"Is true freedom having the right to own a gun, or is true freedom having the ability to live unarmed + fearless, refusing to fight violence on its own terms?" We watched as a piece of a gun was pounded + reshaped into a garden tool in front of our eyes. Powerful.

"It should never be about what you take with you...but about what you might find when you get there."
​The manufacturer pays.
Plus-size ethical fashion brands.
​​Is fear the best motivator?
No packaging would be better, but "100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025" is engagement.
"It's about what matters most to you in life. It's not just about less."

Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend, friends!

Love,
​Jane

Sarah Corbett's How to be a Craftivist :: The art of gentle protest asks + answers the question: "If we want our world to be a more beautiful, kind + fair place, then shouldn't our activism be more beautiful, kind + fair?" This gently inspiring book resonates deeply with me. There have been quite a few issues lately that make me angry enough to carry a sign + shout. These gatherings, however, often (not always) feel like more of a way for the picketer to feel less alone + like they have "done something" rather than actually influencing any noticeable or satisfactory change. Corbett offers an alternative.

A better relationship with pants.
Fair-trade, organic cotton sheets + towels.
No new clothes.
Sustainable shoes.
Off-grid sustainable living.

Have a beautiful weekend, friends!
 
Love,
​Jane

Last week, I wrote about Stoicism + its teachings on lessening desire. I read that book during a month spent especially focused on simplicity. I look forward to reading a bit more on different spiritual teachings + practices of simplicity in the weeks to come. This time, though, I thought I'd share a little on the teachings of my own faith...Christianity. I very much appreciate Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline, from which the following principles come. (Also, Freedom of Simplicity is a favorite of mine on Christian simplicity.)

Many of us have some idea of what Christianity or Christians look like to us. "Hypocrites" is probably the most common word I hear associated with Christianity...and I get it!  Christians are imperfect...sinners...is our word for it (not meant to be an excuse for it). We recognize that we need God's grace. We recognize that He is the only perfect being...our Creator...our King. God + love...that is our mandate. And oh, how I long for "love" to be the most common word associated with Christianity!

The inward reality of Christian simplicity involves what Foster calls a "joyful life of carefree unconcern for possessions". This statement almost takes my breath away. I stop often to contemplate what that could really mean or look like in my life. How can I get some of that?...and do I even really want it?

This joyful life does not mean that we don't value possessions or care for what we have. It involves ::
-viewing our possessions as gifts from God. We live by grace + recognize that we are dependent on God.
-trusting that what we have is cared for by God. Simplicity gives us freedom to trust God.
-believing what we have can be made available to others. 

The outward flow of this inward liberation can be practiced joyfully in these ways:
-buy things for usefulness...not status. Stop buying things to impress people. Impress them with a life well-lived.
-reject things that create an addiction. Learn to distinguish need from desire. A psychological need for cheerful surroundings is valid (yay). Simplicity is freedom...not slavery.
-develop a habit of giving things away. De-accumulate. Masses of things complicate life.
-refuse to be "propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry."
-enjoy things without owning them. 
-develop a deeper appreciation of creation. Get outside. 
-be skeptical of buying things on credit. Credit leads to bondage.
-use plain + honest speech. Follow through. Seek to inform + illuminate rather than impress + obscure.
-reject anything that breeds the oppression of others...and further...let us break the yoke of oppression.
-shun anything that distracts from Christlike living (with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness + self-control). It is easy to lose focus, even while pursuing good things.

Simplicity can sound a lot like austerity...a list of rules, but the words that stand out here are joy, freedom, liberation! It's a gift to be simple!

Like a beautiful closed loop cycle, our inward focus fuels the outward flow + in turn the outward practice deepens the inward shift. I strive to loosen my grip on "things" + at the same time allow God to help loosen things' grip on me. It involves trust + right alignment of heart, soul + mind. 

I love that there are practical principles that one can take from many spiritual teachings. It seems to point to some inherent (or divine) truths that humans have come to recognize regardless of time + place.  :)

Love,
​Jane

I was a student who loved my college philosophy class. It was so interesting not only to learn about the ways people explained + viewed the world, but also to realize that the way I viewed the world was not the only way to see it. This week I've been exploring the ancient Greek + Roman school of philosophy called Stoicism through A Guide to the Good Life {the ancient art of stoic joy} by William B. Irvine.

I've been on a mission of sorts to figure out how to continue to lessen my desire for more, and Irvine offers some practical, Stoic techniques. But first, a few things to note about the Stoic school of thought:

-Stoics strive not to be devoid of feeling, but to prevent the onset of negative emotions such as anger, greed + anxiety.
-Stoics strive to enjoy life's pleasures, but not to be controlled by them.
-A Stoic learns that joy comes from deep within + craves no joys greater than these inner joys.
-Stoics work to master desire.
-A main goal is to exist in a state of tranquility or peace of mind.

