I was reading along and came to a sentence that read something like...Let off all of the striving for a minute + notice the work that is being done inside of you. 

It isn't hard for me to readily name the things I am striving for...the issues that occupy my mind. I write about lots of them here...zero-waste + food + simplicity + buying fair. I've been thinking about systems lately...a system for food (nutrient rich, zero-waste, whole foods, organic, local, seasonal)...a system for clothing (a suggestive list with a little built in flexibility)...a system for stuff (responsible replacements only). I think about this a lot...and the enormity of it all (compassion, responsibility, budget, choices, unexpected...) often feels like urgently navigating a giant, never-ending maze while wearing an unwieldy backpack. 

So that urging to notice the work that is being done on the inside...that felt important + valuable. Because after all...isn't that really what all of my striving is for?! It is the internal flame that directs + urges me on. That can be surprisingly easy to forget.

I stopped reading right there + started writing in my journal:
I feel like I'm working + striving to be better in the areas of zero-waste + food + simplicity + buying fair- but I sometimes lose sight of the goal + choose the right now/comfortable/easy instead. I want systems (which is not all bad) to help me do better. But...I also need to embrace what is happening in me!

- I want less!
- I recognize enough.
- Compassion is consistently on my mind + part of my actions.
- I want to keep up with the latest fashions less.
- I want new stuff less. 
- Patience is easier.
- We love whole foods (which are often the zero-waste ones) best!
- We feel best when we eat them.
- We are stronger.
- We recognize + enjoy simple pleasures so much.

Yay! So exciting! That really was the whole point- right? Yes! (Oh, I hope this doesn't come across as prideful. I'm hoping to inspire a little introspection out there...and a recognition of the exciting transformations that others can celebrate as well!)

"The law [like my systems] always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for...but we couldn't deliver...is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us." Romans 8

Please...let's be gentle with ourselves on this journey. Our outward efforts are meaningful + encouraging + necessary, but it's the slow internal changes that will lend strength + resiliency + longevity to the journey. 

Thank you for joining me on the journey! My hope is that you have experienced some inward change as well + that you take the time to truly savor it!  :)

Much love,
​Jane

Saturday afternoons used to be a time that we ended up at the mall or high street...mostly just to pass the time + wander + look. It was never intentional. It was just the easy decision. We've moved from Denver to Los Angeles to Wisconsin to New Mexico to London to where we live now. The destinations changed, but the appeal remained. The shops accommodated a stroller...they accommodated rainy or cold days...they offered a little something for everyone (a bookstore, a toy store, a clothing store or ten...and maybe a cookie or ice cream treat). I will not say that breaking the habit was easy...especially once our daughters were teenagers. 

Here are a few of the things that changed our shopping habits + how:

compassion ::
--learning about the conditions that garment workers + farmers are forced to endure in the name of fast fashion led me to quit the mall
--educating my daughters + giving them the tools to be able to choose to be responsible consumers is vital
--(compassion is my most powerful motivator)

recognizing enough ::
--what a process + something that needs constant tending, for me

not watching TV + seeing less ads ::
--we don't own a television
--Jo + I have installed adblockers on our computers
--but as helpful as this is...instagram can just as easily become an ad for wanderlust, effortless style, interior bliss, or that beautiful tea towel
--(must remain aware)

my Saturday reads ::
--I save up all of my simplicity, minimalism, zero-waste reads for Saturdays (when I am most tempted to shop)
--they give me a powerful boost of camaraderie + motivation and reset my mindset back to "enough"

decluttering ::
--allows me to consider all of the things that I spent money on, now hold no value to me + are weighing me down
--allows me to see empty space as beauty 
--I recognize that "less" means less to care for, dust, move, find space for, store
--stuff can create mental clutter...so much of beauty is the space around things...that space allows room for us to breathe
--creates space that I like to keep empty...my bookshelves...my closet...the downstairs room...these spaces look more intentional + less like storage only

budget ::
--no credit card debt allowed- we don't purchase things with credit cards anymore
--if we can't afford to pay cash (or debit) for it, we can't afford it right now

limits ::
--our budget is a limit
--my wardrobe list in another limit
--our home is a limit- no storage units for us + our cars need to fit in the garage

zero-waste ::
--learning about clothing waste, landfills filled with clothing, plastic fibers that leach into drinking water + the our waterways, the excess created by fast fashion + even the second hand clothing market...these are powerful motivators
--we try to find things that we need second hand first

the internet ::
--I can be very intentional with my purchases
--access to fair brands, Craigslist, eBay, etsy...
--I can wait to buy + don't feel pressure to grab it when I'm in the store
--waiting to buy often means that I don't feel the need later

What about you? I'd love to hear what you find motivating in regards to conscious shopping!

