this one is exciting for me!  i just didn't know it would work so well!  bea says in her book (i know, i know, i mention it all the time…i just love it!) that you can use corn starch and green clay for face powder.  (the green clay can be added if you need a little redness control…and i do.)  my powder ran out, so it was time to give this a try.  

i'm not sure how this would work on all skin tones.  i think it is mostly for shine control and is quite translucent and colorless...but bea uses cinnamon and cocoa in other face recipes…so one could possibly try adding those to the corn starch instead…if necessary.

this is all that's needed.  jo and i decided to split this huge recyclable tub of green clay. she'll let you know what she's using it for soon.  ours cost about $7.  the cornstarch comes in a paper box.  i mixed the two at a ratio of about 3:1 (cornstarch: clay).  i have been using my blush brush (after swiping the excess off onto my cheeks) to apply the powder.  it provides translucent coverage over the wonderful face oil i use in the colder months.  a little lip balm and i'm set.  i'm thrilled to forgo the compacts that would pile up by the time i use this stash up!  

love, 
jane

again this season, i am wrestling with my wardrobe choices.  i haven't gotten this all figured out yet.  i felt like going shopping over spring break…as in at the regular shops.  i came home with a number of items that i liked, fit and were cost effective.  this would previously have been cause for rejoicing!  these qualifications alone are a challenge to meet.

voices told me that it was ok to buy a few things with questionable origins.  voices told me that i deserve to have some nice, new, store bought things.  other voices said that i could do better.  i don't want to support unfair wages or unsafe or forced working conditions.  i don't want to support the pollution of another country's water.  

i returned everything i bought for myself.  

i am back at the beginning.

buying fair-trade is not the easiest goal.  it is a new challenge, in that most of the clothing in our stores was just automatically made in america 20 years ago.  that is not the case today.  but it is a privilege to have the option of buying anything at all.  it is a privilege to have choice.

i have the freedom to buy clothing made under unfair circumstances.  i don't necessarily think that it is wrong to buy regular clothing at the shops.  but if it is pure indulgence of my selfish desires, and if that indulgence comes at the cost of another's right to provide food and shelter for their family…at the cost of another's life…at the cost of clean water...

you were called to be free.  but do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love.  the entire law is summed up in one command, "love you neighbor as yourself."  galations 5:13

i'm choosing love.

love,
jane

taylor stitch is a company that started out as three young friends trying to make the best men's shirt.  today they design a curated selection of mens' and womens' wear all made in the california.  this indigo tee is one of my favorite tops.

i love the pieces i have from them and thought you might like to check them out too.  buy fair this spring!

as always, this is an unsponsored post.  i just love what i love and think you might like to know about some places to buy fair.

love, 
jane  

last week was spring break for the tribe.  we had the best break!   we didn't get tan or ride roller coasters.  we didn't go anywhere warm (but did get some warm days here).   we stayed at home and wandered our familiar streets.  honestly, we were all so happy with what we did…a little exploring, a little laying around, a lot of nothing much.  that's what a break is for really…feeling rested at the end of it!

here are some of our ideas for a relaxing stay-cation:
-get stacks of books from the library and let your imagination take a trip
-learn a new skill- amigurumi?
-think of all your favorite places close to home and go! …
-thrift store
-museum
-coffee shop you don't go to often
-art supply store
-drive-thru drinks
-a town not so far away to explore
-ice cream
-trail to wander
-book store
-get stacks of movies from the library and watch one every evening with popcorn
-get snacks you usually don't buy
-take walks in your neighborhood
-tackle a special project
-volunteer
-write a letter
-eat lunch out (you are saving money by not leaving town)  :)
-let your mind wander
-dream


love,
j+j+j

i braved cutting into this beautiful nani iro fabric and sewed a top for myself!  i'm so happy i did.  i call this shape a box top.  it's basically a rectangle, but it fits cute and comfy.  add some vintage levis and i'm ready for the sunshine!

love, 
jane

sometimes i, jo, have a craving for something tiny and adorable and wearable... and so i make pins to wear with t shirts, flannels, and dresses. it started about a year ago, when i made a teeny tiny pink tape, as well as an eye... and it continues today with a new batch of cuties! they're super easy to make... all you need is shrinky dink plastic and an oven, markers/colored pencils, pin backs, glue, a piece of cardboard, and scissors!

first off, draw your design on your shrink plastic. you can draw from your mind, or trace things you love with a pencil. for colors, if you use permanent marker on the shiny side, it will create a 3D effect when finished. otherwise, use markers and/or pencils on the rough side... too much ink on the shiny side will stick to the cardboard in the oven and it might get ruined. and always remember!: draw your design three times the size you want it to be finished! that's how much it will shrink in the oven. remember to take your bar pins into consideration... you want to make sure that as shrunken pin fronts, they will cover the pin backs.

hurray! have your designs? perfect. cut them out. remember that they might look big, but they will shrink down to a third of their current size.

lay your plastics rough side up/shiny side down on a piece of cardboard. put the cardboard on a cookie sheet and slide it in the oven. turn it to 325 degrees fahrenheit. they will remain flat in the oven for a few moments and then they will begin to curl. once they have returned to a flat state, now smaller and thicker, take them out! press them with a flat glass container to make sure they are flat. aw!! so tiny!! cute!

look how small they turn out! perfect for lil pins. the colors also darken.
open up your pins and add some glue (i used tacky glue) to the backs. press them to the shrinky dink and let them dry for several hours. when the glue is dry and clear, your pins are ready to wear!

and there you have it! a cute little collection of easy to wear pins!
hope you like this little project and hopefully get some cute new accessories out of it! let us know if you make any... i'd love to hear about what you did!!
xxx,
jo

julia's fitted sheet was torn and thin all through the middle.  the ends were still in good shape, so i cut out the middle and replaced it with a piece of a sheet that had lost its fitted sheet to a similar fate.  since the ends are the parts where the elastic is most important, this was quite an easy fix.  yay!  purchase avoided.  :)  mending makes me all sorts of happy…and all it takes is some creativity and a bit of work…way quicker than a trip to target!

love,
jane

these two tops of julia's started out with long sleeves.  when i bought them last summer, i put them away for autumn thinking they'd be great under sweaters.  it turned out they were too thin to be worn without a tank top underneath.  i don't think that was something julia wanted to mess with, so they still have not been worn.  

fortunately they still fit, and with a few cuts, seams and a bit of elastic, they are wearable short sleeved tops.  phew!  now i know they will be in heavy rotation…they are just so cute!

love, 
jane

in going through julia's clothing for the warmer season, we found many outgrown pieces.  she is growing, and for the most part, her clothes are not.  :)  we do have a few exceptions, though!  

this top just needed a tad more length.  unpick the hem, add some lightweight fabric and we have an extra inch.  perfect!

this skirt started out as a lovely oliver + s fairy tale dress.  julia picked this fabric, and we added some anna maria horner ribbon- so cute!  after two years of use, the bodice was a tad tight, but the skirt was a perfect fit.  snip, snip, turn under the raw edge, and we have a lovely skirt!

love that!

love, 
jane