Above is one iteration of what I thought my simple summer wardrobe could look like. My thoughts were: comfy shapes...comfy shoes. Layer the tanks over the short jumpsuits + wear those same tanks with the sarouelles. That or one + done dressing with a jumpsuit. Enough.

I've been searching thrift stores + resale sites + using sales to assemble the pieces...but it hasn't all worked out quite like I planned. There were some fit issues...some is-that-really-what-I-want-to-wear reconsiderations...and now I'm back to trying to figure it out.

I was all set for this post to be about having my magical simple summer wardrobe all set, but decided that this space is as much about the figuring it out...the process...as anything. I don't have tons of money...and I don't have sponsors throwing stuff at me. (I've never wanted this space to be an advertisement...rather a resource. If I couldn't/wouldn't buy it with my own money, it's not real.) I'm trying to wear what I have, but I can (responsibly) switch out a piece or three a couple of times per year. I don't have tons of stellar, well-curated, local thrift stores to shop. I'm not a size 0, who fits into anything + everything. I'm not complaining...just saying that I'm pretty regular (?).  :) 

A few things that I have learned/am trying to deepen my understanding of:
-I'm happy wearing a few pieces that I love over + over. For me, this is desirable because it means I am using less resources + will get closer to using pieces up before moving on to something new. 
-I can keep shopping to about twice per year (spring + autumn). I want to have rest periods where I am just content with what I have + not searching for more.
-I want my clothing to be proportioned + colored to flatter me. I'm not personally interested in less simply for the sake of less.
-There is nothing simpler than one-piece dressing.
-I value comfort and want to look put together in public.
-Keeping the numbers of my clothes few can present the challenge of needing everything to mix with everything else...on my body...and for all situations. 
-Uniform dressing is appealing, but I'm afraid I would get tired of a true uniform quickly. My sort of uniform dressing seems to be choosing a silhouette or two or three + wearing them on repeat. Explore further.
-A benefit of buying name brand clothing is that it can be sold (responsibly passed on) + usually retains much of its value (but it is usually expensive)...vs. the benefit of buying thrifted pieces is that I am reusing (but it may be hard to resell)...vs. the benefit of making my own clothing is that I know someone in a sweat-shop didn't make it (but it may not turn out to fit/flatter). The best is being lucky enough to find a used, brand name piece of clothing in my size (unicorn!).

Under the utmost of consideration at the moment:
-Could I simply wear a couple/few pieces that I love on repeat? A couple to wear out of the house + a couple of older ones to wear more as loungewear? Could this be a clothing "system" to implement?

All photos via links (unlinked photo: mine).

Love,
​Jane

Strawberry season is not around for long, but while it's here...it is glorious! We have one 4 x 8 foot garden bed dedicated to strawberries. Once planted, they come up every year (for about 7 years, we were told) without much extra care. Freshly picked strawberries in my breakfast granola + yogurt is about as good as it gets.

Once the strawberries really start rolling in, there are enough that I need to freeze some in order to keep up. This fact makes me feel rich, because...this means strawberry smoothies for later...and...this year...ice-cream!

I don't buy cream very often...pretty much only at Thanksgiving for the pumpkin pie...but zero-waste ice-cream seemed like a good enough reason to indulge.

2 cups frozen strawberries + 3/4 cup cream + a bit of honey or sugar (very rough measurements) blended = amazing! I don't have a fancy blender, but mine worked just fine with a little coaxing + stirring.

Save some for later, if possible!

Love, 
​Jane

The way to be happy-
keep your heart free from hate,
your mind free from worry,
live simply,
expect little,
give much.
​Scatter sunshine,
​forget self,
think of others.
~Norman Vincent Peale

Zero-waste coffee can be made (at home) a number of ways...
-french press
-cloth (reusable + compostable) filters 
​-or our new favorite way...a simple cold brew filter that fits into a jar we had already

Grind up the beans, scoop them into the filter already in the jar, add water from the tap, put the top on + refrigerate overnight. Simple. I love that no electricity is used thanks to our hand grinder + the fact that there is no hot water to heat.

The set up is the ultimate in simplicity as well. I chose this stainless steel filter because it is very sturdy, + I liked the fold-over seam (as opposed to other models). The company sells special lids, but I don't think they are necessary. It seemed like the negative reviews came from leaking when shaking...just swirl if desired + skip the shaking (because it's unnecessary).

Cold brew is stronger than regular coffee, so it is best enjoyed over a glassful of ice or with milk. Mr. Tribe is the real coffee drinker in our tribe, + he says that it is strong enough to enjoy this way. This strength also makes it last (a little) longer.  :) (I really just like a little coffee in my skim milk...and love this because it's already cold!) 

