Recipe | Zero Waste Vegan Baked Oatmeal

I usually like my oats pretty simple. Hot water, fruit, sweetener. The other day I made this baked oatmeal for a brunch and it was a huge hit! It requires slightly more work, but it’s still really easy and can be made very low waste! This recipe is easily adaptable, you can swap out your favorite flavors and change it up often, make as little or as much as you want, and eat hot or cold!

Ingredients
Quick oats
Dried spices. I used nutmeg and ginger.
Lemon Zest
Sugar
Frozen berries. I used bluebs and cherries.
Plant milk. I used cashew.

Equipment
Oven safe dish
Micro plane or zester
Spoon for mixing

Put your oats into your baking dish. I used about a cup of oats, but you can add more or less depending on who your feeding. Add dried spices, lemon zest, sugar to taste, and mix. Add frozen berries and twice the amount of milk as oats, mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Mix again and pop in a 375 degree oven until oats are cooked and the top starts to brown a little. for the amount I made it took about 20 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or cooled. This would be great served with some warmed milk poured over it or with yogurt.

A few notes:
- The lemon zest is key!! used about half a lemon’s worth of zest But I could have done the whole lemon. if you don’t have a zester or micro plane, you can slice off the skin and fine chop.
- I used white sugar bc that’s what I wanted to use up, but this recipe would be great with brown sugar, maple syrup or any other sweetener you like. You can also change up the spices and fruit added.
- To be extra fancy, sprinkle some brown sugar on top and pop in the broiler to brown and crystalize the top of your oatmeal.
- My oatmeal came out a little dry this time bc I didn’t add quite enough milk. It was still good.

To make this recipe low waste, I used bulk oats and spices. I also used up some of my spices, which feels so good! I used pre packaged frozen fruit; I like the fruit from Whole Foods bc you can rinse out and recycle the plastic bags they come in. To make even more low waste, use fresh fruit or fruit that you have frozen yourself.

I didn’t plate mine up very beautifully, but it was still delicious!

This is an easy meal to make in advance. What are some of your favorite easy breakfast foods?

Vegetarian, Vegan, Plant Based, Flexitarian

People use the food, diet, and lifestyle related words Vegetarian, Vegan, Plant Based, and Flexitarian a lot these days. When I was growing up these were “new” terms but now, they are spoken like everyone knows what they mean. In this series I explain low impact terms like these, simply, in case they are new to you. I wanted to take some time and explain these food terms. I have done some research on them, but these definitions are mostly what I understand them as and how I use them.

When describing these terms I will speak of them as they pertain to people’s diets, only touching on lifestyle. But many of them can also be used to describe products, foods, and lifestyles, and more.

Vegetarian
People who eat a vegetarian diet do not eat any foods that require killing an animal to obtain. Vegetarians no not eat chicken, cow, pork, fish, insects, or any flesh of animals. Vegetarians do eat cheese, milk, eggs, honey, (and more) as well as lots of fruits and vegetables, grains, etc… Vegetarians do not use items that require the killing an animal, like leather and fur*.

Vegan
Vegans do not eat, wear, or promote in anyway anything that come from animals at all. Vegans do not eat meats, fish, eggs, honey, dairy… Or use any animal products like leather, beeswax, wool, silk, etc… Vegans can be and often are very stringent about making sure they are not exploiting animals in anyway in their lifestyle. Vegans do eat lots of fruits, veggies, grains, and foods created from those things.

Plant Based
From Wikipedia: “A plant-based diet is a diet based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, but with few or no animal products. The use of the phrase has changed over time, and examples can be found of the phrase "plant-based diet" being used to refer to vegan diets, which contain no food from animal sources, to vegetarian diets which include eggs and dairy but no meat, and to diets with varying amounts of animal-based foods, such as semi-vegetarian diets which contain small amounts of meat.”

Flexitarian
This is the newest term, entering the dictionary in 2012. This refers to anyone who generally has a meatless diet and/or lifestyle but might eat meat, fish, use leather, etc… depending on circumstance. Flexitarians might eat meat or dairy when going out to eat, or when they really want to try a dish or product, or when someone cooks them something or gives them a animal product present. Flexitarian eating and lifestyle, sometimes called semi vegetarian, is often used as a gateway to be more strictly vegetarian or vegan.

These basic terms have more nuances, but I think this is a good over view for anyone who is learning about these matters. Which diet or lifestyle do you fit in or aspire to?

What other Low impact terms are readers interested in learning about? Please leave your suggestions below!

*Often times vegetarians and vegans will use vintage leather, fur, etc…

Recipe | Zero Waste Vegan Croutons

I love croutons. But they were one of the first things I gave up buying pre-made when I started going plastic free. It was an easy decision bc croutons are so easy to make!!
Here’s my go to, easy, vegan, zero waste recipe!

