Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my readers. I know everyone always says they can’t believe how quickly the season is passing by, but I truly, truly mean it! It’s crazy how quickly this holiday season is slipping past and I am doing my very best to soak it all in. The joy of the season is something I always try to savor.

This is my first holiday season working full time in marketing as a copywriter and I have to say I have been crazy busy but enjoying the creativity and variety a lot. My working full time has been quite a swing for our family and everyone has had to make a lot of adjustments. It’s definitely reminded me yet again of the true value of minimalism when it comes to keeping a home running and helping to manage expectations and priorities. It’s not a magic fix, but minimizing the stuff around us really has helped a lot. If you are interested in reading about my minimalism journey, I have quite a lot of posts on the topic. 

One thing that I really haven’t minimalized this year is my Wool Wardrobe. I have cut back on fast fashion and instead have been building a wardrobe that will last from high quality wool items that I can wear and  wear again, which has been a truly delightful upgrade to my wardrobe. Yes, it’s an investment, but as far as comfort, quality, sustainability, and care, it’s such a wonderful step up. If you’d like to read more about it, I now have an entire Wool category on my blog. 

This blog post will include affiliate links. When you click through my links, I may receive a small portion of the sale, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping my family with every click. 

My entrance into the world of Wool was Wool& and it is still my favorite. Wool& has some gorgeous dresses, which have always been a weakness of mine. I have slowly been selling off my synthetic clothing on Poshmark and building up a core wardrobe of mostly wool instead.

I recently came across another brand called Julahas and they have been kind enough to send me some items for my review. I am always so grateful when a company is willing to work with me as a teeny-tiny micro-influencer! It is always so delightful to share brands that I am truly excited about, and such is the case with the gorgeous capes, kimonos, ruanas, and accessories from Julahas. 

You can also shop a selection of these beautiful products from Amazon using my affiliate link. 

For these looks, I am wearing my size Medium Wool& Willow dress in black, on top of leggings, and Cobb Hill Caroline Booties. I love this foundation and can wear almost anything on top for lots of different easy outfit formulas. The best part is, since these items are wool, I can wear them again and again without needing to wash them because of the antimicrobial magic of Wool. It makes dressing for work, travel, events, and weekends all so much easier.

Julahas means “weaving” and these beautiful wool and cotton products are handmade in the Himalayas, sustainably and ethically; giving local artisans a chance to share their heritage and craft while making a living wage.

The more I try, the more I adore these gorgeous items. This week I received two new items from Julahas: the Jiva Wool Silk Kimono Air
and the Petite Light Wool Cape Fusion Red. Both of these are absolutely gorgeous and I loved trying them on for some Holiday Looks!

The Jiva Wool Silk Kimono Air

The Jiva Kimono Air is lightweight and soft yet has a little bit of structure and flow that makes it look so very gorgeous. Here are the stats from the website:

• Reversible. One size (fits XS-XXXL). Open front, oversized fit.
• Material: 65% Himalayan wool and 45% Forest Silk.
  Craftmark Certified.
• Handy pockets for storage.
  Gently hand wash (only if needed) using a mild detergent or shampoo in cold water. Lay flat to dry and store folded in the environmentally safe dust bag that is provided. Dry clean friendly too.
• Worldwide shipping.
  Go here for Shipping and Deliveries.
  Go here for Returns and Exchanges.

I love the fabric and feel of this Kimono! The pockets are perfectly placed and shaped, so that they are easy to use and access. The collar is flattering but soft and the entire thing just makes me feel graceful and elegant in a comfortable, wearable way, which I absolutely love. The color of this Kimono is absolutely gorgeous! I think I will wear the Jiva Wool Silk Kimono Air to my work Christmas party this week. The dress code is “Christmas Casual” and I think this look could work for lots of different holiday events, from dressy to comfy cozy!

The Petite Light Wool Cape Fusion Red

The Petite Light Wool Cape in Fusion Red is so much fun to wear. It’s very lightweight, yet cozy. The pattern means the look can be adjusted so many ways. I wore it last night  over jeans and a tshirt and it was perfect while I was out running Christmas errands and shopping. I felt cute, put together, and even a little festive, yet I could adjust my temperature and comfort as we stepped in and out of stores with wildly differing temperatures! In the last photo, I was in a dressing room and I wanted to snap a quick pic of the Cape with the only purse I ever wear, the Sash Bag. It’s a perfect companion product with the cape because it’s easy to wear right along with it and it just feels like the same comfortable sort of quirky cute and artsy vibe. I love this outfit!

