What Your Eco-Minimalist Really Wants

Feeling festive today on Instagram @simplylynne

Note: Wearing my thrifted winter print thermal pants which I scored for $3!

The holidays are almost upon us!

I've got two more weeks of school after a solid month of a hectic schedule. 

Which means that it's crunch time if I want to maximize the holiday cheer.

I've been watching cheesy Christmas movies with no shame, making holiday plans,

 as well as keeping an eye out for gifts for the special people in my life. 

This year, I've been working gifts from the heart. 

Some are bought, some are homemade and some are things from around the house.

 I don't think all gifts have to come in a shiny, new box to be loved and appreciated.

Like the gift of quality time - the gift I'm working most on giving my loved ones this year.

 Not only because it's easier on the budget (hello, student life), 

but because it's important to make memories with people while we can.

Quality time means being present in the moment with someone 

(and means less stuff around the house - perfect for an aspiring minimalist!).

However even the most eco-minimalists likes the odd material gift here and there. 

So I've put together this little list of gift ideas for the eco-minimalists,
 bohemians and hippies in your life (approved by me!). 

1) Foxhound Collection Earl Grey Soy Candle

$16 + shipping

As a huge tea drinker, I've had my eye on this one for a while (hint, hint!).

 Not only are soy candles much better for the environment and your health (as opposed to regular candles) but they're handmade in Nova Scotia, Canada. Yay for supporting Made in Canada!

2) Marimo Pet

$35 + shipping

I know succulents are all the rage right now, but marimo pet's are equally pleasing and add some nature and greenery to any room. Marimo's are fluffy green seaweed balls (yes, they're alive!) and are very easy to take care of. In Japan they are considered good luck if you take care of them well. You may be able to find these in your local Green Earth or garden store - or you can buy them online. 

3) Encircled Chrysalis Cardi

 $138 

This one's a little pricey but you're sure to get some bang for your buck.

 Made in Toronto, Ontario with fair labour and sustainable fabrics, this Cardi can be styled 8+ different ways. From a dress, to a cardi, to a shirt, to a scarf!

 Perfect for ladies that like to travel, yoga doers, and minimalists alike. 

(Alternatively, Encircled's Nomadic V-Neck is the more luxurious basic t-shirt ever, comes in various colours and is at a lower price point. I own it myself in 4 colours!)

  Note: I may be slightly bias, as I work here ;)

4) Himalayan Salt Lamp

$28.99 + shipping

These can also be found at your local Green Earth and similar stores, or online.

 This is a lamp which not only looks beautiful when lit (much like a soft fire glow) but they're known to produce positive effects on their environment by cleaning the air.

 They're also said to give a calming effect, relieve depression, improve mood and concentration as well as natural healing. You can read more about the science of it here.  

5) The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing 
$15

I've heard many good things about this book! Not only is it small (doesn't take up much room) but it is packed full of great information and ideas for decluttering and organizing a space. I flipped through it once (and highly regret not picking it up on sale) and was already inspired just from the few headings that I read. One of these days I will get a copy! Less mess, less stress. 

6) Tickets for something 

Give your eco-minimalist the gift of experience! This doesn't have to be an airline ticket (unless you're feeling ridiculously generous) but tickets to their favourite band, the theatre (The Nutcracker, anyone?), an event etc. will help create memories that can last a lifetime. Bonus points if you're able to attend it with them! 

7) Food 

I cannot stress how amazing it is to get food for Christmas. 

Maybe this is just because I'm a student, and don't like to cook but food is extremely practical and always well received. Last year my mom gave me a huge box full of food and house necessities and it was one of the best gifts I've ever received (#adultlife). Gift cards for food places, home cooked meals or home baked cookies are also gifts that are highly thought of (just beware of any allergies if you can!).  

8) Madewell Leather Transport Tote

$263 + shipping/duties/tax

This one's an investment piece but sure to be loved for years to come. Large enough for a weekender travel bag (minimalist packing, remember) and can be personalized with monogramming. 

If you can get it on sale, even better!

For more ideas, be sure to check to give Miss Minimalist's list a read. 

♥ Brittany

5 Ways To Have A Great Monday

Here's a little picture I took this morning of my window. Loving that morning light!