Ingredients
Bread (preferably a baguette or other crunchy loaf, preferably day old or bread ends or scrapes)
Olive oil
Spices (whatever you have at hand)
Salt & Pepper

Equipment
Bread knife
Cutting board
Baking pan

Cut bread into bite sized pieces. My bread was a few days old and too stiff to cut up safely, so I just tore mine to pieces. Place on the baking tray and add spices and salt and pepper. I used onion powder (old plastic jar that I’m using up, next I’ll buy glass), garlic powder, thyme (bulk and put in a reused jar), pink salt and fresh pepper. You can use whatever you have but a combo kinda like this is what I usually use. Douse generously with olive oil. Toss well to coat. Place tray in preheated oven. Bake until golden, tossing occasionally, about 20 min depending on oven temp.

A few notes:
- I usually bake these when I’m already using the oven, which is why I don’t have a set temp.
- I have made the spice mix with so many different variations! I really like to add cayenne or chili flakes to make them a little spicy. I also like mine really salty!
- These keep for about a week in an air tight container stored in a cool dry place.
- Use these on salads, soups, stews, or just as a crunchy snack!

Using up old bread, that hopefully came in paper which can be recycled or composted, or from the bulk section and using spices and oil that can be bought in glass or bulk are the biggest reason that this is a zero waste recipe. It is also a great way to save bread that wold have otherwise gone in the trash. And think about all the waste your saving by making these yourself as opposed to buying them in conventional packaging at the store!!

What are some items you used to buy but now make yourself?

Why I Hate My Bamboo Toothbrush

How many toothbrushes have you used in your lifetime?

Think about this: Every plastic toothbrush you’ve ever used still exists on the planet.

You may have thrown them out, but they didn’t actually go anywhere. They’re still hanging out in some huge trash pile somewhere.

One solution, or partial solution, is to use a bamboo toothbrush. Bamboo is a sustainable crop, biodegradable, compostable, etc… so it’s definitely a better option than plastic. It’s an easy choice when trying to be more sustainable and mindful.

Over the years, I’ve tried a few bamboo toothbrushes and one thing I can say about all of them is that I hate them. I know they should be the right choice for someone on a plastic free, low impact lifestyle and I do highly suggest trying them out for anyone who is interested in these things. But for me, they just don’t function the way that I would like. Here’s why:

All the bamboo toothbrushes I have tried are very “soft”.
I’m sure you can get a “medium” or “hard” version, but they were all too soft for me.

They don’t last very long.
I use my toothbrushes far longer than the suggested time period, so this is partly my fault. I find that all the bamboo toothbrushes I have had have only lasted about two months and that’s just not practical for me.

THE BRISTLES FALL OUT!
The reason they don’t last is bc the bamboo degrades and the bristles fall out. Let me tell you, if you’ve ever been brushing your teeth and suddenly you have a mouthful of spiky plastic threads choking you, it’s NOT FUN.

The bristles are mostly plastic.
In order to compost these toothbrushes you have to pull out the plastic bristles. But what do you do with them??

Since starting this journey towards a more sustainable, slow lifestyle, each choice I make is more weighed and more weighty. The option that is most used isn’t always the right right one for everyone. In this case, I have to look for an alternative. This gives me opportunity to research and explore new companies and methods. Doing so isn’t always easy, but not everything has to be easy. Even if it’s just brushing your teeth.

Mad Cat Capsule: Wardrobe Goals

I’ve had a capsule wardrobe for about a year and a half now and I love it, My style of capsule wardrobe and how I put it together had evolved a lot in that time. That makes sense bc my lifestyle has changed a lot, too! I still have a lot to learn and a lot to do towards having the perfect, for me, capsule wardrobe.

Here are some of my goals:

Move to an all slow fashion wardrobe
This one is an easy goal to achieve, all it takes is time!! I have completely stoped buying fast fashion, so all I have to do is wait until everything that I had bought before doing so is 10 years plus. After that, everything will be bought from ethical companies, thrifted, or 10 years plus.

Move to an all plastic free wardrobe (mostly)
Right now I still have a lot of clothes that are made with plastic. I’m not sure my closet will ever be completely plastic free. Some of the items are from when I shopped fast fashion, but more of them are vintage. I love to thrift vintage cotton, linen, silk, leather, and other natural fibers but every once in a while there is a fantastic poly or blended piece that I can’t resist. I’d like to get close enough to plastic free that all those items can be washed in a micro plastic capturing laundry bag.

Reduce the over all amount of clothes I have by… a lot.
I have so. many. clothes. Every time I make up my seasonal capsule, I try to pare down and get rid of items that I don’t wear or that don’t fit. But there are more and more clothes, and now that I am thrifting again, there are “new” clothes, too! Before I started thrifting regularly again, I was making a dent. I hope to one day either have a small enough over all wardrobe that I don’t feel that it’s exsessive. Perhaps when I can fit all my clothes into the one closet that now houses my seasonal capsule? I’m not sure how many items that will be, but I think I’ll know it when it happens. That leads me to…

Not buy “new” clothes unless I need them!
I would love to be satisfied with my wardrobe and not feel the need to buy more. I am not a minimalist and don’t plan to become one, but I do want to lessen the over all amount of stuff that I have. Perhaps Instead of not buying I simply rotate out items for “new” ones. A one in, one out wardrobe would be hard for me but may be possible. I love the idea of passing items on to new owners who will love them as much as I did.

