Natural Luxury for the Holiday Season

The holiday season is the perfect time to treat yourself to something luxurious. True luxury is about taking care and provision of your health, while maintaining your wellness. Self care is all about self exploration where you have the opportunity to find out what makes you happy, content and well. As the season becomes cooler, and the world becomes a wintry wonderland, with snow covered streets, trees and sidewalks it is a reflective time of quiet consideration. 

Winter is one of my favorite seasons, especially in Akron, Ohio the weather can fluctuate between the 50's as the high to as low as 15 degrees, as all Akronites can tell you only in Ohio can you experience all four seasons in one day, which is something that I adore! As the weather varies daily, it's important to take care of your skin, which is all about true luxury. 

Personally, I have made major changes to the types of products that I am applying on my skin. After extensive research, I have realized that the products that  I place on my skin have a direct impact on my health. Using natural ingredients that are locally sourced, has been such a boon to my life, it allows me to have a luxurious experience, while maintaining  my health and supporting my own local economy. 

Akron, has so many beautiful local businesses and I love exploring all the different types of locally owned business that I can support and that allows me to experience true luxury. While attending a Yoga event at the Akron Museum of Art I found Khare which is all about natural products that enhance your own beauty. My favorite products are the Remedy spray which has rosemary which is a natural scent that I adore, and its so great on your skin and hair. Rosemary has so many health benefits, and has the power to uplift your mood and defog your brain. Remedy Oil is perfect to massage away tension, to oil your body and to use as your own personal scent. 

As we journey into our winter wonderland season, it is the perfect time to reflect, respond, and support ourselves and our local community. Leaning in towards our own versions of luxury, and recreating peace, wellness and happiness on our own terms. Luxury is a journey of exploration, joy and stability and an amazing opportunity for us to love, accept and adore ourselves. 

XOXO 

Frolicking Americana. 

Power of the Live Christmas Tree

Christmas trees' are a part of our collective experience with the holiday season, they have the power to bring comfort, warmth and joy into our homes. They expand our sense of wonder, happiness, and merriment connecting us deeply to the natural world, and the beauty and uniqueness of each freshly harvested Christmas tree. The fresh scent of the tree is refreshing bringing in the smells of winter and delivering solace to the soul, preparing us for the festive, fun, frolicking winter period. 

Harvesting your dream tree, is easy, and simple you just need to find the right one it's a lot like dating and finding a good fit. And when you buy locally you are supporting your local community farmers which is an added bonus. There are so many varieties of Christmas trees that are available, some time honored standards are the Douglas Fir tree which has green to blue green soft needles which are about one inch long. An excellent choice for a highly decorated tree, as it has numerous branches for placing ornaments. It has a memorable citrus scent, closely related to oranges and lemons, which is helpful in creating your perfect fragrant Christmas memories. 

Another classic is the Fraser Fir tree, which has a blue to silver colors on the underside of their branches. The trees are sturdy, with symmetrical branches a strongly perfumed tree, that will retain its needles throughout the Christmas season, which you can enjoy along with your favorite Christmas drink.

Norway Spruce is a beloved Christmas tree it sits the most naturally in the stand, it reminds you of a forest of many trees it is rustic, fashionable and festive. The needles are shiny dark green, and the densely branched tree perfect for ornaments. This is the type of tree that needs to be cut fresh in order to keep good needle retention.  I will never forget when I flew into Oslo, Norway and saw all those stunning, dazzling, devastatingly tall Norway Spruce trees, they were a welcoming present. 

Finding your perfect Christmas tree is a wonderful time of self exploration where you are able to decide what type of tree do you want in your home, and all the different ways you can decorate to create your own sense of warmth care and love this holiday season. I encourage you to explore to find your own joy, hope and happiness. 

XOXO 

Frolicking Americana

Layering with natural fabrics

 Layering with natural textiles is a perfect step to take for success. As we are facing increasing vast ranges of temperatures in our daily lives. Natural fabrics are a the a great agent for redemption from heat. 

Silk 

Cloths have the ability to give us a tranquility and a sense of calm, especially when we take proactive options to choose high quality, outstanding, stunning natural fabrics such as silk, linen, hemp, and cotton. All those fabrics have varying levels of breathability  that allows for our own bodies to moderate and cool, assisting in keeping us stylish and refreshing. 

Linen

As we style and think deeply about what cloth we want to choose, we get the opportunity to realize our own potential as a fashion celebrant. Choosing how you layer your own silk, linen, hemp and cotton, will set your course for the day, and showcases your knowledge of the power of fashion! At Jcrewthrifted you can find all your cool fashion needs. 

Stay cool and blessed! 

Xoxo Frolicking Americana 

Finding that little piece of treasure

 Finding the perfect fashion piece is the thrill of the hunt! Recently, I was able to find the most dreamy gem, a Mila Schon purse. As my hands grazed the soft and luscious leather I knew it was a true rare find! One of my favorite things is a "new to me" purse that is leather and hand crafted, when you find quality you just know it. 

Leather is one of those items that you can tell right away from the smell and feel, as my eyes located the ideal features of this purse, I knew it was something that I needed to explore, the wonderfully hand stitched details made my heart swoon. When I saw the Milano Italy, I knew I had found the one. 

Milan, is one of the fun, artistic, fashionable cities in Italy, and as world traveler, it is one of my most memorable cities. What I enjoyed about the city is that people truly took joy, in fashion, life, food and beauty. They were not impressed by the name/brand but knew that beautifully handmade items and artisans should be respected, valued, and honored. As a fellow artist, I felt it was a treasured place, that had a culture and a history that was meant to be respected. 

