What I Always Wanted: celebrate their Birthday with 20% off

Whatialwayswanted.com is an online marketplace selling gifts and homeware by British designer-makers. The company celebrates its first birthday this month, was set up by friends Deborah Bancroft and Ann Ellison. Many of the products they sell are handmade from locally sourced or recycled materials and some are exclusive to their site - perfect if you are looking for something a little different for that special gift!

To celebrate their birthday, the people at What I Always Wanted are offering our readers 20% off everything on the site up to 19th May. Just enter the code ‘SIMPLY BIRTHDAY’ at the checkout www.whatialwayswanted.com

Things to do this bank holiday weekend

Three days to forget about work, remove yourself from the sofa and go out and find adventures in new places. If you're stuck for what to do this weekend, fear not. Our friends at The National Trust have put together the perfect guide to events happening up and down the country.

Here's three of our favourite activities for the weekend...

Parade along the bluebells- nothing says British springtime quite like a sea of bluebells. Find your nearest bluebell walk here.

Cheshire's Victorian May Day - from maypole dancing to Punch and Judy, and a whole host of activities in between.

May Fayre - Morden Hall Park, London - stalls, crafts, shows and live music throughout the entire weekend.

Click here to find an event in your area.

Have a happy bank holiday!

Cakes in the house

You readers have been making our tummies rumble this week by sending us in pictures of the cake in your house. If the following confections don't have you reaching for the flour and eggs in your kitchen, we don't know what will.

Top: Hannah Jade sent in this 3 layered cake of chocolate delight, yum, bottom left: a delicious looking baked blueberry and coconut cake with lemon glaze from Chelsea and mini Victoria sponges from Ailie.

Left column: the recipe for this rhubarb cake was left on our Facebook wall by Margarida, Tipple Tails has a lovely fruit cake in the house, Toni's home is currently occupied by every chocoholics' dream - you can see more of her cakes here, and this classic carrot cake belongs to Katie Knott - can we have a slice?

Right column: a lovingly baked birthday cake from Libby Hayes, a scrummy looking chocolate cake from Laura Dodimead, and some cantucci from Ria Berends not cake but delicious too.

My City: Rue Cavallotti art

Writer and photographer Nichole Robertson shows us round her favourite free art show in the city of Paris. It occurs twice a day on rue Cavalotti (close to Monmarte) at dawn and closing time...

Fall in love with more of hidden Paris inside Issue 9.

May's book club

We've got some absolute corkers in this month's book club, from chilling fairytales to chasing the red-eyed damselfly we've got a good read for all interests.

Cook with Love - Pete Evans

   "Cook with love and laughter" is Aussie chef and outdoors enthusiast Pete Evans' mantra, and he applies it liberally to his new book. There are 150 recipes to choose from, with chapters on breakfast, lunch, seafood, vegetables, canapes, desserts, dinner parties and 'family feasts'. Highlights include the crispy prawn and tapioca betel leaf recipe for posh parties, and yoghurt panna cotta with blueberries as an easy pud, while French toast with figs makes a naturally sweet start to the day.

Patisserie at Home - Will Torrent

  Torrent expertly explains the basics, from choux pastry to ganache, then guides would-be chefs through the delicate step-by-steps. The instructions are in-depth, but there's nothing intimidating about this book. Soon you will be whipping up chocolate coffee eclairs, classic millefeuille and show-stopping gateaux.

Where to See Wildlife in Britain and Ireland - Christopher Somerville

  This treasury of the creatures, plants and landscapes of Britain and Ireland is both a practical guide and a hymn to nature. More than 800 of the British Isles' best wildlife spots are carefully documented, including travel tips and snippets of ecology, history and myth.

The Man Who Plants Trees - Jim Robbins

  Jim Robbins' account of the passions and pitfalls of David Milarch's mission to clone the best tree specimens he could find to save the planet is both sobering and inspiring.

Homecoming - Susie Steiner

  The Archers meets Anne Enright in former Guardian journalist Susie Steiner's involving debut novel, set on the Yorkshire moors. Steiner's novel skilfully captures Yorkshire in all its ordinay beauty - lonesome fells and pastel twilights, swirly-carpeted pubs and rusting tractors and her plot is satisfyingly complex. Homecoming is readable, heart-breaking and true.