These are the big four goals I have. I have some other goals related to my capsule wardrobe but not directly for my wardrobe. What are you goals for the future of your wardrobe?

Bullet Journal Check In: New Book for November

It’s finally time to start a new Bullet Journal and it just so happens that I thrifted a new (to me) note book a few weeks ago. While at a rummage sale I found this oversized, grid notebook with a Spiderman theme! It was obviously loved by a young someone and had some drawings still inside. I love them and have incorporated them into my index. I think it’ll be fun to come upon them when going through creating my journal.

This book is the biggest format I’ve used for a bullet journal and the grid is quite small. I love the idea of repurposing it and making due with what I have. I also think this large size will allow me more space for certain things. I’ve interested to see how I utilize it, especially for my daily spreads. I’ll be sure to show some results soon!

I really enjoyed getting something second hand and not buying new! It feels great to apply a low impact mindset to more and more aspects of my life.

I will have made it thru at least half of November in my current journal so the Spiderman BuJo will start mid month. I love to create the full spreads for both current and next journal, but I most likely will not fill in everything twice and will pick up the new book what ever day I switch over.

How do you transition your Bullet Journal mid month?

What Plant Based Means to Me and How We Eat

My mom was a vegetarian while I was growing up. I was used to having tofu, tempeh, fresh veg, lots of legumes, fruits and homemade foods. Bc I grew up with it, it never occurred to me that other kids didn’t live that way. My father was always a healthy eater and great cook, but he ate meat. As I see it, I had the best of both worlds.

When I met my husband, he was vegetarian and had been on and off for most of his life. I ate meat then, but I never had any issues eating less or no meat during our meals together. Eating less meat made me realize that when I did eat meat, I didn’t feel as good as when I ate more fruits and veggies.

By the time we moved to New Jersey, we were eating fish, but little to no land meat. We wavered back and forth some (my husband even ate chicken for a while) but it was mostly ovo lacto vegetarian for us. Some events in the Summer of 2018 lead us both to come to the conclusion that we would give up all meat, from land and sea, in a serious manner.

Personally, I think humans are supposed to eat animals. We, ourselves, are animals and omnivores as far as I can tell from the evidence I know. But I think the way most people currently eat animals is unsustainable and inhumane, wasteful and unnecessary. In an attempt to lead a more sustainable and less wasteful life, eating plant based is an easy and obvious choice.

I’ve been trying to eat more rice, as it is a great staple. This is a good example of a fresh whole foods meal. Rice, carrots, onions, celery, sweet potato, squash, apple cider vin, soy sauce, pepper.

Now we eat what I like to call a vegetarian, plant based, whole food diet. That’s a mouth full and what does it even mean? We stopped eating any fish and sea creatures. We do eat dairy like cheese and butter and sour cream. We try to eat mostly fruits and veggies and eat whole foods that have not been overly processed. We eat fermented foods like miso, pickles and vinegar.

We try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Some with every meal! The term Plant Based really refers to a diet that is only plants but I use it to mean a diet that is based on plants, which we definitely do.

We also try to keep local stores, growers, producers in mind when we eat. This year was the first one where we grew our some of our own food and it was a game changer. It’s important to us to eat this way so that we are conscious of the environment, animals, our home and our health.

There are, of course, some ways we could improve our current diet. An example would be to make our own cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt, or only buy local cheese and dairy. But right now this diet works for us.

Some of our typical and most eaten meals are:

Quesadillas with black beans, corn, olives, fresh veggies, sour cream and hot sauce.

Cheese, crackers, veggies, mustard, pickles, olives, and mustard.

Miso soup with veggies and noodles.

Pasta with red sauce or pesto or cheese or garlic oil.

Sides meal with potatoes, veggies, grains, and various other “sides”.

Salads with home made croutons, veggies, sometimes we add fake chicken patties, and dressings.

Tofu, rice and broccoli with soy sauce, peanuts and chili garlic sauce.

Peanut butter and jelly (and sometimes hot sauce) sandwiches.

Bean and rice bowls.

Grilled cheese sandwiches with red onions and hot sauce.

Pierogies with onions, sour cream and veggies.

Smoothie bowls with various toppings.

Oatmeal with fruits, nuts and nut milks.

Beans on toast.

Chickpea salad sandwiches with carrots, onions, celery, and mayo.

