Simplicity Relished

minimalism for the adventurous heart

Simple not Stressful: a daily guide to making your home a place of rest

There’s nothing more overwhelming than coming home from a long day of work and finding a mess. Whether there are dishes and games leftover from weekend entertaining, or outerwear that is strewn all over the couch, I’ve often found myself on the brink of just throwing everything away.

It’s all too easy to blame our schedules, our obligations, our families and partners, or our need for more free time, but we’re not powerless in this situation. If clutter is something we want to eliminate, we absolutely can!

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7 Fashion Myths to Stop Believing

Friends, we’ve been fooled.

We’ve been fooled to believe that there is such a thing as a fashion rule. We’ve been told over and over again that there are certain indispensable “essentials” that must be a part of every wardrobe. We’ve been told that we’re not capable of dressing ourselves– that we need experts in the fashion industry to help us out.

But here’s the truth: our closets are our closets. They can be however large or small we choose. Our staples are our staples. They have to fit our lifestyle, climate, and needs.

For years, I was fooled by the fashion industry into believing that my image was made up of the clothes that I wore. I thought I needed to dress well in order to be seen and appreciated by others. I spent countless hours in front of the mirror– in dressing rooms, no less– trying to find my true self somewhere in a pile of textiles and price tags.

7 fashion myths to stop believing-- become the creator of your own wardrobe…Continue Reading

Capsule Accessory Series: 5 Powers of a Statement Necklace

Welcome back to the Capsule Accessory Series, where I share my capsule wardrobe secrets and how I use accessories to spice up my wardrobe. All the pieces featured here are from Noonday Collection, my favorite jewelry and accessory company. Noonday collaborates with artisan businesses throughout the developing world, creating beautiful fair-trade pieces as well as sustained opportunities for dignified work.

Read the intro post to this series, Capsule Accessory Wardrobe: How I Wear The Same Clothes All The Time.

First, a few questions…

What if you could change a simple outfit into a statement with a single piece of jewelry? Would you wear those clothes more often? Worry less about having a “boring” wardrobe? Feel more confident about your sense of style without needing to constantly buy more clothes?

This is what I’ve been able to accomplish with statement necklaces.

There’s nothing like a statement necklace to elevate an entire outfit. An everyday dress becomes a polished office or date night essemble. A t-shirt becomes interesting and trendy in an instant. And your necklace can have an impact on practically everything in your closet. It’s pretty much magic.

5 powers of the statement necklace- the perfect addition to your capsule wardrobe…Continue Reading

Introducing: Capsule Accessory Series (how I wear the same clothes all the time)

It has been about a year since I started my capsule wardrobe project, and it’s been quite the learning experience. I now function with fewer than 40 pieces in my wardrobe at one time, and have not needed to add new items since late summer last year. It has taken me some time to figure out how to dress in Southern California, and I’ve figured out which staples will last me the longest. Capsule wardrobes aren’t rocket science– if you’re determined to get it right, you eventually will.

Still, many people have asked me (through this blog and in person) how I manage to cycle and recycle through the same clothes. On top of the fact that the weather in Pasadena doesn’t vary much, I can almost wear the same pieces all year round. So how exactly do I get away with wearing the same clothes, without looking repetitive? Great question.

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Our 2015 Thanksgiving Menu Inspiration

It’s that week again… when I’m wandering down the aisles of our local grocery store like a child in a candy shop. I just can’t wait for our family gathering on Thursday where we get to feast on delicious, seasonal dishes that I’m creating this week.

For the past month, I’ve been gearing up for our festivities with a Pinterest board focused on fall and Thanksgiving recipes. If you’ve taken a look at it, you’ll know that I have the hardest time deciding what to do about dessert. There are just too many delicious autumn-inspired treats!

Since I’ll be doing some shopping today, I thought I would share some recipe inspiration– especially for anyone who’s still looking to round out their menu. Here goes!

Our 2015 Thanksgiving Menu Inspiration

Crispy Prosciutto-Baked Brie Bites (Half Baked Harvest)

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My Epic Formula For Getting Dressed Super Fast

Does the title of this post promise too much? Perhaps. But I can’t express how much it has improved my life to shrink my closet to the essentials. I think my fall capsule wardrobe is the best capsule wardrobe I’ve but together yet, and I’ll tell you why.