Love,
Jane

"When there is an inspection, staff put water and fans in the factory, but they are taken away after a few days." ~Lita

"When I made a mistake, my line manager stabbed me in the thigh with his pencil until it bled. I slapped him to defend myself, so they fired me. I got a new job doing other piece-rate work. They told me, 'If you start a relationship with me, I will overlook your mistakes.' I feel humiliated, I feel ashamed to be a woman. I have no choice. I was denied work with larger fashion factories because I publicly reported harassment and was blacklisted from larger factories. Why are women not looked at the same way as men?" ~Seema

"There are 300-400 people that work there. About half of the workers are 14 years old or younger." ~Jahanara (center) 
​"Almost all of the teenage garment workers I met were working overtime like adults, which is not allowed." ~ Safia Minney (author)

"I heard stories about the 'near escapes' of children and young people and how the poverty around the village was so great that everyone knew of someone who had 'gone missing'. Traffickers and criminal gangs would scour the villages for the most vulnerable." ~Safia Minney (author)

"Children are often 'employed' at the very bottom of the supply chain, where they are untraceable and invisible." ~Safia Minney (author)

This transitional time in the seasons has many of us thinking about a transition in our closets. It's a great time to care for + repair each piece before putting it away...in order to ensure that it will serve us again in the (far off) months to come.  :)

I put away my wool + cashmere sweaters a few weeks ago. It was probably a little early, but I felt like it was time. This week, I'm putting my sweater coat to rest for the warmer months. This sweater coat is six years old, I think. It has held up very well, but before putting it away, I do look it over carefully to see if there are any new little holes in the wool. The dark color hides the repairs very well. (Yay!)  

Once the holes are stitched up, this coat is stored along with the rest of my wool + cold weather pieces in my suitcase (a hard sided carry-on) along with some homemade, dried lavender filled sachets. (I find no need to remake or refill these yearly...a few little squeezes + the scent revives wonderfully year after year.) This suitcase is air-tight + protects my treasures from moths. We do the same with the girls' cold weather items (in their suitcases).

Patches are another favorite repair around here. I have to admit that we get a little excited to add a patch, because they often just makes things better.  :) (This is Jo's handiwork on a thrifted jacket.)

The following is Julia's book review that fits right in with this week of remembering the tragedy of Rana Plaza, five years ago today. The similarities between these two disasters is shocking + sobering. The book up for review is Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Uprising is a beautiful story about three girls who grow up during the early 1900's.  This is the time of the workers strike at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and the fire that sets the building to flames not long after. Bella is an Italian girl who is one of the many immigrants who work in New York for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Yetta is a Russian Jew who works alongside Bella, and who goes on strike against the horrible working conditions each factory worker faces each day. Privileged Jane discovers the strike of the factory workers, and she becomes a part of the fight for better work conditions and women's rights. Despite their differences, the three girls form a strong friendship and they fight together until the fire in the Shirtwaist Factory occurs on March 25, 1911, changing the lives of many people forever.

Uprising is realistic, powerful, and full of amazing girls who fought to make a difference. It also hit me hard to read about girls who were my age who had to work under such harsh conditions in order to support themselves and their families. Uprising was a wonderful page turner that was also inspirational, unforgettable, and an important story everyone should read. 

-Julia

Once I bring a piece of clothing into my home, it is my responsibility. Hopefully, I've made a conscious decision to buy something that serves a purpose in my wardrobe + hopefully my plans work out the way I envisioned. In that case I will love + wear the piece over + over + over. I will repair it as needed...and keep right on wearing it.

If I decide that a piece is no longer necessary in my closet, I work to keep it in use + out of the waste stream. It might find its way to etsy or ebay as I feel that this is a good way to get it into the hands of someone who will keep it in use. Sending items to the thrift store is a last resort, since I know that they may end up clogging up a foreign clothing economy (though I appreciate finding treasures there).

When this vintage, cotton, striped, long-sleeved, button down didn't sell on etsy after a couple of weeks, I decided to turn it into a State style smock. The amazing Adrienne Antonson + her team make her versatile smocks from thrifted button-downs. What a great way to refashion a shirt in a way that results in very little left over waste (mine shown above). The sleeves get turned into giant pockets + the cuffs were used as the bias binding at the arm holes on mine. I'm 100% for supporting creative, independent, female owned, fair job creating, waste + sustainable materials conscious businesses...so I feel a bit conflicted about sewing + posting this. I love + want to support State, so I hope to own a State piece at some point!