This is an example of a more processed meal I might eat. The cheese bread is made fresh daily at our local grocery store and the beans are vegetarian. Beans on toast is a favorite breakfast of mine but I only eat it once in a while.

Let me know in the comments if you also eat meals like this! Or if you would like recipes or more info on any of the meals listed above. What kind of diet do you eat? What role does your diet play in your lifestyle?

Garden Tour | Summer 2018

Since first moving to New Jersey and into our own house, we have wanted to start gardening. It took about 3 years, but this Summer was the first year we seriously started growing vegetables. 

We started small, but this was a great introduction to gardening at home! We started basically everything from plants, except our radishes which we started from seeds. For us, starting from plants was less intimidating and we thought we would have more success. We had lot of success with just about everything we planted.

Our main bed, and the biggest producer, is in our front yard. My dream is to have more and more beds in our front yard since we don’t really utilize that space. We planted four or five different tomatoes, basil, orange thyme, and shishito peppers. We also planted items in pots that were scattered between front and back.

In the back we already had blueberry bushes and we also put a raised bed with kale, hot peppers and radishes from seed. We plan to devote one whole side of the yard to our garden next year, have some space in the middle and eventually plant fruit trees on the opposite side.

This summer was mild but we had lots of sun and lots of rain and the garden loved it! Our tomatoes exploded. We ate one of our favorite meals, tomatoes and mozz, all year and never bought any tomatoes from the store!!

Mostly for my own records here is a list of what we grew in 2018 and how it did:

4 small tomato varieties - these were bananas! Next year I hope we label/mark/ remember what we plant. That would have been nice this year.

1 large tomato variety - these got completely over shadowed, literally, by the small ones so they didn’t produce much. What we did have was delicious! We like the smalls better, but it seems worth it to have one large each year.

Shishitos - this was my favorite thing we grew this year. I want to have like a million of these next year!

Hot peppers - I’m not sure if we even ate any of these.

Kale - Next year we have to get better about harvesting and eating our own kale!

Radishes - Why did we even grow these? We tried pickling them but they turned out pretty bad. Next year, if we plant them, we will only do a few at a time.

Basil and purple basil - what we planted in beds did really well, the ones in pots not so much. I hope to plant again next year but be better about picking and using what we grow.

Orange thyme - probably my husbands favorite thing we grew, we will def be planting this again.

Assorted herbs - some of these I’ve had for ears and they just keep coming back, some are new this year. I want to get better and maintaining and using herbs next year.

Blueberries - our bluebs did really well this year. Over the winter we hope to protect them better bc they took quite a beating in heavy snows last year.

Raspberries - we only got a few but they were good! We have them in pots, but perhaps we will transfer them to beds or the yard next year.

Strawberries - we had more strabs than ever before but never got to eat them. We could never get to them before the critters.

Looking at the list, it’s a lot longer than I thought it would be! I can’t wait to grow more next year and rely on store bought foods less!

What did you grow this year and what are your plans for 2019?

Mad Cat Capsule: Fall 2018 (Oct, Nov, Dec)

For this Fall Capsule, I did things a little differently. I still eased clothing that I wanted in the next capsule in over the last few weeks of the previous one, but this quarter I divided the items by color. I usually try to only have a few colors in each capsule, aside from certain neutrals. But for this, I didn’t hold back.

The result is that the color themes in this capsule includes cream, light blue, green, black & white, yellow, black, white, and grey.

I also paid close attention to texture, fabric and weight in this quarter’s capsule. I’ve been working my way towards a plastic free wardrobe, but this capsule has a few synthetic pieces I’ve had for a long time and want to see if they are worth keeping in my closet.

This capsule turned out quite large. The weather has been all over the place, so partly the capsule reflects that but also I had fun putting this one together and getting out of my comfort zone.

14 shirts - Black and white ribbed mock neck (thrifted and vintage), silk mock neck (thrifted and vintage), snake skin turtleneck (thrifted and vintage), boat neck tee (ethically made, 10+ years old), waffle long sleeve (ethically made, 10+ years old), silk blouse (thrifted), black and white flral crop (5+ years), black and white dot crop (second hand), white floral crop (thrifted), mustard silk (vintage and thrifted), denim crop (vintage and thrifted), cream silk blouse (vintage and thrifted), floral long sleeve (thrifted and vintage), mustard silk knit (thifted and vintage. Not pictured).

10 tee shirts - grey crew (ethically made, 10+years), cream crew (ethically made, 10+years), green v neck (ethically made, 10+years), dark grey v neck (ethically made, 10+years), team sandwiches cat crew (thrifted), forgotten boardwalk (local biz), pizza and bee (local biz), MLB crop, yellow attendance (vintage and thrifted. Not pictured).

4 skirts - wool grey (thrifted and vintage), black suede (vintage and thrifted), black and white stripe (10+ years), long black.

6 pants - black skinny (thrifted), everlane (ethically made), light grey (thrifted), black mom (thrifted and vintage), green silk (thrifted and vintage), blue sailor (thrifted, not pictured).