The Deception Artist - Fayette Fox

  Eight-year-old Ivy loves to daydream and make up stories, but in reality her brother's ill, her parents squabble and she's lost her best friend. Then she begins to suspect her father of having an affair. Ivy is an appealing narrator, an innocent in a world that wants children to grow up. Although her naivety in the face of adult dilemmas is at times frustrating, The Deception Artist reminds us that the real truths are in how we love each other.

Cooking with Bones - Jess Richards

Sisters Amber and Maya are on the run. They've found refuge in an empty cottage, where Amber discovers a forgotten cookbook and learns how to bake magical cakes. A mix of unsettling fairytale, female power games and helter-skelter dialect with which it's worth perserving.

Was She Pretty? - Leanne Shapton

  The pains, peculiarities and pleasures of modern relationships are gently skewered in Canadian artist and graphic novelist Leanne Shapton's new book. Was She Pretty? is a sequence of wry observations about that most haunting of creatures - the ex.

The first signs of spring

How lovely has it been to see a bit of sunshine hit the old streets of Britain this week? If you left the house without a jacket, spotted the first blossoms on a tree or hung your washing on the line of the first time this year, then join us in celebrating the much anticipated arrival of spring, we've missed you. Conscious of the fickle nature of the weather in Britain we asked our friends on Twitter and Facebook to snap a sign of Spring and share it with us, here are some of our favourites...

Pictures: Wakehurst Place, The National Trust Emma-Louise Newlyn, sunshine in the allotment Madeline Norris, spring flowers from Oak & Rope, bottom right - chicks in the sunshine from Ginger & Mora

Pictures: top - crocuses in Montreal from Lori Perkins, bottom left - blossoms on Ithaca Commons Wendy Houseworth, breakfast in a treehouse Duck Pond Markets.

Thank you to everyone who shared their pictures of Spring with us online, to check out the rest or send us your own join us on Twitter or Facebook.

The carpet that caused a stir

We were chatting with wedding photographer Emma Case recently about all the special weddings she has attended, and we wanted to share one of her stories with you today. This is a wedding tale with a difference, as it is less about the beautiful wedding of Jen & Chris as a whole (which you can see here) and more about reactions to a particular photo. This photo, of the staircase is Jen's house, which Emma chose to present at the Folio tour.

Here is Emma's explanation as to why she chose it:

This image is from Jen and Chris' wedding in April... it's Jen's Nan's house which Jen and Chris now live in (and where Jen and all her bridesmaids got ready in the morning) For some reason I just really love this picture.  The stillness of the stairs... constantly there... so many events, babies' born... celebrations got ready for, weddings, funerals... so many different outfits and shoes passed over that amazing carpet... so much history... :)

Lots of people had a lot of nasty things to say about this photo in the wedding community, so Emma sent Jen an explanation of what was happening, here is a small extract from Jen's reply*:

The carpets although not to every persons taste & although worn & thread bare in some parts I have elected not to change. We love them. When I think about my childhood in this house so many memories relate to the carpet! As children my younger brother & I played hopscotch on the carpet pattern, we used to slide down the stairs on our bums (& then get told off), we used to roll on the floor in the hall with the dogs, we used to sprawl out on the front room floor & do jigsaws with Nana, we have had countless family photos in the living room – kids all lined up on the floor whilst adults sat on the sofa, there have been many Christmas trees with presents piled on the carpet underneath. Ironically my Nana remembers these things too, it’s her short term not long term memory she loses. I adore vintage things, this carpet is as vintage as it gets! When Chris & I moved into the house we had to move a lot of Nanas stuff out (people collect a lot of crap when they live in a house for more than 60years). Slight confession some of the things my mum put into charity bags I rescued. I kept some of Nanas blouses, pleated knee length skirts, leather & suede lined handbags & floppy felt hats which I love to wear & use! Like you & your photos I am confident enough to choose my own style, I don’t have to conform to anyone else’s ideal of what I should wear or look like & it’s pathetic when people feel the need to mock that individuality. I look back at photos of Nana when she was my age & think “God she looks great”! When I wear her clothes I can’t help but think of her & think what she achieved in life. Not everybody sees inanimate objects the way you do, some people look at on old hat & see an old hat. Like you I like to think about where it has been, what it has seen. The rips & tears give it character, they are the story & that is what makes it uniquely beautiful. This is why for Chris & I you were the perfect photographer. With our wedding you captured the sentiment & beauty of the things around you with such a natural ease. I don’t even think you realise how spot on you got it. We put so much thought into the things we decided to include in our wedding, the objects you photographed were belongings we had carefully selected for their story & sentiment & a lot of them were influenced by my wonderful Nana Muriel. 

