I am so excited to introduce a project I have been working on—Shop Fashion Spirit. The site features my own graphic designs printed on sustainably-produced tees, tanks, tote bags, and sweatshirts, as well as art prints. It really has been a labor of love! The designs are minimal, yet vibrant making them the perfect addition to any capsule wardrobe.
I love designing products, but I wanted to keep my shop aligned with the my goal of responsible consumption. With that in mind all the apparel and accessories on the shop are sourced from companies that are working toward sustainable and ethical manufacturing. More information on the companies can be found on the About page of the shop website. All products are printed on-demand so there is no excess stock produced and printing is done in eco-friendly, water-based inks.
We will also be donating 5% of our profits to charitable organizations every month including environmental, human rights and animal welfare organizations.
You can visit the shop at http://www.shopfashionspirit.com or via the Shop link in the menu at the top of this blog. And don’t forget to follow the shop on Instagram @shopfashionspirit.
And just for you blog readers, use discount code FSBLOG for 10% off your first order.
Definitely take a look and let me know your thoughts.
Happy Thursday! I’m here to share another look from my spring/summer capsule wardrobe. When I was planning my wardrobe, I knew I wanted a versatile graphic tee that I could wear with just about anything. I was doubtful that I could find exactly what I wanted at the thrift store, but when I saw this gem I knew it was meant to be. I love the typography and the subject (Paris infinity!). It has turned out to be one of my favorite items from this season’s selection. It works equally well with a skirt or jeans, and coordinates well with the other items in my wardrobe.
For this look, I paired it with a Madewell skirt (thrifted), some nifty statement earrings (thrifted) and my beige lace-up block heels. These heels have been another surprisingly useful purchase. I feel like I am starting to be able to distinguish between something that I will wear frequently and something I should avoid purchasing, which is a good feeling.
How about you? Have you had any great thrift store finds lately?
xoxo Anna
Shirt, thrifted, Buffalo Exchange, ethical alternative here; Skirt, Madewell, thrifted, Goodwill, ethical alternative here; Shoes, Unisa, similar here; Earrings, thrifted, Buffalo Exchange, ethical alternatives here and here.
Jacket, Zara, thrifted, similar here; Dress, Ginger G, thrifted; Necklace, thrifted, ethical alternative here; Booties, DV, thrifted; Hat, Forever 21, ethical alternative here.
Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to share an outfit from my spring/summer capsule wardrobe. Since my last post, here, my capsule wardrobe has grown/changed a little. After living with it for a week, I realized I didn’t have enough work-appropriate shirt options so I dug into my donation bag and my storage bag and added a few more t-shirts. I also had to buy some new jeans as my old ones were too big. Ditto the trench coat and the black tank dress. I’ve also noticed that some items get no wear at all, so I think I could eliminate a some things and not miss them. Needless to say it’s a work in progress.
I definitely have favorites that I seem to wear over and over again. One of them is this pink motorcycle jacket I picked up at Buffalo Exchange. It’s fairly simple, but it makes a big statement. For this look, I paired it with a grey ribbed dress (another favorite), sunburst necklace and ankle boots (all from Buffalo Exchange). At the last minute, I added my favorite hat from Forever 21 (the only non-thrifted item).
What about you? Have you tried a capsule wardrobe? What is your favorite thrift shop find?
Happy Thursday! I have been having overall success with my weight loss goals so today I thought I would share the things that have been working for me and one major challenge.
While I am definitely down on the scale, I was in a rut for the past month or so, gaining and losing the same 2-3 pounds over and over again. It was very disheartening. To get over this and start making progress again, I decided to try my best to stay within my calorie limits every day and not overcompensate on weekends, like I had been doing. I also started waking up early on weekday mornings and doing yoga which was a challenge but felt really good. I did it all five days last week. This Monday, I hit a snag in that I wanted to nap instead 🙂 but it’s all about getting back on that horse so I started again on Tuesday morning.
Tofu, butternut squash and bok choy
So now to what I have been eating! It’s basically a whole lot of vegetables, whole grains and protein. A lot of protein, in fact. I made a goal on the Lose It app to get 25% of my calories from protein and I think it has made a difference. If I am hungry at night, I have noticed the best thing for me to eat is some sort of protein (like a leftover chicken cutlet or some deli roast beef). It always seems to do the trick. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I haven’t had too much trouble avoiding things like cake and candy. If I eat sweets it’s usually chocolate of some kind. That’s not to say I don’t love a good dessert, I just don’t find myself craving it most of the time.