6 sweaters - Grey kimono (thrifted), dark grey, cream crop (thrifted), yellow cardigan (second hand), green confetti (hand made, vintage, and thrifted), black holey.

4 over shirts - yellow cowl neck sweatshirt (10+), grey crop (thrifted), denim (found, not pictured), linen (vintage and thrifted, not pictured).

Edit: Light has not been my friend lately. While creating this post, I was only able to get limited photos. I’ll add more as soon as I can capture them.

6 dresses/jumpsuits - Long hippy (vintage, handmade, thrifted), black and white pineapple, black and white rabbit, cream cats, blue denim, grey jumpsuit (thrifted).

4 tanks - Black strappy tank (10+ years), black ribbed (10+), grey ribbed (10+), yellow.

7 shoes - bright vans, cat vans, velcro vans, zip booties (thrifted), emily booties, brown suede booties (vintage and thrifted), high tops.

In total this capsule has 61 pieces. 46 of them are slow fashion. I have also been trying to remove micro fibers/plastics from my wardrobe. It’s not easy, and I worry that I will never be able to fully eliminate them. I have to count exactly how many non synthetics.

Who else is starting out a capsule around now? Share your posts, or closets below!

October Theme | Hello My Name Is...

For the next few months, I want to pick a theme for each months worth of content of this blog. I’m hoping that this will give some insight into who I am and why I share my life and thoughts here at Mad Cat Quilts.

Since October is the five year anniversary of this blog, I thought a good theme for this month was about me! Me is a subject I always talk about here and also never talk about here. I thought the five year mark might be a good time to actually introduce myself.

People always ask about my name and yes, it’s Mo. Real name and what I preferred to be called!

I love cats and have three at the moment. I plan on a more in depth introduction of them soon.

I make quilts and hand sew every detail of the quilts I make.
Or I should say that I did. I’m on hiatus from quilting at the moment, but I still consider quilting to be part of my identity.

My work is also very important to me. I’m a manager at a farm to table restaurant and the service industry is my career.

I lived in Brooklyn, NY, for 15 years and in some ways I consider my self more a New Yorker than I New Jerseyan.

I’m attempting to live a slower and more midnful lifes. I’m on a zero waste, plastic free journey. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it drives my family and friends crazy, but it makes me feel happy more than not.

Our 6 year wedding anniversary is coming up and I’m excited for it! It comes in the same month as my 40th birthday.

I love living by the beach.

So that’s a little bit about me. Let me know if you have any other questions for me!
For the rest of October I plan to post more of my ideas and opinions on things, as well as more about me.

Zero Waste vs. Low Impact Movement

I use the terms Zero Waste, Low/No Waste, and Low Impact Movement a lot these days.

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more  accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

I wanted to take some time and explain these terms. I have done some research on them, but these definitions are mostly what I understand them as and how I use them.

Zero Waste
According to the Zero Waste International Alliance the definition of zero waste goes like this:

“Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.
Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.
Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”

This definition is geared towards big business as well as every day life. The idea is to create systems so that all aspects of industry that are circular, both in production and product, and do not end in landfills or the ocean. For individuals this means changing day to day life before the corporations come around. Living a Zero Waste lifestyle does not mean that one will not generate a single piece of trash, which is of course, impossible, but it means to strive to create as little trash as possible, to seek alternatives avenues that might not generate waste. Zero Wasters consider all sorts of waste when trying to reduce; plastic, water, food, fuel, and all sorts of more traditional trash.

In short, being Zero Waste means trying to live up to the impossible task of generating zero waste of any kind by making mindful decisions in everyday life.

Low/No/Less Waste
This is a more gentle term, a less harsh way to state the above lifestyle but follows the same principles. Whatever they call themselves, one of the tenants that most Low Wasters follow a Low Waste Inverted Pyramid. Remembering to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot, can help to keep Low Waste.

In more recent times, as we see that recycling is not a sustainable solution, recycle and rot would be in the opposite spots on the inverted pyramid.

Low Impact Movement
This term was recently created by a Zero Waste Youtuber Sustainably Vegan. She felt that the term Zero Waste was confining bc it is technically unachievable, zero wasters had become judgmental and that it only explored a small portion of all the ways to reduce ones impact on the environment and global community. By creating the Low Impact Movement, she created a lifestyle movement to incorporate low impact mindfulness in all aspects of daily life from reducing your trash, going no plastic, ditching disposables, reducing your carbon footprint, vaganism, activism, etc…. The Low Impact Movement also emphesizes social action and activism. Their motto is “We strive for a LOW environmental impact through a HIGH social impact.”.