Back to the Cape! Here are the stats straight from the website:

• One size (fits up to EU 40/US 10)
• Cape Dimensions: 115cm x 155cm
.
• Material: 100% fine wool.
• Handwash, only if needed. Do not Tumble Dry. Lay flat to dry, iron on wool setting and store folded in the tote bag provided. Use your bag as a shopper when you’re wearing the Cape. Dry clean friendly too.
• Worldwide shipping.
  Go here for Shipping and Deliveries.
  Go here for Returns and Exchanges
  Go here for Care and Repair.

What do you think about these holiday looks from Julahas and Wool&? I’d love to hear from you!

It’s the very last day of the Wool& Free gift with Purchase Promo (Today December 5th)

Shop the Wool& Free Gift with Purchase Sale by clicking here. 

This gift with promo is an amazing appreciation offer. You choose your gift between two different shirts, a pair of shorts, or a scarf and there are a ton of colors available!

Thank you for shopping my affiliate links!
Details on the sale

You must spend a minimum of $150 and then add your choice of gift items to your cart. The freebie will automatically ring up at $0 in the cart.

There is ONE freebie per household. Click here to check out all the freebies they are offering! 

If you aren’t quite sure what to purchase, check out my detailed Wool& Dress Guide for fit information, sizing tips, and styling ideas!

You also might be a little overwhelmed at the beautiful colors available! I have a blog post for that too! Click here to check out my Wool& Color Guide!(Which Wool& Color is for me?)
That’s about it for today because I’ve got a crazy busy week lined up, but I had to share one last reminder because this sale is so amazing!

Thanks for shopping with me, as always!

Super excited to share with you a gorgeous brand that I have recently discovered: Julahas (which means “weaving”). There will be some affiliate links throughout my post. If you haven’t heard of Julahas, that’s probably because it’s a small family-owned company that specializes in HAND-WOVEN capes, wraps, coats, scarves, belts, and kimonos. Before we get into how incredibly beautiful these products are let’s talk about how they are created:

Julahas’ ethos is empowering crafting communities around the world while offering incredible handmade items to their customers. Keeping local tradition alive, Julahas is intentionally providing opportunities for women, specifically in the Indian Himalayas, to maintain their heritage and continue their time-honored craft on a larger stage than ever before. That means the product you are purchasing is authentically handmade, beautifully designed, and carefully inspected to maintain high standards. You have to admit that is a wonderful way to shop “small” for Small Business Saturday! Click here for more details on Julahas’ business structure. 

Julahas and their partners are commited to “fair wages, no child labour, respect for women, and equal opportunities for all” so you can trust that this company is sustainable, ethical, and fair trade.

I contacted Julahas and asked if they would provide me a couple of sample products to review and they graciously agreed. These products were gifted to me in exchange for my always-honest review. I was super excited to see these products in person and check out how they would work with all of my other wool clothing items. As I hoped, the workmanship and quality is excellent and the design of these products is truly unique and very beautiful.

The first item I received was this Daria Cape in the colorway Ishikari.

I pulled the cape right out of the bag and first tried it over my Pine Rowena from Wool&. The colors worked so well together, so I added on some brown leather riding boots and a leather wrap belt for a different look. It feels soft and natural to drape and tuck it. The fabric is fairly lightweight, but warm, and is a lovely alternative to a jacket or coat. In fact, I’ve seen lots of people layering jackets or coats along with their capes and it looks super cute. I’ll try that look in a future blog post. These capes would also make an amazing travel accessory.

I have always loved pink but I admit I don’t have much pink in my wardrobe at all. The really unique thing about Julahas capes is that the color patterns are usually a gradient and they can be worn MANY ways. That means you can adjust the style to allow the colors you’d like closest to your face and vary the look. The many styles are especially fun to try. Here’s a page that shows different ways of wearing it!