In terms of meal planning, I have had a lot of success choosing nearly identical meals to eat for breakfast and lunch in a given week. I just buy or make a bunch of the same ingredients on Sunday and bring them to work for the week. I often eat similar dinners too, but sometimes I go out, so dinner changes depending on my plans. You can see below what a typical weekday of eating looks like in my life.
You will note that I have included wine and/or whiskey 🙂 I often stop for a drink at the local bar after work. Which brings me to my major challenge. I love to go out with my friends and have a few (or more) cocktails. It always starts out innocently enough, but can quickly snowball into a calorie bomb of old-fashioneds and rosé. Knowing this, I’m trying to be more aware of how much I am drinking and drink water in between cocktails as well. I am also trying to be realistic and work drinking into my eating plan, hence why it shows up in my “snacks” section.
Scrambled eggs with jasmine rice and cucumber salad
On the weekends, I am more flexible. I recently recreated one of my favorite restaurant breakfasts which included jasmine rice, scrambled eggs and cucumber salad (with sesame oil, vinegar, chili paste). It was delicious! The restaurant includes steak but I didn’t have any and the dish was fine without it. I try not to eat eggs except on the weekends, because I suspect they may upset my stomach, but they are a favorite of mine. I have also been avoiding dairy during the week for the same reason.
Chickpea pasta with beans and broccoli
I also recently tried chickpea pasta, which I really liked. I combined it with black beans and broccoli and a little basil oil and it was delish! I like trying new products and different fruits and vegetables. It breaks up the monotony of watching what you eat and makes it feel like a fun experiment. I am obviously obsessed with toast and the combo of beet hummus (store bought) and cucumbers shown in the featured photo for this post is one of my new favorites. I have also made my own zucchini hummus which is great on toast as well. I think vegetable hummus is a sneaky way to incorporate more veggies into your diet and it is delicious. In general, I don’t like to follow recipes except for special occasions. I typically just wing it, which I find much less exhausting and much more fun than staring at a recipe on my phone. Still, taking a little extra time to make things look pretty has made a world of difference in how I think about the food that I eat. I highly recommend it!
How about you? What does your typical week look like food-wise? Have you tried any fun new foods recently?
Hi everyone! Today I am sharing my spring/summer capsule wardrobe. I am very excited about my selections and already feel inspired to create looks from my capsule.
Before I get into what I selected for spring/summer, I want to talk about what didn’t work for fall/winter. I think the most important thing was that I didn’t like enough of my clothes. I ended up buying random things to make up for not feeling like my collection really spoke to who I was. I didn’t feel stylish, so my capsule wardrobe was only partially successful. I also found that I kept going back to certain pieces and ignored a large part of my wardrobe. I still felt overwhelmed with decisions and the amount of clothing I had. What I took from these experiences was that my capsule wardrobe was too big and that I needed to put more thought into each item.
For a couple months I have been saving pictures I find on the internet to use as inspiration. One day, I sat down and looked at those pictures and identified several items that were common among them including a trench coat, graphic tees, high-waisted jeans, and oversized sweaters and blazers. I looked at what I already had and found I had most of what I wanted. I made a short list to take to the second-hand store Buffalo Exchange and (amazingly!) came out with exactly what I needed. Then I purged like nobody’s business and got rid of a major portion of my clothing. I put away things that I couldn’t donate or sell because of sentimental reasons and was left with a sweet little capsule wardrobe that I am so excited to put into use.
This Paris t-shirt is giving me life!
Here is the breakdown of what I kept:
I didn’t include jewelry or shoes because I’m not there yet (and may never be). My general goal is to make my day-to-day dressing more streamlined and to feel proud of the outfits I put together in terms of fit and style. I did purge my lounge wear/pajames even though that’s not pictured here.
Jeans, jeans, jeansTurns out I wear skirts a lot
Since I am currently trying to lose weight, I am going to replace items in my wardrobe as things no longer fit, hopefully with second-hand items. I may add a piece or two as well, probably something floral and flowy. I will be posting looks from this capsule wardrobe soon, so stay tuned!
How about you? Have you tried a capsule wardrobe? What was your experience?
xoxo Anna
My capsule wardrobe revolves around my jacket selection 🙂
Happy Thursday! Today I am going to share the second half of my trip to Costa Rica. You can read about how I spent my time in San Jose here. After leaving San Jose, I took the bus through the mountains to the town of Cahuita on the Caribbean coast. The pacific coast of Costa Rica is more popular with tourists, but the Caribbean coast has a lot of great natural and cultural experiences as well. The bus ride itself was much longer than expected because of construction, but it was still enjoyable to see the countryside along the way. Cahuita is a small, quiet town with a wonderful national park. I stayed at the Hakuna Matata Hostel where I rented a private room with a shared bath. I was very pleased with the service and amenities (including a pool) and overall vibe.