The old china tea set in the cabinet belonged to my Nana. She gifted it to Chris & I when we got engaged because she knew I collected tea cups from charity shops.

The old leather bound books which I stacked on the tables belonged to my mum & uncle as children. Nana used to read them to my brother & I when we were little.

The old music reel which we had to peel away from Pete, belongs to my mum, she used to dance around the house to it as a teenager in the early 70’s.

The old vintage leather suitcase which we stacked the cards in belonged to my great granddad. God knows the places that that has been & seen. When mum found it had his old ration books & RAF papers in it.

The old sewing machine, my Nana tried to teach me to stitch with it when I was a girl. 

The old Guernsey Tomato crate we found in the garage full of Granddads old gardening tools covered in cob webs. Also Chris once grew a ridiculous freaky tomato plant which grew taller than he is & tomato plants were the speciality of Chris’ Nona who grew hundreds in Italy.

The lemon cheese favours were homemade by my mother from an old family recipe. My Nana used to make it & we would spread lashings of it on toast when we had breakfast here as kids.

The old school desk was a present to me on my Birthday from my parents when I was 8 or 9. My dad rescued it from a tip & polished it up.

My something blue, borrowed & old was my Nanas own Diamond & Sapphire engagement ring. I remember her on the day holding my hand, noticing it & saying “ooo this looks just like the ring I used to have”! She was genuinely happy it was being used.

The magic thing is Emma, I didn’t even ask you to take photos of these things, you just did it! Chris & I adore these photos they are something so personal to us. They are absolutely beautiful pictures of such treasured sentimental belongings.

On the morning of my wedding day, my house was full of my favourite ladies, we were all so excited & happy, the adrenaline was pumping. I was running late & I was a tad overwhelmed. I remember taking myself off upstairs to the bedroom (which was once my Nanas room & then my Mums & is now mine) to start doing my make-up. I felt too excited & jittery to even start my make-up. So I turned the radio on & decided to just take a few minutes to breathe. It was my wedding day! I was about to marry my best friend. I was feeling incredibly lucky (I even feel tingly now as I re-live how happy I was feeling that morning). The sun was shining for what felt like the first time in weeks, I realised that I had the best friends & family & they were all going to be there at the church waiting to celebrate with us. I was just completely overcome with joy & excitement. I remember vividly that the song on the radio was Jason Mraz “I Wont Give Up On Us”, the words of that song at that moment felt so appropriate. Chris & I both come from divorced parent families & one of the reasons Chris & I had put so much emphasis on my Grandparents is that we decided that their marriage is the type of marriage we want for ourselves. My Granddad died 10 years ago. Even now my Nana cannot talk about him without telling us just how wonderful he was, what a good man he was. They loved each other unconditionally. They had such a good partnership through thick & thin, richer, poorer, in sickness & health. They loved each other even after death parted them. They had a long & happy life together (I’m not sure how many exactly but I do remember a family photo on the carpet for a golden wedding anniversary). I want that so much for Chris & I. They are our role models. 

As I was having this little epiphany on my wedding morning, I could hear my mum & bridesmaids chatting & giggling downstairs. I could hear Lily the 2 year old flower girl looking for Molly the cat & at this moment this overwhelming sense of calm came over me. With every ounce of sincerity I have to tell you, the thing I decided to do then was to go & sit at the top of the stairs!! Seriously!! Cross my heart & hope to die honest!! I sat on the top step for about 5 minutes & just listened to everything going on around me. For those few minutes I was on my own & I was so peaceful. 

When you first sent us the link to the photos, I couldn’t help but notice that photo. I didn’t think it would be a particularly exciting photo to anyone else but I think you should know Ems that photo completely takes me back to one of the most precious moments of my day & I am sure it will turn out to be one of the most precious moments in my life. It was at that moment in the day when I thought “today I’m getting married to my best friend & it’s going to be friggin perfect”!!! 

If this story touched you like it did us,tell us the story behind a special object kept in your home in the comments below.

***Spot Emma Case in this month's issue of The Simple Things out today!

*Read Jen's full reply here.

Ten wandering songs...

