Cool camping at Canopy and Stars

‘Camping’ and ‘luxury’ are not two words that often go hand in hand. Don't get us wrong, we're big fans of getting back of nature, but for all this chat of ‘glamping’, in our heart of hearts we know a floral Cath Kidston tent and beribboned Hunter wellies do not an indulgent getaway make. And yet … when we stumbled upon the Canopy and Stars website, we were more than ready to eat our words. The Bristol based company hunts out exceptional, eco-friendly camping places, cabins and tree-houses.

All Canopy and Stars' destinations manage to couple unmistakable luxury with a sense of adventure that has our inner child hopping with excitement (did we mention there are tree-houses?). Wood-burning stoves, sofas and iron bedsteads, these are tents unlike any tent we’ve seen before.

Click over to the Canopy and Stars website to plan your next getaway, or simply gawp at the photos.

The Simple Things launch party

On Wednesday night was The Simple Things official launch party. We've been twittering on about it for so long, we thought we better share some snaps with you! So here goes - see who you can spot ...

The venue - the coolest cheese shop in London, La Fromagerie. We knew we were in for a treat from the moment the delicious cheesy aroma hit the cab as we pulled up!

The Simple Things team ready to meet, greet, mingle and generally announce our new magazine in style. Do we scrub up okay?

Lucky guests each recieved a cool canvas tote filled with sweet eats, beautiful stationery and other Simple Things loveliness.

Psst... we managed to save a few precious goodie bags for those of you who couldn't be there, so keep your eyes peeled for your chance to win one very soon!

Our talented marketing team helped us put our stamp on the gorgeous venue.

You can't have cheese without a bit of vino!

'The Cheese Room' proved a surprise hit with mini-tours from an incredibly knowledgeable La Fromagerie employee (we're calling him the cheese guru).

Bloggers, producers, crafters and writers got their first peek of the new mag.

La Fromagerie came up trumps with the best. snacks. ever. Diets out of the window all round.

Pause for a quick speech ...

... and then it was time to let our hair down!

Finally, a cheeky cup of tea to round off the night.

... and so to bed.

The Simple Things - your snaps

In the run up to the Simple Things magazine launch, we've loved hearing all your feedback.

Turns out, one of our simple pleasures is reading your excited comments on Facebook, receiving Tweets saying that you were running to check your post to see if your copy had arrived,  and stumbling upon lovely mentions on our fave blogs.

When UK subscribers started getting their first issue in the post, you all took to social media to share pics of how you'd be enjoying your new mag! We loved your snaps so much, we've collected some of the best reader cover photos for you to see.

Must dash now ... we have a launch party to get ready for!

P.S. Thanks to Kimberley Hall, Sharp & Noble, Laura Tanser, Dragonfly, Lucy Kennedy, Suzie Williams, Lisa Wright, Caroline Noble, and Make Do Sew for their photos!

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.

Mud pie kitchen

Remember making mud pies as a kid? The inner child inside of us is clapping their hands and hopping about in excitement about this mud pie kitchen idea from Ginny for  Rhythm of the Home.

Old packing crates are turned into kitchen cabinets, a line of bricks in a sunny spot make the perfect mud pie oven, and old metal pots and pans are stacked up ready for the baking to begin!

Printed umbrella DIY

Oh, it's been a bit of a drizzly summer, hasn't it? Luckily, Christine Wisnieski from Design for Mankind is here to save us from the rainy-day blues with her printed umbrella DIY.

You can use whatever colours and shapes you fancy, put personally we're big fans of Christine's day-glo orange / on-trend geometrics combo! After all, if the skies are grey, what's better than a little shocking neon to brighten things up? Check out Design for Mankind to see how she did it!

Pesto 3 ways

Hands up who's got a jar of pesto in their fridge? We've definitely guilty of this one. Pesto is one of those things which is SO good home-made that we're not sure why we buy it. Plus, it's incredibly easy to make - seriously, it's barely more complicated than opening the jar!

We were chuffed to find this pesto recipe post on Love & Lemons, in which foodie blogger Jeanine has provided us with a whole load of alternative pesto recipes . Mix up your basil with roasted red pepper, swap pine nuts for walnuts or add some honey or balsamic vinegar to shift the sweet / sour balance. Pop over to Love & Lemons to find out more!

Infographic: Nature is the best medicine

Did you enjoy finding out about Why Trees Matter in our Simple Things sampler? Now we've discovered this fascinating infographic from the David Suzuki Foundation all about the effects of nature on our health.

We always knew that a little of the great outdoors helped brighten our days, but we had no idea that it could make it physical difference to our wellbeing. The Big Disconnect infographic also reveals some shocking information about how society interacts with nature in the modern world.

You'll probably have spotted that we've only shared a little bit with you, so click to see the whole thing!

Book launch: Cupcakes and Cashmere

Today, we thought we'd take a little break from our Simple Things magazine excitement to let you know about another fab launch.

Cupcakes and Cashmere is now not only the title of one of our favourite blogs, but it's also the title of a fabulous book! Creator Emily Schuman's first book promises more of what she does best on her blog - cute and quirky fashion, unique interiors ideas and chilled out entertaining.

Have a rifle inside and hear what Emily's thoughts on the Cupcakes and Cashmere blog. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom to see her simple ideas for home-made cards, too - we love.

The Simple Things ... Cover reveal!

This week's Wordless Wednesdays is a little different - we're sharing with you our fabulous launch cover in all its glory. Now you'll know what to look our for in shops next week!

