I've been spring cleaning recently, which mainly involves pulling everything out, dusting + vacuuming and then...the main event: streamlining our inventory. Ideally I'd like to just know what I have, like what I have + to use it all regularly.
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• I've been going through my basement inventory, recycling, taking a trip to Goodwill, building a few shelves, organizing things onto shelves, letting a week pass, going through it all again, driving to Goodwill again...and probably repeating again this week.
• I've been going through my closet, listing a bunch for sale (noting preferences), making trips to the post office, letting a week pass, listing again, blah, blah...

It has taken a few passes to actually streamline my stuff, my spaces + my thinking. Mixing in time to listen to the birds, take a leisurely walk to observe the crocus, daffodils or tulips, pull a weed or bake a simple pantry cake is a necessary part of the process.

A little inspiration toward streamlining:

Thoreau learned through his experiment in the woods that the physical environment is interconnected with the mental one. "I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still." 

A really satisfying small space.
​Listen +/or read.
No one voted for more plastic.

Hope your weekend is full of whatever you need to move toward peace. 

Loads of love,
Jane

Where am I choosing familiarity or ease
over peace?
~Megan Heddinger

We've scraped ice off of windshields, dragged comforters to the basement for tornado warnings + ridden bikes in tank tops all in the span of a week. Yup, spring is here! Dressing in the mornings isn't quite so automatic lately, and it all has me thinking about how I'll be dressing in the weeks to come. 

Button-ups are often the right answer to crisp mornings that turn into sunbaked afternoons. I'm liking them oversized + slouchy...sleeves rolled to the wrist or shoved up past the elbow...buttoned up to the top or not...undone at the bottom...tied around the waist...collared or not...crisp, comfortable + versatile.

My favorite spots to look for button-ups (other than my own closet) are in my partner's closet or the men's section of thrift stores. The tightly woven cotton shirtings used in these shirts are often washed down to soft, yet crisp, perfection. I sometimes like to remove oversized collars + always roll too long sleeves. (I'm still wearing that one most mornings!)

While the fairest button-ups are already in our closets, it's not hard to find fresh, fairly made button-ups. A few of my current favorites are from Imogene + Willie, Ozma + Waltz.

Happy Spring!

Photos via links that I could find. 

Love,
Jane

New world is only a new mind.
~ William Carlos Williams

Every time I use our ethical brands list, I find a few that are no longer doing business. It makes me wonder if the ones that have closed really wanted to or just felt that they had no other choice. Listening to Creativity in the Time of Capitalism makes me wonder if an era is passing. We drive past so many empty storefronts, and I wonder if Covid, the internet, tariffs + the current political climate has shifted consumers' buying to a lethal (to small businesses) level. 

Of course, I believe that sustainable fashion is possible. Miranda Bennett sometimes wonders aloud if she was too purist in her ethos toward sustainability. I understand what she is saying, but I'm so glad that Miranda blazed a trail toward better. And...I'm incredibly sad that sustainability hasn't become...well...more sustainable with time.

I wonder if it might be useful to think of myself as a patron to one or two brands. The artists whose names we know centuries later usually had patrons whose support enabled them to create their masterpieces. I could view my (new) ethical clothing purchases as support toward the innovative work that I want to enable.

I don't want to buy clothing that I don't need, but I might be able to choose a brand or two whose work I want to see continue + invest in a piece once or twice a year. I could see this not only as simple wardrobe curation, but also as investing in the future of brand + in the future of sustainable practices.

Obviously, I can't keep a small business afloat by buying two items per year. I'm just wondering if thinking of ourselves as a patrons is a sort of truth. This truth could also prompt us to think of our clothing as the works of art that they are.

Just a thought. :)
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Lovely photos clockwise from top left via Miranda Bennett, Bliss & Mischief, Herself Clothing, Punkwasp, Miranda Bennet, +  Ilana Kohn.

Love,
Jane

I love finding collections that feel like a readymade wardrobe. It's not that I want to replace my own collection of clothing. It's just inspiring. Every piece in the current Waltz collection earns its place. Different looks + feels are achievable with a few well-chosen pieces: a perfectly fitting button-up, jeans that can accommodate monthly fluctuations + the comfiest skirt. 

I love monochrome dressing, so the dark jeans + navy button-up call to me. Likewise, the cream button-up + pants feel just right. Mix + match for variety. Throw a button-up on with the skirt...or switch it out for a fitted sweatshirt or oversized sweater + comfort easily looks pulled together. 

