The Minimalist Closet

Sticking to a capsule wardrobe saves time, money and is eco-friendlier than having a lot of clothes. What’s better than that? It’s been a few years since I first adapted a Minimalist Style and I still love this simple lifestyle! I have found the colors and styles that I love and stick to them year after year.

My favorite colors are black, white, navy, grey and pastel blue. I also like to add 2-3 colorful pieces to my wardrobe every season. My favorite bright colors are: pink, purple and mint green. I have found seven different types of clothing that fit my body type very well, so every year I wear different versions of these 7 pieces:

1. Skinny jeans

2. Blazers/short jackets

3. Simple one-colored tops

4. Long knits

5. Long Blouses

6. Knee-long dresses

7. Maxi dresses

When you go grocery shopping on an empty stomach

We had a fun and relaxing weekend and got to spend a lot of time with friends and family all weekend long. Then on Sunday evening I realized I should go grocery shopping, rather than leaving it until Monday evening. When I came home from the store I was reminded that going grocery shopping when you are tired or hungry is never a great idea.

I pick up the most random and unhealthy items from store when I grocery shop on an empty stomach. Yesterday I managed to buy pumpkin spice flavored Greek yogurt. Who knew something as strange as this even existed? I haven't tried it yet, so we have to wait and see if it tastes good or terrible.

I also picked up some Fall-flavored chocolate chip cookies in a box, pretty much the opposite to healthy organic home baked cookies. They didn't exactly taste amazing, but we had some for movie night last night and pretty soon the box will be empty. Next time I grocery shop I better take the time to write a list and then stick to it.

On a Rainy Day

It was rainy and windy in Toronto all weekend long so the streets were pretty empty. Ikea on the other hand was not empty. My husband and I had made plans to buy some new furniture on Sunday and I can't exactly say I found the experience to be very enjoyable. A furniture store filled with probably 2 million out of the 6 million people living in Toronto isn't my idea of a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Note to self: avoid Ikea on a rainy Sunday!

Saturday was equally rainy and windy as Sunday but much more enjoyable. I decided a rainy day is the perfect day to go shopping so I spent the day at the Eaton Center in Toronto. I bought some new workout clothes, flip-flops and a beach towel. It's never too early to start getting ready for the summer and beach trips! :)

Ah, the great indoors! On cold, wet and windy days I'm grateful to be able to spend some time at the mall. I had planned to do an outdoor workout on the weekend but it became a visit to the mall instead, sometimes sipping on a latte while shopping is the best way to spend a restful day!

Saturyay!

Ever since I was a child Saturday has been my favorite day of the week, but not all Saturdays are super enjoyable. Last week I was not feeling well on Saturday so I spent most of the day eating painkillers and laying on the couch watching Netflix. This past Saturday, on the other hand, I was feeling super joyful! I started my day with going to my Life Group meeting, which was the perfect way to start the day. Spending time with people who are loving, kind and encouraging always gives me a boost of joy.

After Life Group I had lunch at Freshii, my Dad's favorite Toronto restaurant. :) I had the vegan chili, it was super tasty and healthy.

I spent the rest of the day at Yorkdale mall, looking for a Valentine's Day present for my hubby. I also decided to treat myself to some macaroons. In the evening my husband and I ordered a pizza and had a relaxing evening at home. It was a great day! Good company, good food and some shopping is my recipe for a fun and relaxing Saturday in February! :)

Small homes, custom made shoes & Minimalism

Today I wanted to share some more pictures from my visit to Black Creek Village in Toronto.

I love visiting the Pioneer Village in the fall. I spent many hours enjoying the cozy village and checking out the different homes and shops.

Welcome to my home! (I wish!) This is my favorite home in the village, it's so cute and cozy.

One thing that was better one hundred years ago was that the homes were smaller. I would love to live in a home this size, but these days even the smallest homes in the suburbs are about three times bigger than this one. We buy bigger homes, which means we need more stuff to fill up our homes, which lead us to consume more stuff than ever before in history.

I love how people decorated their homes one hundred years ago, the homes were simple and minimalist but still very cozy.

This bedroom is a dream, it's very minimalist, decorated with only the things you need in a bedroom. On the other hand, I'm really glad that we have indoor toilets these days and that people no longer have to use the potty or the outhouse.

I used to be a bit of a "shopaholic" a few years ago so these days I stay away from the mall unless I really need something. Take a look at how few the options were in the store during the Victorian era, it must have been easier to not overspend back then.

One thing I would love to bring back from the Victorian era are shops who make custom shoes and dresses. I hate having to buy shoes or clothes that look exactly the same as what everybody else is wearing. Think about how fun it would be to walk into a dress shop and be able to pick what style, color and pattern you want on your dress. Of course you can still get custom made things these days but it's not the norm. These days we have stores filled with clothes that nobody will ever buy, what a waste.

As I walked through the village I almost felt like I was inside the TV show Little House on the Prairie.

My husband is ready to preach in the old church in the village. I'm glad the church has changed a lot since the Victorian era, it's a lot bigger now and no longer has uncomfortable wooden benches. A funny thing happened when we were checking out the church. My husband was standing where he is on the picture, a lady walked by and got scared of him when he moved his arm, she had assumed he was a doll and not a real person. :)

Spending time with friends & family

I've had a couple of wonderful weeks with friends and family coming to visit us in Toronto. It's so fun to get to spend a lot of time with your loved ones. I don't get to see my friends and family from Finland very often since I moved abroad six years ago so when we get to see each other it's a party every day!

The weather has been great in Toronto this month so it's been fun to be able to eat dinner outside on the patio and show our guests the city. We get to do a lot of different things together because we all like different activities. My mom wants to go shopping, my dad wants to go see a hockey game and I want to go hiking. When you mix all these different activities together it becomes a very fun and relaxing vacation. :)

Christmas Shopping

On Saturday my husband and I decided to go Christmas shopping in Toronto. I'm only buying one present per person this year so I thought it would be quite easy to get my shopping done this year. I had a plan: eat dinner first (to fill up on energy), then do the shopping. The problem was I ate way too much for dinner and finished it off with a bowl of ice cream for dessert. After dinner I was tired from eating a huge meal and walked through the mall like a zombie.

When we were finally done with all the shopping I felt like a dead fish and decided to rest on one of the benches in the mall. As I was sitting there, probably looking like I had just finished a marathon race, I wondered to myself how other people are able to buy so many gifts for each person without crashing. It turns out I have no endurance at all when it comes to shopping.

The positive side of the Christmas shopping experience was that all the staff at the mall were super helpful and joyful. I never interacted with even one person on staff that didn't give me great service. I don't know how they do it, I don't think I could keep a smile on my face throughout a 10 hour shift at the mall. These people have definitely got a gift for serving people, their help made the day a lot less stressful than it could have been otherwise.