Tomorrow is (once again) Monday.

I know how much of a pain Mondays can be - especially if you're not a morning person! 

The waking up early, the rushing to work/school and the long list of to-dos for the week. 

The daily grind.

It's never good to start your week of with a bad Monday - so I've put together this little list 

with the hope that you'll start your week off on the right foot! 

1) Eat a healthy breakfast and drink a glass of water

A full belly to fuel your day, and fluids to activate your mind are essential!

 If you're short on time, try bringing a smoothie on your commute or prepare your breakfasts on Sundays for the week. Granola bars and a piece of fruit are quick foods to grab and easy to toss in your bag.

2) Start the day with a grateful heart

As soon as you wake up, try thinking of 3 things you're thankful for. 

By remembering our blessings, we can learn to be more content in the present.

3) Choose to be happy today

I know - you can't control everything that happens during your Monday. 

But you can control your attitude about the things that happen. 

If the barista makes your coffee wrong, or you get stuck in traffic at work, try to shake off your irritation and choose not to let it ruin your day. Happiness is a choice!

4) Make a list of things you're excited about

Instead of living for the weekend, try picking a few things during the week that you're excited about. This will help you stay in a positive mood. It can even be small things - like catching up on the latest episode of your show or lunch with a friend. 

5) Listen to 'your jam' on the commute

You know what song I'm talking about. Whatever song it is that you're obsessed with right now - you know- the one you can't resist dancing to or singing along with - listen to that. Instant mood booster.

But first, coffee.

For more tips on having a great (and productive) Monday, check out the article 

"16 Things Successful People Do On Monday Mornings" from Levo.

Have a happy Monday, friends!

♥ Brittany

How I Changed My Life By Changing My Thoughts

If you've been following me for a while, then you'll already know that I'm a huge believer in self-love. 

I believe that loving yourself is truly the building block of any good relationship, of a happy life,

 and the best way to change the world (which we should all want to do!). 

But it can be hard to love yourself. 

Some days, really hard.

Some days you're going to feel unlovable. 

Some days you're going to feel unloved.

 Some days you're going to feel unattractive. 

Some days you're going to feel like everyone is having fun without you.

 Some days you're going to feel like you're stuck in life.

Some days you're going to feel like you don't matter.

But you do matter. And you are loved and lovable. 

Forget what the media tells you, or society tells you about your worth.

Forget that the world is constantly telling you how you should look,

 how you should feel and how you should think.

That's all just noise. 

I know it's easier said than done, so start with something simple.

I'm sure at some point in childhood, you learned the phrase "treat them the way you'd like to be treated".

 It's a phrase I'm sure has been drilled into your head by your first grade teacher, parents or was something you learned in Sunday School. It's a simple phrase with a powerful meaning. 

This phrase doesn't just work with interactions with other people, but it works for yourself. 

Treat yourself the way you'd like to be treated.

Treat yourself with kindness, understanding and love. 

I once read this quote about talking to yourself like you would talk to someone you love (it sounds super cheesy, I know) but it works! If you don't believe me, try it yourself.

The next time you're feeling down about yourself, try saying things like this:

"Hey babe. You did the best you could."

"It's okay that you're not perfect. I love you anyways."

"We learned our lesson this time, and next time we'll do better."

"Sweetheart, you're not difficult, you're just a challenge."

"We're not there yet, but we will get there. Be patient."

By replacing those negative thoughts and doubts about yourself with loving ones, you'll begin to feel happier. Really! It's amazing what the mind can do.

But don't stop there. Once you love yourself, you'll find it easier to love other people.

You'll be more empathetic and start trying to understand people, instead of judging them. 

You'll be more accepting to peoples differences and will be able to relate to them better.

This will open up so many doors for you!

 Doors which lead to peace, love, and most importantly - happiness.

Namaste.

♥ Brittany

50 Things That Make Me Happy

1) A hot cup of tea

2) Watching my favourite childhood movies 

3) Rolling in fresh-from-the-dryer bedsheets (yes, rolling)

4) The smell of an old book

5) The sound of the rain at night

6) When a stranger smiles or compliments me

7) Wearing cozy, wool socks

8) Sending and receiving snail mail (happy mail!)

