by Roxanne -

The Jewelry We Keep

It’s interesting to reflect on the jewelry we keep. Heart-shaped earrings and a “diamond” necklace were given to me by my oldest daughter when she was about ten years old. They always stay in my jewelry box. She also gave me a pink art pin that I keep. Her gifts remind me of her giving nature, how excited she was to give them to me and how fond I am of those memories of her from that time. If you have children you most likely keep any jewelry they gave you too.

One of the oldest necklaces I have is a silver cross given to me by my grandfather for my First Communion – but I have never worn it.

Photo Brighton.com

My friend T has given me many beautiful pieces of jewelry over the years. I often wear an elegant gold leaf necklace she recently gave me. But more often than not I wear the Brighton charm bracelet she gave me that was created to support Breast Cancer Research. It reminds me of her but also of women whose lives have been changed by this disease.

When they were young, my daughters each received a charm bracelet from me. Over the years many charms were added from various family vacations and trips.

Another good friend gave me a necklace hand-crafted with beach glass. This reminds me of our search for a beach house and a life on the beach. It also helps me remember to be grateful that I already live a “beachy” life. And still another pair of earrings made from Venetian glass, keep me close to a good friend when I wear them.

Of course I treasure my wedding ring. My husband has given me some other pieces I enjoy, including a black coin pearl necklace and earrings. At Gooseberry Falls he gave me earrings from local artists that still remind me of our time there.

Time and time pieces . . . Do you wear a watch? Most of my adult life I wore gold Citizen watch. But ten years ago, when it broke, I bought a replacement watch on clearance for $3.99 and it’s still going strong. I wear it every day. Interestingly, it stopped when we were in Costa Rica. Great – now I could finally get a better watch. But then, it started working once we returned home. Evidently I wasn’t supposed to keep track of time during our travels there – live in kairos time not chronos time. Lose track of time. Then we are truly present.

Amulets, crystals and charms always attract my attention. They often have rich symbolism and good energy. Do you wear crystals or stones for their energy or healing properties? What stones attract you? When do you wear them?

Do you ever purchase jewelry hand-made or crafted by local artisans?

Photo Bead For Life

Ten Thousand Villages sells Fair Trade jewelry that I like. If you have a store near you, support them or order through the link above in their catalog. Another option is Bead for Life jewelry hand-crafted by African women from recycled magazines.

What about simplifying my life and jewelry? As far as buying expensive jewelry, diamonds and most pricey gemstones are off my list because of all the pain and suffering of the workers, especially children, enslaved to mine them. Watch the movie Blood Diamond to learn more. Besides, I’d rather use the money as a donation to Mary’s Pence.

Looking through my costume jewelry, I donated everything not used that had no sentimental value. Again, the idea was to keep what works with clothes I wear now. In this way someone else can enjoy them.

What pieces of jewelry do you keep? What has meaning for you?

You may also like Simplifying My Wardrobe.

by Roxanne -

A Bar at Home – Really?

Home Bar

It’s always good to question the culture we live in. Here’s a cultural critique.

My husband and I have noticed that for years now home builders have showcased homes with built-in bars, either on the main floor or in a finished basement. Also, furniture makers push “gathering height” tables and chairs in order to have “that bar experience at home.” Really?? Do I want to have a bar experience in my home? Yuck! Nauseating to even think about.

Furniture makers also feature beer can holders and even entire coolers built right into sofas and recliners. Open any Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel catalog and find entire furniture and serve ware sections devoted to storing liquor, serving liquor and drinking in general. What’s going on? Are furniture retailers getting kick-backs from liquor manufacturers?

Are Americans so unaware that they simply plop down in front of the TV, requiring beer (or even soda) at their fingertips? Or worse, entertaining guests as if they were in a bar? Wow. This is a desirable way to live?

I don’t have a problem with an occasional drink or serving a glass of wine with dinner. But I do question home furniture and entire rooms designed specifically around drinking.

Question the culture. Who benefits?

You may also like Happiness is a Choice, Exercise Your Mind and Romantic Bedroom Before & After.

by Roxanne -

Simplifying My Wardrobe

Photo Savvima

In this year of not buying clothes, I’ve been trying to simplify my wardrobe. Much has already been accomplished. Clothes I rarely wore or that didn’t fit comfortably (read didn’t fit flatteringly) were donated. That freed up tons of space in my closet. Then I looked at color. Colors that worked together and looked good on me, I kept. Items in colors that worked with only one or two other items were banished from my closet.

Next I took a good hard look at maintenance. In the apparel industry almost all beautiful fabrics can be made to be machine washable. Even cashmere is now combined with cotton to retain the luxury feel but allow for machine washing. The same goes for wool and silk. So items that need dry cleaning or ironing are really not worth it for me anymore.

So a maintenance view of my closet allowed me to remove items that required dry cleaning or absolutely needed ironing. There are a couple of linen blouses that I sometimes iron. However, they still look good and are wearable even in the “washed linen” state – so I kept them.

Then I took a close look at blazers, dresses and skirts. Basically, I almost never wear them. Recently we went to a wedding – and even then I wore dressy wide-leg slacks. So blazers, dresses and skirts were donated. Without dresses and skirts you really don’t need hosiery, slips and high heels. If I don’t wear them why have them?