For those of you who are already fans of Wool, you know the magic of this natural fabric. If you aren’t familiar here are just a few of the benefits of wool:
*antimicrobial, naturally resisting germs
*odor-resistant
*easy care
*temperature regulating
*durable, sustainable, natural
Wool capes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Julahas, but I wanted to share this Wool Daria Ishikari with you today since it is Small Business Saturday! I’ll definitely been styling this Cape in future posts and hope to share more Julahas with you soon.

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week leading up to my favorite holiday of all, Thanksgiving! I am personally savoring these days as my favorite time of year, since the most hectic (and magical) season hasn’t quite driven us all nuts yet. Typically, I don’t decorate or really talk about the holidays before Thanksgiving, but I’m making an exception since  we just put up our Christmas Tree so I’m feeling both gratitude AND the holiday spirit!

Thank you for shopping with me this holiday season. Your purchases through my affiliate links help me do what I love! 

Sleep is such a huge priority to me. I definitely have some long-term health issues and I realized when my kids were little that quality sleep is absolutely a non-essential for me. I’m also not someone who sleeps in or really naps, so I have found that going to bed consistently is very important. So my very first tip about rest and relaxation is to prioritize it, and I mean seriously. I go to bed early because I’ve realized that it makes a difference in how I feel long term. Here are some of my favorite sleep aids, most of which I have used for absolutely years.

Marpac Dohm Classic Sound Machine – I bought my first sound machine in high school because I have always been a really light sleeper. I’m not quite as light of a sleeper now as an adult, but I still need all the tools to help me sleep through all the noises of living with other people! We have a small house and five people and a dog living in it. So I knew we would need something to buffer the noises. We have been using these Marpac Dohm Classic Sound Machines for over 15 years in our home and we love them for every bedroom. We buy multiples as back up and travel with them too. These have lasted years and years for us. We find that they get a little dusty after awhile and will start to make a sort of sputtery sound, but you can open them up, clean the fan inside (it’s literally a tiny metal fan), apply some WD-40, and they will usually work again! I can’t say enough about these, we’ll continue using them forever I’m sure.

Weighted Blanket – The one I have is no longer available, but this one looks very similar and there are lots of other options here. I bought my first weighted blanket a few years ago and I loved it from the moment I tried it! There is something about a weighted blanket that just seems to calm you down and help you relax. As someone who can struggle to relax and even be still (thanks ADD & anxiety), this is something that really helps and I use it on my bed every night. In fact, I snagged a second weighted blanket (at a thrift store believe it or not) and I keep it in the living room so when I am sitting on the couch, I use it to cocoon my legs and it’s the coziest thing ever. It’s kind of an ugly blanket but it’s worth it! Warning: My husband is very gracious but he HATES the weighted blanket because it’s hard to adjust at night. I keep it on my side of the bed but it’s still kind of annoying if your partner doesn’t like it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you

Heating Pad — This will make me sound about 90 years old, but I use a heating pad every single night. This is probably tied to some of my health issues but I typically have pain in my back and neck (despite weekly chiropractic visits) and the heating pad instantly helps me relax. I know it sounds absurd because in the summer you will find me laying on my heating pad, covered up with weighted blanket, and blasting the fan as high as it will go, but hey I sleep pretty well.

Natural Calm Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium has lots of benefits and many of us are deficient. I found out a long time ago that Magnesium is really helpful for me and helps me to sleep better and have generally less pain and inflammation. I have tried several kinds but my favorite is Natural Calm brand Magnesium Glycinate. It doesn’t upset my stomach and it works. It can also help with anxiety.

Relax Essential Oils — I’ve blogged about this product for years, I’ve shared it with dozens of friends as gifts and I use it myself all the time. Relax essential oils by Plant Therapy will always be in my purse or car for random stress moments! If I can’t settle down to fall asleep I rub this on my neck and under my nose to have a breath of calm and I promise it works! I have given it as gifts dozens of times and it’s really become one of my favorites. If you aren’t familiar with Plant Therapy they are very affordable yes they have excellent quality standards and exceptional customer service. I’m a huge fan!

Kindle Paperwhite — Another thing that is a crucial part of my bedtime routine is reading. I’m a lifelong reader and cannot really fathom going to bed without a good book. Now that I read on my Kindle Paperwhite, it is even easier because of the screen and I get all my books directly from my library for free! I throw it in my bag for travel. I have even read books from the pool because it’s water resistant. The screen is super adjustable and it really feels like you are getting the book experience. I have had mine for years and love it.

