The Simple Things: an anthology

The Simple Things offers readers a simple promise: ‘to celebrate the things that matter most’. Each issue is a monthly reminder of how good life can be when you remember to take the time to live it well. In this 256-page anthology, we’ve curated our favourite features from the first three years on growing, cooking, making and sharing time with friends and family.

We like to think of it as a ‘handbook for happiness’.

Featuring the best of the magazine, published 26 September 2016 by Firefly Books. Pre-ordered copies will be mailed out as close to this date as possible and each book will be signed by the editor, Lisa Sykes. 

£19.95 + free UK p&p* Order here

* Check online for overseas postage prices
 

More from the August issue:

More from The Simple Things shop:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

The Simple Things letterpress print

When it came to writing a manifesto for The Simple Things, it actually didn’t take long. We made a list of those special moments and and stuff that’s really important.

When we handed out the flyers at shows, we realised how universal they are. People wanted one to take home. So we asked Nomad Letterpress to hand-print a special poster.

Made using Zerkall 225gsm mould-made paper

Measures 380mm x 530mm 

Colours from the top: Teal, Watermelon, Blueberry & Ginger

The Simple Things letterpress print costs £22, unframed, and UK p&p is free*

Buy at icebergpress.co.uk/shop

*Check online for overseas postage prices 

Read more from the July issue:

More Simple Things Shop posts:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

The Stuff of Life: The Linen Works

It’s been a few short months since we first opened the doors of our online shop, The Stuff of Life. Although the paint is barely dry we are fast filling our shelves with some great products. I’m going to be regularly popping over here to the blog to bring you some of my shop picks for the season.

For me, this is the season for eating alfresco whenever the opportunity arises. Doesn’t even the most modest of meals always taste better when eaten outdoors? Picnics and lingering garden dinners are what the warmer longer days call for. When eating outside I still like to 'set the table' and make the simplest of meals an occasion: a simple cloth and napkins is all it takes. Our shop features a generous choice of table linen, including a beautiful range of Italian washed-linen in soft muted colours by The Linen Works. From the pretty Dot Linen and the fresh Arles Stripe to the timeless Linen Hemstitch, the quality of all the designs are second to none. To be quite honest, once you’ve owned a real linen table cloth, you’re never cover your table with anything else.

Click here see the full collection, which also includes bedding and clothing.

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Credits: Top image | Parisian Blue Dot Linen Tablecloth, Piped Linen Cushion, Piped Parisian Blue Dot Linen Cushion | Arles Striped Placemat, Arles Striped Napkin | Arles Striped Hand Towel |Linen Hemstitch Napkin | Linen Artisan Pinny

Find many more beautiful and useful things at The Stuff of Life shop - shop.thesimplethings.com

August's The Simple Things is on sale - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipe: Fruity 'slaw

There’s got to be ’slaw at a barbecue – and this one has extra fruit in the form of mango, raisins and sultanas. 

Fruity 'slaw

Serves 8

3⁄4 medium white cabbage, finely sliced
1⁄4 medium red cabbage, finely sliced
4 carrots, grated
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 mangos, sliced
Large handful mixed raisins and sultanas

For the dressing
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp mayonnaise
21⁄2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

1 Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl.
2 Combine the vegetables, mangos and dried fruit in a large bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3 Pour over the dressing and mix well. 

Need some bits and bobs for your next barbecue or picnic? Head over to The Simple Things shop for plenty to buy, including our Here comes the sun collection, for picnic days and for beach days. A few ideas below...

Hand-stamped wooden cutlery, from £3.50

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Whitstable BBQ, from £24.00

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Acrylic tumblers, from £4.95

Shop of the month - Mason & Painter

Meet Michelle of Mason & Painter, our Shop of the Month in May's The Simple Things.

