above images via 

...an oat-colored layer, comfy leggings...

...a pale sweatshirt, an oversized pullover + pale soft pants.

Silhouettes I'm wearing ::
-tee or button-down + jeans 
-leggings + any top
-sweatshirt + any pants
-oversized pullover + soft pants 
(all + a cozy layer as necessary)

Pieces ::
-cream tee
-chambray button-down
-sweatshirt
-pullover
-pale jeans
-cream jeans
-soft pants
-leggings
-oat layer
-quilted jacket
-clogs 
​-boots 

Simple!  :)

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

Each of us has our own individual preferences + desires. A few of my desires are simplicity, zero-waste + beauty. Beauty for me often involves things that are natural. As I look at the things that surround me, I see a jute rug, a terracotta pot, a silk scarf, plants, and cotton clothing. Wild curls, silky straight locks, or a natural face are things that communicate beauty to me as well. (Not the only things that communicate beauty...)  :)

As I tried to move toward zero-waste, "less" often seemed like a good option. Rather than shopping for zero-waste versions of various packaged cleansers + treatments or zero-waste make-up items that would have to be shipped to my doorstep...I considered which products I really needed to continue to use. I took note of the fresh faced women I admired + carry them with me as my moral support.

Again, each of us are different. In certain environments, I may decide to add a coat of mascara or lip color...but as an every day practice...here is what my zero-waste face involves:

In colder months:
-wash face with unpackaged soap in my morning shower
-apply a small amount of skin cream + lip balm (reapply as necessary during the day)
-wash face with soap before bed

In warmer months:
-wash face with unpackaged soap in my morning shower
-lip balm as needed
-wash face with soap before bed

I find that during the warmer months, my skin has more than enough oils to stay moisturized. I really love giving my skin the chance to take care of itself for a few months of the year. Our bodies are amazing!

I love the fact that people have been able to figure out ways to make their own cosmetics out of natural ingredients + that others have figured out some less wasteful packaging options. For me, I have found "less" to be the least wasteful + most simple option. Others have found even simpler ways...like washing with water only or oil washing. 

It's interesting to see how doing things differently for a while changes your brain. The other day, I saw a commercial for makeup + thought...how weird is it that women are expected to wear all this foundation + makeup...while men are not expected to worry about any of that. There was a time in my life when a thought like that never would have crossed my mind, but at that moment it just felt totally comical + tragic that we'd let it come to this.  

If make-up makes you feel good, wear it. If it feels like a burden, experiment with wearing a less. Give yourself time to adjust. Smile. Be kind + generous. When I think of those I find most beautiful, it has absolutely nothing to do with make-up.

Love,
Jane

The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.
~Center for Action + Contemplation

Autumn seems like a natural time to consider color...and I love these nature inspired tones. These lovely pieces could mix + match + layer for lots of lovely outfit options. We obviously don't need to buy a whole new wardrobe's worth of pieces, in order to consider color in our own collections.

One way I've been considering color is by choosing pieces in white + natural tones.  :) I choose white tones not only because I like them...but also because I'm thinking about longevity. I am anticipating extending the usefulness + my own love for these pieces by dying them with natural dyes as necessary or desired. Dyes are a great way to add a little color to a thrifted, stained or existing piece in one's wardrobe! I love indigo dye + am looking forward to trying some of EarthHues natural dyes too.

Another way I like to add a little oomph to my regular outfit lineup is by mixing colors in unconventional ways. A few of my outfit dreams using the pieces above include...

I'm actually wearing this combination right now. It doesn't seem like it would work (one of those unconventional color combinations mentioned above), but I think it does.  :) It's one of my favorite cozy at home looks.

I like the idea of sliding a heavier, cozy layer over a simple, sleeveless jumpsuit. The ease of two piece dressing feels like a luxury as temperatures dip. I'd really like to see these different tones of green together, but I have a similar grey jumpsuit already in my closet that would benefit from a cozy layer like this.