Waltz is based in San Francisco (+ made in California) + is "built on the belief that fashion should elevate the everyday experience without frills or excess." Expert tailoring + quality materials come together in seasonless pieces that will just work year after year.
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All lovely photos via Waltz.

Wies Made is clothing that is farmed, milled + sewn in the USA. Nice. It's an American uniform for men + women (jeans, tees, sweatshirts + jean jackets) cut + sewn in small batches in Wies Made's own family run shop in Los Angeles. 

All photos via Wies Made.

"a positive...mind-set. It's possible...to cultivate this.

A mind-set shift involves changing what you notice,
what you remark upon,
where you place your focus.
​
Kari Leibowitz advises concentrating on what you like about winter
(cooking, cozy indoor reading, the quiet after snowfall) over what you don't.
'Appoint yourself a wintertime ambassador this year,' she advised,
'and encourage everyone around you to notice what they like about the winter as well.'
I imagine this self-designation might read as irritating to one's
shivering friends + family who would prefer to partake in the time honored
January tradition of complaining about the weather,
but I'm already the unofficial publicist for summer,
so maybe a new seasonal enthusiasm would read as refreshing."
~Melissa Kirsch

A few years ago, I got a job as an organizer. Simplifying was part of the process, but buying + sorting into bins + baskets felt like the main focus. I get it. Finding new things is fun. Buying new things is fun. Having new things is fun. Storing + caring for things becomes more + more of a burden over time though. 

In my opinion, honest organizing is steeped in simplifying. Unless we want to have to keep buying more shelving + bigger houses + more storage units...we actually want to see our current spaces as friendly boundaries to our accumulation.

Sometimes, when I know I will be tempted to overeat, I picture an appropriate amount of food on a small plate. Then I picture the size of my stomach + am aware that this small plate of food will surely be adequate to fill my stomach. The same concept can work for thinking through the size of my person + how big of a space should be enough to contain me + my things. We have to do this re-minding ourselves, because most of the input we get out there is not prompting us in this direction.

A few simplifying thoughts are coming to mind as I'm going about cleaning + reorganizing this week:

• choosing how I want things to be :: I started with a catch-all drawer. Everything came out + the drawer was wiped clean. I decided to only put back the things that I actually want to keep in that drawer. A pair of binoculars, a bird book, matches + a few refill candles made the cut. Everything else belongs elsewhere in the house (or not).

• contemplating what I need (versus what is nice to have) :: Some things probably need to leave my house. If things aren't fitting into drawers, cupboards or closets, I either need less stuff or more storage. I'm not opposed to a new shelf or basket. I just take seriously the commitment to maintaining (paying for, committing space to, dusting, organizing + someday moving or finding another home for) another thing. 

• simplifying systems :: I can often discover ways to buy + maintain less by rethinking my systems. We no longer buy hand soap, because we can just use dish soap on our hands. I don't have a set of measuring cups, because I can use the two-cup measuring cup for both wet + dry measuring. (It works for us.) I don't need lots of different lotions + potions. I use one product as a make-up remover, cleanser + moisturizer. Each one of these changes frees up space in my cupboards.
• experimenting :: I like to do experiments with what I already have to see if simpler systems might work. Often my experiments just involve putting something aside for a little while. I write down some questions to answer at a certain time, check back in + make changes. Fun.  :)
• doing the work :: Simplifying might involve some effort. My partner recently ended up doing a sort of overhaul of his small pants collection. Durability + comfort had become an issue worthy of the work (giving feedback to a brand, listing some for resale, removing wrecked ones from his shelf, shopping for new ones). He'll end up with fewer pants that will function better. 
• letting go of more than stuff :: Letting go of comparison + envy is easier said than done, and I am constantly working through it. I know that it is an important part of this whole thing though. I am unique! I have the freedom to see my life as beautiful!
• becoming someone who loves simplicity :: If we don't change our habits, our newly organized spaces will never stay organized for long. Just decide to be a person who sees the beauty in simplicity. Don't see it as a sacrifice. Let's really look around + see how we are living well + beautifully in our friendly boundaries...how we have space to move...how there is a place for the tools of daily living...how we are living with more freedom + joy.
• living simply :: Let's eat the whole foods we bought, take walks, put things back in their places, do the laundry + the dishes, spend time with friends, read books. Life is beautiful. Live.

​Love,
Jane