Though there may still be frost on the ground, I promise you that spring is coming. And let's be honest. You'll see it in the stores long before you feel it in the air.

And if you think the pandemic is a compelling reason to ignore fashion's signs of spring, you might want to reconsider. Because this year will offer you many options for creating a capsule wardrobe to wear at home.

Let's take a look at Pantone's new color palette and eleven of this style season's most cozy offerings...

What do you think of the new colors? Which ones do you want to try?
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Two theme words for this year’s style trends are “cozy” & “oversized.” 

And that may be because so many of us will still be hanging out at home, or spending more of our time there than we did before the pandemic changed everything. In my opinion, you can still see the touch of high fashion in many of the trends, but the thread of comfort and coziness is there as well.

There are so many new trends, I decided to be choosy about which ones to share. I picked the ones that were the most likely to be comfortable and easy to wear at home, but that could still run an errand with you if they had to, in a pinch.

(1) Dusters - ah, my beloveds are back!

(2) Spring knits and knit sets.

(3) Luxury loungewear.

(4) Full, flowy pants and flare-leg jeans.

(5) Slouchy jackets/"shackets", or shirt jackets

(6) Floor length shapeless dresses

(7) Wrap blouses

(8) Cropped cardigans

(9) Luxe slippers

(10) Sneakers

(11) Mules

See what I mean? Lots of comfort to be had in the next six months or so!

What do you think? With these new spring colors, comes a new capsule wardrobe planner that will help you put together your own spring capsule wardrobe.

See you tomorrow!

Imagine this: if you gave yourself a moment each time you made yourself a cup of tea to take a couple of deep breaths, in and out, and you allowed yourself a moment of brief meditation.

And while you were breathing, you imagined a beautiful green flower, in your heart space, unfurl and begin to blossom, gradually coming to full bloom.
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When life becomes more stressful, we need to take more breaks. Even just a five or ten minute break, so that we pause between one activity and another, take in our surroundings, and pay attention to and regulate our breathing, can make a difference in our ability to lessen the impact of the stress we experience. 

As I mentioned above, I recommend slowing down and pausing for afternoon tea. Drinking tea increases relaxation and positive feelings, and can help to relieve tension and stress.

Dedicating daily time for a tea ritual slows you down long enough to get centered again and provides time for reflection. It also can give you a few minutes to reconnect you with nature.

(1) First, choose the place for your ritual, and decide what you would like to have with you in your space. You might want to place a candle there, to light during your ritual, and a book that inspires you. Or a fresh flower from your garden.

(2) Then, create your ceremony by deciding on the sequence of steps you will use. You might decide to start with a brief meditation, drink your tea and then, and then, write in your journal.

(3) Designate an ending for the ritual, like blowing out your candle, or sounding a bell.
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​If you're a mom, it could be great fun to do with your kids! When my son was younger, he got so excited every afternoon, when it was time "apricot tea," which was what we had every day, at the time.

If you are homeschooling, your afternoon tea time could be a natural break in your homeschool day. Or, your afternoon tea ritual could welcome your kids home from school each day.

You could pair the tea with whatever snacks you usually offer, or try new afternoon tea recipes, just for fun.

Though you wouldn't offer your younger children caffeinated tea, herbal or fruit teas would be fun. Or if you want ones that are likely to be relaxing, studies suggest you might want to try chamomile or lavender. 
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For dinner, early evening or for a bedtime treat, turn to decaf teas or those with much lower caffeine content. We don't want you lying awake, wishing you could sleep. Try oolong or white at dinner, and rooibos or herbal after that. If your dinners are late, stick to decaf.

For your evening routine, though, I recommend eating dinner early to give you plenty of time to wind down before you go to bed. That will make it much easier to get to sleep at a good time.

Plan hygge evening routines that stack the deck with simple pleasures so that you enjoy the time leading up to bedtime and don't feel shortchanged in any way when it's time to call it a day.

​Include a brief letting go tea ritual so that you don't take any of the stress you experienced during the day into your next one. And why not make your cup of tea a tasty rooibos dessert tea like cinnamon bun (currently on backorder, but hopefully, back soon).

(1) Make a lavender cup of tea, write about the problem or situation in your journal and then, when you feel completely ready to let go, then you can move on to the rest of the exercise.
 
On a slip of paper write down the negative thought, negative moment or painful feeling you want to let go of and place it beneath a tealight candle. Light the candle and sip your tea, imagining that as the tealight burns away, so is whatever you are letting go of in that moment.
 
Once it has burned down fully, the letting go exercise is complete. Notice how you feel, but if you don't notice any change in the way you feel yet, don't worry.
 
Sometimes it takes time for your mind, body, heart and soul to process a change that has just occurred. But with any letting go exercise, your intention itself is powerful. The exercise is a physical demonstration and following through on the commitment you made to let go.
 
Eventually - and sometimes, it will happen almost immediately - you will feel differently about whatever you let go of and when you think of it in the future, you won't react the same way.

​(2) This is a great letting go exercise or ritual to do throughout the day whenever something has knocked you off center, or in the transition moments between different activities.
 
You'll need a hand soap whose scent you adore so much, it makes you enjoy washing your hands.

And if you can, find a hand lotion in the same scent. Or one that combines well.
 
Do you remember the song about washing that man out of your hair? In a way, this letting go exercise borrows a bit of that idea.
 
You use it whenever there is a feeling or situation that you want to let go of, and you literally wash it away. As you wash your hands, set the intention to let it go and as you rinse your hands, imagine that the feeling or moment you want to release is going down the drain.

Afterward, rub lotion onto your hands and imagine that you are rubbing out any remaining stress and massaging in peace.
 
You could do that for your children, too, when they've had an upsetting moment. Let them wash it down the drain and then you add the moment of love and peace with lotion.
 
A variation could be doing the same thing while taking a bath or shower. And you could suggest it to your children during their bath time.

For extra comfort, and some moments will definitely warrant it, begin this exercise by making a cup of tea and writing everything out in your journal first.

It often helps to pause longer, and really think through and feel the moment you want to let go of, so that you take more note of the transition and the process of change.

(3) If you have a fire pit or fireplace, and you are 100% assured of safety, you could toss a slip of paper into either one and watch it burn, releasing whatever you are letting go of as it does so.

Virtual Letting Go Exercises - each of these ideas can happen virtually. And feel free to go wild in your imagination.

For example, you could imagine writing whatever you are letting go of on a sip of paper and putting it into a balloon and sending up into the sky and up to the clouds, far far away. Fun, right? Or, it could go into a bottle and then, deep down into the sea or across the ocean. 

I believe that prayer and healing both begin in the imagination, so I say, add these ideas to your arsenal, and give them a try, whenever you feel inspired to do so.

And when you feel complete with the letting go process, bring an end to the ritual in a way that feels right to you. It will feel more over and ended that way, no matter how you do it, but I suggest a transition to something cozy or fun, next, unless sleep is the very next thing on the agenda.

Choose your tea and then, let me know if you need my help with creating your self care plan.