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Taking Time to Live Well
Spring is here and we're getting ready to plant sweet peas in the garden, transform our homes with a trip to the market, and experience Dublin for the first time. This month's issue is packed full of fresh ideas for you to try. Not made it to the shops yet? Don't fear, as we've got an inside peek into the mag waiting for you below!
Fact behind the mag: wooden boats are a daily sight on Derwent Water, part of the Keswick Launch Company, this boat (just scene) was moored on the shore close to the repair workshop for the boats.
‘Pull on your boots and see where your feet take you’
This month’s mag is all about finding adventure in the great British countryside. Inside we show you how to find the best routes, pick out the essential gear, and even cook up the perfect pocket picnic, but before we ramblers set off we have to face the somewhat dreaded task of packing, yikes. Luckily our friends at Millican have stopped by to show us how to prepare for a two day hike. Boots, waterproofs, snacks, maps, and poles all in one bag? No problem.
Dave the Rucksack from Millican on Vimeo.
The adventure continues inside Issue 7...
Blogger extraordinaire, whiz with the hook and needles, and camera pro Kat Goldin (of Slugs on the Refrigerator fame) has stopped by to tell us a little about her new book 'Crochet At Play' and share some insider tips on how to take great outdoor photos this spring.
Tell us about your new book…
Crochet at Play is a collection of 30 hats, scarves, clothes and toys for kids to enjoy. I was inspired by my children and the amount of fun they get out of my crochet. In the spirit of using blankets to build dens, I wanted to bring a collection of playful designs together in one book. From wolf cardigans to baby ballet slippers there are projects for children from newborn to age six. Whether you want to add to the dressing up box or create beautiful garments with a fun twist, Crochet at Play is packed full of inspirational projects. Its published by Kyle Books and out in April.
When my eldest child Ellis was born I wanted to share pictures of him with my family in America. I learned as I went along and my love of photography grew. These days I’m inspired by not only my children but nature, art and craft in my photography. Photographing someone or something you love inspires you to make those photographs the best they can be. I love how looking down the lens at my children helps me really see them and notice the small details that make up our lives together.
How did the Capturing Childhood project come about?
My business partner, also named Kat, sent me a message one afternoon with the idea for the courses in a nutshell. I didn’t hesitate before saying yes; amazing photography, using your camera to its full potential and recording the intimacy of family life are all topics I’m passionate about. We very quickly developed our ideas and opened the virtual doors to a warm welcome from the online community. In the ten months we’ve been running our business we have been continually impressed by the work and improvement show by our students – they really do take our lessons to heart and shine.
Notice where the light is coming from and move to capture your subject in the best light available. Imagine the photo you want to capture before you bring the camera to your eyes; this will help you to compose the picture as you intend rather than point and shoot. Stay conscious of what it is you love about photos be it subject, light or composition. Remember that every photo you take develops your personal style skills so keep taking photos. They say the first 10,000 photos you take are your worst...so keep shooting!!
Give us your top 3 tips for shooting outdoors...
1. Try shooting in the “Golden Hour” – this is the hour before sunset or the hour after sunrise. The sun is low on the horizon and should cast everything in a nice even glow. This is a great time of year for shooting in the Golden Hour, as the sun’s low position means that it lasts longer and it at a more reasonable time of day than summer. If this isn’t possible, try avoiding the midday sun, when shadows are at their harshest.
2. In bright sun, try to photograph in the shade. This will minimise harsh shadows and squinting. Under a tree, in a forest, in the shadow of a building, next to a natural landscape feature, under the slide, all will help alleviate problems. If you can, position your subject at the edge of the shade with you shooting from the sun so that all of that lovely light can still be part of the photograph.
3.Put the sun behind you (or as we often say to students put your "bum to the sun"). Angling your subject towards the sun will help light them and create the lovely light sparkles in their eyes known as catchlights.
Crochet at Play will be out on 18th of April in the UK, and later in the year in the US, Finland and Holland. Expect some fantastic makes, and more stunning photography!
Click here to sign up to an online course or find out more about Capturing Childhood.
This 14th February treat your Valentine to something extra special whether it be homemade chocolates or a simply stunning scent...
Light bulb vase by London Garden Trading (available on Not on the Highstreet)
Mini heart-shaped bowls by Golemdesigns
Rose 31 by Liberty London
Follow your heart coin www.kutuu.co.uk
Big Love Valentine timbergram Anthropologie
Hazelnut macarons and chocolate truffles: both recipes are found in The Simple Things issue 3 available here.