'Mason & Painter has been open on Columbia Road since October 2013 - just over 18 months. The location is famous for its Sunday Flower Market so, like most of the shops on the street, we only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Sunday is always our busiest day. Last Autumn we moved across the road to a premises double the size of the original shop, to number 67 Columbia Road, and now have more space to house the vintage furniture and homewares.

'The products we stock are inspired by the horticultural flavour of the market though not exclusively. We buy from antique fairs up and down the country as well as France so we stock a real eclectic mix, ranging from 1950s French cafe chairs, old trestle tables, vintage fabrics and the occasional piece of Victorian taxidermy. We also stock new homewares, books, toys and candles, and one of our most popular items is the pre-war Dolly wash tub; customers use them as planters for trees and shrubs. I'm currently interested in illustrations from old books of birds and butterflies, which we mount in lovely zinc and copper edged frames. I've also designed a couple of tea towels especially for the shop showing Columbia Road market and another one with Chelsea Flower Show, both of which sell incredibly well to locals and visitors alike.

'We try not to get too attached to things - our shop motto is everything's for sale. Even the counter! Vintage school wall charts of the botanical and biological variety are always popular and we sell a lot of handblown glassware - large, old preserve jars that make great vases and vessels. And I design mugs, wallpaper, rugs and fabric for cushions which means we have a comprehensive mix of old and new.

'Outside the shop, we work on takeovers such as the Festival Terrace shop at the Southbank Centre in March. We curated all the products around a floral theme and even built a potting shed in the window. Now, we're giving our shop a new coat of paint, adding some colour, and bringing in new products to get ready for summer.'

Mason & Painter,
67 Columbia Road,
London E2 7RG

Anyone for kitchen table tennis?

You’ve got friends over, shared a good dinner and cleared the dishes. Now what? Too wet to go for a walk? Bored with board games? What you need is a Kitchen Table Tennis Tournament to shake things up a little. 

Meet Julian Bond, British inventor and designer who has come up with Corknet – not only a table tennis net for every table but also a useful piece of kitchen equipment. Part-time trivet for hot dishes, you can stash it in a kitchen drawer before whipping it out for a quick post-dinner match. It’s made from recycled cork granules in Portugal to the regulation table tennis net height, 
there’s even a hole in one end so you don’t have to rummage around for your 
ball. Genius! 

Buy a Corknet for £38 (includes shipping in the UK, for other destinations see website) at www.icebergpress.co.uk/shop. 
 

The Simple Things Etsy Pages

Discovering and curating our favourite things through NEW Etsy Pages.

Nesting curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to NEST…

When Etsy asked us to be one of the first UK Partners selected to curate our finds through Etsy Pages we were thrilled. At The Simple Things we constantly use Etsy to source talented designer-makers to showcase in the pages of our magazine.

You can now follow our inspiration boards via Etsy Pages. Use them for gift ideas and trend-watching or as a starting point to make your own discoveries. Just click and you're taken directly to the item and seller featured!

Here's a look at some of our Etsy Pages. We will be constantly updating so be sure to visit regularly…

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Simple Style curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to SIMPLE STYLE

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Thinking curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to THINK

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Issue 12 moodboard: If wishes were fishes

A round-up of products we love from around the web inspired by the new issue of The Simple Things.

Column one: fishing hook bracelet UGothooked, weird fish notepad Jaquelinafreitas, column two: fish bowl Clayopera, abstract tiles Tillissimo, catch of the day mugs Not On The High Street, column three: star fish pillow ChloeandOliveDotCom, whale t-shirt CandyBarrel

Don't forget to pick up a copy of issue 12 inside which River Cottage's Head Chef Gill Meller give us the low down on sustainable fish.

Put needle to groove: Record Store Day 2013

"Is it wrong, wanting to be at home with your record collection?' No Nick Hornby it's not, unless that means missing Record Store Day on the 20th April.

