conscious consumption – The Oracle of Z

Decoupling Pleasure from Consumerism OR happily buying less stuff

Knitting kit with socks in the process of being made, an envelope of needles and a small case with a crow on it that says "shiny things."

On Saturdays [especially when it is not gardening season] I sleep in and read long-form journalism. This Saturday it was the Atlantic. Among the political stuff [which I am giving myself permission to skim or skip right now] I encountered this article from the Atlantic on the new Amazon Haul which I found perversely fascinating. Continue reading “Decoupling Pleasure from Consumerism OR happily buying less stuff”

Slow Fashion and other hashtags

A number of things coincided within the previous month of March that made it a good time for a reflection on my wardrobe. The first thing was #mendingMarch. If you are not spending time in my corner of the Internet, you could be forgiven for not knowing that March is the month for mending garments.Continue reading “Slow Fashion and other hashtags”

Jigsaw Puzzles and Common Law Marriage

To start off the new year, my significant other, EW, and I decided we would have a little screen detox. “But, Z, “you might say, “are you not currently interacting with a screen? How serious a screen detox is this anyway?” And that is a good question. It’s not that I want a blanket banContinue reading “Jigsaw Puzzles and Common Law Marriage”

Curated: conjuring demand and identity

I love beautiful things. Full stop. When things are not beautiful it hurts a little. I have been known to say to friends, usually when talking about things like interior or fashion design, “if you can make it beautiful, you should.” I live my life in the center of what one would call “refined aesthetics.” Continue reading “Curated: conjuring demand and identity“

Reincarnation

Last year when we bought our house, a wonderful friend from church texted me a picture of two beat-up, cane backed chairs and said, “would you like these for your new house?” Maybe this is a strange request, but not to me – up-cycler of hidden relics. It took me a while to follow upContinue reading “Reincarnation”

Conscious Consumption Update

In December of 2018, I decided that our household was going to spend 2019 watching everything we consumed pretty closely. The intent was to cut single use plastic and palm oil out of our lives to the full extent that was possible while also buying much less overall. When we had to buy things, IContinue reading “Conscious Consumption Update”