The trick to creating a successful capsule wardrobe is finding enough versatile pieces that you love and that make you feel amazing. As though that’s not tricky enough, the next step is to make sure those pieces go well together. And finally, we have to think about limiting factors such as the local weather and what we need to be dressed for.

how to actually get dressed quickly 4…Continue Reading

How To Wear White This Fall in 3 Easy Steps

Once autumn rolls around, we tend to put away the whites. The old fashion “rule” of not wearing white after Labor Day has sunk in deep.

But, as someone who loves wearing white and doesn’t believe in fashion rules anyway, my goal is to make white a wearable color all season long. My fall capsule wardrobe has some whites in it, and I intend to wear them straight through the end of the year.

How to wear white this fall 4

Use white as the perfect canvas.

Because it is! In this outfit, I wore my LOFT shell as a canvas for Noonday Collection’s Firelight Necklace. Against the white backdrop, our jewelry can really pop and become the center of the outfit!

A word about the Firelight Necklace: This piece is made by a sweet group of artisans in Kampala, Uganda. The coral-red beads are hand-rolled paper, and the entire necklace is hand-strung! Jalia and Daniel run this artisan group, and they’ve been doing local business as a ministry for over 5 years. Because of their success, they’ve opened a free daycare and reduced crime rates in their neighborhood. The local police even stopped by to thank them for their work!

How to wear white this fall

Combine it with seasonal textures.

To make the outfit more autumnal, I threw on my grey tweed skirt. It’s another great neutral to have when I really want my accessories to stand out. And of course, I added the Jamdani Scarf to the outfit to contrast with the whites I was wearing.

Seasonal textures come in all colors, which means we can easily combine them with our white pieces. Tweed, corduroy, wool, cable knits, and flannel are the perfect materials to keep an outfit seasonally appropriate.

A word about the Jamdani Scarf: Jamdani is a weaving technique native to India. The artisans who make the scarf are women who have a reliable income through creating pieces like this. I love wearing it because it symbolizes the opportunities that are made possible when we make conscious, informed purchases!

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Accessorize with bold designs, soft metallics, and rich tones.

In addition to choosing the right textures, it’s important to add accessories that bring forth that warm, inner brilliance we all desire to exude this season. Fall is the perfect time to be bold with accessories, and to ease our way into the golds and silvers that adorn the holidays.

I recently became a Noonday Ambassador, and I couldn’t love my accessories samples more. The Bazaar Bangles and the Beaded Boho Earrings are the perfect way to echo the white in my outfit, and they bring in that metallic element too. The bangles, like the scarf, are made in India where artisan business owners are able to pay fair, consistent wages and grow their business sustainably.

How to wear white this fall 2How to wear white this fall 1

Love the accessories? Learn more about them below:

Wearing white this fall is easier than you think! 3 easy steps via @daisylinshih #capsulewardrobe

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Are you wearing white this season?

Fall Capsule Wardrobe: 33 Essentials For 3 Months

Here it is, finally: my fall 2015 capsule wardrobe! This is the first fall capsule I’ve put together, and I’m so excited about every piece that is in it.

Fall is a tricky season to dress for, especially here in Southern California. This week we’ll be experiencing 90-degree weather, while 3 months from now we will be “shivering” at temperatures closer to 50 or 60 degrees. How does anyone dress for such a wide range? 

Fall capsule wardrobe- 33 essential pieces for your fall capsule…Continue Reading

7 Foolproof Secrets To Decorating With Plants

I’ve fallen in love with indoor plants! It all started with our quest to fill up a small patch of dirt in our new patio here in Southern California– which forced me to look into drought-tolerant options. With most drought-tolerant greenery being succulents, I realized that these gorgeous little plants can do well indoors too.

After learning how to keep my succulents alive, I started creating arrangements to decorate our home with. This became a hobby I began to really enjoy: it was low-pressure, fun to do with friends, relatively low-cost, and it enhanced the aesthetic of our home!

Related: How To Fall In Love With Your Current Home

Eventually, I realized that while I loved succulents, there were more indoor plants that could do well in our home. Maidenhair ferns, pothos, and philodendron are among my favorites! They also do better with low light than most succulents (more on that later).

