when i first saw our may catalog photos, my eyes were immediately drawn to the amazing floral headpieces on the models. this type of lei is called a haku lei, and they typically have a base of braided leaves into which other plants and flowers are woven, and are worn on the head or around the wrist or ankle. Read More
some of our home office gals had a cute little royal wedding party on friday :)
speaking of the UK, jemma got this sweet easter package of treats from her parents overseas :)
one of our designers rescued this adorable pup and she’s one of the sweetest things i’ve ever seen! don’t you love her bed, too?!
little toby wants to play!
omni is not so sure :) omni is another recent addition to the pup family here, she belongs to our interactive web director!
little toby smushface :)
toby’s mom’s awesome hair.
and martha gets her hair did in our studio today for a special shoot!
i’m so excited about today’s guest DIY! it comes from halligan norris smith, who i met through fp jemma and is an amazingly talented and crafty lady! we posted some photos from her beautiful wedding a little while back, and they definitely give you a taste of her creative aesthetic…so when she said she wanted to do a DIY for our blog i knew it would be awesome!
i’m sure you’ve all seen the foxtail trend that seemed to take over the blog world last summer… well in a spin on that trend, remember the phenomenon that was rabbits feet? i had a few of the so-called good luck charms when i was little. but thanks to the crafty genius of halligan, you can make your own faux rabbit’s foot in just a few easy steps and have an adorable keychain or accessory to wear this summer!
Tools:
needle and thread
glue – such as E6000
Materials:
faux fur
beads
wire or looped head pins
bead caps
chain
embroidery thread
tin foil
Instructions:
Step 1: Download and print out template from our flickr page. Cut out your outline.
Step 2: Trace paper template shape onto the back of two pieces of faux fur.
Step 3: Cut out both shapes.
Step 4: Place both fur sides together and do a simple blanket stitch around the outside, leaving about 1 1/4″ open for stuffing.
Step 5: Turn rabbit’s foot fur side out. Then take your tin foil, roll it up and squeeze enough to fit vertically inside the pouch. Then, use polyfill to fill any remaining open space.
Step 6: Slightly curl lips of opening, line with glue, and pinch closed with a clothespin.
Step 7: Trim extra fur from around tip of you rabbit’s foot form.
Step 8: Use embroidery thread to wrap tip of rabbits foot, tie off and glue string ends.
Step 9: Sew 3 bead “toenails” onto base of rabbit’s foot.
Step 10: Use a curled head pin or curl wire to form loop. Put loop through bead cap and put glue onto wire before inserting into top of rabbit’s foot.
Step 11: String chain into loop.
All done! Use them as keychains, hang from your car’s rearview mirror as a good luck charm, or clip them to your bag or belt loops for a super cute accessory :)
images by the talented jess roberts, and be sure to check out halligan’s website here. thank you so much ladies!
top two images via fashiontoast and minkpink.
London has some of the best department stores around – all offering a different shopping environment.
Today I headed to Liberty’s, my favorite store of all time. I love the Tudor relation and the creaking floorboards. It makes shopping there a delicate experience. I’m the biggest fan of liberty fabric – I’m drawn to everything that has it, so you can imagine my eyes are wide open every time I’m in there!
As I walked through the main entrance there was a huge hanging display coming from the ceiling. It kind of translated into a basketball net, which makes sense as there was a private event being held there that day for the launch of the Nike air and liberty print collaboration.
For a quick afternoon snack Leon is a beautiful organic cafe. It’s fast delivered and no fuss. I had the sweet potato falafel and cloudy apple juice with mint and lime. Yum!
The second department store I headed to was Selfridges. In contrast to Liberty’s this is a very upbeat shopping experience. Expect loud music, bright colors and flashing lights. A perfect place to shop Friday after work to pick up something to wear out on the weekends. It will sure get you bumping!
So after a lovely day of strolling around being a magpie, I headed home. Below are 4 photos that make me smile. Flowers outside liberty, old bentley racer, shopping for spring clothes and yes, of course I couldn’t help myself – a royal wedding mug!
Tomorrow I’m heading to broadway market – I hear the fashion there is happening on the weekend, so I aim to do some street style. I’m also going to head to buckingham palace – why not :)
earlier this week i had the wonderful opportunity to visit the studio of floral and event designer sullivan owen, which just opened in queens village in philadelphia. i love talking to people who are passionate about what they do…their love for their craft is infectious. i could have spent an entire day in her beautiful studio listening to her talk about the artistry behind floral arrangements and watching her work.
when designing her studio space, sullivan wanted to use a soothing palette with shades of soft gray and white so that when entering the space, your attention goes straight to the flowers. indeed- when i walked in, my eyes were immediately drawn to the pops of color peppering the studio.
