Blog
Taking Time to Live Well
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Discovering and curating our favourite things through NEW Etsy Pages.
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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
We're giving away 8 fantastic prizes from this month's wake up and want wishlist inside Issue 7. Read more about the prizes below or enter here now!
Leaf impression plate | £13 | Yaela Studio
Impressed by hand with a grape leaf before another speckled texture was added, this plate is beautiful to look at.
Cake tins | £25 | Cotswold Trading
How could you say no to a piece of cake delivered by one of these three charming characters? Design by artist Tom Frost.
Pipe lamp | £69 | Bodie and Fou
House Doctor DK's pipe lamp mixes luxe with industrial to create an eye-catching statement piece.
Ceramic mug | £23 | Dawn Dishaw Ceramics
The pattern on this mug is hand-drawn and inspired by the rich patterns of Persian paintings
Harvest mugs | £16 each | Darling Clementine
Make the first drink of the day even more appealing supped from these bone china mugs
Dancers tea tray | £24 | Depeapa
Veronica de Arriba's illustration reminds us to banish the morning blues and get up and dance.
Pure Nature stool | £105 | Idyll Home
Bring a touch of rustic charm to the breakfast table with this wooden stool.
Kuppila tray and greeting cards | £36 | Polkka Jam
Serve up a reviving brew on this tea-themed tray.
CLICK HERE for a chance to win this amazing collection of prizes!
*Our wake up and want wishlist was complied by WILL TAYLOR
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.
The Simple Things has curated an autumn lookbook for Etsy UK!
Etsy is where all the coolest and most talented indie makers and designers hang out. The Simple Things team are all massive fans, so we were honoured to be asked to curate an autumn lookbook for Etsy UK.
Want to see what we came up with? Click over to the Etsy UK Facebook page to see our pick of the best quirky, quaint and downright lovely products to in the cooler months in style.
You'll know from our Canopy and Stars post a couple of weeks ago that we're big fans of camping. The latest items to make our holiday lust-list are these beautiful handmade sleeping bags.
The handiwork of Etsy seller Good Intent (geddit?), we have a whole lot of love for their lush fabric combos and wriggle-friendly shape. We might have missed the camping-appropriate weather window for this year, but these unzip into a lightweight quilt, which makes them perfect for visitors during the colder months.
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.
A few weeks ago we blogged about our favourite dip-dyed DIY projects. Well, our love of all things paint-splashed is showing no signs of waning, and we couldn't resist sharing these gorgeous wooden bowl sets with you.
This two tone kitchenware is the handiwork of Etsy seller Wind & Willow. All of crafter Araya's products are made from beautifully turned natural wood, dipped in swirly coloured rubber. We can't think of anything we'd rather serve our nibbles in this summer.
Okay, this is not glamorous, but it deserves a mention because it's such a simple but great idea. Everyone's used to recycling their kitchen plastics and composting their leftovers, but we'd never even thought of buying reusable kitchen towels.
Athena Creates' Bird-E Towels (or unpaper towels, as they're affectionately known), are one way to make our homes a little greener. You can keep a stack of these in your kitchen, then pop 'em in the washing machine after you've used them, ready for the next lot of slips and spills. Click over to Etsy shop Athena Creates to find out more.
They might be less accurate and informative than their modern-day equivalents, but there's a certain romantic charm to old maps.
Etsy seller Ancient Shades specialises in retro and antique map prints from Michigan to Mongolia. Pop over to his shop to browse through piles of old maps in all their wonky, technicolour glory.
Getting into gardening can be a daunting prospect. Etsy seller Sarah Rainwater Design has come up with a fab starter pack for anyone wanting to get a little more green fingered.
Her heirloom seed kit contains six packs of veggie and herb seeds, plus everything you need to grow them on your windowsill. Even better, each of the plant varieties has been chosen because it's mega-easy to grow. We'll be gifting these to all our novice gardener friends, in the hopes that we might be able to convert them!
It’s the little things that can make all the difference when it comes to decorating a room. Kmadson must know this better than anyone, because she's filled her Etsy shop with handmade door knobs fashioned from vintage adverts, children's storybooks or prints of her own original artwork.
If anyone can take something as mundane as a doorknob and make it inspiring and individual, we think they deserve a round of applause.