TL:DR
Zero Waste - Controversial term used for and by companies and individuals who are trying to reduce waste in all aspects of production and life.
Low/No/Less Waste - Similar to Zero Waste but less rigid and more practical.
Low Impact Movement - A more inclusive, all incompassing term for reducing ones environmental impact.
Zero/Low/No/Less Waster - Someone who practices a Zero/Low/No/Less Waste lifestyle.
Low Impacter - Someone who takes part in the Low Waste Movement.

I hope these definitions are helpful! Please let me know any questions or comments you might have in the comments!

Everlane Undies Review

Disclaimer: My product reviews are completely unsponsored and unsolicited. The opinions are my own from my own experiences.

I've been waiting to make another Everlane purchase for quite a while. I look thru the website every month or so, put things in the cart, take them out, leave, come back and do it all again. I've only ever bought from Everlane once before. 

There’s been a lot of debate on the internet and in the world of the low impact movement about Everlane. Once touted as the greatest and most assessable sustainable fashion makers around, Everlane has come under a lot of distain lately. Many people believe that it has out grown it’s title as Slow Fashion.

I’m on the fence. Everlane still says it upholds it’s sustainable standards, but it has been producing at a faster and faster rate. Is it possible that the level of care is being taken for each and every piece? Ultimately, I decided that at least they must be a better choice than regular fast fashion brands. Although I mostly buy everything second hand, there are some items that have to be bought new.

Which brings me to underwear!! From the first moment that Everlane announced their underwear and bras, I knew I wanted to try them. Undies are really hard to buy sustainably without breaking the bank. But I have a lot of undies so it was almost a year before I actually made a purchase. I waited until some of my old panties literally fell apart and I had to get rid of them before I decided it was ok to buy some new items.

I bought three matching pieces; the Tank Bra, the Hipster, and the High Rise Hipster all in grey. Having matching undies still give me a thrill. I waited until Everlane offered free two day shipping so these items came really fast. The last Everlane purchase I made, I was disappointed that the pants and top I bought came wrapped in plastic and in a plastic mailer bag. I was happy when all the underwear came in recyclable cardboard boxes with paper info cards. They came in a plastic mailer which I recycled at a local drop off location.

I like how simple, soft and easy these panties and bra are. The bra has a wide, tight lower band and straps that are about an inch wide. The straps sit far out on the shoulders which I wasn’t expecting, but I really like bc I do have quite a few tops that have wide or boat necks. The high rise panties are my favorite and sit right at or just below my belly button. The seat is a bit cheeky, which again, I wasn’t expecting. I’d love to get a full coverage bottom set of these, which they don’t make yet, but fingers crossed. I will definitely get more pairs of these undies when more of my current pairs wear out.

Overall, I’m still skeptical about how Everlane works and it’s impact. But as a middle ground of affordable, well made, and better than fast fashion, I’ll continue to use them for purchasing some items.

Have you tried buying the Everlane underwear line? What are your thoughts?

Mad Cat Capsule: Thinking About Fall

I’ve actually been thinking about my next capsule for some time. I have my inspiration piece and I’m excited to get started. I’m trying to pace myself this season, though. Usually at this point in the month before changing over my capsule, I’d already be wearing new items of the next capsule.

But I’m taking a different tactic this quarter. I’ve gathered quite a few pieces but I’m pointedly putting them aside and savoring thinking bout what my Fall Capsule will look like.

What I am doing is paring down what’s in my current capsule. I have already started to take out all the items from Summer (July, August Sept) that I haven’t been wearing as much, or that I’m ready to stop wearing.

It’s a nice time in the capsule process to work with an even smaller closet of clothes. The excitement of the clothes I can revisit in my new capsule is always so fun! I love knowing that I’ll get rid of even more clothing when I go thru everything in storage.

The anticipation for the next capsule isn’t always my favorite part, but this quarter it is! What’s your favorite part of building a new capsule? Does your favorite part change?

Mad Cat Market

Since I have renewed my love of thrifting, I wanted to have an avenue to pass on some of my favorite finds. A great thing about thifting is that I find a lot of amazing peices of clothing, homewares, and unique items, but the downside is that I can't keep them all. So, welcome to the official launch of Mad Cat Market, an online shop to share my thrifting finds with everyone!

I view thrifting as a way of saving items that might otherwise end up in a landfill.  Things I love to "save" are made of natural materials, are vintage, hand made, or unique. My favorite clothes to thrift are made from cotton, linen, silk, tencel, or other natural fibers. Sometimes I have to pick up a synthetic fiber bc the item is so awesome! For homewares I like porcelain, wood, stoneware, embroidery, wicker, etc... 

One of my goals is to pass along these saved treasures at a reasonable rate. I want these items to be loved as much as I might love them if I could keep them all. I'm using an existing Big Cartel shop and keeping it at the lowest plan, which dictates that my collections are kept pretty small but means I can pass the savings on to the buyers! Each is hand picked and curated and I hope that the shoppers like them!

I also invite everyone to visit the Mad Cat Market instagram. I plan on posting sneak peaks, sales, and inspiration there!