9) Lazy Sunday mornings

10) Breakfast foods (brunch, anyone?)

11) Walking in really soft grass in the summer

12) The crunch of the leaves in the fall

13) Having fresh flowers in the house

14) Eating really fancy chocolates 

15) Waking up and realizing I still have another hour to sleep in

16) Spending time with my besties and family (even if it's just Skyping!)

17) Waking up early while the rest of the world is still asleep (peaceful)

18) That feeling when I wear a brand new pair of underwear

19) Wearing a big, cozy sweater

20) The sound of crickets 

21) Home cooked meals 

22) When I can look at a good friend and know we're thinking the exact same thing

23) Spending time in a really good meditation

24) Foggy mornings in the country

25) Waking up to birds singing in the spring

26) Forehead kisses and hugs from behind (from a partner of course!)

27) An iPod full of new music

28) When someone remembers the things I say

29) That feeling of excitement when I've planned/am heading on a trip 

30) Having a really hearty laugh with a friend 

31) Being able to cuddle up with a cat on my lap

32) Starting a new knitting/craft project

33) Morning light

34) Candle light (soy or beeswax of course!)

35) The smell of lavender

36) Wrapping a gift for someone

37) When I've just bought groceries and have all the good options to eat

38) A really pretty notebook

39) Pretty packaging on products

40) The smell of a woodstove/campfire

41) Worn in flannel button downs

41) Having a deep conversation with someone

42) A really good bass drop in a song

43) Lying in the sun 

44) A day at the beach

45) Watching a summer thunderstorm

46) Dancing alone in my room to my jam(s)

47) Re-reading my favourite books (they're like old friends!)

48) Learning and accomplishing a new skill

49) A clean and organized house

50) Seeing that I've inspired someone or made them happy

What makes you happy? I'd love to hear it! 

♥ Brittany 

Can't Repeat the Past: The Best Is Yet to Come

I woke up this morning feeling anxious and poorly rested after a night of nightmares.

They weren't the kind of nightmares filled with ghosts or psychopaths or even me forgetting my big speech that's due later this week. They were the kind of nightmares that reminded me of my past.

Literally.

I dreamed it was 1998 again.

I was at this theme park that I had invented in my mind and which had already been a setting in numerous dreams over the years. I was surrounded by flare jeans, and the Spice Girls were doing a show

 on the park stage.

I was still me, as I am now - 24 years old and my 2015 mind, older and wiser than I was in 1998. 

I suppose you might think a trip back in time sounds enjoyable. I however found it depressing. 

I felt like a ghost. 

I know I didn't belong there and I was alone. I was anxious and my heart ached. 

In the dream, I found the only person I thought would understand me and believe me. A palm reader. 

I gave her my hand, she looked at it and said, "You're not from this world".

BAM.

There's a million ways to interpret that, but I'll keep it simple. 

I don't want to live in the past. 

I don't want to live in memories, even if they're good ones.

 Hell, even if they're amazing ones and I miss them like crazy. 

Missing something or someone doesn't bring them back,

it'll only keep you from being happy in the present. In the today. 

And that's what matters most. Today. 

Who you choose to be today, what you choose to accomplish today and where you choose to go today. 

It's okay to miss the friends you lost touch with, or the town you used to live in, or your childhood years.

For me lately, I've found myself missing my old apartment in London and the two years I spent there. 

With the large backyard I spent so much time exploring, and a short walk away from

 a beautiful park and easy access to the heart of the city.

 I miss the affordable living, the people I used to work with and the hours I'd spend on the couch drinking tea and telling stories with one of my best friends who now lives too far away to visit. 

I miss the familiarity of the place I lived in, the roommate I never disagreed with

 and the cozy hipster-esque loft living room that I spent so many hours watching Once Upon a Time in.

 And of course, I miss the guy that's no longer in my life, and that I used to spend so much time with.

I guess I miss those years the most, because it was the most significant years (to date) and I was really happy. And I guess I'm afraid that I won't feel like that again. That I won't have that again.

But I will, and you will too. Maybe not today, or even tomorrow but there is good still to come.