My dearest London,
You look so handsome today. The sun is making you all shiny; warming you up after you shivered for a while under the snow. I like seeing you like this. It reminds me of all the reasons we’ve stayed together over the years. The golden cityscape you treat me to every morning from the top of the hill; your ability to pleasantly surprise me, like when I first heard classical music being played at Clapham North tube station or learned you were home to a family of flamingos; and the way you rally everyone together when times are hard.
I might not always show it, but I want to make things work between us. There’s a lot going on underneath your often tough exterior that I love. There’s your markets; your mews; your green spaces and Victorian trees. There’s your guerrilla gardens, like the Edible Bus Stop in Stockwell, and your inconspicuous jazz bars, like the Hideaway in Streatham.
Then there are your many characters. The lovely Sara who taught me how to keep hens in the city; Steve the London Honey Man, who makes your urban bees very happy indeed, and the elderly gent I see regularly on Portobello Road carrying a Jack Russell on his shoulder like a parrot.
The past eight years have not been easy; we’ve gone through our fair share of testing times. I blamed you when things were going badly – the redundancy, and those early days when your rents left me broke, when I questioned why I was still with you and felt I could find a better life back up north. But you didn’t abandon me. You taught me the tenacity I still see in you everyday - in your unwavering desire to grow skywards, and in your leafless apple tree at my local station that refuses to let go of its fruit.
Living in each other’s pockets was always going to be volatile. You really do have a tendency to overcrowd me at times. When distance is called for it’s always me putting those 200 miles between us, as I escape to a quieter place. Those early days were especially feisty, remember? I’d go from feeling excitement and awe to having my bags packed ready to leave in a matter of days.
Then often against my will I begin to miss you. I think about your beauty at night, and about finding your organic coffee shop in Notting Hill that’s been serving me flat whites well before the world put a name to them. And I think about all the other little things I haven’t even discovered about you yet.
It’s fair to say it wasn’t love at first sight, but we’ve grown together and mellowed over the years. It’s on days like today when the sun is shining and you’re beckoning me in that I feel we’ve got something special – let’s hold onto that.
Yours, Rachel
As it's a Friday and only 7 more days until Valentines, we thought we'd share a few more captured moments from our dinner for two special (p104 - p111) in this month's The Simple Things.
Duck with spinach and pomegranate recipe found in this month's magazine.
MENU
Aubergine with pistachio
& sesame seed crumbs
*
Duck with spinach
& pomegrante
*
Poached pear with
gingerbread biscuits
Have you tried any of these delicious recipes? Leave a comment below or hop on Facebook and share your perfect romantic meal menu with us.
Happy Friday all!
In this month's issue of The Simple Things Alice Gao visits the Fat Radish in New York for lunch and picks up some of her favourite recipes to share with us (found in the mag on pages 34-39). Just as Alice did on her first visit we instantly fell in love with the restaurant's charming farmhouse vibe, and wanted to show you a few simple ways to recreate the style in your home.
Hang a vintage map
Food and travel go hand-in-hand, so hanging a map is a great way to inspire you in the kitchen. You can find antique and modern maps all over the web, but we're particularly fond of these two we found on Etsy.
North Pole antique map: artic sea exploring expeditions 1914 available from Carambas Vintage
Antique map of the World 1777 (high quality digital image) available from Patterns n Prints
Create a modern chalkboard
At the Fat Radish you'll find chalkboards painted directly onto the exposed brick walls, such an easy and quick way to transform a bare wall into something useful and beautiful. We found the perfect DIY over on A Beautiful Mess to save you spending a fortune on chalkboard paint, with this tutorial and a little imagination you could transform pretty much any surface into your own chalkboard, cupboards, table tops even your own coffee cup! (See pg 114 of this month's mag for details)
Here are some of the chalkboard ideas that caught our attention, we particularly like the wedding chalkboards from Her Majesty's Pug - a great way to upcycle scratched or unused silverware!
Wedding chalkboards from Her Majesty's Pug, antique framed chalkboard: Nixey and Godfrey, Barkboards available from Olive Manna
Build your own floating shelves
The restaurant also uses floating shelves to display an impressive wine collection, simple, stunning, and perfect for adding a more modern feel to a kitchen. Vintage revivals has a fantastic tutorial on how to make your own.