The current collection is a mix of Summer and Fall transition pieces in a range of sizes and styles. 

I'd love to hear what people like or want to see or see more of! I'd love this space to also become a place where people can let me know what items them might be seeking and a conversation about thrifting and sustainable shopping. This is a new experience for me, so I'm thankful for people bearing with me while I work out the kinks and the mission of this shop! Thanks for checking out the new shop!!

Off Season: gARTen, Asbury Park

On the main street (but not Main Street) of our town, tucked in a lot, beyond a fence, besides an ice cream shop, it the gARTen. Truth be told, I don't know too much about it but I think it's an amazing thing to have in one's town!! I'm not sure who is behind this amazing open air junk art gallery display but I salute them! 

This garden isn't open all the time, I don't know the hours, but that almost makes it more magical. You'll be walking along and see that it's open and pop in as an unexpected treat! The garden is always different, pieces added, pieces missing, and constantly in a state of entropy. At night, it's illuminated by blacklight!

I love that someone (or several someone) is creating these objects and I love that they are made from trash that might otherwise end up in the landfill or even worse in the ocean and on the beach, just a few blocks away. 

The other day my husband mentioned that he read that this art project was in danger so we decided to head over and check it out. Hopefully it won't be for the last time. 

This art project reminds me a lot of my childhood and early education. Being homeschooled and then going to an alternative education school, we were always making the most of the supplies we had and making things out of "junk".  

We are so lucky to have a an art space like this in our town. These unique spaces should thrive in young cities like ours. We should work to preserve them!

Do you have a unique place like this in your town or city?

Making Habits

A lot of people talk about habits. Habits of Successful People. Habits of Productive People. Habits of Healthy People. I want to be those things! 

There's also a lot of research and documentation of how to build habits and how to stick with them, and probably most of it is great. I haven't really delved into any of that. I'm sure it would be helpful, but I also think a good way to form a habit is to do them and keep doing them, until they becomes so. We'll see how well that works. 

This Summer I have been on a journey to create some of the habits I hope to adopt. Perhaps my busy season, the high season in the town where I live, my husbands busy season, is not the best time to try making strides in this direction. Despite that fact, I have made strides. For the rest of the year, I plan to work more seriously and devote more mental energy on building new habits. 

I often have so many thoughts or ideas that it helps me to write them down. I love to use this space for things like that. So, here are just some habits I hope to create:

-Morning walks -  This is an old habit that I want to get back into. The Summer saw some progress here but the resent heat waves have driven to indoors. 
-Cleaning routines - There are many that I want to adopt on a more habitual basis. The list is too long to write out here.
-Stretching and exercise - This has been on my list forever. I am not getting any younger and I want to be active, limber, and healthy well into old age. I better get started!
-Morning pages - By all accounts this is a great practice for the mind. It helps stress, creativity, writing skills, dexterity. 
-Work regularly on side hustles - I have a lot of plans, but to make them happen is going to take regular routines, better start making some habits to make that work.   

How do you create habits? What habits do you want to adopt in the next few months? Leave a list in the comments to inspire the rest of us!

On Not Being in Vermont

Can you be homesick for a place you never lived? 

My mother and I had vacationed in the same part of Vermont for 17 - 20 Summers (after that amount of time, one losses track!). We spent almost a month there year after year until about 7 or 8 years ago. Bc of work, and wanting to save to buy a house, we decided not to go. It was a tough choice to break the tradition. If we hadn't made that choice, I'd be in Vermont right now. 

Every year, leading up to August, I think more and more about Vermont. I can't completely describe why it's such a special place. It's more than a place to me, in fact, but a symbol of a way of life that I strive for. Vermont to me embodies slow, simple lifestyle, no waste mentality, fresh food resources, community reliance, and a balance between nature, industry, and a peaceful life. 

Obviously that's just want it embodies, to me, not what it actually is. But it is a state that strives to keep big box stores out, to value different and alternative lifestyles, renewable energies, farming, clean living, and statewide community. 

While thinking about it this year, I want my nostalgia to motivate me towards my evolving lifestyle. For the end of August, I'll be meditating on what I want my life to look like for the end of this year, what I want my life to look like going forward, and what that means for this blog space. My time in Vermont will be an inspiration for me.  

Hopefully getting back to Vermont will be part of our near future, but for now, I can use my memories to motivate my present!  

Is there a place that inspires your day to day? Where is your home away from home?

In Search of Milkweed

We are already thinking about and planning our next year's garden. One big focus we have is attracting more pollinators! We are starting to gather seeds from friends, buying them off the internet, and seeking them out around where we live. 

We recently set out to find some milkweed near us. It was too early for us to gather seeds, but we had fun spotting the plant! We plan to go back later in the Summer or early Fall to see if we can view more butterflies!

Monarch caterpillar!

Snail on snail!

Cicada!