Taken from Issue 07, here is our perfect playlist for stomping over hills and across the moors. Enjoy...

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

Inside Issue 8: meet this month's collector

Tote bags, more than something to stash your sandwiches in, for Jitesh Patel they're a means for both maker and wearer to express themselves...

"I love something that's really bold - I like typography, so something with a nice tupe on there and a funny slogan, something that catches your eye or makes uou laugh".

Jitesh has been collecting tote bags since 2007, and now has over 200! You can rummage through his collection and find out what inspires him to collect these cloth carrier bags inside Issue 8.

Win your own personalised wall mural! (closed)

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You've successfully unlocked our latest competition, and oh my it's a good one! We're giving you the opportunity to win your own personalised wall muralworth between £200 - £600...

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You have the option of choosing your mural from one of the many hundreds of fab designs already available on the Photowall website (including top designers such as Anna Backlund) or creating a custom mural using your own image.

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The clever team at Photowall have also added a 'stick on, peel off' option to many of their murals meaning no wall damage for those rented rooms - ideal!

So if you want a chance to enter this fantastic giveaway click here now.

The story of the first Foodie Bugle

Silvana De Soissons shares the journey of The Foodie Bugle from top website to print magazine.

In creating the very first print edition of The Foodie Bugle I decided to contact a number of food and drink writers, bloggers, producers, artists and farmers whom we had featured in the last two years, since the website at www.thefoodiebugle.com was created.

Many readers had contacted me in the past to say they wanted a print edition of all the features, reviews, articles, photos, interviews and essays we publish online, and so I decided to kick-start a collaborative project to bring this idea to light.

I was amazed at what a generous and kind community existed out there, really talented people offering their work to be part of this new venture. From photographers like Alyson Fennell, Lisa Barber, Tif Hunter, Pascale Cumberbatch, Sarah Maingot and Jason Ingram, to illustrators like Anna Koska, Beatrice Caillat and Annabel Lee, we were able to publish a really wide range of original and unique food and drink photographs and art work. This made all our articles about food and drink producers, writers, retailers and growers come to life and grab the attention, all printed in Britain, on organic, uncoated paper to make the magazine feel tactile and earthy.

Elisabeth Luard, an award winning food writer, unbeknownst to many of her readers, is also a very accomplished watercolour painter. About a year ago I went to visit her at her beautiful farmhouse in deepest, wildest West Wales, and she showed me the collection of paintings she had made for her new book, “A Cook’s Year in a Welsh Farmhouse”. From wildflowers to berries, produce from her vegetable garden, foraged mushrooms and fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and towns, Elisabeth spends a little time painting Mother Nature and all her bounty almost every day. She then uploads the images onto her Twitter stream and chats about her finds with her followers.

I thought it would be really interesting for our readers to enjoy her paintings on paper, and so I approached her to find out if she would allow me. She accepted, and so we went ahead. The results were really lovely, and many readers have commented on how pleased they were to see the paintings. Several readers have bought two copies: one to keep and one to tear out all the artwork and glue it to the wall.

You can purchase a copy of The Foodie Bugle from the website here: http://thefoodiebugle.com/shop    Follow us on Twitter: @TheFoodieBugle

Want a chance to win a copy of the first ever The Foodie Bugle? Tell us in which year The Foodie Bugle was created in the comments below and we'll pick a winner at random!

The great egg hunt

Looking for something to get out and do this weekend that's a little different? Join the alternative Easter egg hunt at the Design Museum from 29th March - 1st April from 10am - 4pm (no booking required!).

A printed trail will take visitors on an Easter journey throughout the museum's current exhibitions, crack the riddles and the clues and you'll be rewarded with a chocolaty prize and all egg hunters will be rewarded with a mini Rococo egg.

Design Museum Easter Exhibitions

Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things

Designers in Residence

Designs of the Year 2013

You can find out more about Rococo chocolates in Issue 4 of The Simple Things.

Win one of 10 annual subscriptions to The Simple Things (closed)

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Real people are at the heart of The Simple Things so we decided to put them on the cover, and to celebrate our new look we're giving away 10 (yes 10!) annual subscriptions to the magazine. Click here to enter.

Exclusive! Behind the scenes on our new cover shoot

People are at the heart of The Simple Things, so we decided to put them on the cover...