There are new memories to be made. 

So, miss it for a while, but don't let your feelings control your life. 

Trust that there was a reason for every person and place and thing that left and was lost.

Trust that there is better coming. Believe in abundance. 

♥ Brittany 

Vintage Fall Favourites: Coming Soon!

Coming soon on Etsy -  a few of my favourite vintage finds for fall! Link in sidebar.


I had been hoping to be writing a lot more, but I've been such a busy bee lately!

I'm back at school full time, working part time at my internship, part time on Etsy and still trying to manage time for the fun stuff - like reading, thrifting, knitting, and of course writing!

 I'm slowly starting to manage the new routine but it's taking some work.

I've had some good luck thrifting lately so I thought I'd share some of my finds from my local Salvation Army and Value Village. These are all available/will be available in the shop as well, so if something interests you, let me know!

One of my favourite items on the list is this 80's cream knitted pullover which I scored new with tags from Value Village (deadstock) for around $6. How I love a good deal.
I'm a sucker for oversized knitted sweaters and I know I'm not the only one!
 I will be living in these this fall/winter season - the best part is it's really easy to find nice knitted sweaters during thrift hunts - and they're always so affordable and unique.

 Now I'm just waiting on the weather to cooperate with me so I can wear them.

I hope you're enjoying the start of the new season. Happy fall equinox! 

♥ Brittany

Everything is Temporary: The Season of Renewal

My favourite season is almost here. The time for sweater weather, warm beverages and long walks on crunchy, colourful trails. Tomorrow I'll be going back to campus with thousands of other students,

 and we'll all be getting into a new fall routine. 

This is probably the most exciting part of a new season for me. 

That concentrated feeling of renewal and the smell of change - nay, possibility, in the air. 

Just as the season changes and the trees lose their leaves, you'll grow and shed parts of yourself. 

You'll meet new people, accomplish new things and have new experiences. 

You may leave some things or people behind, and that's okay. 

Nothing good lasts forever and it's for this reason that we can truly appreciate it.

Everything has its season. The flowers, the birds, even our lives. The simple fact that something won't last forever is exactly what makes it so precious. This is especially recognizable in the fall. 

So live for the moment and live in the now. 

Eat slowly and well. 

Say the important things.

Wake up early.

Have a hobby.

Make memories.

Celebrate the small victories.

Let people know what they mean to you.

Autumn and winter may come and things may end, but spring always follows and change is good.

♥ Brittany

Where you moving? Onto better things.

So this morning I completed the journal I had started four years ago and for some reason this made me kind of nostalgic and emotional. I had started it way back, during my first year of college when I was living in London. When I was younger, more naive and afraid of life and unsure of who I was. 

I flipped through and thought about all the things I had done and experienced during these years.

 The people I had loved and lost, the places I had gone to, the feelings that I felt.

It was both amusing and bittersweet to relive these entire 4 years in just one little book. 

So much life packed into it's pages and so, so much growth - but not enough life that I'm satisfied. 

I guess I'm thinking I could have wrote more. I could have said more. Done more.

So before I got too emotionally distressed and thought too hard on how fast life goes by,

I dedicated my very last journal page to a list of intentions for both my next journal, and the next chapter in my life. (Which seems fitting considering a literal new season is just on the horizon - yay fall!) 

I'm sharing some of my list with you with the hopes that it will inspire you
 to work on some of your own intentions. It's never too late to become a better you.

  Changing the world, one person at a time.

♥ Brittany

Do you have any intentions you'd like to work on yourself? 

Comment below, I'd love to hear them!

8 Odd Things Green Activists Do at Home for the Planet

Here are a few slightly odd but great ways to be more sustainable at home.
 I recommend giving them a go, if you're feeling ambitious!

1) Recycling bin in the bathroom

The best way to keep things from ending up in landfills is to recycle.

A little bin beside the garbage can makes it easy for collecting those empty toilet paper rolls and lotion bottles. We recently started doing this one at our house and it's meant changing the garbage a lot less often!

