this year i noticed that there are mainly three seasons happening in my closet:  cold weather, warm weather and transition.  the pieces that make up these seasonal wardrobes aren't necessarily exclusive to one collection only.  there is some crossover.  realizing that each season has its (pretty equal) place does give me peace about each the value of each piece, whether it had crossover ability or not.

i like variety, so a wardrobe of very minimal pieces that work in all seasons is not a goal of mine.  i admire those who can make this work for them, but i do not aspire to it.  i love that the simple wardrobe is for us to discover and adapt individually.  it can look totally different from one person to the next...an expression as individual as what we choose to put on our bodies.  i don't share my simple wardrobe ways to create a mold, but to simply share.  i love this process and all the discoveries it offers.

here are my current warm weather pieces from which i can create my monthly simple wardrobes:

jumpsuits:
-navy
-tan
-clay
-black

dresses:
-white linen
-white linen
-red mexican

tops:
-indigo
-white tee
-black tee
-white linen tank
-red block print 

shorts:
-denim cut-offs

layers:
-olive button down
-3/4 cropped stripe
-indigo tee
-grey cardigan

shoes:
-flip-flops
-clog sandals
-toms

total: 20 pieces

i purchased two of these pieces on our road trip.  each purchase was made with complete certainty...after a few weeks of indecisive purchases and returns leading up to the trip.  ugh.  i bought a found (secondhand/vintage) white linen dress from my favorite store on earth, general store.  it just looked like something i would wear, an easy a-line shape with pockets...and when i tried it on, it was a perfect fit.

the other piece was a black jumpsuit from the designer's shop in echo park.  i had eyed it on her website, but wondered how it would fit.  i almost didn't try it on...but when i did, it was just the most flattering jumpsuit i'd ever tried.  it is dressier than the other looser fit jumpsuits i own.  i wore it out to dinner on our anniversary and felt good.  

i share these experiences just to say that a good purchase now brings no remorse or regret.  my vintage dress is made of natural linen...was preowned (now loved rather than landfilled)...and was bought in an independent boutique that i am happy to support.  my jumpsuit is made from a lovely soft natural cotton...made in a carefully chosen, woman-owned factory in peru...and designed by an independent designer that i am also happy to support.  i think these purchases served all of us...the ones who grew them, the ones who made them, shop owners, designers, the earth, and me...the way it ideally should be!

love,
jane

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simple modern style is the what many associate with the idea of minimalism.  spaces boasting white walls, minimal furnishings and the complete lack of clutter come to mind.  modern style can come from the architecture of a space played out in clean lines and modern aesthetics...but it can also come from modern elements being placed sparingly in other spaces.  a clean palette and pared down belongings are keys to allowing pieces to stand out and feel modern in any space.  

unlike the other simple styles, modern style does not need the manipulation of minimalism to make it simple. minimalism is at its core.  modern design often involves a striving to find the simplest way to achieve a goal. taking away the superfluous is at its essence.  what a seamless display of values and aesthetic this can be when applied in the home.

a move toward modern style in an already furnished home could simply involve the removal of extra couch pillows or the switch toward a more neutral rug.  it could come from the replacement of a side chair with a craigslist find that has cleaner lines.  removal is probably the most effective tool.  creating space, letting some walls be unadorned, or removing curtains could give a nudge toward the desired feel.  

if a furniture swap is deemed desirable or necessary... flea markets, vintage shops, craigslist, and estate sales can hold some amazing finds for an intrepid modern furniture hunter.  mid-century modern pieces are easy enough to find, and a bit more economical than buying new, especially if there is a willingness to do a bit of sanding and refinishing.  keep the search specific as the focus should be on main pieces and not filler extras like numerous side tables and redundant hutches.  make space around each piece a priority, even in a small space.  

saving up for a new piece may be a choice as well.  this approach can enforce minimalism in its time stretching necessity.  collecting elements very slowly can be seen as a positive here.  using the time it takes to save as affirmation that a piece will be valued into the future is noble and valuable.  keep in mind that we only need a very few pieces of furniture: somewhere to sit and perhaps put up feet in the living room, a place to sleep in the bedroom, and a place to sit and eat in the kitchen.  keep it simple.  simplicity and space are what simple modern style thrives on.

