Amazing New York City decor inspiration, via The Selby, of course.
There is no question that I am more of a California girl, but I grew up in a townhouse in Philly and there is something so beautiful about the brownstones in Brooklyn. That would definitely be where I’d want to live in NYC… what about you?
We’ve been getting some pretty awesome love letters from all of you. Just a reminder for those that haven’t sent theirs in yet – you have until this Friday! You can either email in to blog@freepeople.com or mail to:
Free People
Attn: Love Letters
5000 S Broad St, Bldg 25
Philadelphia, PA 19112
One lucky fan will win a $200 FP gift card, so hurry and get yours in! We can’t wait to see all of them. :)
“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
I’m so taken with these “Flower Constructions” by Anne Ten Donkelaar – they are collages carefully pieced together with pressed flowers and with cutouts from pictures of flowers. Lovely!
She also has a “Broken Butterfly” series, of broken butterflies she has repaired with new wings and bodies – they’re amazing.
The wings of this one are partially made with maps of where it originated.
Over the holiday, I stayed around Philadelphia while a lot of my friends went out of town. With a lot of time to myself, I did a lot of internet surfing during which I came across a blog (now I don’t remember which) where the blogger was talking about their self challenge to do five sun salutations a day, for 30 days. I decided to wipe myself of my previous “I can’t workout at home” mentality, and commit to the same challenge.
I went upstairs to my bedroom, rolled out my yoga mat, and intending to do five sun salutations, ended up doing an entire yoga routine – for an hour! I’ve decided that there is no reason to not do yoga at home. It’s actually even better in some ways. You can move at your own pace, and really hold a pose that feels good to you instead of moving at the teacher’s pace.
Last week I mentioned how I want this New Year to be all about balance. I’ve continued to do my five sun salutations a day in efforts to keep this thought in the front of my mind. On some days I’m in the mood to do more, and on some I do just the salutations. Either way, I get a moment of calmness where I’m completely in tune with my own body. I think this is important for my goal since the first step to getting balance, is knowing what is going on with yourself. I feel like I’m getting stronger, more flexible, and most importantly, a more balanced mentality.
Try it out! Do five sun salutations for thirty days straight.
For those of you who don’t know what a sun salutation is, click on the image above for a how-to video. :)
One of our designers did a series of illustrations depicting our five fp girls, and they are beautiful – and if you follow us on twitter, you have a chance to win one!
Just head over to our twitter page, tweet 3 words that describe Free People @FreePeople, for the chance to win. We’ll pick a winner on Monday morning!
We love LA… beaches, surfing, sunshine, rollerskating, tacos, convertibles, palm trees, Mel’s diner, the LACMA, Hollywood and more. We love NYC… cab rides, late nights, hot dogs, the subway, the MET, Times Square, the list goes on. Two iconic cities on opposite coasts that couldn’t be more different, but we love them just the same. Our January catalog is an homage to these two great cities and their individual style, featuring Jessica Hart shot by Chrissy Piper in Los Angeles and Karlie Kloss shot by Guy Aroch in New York City.
“Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”
– Henry Miller
Every once in a while you come across a quote at the exact perfect moment…when truer words could not be spoken, almost as if someone knew you needed to hear these words and and an invisible force held them up in front of your eyes. I am taking these words and holding them close throughout this year. I don’t like to make new year’s resolutions, more “life resolutions,” but like I mentioned in the previous post, I did make a list of things that I’d really like to do before the year is over. I have a feeling I’ll be able to accomplish them all :)
I want to work on my photography, and learn how to cook – I’m not talking fancy cooking, I’d just like to be able to make something! I want to spend more time at my beach house this year, and I want to visit San Francisco at some point and see my friends there. I used to be one of those people who went to yoga almost every single day – religiously. Ever since breaking my ankle, I don’t go nearly as often, and I still don’t feel comfortable taking the advanced classes I used to, but I think I can get back to it this year. I also ran track through my entire youth and want to start running again, if my ankle and bad knees let me. Lastly… I’m pretty sure I’m getting my next tattoo this year ;)
I’d love to hear your goals and resolutions for 2012!
I came across this street art installation by Candy Chang on stumble upon yesterday as I was waking up on the second day of the new year, lying in bed and looking for inspiration on my ipad. The timing couldn’t have been better – it’s a new year and my mind has been working overdrive setting resolutions and a “to do” list for the year ahead. This definitely got me thinking even longer term, about all the things I still want to do. There are a lot. But I thought it might be good to do this exercise on my own, and start with a smaller list of maybe 5 or so things that I want to do before this year ends – try it out, it might help you too :) I plan on hanging my list in my apartment and coming back at the end of the year to see what I’ve accomplished.
“Before I die” was started by artist Candy Chang in New Orleans – with the help of her friends and neighbors, she turned the side of an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard that residents could write on and share their dreams for the future. I think it’s such a beautiful way to transform a public space into something that is a reflection of the community and what really matters to them.
The project has since expanded to other cities including Brooklyn, Amsterdam, Lisbon, San Diego and more.
I’ve posted about Rosemarie Fiore before, but the timing was so perfect as she has some new works, and it’s the New Year so many of us will be seeing fireworks tonight/tomorrow! If you aren’t familiar with her work, she makes these incredible paintings with lit firework residue on paper – so cool.
