Every day is an adventure. I share the view, the gratitude and the news on Fridays – you’re invited to join in. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.
The view
I am so grateful for…
- The lovely autumnal weather + produce
- This weekend's opportunity to talk to so many sweet, passionate businesses.
- Generous gifts from readers and students: DELICIOUS Organic Polwarth from Sheep Spot (pictured above), Yarn Love yarn, and Ewe Clips!
The Finds:
I’m exploring:
When Elise first linked to the Capsule Wardrobe idea, I giggled to myself: the idea of paring your wardrobe down to just 37 pieces you'd wear in a season, well, it presumes that you have over 37 items of clothes. And it presumes you go shopping (I don't, Jay has to convince me to try anything on, and then to buy what I actually say I want/need.)
But when Elise shared her own, I thought: It would be awesome to know that I was actually WEARING everything in my closet and that it all fit together into grown-up outfits. (I tend to wear the same 3 tshirts/sweaters/cardigans with my 2 pairs of identical jeans – the joys of self-employment.) Off I went to my closet and drawer and pulled out everything I'm not going to wear in the cold weather (sleeveless shirts, lighter dresses) and donate-able stuff (stained shirts, too-big dresses and pants I've been holding on to “in case”.) As I counted up what was left, I realized that there are some gaps that I've been frustrated about for years, and that I could actually, ya know, fill them. (The gaps: Clothes to meet students/friends for coffee in. I have plenty of “working at coffeeshop” tshirts/jeans/hoodies and enough “teaching in front of a room” dresses (3)…but nothing in between.) I got another pair of jeans, a sweater and a button-down (to dress up my pullover sweaters) and suddenly BAM! I feel a grown-up with an actual wardrobe of options. I also signed up for a Stitch Fix, because, man, I hate to shop (Jay bribes me) and my local options are limited. (I'm still not up to 37 piece, but I have what I need, and it actually fits together.)
I still don't care anything about fashion and meeting someone else's standards of beauty and “appropriateness”, but as I started to explore my own resistance to buying clothes (I could write many, many more posts about my issues around money, shopping, objectification), I'm realizing that it's possible to look at clothes as another opportunity to feel good, to be myself, just for me.
I’m eating:
- This delicious Apple Crisp
- Dilly Stew with Rosemary Dumplings – the perfect meal for a rainy fall day
In case you missed it:
- This week I shared my own lessons from doing craft shows, and how I survive weekend-long shows (or conferences, trade shows, etc) as an introvert.