What is it we all love about vinyl? The sound quality, the cover art, the nostalgia? Or simply the pleasure of watching that record spin and when the time comes to flip it over. The experience is so important, and an integral part of that is the ritualistic visit to your favourite record shop. The original idea for Record Store Day came about in 2007  as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding  independently owned record stores. On this day stores around the world come together with musicians to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day, and hundreds of artists across the globe make special appearances and performances. “Record Store Day is a welcome reminder of the quirkiness, the passion and the individuality of the indie record shop.” Spencer Hickman To celebrate this year over 450 limited edition records will hit the shelves of independent shops across the UK on Saturday including music from the likes of David Bowie, Pulp, Paul Weller and Nick Cave. As well as this, many local shops will be hosting special events and live performances over the weekend. Click here for the list of participating shops and events in your area and support your local record store.

"It’s great to do a record that’s released specifically for Record Store Day. There's so few record shops left that we should all treasure those remaining." Hear! Hear! Paul Weller.

Click here for more photography by Stephen Van Es

Celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight with our giveaway!

To mark the start of Fair Trade Fortnight we've got a set of Baylis & Harding's new Fair trade range to giveaway to one lucky reader.

Over the next two weeks the Fairtrade foundation is urging us to take an extra step to look after the food we love and the people who grow it. There are plenty of ways to get involved and show your support for this fantastic campaign, whether it's buying products which carry the FAIRTRADE mark, getting involved with a local event, or signing the online petition for fairer food.

To celebrate, we've got a set of Baylis & Harding's new Fair Trade range to giveaway to one lucky person. Enter online now, and don't forget to let us know the ways you're supporting Fair Trade in the comments below.

Visit www.fairtrade.org.uk/gofurther for more on Fairtrade Fortnight.

Shop love : Rockett St George

We've been crushing on Rockett St George for quite some time now.

They're top of our list for very, very cool tea towels, and just generally excel in hunting down homeware designs with a sense of humour. Superb case in point, this tableware range including a glass milk carton and glass ziplock bag.

Also going straight into the basket are this homemade biscuit stamp (if we're baking, we want some credit) and fab typewriter tea towel. Told you they made cool tea towels!

Check out the Rockett St George online store to pick out your favourites.

Shop love: The Shop at Number 57

The Simple Things readers, meet The Shop at Number 57. It's our new fave online home store, and its bursting with old, new and revamped treasures.

The Shop at Number 57 is the brainchild of interiors stylist Marie, graphic designer Simon and their dog Dudley. Their home (at, you guessed it, number 57) became a little too full up of flea market gems and antiques fair finds and the rest is history.

Our pick of the shop? Vintage chemistry flasks re-imagined as quirky vases (genius) and monochrome  cross stitch kits, in which embroidery gets a modern make-over.

Revamp your old furniture

Out of the Dark is a furniture restoration company with a difference. An extension of charity Street Dreams, Out of the Dark  works with disadvantaged young people to restore unloved pieces of furniture, teaching valuable practical and business skills along the way.

Now, Out of the Dark is taking the time out to help us make our scruffy old furniture look brand new again, too. If, like us, your sanding / painting / cleaning / varnishing / waxing skills leave something to be desired, and you're about in the Marlow area next Thursday 19th July, drop into their furniture restoration workshop for some DIY tips.

Check out their website and online shop to fund out how you can get involved.

Design your own fabric at Spoonflower

What do you get when an internet geek marries a crafter? Well, in the case of techie Stephen Fraser, you get Spoonflower, an online fabric shop with a difference.

At Spoonflower, users create their own custom fabrics, and then sell their designs in the Spoonflower marketplace. There are too many gorgeous, unusual designs to mention here, but top marks for creativity go to The Boer War for their hand-painted flower and veggie print, and Weaving Major's floral fabric using real pressed flowers.

If you need convincing further that this is a totally genius idea, pop over to the Spoonflower blog to see what crafters have been stitching up with their fabric. Our current favourite is a sundress sewn from fabric printed with an old beach snap from Hello Beautiful blogger Emma. Surely the best way to show off your holiday pics, right?