalog, which was shot in california, and then our july catalog in colorado. here are some behind the scenes shots of them at work!
the july catalog was shot by benjamin alexander huseby and features models noot seear, linda vojtova and izzy marshall.
for today’s office space i thought i’d head over to building 543, where our cafeteria, coffee shop, gym and some offices are located. since i am in this building at least once a day for my daily cup of coffee i have gotten really used to it but the first time i entered its doors it literally took my breath away. it’s a gorgeous space- but i’ll just let you see for yourself…
the last one is the view out the back window :)
oh and by the way this building is open to the public so if you’re ever down by the navy yard, stop on by!
prior to opening our new store in costa mesa, ca, a couple of our display team members who work out on the west coast made a trip to the rose bowl flea market to pick up some props for the store. one of them shared her photos from the shopping excursion and i found myself practically drooling over the blankets, accessories and various little trinkets she found. philly needs a (monthly!!) flea market like this! i would be in heaven.
as mentioned, the photographer for our july catalog was the amazing benjamin alexander huseby – who also shot one of the most beautiful editorials i’ve seen for acne paper sweden, featuring model iselin steiro…
to go along with our july catalog, the new creative concept for our website is called “quilted memories.” here’s a look at the artwork that inspired our graphic designers, and the words fp jemma wrote to describe the free people girl who embodies this trend…
just across the mountains from telluride, dunton hot springs resort is a romantic ghost town set in an extraordinary alpine valley. it is described as a town that thrives on contradictions. the rugged, hand constructed exterior shields comfortable, exquisitely furnished rooms, and a saloon worn down over time by visitors serves fresh, mouth watering food. guests can take long, grueling hikes followed by soothing massages and look out at snowcapped mountains while resting weary bones in steaming natural hot springs.
in april 2010 our catalog team went to california to shoot our first wholesale catalog, and then road tripped to dolores, colorado to shoot our july catalog at the beautiful dunton hot springs. our wonderful producer put together this travel diary of their journey.
stay tuned for much more from behind the scenes of the catalog shoot ;)
our july catalog drops tomorrow! this beautiful book was shot at dunton hot springs in dolores, colorado and the result is stunning – i must say it is my favorite catalog to date. check out this magical behind the scenes video put together by our insanely talented videographer.
what is everyone doing for the 4th of july weekend?
the nateva camping and music festival starts today in oxford, maine with artists including furthur, the flaming lips, she & him, passion pit and grizzly bear – sounds like a great time. and if you’re in philly, the annual free concert on the parkway takes place on sunday night.
we’re out at noon today and i’m heading to the beach!!! can’t wait…i’ll be posting throughout the weekend so don’t worry! :)
till then… these photos by christopher ferguson really capture what this weekend is all about.