Writing in my journal this morning, my thoughts turned to cherries. A lot of things haven't been great here lately...but also...

"I can still see fireflies + bats swooping over the garden. I can still taste cherries- searching for the pits with my tongue. I can spit out the pits...while still tasting the cherries. I can do it. The good + the bad come as one- but I still joyfully take it in. I can hold it all at once. The goodness of the cherry is worth dealing with the pits. Dear God, as painful as it is. This is it. Cherries. Harmony. It sucks. It hurts. I hate it. Please, please, no more pits, dear God. No more pits. Oh- but the cherry.

Hope your weekend is all cherry + no pits.  

​Love,
Jane

We recently saw this car + just had to learn more about it. Luckily Ken was as excited to tell us about the solar car he is building(!) as I was to hear about it! That smile says it all. It totally made my week to meet a real life eco-warrior in person! Cheering you on so hard, Ken!

Power to the people.
​The kitchen of craft pursuits.
​The options are endless.
Tell me I'm not dreaming alone.
​Pure joy.

What an incredible day...finally bringing Juneteenth to a place of recognition. Sobering. Celebration. So much work still to do.

We're eating cherries this weekend (yum!). Sitting here watching the fireflies glowing + the bats swooping over the garden. Hoping you are enjoying your weekend too, friends!

Much love,
Jane

Change has been a theme around here lately. I've tried three jobs in the past three months (yikes), and have been settling into a good one for a few weeks now. I've settled into a sort of uniform too. These jeans from Madewell are fair-trade certified (yay, Madewell!), and I love them. I'm also really into these tees from It is well LA. They are designed + made in California from cotton + modal...and they work well under my apron. My Vejas are good for being on my feet for a big chunk of the day.

It's nice to not have to waste any of my limited decision making abilities getting dressed each day. I simply pick the next tee in the stack. I can wash my jeans + apron once per week + the tees (+ socks) along with the other laundry throughout the week. I like knowing that everything I have is getting worn + earning its place in my wardrobe. 

All photos via links.

Love,
Jane

It's gotten hot + stayed hot this week. ​Breezy shorts that fit were on my mind. A thrifted rayon skirt found in Jo's donation bag seemed like it might be up for a transformation into a cute pair of shorts. Just enough fabric!  :)

I took the picture on the left to show the elastic I used...cut off the top of a pair of shorts that were beyond repair. When I unpicked the stitching to expose the elastic, I had to smile at the already pieced together elastic that it was. Just another layer of zero-waste.  :)

Sewing pattern :: Common Stitch Bellbird shorts 
Fabric :: thrifted rayon skirt, well worn + ready to be passed on by Jo  :)

Modifications :: Cut a size smaller than size chart recommendation (glad I did). Added waist band to the top rather than folding the top down for the elastic. I wanted a higher waist + this also allows them to feel a bit longer.

Notes for next time :: Size down two sizes instead of one + add an inch to the top of all the pattern pieces.

Feels good to have so little waste at the end of a project. This will be added to our fabric scrap bag that goes to Goodwill to be made into things like rags, insulation + carpet padding. Thank you, Goodwill for getting materials where they can be reused!

Love,
​Jane

Do not let this thing you got go to waste
Do not let your heart be dismayed
It's here by some random disclosure of grace
From some vascular, great thing
​
Get out of your head if it says
"Stay cold and be deathly afraid"
Do not let your spirit wane
Do not let your spirit wane
~Gang of Youths

I've been revisiting some of these images for years + instead of letting that make me feel boring...I'm finding contentment + comfort there. It's perfectly fine for tastes to change over the years...to meander...to vacillate...to wander. But it's also lovely to find myself coming back to the same things again + again.

White tees...white shorts...black tanks...breezy pants...brown shoulders...a shady hat...messy hair...soft, pale denim...bare feet...these are my simple summer staples. There's no reason to complicate "enough".

All lovely images via links.

Love,
​Jane

Keiko Hirosue has been making shoes for almost twenty years. When she realized the shoe-making tools she'd collected could be put to even more use, she started sharing both the tools + her knowledge with others. 

Today, those lucky to be near enough can take classes in Keiko's studio, Brooklyn Shoe Space. The rest of us can join her for an online class + can shop her supply shop for items as varied as sneaker soles (wow!) + stiletto heels.

Keiko's interesting interviews with shoemakers like Isobel Schofield of Bryr Clogs can be found on the Brooklyn Shoe Space instagram page.

These lovely photos via Brooklyn Shoe Space.

Love,
Jane

While the word "change" normally refers to new beginnings,
real transformation happens more often when something falls apart.
The pain of something old cracking apart or unraveling invites us
to evolve instead of tightening our controls + certitudes.

We can acknowledge the unraveling, breaking + cracking as a bearer of truth
​+ even as a gift.
It might be nudging + calling us to embrace a new imagination.
We may emerge less arrogant + presumptuous.
We may have fewer illusions about our power + centrality.
We may become more curious.
​We may become less willing to ally with the empires + powers that have long defined.
via

A few lovely items that would/do fit into my real life right now:

• a tiny bowl to replace the plastic case that holds my mouthguard 
• something light to wear out to pick strawberries for my breakfast before work
• anything flavored with taro
• a book for discovering
• one piece that would see me through these warming days
• a little truth for my bumper
• a speaker to make our favorite tunes portable

Hope your days are filled with sunshine + warm breezes!

Love,
Jane

It's become a sort of mantra around here. Just eat a mango.

We've had lots of conversations lately about the pursuit of pleasure gone wrong. The reigning metaphor seems to involve eating a particular junky treat that everyone knows doesn't really even taste that good...but sometimes it gets eaten in attempt to satisfy a perceived longing. The indulgence never hits the spot. It always leaves us wanting more...so we eat another one + another...or the taste of the unsatisfying treat leads us to reach for a different junky treat that offers no more promise of satisfaction.

I know the cycle too well. I can get stuck thinking: maybe a shopping spree will help my mood. A new-to-me car would make me feel like a more worthy person. A nicer house would make everything better. But once I get that new thing, it isn't long before I realize that that new thing doesn't offer lasting satisfaction.

Often it is the smallest things that bring the greatest joy. My thoughts lately turn to mangos. This juicy, sweet, vibrant yellow fruit brings me joy every time...when I let it...when I slow down enough to notice it...to truly see what an amazing thing it is...when I taste it + smell it + savor it. Stopping to observe a ladybug. Letting my feet feel the grass. Filling a tiny vase with wildflowers. Feeling the wind in my hair. Laying flat on my back with my eyes closed. Rubbing the back of one that I love. Breathing slow + deep. Looking up at the clouds.

When I allow myself to slow down + really take in these simple moments...these are the moments when I truly grasp the goodness of life.

​Take a moment. Make a list of ten tiny ways that you can catch or have caught a glimpse of the immense goodness this world has to offer. Set out this weekend to collect moments...determine them ahead of time or collect them as they come. Collect them as photos or on a written list. I'm guessing they are the simplest things. 

It's in the smallest of moments that I can see a juicy world dripping with love and goodness that every one can grasp + experience to their very core. It's there. It's there for the taking...the embracing...the holding...the experiencing. Take it. Take it. Take it. And live.

Love
Jane