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Lightly Publication Day!

Publication day is here! Today, Lightly goes on sale everywhere and my heart is full of sparkles and rainbows. :) You can find it at Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Hudson, Indiebound, Target, Walmart, 800-CEO-Read, HMH and more. Many thanks and lots of love to all of you who preordered it—I am deeply grateful for your support.❤️

This book is so special to me: I first started practicing minimalism in 1999, and this beautiful little volume contains all the knowledge, experience, and inspiration I’ve accumulated over twenty years. It’s my very best advice on living a simple and serene life, and I’m thrilled to finally have it out in the world.… {Read more}

The Story of a Skirt

Today, I’m going to tell you the story of a skirt–in particular, the gray tulle number in the photo above. It doesn’t look like it has any business being in a minimalist wardrobe, does it? I didn’t think so, either.

So why do I own it? Well, when I recently had new author photos taken, my photographer suggested we do some fun, ballet-style shots to convey the idea of living lightly and gracefully (as per my new book). I loved the idea, but had nothing of the sort in my wardrobe–so I dutifully found an appropriate skirt with two-day shipping, and received it just in time for the shoot.… {Read more}

Lightly Preorder Offer: A Lovely Print

Thank you all for your wonderful comments about my upcoming book, Lightly! Your support and encouragement mean everything to me, and I can hardly wait until Feb. 26 to share it with you.

As I mentioned in my last post, one of the loveliest things about this book is the design. I had the honor of working with the very talented Ryn Frank (check out her Instagram), whose illustrations and hand-lettered quotes appear throughout the text.

So I’m very excited that my publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, has put together a gorgeous preorder offer for Lightly: a 5″ x 7″ print of one of the quotes from the book!… {Read more}

Lightly: How to Live a Simple, Serene, and Stress-free Life

I’m just over the moon to share some big news with you today: I have a new book coming out next month! It’s called Lightly: How to Live a Simple, Serene, and Stress-free Life, and will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on February 26.

If you ever feel like life is weighing you down—like the stuff in your home, the to-dos in your schedule, the worries in your heart are too much—this book is for you.

Over the last few years, our hyper-connected, image-obsessed culture has added new pressure to our lives. Social media has put us all in the spotlight, with the expectation to buy more, do more, know more, and show more than ever.… {Read more}

I’m dreaming of a light Christmas

I just wanted to wish you all a lovely and serene holiday!

We’re keeping the season as simple as possible here—a “light Christmas,” if you will. We’ve decorated our little cottage with a fresh tree and wreath, lots of twinkle lights, and some ornaments handmade by my daughter (my baby just turned 7, can you believe it?).

We’ve hung up our stockings, which Santa typically fills with some decadent consumables we normally wouldn’t buy for ourselves (like artisan coffee, soap, chocolates—here’s what I got last year). And the little one will receive one special gift from each member of the family; a robotics kit, a chemistry set, glitter markers, jewelry beads, and a kitten are on her wish list this year.… {Read more}

The Joy of Less – A New Era

I have some exciting news to share with you today!

As many of you know, I self-published my book, The Joy of Less. Back in the day, there wasn’t a lot of mainstream interest in minimalist living, and it was the most expedient way to get my book into your hands. Thank you for reading it, and spreading the word to your friends and families! We all know I’m not much of a marketer, and I’m eternally grateful to all of you for making it a success.

Self-publishing was a wonderful and empowering experience, save for one drawback: while you could buy The Joy of Less from Amazon, or check it out at your local library, it was never available in bookstores.… {Read more}

Throwback Thursday: Just One

I’m keeping it short and sweet this week with a Throwback Thursday photo from my childhood:

See, even as a toddler I loved the concept of One. :)

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been reading and enjoying all your Comments on my One Coat and One Shoe, and really appreciate your insights and suggestions. The feedback and discussion has been fascinating. I feel so lucky to have a great community with which to share ideas, as it’s not exactly a topic I can bring up at a dinner party or preschool play date. (Can you imagine opening a conversation with “Hey, I’m going to wear these same shoes every day for the next year…”?) Ha!… {Read more}

The Minimalist Guide to a Long Distance Move

Have I ever mentioned that I love to move? Crazy, I know—but ever since college I’ve barely been able to stay in one place for a year before I’m itching to pack up again. When I was tied to a certain location, I’d use architecture as an excuse—as in, let’s see what it’d be like to live in an old Victorian, or a high rise, or an industrial loft. Or I’d neighborhood-hop, so as to experience living in different parts of a city. But really, I just liked to move. :)

Many of you are familiar with the BIG moves of my recent past—over to London, and then back to the US a few years later.… {Read more}

Furniture Update: A Couch and Table and Chairs, Oh My!

Two years ago, my family and I moved into a 3-bedroom, 1700-sq-ft house. It was a big change from the 390-sq-ft apartment we’d left behind in England—but just about the smallest home we could find within a short commute of my husband’s office.

Several readers have asked me how our larger space has affected our furniture needs. In particular, inquiring minds want to know: do we have more, less, the same, or different stuff than we had before?

The answer: a little bit more, but really just different.

Our house has an open floor plan—the kitchen, living room, and dining room are all in one big space.… {Read more}

The Exquisite Lightness of Being

A few years ago, I was reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and came across the most beautiful phrase: “the traveler’s exquisite lightness of being.” It became a sort of personal mantra for me as I whittled down my possessions to a single bag, and traveled throughout Europe and Asia with nothing more than a large purse. I’d never felt so light, so liberated, so free.

Now that I’m back Stateside, and settled down (for the time being) with a little one, I find myself once again meditating on this concept. Can I still realize this exquisite lightness of being, even though I’m not on the road?… {Read more}