there is no need for extra accessories to tell the style story here.  space and the absence of extras does the job.  these rooms exude calm through their uncluttered spaces.  the space encourages unencumbered thoughts, dreams and imagination... and they  are easy to keep clean.  :)

i've always appreciated and remembered rachel ashwell's advice to leave a space empty or a wall blank until the right piece is found (and can be afforded).  no need to fill in gaps with something not loved... or maybe with anything at all.  minimalism compliments this idea perfectly...and simple modern style even more so.  a blank white wall is not a problem to be solved...it is modern and stylish just as it is.

inspiration for simple modern style:
dwell

love,
jane

this might be the simplest recipe ever.  
it's yummy too.  
​

matcha smoothie

bananas, sliced and frozen on a plate to keep them from clumping
milk of choice
matcha powder

blend.  enjoy.

love,
jane

"i would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world."  ~ta-nehisi coates || between the world and me

"for maybe the first time ever, i walked through the mall not wanting anything.  instead, i experienced perfect satisfaction knowing i already have more than enough.  it feels like a beautiful liberation."  ~margot starbuck quoted in joshua backer's || the more of less

sewing happiness || by sanae ishida highlights sewing's ability to play a part in healing our deepest wounds. sanae comes across and both vulnerable and encouraging.  

made in the usa.
better conversations on climate change.
heritage eroding with each rising tide.

find a way to fight for it, take a risk, and believe in love this weekend!  

love,
​jane

i slept and dreamt that life was joy.  i awoke and saw that life was service.  i acted and behold, service was joy. ~rabindranath tagore

road trips open up horizons for wanderlust.  we get to lean our heads back and spread our arms wide ready to take in all that comes... and yet, a lovely part of a road trip is the homecoming.  weary eyes drink in home in a way that was impossible before the wander.  summer seemed to arrive while we were away, and now i'm looking forward to all that home in the summer has to offer...

-fireflies light up the long rain soaked grass in the dusky twilight
-pinapple-jalepeno snow cones while sitting on a gritty curb
-floppy hats and magazines poolside
-sticky nights with the covers thrown off
-juicy ripe tomatoes straight off the vine
-the lettuce guy at the farmers market always able to make me laugh
-new smoothie combinations to eat with a spoon
-raspberry stains on white linen
-cold showers after sweaty walks
-bare feet or flip-flops...nothing else
-plant friends growing wild and long
-having friends over to laugh over old jokes
-ice-cream for dinner 
-cicada song so loud it drowns out all else
-unearthing potato-y treasure from rich, dark soil
​-lazy, messy craft projects that last for days
-watermelon juice dripping down my chin
-jumping up and down at a loud outdoor concert, sweat dripping down our backs
-local corn on the cob squirting with every bite
-blueberries plunking into a bucket and into our stomachs
-piles of promising books from the library
-sticky marshmallow lips and mesmerizing campfire glow
-windows rolled down, music turned up

simple pleasures all...close to this place i call home.

love,
jane

within minutes of stepping onto our favorite southern californian beach, i had a big patch of black goo stuck to the bottom of my foot.  attempts to pick it off only resulted in my fingers being stuck with it too.  mr. tribe said i must have stepped into some tar on the road, but i hadn't taken my shoes off until i stepped into the sand.  a few more minutes passed and my mind unearthed the memory of this same thing happening to me the last time we visited this same beach two years ago.  it had to be the beach not the road.

the surf was amazing that day...bigger waves than we'd seen in years.  it was hard to take our eyes off of the water, but after a while we started noticing more and more black clumps in the sand.  jo picked one up, and it stretched and smelled terrible.

a long walk down the beach, with great vigilance devoted to avoiding the goo clumps, and we all had masses like this on the bottoms of our feet.  we started to wonder if it could be oil washing up from all the visible rigs offshore.

only when looking for information to write here, did i find that there had been an oil spill a couple weeks prior to our walk on the beach.  at least some of this oil has been traced to that incident.  

my sadness turns to guilt + anger, when i think that our desire for more and more gas and oil is causing damage to our beautiful shorelines...not to mention influencing climate change.  climate change is something we can feel and experience...hotter and hotter temperatures year after year, rising seas, stronger storms, drought, depleted species, more and harder to control fires.  it's no longer a far off problem that touches someone else somewhere else.  