The urbanite who takes the time to show us round their city, the expert who shares their wisdom on specialist foods, the writer who helps send us off to bed, it is stories of life and people which fill our pages and make The Simple Things what it is.

Meet Teyha, Laura and John. Parents, friends, cooks, and the cover stars of this month's issue of The Simple Things.

Teyha lives with her daughter Isa (pictured below) in Nevada City California, where John works as a chef and lives with his girlfriend Laura and their son Desmond (also pictured below). The friends recently got together to share and enjoy a tasty Mexican buffet, a gathering we share inside Issue 8.

 "It's always a pleasure to get together a bunch of friends for a lazy afternoon of cooking..."

"Mexican food for me is all about enjoying family..."

We use real people in our mag not models because The Simple Things is about life, and we wanted to celebrate that on the cover. What do you think?

The Simple Things Book Club: April

Refreshing reads to help you pause, plan, and make an early night essential.

Turned Out Nice Again - Richard Mabey

Why we love it: Mabey explores our weather obsession in a fascinating mix of the scientific, historial, literary and mythological.

Hand Quilted With Love - Sarah Fielke

Why we love it: Fielke gives a whislte-stop yet informative tour of everything novice and advanced stitchers need to know, including guides to fabrics, equipment and sewing techniques.

A Good Egg - Genevieve Taylor

Why we love it: after realising her dream of keeping back-garden chickens, Taylor shares advice on how a garden and 'the girls' moods changes throughout the year, this lovely book is also packed full of tempting recipes which will leave you earning for a coop too.

Supergrains - Chrissy Freer

Why we love it: Chrissy introduces 12 ancient 'supergrains' with historical background and nutritional values. With over 100 recipes to bring these forgotten grains back to life in the kitchen.

Amity & Sorrow - Peggy Riley

An explosive tale of faith, sex and power.

Petite Mort - Beatrice Hitchman

Fans of silent films and historical fiction will delight in this chocolate box of a novel, which mixes love, lust, amd scandel with the stardust of 1900s Paris.

Frances and Bernard Carlene Bauer

Inspired by the relationship between Flannery O'Connor and Robert Lowell, Frances and Bernard is warm, intelligent and addictive.

The Banner of the Passing Clouds - Anthea Nicholson

Nicholson brings to life the drab, oppressive towerblock landscape of a crumbling state of USSR-ruled Georgia, but also the songs, humour and passions of its people in this tense, gritty novel.

Have you read any of these books? Join the conversation in the comments below.

Miscellany: pillow talk

Do you prefer your pillows chopped or tugged? A nicely plumped cushion makes a room look all the more comfy and inviting, but which is your preferred method for perking up your pillows?

Cushions from Chocolate Creative

Let's look at the main contenders....

THE SHAKE - a method preferred by the likes of Buddy Holly, James Bond and the people of Harlem.

THE TUG - highly satisfying when applied to smaller pillows and cushions.

THE KARATE CHOP - love it or hate it? This technique divides opinion better than marmite.

THE DROP-'N'-HOP - one for poho enthusiasts and amateur trampoliners.

Which technique do you use to plump your cushions? The Shake The Tug The Karate Chop The Drop-'N'-Hop View Results

Don't miss: old wives' gardening tales, making the perfect sponge, 5 ways with asparagus and more in this month's Miscellany!

Five things for the weekend: St Paddy's Day

A collection of makes and gifts inspired by St Patrick's Day...

Feta and thyme soda bread The Little Loaf  | Irish cream brownies Butter Cream Blondie  | Guinness soap All Things Herbal | Irish Manhattan Bon Appetit (photo by Tim Mazurek) | 4 leaf clover necklace Sevgl Charms

Celebrate International Women's Day with Gudrun Sjoden

Head down to their London store for an afternoon of festivities and celebration for International Women's Day

Gudrun Sjoden are celebrating IWD in style at their London store today with colourful offers, exciting surprises and, of course, something tasty to eat and drink. There will  be a special appearance from Alys Fowler, who will be at the store from 4pm sharing her tips on planting for spring.  Plus a free goody bags for those who attend with free copies of The Simple Things inside. An event not to be missed so stop by and say hey!

The Simple Things of Life Part.1

A round up of some of some of our favourite little pleasures from the back covers of the last 7 Issues. Enjoy. Why not share your simple thing with us on our Pinterest board* or leave a comment below.

*To become a contributor to our group board tweet or Facebook us your Pinterest handle