All in Simple Home

Plaine Products || A Closer Look

Plaine Products || A Closer Look

Olivia Youngs
Simple Home

Last month I shared about home goods brand that is doing big things to reduce waste and make organic, clean products accessible to everyone. I've been using Plaine Product's shampoo, conditioner, and body wash for almost three months (I'm about to order a refill- that's how much I love these products) and it's been amazing for several reasons. 

Not only do I completely trust the ingredients in these products (read on to see a full list of exactly what is in each bottle...no chemicals or unpronounceable's), it's changed my mindset about waste and how silly it is that the majority of our body products come in single use bottles that may or may not be recycled, and will likely be thrown out.

I'm so excited to share an interview with Lindsey, the brand's founder (along with her sister), where she gives insight into her long term plans for Plaine Products, what goes in each bottle, and more.  

Baabuk || Coziness For The Whole Family

Baabuk || Coziness For The Whole Family

Olivia Youngs
Slow Fashion, Simple Home, Motherhood, Slow Living

Home has always been a bit of a fluid concept for me, especially after "settling down" and having two little kiddos. AJ and I have moved around quite a bit and the sense of continual fluctuation can be hard to handle, especially as a self-dubbed "home-body". How am I to create a sweet, welcoming, stable home for my family if our sense of home is never set in stone, changing from year to year or sooner? 

As trite as it may sound, I've learned that, more often than not, home is less of a place and more of a state of heart. Our physical homes may change often, and the space may not be ideal, but when you surround yourself with the people you can't live without and the things that make your heart smile, then, I think, you've built a home. 

You Don't Have To Buy Everything I Blog About || Ramblings on Ethics, Consumerism, And Balance

You Don't Have To Buy Everything I Blog About || Ramblings on Ethics, Consumerism, And Balance

Olivia Youngs
Slow Fashion, Simple Home, Slow Living, Lifestyle

"Use my code to get 15% off at checkout".

"Looking for the perfect fall staple? This is it." 

"Invest in fewer, better pieces, and you'll thank yourself later on" 

A few excerpts from my least favorite aspect of blogging: promoting consumption. As a lover of simplicity, intentional slow downs, and ethical fashion and culture, I'm often caught in the crosshairs of two seemingly conflicting lifestyles. The first, promoting the brands I respect, love, use, and believe are making the world a better place. The second, preaching that slow and simple wins the race — not really "wins" but certainly makes your life easier. 

How can someone who has a capsule wardrobe continually promote new brands, add new pieces to her own life, and encourage her readers to do the same? 

Slow Transitions || Living Intentionally in Seasons of Change

Slow Transitions || Living Intentionally in Seasons of Change

Olivia Youngs
Simple Home, Slow Living

An entire year. 

That's how long it took for us to make one of our long-time dreams a reality. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, a single year is nothing, but to a young couple who felt stuck and unsure of their next step, a year was an eternity. 

Buy a foreclosure, fix it up, rearrange some furniture, create a home. This home is forever, right? 

Decide that, maybe, the grass is greener where the mountains are. Put your house up for sale. Make plans, clean the home 294857 thousand times, watch as potential new-owners analyze every nook and cranny of your home, telling you it's value, as if you didn't already know that there was a crack there and that the cabinets needed refinishing. 

Plaine Products || Zero Waste Products for the Whole Family

Plaine Products || Zero Waste Products for the Whole Family

Olivia Youngs
Simple Home, Motherhood, Slow Fashion, Slow Living

I've been on my trek towards a more natural, healthy, ethical lifestyle for several years now and when it comes to my hair, I've learned to be picky. I've tried almost every "natural" method for taking care of your hair on the market. Shampoo bars? Yep. Sulfate/paraben/chemical-free? Of course. The "no-poo method" where you let your hair "adjust" to it's natural oils and then cleanse it with baking soda and apple cider vinegar, like, once a month? Oh yes. 

I've been feeling a bit burn out on the whole "healthy hair" thing and wasn't sure there was an actual product on the market that I felt good about. When I said I was picky, I meant it. I wanted all-natural ingredients that would actually help my color treated hair, not damage it. I wanted recycle-packaging that wouldn't end up in a landfill. I wanted to not smell like I walked out of a perfume shop. 

Karton || Cardboard Reimagined

Karton || Cardboard Reimagined

Olivia Youngs
Simple Home, Slow Fashion

If you've been following along on SL&Co.'s social media for the past few months, you'll know that my family and I are right in the middle of packing up everything we own, downsizing, and moving to a small town in the mountains of Colorado. It's been a busy phase, but I can't stop thinking about our new house/condo/apartment (to be determined...) and how I want to decorate it with so much more intention than in our previous homes. 

As I journey into slow living, I've realized that ethical shopping and sustainable living applies even in the pieces I choose to fill my home with. Although decorating sustainably and ethical takes more time, money, and research than just going to Target and buying a new rug, it immediately fills your home with literal culture, value, and stories, without costing the environment. 

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