I was chatting with my friend Johanna today about how downsizing from a big house with plenty of storage to a small farmhouse with hardly any storage has been wonderful for us. Yes you read that right, wonderful! It can be so freeing to let go of quantity for quality, to simplify your life, and cherish what God has blessed you with.

These past 4 years on Bryarton Farm have been a lesson in “Less is More.” When we downsized from a huge Victorian house in a big city, to a modest 1,400 square foot Folk Victorian farmhouse in the middle of a corn field, things had to change.

 
We wanted to move out to a farm to simplify every area of our lives, to focus more on our family, and to get away from the rat race. It has allowed us to follow our passions of historic preservation, creating original art, and hobby farming.

When we moved, we decided to do a big purge. I went through every cabinet, every drawer, and every closet. I donated or sold everything that we didn’t absolutely love. At first it was hard. The gifts and the pieces that were tied to precious memories were the hardest to part with, but soon I felt as if a giant weight had been lifted.

The farmhouse has just 2 small closets, no attic, no basement and only a few kitchen cabinets, but I’m okay with that. To me having a much smaller house and fewer possessions is freeing! Shouldn’t life be more about the stewardship of pieces that are useful, beautiful, and speak to your heart, rather than having it all?

Living simply is a concept that we are always working on. Finding margin in our lives for what matters most is a continuous process. It can be very easy to get sucked back into consumerism, especially with clothing. As women, what we wear is a huge part of expressing ourselves.

Another friend, Erin, introduced me to the idea of A Capsule Wardrobe. You can {Click Here} to get all the details on her blog, but basically you only have a few high quality items for each season that you can mix and match. No more hunting through an over stuffed closet. No more feeling like you have nothing to wear. It’s really the way our grandparents handled clothing.

So now I was on the lookout for higher quality clothing than I usually bought at the big box stores. Sure those prices are great, but after the first few washings the clothing is pilling and showing wear. I wanted something American made, with a home-spun feel, and timeless style.

That’s when I stumbled upon the home grown company Elestory which was started by a mom just like me. This creative mom, Judy Jou, made her love of painting, designing, and sewing into a company that creates heirloom quality clothing for women and girls of all ages. Her designs took my breath away and I couldn’t wait to collaborate with her.

As you can plainly see, these “Mommy and Me” matching dresses are perfection! They celebrate the bond between a mother and daughter so beautifully. There are many colors and styles to choose from, but I think this corn flower blue gingham and calico suits us just right, don’t you?

The quality homemade craftsmanship, attention to detail, and vintage silhouettes were all things I was looking for and found with Elestory. Paired with sweaters and thick tights these dresses could work for the colder months too. These are the perfect investment pieces for our capsule wardrobes. Because even farm girls should look and feel pretty.

You can {Click Here} to check out the beautiful selection of farm girl fashion or modern designs for the ladies in your life from Elestory.

Here is the story of Elestory: