Using natural fibers that get better with wear, Ashli designs key pieces for Mamene that will be in style for many seasons + through all stages of life. In her words, "that is the true test of sustainability."
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This is an approach to ethical clothing that seems to get less attention. Many of us talk about wearing pieces forever, but when actually faced with wearing what we have year after year...it's harder than it sounds. We are programmed to enjoy newness. 

As I get older, this is no less true. What is also true, however, is that I've seen the same styles come + go a time or two now. I know that some just aren't for me + my body type. I know what stands the test of time. I know that there are ways to wear certain pieces across time in different ways. These Mamene pieces are those pieces, I think.
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All lovely photos via Mamene.

Eat food.
Mostly plants.
Not too much.

Michael Pollen's Food Rules seem simple enough, but the fact that books had to be written about them at all shows how challenging it can be to nourish our bodies while doing all the other things we have to do in a day.

The pattern we'd fallen into was that we ate a good breakfast and then not much during the day. Our jobs have us arriving home later in the evenings, and we were often going to bed with aching stomachs after eating too much too close to bedtime. 

I've always thought that eating the bigger meal in the middle of the day made sense. So, we decided to try it out.

:: Goals ::

• fill up on whole foods in order to knock out cravings for processed food
• focus on getting enough (or at least more) protein + calcium throughout the day
• eat more in the middle of the day + less closer to bedtime 
• spend little time meal planning + cooking
• enjoy what we're eating

:: Thinking it through ::

Before we began, I made lists of how many grams of protein + calcium are recommended for each of us. I listed out foods + amounts that could realistically help us meet those recommendations. (It's hard to meet those recommendations.) My first priority was to focus on nourishment + quitting processed food apart from a focus on weight.

After a couple weeks of eating this way, I counted the calories + added them up too. We both feel like we'd feel better if we were a few pounds lighter. I feel like it's very important that this be secondary, however. Long term wellness is the real goal.


:: What we're eating ::

I decided to pack a good lunch that we could eat over the course of the afternoon, if we feel that it's too much or don't have time to eat it all at once. I hoped that this would curb the craving for other snacks + keep our energy going.

This meal consists of: 

• greens
• grain (quinoa for the protein + fiber)
• vegetables
• protein (chickpeas, beans, tofu, eggs, chicken, salmon, tuna)
• flavor (current faves: hummus, chimichurri, cowboy salsa, tamari, tahini, lemon...)

Flavors can shift significantly with changes to any or all of these elements. We are currently using these 24 oz. Le Parfait Jars in order to have a wide mouth to eat over + a little extra room for stirring. 


:: Meal Prep ::

Once a week, we shop. Back home, he mows the lawn + I:

• roast a couple of sheet pans full of veg + then put them in a glass dish
• make the whole container of grains (2 cups dry) + put them in containers, freezing what I don't think we'll eat in a week
• drain chickpeas/beans + putting them in jars
• make a sauce, if necessary

Along with a big container of greens + any premade sauces I may have bought...I have the makings of all our main meals for the week. 

I make our lunches each morning while he makes our coffee.  :)

We've been eating this way for a few weeks now + we LOVE it!

:: Feedback ::​

• I feel so liberated from the stress of thinking about different things to eat or if we're getting enough nutrients- we may not be getting the total recommended grams of everything, but we're doing so much better than we were
• we have more consistent energy throughout the day
• our stomachs don't hurt when we go to bed
• we're better at saying no to processed food

I love doing experiments like this! I think this one is actually a system that works now, and I couldn't be happier!

Love,
Jane 

For me freedom is wealth.

What if you just shook up the formula + thought of doing it in a different way, 
a smaller way?
~Jesse Kamm
​

I came across this again today + it felt like a beckoning. Wanna play along? Here's my version:

Embrace the soft pants. 
Find a style or two to love + wear the heck out of them. I'm loving pairs from Sokoi + these from Imogene + Willie. They take me from my yoga mat to a coffee hang to work to a night out. This summer I'm wearing them with tank tops. In the colder months they cozy up with little sweatshirts + big pullovers.

Whatever your age is, enjoy living.
The age that I am is rarely exactly how I thought it would be. When I was younger, I thought that people who were the age I am now knew who they were + weren't easily made to doubt it. These years have involved some tangles for me in that department. I have a list of things I want to be, and I try to revisit it daily. I recognize myself in this list + I'm reminded that this self is beautiful.