2) Skipping flushes between toilet trips

Water is one of our most precious resources (if not the most important) on the planet and once it's gone, it's gone! The best way to make sure there's enough water on the planet for everyone, and for years to come is to preserve and conserve it. This one works best if you live on your own, or if your partner/roommate is okay with it. Skipping a flush here and there can save gallons of precious water.

3) Saving dish water (and rain water) to water the plants

This is a fairly easy one. Do your dishes in a bin in the sink and then transport the water to your house plants or garden. I recommend using an eco-friendly biodegradable dish soap if you can so you can keep nasty chemicals off your fruits and veggies. Saving rain water in barrels is also a great way to conserve fresh water. Grey water is good water!

4) Using one cup a day for beverages 
(rinse in between optional!)

My mom will thank me for this one. Instead of getting a new glass or mug every time you get a drink of water or make some coffee, why not stick to one glass/mug and save yourself the time, a load of dishes, and water. 

5) Washing your clothes (and towels) less

Unless you're sweating profusely or rolling around in mud, there's really no need to wash clothes as frequently as the average person does. As my wise professor Pamela always says "You sit on a clean seat in the car, or a fairly clean seat on the bus or at school - there's no real reason other than that we're obsessed with being clean - to wash your clothes every time you wear them". How I miss her lectures. On that note as well, I could never understand the whole getting a clean towel every time you have a shower. Realistically, you're drying off your freshly cleaned body so it doesn't really get dirty! (#firstworldproblems, I guess).

6) Unplugging anything in the house that isn't currently being used

Believe it or not, even if something is powered off but still plugged in, it sucks up little bits of energy. Sometimes you hear this called phantom energy. Serious green activists tend to only keep things plugged in when they're being used. From the phone charger, to the toaster, to the t.v. set.
Although why not get rid of the t.v. completely. I dare you!

7) Always carrying a reusable bag

You will almost never catch me without a portable reusable bag and when we go grocery shopping, I always try to bring plenty with me. You never know when you'll be out and need to grab a few things, or the strap on your purse will break and you'll be glad you have a spare bag on you. 

8) Being partially dressed is not out of the ordinary

Again, this works best if you live alone or if your partner/roommate doesn't mind. The less clothing you wear, the less we're consuming (which is a great thing) and the less clothing you wear, the less laundry you'll do (which is an even better thing!). If you're not comfortable lounging around in your skivvies though,
you can always opt for at home clothes, aka pajamas.

Do you have any odd practices that you do at home to conserve? I'd love to hear them!
Comment below :)

xoxo
Brittany

I Do: Saying Yes to Pre-Loved Gowns for a Cause

This weekend while I was touring St. Jacobs, Ontario with some lady friends, I had the privilege of stumbling across a bridal store that was unlike any bridal store I've been to or seen (since there have been several weddings in the family in the past year or two, I've seen my fair share - if I never see another episode of 

Say Yes to The Dress again, I won't complain.)

Gina's Closet located in the heart of this small town, is more than just a bridal store. 

It's a bridal store with a good cause.

Gina's Closet accepts previously loved wedding gowns from women in the region which are sold at a reduced price to new brides. The best part is that all the proceeds are then donated to Cancer Charities

 in the Waterloo Region (you read that right - all proceeds!)

There are two rooms to the store - one filled with vintage wedding gowns and veils and the other filled with the modern pre-loved gowns (you can guess which room I liked better).

 I saw a lot of full sleeved 80s gems, long sleeved 70s beauties and even several empire waisted 60s pretties. The modern room also had a wide selection of unique choices for today's bride. 

Each room was accentuated with little vintage touches - antique gloves and handbags and other bridal knick knacks for a memorable day. The prices were also very affordable - most of the dresses I saw were

 in the $100 - $300 range. For a dress you'll only wear once, I consider this a steal!
 I was also impressed with the lady that was working when we visited. She seemed very knowledgeable about the stock and was very friendly - even knowing we were just browsing.

To make the day even sweeter, some of the bridal gowns even come with messages

 from their previous owners. It just makes the shopping experience that much

 more personal - a note from one bride to another for such a special day.

If you happen to be in the area and looking for a dress, I highly recommend checking Gina's Closet out! 

Not only would you be doing good for the environment and saving money by shopping

 pre-loved gowns, but you'd be supporting those battling cancer in the KW area.

