Being fully immersed in society has made slowing down something that needs to be practiced in order to become a habit. If this past year has taught me anything, it’s that I need to spend more time slowing down, especially having a 4 and 6 year old at home who never slow down! I’m sure many of you feel the same! Now that we’re slowly creeping back into the world, I’m hesitant to fill up my calendar and put too much on my plate - as I’m guilty of this! I’m learning to say “no” to more in order to reduce stress and cling to more of my sanity in an effort to make slow living more of a habit.

As I’m focusing on my garden, spending time with my kids before I send them off to school in the fall (homeschooling was not for us unfortunately!), and building new routines for myself, you’ll find less options to customize products on my website. I am also taking a break from alterations and other custom clothing orders at this time. I’ll still be at markets throughout the summer and sewing up new eco-wares when I feel so inclined, but slow and intuitive living has me taking a break from the stress of alterations.

In the name of slow living, we built an extension of our back deck in the form of a patio (since lumber prices are sky high!) and bought our first patio set in the almost 9 years we’ve lived in our house! I see myself working on my computer outside and even taking my sewing machine out to work on my eco-wares! I’ve created more garden spaces in our yard so my food garden has extended beyond the 350sqft space we have designated for food. I’m looking watching my gardens grow!

How are you embracing slow living? We all could use some tips to make this lifestyle more of a habit.

Zero seems like such an extreme, all or nothing. But zero is just the goal, whether or not it will ever be achieved. Zero waste living doesn’t need to be intimidating. Start with one room or area of your life at a time and take baby steps until you continue to see growth. You can do it! Here are some tips to help you move toward a more zero waste kitchen:

Cloth Napkins. If you’re using paper napkins or paper towel as a means to wipe your face during a meal, it’s time to make the swap. Cloth napkins come in all kinds of prints and textiles. Don’t limit yourself to whatever matches your decor! You’ll be using these napkins everyday, so have some fun with it! Shop our foodie cloth napkins!

Paperless Towels. Like cloth napkins, you can eliminate the need to constantly restock your pantry with paper towels and instead replace them with cloth. The options for paperless towels are limitless! Aside from any print imaginable, you can choose to store your paperless towels folded up in a drawer or basket or have snaps added to them so they can snap together and fit on your paper towel holder. How handy is that?! If you’re on a budget, you don’t need to spend beaucoup bucks on a custom set. You can just as easily achieve the same experience by tearing up old bath towels or t-shirts to use to clean up messes in the kitchen. As long as it absorbs water, it should work as a paperless towel!

Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags. There is too much unnecessary plastic waste on our planet, there’s no need to contribute more when you have the option to buy a reusable alternative! Reusable snack and sandwich bags can be found in fabric or silicone options and are meant to replace your plastic zip top bags. Silicone bags are best for long term storage, many times including freezer storage. Fabric reusable snack and sandwich bags are often lined with a food safe, water resistent or waterproof fabric like PUL or nylon. They can have a fold over closure, hook and loop, or zipper. Shop our reusable snack and sandwich bags in over 30 prints!

Bulk Food Storage. So many everyday products are offered in plastic and packaging that isn’t recyclable. More and more bulk and zero waste stores are popping up to help eliminate the need for so much unnecessary packaging. When shopping bulk, bring your own containers. You can bring glass jars (mason jars work wonderfully. Just remember to weigh the jar before you add product so you aren’t paying for the weight of your container) or fabric bulk bags. Storing your bulk ingredients in glass jars in your pantry makes it easier to find what you need and determine when you need to restock. At the very least, it makes for a beautiful pantry!

Wax Food Wraps. Plastic wrap (cling wrap) is another piece of plastic you can say good riddance to. With wax food wraps, you no longer have a need for plastic wrap. Wax wraps are most commonly made from beeswax, but can be found using candelilla wax as a vegan alternative. Wax food wraps are simply pieces of fabric coated with a solution of natural ingredients to create a sticky and waterproof layer to easily wrap your food or cover your bowls or plates. To clean, use a mild dish soap and cool water to wash off food particles (warm water will heat up and remove the wax coating). Easy peasy! Shop our beeswax wraps or sign up for one of our monthly Virtual Beeswax Wrap Workshops!