Hello! Glad you’re here. So … Calmly Curated?
Calmly | slowly, intentionally, easily without challenges
Curated | gathered, organized, bought with longevity in mind
With that definition in mind, I decided to create a branch of Simply Tamed to encapsulate anything that I think can help another.
I get questions all the time (literally, just ask the Husband) about my clothes, hair products, skin… and how I decorated my house. So… this is, in a sense, me sharing my curated love story with the world.
In the 4 categories that make up Calmly Curated, there’s something for everyone to learn, grow from, or to take under consideration.
Thank you for being here and I’m happy you’re on this never-ending journey with me.
#1 | Intentional Gifting
I believe that every holiday does not need to come with a gift.
I believe that we spend too much of our hard earned money on things that people simply give away because it doesn’t suit them or their lives.
I believe that experiences are what life is all about.
Spending your holiday gift budget on two nights away for your family will and forever be more of a memory maker than the gift that gets played with one day and discarded.
But, I also believe that you can’t show up empty handed to a party.
That sometimes the best gifts are the ones thought-out and intentional for the receiver. Putting in some extra effort behind gifting will make your receiver’s day brighter.
Give freely with intention.
#2 | Home & Decor
We’re constantly being sold to.
The newest trend. The latest ASMR unpacking video. The quest for more, better (debatable), and what the Joneses have .
What if… we paused for a minute and made our houses uniquely ours.
It’s our job to slowly turn our house into a home. Corny, but true.
Slowly being the key word.
There’s an overwhelm that comes with furnishing a place. Let’s stop. Shop with thought and care.
Where is this (item) going to go? Is it seasonal and will it need stored when not in use? Do I actually love it or is that influencer telling me so? Do I really want to spend my time organizing or would I rather be doing something else?
I am and will forever be someone with a minimalist mindset because I’ve been sucked in to the consumerism trap and have come out on the other side.
I wanted my house decorated and I wanted it done now… then I hated it 3 years down the road. And I feel like a lot of you can relate to that.
Our tastes change and they will never stop evolving. However, I’ll challenge your preconceived notions and raise you one… what if you take the time to define your “style”? After that, I think you’ll find that curating your home will be invigorating and refreshing.
And that’s a perfect transition into…
#3 | Clothing & Thrifting
Confession time. I actually loathe shopping. Shocking… right?
In one of my previous lives, I worked clothing retail (front house and back…) and I’ll tell you, that’s not for the faint of heart and you will absolutely shop differently after that experience.
I tend to be frugal when it comes to clothes, except when I wasn’t.
A few years ago, I got propelled into the Shein/fast fashion machine. Countless hours spent on my phone adding things to my cart. Watching Influencers haul videos. Money spent without thought. If the size didn’t work, you couldn’t return it, so out the door it went.
A money funnel.
Getting back to thrifting was something so profound to me that I can’t honestly explain it. Digging through racks, finding a treasure, and buying for a need rather than a want are so gratifying.
Have a left a lot of things behind? Yes, tons. Because I don’t have a need for it at that moment in time.
(And yes, I do buy a few things every now and again to resell, but I’m pretty strict with my criteria.)
My daughter laughs at me because in the never-ending growing cycle she’s on, I won’t buy clothes more than 1 season in advance.
It never fails, if you buy clothes “just because” something will happen before you get to wear them – they won’t fit, tastes change, fashion changes, etc…
But I’ll make you ponder these questions. Why does it matter personally to you what other people are wearing currently? Do the trends fit within your personal style? What’s the cost-per-wear? Could you search for a better option than the ones at the box stores?
My hope is that you’ll see that you can wait. There’s power in the pause. Take your power back. There’s care in the treasure you’ll find. And, you’ll be thrilled with the outcome.
#4 | Health & Beauty
If you know a bit of my story, you know that I had on-going health issues (mental & physical) up until recently.
I’ve always been a reader, a questioner… a devil’s advocate- I guess you could say. I don’t believe half of what people say and tend to deep dive into research papers online.
(Yep, I’m one of those people that actually reads studies for fun… and knowledge!)
And, I believe that you shouldn’t take what I say for gospel either. My hope is to give you the resources for you to investigate for yourself.
All of us have different facets of our being. Discovering and unearthing things about yourself is a cornerstone to what makes life worth living. Why… it could be why we’re all sick, tired, and anxious?
Health & Beauty encompasses everything to do with your being… inside and out, from what we put into our bodies (food & supplements) to on (products) to inside our brains & being (mental).
The question arises “why is the average woman using over 40 products and spending around $200 a month on beauty products alone?” And following up, what is that doing to our overall health?
I haven’t read anything that can answer those questions…
Bottom line: the beauty industry is there to sell you a product that you think you need but can’t (or won’t) do the studies to show how it’s impacting your body. Interesting right?
I’m not pretending here- I am not a doctor. I also don’t fully trust that the medical field has our best interests in mind.
I believe there’s a happy spot somewhere in the middle between 100% holistic and 100% pharma. After reading and researching, it’s shocking and I’m still trying to figure out which way is up sometimes.
I will say that personally I’ve benefitted from more “holistic” (aka simple & free) practices than I have with anything else. My little “hippie” heart hopes that you do have your mind open to see the possibilities for you.
We’re all different and what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Let’s uncover it all.
Thank you for being on this journey. If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, tips you’d like to hear, or something else entirely, let me know!
As always, let’s grow and keep our lives, simply tamed.
Simply Tamed 