To find out more check out Gina's Closet's on Facebook.

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Brittany

Some Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape

I've got something I want to admit that often gets me into trouble:

I always try to see the best in people.

I can have experienced disappointment again and again from someone, but I always seem to have this ridiculous belief that at some point they'll learn their lesson and things will get better.

(Bottomless well of hope over here.)

However I think it's me that needs to learn a lesson.

Recently I've been kicking myself over another failed relationship.

I wallowed in those oh-so-familiar feelings that I know you've had before too at some point.

Maybe if I had been prettier. Or smarter. Or funnier.

Maybe if I had cared more, or cared less.

I obsessed over everything we'd done and  went over every conversation

 in my mind to try and figure out what went wrong. 

Where I went wrong. 

We do this every time someone lets us down, but what we often fail to realize, 

is that we are often only a tiny part of the problem. 

In fact, when someone treats us poorly it often has absolutely nothing to do with us.

I'm not saying that only one person in a relationship or a friendship is at fault when people disagree.

Each person involved contributes in some way. 

However too often when somebody hurts us, it's not because there was something wrong

 with us necessarily, but because there's some kind of issue(s) going on with them.

There's some insecurity in their heads or doubt in their hearts that makes it impossible for them

to open up and love someone else (platonically, or otherwise).

When I look at my past romantic relationships as a collective, and even several friendships,

 I can almost pinpoint exactly why they ended. In all cases, each relationship held instances of human selfishness and ego. Sometimes me and sometimes them, which kept love from growing.

When we're selfish, we stand in our own way of true happiness.

We don't really see people as themselves - but rather we see what they can do for us. 

We develop relationships based on what we can attain from another person.

Our relationships therefore become superficial - like a marketplace for trading goods.

Only too often, the exchange of goods isn't equal and eventually, someone gets hurt.

You can't change people.

You can't make them see the good in you, or the potential in themselves. 

You can only love them and hope that at some point, they will learn to love the right way.

You can only hope that they will learn to see value in themselves 

so that they can see true value in other people.

 This is what true and fulfilling love is.

There's no room for selfishness in love.

Don't let your self-worth suffer because of someone else's self-worth issues.

You can't save them. They have to save themselves.

When someone hurts us, we always blame ourselves,
but I don't think you should ever have to blame yourself for having a big heart, or being open to people.

 Yes, you make the choice to include them in your life, but you can also choose to let these people go.

 Sometimes it's best to love these people from a distance.

 It's not your responsibility to sacrifice your love and happiness for theirs.

We need to get out of the mindset that we're the ones to blame when people hurt us.

Whether it's a significant other, a family member, a friend or even a stranger on the street.

We need to stop worrying about what we might have done wrong, 

and instead try to understand why somebody might feel the need to treat another person this way.

Who has hurt them that has influenced this behaviour?

What did they experience that made them treat someone else poorly?

We never know what battles someone is facing beneath the surface or what scars they are hiding.

This does not excuse their behaviour - it can only help you understand them and forgive them.

Forgive them, because you love yourself and forgive yourself for your part of the situation.

With forgiveness, comes peace. With forgiveness, comes love.

xoxo

Brittany

#OOTD: Go Your Own Way

An outfit fit for a day of wandering downtown, sipping on coffee 

& people watching at the local cafe.

Here's a little #ootd that I threw together for an laid back day cruisin' downtown Toronto.

Featuring the most flattering pair of 70s style jeans (actually from the 1990s)

 and my new favourite travel bag which matches just about everything in my closet.

Seriously, this bag is amazing! 

You would not believe the storage space and amount of pockets. 

I've even used it as an overnight bag before and it works great.

(Yes, I travel very light - only the essentials of course!)

I also threw in one of my new favourite books. It's a travel sized collection of short stories featuring Edger Allan Poe, Winston Churchhill, Katherine Mansfield and many others. It's a great book to carry on transit when I don't have enough time to really delve into a novel but want to be reading. 

