A few easy reads that I've binged lately (+ feel like books anyone could appreciate):

The Friends by Fredrik Backman :: this will surely become a movie or series that won't be better than the beautifully written book

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel :: my partner checked this one out from the library + when Jo saw it, she said it was her favorite book...so of course, I read it too

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer :: nature, Native wisdom + economics. beautiful.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard :: folklore for these present times

Microadventures by Alistair Humphreys :: check out the book or the blog...it'll get your mind moving in the direction of "yeaaaah, I can think of good adventures to sprinkle into the weeks ahead!"

It can be hard to find good books to read sometimes. I've just been in a good spot lately...which is nice, because winter is for reading! As always, I'd love to hear what you've been reading + loving lately too!  :)

Love,
Jane

I've only just begun Worry Medicine by Nina Montenegro, but I'm already glad I have. 

It kinda feels nice to know I'm not alone. Honoring our own needs this holiday season.

Words are powerful. This one is such food for thought.

Outsourced supply chains. 

Collaborative, 400-miles-radius supply chain.

Build a bridge. That's where the courage is.

With finishing stitches put in as the maple tree in our yard turns blazing red + snowflakes dot the forecast, this (finished!) quilt feels right on time. This weekend, I'm:

• thinking about how I can truly, deeply feel the abundance of what's already present.
• turning my eye toward indoor spaces + creating places for creativity, calm + connection as the temperatures dip. 
• creating acceptance in myself for non-intimidating + nourishing gathering options. 
• embracing my desire to throw kindness around like confetti.

Sounds like an outline of posts I could write.  :)

A few more goodies:
Once in a lifetime moment.
​A tool for living.
Tradition toward sustainability.

Wishing you a weekend filled with what nourishes your soul.
Love,
​Jane

Botanical Block Printing by Rosanna Morris :: I was so happy to find this book at our library! One of Rosanna's prints hangs in our kitchen + I'm just excited to experience all the beauty in this one this weekend.
​
Prairie Up by Benjamin Vogt :: This is the second time I've checked this book out from the library this year. I'm looking for a better recipe for the native plant mix in our little garden. Now that the perennials have been at it for a few years, some are taking over, and I'd like to even the playing field a bit. (Where did all my happy coreopsis go?)

A study showed cognitive training increases acetylcholine which boosts attention + memory. My favorite brain games are the free NYT games, Disarray + this new one I just picked up. (fingers crossed we can do it)  :)

This + this made my partner + I feel so peaceful + grounded that we got up + went for a bike ride even though the sun had already gone down. 
Keeping looms in the USA.
Creating a replicable, human-sized model of textile recycling in the USA.
​Repairing sneakers.

I hope you prioritize some things that just feel good this weekend...I'll be riding through the park as the sun sets, eating empanadas from the pop-up at work + painting with autumn colors.

Loads of love,
Jane

This lovely library at the Lincolnville Motel in Maine had me imagining the collection of books I'd still have, if I'd never let any go. It really did feel quite cozy paging through book after book listening to Johnny Cash on the record player with a mug of hot tea in hand. Also...those white floors.

Foster by Claire Keegan is a book I picked up in a different vacation spot library. I chose it, because I thought it would be short enough to finish during our stay. I read it in one sitting + it lingered in my thoughts for days. I'd be so curious to hear how others receive it. My advice is not to read what it's about before diving in.

I've been studying Enneagram in Real Life by Stephanie Barron Hall like a text book. I really like how Stephanie engages with the enneagram as a guide for transformation towards our truest selves. She says that our truest selves are grounded, connected, compassionate + possess inner-knowing. Yes, please.

Rebel Stylist by Iain Webb caught my eye in a bookstore + held it as soon as I realized that the subject, Caroline Baker, styled my favorite 80's Benetton ads. I found it interesting think through the statements that were being made with fashion then + how they could be interpreted differently now through our current cultural lens.

I started All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall the same day that it rained eight inches in a couple of hours at our house. It hits pretty close to home, but is beautifully + thoughtfully written.

Patrice is on my I'd-like-to-watch list.
​An inspiring watch.

I hope your summer offers periods of spacious time + the appetite for savoring what is quiet + juicy.  :)

Loads of love,
Jane

Craft books seem to come in waves...not just the publishing month waves, but in waves that seem to signal trend spikes. As people interested in craft, it's kind of silly to watch. We know that interest in craft isn't driven by trend. It is something that resides deep in the soul. It is tactile + compelling, expansive + vital.

For whatever reason, I have read some truly exceptional books about craft lately:

• Handbuilt by Lilly Maetzig (above) :: This book is was the one that, after reading the library copy, I knew would earn its spot on my bookshelf. I'm not quite ready to invest in a ceramics set-up of my own, but when I am this book will be my instructor. It's beautiful + so generous in the practical knowledge it shares.