when she was younger, sullivan worked at one of the first urban outfitters stores. she recalls the president of the company visiting often to chat with employees and see how the store was doing, and it was a huge inspiration for her to see someone with a dream who was able to make such a successful career out of it. her dream was to tie together her fine arts background with her love of flowers, which is exactly what she is doing today.
in addition to floral arrangements, sullivan owen offers complete event design – from mood boards and color palettes to textiles like bouquet wraps and table linens. to her it is about creating an entire atmosphere- an idea that reminded me very much of our free people stores.
bits of inspiration from around the studio: vintage knick knacks, beaded belts, books and handmade table linens from her own wedding.
a beautiful wall of vases and jars that can be rented for events – with the exception of the shelf of vintage glass bottles, which are her private collection inherited from her grandfather and serve as inspiration.
when i arrived, sullivan was in the back finishing up an arrangement, and i sat and watched while she talked excitedly about how the floral industry is starting to attract a younger audience of people who appreciate the fine arts. with her own background in the arts, her approach to putting together an arrangement is very much like an artist painting a picture – paying special attention to color and texture, and layering in a way that is also almost like fashion.
a mood board hangs over her work table and incorporates fashion, color and landscape – all things she thinks about when putting together a bouquet.
the flowers sullivan works with are all very special – for example at top left, a ranunculus that comes from japan where these delicate flowers are designed to be perfect. the one at bottom right is a dutch variety of the ranunculus, with a really unique color gradation. at top right is the anemone, a beautiful black and white flower with hints of purple that is one of her favorites to work with.
above and below are what she calls the “spare parts vase” – where the flowers go if they’re cut the wrong length, the stems break or they just don’t make it into a final design. she doesn’t like to throw them away, plus they’re quite beautiful!
she gave me a quick little lesson in putting together the above bouquet, and then i tried my own:
i think i could use some help… luckily sullivan is going to be holding classes at her studio so you can go learn all about how to put together the perfect bouquet, and then take it home with you :) i will definitely be attending! you can find more info on the classes here.
the studio is open by appointment only – i definitely recommend checking it out. go see the website for more info and to see more photos of her incredible work: sullivanowen.com.
last image via sullivan owen website.
Nothing is more beautiful than a ceremony that comes from the heart. A couple I know, Adam Smith and Halligan Norris got married back last year in Brooklet, Savannah at a renovated barn. I was blown away by the creativeness and the beauty of their special day.
The theme was, Southern Country Fair/Vintage Circus, it evolved from Halli’s love of vintage circus treasures and a theme that has been a huge inpsirtation towards her personal artwork.
They wanted people to feel like they were in a country fair, so every little detail with help from loved ones was considered and brought to life with the communal help from loved ones. Popcorn machines, a kissing booth and a food menu that consisted of mini hot dogs, french fries, kabobs, mini hamburgers, potato salad, and cotton candy!
When asked about her wedding dress Halli states “I knew I would never find the dress I wanted in a store, but I did know my good girl friend Chelsea Cook’s designs were just what I was in the market for. I wanted to look like the girl on top of the elephant at the circus. That’s basically all the instruction I gave her and of course she made the perfect little number for me.”
This wedding always makes me smile!
The photos were shot by Josh Goleman, and Adam and Halli are an extemely creative couple. Click on their names to visit their websites.
one more really cool fact about the wedding i posted about yesterday? the invitations contained wildflower seeds! the paper can be planted, leaving guests with a patch of wildflowers to serve as a beautiful reminder of the occasion. such an amazing idea.
check out the website where they ordered the invites here.
i saw this on black eiffel and i am completely in awe. a company called front created this “three dimensional wallpaper” at the swedish venue tensta konsthall using silk and plastic flowers. i want to do this in my apartment so badly! it’s so colorful and i’ve never seen anything like it.
i think it looks really cool how they’re just taped right onto the wall.
another really neat idea- hanging flowers in bottles!
i think this would look really amazing using different sized and shaped vintage bottles and dried flowers, like these:
our producer took the above photo at dunton hot springs in colorado, when they were shooting our july catalog. they also had bottles hanging on the walls of this cabin, which i thought was really cool too although i’m not sure how they’re attached to the wall…
my greatest loves are my husband, family and friends… i also love penguins and butterflies! my favorite place in the world is the great barrier reef in austrailia. i went there on my honeymoon and had the most amazing time! the weather, the water and the landscape were unforgettable. i love to shop and walk around NYC, people watch, eat at new restaurants, spend time with friends and hang out with my family in florida. on a typical day off i’ll exercise, walk around the city and explore new places, spend time in central park, catch up on tv from the week and go out to a fun dinner with friends!
my style…
1. centered pullover; 2. mitered lace top; 3. pixie party tutu dress; 4. we the free sleeveless scoop tunic; 5. snappy tunic; 6. benji’s cargo pant.
*oh and if her wedding dress looks familiar its because we posted some of the pictures from her incredible wedding a little while back, here :)
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…)