90s does 70s darkwash midrise jeans - $8 from Salvation Army

Camel coloured cross-body travel bag - $8 from Value Village

Indian inspired peasant blouse - $4 from Salvation Army

1955 copy of The Open Road - $4 from Value Village

Lucky Brand aviator sunglasses - $20 from Winners

Bangle bracelets - a gift

I paired this with a messy side braid and my brown Saltwater Sandals and I was good to go!

xoxo 

Brittany

Beauty in the Breakdown

I recently found myself trying to describe the concept of Wabi Sabi to a friend.

If you haven't heard about it before, Wabi Sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in the flawed, fleeting, aged and decaying. It's generally an idea used to describe nature, but is also a lifestyle and way of thinking. It's about minimalism, authenticity and contentment. 

It's the belief that there can be beauty in everything. 

We've been conditioned to believe that flaws take away the value of something. 

Like a chipped tea cup. 

Like jeans with a rip in them.

Like the extra weight around our middles or the blemish on our chins.

Or even our awkward personalities.

We throw away the sheets that have a stain or the cookies that didn't turn out "just right".

We try to hide our insecurities under makeup and clothes or behind a screen.

We hold back on expressing our feelings or ideas because we're afraid they won't fit in with the ideal.

Because we've been taught that in order to be beautiful something has to be perfect.

This is a lie.

Flaws give us character. Individuality. They set us apart.

Flaws are experience and experience means you're alive, which in itself is beautiful.

The lines and creases in the old mans face aren't ugly. 

They're the scars of laughter and experience.

The stretch marks and scars on the lady who just had a baby aren't ugly.

They're proof that she created life.

That sweater that you just save for camping because it's worn and stained.

It holds memories because you've lived in it.

It's lovely to live in a house that's always clean and perfect.

It's lovely to always be dressed to perfection and looking flawless.

It's lovely to have the latest phone/car/computer etc.

But it's also lovely to live in a house that's lived in.

With a dirty mug on the counter from last night's coffee and hair on your pants from 

the dog rubbing against your leg. 

It's lovely to wear that pair of jeans that are dirty from painting the bedroom and from sitting

 on the grass at summer festivals.

It's lovely to read the old books because you love the smell and the little notes written 

in the corner from a previous owner.

This is what wabi-sabi is. Finding that beauty in the breakdown.

It's okay to be flawed. It's okay to be undone. It's okay if nothing lasts forever. 

"There's a crack in everything, 

that's how the light gets in".

(Leonard Cohen)

xoxo

Brittany

Rainy Day Reads: Vintage Edition

These are some of my top vintage classics that I've been collecting over the years.

Rainy, summer days. 

The kind of mornings that were made for staying in bed a few extra minutes and listening to the sound of the raindrops pitter-pattering on the outside world and for sitting on porches and

 holding hands with your significant other (or cat!).

The kind of evenings that were made for staring out the window and watching the lightning 

light up the sky or listening to the thunder roll over the hills.

The kind of days that were made for curling up on the couch with a warm mug of tea and a good book.

 A few minutes to escape to another world.

I suppose you may think I'm romanticizing the weather a little bit, but I'm an optimist.

 While I do miss the sun, I think a rainy day is a great time to reflect and renew. 

What better way to do this than by delving into another time and place by reading.

There are a ton of great books out there, but today I'm sharing my list of favourite classics with you. You've probably read a few in an English class - or even seen movie adaptions ;) 

Reading List: Vintage Edition

1) The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway 

(Pictured - I found this 1954 copy at City Lights Bookstore in London, ON for $6)

Bullfights, love triangles and 1920s European culture. What more could you want?

I find Hemingway's writing style to be very direct. He doesn't use too much embellishment but his stories are very good and his descriptions make me feel like I'm right on a Parisian street (no complaining about that one). 

I'd love to read A Moveable Feast once I find the right (vintage) copy! 

NOTE: I also recommend reading this to yourself in the voice of Hemingway from Woody Allen's 

Midnight in Paris (amazing film). I sort of have the hots for his character -  no judgement! 

2) Tender is the Night, Scott Fitzgerald 

(Pictured - I found this 1962 copy at Value Village for about $5)

Fitzgerald's books are fantastic reads. His writing style is just beautiful - poetic but not too heavy. This book in particular is a romanticized yet realistic portrayal of a young girls first love and all the after effects from her affair with a married man. I remember reading this last year during my complicated relationship (See previous post) and reading and re-reading lines from this book that seemed to really understand how I felt and were said in such a lovely way.