Day 1-Cahuita National Park
My first day in Cahuita, I explored Cahuita National Park. It is situated on a spit of land just south of the town. If you are staying in Cahuita, it is a quick walk to the park entrance. There is an easy trail that runs around the edge of the park and offers a mix of gorgeous beach scenery, quiet jungle paths and a variety of wildlife. There are two beaches along the way, Playa Blanca and Playa Vargas and you can stop and swim at just about any point. The palm trees form little coves and it is like having your own private beach! Just be careful with your belongings while swimming.
This was one of my favorite experiences of the whole trip, and I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.
An ornery whiteface capuchin monkey along the trailRainforest pathway
Day 2-Waterfall Dos Aguas
On the second day, I took a tour organized by my hostel to Waterfall Dos Aguas, which has this name because of there are two waterfalls, one big one flowing into one smaller one. There is a small entry fee to get into the waterfalls and then a quick hike down a steep slope. Along the slope, my guide, David (who also manages the hostel) pointed out a tree where tiny poisonous red frogs hang out. Swimming in a waterfall was on my Costa Rica bucket list and these did not disappoint. If you are very adventurous you can climb up the rocks on the side of the waterfall and jump in, but I stuck with swimming in the waterfall pools. After swimming, we hiked back up to the entry area where we bought fresh coconut milk and talked to the woman who was collecting the entry fees. There was even a kitten who ate coconut meat!
Waterfall Dos AguasBuilding a fire to roast hot dogsFresh coconut milk and plantain chips with chiliCerveza, casado and colones back in Cahuita
Day 3-Jaguar Rescue Center and Puerto Viejo
On day three, on the recommendation of the hostel, I visited the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo. The center rehabilitates wild animals for eventual release back into the wild when possible. It is a great opportunity to see monkeys (and baby monkeys!), sloths (and baby sloths!), crocodiles and some small cats up close. The staff is funny and informative and all entry fees go to fund the center which runs on donations.
Up close and personal with a two-toed slothA margay at the Jaguar Rescue Center
After visiting the center, I ate lunch in Puerto Viejo. It was very busy and I was relieved to return to comparatively quiet Cahuita. There was a street fair going on each night I was in Cahuita and it was fun to get drinks and people watch.
The beach at Puerto ViejoSpotted along Cahuita’s main roadCarnival rides were part of the street festival
The next day I caught the bus back to San Jose and flew home. It was a long journey, but went relatively smoothly. I loved my time in Costa Rica. I can’t wait to go back and explore more. There were so many things to do and places to see it was hard to know what to choose. I will say that I did get a little lonely, especially in Cahuita. It can be part of traveling alone, but I’m thinking my next trip will be with friends just to mix things up a bit 🙂
How about you? Have you traveled to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica? What was your experience?
Throw back Thursday to my fall/winter capsule wardrobe shirt selection
I am in the process of thinking about a spring/summer capsule wardrobe, which got me thinking about consumption in general. The more I think on this subject the more I realize that I want to own less and consume less. I think in my fondest dreams, I would live with the bare minimum of belongings, each one precious or useful in some specific way. In reality, I am surrounded by a heap of stuff that just won’t seem to budge. I think I am in a better place than I was before but still have a long way to go. I know there are certain things I will never give up like my chef’s jacket from pastry school, or all my travel souvenirs. Still, as much as I purge, I always seem to be acquiring new things to fill the space left by what I have gotten rid of. I am starting to realize that downsizing is a two-part process involving purging and then learning not to consume in the same way as before. The second part fits in nicely with another goal I have of saving as much money as possible in the coming year. And when I do buy new things, I want it to be in a responsible fashion. Here are some strategies I will be trying to get me to my goals.
Sorting/purging my jewelry will definitely be a goal
Do a large purge
This is pretty self-explanatory. I plan to do a spring purge in all categories with the goal of eliminating redundant items (read 6000 pens) and things I never use. This will get me ready for my spring/summer capsule wardrobe and I think will make my belongings seem less heavy.
Set a small monthly budget for certain items
I order to motivate myself not to shop impulsively, I am setting very low monthly budgets for things like clothing and homegoods. So far I have budgeted $40 a month for clothing and $0 for home goods. That doesn’t include things like toilet paper, but does include things like cute knick knacks at Target and random pillows. I have been using Mint to manage my money for a while, but lately I have been leaning in to this online budget software even more with my current goal of saving money. One thing that I am notorious (mostly with myself) for doing is buying a new outfit if I don’t feel like my day outfit is good enough for my night plans. Most of the stuff I buy during these sprees ends up in the donation pile, minus a few surprise gems. I think the key to avoiding this is a) not getting lazy with my outfits in the morning and b) storing a cute outfit or at least some jewelry and heels at work.
