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The Pantone Color Palette and Style Trends for 2021: 11 Wearable Trends

3/2/2021

1 Comment

 

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...

Pantone's Color & Style Trends for 2021

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Shades illustrative of nature, coupled with new core classics, come together to create a palette inspiring ingenuity and inventiveness. - Pantone​
Here is what you will may see in stores, during the coming months: earth tones, “happy” pastels - including lavender, pale yellow and turquoise, shades of purple, monochromatic outfits - often with a pop of color, neons and others colors like tangerine, green, magenta, camel with yellow, bubblegum pink, white, red, and silvery metallics.

What do you think of the new colors? Which ones do you want to try?
​

Cozy Style Trends for
​Spring & Summer

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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!
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1 Comment

How to Use Guided Tea Meditation and Daily Tea Rituals for Self Care

3/1/2021

6 Comments

 

Recently, I did a Google search on how long will this pandemic last, and I think it was Bloomberg that predicted that it could be 7 years before the world recovers completely. 

There were a number of factors that were taken into account, of course, and it’s only an educated guess. But it hit me hard, nonetheless!

We are likely to need stress relief, and hygge rituals more than ever. Self care practices and other ideas for self care.

And that’s what I hope to offer here until this horrible mess is over!

Hopefully, my posts will be of service to you and those you care about, as we all navigate this new normal during these next few years. I propose we have tea as a daily faithful self care companion.
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This post was inspired by an earlier version posted on April 4th, 2018.
Finding time to break away to meditate and drink tea has helped me bear the stress and strain of daily obligations. - Donna Feldman, Tea Here Now.​

Tea Benefits: Less Stress, More Calm & More Focus


The beauty of tea is that it is likely both to calm you and to help you focus more clearly on whatever you happen to be doing at the time.

One reason tea can do so is l theanine, an amino acid that is like a comforting companion in your tea cup.

It is said to help to lessen stress and to ease anxiety. It also can help to alleviate insomnia.

And in tea, it occurs with caffeine, so they work in synergy. Because that's true, it also helps you get better at paying attention, processing information and focusing on what matters to you.

When might that be helpful to you?


In the morning, when you are not yet fully alert, tea might help you think more clearly about what you need to do and about where everything is.

When you are having conversations with those you love, and they are going to notice whether or not you have been paying attention, a cup of tea may help you focus on what they are telling you. And if what you are hearing is stressful, that cup of tea may help you stay calm.

If you are working at home right now, a pot of tea may help you get your work done faster. It also might help you switch your focus back and forth between your work and your child’s school work.

In a Zoom meeting? That cup of tea might help you keep track of who said what and what exactly you need to remember after the call is over.

But what if everything I just mentioned, plus more, happened in the same day? An afternoon tea break, in the middle of all that action, might really help you restore your energy.

I’d switch from a highly caffeinated black tea or a matcha tea, to an oolong or a white tea, though, so you’re not staring at the ceiling later, wondering why you can’t sleep.

​And speaking of sleep, having a soothing cup of tea as part of your evening routine is likely to help you wind down more easily and have a better night's sleep.

​

Try this Brief Guided Meditation:
The Heart-Opening Visualization


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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Daily Tea Rituals


What impact do you think a series of brief tea rituals and meditation moments might have on your day? Even if they lasted a minute or less, could they be powerful?

And, of course, you could plan for times when you could choose to meditate longer. 

You could combine tea with guided meditation. Or with brief meditation and then, journaling.

You also could try using affirmations while sipping your tea.

I am safe
I am centered
I am grounded
I am peaceful
I am calm


Try them, now, for a moment, while breathing in and out, deeply and slowly, several times.

​Now, imagine doing so while sipping a cup of tea.



Early Morning Tea


Did you know that the British often have their first taste of tea before they are fully awake? I guess it's kind of like Americans with their first cup of coffee.

Waking up to tea is such a soothing way to start the day. And if you're not a morning person - I am decidedly not - soothing is much appreciated. 

Why not treat yourself to a gentle, soothing, morning tea ritual to help yourself get going in the morning and give yourself that warm, nurtured feeling?