“They were still in the happier stage of love. They were full of brave illusions about each other, tremendous illusions, so that the communion of self with self seemed to be on a plane where no other human relations mattered. They both seemed to have arrived there with an extraordinary innocence as though a series of pure accidents had driven them together, so many accidents that at last they were forced to conclude that they were for each other. They had arrived with clean hands, or so it seemed, after no traffic with the merely curious and clandestine.”

Beautiful, right?? 

3) Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

(Pictured - I found this 1944 copy at Thrift & Gift in Elmira, ON for about $5)

This book really makes me think of rainy days. I think of fog rolling over the English countryside, sitting by fireplaces and of course the melancholy tone adds to this perfect rainy day tale. 

Jane Eyre is a beautiful story about a woman trying to achieve equality, find love

 and overcome suppression in a Victorian world. One could even argue for the time it was written,  

that is has some feminist undertones - which I love!

“Jane, be still; don't struggle so like a wild, frantic bird, that is rending its own plumage in its desperation." 

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being, with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.” 

4) The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

This novel is about art and morality - two things that I spend a lot of time contemplating over.

 It is highly philosophical and over the years has received great criticism for its lack of morality and homosexual undertones (the scandal!). The recent film version with Colin Firth is a pretty accurate and enjoyable capture of the story - if you'd prefer that route ;)

  “There is no such thing as a good influence. Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtures are not real to him. His sins, if there are such thing as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of someone else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him.”  

5) Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

I'm going to come clean on this one. I read this one several years ago because of...Twilight. 

It was written as Bella's favourite book and so I watched the 1939 film version (great accompaniment to the book) and read the book and voila! This one's a real heart jerker.

 Just the fact alone that Heathcliff asks his lost love to haunt him until he's dead so she can remain with him in some way...already balling my eyes out. 

“Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!”

6) As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner

This novel can be a little hard to keep up with as it is narrated by many different characters but it's an interesting book to read. I can remember reading this one back in high school for a book report and it's always stuck in my mind. The characters are strange and realistically portrayed and the plot varies from emotional to dark comedy. The teen version of me also found the idea of carrying a corpse across the town rather

 morbidly entertaining (yeah, I was once that kid). 

“The sun, an hour above the horizon, is poised like a bloody egg upon a crest of thunderheads; the light has turned copper: in the eye portentous, in the nose sulfurous, smelling of lightning.”

7) The Wordsworth Reader

(Pictured - 1933 copy, received as a gift)

A friend introduced me to Wordsworth when she gave me this book. It's a collection of poems and a great travelling companion due to its size. Because Wordsworth uses older English, it can require some re-reading in order to understand but it's a pleasant collection to read out-and-about! 

This one's a favourite of mine before bed:

To Sleep 
"A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by, One after one; the sound of rain, and bees Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas, Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky; I have thought of all by turns, and yet do lie Sleepless! and soon the small birds' melodies Must hear, first uttered from my orchard trees; And the first cuckoo's melancholy cry. Even thus last night, and two nights more, I lay, And could not win thee, Sleep! by any stealth; So do not let me wear tonight away; Without Thee what is all the morning's wealth? Come, blessed barrier between day and day, Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!"

8) Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

This is an easy enough read for even classic literature beginners and there are many enjoyable movie adaptions out there as well! (My favourite being the one with Robert De Niro).

It's full of madness, death and murder with themes of religion vs. science and nature vs. nurture

 - a true classic horror story. What I love about Frankenstein is that it doesn't lay out good and evil in white and black like some novels - there are times when you pity the scientist and other times where you pity the monster. It's all shades of gray which I think makes it more believable. 

"Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred."

Like I said, there are a ton of great books out there but these are just a few of my favourite classics. Do you have a favourite classic novel or author that you've read lately? Comment below!

xoxo 

Brittany

P.S. Please keep an eye out for a pre-1950s copy of A Moveable Feast (Hemingway) and The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) for me ;) Happy rainy day reading!