These colors are an autumn dream...and that green cardigan above could take this pairing into cooler days. Let the leaves fly!  :)

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

This week I've thoroughly enjoyed Creative Spaces by Ted Vadakan + Angie Myung, the owners of Poketo. I enjoyed reading about the artists, their careers + the spaces they inhabit. The fashion was pretty inspirational as well.  :)

Protect. Restore. Fund.
See ya.
​That's a good example of how changes in the ocean can affect even people who live far from the coasts.
​Are vegan leather alternatives better for the planet?
In case this was missed over there.
Another 100% merino wool fleece jacket substitute.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Love,
Jane

...and all at once summer collapsed into fall.
​~Oscar Wilde

republic of tea:: this is the tea we've been able to source in bulk locally :: also available loose leaf in tins :: some organic + some fair-trade

arbor teas :: all organic :: many fair-trade :: backyard compostable packaging ::
they make the point that steel tins are not really sustainable, but it's never completely clear how sustainable "compostable" packaging is either :: pictures via arbor teas

I love tea...hot tea or cold tea...tea is comfort. One cool day over the weekend + I was ready for a warm drink. Tea has been something I was able to buy in bulk (scooped into my own container from home) until recently. Our grocery store closed + the new location didn't carry bulk tea (which is when I acquired those containers of tea above). After a few requests, the grocery store started offering a very limited selection. A few weeks ago, I went to buy some turmeric + all the bulk spices + teas were gone. I was told that they were removed by corporate + that there was nothing this location could do about it. It's maddening that climate change is progressing at a rapid rate, + the powers that be are just kicking progress in the teeth. Needless to say, I voiced my support for the bulk spices + drove to another store.

This article about microplastic particles shedding from some tea bags makes another strong argument for bulk tea. The best packaging is no packaging...no tea bags, no container + no post office packaging. Co-ops, health food stores + tea shops are great places to look for bulk tea. If none can be found locally, the teas above can all be found online. Make sure to choose loose leaf tea. It's easy to make using a strainer or a small tool like this (my favorite kind).

Do you have a favorite tea to share? I'd love to hear!  :)

Love,
​Jane

Thank you to some of my favorite online ladies for the affirmation that a cream quilted coat is a good idea. Mine is cut + ready to quilt. Cozy days ahead.  :)

Pattern I'm using :: Grainline Tamarack (again)
Fabric I'm using :: natural muslin that I could find + feel locally
Batting I'm using :: organic cotton batting already in my stash

Lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

At a certain point we realize that happiness
is a state of being
rather than something that is acquired.
​~Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar

I wrote these words back in March + wasn't quite sure about sharing them. Coming across them this week...somehow they feel right, so...

This planet has moved toward globalization in the past few decades. I'm old enough to have observed the change. I didn't encounter a kiwi (fruit) until I was twelve...a mango until I was married. When I was growing up I knew that tomatoes ripened in late summer + that we only ate apples in the autumn...because we could pick each one close to home. Today I can find all of those things at the grocery store in March, because they come to us from around the globe. 

Globalization has revealed that our morning cuppa connects us to coffee growers + sugar cane farmers half a world away. The tags inside our clothes reveal a fraction of just how far they have travelled from farm (or oil field) to closet. We. are. connected.

Just as all of this connection is stretching many of us to embrace the necessity of action on behalf of our sisters + brothers around the world...nationalism crashes in like a tidal wave churned up by an earthquake of fear and greed and violence and war and unrest and hunger and need.

Our focus these days is on immense issues. The global scale of the refugee crisis + climate change is overwhelming. My girls are coming of age in the midst of this. They enter spaces always with the thought of an exit strategy...the existence of an active shooter ingrained deep within their realm of possibility. They feel record breaking temperatures on either end of the thermometer becoming the norm...see wildfires + hurricanes + floods devastating disadvantaged populations with increased frequency. Closeted skeletons revealed day after day feel like evidence that the chances of finding a partner with character + integrity are near hopeless. 

Just as globalization has led many to nationalism, it is not surprising that the deluge of all of these issues has coincided with a rise in suicide rates. I know...these are heavy words. The connection I mean to make is that our issues today are big...and each of them requires action. We've become a culture of protests...and we need to speak out loudly on every issue...police brutality, immigration, racial inequity, gun violence, climate change, sexual violence, equal pay, higher minimum wage...... We need to speak up, and we need to advocate for change.

I just wonder about the toll that the enormity of all of this is taking on our children + emerging adults. I feel like I need to do more...like I need to make a difference. I feel like...otherwise, what is this life for? And I see this pull on my girls as well. They care deeply. And they are angry. And they want things to change. I'm so proud of them for that!

But...they also need to know that laughing with friends + reading good books + walking in the woods + drinking warm drinks + discovering a song + sinking bare feet into sand + turning their faces toward the sun...all of that + all of the little things...those are the stuff of living too. 

How will we measure our lives? What is a life well-lived? My hope is that we don't forget that it is both the big + the small...the global + the right here...humanity + the shoulder-to-shoulder...the planet + the single bite. There is so much to be done + there is so much to be enjoyed, observed, lived.

Love,
Jane