Here’s the start of a new series I’m going to call “1,2,3 links”. If you follow me on this blog, you’re probably going to like these 3 links:
Tag simple living
closet tour
I have this curious fascination with looking into people’s closets. LA based photographer Jeana Sohn does just that in a series of posts at closet visit where she takes you through wardrobes of local creative women. My closet is much less interesting than what you’ll find there. But still, I feel pretty happy with what I got, and thought it would be fun to take you on a little closet tour of my own. Here we go: Continue reading “closet tour”
4 Surprising Tricks to Tidying
Deep down, I’m really (shamefully) domestic and sometimes I come up with good ideas that are my own worth sharing. So here are some quick tips for staying tidy that you probably haven’t heard of before:
1. Re-purpose excess ceramic bowls from the kitchen to organize your drawers. Continue reading “4 Surprising Tricks to Tidying”
apt: a case for blank walls
In bed on an early Sunday morning,
shades of gray bounce off the walls left intentionally blank.
There’s something peaceful about blank spaces. I used to move into an apartment and have this urge to make spaces feel “lived in”. Quickly my apartment filled with a bunch of unloved objects. Some time later, frustrated with my surroundings, I’d wonder how I ever accrued all this junk. The previous generation donated all their things and redecorated their homes entirely. But our generation, belts tightened, environmental consciousness ingrained since the 1990’s acid rain scare, has chosen instead to permanently minimize. Continue reading “apt: a case for blank walls”
outfit: slow pants
The blogger at StyleBee introduced me to these amazing Elizabeth Suzann “work pants” that I asked for on my birthday. These pants are really great! I’m so glad they fit well because the process was truly slow. Each pair of pants are made to order by hand in the USA. Mine took 8 weeks for them to sew up and ship. It came with a handwritten letter and wrapped in the most beautiful marble wrapping paper I’ve ever seen. All seams on these pants are sewn with intent to last a lifetime and the fabrics are selected to get better with age. I love that it is high waisted enough to wear with crop tops but fitted enough to drape longer shirts over the belly area. Continue reading “outfit: slow pants”
seasonal objects
Here are some of my favorite objects this season:
- mineral salt deodorant spray: Are your pits ready for the heatwave? My regular old ‘healthy deordorant’ wasn’t cutting it so I looked into salt spray after reading a little bit about it. This stuff really works, leaves no residue or scent, and is completely non toxic. It won’t prevent sweating but will block odorous bacteria growth!
- rose oil: I’m enjoying the beautiful smell of rose oil this season with beauty products like Dr. Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream, which seems to have a loyal following for good reason. And Aesop’s A Rose by Any Other Name body cleanser simply smells amazing.
- peonies: These adorable flowers are finally in season (and sold at bargain prices right now! Usually go for $10 per stem, now sold at a 1/4 of that price ). And I’m loving the scent of Mrs. Meyer’s Peony cleaning products. It’s my favorite scent in their entire line of products. A bit rosy but more soft and subtle.
beauty: capsule
A capsule beauty kit contains only essential cosmetics. Think of the products that you repurchase when empty; the ones you just have to squeeze into your carry-on bag when you travel. What if you only kept these products and got rid of the rest? … By the time I reached the big 3-0, I felt like I had a better sense of myself, and knew what products made sense for me and had done enough research to know what products were the very best. The end result is a hard working beauty kit with holy grail standards for every item. I’m lucky enough to no longer have many blemishes (one of the many benefits to becoming semi-old~!) and on most days go without make up entirely, so it makes sense that my beauty kit only contains 6 items. It was definitely worth the effort to ruthlessly edit my beauty kit down to a few products, for an easy morning routine, and a look that feels authentic. Continue reading “beauty: capsule”
7 Practical Feng Shui Lessons for Apartment Living
Lately, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how people are affected by their home environments. The concept of simple living addresses the amount of stuff we have but doesn’t really offer guidance on how to best arrange our things. KonMari taught us how to arrange our wardrobes and knick knacks but pretty much ends there. Feng Shui offers guidance but so much of it is based on superstition and quackish ideas about good fortune. So I was so happy to find a book about Feng Shui by Cathleen McCandless that actually made sense, and quickly read through it yesterday afternoon. There’s a particular school called ‘form’ Feng Shui that offers practical advice on how to reduce semi-conscious anxiety and stress in ourselves by arranging furniture in ways that maximize a sense of security. Much of the advice is a common sense approach to home safety, that when implemented has a noticeable calming psychological effect. Here are some tips that I thought were most notable from the book and particularly useful for urban apartment dwellers. This list takes you from the outside to the inside of your home.