We've shown you how to get the look of the Fat Radish in your home, now make sure you have a go at mimicking the taste on your plate with the exclusive recipes found in this month's issue.
When it's hazy and blue, you just want to move!
Read More
Love the grape but have trouble telling your Chablis from your Chardonnay? Want to learn the difference between old and new world wine? Well, we've teamed up with our friends at Inntravel to offer you the chance to win a full day wine school experience for two at Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant Berry Bros and Rudd. Perfect if you wish to condense all your learning into just one day, and also indulge in a mouthwatering luncheon where your new-found knowledge is put to immediate use with the wines served with lunch.
To be in with a chance to win this fantastic prize worth £490 simply click on this link and 'Like" Inntravel's page: http://on.fb.me/YkRIAw - good luck!
(Please note: Competition is open to UK residents only)
We love books, print and digital, so what better than recycling an old hardback to keep your ebook reader safe and sound? Read on to find out how!
Read MoreA great idea for when you're having a declutter or Spring clean and find things that are just too good to throw away or if the local charity / thrift shop is closed...
Read MoreGlasgow-based design duo Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons, whose "London Toile" wallpaper we used as the endpapers in Issue 6, talk about their surreal take on traditional patterns, design versus art and the freedom that controlling the entire creative process brings...
Read More
Warm-up your weekend with this tasty recipe for an authentic lamb tajine.
We've got the perfect recipe from two-star Michelin chef and slow food movement advocate Michel Roux Jr. A chef who has won numerous awards for his cuisine and understands the importance of appreciating food and respecting where it comes from.
Lamb Tajine
1 boned lamb shoulder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 onions, chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon honey
300ml chicken or vegetable
stock (page 208)
50g whole blanched almonds, toasted
Serves 4-6
Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas 1. Cut the lamb into 3cm chunks. Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron casserole dish and pan-fry the lamb until golden. Add the garlic, onions and spices to the dish and continue to cook and stir over a medium heat for about 10–15 minutes.
Add the lemon, honey and stock to the dish and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
Stir in the toasted almonds and serve in traditional tajine dishes if you have them.
If you liked this recipe you'll love Michel's exclusive recipe booklets which come free with this weekend's Telegraph (one on Saturday and Sunday), that's 40 of Michel's favourite dishes to inspire you in the kitchen - our mouths are watering at the thought!
Visit The Telegraph to find out more and for a chance to win dinner for two at the infamous Le Gavroche!
Wooden pallets are everywhere, and there's a growing movement to recycle them into pallet furniture – it's green, easy and here are two projects that you can make yourself. Click on for amazing facts, fun and inspiration!
Read MoreNo matter how cold it gets, nature is still amazing!
Read More
Amazing bread and pastry recipes for keen home bakers and new starters alike! Find out how to get a discount on the Danish master baker's inspiring new book – and check out a sample recipe for Classic Sourdough...
Read MoreGive your cooking and tastebuds a seasonal makeover by signing up to your local vegetable box scheme – here's a rundown of how to find them in your area and some inspiration for head and heart!
Read More
Ward off chilblains and irritability with our five ways to keep your plates of meat warm.
1. CARDBOARD BOX When seated, rest your feet inside a newspaper-lined box. Ideal for homeworkers rationing their radiator use. Pros: Cheap, simple. Cons: Tragic-looking.
2. MICROWAVEABLE SLIPPERS These exist! A foot-shaped version of a wheat bag, they stay warm for hours, and are paradise for the poor of circulation. Pros: Immediate, failsafe. Cons: Impossible to walk in.
3. FOOT EXERCISES Boing up and down on your tiptoes, flex your feet, point your toes, and so on until sensation returns. Pros: Healthy, free. Cons: Tiring, takes ages.
4. MULTIPLE SOCKS Wear all your Christmas socks at once, in order of thickness. Pros: Easy, cost-free. Cons: Sweaty, fiddly.
5. DEEP HEAT Apply a mentholated topical treatment for instant unclenching. Pros: Fast, low-cost. Cons: You’ll smell of rugby and groin strain.
Our Blowy Walks on Winter Beaches feature in Issue 6 gives you lots of ideas about what to look for by the surf, even in the coldest weather – take a sneaky peek at it here, and enjoy this special photo story from our friend Lizzie Spikes...
Read MoreWe celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.