Skip, if it feels right.
One day my partner + I held hands as we left Target + skipped out into the parking lot. We were just happy + laughing + when we got to our car a man told us that seeing that did his heart good. It was just such an unselfconscious, playful moment. It did our hearts good too.

Splurging can mean different things.
There have been moments in my life when a shared slurpie on a 95F degree day or a shared donut on a random afternoon have been true splurges. I remember those moments decades later, because they really did feel so splurgy + extra sweet. 

Find a pair (or two) of signature shoes. 
My partner + I both believe that the classics (our classics) are the best shoes. He's always worn Vans. We were 19 when we met, and his Vans were purple. Today, I own three pairs of Birks + wear a pair every day.

Figure out what works for your skin.
I'll sing the praises of Everyday Oil until the day I die. I use it morning + night, never use soap on my face (unless I go for a really sweaty bike ride or something). Since I started using Everyday Oil, acne flares + flaky skin are no longer issues. It costs less than so many other products, and its packaging is beautiful, reusable + recyclable.

And then (pretty much) skip the make up.
Lip balm + mascara + done. I only ever wore makeup to cover acne. I was always envious of the fresh faced girls in junior high + high school. Lipstick was fun, but kissing my babies without leaving a mark was even more fun.

Whether it's creating a home or your style, do it yourself.
We never had much money, but I always thought that the homiest, coziest, most nourishing spaces were simplest ones. When we moved into a new place (+ we did plenty of that), I'd remove the window coverings, add a lick of white paint + tape the girls' artwork to the walls. Catalog pages would become paper chains for birthdays. Furniture rescued from the side of the road would get recovered with scrap fabric or painted it with leftover paint. Shorts were made out of thrifted skirts + a tops were made out of sweat-stained, button down shirts. Candles are lit, pancakes are made, music is turned up + we dance...still.

Trim all the excess fat.
Once I started reading about environmentalism, minimalism + the working conditions of garment workers, I realized that our monetary limitations could be reinterpreted in my mind as personal choice. This felt quite empowering. I'd always loved thrifting + making + camping + old houses. Now they have an even deeper purpose + meaning. I can't change all that is wrong in the world, but I can change my actions.

That was fun. It feels like I can see myself a little bit more clearly now, and it gives me motivation to embrace all that is simple + good in this life of mine. Wishing you the same!

Much love,
Jane

I'm the type of gardener who plants things + mostly waits to see what nature does with it. There's no round-up to bend things to my will. There are squirrels that dig + rabbits that multiply. Chipmunks + skinks scurry. Bees buzz. 

I do not want to do battle with nature. We weed...some. We water...some. Things that were planted last year or the year before emerge. I don't remember all the names that humans gave them. They are beautiful.

One day, I exclaimed at the bright purple blossoms that appeared. It rained for days + the purple blossoms disappeared. And then, an evening visit to the garden revealed why this purple seems to appear + disappear. They close at night! Of course! 

The recognition felt like a message:

• the drawing in is where the power lies
• the drawing in enables the resilience of the beauty
• the drawing in is at least as beautiful as the outward facing beauty

Love,
​Jane

About six months ago, the handle of the basket I've been carrying to work gave up its resistance to the metal hook it hangs on there. I love the way my basket holds its shape + keeps jars (full of soup or coffee) upright. It's small + shallow enough to keep everything organized + accessible. 

At first, I tried wrapping things around the handle to hold it together. They would end up in a mangled mess by the time I got back home. I tried using other bags I already have. My overturned lunches tested the seals on jars, and digging for my keys left me frequently frustrated. So I searched for a replacement that could satisfy like my basket + stand up to the metal hook.

Bags are simple enough to make + customize. It's the materials that can be elusive, especially when I can't handle them before purchase. If the end product doesn't meet my expectations, it feels like a waste of resources (since it can't be returned). After a fruitless search for a readymade bag, however, I decided to try the Town Bag Sewing Pattern. I've always admired Karen Templer's bags, but didn't really have a need for one before.

I'm pretty happy with the way this bag came together. Its numerous pockets, ability to stand on its own and good looks are making me smile. I appreciated having the pattern's recommendations for the weight of the canvas and the width of the webbing, since I needed to purchase them online. Grommets might still be in its future. The construction felt like a little magic trick at the end, and I've just realized that one could insert a stiff piece of cardboard or plastic for extra structure before closing up the bottom. 