"One wonderful way to tame our tendency to always want more is to persuade ourselves to want the things we already have." But how? A bit of advice from the Stoics:

-Periodically consider what it would feel like to lose what is already mine...possessions, home, work, people. The thought is that we will be less likely to take these things for granted + will derive more affection for + joy from what we already have.
-Be aware not to cherish possession with "over-much love". Be "the user, but not the slave of the gifts of Fortune." ~Marcus Aurelius
-Ask the question: Am I living the life I once imagined for myself? My past self would be exceedingly grateful for what I have now.
-Consider how our ancestors lived + how others in the world live today (the less fortunate ones). This reminds me of the quote that goes something like, "Someone else is happy with less than you have." ~unknown

It "is foolish to spend your life in a state of self-induced dissatisfaction when satisfaction lies within your grasp, if only you will change your mental outlook."

Irvine offers many more Stoic techniques for increasing tranquility + decreasing negative emotions in various areas of life throughout this book. While I don't agree with everything, I think there is plenty to appreciate about this philosophy of life. 

Love,
Jane

These amazing pictures of these amazing quilts made out of Ace + Jig's off-cuts were just too amazing not to repost here. Wow!

The year of the scrap (+ amazing inspiration).
Life kit. I especially appreciated this one on investing.
A new year's habit with impact great enough to keep.
Traveling ultralite.
​"I don't fear missing out. I fear not giving enough attention to the things that I already know for sure are important." 
​"The tribe recognizes that the correction of antisocial behaviour does not pass through punishment, it is by love + reminder of identity."
​The cure for depression is action.

Hope you are staying warm wherever this weekend finds you, friend!

Love,
Jane

This week I pretty much set all other books aside to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë along with Julia. It's interesting to grapple with what was "of a time period" + what is completely unattractive to the females living in this house today. It was difficult to see this book as romantic at many points.  :) 

I've also been reading Ryder Carroll's The Bullet Journal Method. I did bullet journalling according to his method a couple of years ago + found it worked well. I've since gone back to having a planner (I picked up this one while in California) alongside an indexed journal of ideas + plans. I like to keep the journal, but find all the daily to-do lists unnecessary to keep. This one will be easy to recycle with the removal of two staples. This book is a good in depth explanation of the method, but I found this video concise + inspiring enough to begin my own practice.

Is the pendulum about to swing back or is it just gone?
​An inspiring daily practice.
​We're reading anyway.

We're stomping through + shoveling + sitting inside looking at...snow today. Hope you are having a cozy weekend, friends!

Love, 
Jane

P.S. I love the library!  ;)

I caught a glimpse of Katrina Rodabaugh's Mending Matters in the Levis Tailor Shop, but this week I had my turn with our library's copy. What a wonderful take on slow fashion, becoming attached to our clothing, and subversive activism. One of my favorite quotes found inside is this: "Recognize that you have everything you need to simply begin your Slow Fashion journey right now, use what you already have + simply do what feels possible today." Amen.

Upcycled textile waste + zero re-dyeing. 
​To tell stories of these other times + lives.
Clean rusty lids.
What will you do with the power of enough?

Wishing you all a festive holiday weekend, friends!!

Love,
​Jane

Some of the most beautifully curated vintage I've laid eyes on at Ralph Lauren in Malibu.  ​

A new uniform. (Yes!)
Loving this series on growing fibers!
​A quest for American flannel.
Keeping clothes out of the garbage is the goal.
​Going make-up free...not to mention minimalist + zero-waste.
​Slow down + grow something.

Hope you make some time to slow down + savor this weekend, friend.

Loads of love,
Jane

It's the most consumerist day of the year...beware!  :) Whether we are going outside instead of into the shops or taking advantage of a one or two well planned deals...my hope is that we will feel in control today as far as consuming goes.  

Clarity.
A new sort of reusable cup.
Revolt against plastic.
Loofah.
Escape.

As always remember, if there are regrets after the sales...we can always (often) (hopefully) return it.  :)

Hope everyone who celebrated it had a lovely Thanksgiving! I am endlessly grateful for this community that celebrates the joy in simplicity + compassion every day! You inspire me!  :)

Love,
Jane

Since I received Wardrobe Crisis by Clare Press right before our vacation + didn't want to risk losing a library book, I didn't get the chance to finish it before the due date. I will say that it is unlike other books on this topic. It puts the fashion industry into the greater context of history + brings topics like the skillful craft of clothing making to life quite well this way. I will definitely be looking forward to getting my hands on this one again soon! 

Pure Style by Jane Cumberbatch might have been the first decorating book I ever bought. I remember coming across it in a shop in Denver + it spoke so deeply to me of simplicity + beauty. I revisit every so often + it serves as a sort of realignment for me. Nothing feels dated even after all of these years.

​Personal style.
Eye candy.
​The hard way. (thanks, Jo!)
​Sourcing.
An "edgy capsule"...versatile too.
Zero-waste morning.

Hope you are having a simple, lovely weekend!

Love,
​Jane