I’ve had some people ask me about the little “jungle” I’ve started here in our home, and some tips on starting their own indoor garden. So far in this journey, here’s what I’ve learned!

7 foolproof secrets to decorating with plants- how to become a plant guru and make your home an indoor jungle…Continue Reading

Late Summer Green Apple Juice with Cucumber and Mint

As we transition into fall, apples of every color are showing up at farmers markets. This is an exciting time of year in terms of produce, because summer fruits are phasing out just as autumn fruits are phasing in.

If you like to make juice or smoothies, apples are a gem of an ingredient. Their agreeable flavor, water content and high nutritional value can improve pretty much any green juice. They go well with kale, beets, carrots and lemons, making them the perfect partner for less-tasty “superfoods”.

Anyway, I digress.

Lately, we’ve been receiving an intriguing mix of produce from our weekly box of community-supported agriculture. Cucumbers and herbs signify the end of the summer, while apples and pears mean that autumn is approaching.

So why not combine them in one delicious, healthy, and soothing green juice? This recipe is so simple and easy, but the results are marvelous.

late summer green apple juice with cucumber and mint recipe…Continue Reading

How To Fall In Love With Your Current Home (no matter where you live)

Unless you follow me on Pinterest, you probably don’t know that I love interior design. It’s an art I’ve appreciated for a long time, but have little experience or real knowledge about. Despite wanting to continue living in a small, low-maintenance home in the future, I can still admire the design genius behind floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor-outdoor bathrooms, and grand entrances.

Many of us are dissatisfied– if only slightly– by our current home. Perhaps we wish we had more natural light, or a better space for entertaining. Maybe we dwell with other family members and can only call our bedroom truly our own. And some of us live in an urban environment when we want to be in the country, while others long for nothing more than bustling streets and lively evenings.

It’s hard not to criticize our current home, or hope that our abode will improve in the future.

However, I believe that homes have a greater purpose than satisfying our aesthetic preferences and holding our belongings. A home is an important space, and even if it’s not perfect, it’s possible to love.

How to fall in love with your current home-- even if it is not your dream home!…Continue Reading

How To Plant A Succulent Container Garden In A Bowl

In the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with succulents! Part of it has to do with the fact that our patio has horrible soil and is in full sun in Southern California (read: serious drought situation). So, I’ve been doing tons of research on how to plant a drought-tolerant garden without resorting to spiny cacti alone. In the midst of this, I’ve developed a fascination and love of these gorgeous, water-retaining plants that can look as varied as a water-hungry yard.

I’ve also been successful at keeping many of my succulents alive for over half a year now. Back when I wrote about how to avoid killing your succulents, I wasn’t actually sure if I would be successful taking my own advice. I was. So I’m upping the ante on my relationship with succulents and starting to make some arrangements of my own!

How to plant a succulent garden in a bowl- and keep it alive…Continue Reading

5 Simple Ways to Decorate on a Budget

Have you ever looked into purchasing home decor– perhaps from West Elm or Pottery Barn– and been disappointed by the high prices of chic items? And then, did you research exactly what it would take to do-it-yourself– only to be overwhelmed by the number of skills and tools you’d have to acquire?

Me too.

I won’t lie: my taste is relatively selective (some might say sophisticated, but I wouldn’t), and that usually means I can’t afford the pieces that I love.

I’m also not a big DIY-er, only because most of the things I like are too hard to make, or would take too much time.

So yes, in a sense, I’m the Goldilocks of home decor: too poor to purchase, too lazy to make. 

It’s a good thing that I take a minimalist approach to shopping, because I haven’t accumulated too much decorative clutter over the years. Generally I’d rather have no decor than a handful of items that don’t go well together.

Still, I never want our home to feel sparse, cold, or plain; I want our walls to speak of the things we value and inspire us with simple beauty everyday.

Can you relate? If so, I have some tips for you!

Too poor to purchase, too lazy to DIY? 5 simple decorating tips on a budget via @daisylinshih

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How to decorate on a budget

5 Simple (and chic!) Ways to Decorate on a Budget

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Disclaimer: Simplicity Relished is a for profit blog. Any company that I collaborate with is chosen by me and chosen because they fit the theme and readership of my blog. Copyright: If you see something you like here, please be encouraged to share it along with a link back to my site. All of the images and content here, unless otherwise noted or linked, is my own original work.