Knick knacks and souvenirs displayed in glass cabinets
Take care of what you already have
While I sporadically do things like get my shoes reheeled and sew buttons onto coats, I want to make it more of a habit. I also want to spend time figuring out how to wear the clothing I already have in new ways so that I value each item more. One thing that I have already done is purchase two large glass cabinets to hold some of my favorite travel souvenirs and mementos. I still have overflow but it is nice have things displayed this way and makes even the silly things (ie plastic dinosaurs) seem important.
A hand-me-down chair which definitely counts as second-hand
Shop second-hand as much as possible
I already shop second-hand for clothing and furniture quite a bit. The challenge will be doing so consistently and including things like gifts and appliances. It can be frustrating to shop second-hand when you are looking for a very particular thing, but I’m hoping that it can be a fun challenge. There are so many options for shopping second-hand these days, from traditional thrift stores to websites like eBay and Poshmark. It just takes a little change in mindset.
Surrounded by stuff and cats 🙂
Make a list of everything that you own
This one is a doozy! After I purge, I plan to make a comprehensive list of everything I own. It sounds daunting just thinking about it but I am curious to see what benefits an exercise like this could yield. Will I feel richer and more satisfied with what I have? Will I want to purge more? Will I discover that I have things I thought I needed to buy? Will I be inspired to make new things with my huge tubs of craft supplies? These are all possibilities and I am excited to find out what happens that I can’t predict as well. I am not putting a timeline on this as I have no idea how long something like this will take. I may combine this with the purge process. They seem to go hand in hand. I will definitely keep you updated on my progress.
How about you? Would you try any of these strategies? Let me know in the comments.
Hello! I’m back and happy to share the highlights of my recent trip to Costa Rica. I’m going to break the trip up into two posts. Today, I’m sharing what I did during my three days in and around San Jose.
San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, is a busy, noisy, interesting city. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but I found a lot of beauty and hidden gems during my explorations.
Day 1-Arrival, concert at El Cuartel
A busy street scene in Central San Jose
After arriving in San Jose and settling into my Airbnb, I walked around the center of the city for a while. I stopped at a couple of shops and bought some brightly-colored fabric and lace. I ended up at the Mercado Central, which is an enclosed market with all sorts of different food and craft stalls. It was fun to wander around and see everything being sold. I bought a variety of food to go including empanadas, fruit and chicken.
At night, I decided to go to The Public House, which was described as an Irish Pub. Uber now works in San Jose, so I gave it a try and was able to get a car right away. Unfortunately, since there are no real addresses in San Jose, we couldn’t find the pub. I ended up going to El Cuartel de la Boca del Monte, which is a bar, restaurant and music venue in Barrio la California. I stumbled into a band rehearsal for Easy Rider, a classic-rock cover band. I was welcomed warmly and even got a shout out from the band during their concert, which was extra special. I also tried a traditional Costa Rican dish called Chifrijo. It is a mixture of rice, tomatoes, beans and fried pork pieces and it is insanely delicious. I loved this bar so much that I returned on Monday evening for their famous music night.
A booth at Mercado CentralSpices at Mercado CentralChifrijo at El Cuartel
Tropical flowers
Day 2-River cruise and horseback ride, movie
For Day 2, I booked a river cruise and horseback ride in the jungle. It was an easy, relaxing day. We were transported by boat along the Sarapaqui River, where we saw monkeys, iguanas and crocodiles. We ended up at a lovely house in the jungle where we ate lunch and could choose between horseback riding or zip lining. I chose horseback riding, which was pretty comical as my horse, Paloma, clearly did not want to be doing the tour and keep trying to run me into low-hanging branches. It was still enjoyable, though. After that, we took the boat back to our original location and headed back to San Jose.
There are so many tours you can book out of San Jose including zip lining, hikes through the cloud forest, hot springs, volcano tours and so much more. I had originally booked two tours, the river cruise and a combo tour of the Arenal Hanging Bridges, Volcano and Hot Springs. When the second got cancelled, I decided not to book another tour, which I think made for a more relaxing trip, but I was a little sad not to see the bridges and hot springs. And, while I enjoyed bumming around San Jose on Day 3, I feel like I missed some of the more exciting adventures that Costa Rica has to offer. I guess I will just have to go back 🙂
Paloma going off trailOur boat on the Sarapaqui RiverCine Magaly in Barrio la California
At night, I went back to Barrio La California and saw Lady Bird at Cine Magaly. It was a beautiful theater and a great movie (conveniently in English with Spanish subtitles). I ended up liking the feel of this neighborhood quite a bit and would recommend a visit to anyone spending time to San Jose.