• Finding Form with Fibre by Ruth Woods :: The artists highlighted in the first half of this book are incredibly inspiring. This book has me thinking about creating small woven works as a sort of home exhibit installation.
• Cloth by Lena Corwin :: I've just checked this out from the library + I'm so excited to dig in. My mind goes racing with lines like, "From swaddling blankets to burial shrouds, people live with cloth daily and for the entirety of their lives." 
• Clay by Amber Creswell Bell :: Gosh, I just love all the things you can do with clay!
• Thrown by Lilly Maetzig :: This book, like Handbuilt above, is full of instruction that you just won't always get from a class. Lilly is the teacher who remembers what she didn't know when she started doing ceramics. Such an incredible (and beautiful) resource.

I'm sitting down with iced coffee + listening to the rain. Sunflowers + hollyhocks sway in the garden outside the window. Goldfinches swoop + chipmunks bound through the tall grass. I've just returned from the library with a new book (Cloth). It's a good Sunday. Wishing you something similarly lovely.

Love,
Jane

What's making me smile these days:

• bringing flowers to my daughter's for dinner 
• visiting an owl's nest with binoculars
• hugging my mom + dad
• minimizing + redesigning my artsy/craftsy closet  
• checking in with what's popping up in the garden
• booking camp sites
• long phone conversations with my sister
• familiar walks 
• having a permanently set up space to stretch
• balcony seats for a dance/cello performance
• an afternoon to explore shops all by myself 
• lilacs!
• hibiscus tea

It's always interesting to me how mundane + obvious these type of lists feel in the moment. But when I come across them later, there is something unfamiliar + lovely about them. I think it would be kind of delicious to find such a list tucked into a book or in the pocket of a jacket next fall. Similarly, I often keep fortune cookie fortunes or tickets from a movie or boat ride tucked into a bag or pocket to come across later. They always elicit a smile + often a conversation. Why shouldn't good things + sacred moments offer smiles more than once?

It's usually more effective to team up with a species than to create a machine.
A plastic spoon in every brain.
The housing was sold at cost.

Hope your weekend involves some sunshine + some quiet moments. 

Much love,
Jane

I've had to surrender to a cold + the need for rest over the past week. As I emerge, I'm noticing the immense joy that tiny moments like tasting an orange or interacting with people I love brings. Colors + flavors + connection are just hitting different after a few dulled days. I'm actually startled by the jolts of joy I'm feeling, and I'm trying to take note. 

Spending time with Make Time for Creativity is prompting me to think about my approach to creativity...well creatively! Today I'm thinking about how boundaries of time + energy might enhance my connection to projects I'm currently working on.

I finished Real Americans by Rachel Khong this week + my thoughts keep returning to it. Our thoughts are shaped by our circumstances + absolutes are seldom as concrete as they seem...even when the best of intentions are in play.

Simple, beautiful home.
It's not a bookend. It's the whole narrative.
Mortgage-free + garbage-free.
Influenced influencers influencing.
It's both individually worthless + everything you have.

Hope your spirit feels renewed with the introduction of a new year. 

Love,
​Jane

Here in the United States, it's Thanksgiving. We have so many things to be thankful for: a big birthday celebrated, a pup who communicates love in palpable ways, a full rainbow, forest walking, laughter + conversation, cozy socks, cozier hugs, recovery from achy colds, new glasses, fish tacos, pumpkin pie, scarlet + golden leaves...I could go on + on.

Currently reading + noticing + writing + loving:
Make Time for Creativity by Brandon Stosuy
Everything Beautiful by Ella Frances Sanders
Pieces of You journal

Quietly among the most influential voices in the history of North American garment manufacturing.
Nico Nico is saying goodbye.
If you care about fighting cancer, there's a win here. If you care about environmental justice, there's a win here. If you care about oceans, rivers, all the rest- there's a win. If you care about climate change, there's a win.

Over the years, I have been so grateful to experience a community of sorts here.  Thank you for your thoughtfulness, your imagination, your compassion, your willing spirits, your encouragement, your presence in this world. We don't get to see each other face to face, but knowing that there are likeminded (in any way) friends in the world has fed my soul mightily. I am truly grateful for you.

Love,
Jane

I'm sitting by the sliding door watching hummingbirds + monarchs dip in + out of the butterfly weed + cleome. Cicadas buzz + a pair of goldfinches that have stayed all summer sway on the coreopsis. The air has cooled + brushes my toes resting on the ottoman. Beauty is here + right now. 

Health Nut by Jess Damuck had me with the cover. Throw in the fact that this is by the author of one of my favorite cookbooks, Salad Freak, and I know I have to read every word. I like these books so much, because they simply act as inspiration for my own creativity. This is my favorite way to cook. Intuition, seasonality + vibrant taste for the win.

Quiet Spaces by William Smalley is a prompt toward creating restful spaces. I enjoy reading his poetic language about architecture + insights into how long held spaces have made him feel over the years. I rarely read about one's connection to place + its impact on how one lives in books like these, so this one feels gentle + special.

Devotions by Mary Oliver is offering little, tender moments in our days. This is a book that I feel like I can pick up, open to any page + feel a sense of recognition + connection come into view. I've checked it out from the library more than once, and it is always a lovely returning.

Big shade.
​Coffee grounds + cork.
I like calm spaces. 
Summer's end(less).

Hope your weekend feels tender + spacious + that you have moments to look + feel + hear the beauty around you. Love is here.

Love,
Jane