​we need widely adopted renewable energy sources...not more offshore drilling.  

two amazing pelicans soared away from a large group of seagulls as we walked toward them that day.  it's so sad to read that 115 dead birds and 58 dead sea mammals have been connected to this single incident so far, while many more animals have been oiled.  who knows what the amazing creatures we saw will face in the weeks and months to come.

i don't really want to talk politics here.  individual choices like choosing less, decreasing our waste, choosing organic, and turning down the air-conditioning (meaning turning up the temperature) are so important. each choice is a vote for a cleaner environment, a planet capable of sustaining our children and their children, and a safe home for diverse species.  our voices and votes do matter, so let's make all of them count.

​love,
​jane

my favorite anna maria horner sewing pattern is the well composed dress and blouse.  i have to admit that i did some altering to really get the fit that i wanted, but the main one was a quick fix.  i wanted my dress to have a more straight line at the side seam, rather than the waist coming in.  after i made this change, i love this pattern!  i also sew some of the neck slit closed, because i think it's more flattering for me- easy peasy.

the well composed pattern is very simple to sew, and i find that i can make the dress out of 1 1/2 yards of wider fabric (56"-60") which makes it economical.  my favorite well composed dress is the one made with indigo cotton linen (i think it is this, although it's hard to tell when i can't touch it).  it is my favorite dress all autumn and winter with tights and tall boots.  i wear it every sunday to church and can switch the look up a bit with a different sweater or scarf.

i also love the red indian block print top that i made with the same pattern.  i first made the bias tape long enough to have long ties hanging down from the neck bias.  it was cute, but i ended up removing them.  i'm thinking of either making this top's sleeves shorter or making a short sleeved version in another fabric...because i think it would be another cute (and possibly more useful) option.  

i've also made anna maria's socialite dress without the sleeves in white linen.  i liked wearing mine with the rounded neck to the front.  it's fun to have the option of wearing it with either a rounded or v-neckline in front.  i sewed it as a top as well.  the neckline of the socialite can be a bit tricky to get just right, but it's totally doable.

anna maria's piece of cake baby dress is a free pattern available in a variety of sizes.  i had so much fun using tiny bits of fabrics left over from other projects to make a bunch of these in different sizes as gifts.  i enjoyed receiving a few pieces of clothing in larger sizes for my girls when they were born, so i hoped that would be appreciated.  they grow so quickly!   i just think these are the cutest things!  anna maria walks the sewist through making these little lovelies step by step in her 26 minute video.  it honestly doesn't take a whole lot longer than that to sew one of these up!

and for the baby boys, i love the pants from her book handmade beginnings...the quick change trousers.  they are completely reversible and have a big cuff that allows them to grow with that little sweetie.  i've made them for a baby gift as well.

i've always loved this version of the painted portrait dress.  i mean, woah.  i think it would be interesting to try sewing it in a knit...but on the machine.  so maybe someday.  :)

i find anna maria's sewing patterns to be clear with ample illustrations.  i don't think that her goal is to teach the technical side of sewing so much as to encourage creativity and play in the sewing arena.  i think she wants people to just go for it and have fun with it.  sounds good to me!  :)

anna maria has written a number of books, all of which i think are beautiful and inspiring!  check them out from the library.  if anyone is interested in picking up a few of anna maria horner's sewing patterns, now is a great time.  she is offering one free pattern with the purchase of two until the end of june!

parts 01, 02, 03, o4, and 05 of this series.

love,
jane

hey, we're back!  :) this trip was a real treat in that we were able to stay a week in each of three locations.  we stayed in tiny, sweet airbnb spots and tried to live like locals while exploring (and relaxing) to our hearts' content.  ​

we avoid chain restaurants when eating out.  we like to find the hole in the wall with a long line...and get in it!  :)  i try to pick something new on the menu.  using yelp ahead of time helped point us in the right direction. this coconut and honey based ice-cream was dreamy...and came in real bowls accompanied by real spoons!

i scouted out some spots to buy bulk in each location ahead of time using the bulk app.  i found that incredibly helpful.  my favorite find was the ocean beach people's co-op.  i felt like i'd found my people...and a lot of package-free delicious food too.  i packed bulk snacks for the drive, so our jars, bins and bags were at the ready.  i found that i much preferred to find small grocery stores rather than trying to find my way around a very large store.

hope you are enjoying all your adventures...home or away!

love,
​jane