Museo del Jade
Day 3-Museo del Jade, walking around and craft shopping
On the third day, I went to the Museo del Jade. It had some interesting exhibits featuring pre-columbian life in Costa Rica. I especially liked the top floor which had shelves and shelves of fantastic pottery. I enjoyed the museum but I’m not sure it is worth the entry fee of $20.
Pottery at Museo del Jade
After the museum I walked to the Museo National de Costa Rica. It was closed, but it has a beautiful park (Plaza de la Democracia y de la Abolición del Ejército) on one side and on the other side is Calle 17, a pedestrian street with fantastic murals (see the featured photo for this post). From there, I made my way to Chieton Moren, which is a fair-trade craft store I had read about. Each piece in the store is labeled with the name of town and craftsperson who created it. They had a great selection of interesting hand crafts in a range of prices. After shopping, I had a late lunch/early dinner at a small restaurant across the street. Casados are offered by most restaurants and are a typical Costa Rican dish. A casado is a large plate with meat, rice, beans, salad and a vegetable stew (not really sure what this was but it was delicious). At around 3500 colones ($6.00), they are a good and filling budget option.
Chieton Moren: A great fair-trade craft storeA delicious casado de polloA fountain near the Teatro NationalAfternoon sunlight over San Jose
After eating, I walked past the Teatro National and through Plaza de la Cultura and made my way back to my apartment. In the evening, I went to Stiefel Pub, which was cute and has a large selection of craft beers. On my way to the pub, I walked past groups of political demonstrators who were voicing their opinions on the hotly contested and polarizing Costa Rican presidential election, which was to be held on April 1. It was fun and interesting to get a glimpse into local politics.
In the evening, I went back to El Caurtel de la Boca del Monte and enjoyed the music and had a shot of chiliguaro, which is a local liquor called guaro mixed with tomato juice, hot sauce and lime.
Political demonstrators
San Jose may not be the most picturesque city, but I enjoyed it immensely. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and very patient with my very basic Spanish language skills. The food was fresh and delicious and the nightlife was interesting. It is not recommended to walk around alone at night, but I had a very positive experience using Uber to get around. It was cheap and reliable and made me feel safe going out at night alone.
How about you? Have you been to Costa Rica or San Jose? What was your experience?
And stay tuned for my next post on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
I was so excited to reach 100 followers this week. Thank you to all of you who have followed, read and commented on my posts over the last 10 months. It means the world to me! I feel like I have learned so much by being part of the blogosphere. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and refine my style and vision for the blog. If you have any feedback on the blog so far, I would love to hear it 🙂
In other news, I am off to Costa Rica in a little over a week. I always find the last week before a trip to be anxiety provoking. So many little details to figure out. I am trying to remember to be grateful that I have the opportunity to travel and not get overwhelmed by annoyances. This weekend I plan to lay low and get ready for my trip. I think this will definitely help with the pre-trip anxiety. I’m hoping to finally share an outfit post with you next week (hint: “travel”). Then I will be off from posting the week I am on vacation. If you don’t already follow me on Instagram, definitely do, as I will be posting all sorts of vacation photos during my travels.
How about you? Any successes you are celebrating right now? How do you deal with pre-trip anxiety?
February and early March are always a little difficult to get through in New York, with the lingering storms and grey days. You can feel spring right around the corner but it hasn’t materialized yet. But, this salad is so fresh and light that it made me immediately think of warmer, sunnier times to come.
It is also super simple and delicious. You can use any lettuce you like. I chose butter lettuce because it is my absolute favorite. Lately I have been eating a salad almost every day for dinner with the basil oil vinaigrette below, a handful of pumpkin seeds and sometimes an avocado. If you haven’t tried basil oil, I highly recommend it. For today’s salad, I decided to add a blood orange and a little crumbled queso fresco. I really liked the results. It also fits nicely into my current healthy eating plan. I am not usually a fan of fruit in salads, but the blood orange paired nicely with the other components and it certainly is photogenic 🙂 Try it out and let me know what you think.
Butter lettuce salad with blood orange, avocado and basil dressing
Wash and dry your lettuce and set aside or use a packaged variety to save time (which is what I did). Peel the blood orange and cut horizontally into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside. Crumble the queso fresco. Slice avocado. Layer salad starting with lettuce base then adding blood oranges, avocado, cheese and pumpkin seeds. Dress with desired amount of vinaigrette. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper if you like.
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