I'm hoping this little gem will become my new, go-to work bag. I like having a dedicated work bag that can keep work things ready to go. I can just move a pouch with my necessities from bag to bag as needed. Systems enhance simplicity. Replacements only(ish). Less is enough. :)

Love,
Jane

I began to realize
that what really matters is
the tone + the content
of the voice in your head.
​~Dr. Jim Loehr

Sokoi's Laurel linen pants are my new favorite soft pants. Soko designed these pants to be used for yoga which means I can put them on in the morning before stretching + sun salutations. I can wear them while I hang out crosslegged on the couch + when I meet Jo for coffee. I wear them to work, and I'm wearing them to a fancy concert tonight. They are breezy with a tank top + cozy with a cashmere sweater. 

This is how I want my wardrobe to work. I don't want to have to have yoga pants + work pants, fancy pants, winter pants, summer pants, grocery store pants + pajama pants. I don't want to have to change my clothes four times a day. I hope that it's clear that this is not about a certain pair of pants. This is about a certain way of thinking.

I remember trying to imagine the ideal smallest wardrobe that could work for me. The pivotal item was a pair of seasonless, soft pants like these. I think it's an interesting exercise to imagine how little I could live + function with. It empowers me to imagine living with a smaller footprint, living in a smaller home, making less money, weathering a crisis, and with greater contentment with what I have. So, yeah...these feel like magical pants!

All lovely images via Sokoi.

Love,
Jane

One day with temperatures in the 80s was all it took for me to start thinking about shorts. My eye currently likes the proportions of shorter shorts with oversized button ups + midlength shorts with fitted tank tops. But I'm interested in training my eye to appreciate the proportions of knee length shorts. I really like the idea of sitting down in shorts + having them still covering a comfortable amount of thigh. :)

It's not easy to find knee-length-shorts looks on the internet that don't involve heels, blazers or belly baring tops which just don't hold any interest for me. My preference is toward easy, worn-in + not too serious outfits. 

My notes (toward my preferences) so far:

• the shorts shouldn't be too tight (which is good for summer temps as well)
• billowy, oversized button-ups with rolled sleeves
• ankle baring sandals
• fitted, waistband-skimming tanks + tees
• hemmed shorts can skew a bit less casual

Inspiring photos via links or pinterest.

Love,
Jane

Since I had the time, my transitional, try-on session led straight into listing a few things on my favorite online resale site. Within hours someone who lives locally reached out + wanted three of the items! We ended up meeting the next day for a quick exchange. 

Of course, I had fun dressing up a little package to hand off. I hope she felt the little jolt of pleasure that accompanied the smiles we exchanged. I also hope that she enjoys wearing the pieces inside! This fortunate outcome has never happened before, but felt really lovely this time.

Love,
​Jane

How do you update your wardrobe for a new season? 

When I was growing up, I remember going to the mall at the start of a new season + talking with my mom about what the new colors of the season seemed to be. It was fun to try a few things on, see if they suited us, and perhaps add a new color or style to our wardrobes. 

I still like to browse the new ethical clothing collections to see what new colors + shapes they have to offer each season. I also like to know that anything I purchase will be useful in my wardrobe + life. That insight comes from pulling everything out of my closet at the beginning of the season + making piles of pants, sweaters, short sleeved tees, etc. It's always helpful to see how many of each I have. I try on outfits + think through ways to wear things. 

Today, I set aside a few pieces that I like, but don't wear often. I'm thinking through the reasons I choose other pieces more often: I adjust this one all day...this neckline isn't my favorite...I feel a bit washed out in this one...these sleeves are a little too puffed. I play around with them...maybe if I roll the sleeves...maybe with these pants. A few things get listed on a resale site. I'll try wearing a couple this week in new ways (decisions pending).

These observations + actions are my data. I'm refining my style + my ability to add only pieces that stand the test of time.

I haven't shopped at the mall in a long time. These are the try on sessions that matter most to me now. Honestly, I'm sure they always have been. 

Laying eyes on all of the good things that are already in my wardrobe is really satiating. It is very good to think about updates from a place of satisfaction. Do I need updates or am I just settling back in to the pieces that make me feel good? Maybe the update I need most is to my thinking rather than to my wardrobe after all.

Love,
​Jane