Here are some subpar pictures of the before + after.  :) 

I really like refashioning things into new (or just a little bit different) things. Apparently I have a limited attention span, so it's great if one thing can become a different thing. A long sleeved top can be made into a shorter sleeved top...a dress can be turned into a less substantial dress, top or pajamas. Sewing a jacket from a well-loved dress + its scraps might be a little more time consuming, but also rewarding. Pants can be shortened or tapered. A jumpsuit can be made into pants. My made link holds a lot of simple refashions.

Bottom line: get it worn!  :)

Love,
​Jane

Next week marks five years since the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse claimed the lives of 1134 people. Another 2500 people were injured, many of them losing limbs. Cracks were seen in the building the day before + an inspector had judged it unsafe, but wary workers were forced inside anyway. This tragedy sparked enhanced awareness of the working conditions + treatment of the people who make our clothing. Clothing bound for store shelves around the world was found in the Bangladeshi rubble. 

Compassion for garment workers is one of the main motivators for the fairdare + many others' commitments to purchase clothing thoughtfully. Education about what garment workers face in terms of working conditions, safety, hours, access to healthcare, wages, rights, and freedom can provide powerful motivation to maintain our commitments. It can also help us to kindly explain our choices to friends + family. It's not necessary to read every book on the topic, but one or two will probably prove helpful (+ The True Cost movie is fantastic). See which ones can be found at the library.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

Love,
Jane

Courtney Carver recently wrote about being a proud member of the outfit repeaters club. I am one too. My first full time job out of college involved being the school nurse to four different Head Start schools. I would work out of a different school each day. We didn't have a lot of money, but I had one pair of jeans that felt great. Since the same people didn't often see me two days in a row, I just let myself wear that pair of jeans every day. After a while, it didn't really occur to me that I should wear something different each day.

On the other hand, I know the moment when my consciousness of there being some "rules" around repeating outfits started. Some time around third grade, a classmate asked me why I was wearing the same thing I wore the day before. Well, at my house that was the system. I had three outfits + I would wear them for two days each on repeat. At that moment I became aware of a new norm.

As time went on, I surmised that what may have happened was that this classmate had wanted to wear her favorite shirt two days in a row...her had mom objected + told her that that would be inappropriate. She noticed that I had broken this "rule" + wanted to know why.

I'm guessing that this mama was operating in accordance with the perceived "rules" + was trying to avoid judgement of both herself + her child. In this way, adults pass these "rules" and judgements onto their children. If we desire to break this cycle (even if only to promote compassion for other children), it's important to communicate to our children that different people have different preferences (not rules) about these things. Maybe at our house we cheer for the Broncos + at someone else's house they prefer the Packers. Everyone has different preferences, + that is ok. An exploration of why we hold a preference might be useful, and that explanation may be offered if helpful.

When I started my small monthly wardrobes, I decided to only include one Sunday outfit for the colder months. It felt a bit weird, because I mostly only see those people on Sundays. I went ahead anyway, because when I looked at the big picture it made sense. If I had even just two Sunday outfits, I'd only wear them twice a month for a few months...maybe only ten times per year. Silly + wasteful (to me).  :)

Some tools proud members of the wardrobe repeaters club use: 
-We find a few pairs of great shoes. A change of shoes can change the vibe of an outfit.
-We decide what we like, what fits + flatters us.
-We might try a uniform of sorts...a few varied white shirts + a few varied dark bottoms...or always a dress...or always a fitted top + wide bottom...
-We take comfort (not shlumpiness) seriously.
-We wear our favorite clothes every day.
-We recognize that we get to set our own norms + that there are no rules.
-We don't take ourselves very seriously. The goal is not necessarily to have no one notice...it's to not really care (totally possible).  :)

Today I would welcome a conversation about why I wear the same things over + over. My compassion for farmers, garment workers + the environment...along with my confidence in it being ok to cover my body in the same pieces that I love day after day...just might offer someone else another option! I see this way of thinking as freedom + why wouldn't I welcome the opportunity to share it!?

Any + all are welcome in the outfit repeaters club!

Love,
Jane

Photos via link (+ the article shows lots more repeat/uniform dressing).

This space is about simple beauty + compassion, so I've tried to keep ads at bay...including my own. I just thought I might let you know that I have a few pieces of pre-loved goodness on etsy at the moment. This is my way of trying first to get some of these pieces into the hands of people who can use + appreciate them and to keep them out of the waste stream. No pressure to shop...just in case it might be helpful.

Viva la fairdare!  :) 

Love,
Jane