In case you were wondering, here's a little bit about what to expect...

The Simple Things is a brand new mag from the creators of Mollie Makes (that'll be the UK's best selling handmade title. Ahem.) and it's hitting UK shops on September 6. You can look inside The Simple Things sampler to see what it's all about.

We've got a fab pre-launch subscription offer which lets you try 3 issues for £5 (bargain), or if you're feeling lucky, enter our competition to win a year's subscription to The Simple Things.

We love to hear from you, so check us out over on our Facebook and Twitter and tell us what you think!

Video #6 What's your simple thing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caUKu5TbpRQ The last of our Simple Things videos!

Watch all the way to the end and you'll get to see what you've all been waiting for ... a sneaky peek of our first cover! What do you all think?

Video #5 Share your simple thing ...

http://youtu.be/3MBFv1suPrY Have you been liking our little Simple Things videos so far? This is the last one before you all get to see our fabulous launch cover! Make sure you check back tomorrow ...

Also, keep an eye on  facebook because we'll be launching our competition to win a year's subscription to The Simple Things very soon!

Video #4 What's your simple thing?

http://youtu.be/5I_5olQZI_A The video countdown to The Simple Things magazine launch continues - hope you're as excited as we are!

Loads of you have been sharing your own simple pleasures with us. Some of our favourites so far? Cloud watching, kneading bread dough, and the pop of the toaster on a Sunday morning (thanks, facebookers).

What simple thing puts a smile on your face? Keep your ideas coming over on Facebook or on Twitter- we love to hear from you!

Video #3 What's your simple thing?

http://youtu.be/c9lqgTfGUwk We love the smell of freshly baked bread. Share your simple pleasure with us below!

Video #2 What's your simple thing?

http://youtu.be/SGMRoUS5EZA Taking the time out to write a letter - with a pen and ink, not a computer - is one of our simple pleasures.

What's yours? Tell us at over at Facebook or on Twitter and find out how to win a year’s subscription to The Simple Things.

Video #1 What's your simple thing?

http://youtu.be/BCxspUxpQsA Whether it's fresh sheets, that hour in the morning before everyone gets up or the smell of summer rain on the hot streets, we all have something we love, our simple thing.

What's yours?

Tell us at over at Facebook or on Twitter and find out how to win a year's subscription to The Simple Things.

Three best cushion customising ideas

Sometimes we want a room revamp when are purses are feeling a little empty. Luckily, we've discovered that all that's really needed to turn the plainest cushion into a thing of beauty is a little imagination and few craft supplies. Join us as we round up three of the best crafty cushion customising ideas ...

1. Print it

Grab some fabric paint or a marker and get back in touch with your artistic side. We love this dotty cushion design from Hello Milky on Etsy, which uses neon fabric paint to tap into this summer's trend for all things hi-vis. You don't just have to stick to circles either - those are designer-maker Jess' fun star cushions in our cover pic.

If you have something to get off your chest, use a stencil to scribble out your message, like Wit & Whistle's stencilled cushion tutorial. Take a tip from blogger Amanda and draft out your design in pencil first to avoid any spelling disasters!

2. Get colourful 

Adding a pop of colour is a really easy way to inject some life into a neutral design. Made in Oxford has mixed up simple applique and contrast stitching in their adorable elephant cushions.

Alternatively, nip down to your local fabric shop to sift through their cute buttons and trims. And remember, if your cushion is plain you can get away with being a little crazy with your trims! Check out Bentley Bicycles' bright pom pom trim and coconut shell button combo if you don't believe us.

 3. Add another dimension

If you want a total revamp, its time to crack out the sewing machine and add a little texture. Pay homage to the blooms in your back yard with a rose cushion from Burlap and Blue or go girlie with Say Yes to Hoboken's oversized bow pillow. We especially love that both bloggers have opted for a neutral fabric and decided to let the shape do all the talking.

Plum jam recipe

There's something wonderfully homely and comforting about jam made from scratch. Plums are at their best this month so now's the ideal time to boil up a batch of sticky plum jam.

Blogger Yossy from Apt 2b baking has provided us with two plum jam recipes - one for small sugar plums, and a spiced plum jam flavoured with vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon.

If you feel a little odd about using such Christmassy spices in the middle of August, remind yourself that your jam will last well into December and beyond, when there is not a plum in sight. Sometimes a little forward planning pays off!

Braided rug tutorial

We've just unearthed this braided rug tutorial on A Beautiful Mess and we're itching to get plaiting. This DIY requires no sewing whatsoever, just a little patience and a big scrap fabric stash (check, and check!).

It may not be rug weather at the moment, but we thought we'd give you a little heads up on this one as it looks like it's going to take a little time. We love Elsie's bright colour choices and the fact she's mixed up plain fabric with gingham for a laid back, shabby chic effect.

Summer kids activity: animal print trails

Having three young boys has taught Emma Bradshaw the kind of resourcefulness we can only dream of. Her blog, Bradshaw & Sons, is full of ideas for outdoor activities to get children out of the house and exploring.

One of our faves is an animal print trail. Emma's idea combines a little exploring, a little crafting and a touch of detective work - perhaps the perfect formula for a kids day out? It's perfect for British summertime and the prints will show up even better after a bit of rain.

Pop over to Bradshaw & Sons to find out more, then take a tip from Emma, kit your kids out in some wellies and prepare to get muddy.