Here's What You'll Need...
​
Tealight Candles: Unscented White Candles
Inspirational Reading: 365 Days of Simple Abundance
A Brief Tea Meditation: Tea Meditations
A Pot of Tea from Me: Tea from Jeanine
Your Journal: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go & Loving Who You Are

Having an early morning tea ritual will make it much easier to get up and get going. Might be a fun way to connect with those you love, as they wake up, too, if you decide to share it with others.

By the way, I like waking up to dessert!

​My first morning tea is a dessert tea called Apple Crumble. It's so delish! It's got this apple cinnamon flavor I love.

And I add some vanilla syrup, so it's like adding vanilla ice cream to apple pie. Yum!!

Little bit of cinnamon roll creamer and my dessert tea becomes the best part of waking up. Move over, famous coffee brand :).

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But to be honest, the yumminess of it all is not the only reason I drink all the tea.

I find my morning tea ritual so calming! It's part of my self care plan for the day.

I like to get started on that as early as possible.


How would it feel for you?
​

The tea ritual allows us to slow down, to focus, to open up to a broader view of our lives and feel more grateful for the miracle of our existence. ...it is a time you set aside to break free, to listen, to reflect, and to enjoy a simple, inexpensive, gracious act.
​- Alexandra Stoddard

Afternoon Tea at Home


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.
​
​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. 
​
Rooibos [tea] is known to reduce anxiety and stress, which elevates your mood and will help you sleep. Additionally, drinking this tea once a day can dramatically reduce cortisol levels, ...cope with your daily stresses and feel a lot better. - teasetea.com ​

Evening Tea Ritual:
​The Letting Go Ritual


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).

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Here's what you'll need for the ritual...

A tealight candle - light your candle before you sit down with your tea.
Your journal - briefly, write about whatever happened during the day that didn't go so well.
A soothing cup of lavender tea - lavender is a great tea for letting go, and may feel like a comforting hug as you sip it. To make it a latte treat, add a 1/4 cup of milk and a splash of vanilla syrup.

While you drink your tea, take a moment to imagine the light of the flame absorbing the negative moments from your day.


When you are ready to let go of the day's negative moments, blow out your candle, but remember to celebrate all your hygge moments. They will become your happy memories!


Other Letting Go
​Ritual Ideas

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(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.

Keep in mind that your letting go ritual doesn't have to be the last thing you do before going to sleep. You can do your hygge evening tea ritual whenever you would like.

After that, if you want to finish your pot or cup of tea while reading a good book or watching a movie, it might be even easier to go to sleep, because you will have even more time to wind down after the letting go ritual. And having tea as a connector during the transition insures that your winding down time is likely to continue to be calming, relaxing and soothing.


Tea can offer emotional support from the moment you wake up until it's time for peaceful sleep. So now, the only thing left to do is gather together your tea. 

​May I offer you a cup? 


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

The End of the Ultimate Blog Challenge, Winter Edition

2/28/2021

16 Comments

 

It’s the end of our second month, this year, and I’m feeling hopeful. How are you feeling?
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It does feel weird that the blog challenge is ending. It feels like we should all just keep on writing together for the rest of the year. :)

How did you do this month? Are you happy with your blog stats, traffic and comments?

One thing that stands out to me about this month is how much fun the blog posts were to write! And so easy. 

I opened up a Google doc, got the ideas for them all, and wrote out the outline for them, one Thursday afternoon after lunch. By dinnertime, I had written half the month’s posts.

Of course, I still had to do graphics, add a few things here and there, and upload and schedule them, but they were half written in one afternoon. And I had fun doing it!

I think that may be a sign that lifestyle blog posts are my jam.

And reading your posts was fun, too, this month.

Thanks so much for being faithful companions this month.


See you next time!
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    Hi, I'm Jeanine

    Author, hygge lifestyle blogger & connoisseur of delight writing about how to create a hygge lifestyle, with hearthcraft, comfy capsule wardrobe tips and cozy home decorating ideas. More here.
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  • Home
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    • How to Create a Hygge Lifestyle
    • Contact Jeanine
  • The Cozy Corner
  • The Tea Room
    • Daily Tea Rituals
  • The Closet