purchasing well-made goods + my thoughts on denim therapy

i giggle at the fact that i am about to write an entire blog post about jeans. but truly, if there’s a fiber that defines the every day around here, it’s denim. also, i am a firm believer in finding something that i love & sharing it with you, my dear readers.
since beginning my #dressinhappinessdaily project (see here for more details), i have found that i feel my best in pieces that are made well. sometimes this is reflected in the price & other times i strike gold at the thrift shop. 
as my personal get dressed project progressed, i found that jeans from old navy & target just were cutting it. they didn’t fit well for my body shape & they often sagged after only an hour or so of wear. so i traded in my poor fitting, inexpensive denim for a couple of well-made, pricier pairs of jeans (i personally love j.crew & 7 for all mankind).
about a year ago, my friend told me about denim therapy, a company that repairs denim. you mail in your piece, they repair it for a fraction of what it would cost to replace your beloved denim & then ship it back to you.  i tried it out & was hooked. 
just recently i sent in my two pairs of jeans that were ripped & worn from years of wear.
the repair is faint & will last for many more wears to come. 
more importantly, it’s a remedy to our culture of buy & toss consumerism. i can’t tell you how many articles of clothing i’ve gotten rid of because of a rip or hole. i believe such companies, like denim therapy,  point us to a solution that our parents or grandparents lived by – wear & use your possessions until they are threadbare or broken & then take them to a skilled craftsmen who can stitch a patch or repair the damage so that that well-loved piece can surely last several lifetimes. 

i hope to continue breaking my habit of cheap consumerism for a practice of contentment & well-made goods. 
just a note – denim therapy didn’t ask me to write this post. but like my friend who shared her wealth of knowledge, i thought i’d share my love for denim therapy, a company that is surely making a difference in our purchasing practices.
have you used denim therapy? how are you shifting your habits from cheap goods to well-made pieces? please share!
love,
natalie
p.s. i must add – it takes several weeks for denim therapy to receive your package, fix your belongings & ship them back. don’t expect a quick turnaround time. i quickly learned this & thought i would pass along the information.

tea time ritual

i have come to appreciate winter more than years past. it’s a season of rest on the farm & i so appreciate seeing my farmer rest. i love creating cozy spots within our farmhouse during the winter months. of course, nothing’s quite as cozy as a warm cup of tea.
i’ve always appreciated tea from afar, but up until this summer’s adventures throughout europe, i never was much of a tea drinker myself. this winter, i have been trading in my afternoon cup of coffee for hot tea. 
i recently visited my local tea shop & purchased a handful of loose teas that i love. i also grabbed a box of kusmi tea while in nyc & it’s by far my favorite. the taste is perfect & i adore the cloth bags. 

in an effort to stay more present this year (my word for 2016), i am spending just a few present moments each winter day with a cup of warm tea in hand. it’s a moment of pause & an opportunity to regroup among a flurry of to-do’s. 
i’d love for you to share your thoughts on your own tea time rituals & perhaps your favorite teas that you think i should try!
love,
natalie

the shop is open!

great news! the shop is open! yay!

enter code “BLOGFRIEND20” to receive 20% off your order of $10 or more + FREE shipping always!
love,
natalie