Where to shop? I look for local clothing stores and Fair Trade whenever possible. Trade Winds is a shop I like on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. Beautiful clothing AND Fair Trade. Nearby is Ten Thousand Villages – also Fair Trade.

(As the commenter below mentioned, consider consignment stores and reuse clothing stores. Encore and Elite Repeat in St. Paul carry a nice selection of current women’s clothing.)

Currently I don’t worry about purses or handbags. I simply don’t use them. It’s easier to carry a small wallet and my phone in my pocket. Ta da! That eliminates shopping or maintaining a wardrobe of purses.

Numerous pairs of shoes are off my list too. I really only wear the negative heel of Earth shoes because as a professor I am on my feet for three to six hours at a time. They keep my back feeling great. So great, in fact, that I wanted to wear them all the time. In the end about six to eight pairs of shoes (boots, sandals, oxfords, dress, mules and beach sandals) cover +95% of my life. Leather items will be the next place where I take a good, hard, look.

What did I keep were scarves. I adopted the idea of wearing scarves when I lived in Paris many years ago. French women make excellent use of scarves as they have high quality – but limited item wardrobes. Scarves are a great way to add the latest color or look to any wardrobe inexpensively. They can work as a necklace or around your waist or over slacks as a sarong. They protect my neck and shoulders from the sun in the summer. As a fair-skinned person this is VERY important. And of course if you saw my furoshiki post, you know that scarves can even be pressed into service as a shopping bag or evening bag.

The end result of all of this is that getting dressed has become really easy. I enjoy what I wear and feel good in it. It looks good too. Space and time have been added to my life. I like that!

Maybe my next post on simplifying my wardrobe I will post an actual picture of my closet. It’s getting to the point where I really could!

So this is what I’ve accomplished so far. These ideas work for me – but certainly won’t work for everyone. What do you think? Do any of these ideas work for you? Do you have other suggestions or ideas?

You may also like Simplify, Simplify, Simplify, Closet Check and Easy, Summer Travel Wardrobe.

by Roxanne -

Romantic Bedroom Before & After

Romance is my word for the year. You may remember this picture that was my inspiration for using what we already have to create a more inviting and romantic bedroom.

Photo Apt. Therapy

Of course it’s not about literally duplicating this room. Rather I hope to improvise key elements of this room to create a similar warm, inviting, romantic look using what we already have. We already have a bed that is in keeping with this look, but slightly more modern with medium toned wood.

One afternoon I moved a red wool rug (a generous gift from my cousin) from the living room to the bedroom. This really set off the lighter toned wood of the bed and the white linens. Scouting around the house I gathered a collection of pictures in deep rusts, oranges and reds with wood and metal burnished wood frames. I hung them over the bed. A bookcase was moved to flank the bedroom window.

What else? I love the white bedding and the casual “unmade bed look” in this picture. Currently we have a white quilt (also a gift from my cousin) and comforter, cream flannel sheets and khaki colored pillows on our bed.

As it happens, a while ago DH gave me a gift of an extravagant down comforter. I had never used one before and they seemed expensive. But once you experience how incredibly light and warm they are I wonder how I ever lived without one – especially in Minnesota where temperatures easily dip to 20 or 30 below. We can set our thermostat even lower at night. It is a gift I truly enjoy. So topping the bed with this fluffy, but light, down comforter really adds to this look – and we already have it.

Since I’m a writer and voracious reader, as is DH, my desk has the usual writer’s articles, books and notes. This desk already functions as a bedside table.

Next I will finish one side of the window with a panel of cream velvet or white linen. I don’t think it’s necessary to drape the entire window which is large in this case. A panel hung to the floor will provide the same look for minimal or no cost. The fabric – velvet or linen – will most likely depend on how close to warmer weather we are when this update is finally finished. I already have cream colored linen panels, by the way.

Then hopefully I can post a picture of the finished project. It will have a slightly more modern look and feel. But the romantic vibe should come through. Here’s the before from a photo taken two years ago:

Photo R. Meshar

And here’s where we are so far, basically  almost done:

You may also like Isn’t It Romantic?, Romantic Dining Area Before & After.

Ciao!

by Roxanne -

“Stinkin” Cheeses

Photo WizardRecipes.com

We are hosting our small Christian community for dinner this week and “Engaging Spirits” (as T calls them) actually Engaging Spirituality Group will be with us the following morning. But what to serve?

I have decided to keep it easy but interesting. Viva Italiana! An Italian menu will suit my purposes perfectly. An added benefit is that many of the ingredients will work for both meals.

For dinner, a baked lasagna, chopped green salad, garlic bread and wine will be easy to serve and easy to eat – at the table or buffet style. I can make it the day before and bake it that evening. Homemade lasagna is not a light dinner but it is always welcome during cold winter months.

Photo A. Meshar

(Post Script: Here’s a picture of the actual lasagna I served.)

An antipasti platter (grilled vegies, prosciutto, olives, and some other things), maybe fresh Italian bread from Brianno’s Deli-Italia, crispy potatoes, juice and coffee will complete the breakfast.

Both menus will allow me to enjoy our guests because everything is prepared ahead of time. The house will smell great.

In addition I hope to include a platter of “stinkin” cheeses sprinkled with Kalamata olives. These may not be exclusively Italian. Double-cream Egyptian feta is absolutely the best feta I have ever tasted. Gorgonzola always melts in my mouth. Both stink — but taste wonderful 😉