1. Make sure your apartment # is clearly visible from the outside (should you ever need to call for help, you’ll be easier to find this way).
2. The entryway should be a well defined area with partial separation from the living space (to psychologically transition you from an alert-outside state to an inside-resting state). Continue reading “7 Practical Feng Shui Lessons for Apartment Living”
good read: voluntary simplicity
This week’s good read is a really interesting essay on simplicity by Richard Gregg, a social philosopher who is known mostly for his work on non-violent resistance. In 1936, he first coined the term “voluntary simplicity” in an essay entitled The Value of Voluntary Simplicity. It is thorough and still relevant– a total consolidation and refreshing reminder of why we choose simplicity. He writes about the importance of simplicity as it relates to human relationships, personalities, domestic life, unity, society, equality, civilization, leadership, non violence, the environment, art, and beauty. This is essential reading for anyone interested in minimalism.
Here are a few notable quotes from the essay:
“Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life…. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose.”
good read: the anti-mcmansion
I stumbled across a feature on the Apiece Apart blog inspiring woman series about Christina Kawabata’s beautiful house in upstate New York where she and her architect husband raise their two kids with very little material possessions in one large open concept space. It was featured in the NY times, in an article titled ‘the Anti-McMansion‘ and also on the Remodelista blog. In the interview with Apiece Apart, she talks about people’s general reaction to her home and how she has managed to raise two children with this lifestyle. It got me thinking about the idea of creating “domestic calm” and how that might be important to have firmly in place before bringing children into this world.
[image credit: Apiece Apart]
minimalist in-progress report
I thought I’d share my progress on decluttering (or ‘de-owning’) this past month. Here were a few places I worked on: Continue reading “minimalist in-progress report”
good read
This week, I learned about ‘slow living’, ‘essentialism’, and ‘downshifting’ and how these lifestyles differ from ‘minimalism’. I found a good read from Kinfolk (the slow living magazine out of Oregon) in an article about essentialism and how its focus is more on individuality through an emphasis on curation, not just downsizing. I love reading about variations on how to simplify our lives. It is reassuring and grounding. I’m finding it very important to remind myself of why simplicity makes sense by writing and reading about it. We need reminders because the world around us constantly tells us to endlessly buy and work more.
considered living: minimalist laundry
I felt inspired by the ‘Simple… Not Plain‘ blog’s post on the topic of minimalist laundry. A lazy Sunday in doing laundry while listening to your favorite podcast or simply being mindful while folding towels for example, can be a stress reducing distraction from all the noise inside and outside our heads. Continue reading “considered living: minimalist laundry”
good read: understanding why we hold on to clutter
Understanding why we hold on to clutter helps us make better editorial choices when decluttering. Linda Sand, a commenter on the bemorewithless blog’s great post on “how to get rid of clutter you care about”, wrote that the trick for her was learning that “I keep things for who I wish I was instead of who I actually am.” The meaning of this took a few moments to settle in but when it did, it resonated with me. It’s worth repeating:
“I keep things for who I wish I was instead of who I actually am.”
I am so impressed by how inward and honest she is with herself. This wisdom can extend beyond decluttering and informs general life decisions as well. Her comment helped me realize I was doing the same thing. Now I feel like I can look at that burnt sienna blazer collecting dust in my closet and finally let it go. It’s not me, it was an image of a girl I admired, but it isn’t me. I think this subconsciously happens to all of us… are you holding onto something that isn’t ‘you’?
considered living: criteria for an essential wardrobe
Imagine waking up in the morning to get dressed, you open the doors to your closet, and you feel calm and serene because:
You love every item of clothing in your wardrobe.
You have many outfits to choose from,
but you don’t have too much.
You have something to wear for every occasion.
You are satisfied in the quality of your clothes.
Everything fits well
and you feel chic and comfortable in every outfit you own.
These are the ideals of an essential wardrobe. I’m certainly not fully there, but since editing/reducing my wardrobe I’ve noticed my morning stress level has significantly decreased. I’m no longer panicked about what to wear and running late in the mornings. Now I can start my day feeling relaxed and ready to face what lies ahead.
Creating an essential wardrobe requires one to be more thoughtful and selective. To make it in, an essential wardrobe piece should meet the following 6 criteria: Continue reading “considered living: criteria for an essential wardrobe”
Dr. it girl 