I’d love to hear your tips on how you get good sleep and cut back on stress during the busy holiday season! What are your Cheer & Chill essentials? Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This is pretty exciting because Wool& has never done sales and promos in the past (other than the mystery sales), so finding out that they are offering a free gift with purchase is a big surprise this year!

Not only are they offering a gift, but the gifts are NICE, there are tons of options, and the promo is lasting until 11/28 so plenty of time to decide. (They have said that supplies are limited on the freebies and they are expecting a lot of sales).

Quick rundown on the sale:

To participate in the sale, you must spend at minimum $150 and then add your choice of gift items to your cart. The freebie will automatically ring up at $0 in the cart.

There is ONE freebie per household. Click here to check out all the freebies they are offering! 

One of the options is the amazing Stella Tee and I’ve talked about it here before. I absolutely love it. It’s such a great fit for me and has held up really well. I definitely could use another color, and I’d really like to try the white.

They are also offering the Frankie bike shorts, perfect for wearing underneath the dresses for a little extra modesty. Lastly, you can choose from some gorgeous new scarves, which I’m totally drooling over. It’s really hard to choose between these options!

If you have been thinking about your first Wool& purchase, this is totally the time to go for it!

I was delighted to receive the Cypress Wrap from Wool&. I am definitely obsessed with cardigans and love layering throughout the year. I generally tend to be hot-natured and live in the weird, variable deep south where we get some surprisingly cool temps, with icy humidity, as well as some drastic temperature swings all in the same day. So I knew a nice wool cardigan would be a great addition to my wool capsule!

If you shop with Wool&, I so appreciate you using my affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I would also like to say “Thank you” to Wool& for gifting me several items for my review, including the amazing Charlie Tank Jumpsuit and the luxe Cypress Wrap Cardigan shown in this post! Wool&, you better believe, I’m a fan for life!

Like I said, in the Deep South, layering is a must and cardigans or jackets get a lot more wear in my wardrobe than true coats. All that to say, I owned no wool blend cardigans at all so Wool&’s Cypress is truly a wonderful addition to my  wardrobe. I’m wearing it here with Wool& Charlie Jumpsuit which is also amazing.

First, I had to choose a color and I have to admit I really waffled over this one. Black is always my default, top choice, so it was my initial inclination. After reminding myself of all the other black I already own, I decided the Charcoal Heather was the way to go. I decided to order size Medium which is my true size most of the time.

When I first pulled the Cypress out of the package, the weight surprised me. It’s 78% Ultrasoft Merino Wool, 22% Nylon
300gsm, 17.5 Micron Wool. That means it’s pretty thick, almost plush feeling. It’s hard to describe the loveliness of this fabric if you haven’t tried it. I just keep thinking it feels very luxurious, silky, and high-end.

I decided to try it with a basic jeans and patterned blouse outfit, along with some Dansko clogs. It was a great way to add a little warmth and elegance to a casual outfit!

Here I am in my Wool& Sierra with leggings and the Cypress. This is an outfit I feel like I could wear anywhere, but it’s definitely appropriate for church, work, or a nice evening out. I really feel put-together in this outfit!

Besides the luxe fabric, I really love the cut of this piece. The Cypress has a structured design that gives it a dressier look. I particularly like the structured shoulders and the wide, almost swingy hem. It’s such an elegant addition to an outfit.Note: I didn’t include photos, but the Cypress also comes with a belt making it easy to use as a bathrobe or for different styles and looks. I think it’s a great idea and I know a lot of people say this cardigan is perfect for travel. It’s just another multi-use item that could fill a bunch of different holes in your wardrobe!
I think this cardigan would be perfect for office-wear, and I will 100% be wearing it into work when I have the opportunity. (I work remote and go into the office occasionally for meetings or events). It will work almost like a blazer for me.

Got any other ideas for styling the Cypress? I’d love to hear them and add photos to this post with your suggestions!

Thanks for checking out this review! If you’d like to read some of my other Wool& posts, don’t miss these:

The Ultimate Wool& Dress Guide
How to Save Money on Wool&
Which Color Wool& Dress is for me?
The Wool& Charlie Jumpsuit Review
Wool& Camellia Review
Wool& Mara Review