5 Reasons I Love Linen
Sooo, it's no secret at this point. Yes, even my grandparents have noticed my new-found love for natural fibres. And my favourite, LINEN! Oh my word, I just love it. I can't stop wearing it, can't stop looking at it with all the heart eyes and I definitely can't stop talking about (sorry friends and fam). You see, I don't just come across things and decide THIS is for me. I slowly consider, I research it, I save photos and create mood boards to see if it fits my life (again, my poor family) and then I finally take the plunge and try it out. So when it gets here and lives up to, actually exceeds, my expectations I am gushing fountain of success filled enthusiasm and facts.So here we go!! 5 reasons I LOVE linen.
Sooo, it's no secret at this point. Yes, even my grandparents have noticed my new-found love for natural fibres. And my favourite, LINEN! Oh my word, I just love it. I can't stop wearing it, can't stop looking at it with all the heart eyes and I definitely can't stop talking about (sorry friends and fam). You see, I don't just come across things and decide THIS for me. I slowly consider, I research it, I save photos and create mood boards to see if it fits my life (again, my poor family) and then I finally take the plunge and try it out. So when it gets here and lives up to, actually exceeds, my expectations I am gushing fountain of success filled enthusiasm and facts.So here we go!! 5 reasons I LOVE linen.
The texture. Oh my word, I have always loved the texture of linen. Truly, before I even knew that linen was it own specific type of material, I was attracted to its character and old-world charm.
PET HAIR, fellow animal lovers have I got good news for you!! The pet hair doesn't stick. I mean, EEEEE!!! I love my animals but I just HATE walking around with their hair stuck to me.
It's very hard to stain. So if I am honest, my biggest fear when purchasing quality clothing is that I am going to ruin it. I'm a wee bit of a hot-mess, with kids and lot's of animals. But all my linen washes up like an absolute dream!! A little anecdote for ya: Last summer we went for a little girls day and took my daughters to get their fingers painted at the salon. Nora choose a dark sparkly purple because it 'looks like a galaxy Mom!!!'. Well she accidentally rubbed her wet nails on the chest of my blue and white dress (cue inner turmoil). By some miracle I kept my cool and calmly (while crying on the inside of course) asked for some nail polish remover. Most of it blotted out, but it remained just a little grey-er in that area. I honestly didn't have the heart to deal with it for months. But just a little while ago I decided to give it a go. I washed it on the delicate cycle in my washing machine with a little natural stain remover and oxy-clean and wouldn't you know it, she came out as good as new!!! I still cannot believe it but I'm happy as a clam.
It is environmentally friendly! 'Nough said.
It's wears like dream all year long!! Linen is very strong and becomes so wonderfully soft with time. It is warm in the winter and cool in the summer!
Ok and I am all about balance so here are couple things that you may not love about linen.
It wrinkles. I honestly don't find this to be a problem for myself. I love its rustic look!!!
It costs more than synthetic fabrics. Personally, I find this is 100% balanced out all the benefits of linen.
It relaxes with wear. If you love tight clothes, this may not be the best fabric for you.
It can be a bit rough if it is brand new. But this won't last long at all, after a couple washes it relaxes and softens!
Thanks for joining me fellow nerd, capsule-curious, clothing enthusiast! I really hope this was helpful for you and I would love to hear what you think! Are you already a linen lover? Do you think you might invest in any linen this year? What is your fav fibre to wear?Questions welcome, always.Karmen P.S. My absolute favourite responsible linen brands are Pyne + Smith Clothiers, Not Perfect Linen, and Only Child.
Explore Edmonton
I jussssst realized that I have never blogged my session with the lovely J. She was writing a an article about hidden gems in Edmonton and I had SOO much fun wandering around some of her favorite neighbourhoods. Edmonton has become such a special place to me. It is where I went to school for photography, it's where Brad and I bought our first home, it where our oldest daughter was born!! And even though we live outside of the city now, it will always feel like home. I absolutely adore our frequent visits with it's places and wonderful people.If you are an Edmontonian or will be visiting this summer I highly recommend checking out Justine's blog posts about Highlands and Westmount. Below I've linked up some of my favorite stops, come tag along with us!
OK now let's hop and the car and head over to Highlands, shall we?
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Randee For The Skinny | Lifestyle Fashion Brand
Randee. "I hate getting my photo taken". Also Randee. "I need to apologize in advance for how awkward I am going to be!"Well I am so glad that despite all of her fears this lovely babe travelled down from Edmonton to model some clothing for the beautifully curated shop she works at, The Skinny. I have worked with The Skinny before, but this was my first time shooting some of their women's wear and I LOVED it. So much goodness.Also, it was summer. Man, I really miss summer. Anyone else pretending this warm 0 degree day is the beginning of spring??XO,KarmenP.S. There is a part two of this shoot coming and it is fire! So stay tuned! 
Could we really part with everything we have built?
Maybe it's because I was completely exhausted from a 6.5 hour red-eye flight with two children. Or perhaps it was the cute little off-the-grid cottage that we stayed at in Maui (pictures above!!). Or it could have even been the wonderful simplicity of living with only a bag full of clothes and toiletries. But after two weeks of travelling, when I stepped back into the home I adore, it suddenly felt HUGE and overwhelming. I turned to Brad and said, "I've never felt more ready to downsize"It's something that has loomed in the back of our minds for a while now. But the truth is, we absolutely love our home. We built it ourselves, planted the grass and trees. We love it here and have hundreds of little (and big) projects in mind to make it even better. But neither of us can seem to shake the feeling that we just don't need the extra space, the extra stuff, the extra costs.The idea of downsizing is sort of intoxicating. But will it actually be a positive forward step for our family? Or will it turn out that cute little homes are really only practical for a two week vacation? Have you ever toyed with idea of downsizing your home? Anyone actually done it?! I would love to hear your thoughts!Warmly,Karmen
Maui Lifestyle Boudoir Sneakpeek
Can I just travel the world and photograph all the incredible women? Their stories, strength, families, business, love.Feeling so grateful to have been able to spend a few minutes capturing this lovely human while we were on Maui!! It has got me thinking about potential travel dates! Where are you from? Any place you would love to have a lifestyle session?