What are some of your favorite pollinator attractors? Is anyone else planning their 2019 garden?

Plastic Free July Wrap Up: Plastic Audit

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more  accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

Now that I have gone all the way through my second Plastic Free July, let's take a look back at what my goals were and how I carried them out!

- Audit my trash for the month of July. I have done this before while I was starting out along my ZW journey, and I do it every once in a while to see where I'm at. This month, I plan to mostly audit our recycling. 
I kept all my plastic trash separate this month, even items that can be recycled. I also brought plastic waste that was generated outside the house, home with me. It came out to one full paper grocery bag for the whole month. 
The biggest plastic waste I had this month were items that I already had but cleaned up and had to throw away or recycle. This contained several recyclable plastic containers, like berry boxes and a flax milk box. There were also a few reusable containers that cracked or broke and I could recycle. We ate out in July and even if we asked we sometimes got condiment containers. We also had a food in a paper boat, but it had a plastic lining. We choose to get milkshake from a place with paper cups, but they changed from waxed to plastic lined so those were waste. 
The items I had the most of when I went back through the bag were plastic bags!! Not grocery bags, of course, but some berry bags, cat litter bags, chip bags, bird seed bags, cheese plastic, etc ... These will all get recycled at a local drop off point. 

I HATE fruit stickers.

We also had a few pens, we are working through allllll the pens we have so we don't buy new. And we went through a weedwacker wire. Is there a none plastic alternative for this?

- Take the time to recycle the items that are difficult to recycle. We are donating clothes, dropping off our electronics, bringing our plastic bags to drop off centers, and other annoying tasks this month. We still accumulate some of these items, so disposing of them properly is super important. 
We did so well with this goal! We recycled plastic bags, electronics, dropped off clothes for donation and books to the library! It felt great to send these items to their proper places and get them out of our house!

- Focus on building our garden for this year and years to come! We recently (finally) planted our front bed and now we are hooked! We cannot wait to create more avenues for us to grow our own food and rely less on conventional, and often plastic packed, fruit and veg. 
Our garden is going nuts! One of our favorite things to eat in the summer is cherry and grape tomatoes but we don't eat them often bc they are hard to find without plastic. This Summer, bc or our garden, we are tomato rich!! It's felt amazing to grow our own food this July and we can't wait to garden more and more! 

- Utilize local farmer's markets! Summer is the best time for fresh fruits and veggies and I want to eat them all! The farmer's market is a great to get them, plastic free!
Partly bc we have grown our own food, we didn't got to the farmers markets too much in July. But we did have a few great visit to get corn and other Summer goodies. 

- Continue to refuse disposable plastics like straws, plastic bags, plastic cups and coffee cups, single use plastic containers, etc... and get better at it!! The more you practice, the easier it becomes!
We did a great job with this in July! Re refused like crazy and made strides to not accept plastic that sometimes slips thru the cracks. We also went out of our comfort zone and got many items in our own containers!

- Preach! Mostly, I try not to be too preachy about my Zero Waste journey, but PFJ is the perfect time to let people know about the horrors of disposable plastics, give them some insight into my lifestyle and ideals, and to hopefully spark them to think to these ideas!
I think I did more of this this month. And it was good!! We have a few restaurants who know us and ask us questions and help us out. I also talked about my drive for a plastic free lifestyle with family and friends. I posted stories and instas and talked to a lot of people on social media!

Overall, I'm sure happy with Plastic Free July. It wasn't entirely plastic free, but it was a great eye opener and a great step forward!

How was your Plastic Free July? Share your triumphs and fails in the comments!

Recently Thrifted

Since returning to thrifting, I've tried to not buy too much, not buy things I wouldn't need and use. But the problem with thrifting is that you find so much good stuff! It's really hard to limit myself when I see things that I want to "save". Here are a few recent finds:

I'm not sure what I will use this wooden tray for, but I couldn't leave it behind. 

Thrifting is great for feeding my love for vintage, collections, and vintage collections! I have a deep love for sheets and bedding from the 60s and 70s. I'n not sure what it is about the cool feel and classic patterns (usually floral) of these that make them irresistible. 

Lastly, I found an amazing hand knit, square, neck sweater in a confetti of colors. I have been really excited to find hand made items over the last few months. There's something amazing about finding a hand made item and giving it new life. I can't wait to wear this in cooler weather and already have an idea that this might be the color inspiration for my Fall 2018 capsule wardrobe. 

Knowing that items like vintage sheets, once loved hand made pieces, or interesting homewares, will one day be gone, replaced by cookie cutter, cheaply made, unmindfully or inhumanely mass produced, pre-garbage (kipple, if you will), makes thrifting seem like it an important part of the low impact movement and my low waste lifestyle.   

I've even been toying with the idea of a pop up shop, or online store or something fun to share my thrift finds with the world. Do any reader have online shops? Would anyone be interested in purchasing curated second hand items? Comment below!