stephanie tarling

Every once in a while I get to have a little fun while I'm at work. :)

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Model: Stephanie Tarling

All Clothing: Free People

fp me x brooklyn grange

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a party put on by our FP Me team at Brooklyn Grange. The place itself was beautiful - a rooftop urban farm situated in Brooklyn's Navy Yard. It was really inspiring to see a full working farm right in the city as this was. The Free People team did an amazing job making the venue come to life with decor touches. The long table embellished with hanging flowers, hand-dyed napkins, and bamboo service ware felt like a dream. Brightly colored and nutritious bites from Nourish Kitchen & Table topped it off for a perfect evening. That spicy beet humus was just...

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!

weekly scenes & a little reflection

As we get older, we all have to learn: life is not always going to be easy. 

You won't always get to spend as much time together as you wish. 

You'll work too late.

Your phone will break.

You car insurance will be overdue.

You'll get frustrated with yourself.

You'll feel all alone.

You'll have to put up with unhappy situations.

You're schedules won't line up.

You. Just. Won't. Know. What. To. Do.

At some point, I don't care who you are, you're going to feel all of these things. Myself, I'm not immune to it. Last week I found myself bawling because life just felt too overwhelming. I didn't feel like myself, I felt so silly for being upset. And the worst part was that I couldn't figure out how to make myself feel better. I had no action plan for happiness, and so I dove even deeper into sadness.

The only thing I knew to do was to go to every yoga class I possibly could. After the first class, I felt a tiny lift in emotion, but still, life was walking through a haze, going through the motions, unclear of a vision. With each practice I felt a little more optimistic, and then I found myself in a class where the teacher prompted with exactly what I needed.

"Today, use your practice to rid your body of all the emotions and memories that are no longer serving you. Wring them out, and leave them behind on the mat."

I felt a fire.

I sweat and pushed more than ever. I felt strong, balanced, flexible....I felt confident for the first time in a week. This sadness, it wasn't serving me. I decided right then and there to grow up.

And I'm not saying that I'll never get down about life ever again. Life is a pendulum. But I think that part of becoming an adult is accepting that it won't always be easy. We want someone to hold our hand and make it all ok, but only we can do that for ourselves now. Let go of what isn't serving you, and embrace what will.

And now, to focus on the positive, some weekly scenes of all the GOOD things that have happened lately...

A visit to Kinfolk in Brooklyn.

My first Rockaway taco

Custom Power Ride shredin it up at Connie's Ric Rac and a good night with new friends.

Hanging with Free People's Open Call winners in Brooklyn & shooting behind the scenes.

Working with Adam to write a review on our favorite new brunch spot

Hanging around Greensgrow way too much.

A tasty recipe post I had the opportunity to write for the fine blog over at Everyday Minerals

Learning about Aromatherapy and connecting with inspiring women in my own community.

camping on the beach with fp me

As many of you know, I work for the brand, Free People, and as of as of late it's been a very exciting company to be a part of. This summer our whole marketing team has been traveling all over the globe, promoting the brand and putting together amazing campaigns. 

Last week was finally my turn. I spent the week traveling, starting off in Brooklyn, and then on to California for an FP Me beach & camping event. We pooled together 25 local FP Me girls, and organized everyone's dream beach day. Surfing with Sage Erickson, Volkswagen buses, epic Pinterest-worthy setups, camping - we didn't skimp on anything to make sure these girls had a great time.

I was there documenting it all, and with the beautiful scenery, people, and setups, it was just too fun to keep snapping. This was also my first time in Southern California (I don't count the visit when I was 10), and Mother Nature's presence here is simply different. In one direction, ocean, in the other, mountains. Succulents grow wild, and everywhere you look, palm trees shoot into the sky. My favorite thing was studying all of the strange plants. More to come on the wildlife of Southern California, but I have to say, as an East Coast girl, I must have looked like I'd landed on Mars.

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For more coverage of the FP Me beach camping event:

Read my post on the decor

Read my interview with the caterer, Iva Lee's

And sign up for FP Me!