It is not easy to look good in the rain. Damp clothes, frizzy hair … let's not get started on the see-through shirt issue. If you’re not planning on embracing pac-a-mac chic, we’ve found another way to guard against unseasonable drizzle. Etsy is an online treasure trove of vintage umbrellas and parasols.
Miss Salty Vintage has found this vintage floral print umbrella. We adore the bottle green and rose pink combo on the fabric.
For a 50s vibe, check out this Vintage Pagoda umbrella from Archivia. Its listed as a ‘dress umbrella’, so we’re not sure how good it’ll be at keeping you dry, but we couldn’t resist its retro charm.
Or, if you’re really planning on splashing out (sorry, that was unintentional… honest), Aesthetikara has managed to get her hands on a vintage Dior umbrella with wooden fittings and a suede handle for true rainy-day glam.
It’s another Jubilee themed post, sorry. We can’t help it, we’re caught up in all the excitement! This time, its a round up of all the best products inspired by Her Majesty. Back to normal tomorrow, we promise.
First up, this pop art postage stamp bunting from Etsy's LottieDots1. Crafter Laura’s design has a cool, retro feel that will definitely stand out in the midst of all the red, white and blue.
Secondly, we’re buying into the age-old tradition of commemorative tea towels. Our favourites are Rocket St. George’s Singing in the Reign design (love a good pun), Lovely Jubilee from Hunted and Stuffed (there we go again) and this commemorative Corgi tea towel, also from Rocket St. George.
Finally, we’ll be rounding off our day with a lovely cup of tea, which we will be sipping from a delicate corgi teacup purchased from Emilou Makes on Etsy. With a raised little finger, of course.
The sun is shining, the grass is green and jackets are stowed securely back in our wardrobes. That’s right, picnic season is upon us.
To make al fresco eating much more practical, Etsy seller NStar Studios has come up with these genius picnic cutlery wraps. Roll it up and tie it in a bow to keep your cutlery neatly together rather than clattering around the bottom of your hamper and poking holes in your food bags.
Designer Nicky Ross gets extra points for using bamboo cutlery (reusable, and much more eco-friendly than plastic) and designing a pouch that can be put in the washing machine, ready for the inevitable (or is that just us?) lemonade / yoghurt / juice explosion.
Living in a small space is no excuse for not exercising those keen green fingers. These adorable bike planters are so super cute and are the perfect way to jazz up your ride whilst giving back some much needed CO2. The little plant pots from Etsy shop Wearable Planter not only come fit for your bike but can be worn as funky necklaces and brooches.
Colleen says "why keep your plants at home?" and we agree, why not!
We like a bit of nifty upcycling, but we’re even bigger fans when the new product looks even better than the original.
Etsy seller Boots and Gus is an impressive example of how to do upcycling the right way. Designers Jeff and Mark have filled their shop with wonderfully quirky chandeliers fashioned from vintage Mason jars.
If you’re not ready to commit to a full-blown light feature in your living room, Blogger Chez Beeper Bebe has gone for a more toned down approach and transformed her old jars into tea light lanterns for the garden.
Gorgeous aren't they? Want to find out out how she made them? Then pop over to her blog for a printable how-to.
Made this? We would love to see a pic on our Facebook page.
Vintage Scrabble tile magnets - why haven’t we seen this before?! Like those garish plastic letters that have for so long adorned our fridges, except more laid back and much, much cooler.
If you fancy making your own, visit The Ginger Penny Pincher for the simplest how-to ever.
We were so excited by this revelation, we had a hunt round the internet for more Scrabble-design fun and it turns out that those crafty folks at Etsy discovered the retro appeal of vintage scrabble tiles long ago.
Offerings range from jewellery to wedding favours to wine charms, but top of the crafters is Cool Boy Creations, who has knocked up a whole range of Scrabble tile coasters with quirky messages. Our pick of the slogans? The nerd set. Get your geek on!
Sallynoodle may be new to Etsy but she has definitely arrived with a bang! Her plant print cushions are printed with digitally manipulated photographs of trees and flowers for an effect that is chic, fresh and not at all cutesy.
When the rain is dripping from our drainpipes and running down our window panes, this is the perfect way to bring a touch of the great outdoors indoors.
Pop over to her Etsy shop to check out her other designs.
We 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.