Love,
​Jane

I love simplicity, + I'm often on the lookout for the simplest way to do something. This is a step in that direction...one warm weather piece of sleepwear. I've found that Liberty of London fabric is lightweight, cool, durable, + quick drying. This dark fabric is also opaque. The Bantam pattern produces a loose fitting garment with a higher neckline that I like for sleeping. I wash the darks most often, so I have ample opportunity to wash this piece. All of our clothing is hung to dry + this piece...hung on a hanger in my bathroom, dries by bedtime, no problem.

One is enough!

Pattern :: Bantam (lengthened to dress length) from Merchant & Mills Workbook
Fabric :: Liberty of London made into a dress once before, picked apart + sewn again  :)

Love,
Jane

I can't imagine having my girls ripped away from me (at any age), just when I thought I'd reached safety. This is happening at the United States border. 

I can only imagine that the ultimate goal of separating children from their parents is to send a message that the United States is not a safe place to which to flee. There are people with great power who want to change the image of the United States of America. They cultivate fear. They disagree with the words mounted on the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." 

There is no delusion that we have ever truly lived into those words. American greed is legendary. Yet, ideals have power to inspire those of us with a hope for the flourishing of not only the rich + powerful...but of all life on this planet. Love drives out fear. Hope + love can create freedom for all of us.
 
Sign a petition or two.
An organization or two advocating for the children.

Love,
Jane

The strawberries are rolling in from our garden!

I've been letting my girls choose (at least part of) my reading list this summer + I'm getting to read some good books that I wouldn't have chosen otherwise...and we're getting to have some good conversations too.  :) My first two books were Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley + Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (along with something substantial to blow my nose on).

"It wasn't lack of space for stuff, it was out of respect for the stuff we say is important enough to have in our lives."
​
"I think I use recycled materials, because it doesn't make sense not to do it."

"Because this should always be our response to life- a celebration."

A connection between female-run indie fashion labels + moves toward sustainability?

hedonic adaptation

600 square feet + a place for everything (including lots of fun!)

​"just need permission from themselves"

Have a glorious weekend, friends!!

Love,
Jane

He who is contented is rich.
​~Lao Tzu

Patagonia needs no introduction as a fair brand. They have been pushing the clothing industry toward practices that consider the earth + those who depend on it for years. This new collection is made from 80% lyocell (from wood) + 20% recycled cotton. It is made in an accredited Fair Labor Association participating supplier factory in China. The shapes are basic + versatile. Add a few fair-trade, organic cotton tees + tanks along with a pair of tencel lyocell (again...wood derived) Allbirds trainers...and a small fair wardrobe is born.

Of course the tops with the pants are obvious combinations. It's the same color combinations that intrigue me the most...the grey tank + grey pants = jumpsuit combo...or the olive top + olive dress = new dress combo. The purple tee knotted over the dress could also be cute. I imagine that this collection would travel for weeks quite well + would pack like a dream!

All photos via Patagonia + Allbirds.

Love,
​Jane

I have to admit that for all my writing about mending, patching, refashioning, and repairing...I don't see many things through to the very end. The thing is that it takes quite a lot of wear + repair + reuse to actually use something all the way up. This feels like an almost crazy thing to realize.

This week I said good-bye to my beloved babouche slippers. I bought them on our first return (we used to live there) trip to California...twelve years ago. Over the past few years, a tear in the side of one slipper grew so big that I could stick my entire hand through it...many of the sequins left nothing but tufts of thread to hint at the original design...and the insoles sat crumpled under my arches. But still, I wore them every day.

I loved these slippers + twelve years is a good, long term of service. As I cut the slippers apart (I'll compost the leather), I was moved to thank the cow from which the leather came...and the craftspeople who stitched the design to the leather and formed the pieces into something that fit my feet so well. It reminded me of Native Americans who connected the lives of animals to the provision of their shoes or coats or meals + took this connection very seriously. I actually felt more connected to the elements + makers of these slippers in their destruction than I did purchasing them or wearing them day after day. It was a strange sort of realization.

I know that even now, the discolored leather that I cut away could be scrubbed + made into something new...perhaps baby shoes. The worn, plastic soles could be attached to different slippers. The remaining sequins could be removed + reused. What is now deemed disposable is not truly useless. We live in a strange world...where...at the moment...we feel that there is a never-ending abundance of resources. Our connection to those resources can get lost.

But our connection is not lost. Our skin comes in contact with materials that the earth has produced + human hands have formed. We put nourishment into our bodies multiple times every day that sun + soil produced + human hands passed along to our plates. Awareness is all that is required...and then gratitude can flow.

Love,
Jane

P.S. I know that the use of animal products is a topic that can elicit strong feelings. For the most part, I try to avoid it here. I apologize for any insensitivity in the posting of this. I have posted (however ineloquently) about my personal feelings on this issue once before + respect others' commitments to abstain from animal products.