november free people work

I've been a busy, busy bee, and well, it's been pretty silent on this here blog. In case you're not a Free People BLDG 25 regular, here is a little recap of my content in November. It's been a great month of inspiration, and playing around with photography. 

Hope you enjoy!

DIY Woven Pillow

A pillowcase woven with yarn and roving to add some living room flavor.

The Spirit Your Mini Bar Is Missing

Mouthwatering holiday cocktails with Art In The Age spirits.

Go Deskside With Our Graphic Design Team

A look into the creative work lives of Free People's graphic designers.

3 Lessons In Forgiveness

A personal story of forgiveness and what I learned from the experience.

current work

It's no secret, I've been horrible about updating lately. Instead of re-running old posts, I thought I'd give everyone a little reading. Below is a recap of the work I've been up to in the past month or so. I may not be putting together a ton of content for Numie, but I promise, I've been making the magic happen somewhere. 

Lilah Nick & The House of the Setting Sun

Home tour with two talented artists and makers. They constructed a summer home with their own two hands, and it has an entire wall made from found windows so they can watch the sun set each night. This post also includes an interview with Lilah that - I hope - will fill you with as much inspiration as I felt meeting her and her beau in person.

Read It Here

Chilled Pea & Garlic Scape Soup

Adam & I constructed this refreshing recipe for our friends at Greensgrow. It's zesty, lemony, and perfect for hot weather.

Read It Here

Food & Ferments: The Kombucha & Beet Kvass Experts

I highlighted one of my favorite local Philadelphia vendors, Food & Ferments, for the Free People blog. Get a peek into their world + basic Kombucha and Beet Kvass how-to's.

Read It Here

DIY Fresh Flower Wreath

I let my hands get busy with some of nature's most beautiful objects, and wrote up a step-by-step for trying out the project yourself.

Read It Here

Recipe: Ginger Kohlrabi Slaw

This is a recipe that I got obsessed with making when kohlrabi was plentiful in the CSA. I brought it to a 4th of July party, and was later told by a friend that he had a, "coming to jesus moment," while eating it. Enough said?

Read It Here

DIY Sunglasses Case

I've been using this little bag like crazy - both for sunglasses and my cell phone. I love it. The bonus? It is a great use for scrap fabric. 

Read It Here

Blueberry, Peach, & Ginger Fruit Leather

Another recipe that Adam & I pulled together for the Greensgrow blog. This one is great for brining along on a summer hike. It's lightweight, won't squish, and tastes mighty great after a long day of walking through the woods.

Read It Here

Greensgrow Instagram

While I haven't been doing it as much as before, I've still been contributing to the Greensgrow Instagram from time to time. Be sure to follow along if you're interested in urban farming, gardening, farm-to-table, or artisinal foods. 

Follow Greensgrow Here

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Now, I'd love to see some of the work you all have been doing. I'm finding that most of you are pretty darn inspiring, and I'd love to get to know you better. Leave a comment below and tell me what you're up to!

down this indigo road

Off into the night. It's high summer. The lightning bugs ignite. Travel, travel, travel on. There is so much dreaming to do.

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all found images

the home of gisèle d’ailly van waterschoot van der gracht

Once in a while, you stumble across the source of a tare that you’ve loved for months…maybe even years. That happened to me with this very shoot. When I came upon it, I was surprised to see that the studio tare I’ve been in love with, comes from the home and work place of a 100 year old woman. I immediately decided that she had to be the coolest 100 year old that there is. Given, she has had the chance to acquire all of this awesome stuff over many years of living, but wow, what good taste.

It got me to thinking what I’ll be at her age. I can only hope to be so badass, to be able to look back at such an interesting life. I like to think that my circles of amazingly creative, beautiful, talented friends will one day be legendary the way her friends have become. Those are the things we all want right now, in our 20’s, but they are also the things that we just have to wait for. We’re all so anxious. Myself, I want the awesome collection of art, the Pinterest-worthy house, the realized dreams…I want them all right now. But I have to wait. Maybe I have to wait until I’m 100. They are the kinds of things that you work for all life-long. I hope that when I’m 100, I can say I’ve made it, just like Gisèle d’Ailly van Waterschoot van der Gracht (wow, that’s a name). I hope I live in a place just as beautiful, that my smile is as bright, and that my creativity is still flowing just as strong.

Sadly, I read that Gisèle died shortly after this shoot in her home. May you rest in peace, Gisèle. Be assured that there are still young ones like myself who draw inspiration from your life & the world that you lived in.

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Image Source

inspired: lilah horwitz & nick olson

Makers. That is what Lilah Horwitz and her beau Nick Olson call themselves. And what a beautiful way to look at it. I like to fancy myself a bit of the same. That incessant need to create with your hands, to add something beautiful to this world. I understand it, but I sure don't live it as much as they do. I'd love to find out just how they got the bravery to leap into the life that they lead.

That life? It starts on a beautiful plot in the heart of Virginia. They built themselves a home there. It has a whole wall of windows that, in a fantasy-like way, open in all different directions. The rest of the cabin houses fixtures, furniture, and knick knacks that they picked up at garage sales around the country. Half Cut Tea made a wonderful film about it. Give it a watch. It's the perfect pick me up for this Sunday afternoon.



I then went on to look more into each of their work and fell in love with what Lilah's up to. She's right, you really can tell that her work is hand stitched, even on a computer screen. It's so particular, hand done, like nothing you've ever seen before. See some of my favorites for yourself and check out more of her work here.

blendscapes by oriol angrill jorda

Last weekend we finally tackled the enormous task of cleaning our our new basement and turning it into a little studio. It was a lot of work, but I couldn't be happier. Finally having a space to get creative, messy, crazy...I feel so inspired! Because I was so excited I forwent my run the other night, and instead got to work with some watercolors. I've never worked with the medium before, but in getting organized I found the beautiful set my parents brought me from China a couple years ago. I finally decided to try them out, and it was so much fun. 

I decided to look around for inspiration on techniques, and I came across these stunning numbers by Spanish artist, Oriol Angrill Jorda. Aptly titled, Blendscapes, the series mixes hyper realistic portraits with energetic washes and emotional overlays. I fell in love instantly and knew I'd need to do a post if not to remember them in a diary-like way. I can't wait to get to work and start creating some works of my own. I can only dream to achieve something quite as beautiful. Something to aspire to, right?

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Check out more of Oriol Angrill Jorda's work here