a friend of mine had one of these wine cork trivets in her apartment and i thought it was so cool! if you have a bunch of wine corks lying around it’s a perfect use for them, or if not you can always ask for some at a bar or wine store where they usually have a bunch lying around.
find a shallow tray like the ones shown above, and just arrange the corks in whatever pattern you like, using glue to fix them in place.
if you’re feeling really ambitious, take it a step further and make a wine cork…well…corkboard :)
i don’t drink much wine but i might have to get some corks and try this! that round one is awesome.
as you now know, our january catalog was shot in prague…but why?
our team chose the location because it is bohemia. the term bohemian gets mentioned quite often in fashion, and it is definitely a huge influence on the free people aesthetic. but did you know that it refers to the untraditional lifestyle of writers, artists and musicians who came to europe by way of bohemia, the area now known as the czech republic? our team also liked the idea of going to prague because it is a fairytale city untouched by wars. not to mention, both the photographer (david mushegain, who also shot our december book) and our creative director both lived in prague at earlier points in their lives, so they are familiar with the city.
these beautiful photos were shot by our producer during their trip…more to come!
it’s been really, really cold in philly lately…and i’ve been craving some hot chocolate. i found a couple of alternative hot chocolate recipes that sound sooo good i can’t wait to try them…
spiced hot chocolate
ingredients:
6 cups skim milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
directions:
heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until lukewarm; stir the cocoa powder and sugar into the warmed milk until dissolved. add the vanilla, cinnamon, chili powder, nutmeg, and cloves. heat another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
– original recipe yields 6 cups
maple hot chocolate
ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows
in a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. stir in hot water and butter; bring to a boil. add the milk, maple flavoring, vanilla and 8 marshmallows. heat through, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted. ladle into mugs and top each with a marshmallow.
how awesome are these photos by kassia meador? they are part of a show opening today in los angeles called “put your finger on the button,” comprised of all female photographers. if you’re not familiar with kassia, in addition to being skilled with a camera, she’s also a professional surfer…and she was cool enough to answer some questions for the blog!
read on to learn more about how she got started with photography, and check out some of the brand new photos she sent me below.
how long have you been interested in photography? “i’ve been traveling the world as a professional surfer since i was 17. my family always wanted to see where i was going and what i was up to so i’d shoot photos along the way. when i was 20 i got a super bad injury that kept me out of the water for almost a full year. during that time i took some online photo classes to just learn a bit more. since then i have been shooting more and more. it wasnt ’till last year when a good friend and mentor thomas campbell saw a few of my photos and was like “yo you should show people some of your work.” he helped me edit some images and i was invited to show some work in japan for their greenroom festival. since then i have had a few shows in california and nyc. i just recently shot my first fashion story for foam magazine and am planning a shoot for their next issue. super jazzed to be shooting as much as possible and excited to see where it all goes…”
is photography more of a hobby for you or do you see it becoming a profession as well?
“it is something i love to do just like surfing. but surfing not only was my first love it also became my profession. photography is a bit like that for me as well…i really love it and am so passionate about making images that make people feel something. i’m working on shooting lil fashion stories now and i’m really into it so we’ll see where it leads.”
what inspires you on a daily basis?
“my friends, family, environment and traveling.”
who are your heroes?
“i got a lot of heroes. but some people who are super inspirational to me on a photography level are thomas campbell, david mushegain, michael halsband, and ellen von unwerth”
(we love david mushegain too! he shot our december catalog – check out our post on him here.)
and now, check out these incredible photos kassia shot on new year’s morning. the project is titled “MARS…A NEW DAY A NEW DAWN,” which she describes it as “just a fresh perspective on a new year and all that lies ahead”
for more info on the show, click here, and to check out more of her awesome work click here.
free people is looking for a design coordinator assistant to work here in the home office!
the objective of this position is to assist the design team to move developing programs through the process from the initial set up into production, without delays or complications, to ensure the finished product meets the original specifications.
for a full list of job responsibilities, and to apply for this position, click here.
first of all, thank you so much for all of your thoughtful comments about your favorite blog posts- we love getting feedback from our readers, and you are all so incredibly sweet!
the lucky lady who was picked at random is francesca from massachusetts, who said her favorite post was “our new garden” from june! congrats francesca, you will be receiving this adorable coin purse in the mail shortly! stay tuned everyone, we hope to be doing more giveaways on the blog in the future…hint hint :)
we have a new senior web merchandiser who came to us from london! read on to learn a little bit more about her…(transcribed below):
quick questions
what is your theme song?
“rhiannon” by fleetwood mac (long version!!)
if you could go anywhere in the world, free of cost, where would you go?
mallorca in the balearic islands
what is the one article of clothing you can’t live without?
vintage ossie clark dress & wedding band
what is your biggest fear?
not making the most of life
winter, spring, summer or fall?
hope springs eternal…
what color are you?
rainbow colored
what is your motto?
what goes around comes around
what is your favorite hobby?
flea markets
if you could spend a day with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be?
neil young (circa 1973…)