Jcrewthrifted is not about a brand, but about finding the confidence you are looking for and obtaining high quality items, that will be durable, beautiful and will last the test of time. I encourage you to find the wonder in the small things in life and truly partake in the simple beauty of life. 

Sending you love, hope and joy!

Xoxox

Frolicking Americana.

Sponsors 

AKRON HONEY                                  UTOPIAN SEED

Maintaining the Goodness

Maintaining the the focus on the good things in our lives can be a challenging. There are so many distractions that can take our focus away from the good things happening in our lives and communities. Sometimes we have to pause and take a breath and enjoy the small treats of life. 

Browsing my closet, is a small treat that I an indulge in easily, and always brings such warmth. Roving my hands across the soft cottons, silks and linens, each item has a particular good memories, that invoke the feelings of charm and wonder. As my eye covers each item I am reminded of my family legacy of the Parms Cleaners in Akron, Ohio and how my family helped the community to look their best daily. 

Taking steps to maintain your natural fabrics can be a challenge, anyone from Ohio can tell you about the one time they put their wool sweater in the washer and ended up with a shrunken sweater that can fit a toddler. A lot of the washing rituals come with a  lot of trial and error, for example silk needs to be hand washed every time. At Jcrewthrifted we focus on only having the best vintage clothing and at Frolicking Americana we are focused on giving our readers the content they need to maintain the beauty of their clothing. 

Maintaining our skin is another way that you can focus on self care and taking joy everyday. My favorite skin product Thieves Hand and Body Wash I use is by Beauty by Apothecary a women led company that uses the highest quality ingredients that make the difference.  Taking moments of peace in these everyday moments allows us all the opportunity to explore, ourselves and what creates hope in all of us. It gives us a chance to explore, know, and partake in our skin, clothing and life. 

Sending you love, hope and charity! 

Xoxox 

Frolicking Americana

Thanks to our Sponsor Akron Honey 

Linen and Lemonade

There is nothing like linen clothing in the summer, it brings up memories of high fashion, sustainability, and culture. I have always thought of linen as the perfect summer outfit as it is chic, fun and cooling especially during the hot summer. 

As an avid lover of clothing, I have always found that exploring clothing beyond cotton fabric, is always a great start to a grand adventure. Linen comes from the flax plant family Linaceae and for all those organic, crunchy, health advocates it is also a seed that you can eat. I am always down for a good two for one deal, and with flax it is as good as it gets! 

Flax can be made into beautiful, stunning, fabulous linen yarn, flax seeds that can be harvested and eaten, (pro tip you can grow out your own flax)  and you can make linseed oil. Hello,  pork chops and potatoes frying up in a vintage caste iron pan (check out my  instagram  jcrewthrifted for pictures of the pork chops and lemonade). Many countries around the world grow out large quantities of flax for all the numerous uses above. (here's looking at you China and our friendly neighbors Canada.)

Lemonade is also a tradition of summer and allows us to connect to our childhood memories of fun in the sun and the carefree summers, before work, and life responsibilities have taken their place. I encourage you to still enjoy the summer season, get out into nature and enjoy all the sights and sounds in the woods. Studies have shown and deep forest time several times a week and helps with depression and anxiety and increases out health outcomes. 

During the hot season I have started to create my own secret family recipes of lemonades, each bright, fun and flirty that are perfect to pair with a beautiful linen top. I wish you a happy and healthy summer, and I toast you for being you. 

Xoxo, 

Frolicking Americana, 



Parms Family Secret Lemonade Recipe
Take one large mason jar
Add water
Cut 2 lemons add to water
Cut 2 limes add to water
Cut 1 Orange add to water
2 tablespoons of honey add 
Cover with a lid and leave out in the sun for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

Enjoy

Special Thanks to our Sponsor Akron Honey 

JcrewThrifted Creating Joy in Vintage Fashion

 

Fashion is about individual style and gives us all a way to express ourselves, values and culture. That is one of things that drew me to vintage shopping, I was able to see the cultural changes of our society through clothes. Seeing the changes in construction, fabric choices and color selection as trends in fashion are always changing. Rejoicing in the clothing trends, colors, and boundaries lines that are broken through the expression of fashion. No need to ask for forgiveness for your fashion choices, it is about the rejoicing in the better day of great fashion.

Vintage clothing allows for one to assess and see what is important to you in an outfit. Are you particular about the types of fabrics that will drape your body? Partial to the smoothness and comfort of silk, and the way the fabric is so breathable during the hot summers? Or do you believe that cotton is king, a fabric that is durable, sustainable and can take a beating and keep on ticking, looking stunning, fashionable and fun. Linen has historically been used amongst many cultures because of its' ease of use, coolness during the heat and a fabric that is light to pack.

As fast fashion has gained in our society, there has been a pushback to high quality clothes that are hand crafted and made with care. Clothing that is made to last, is the way to shop, because you can keep your favorite clothes longer. Finding vintage clothing that is impressive, fun and reasonably priced. To find freedom, and victory in vintage fashion, to see joy, hope, peace through the fashion process. 

That's why I started Jcrewthrifted to give people an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of high quality clothing at a great price. Vintage clothing is an opportunity to create your own space in fashion to express yourself and to explore the beauty of colors and fabrics. Make all things new and fresh with your own take on clothing. As you start your journey I encourage to find the perfect outfits for your lifestyle and way of life. Become the life of party in your Jcrewthrifted fits, and enjoy vida! 

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