It’s Time People
June 8, 2020
Time for little acts of kindness…simple acts of beauty. They won’t break the bank and the rewards will come back to you tenfold. For a friend, a neighbor or even to elevate your desk if you’re conducting Zoom meetings from home, these seasonal white peonies make quite the simplequietmodern statement. Their gentle fragrance? Well…like the little shot in the arm your actions will give to your local economy…an added bonus.
photos:gp
One tool…
May 29, 2020
for many tasks. I’m wondering how I did without one of these until now. Or, maybe I’m just tired of McGuyvering my way through the garden and decided I needed something new. From cutting through roots, digging up weeds or dividing mature plants, there isn’t a task that this Landscapers Hori Hori won’t be able to simplify. A cross between a knife, a trowel and a saw this indispensable tool is constructed of heat treated alloy steel for lightness, strength and durability… right here in the USA. With the entire Summer ahead of us it might just be a good idea to embrace it fully equipped.
Just in Time
March 24, 2020
Just as you might be getting a little stir crazy with the ever growing ” stay in place” orders there comes a bright spot to break things up. A little ahead of schedule, and thankfully so, is the Heath Ceramics Summer Seasonal collection. With all of this Covid-19 madness who couldn’t benefit from a little bit of bright Summer color? It’s just whats needed to brighten up a gray day or our gray mood. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite as I am generally partial to neutrals. But, desperate times call for desperate measures. New glazes like Grove, Wave and Desert might be just what the doctor ordered. So, take a spin through the collection online and get inspired, treat yourself or maybe someone else who needs a lift during these unusual times. Yep…feeling better already.
Photos: https://www.heathceramics.com/collections/summer-seasonal-2020
If it’s March…
March 13, 2020
it’s time for Daffodils. The birth flower for March, nothing can make a simple, more cheerful, Spring-like statement like they can. And, while they’re still available, the Heath Ceramics bud vase is perfect for displaying these shots of vibrant color. I’m thinking multiple vases grouped for mass appeal or scattered about to spread the wealth with their electricity and gentle fragrance. Better act fast, this bud vase in Zinc, from the 2019 Heath Winter Seasonal Collection, is only available until the end of this month. Could a handful of Daffs help you or a friend deal with the new uncertainty of dealing with Covid-19? It couldn’t hurt.
Daffodil photos: gp
Heath bud vase photo: https://www.heathceramics.com/collections/winter-seasonal-2019
We’ll See
February 9, 2020
We go through this often…the prediction of an early Spring followed immediately by snow, cold and yes, more snow. It’s Winter. In reality, the official start of Spring is still weeks away…plenty of time to prepare for it’s arrival, get inspired or simply switch things up to ward off cabin fever.
top to bottom:
Last year’s garden addition under this years last “dusting”
Forcing an armful of flowering branches definitely speaks to the promise of Spring.
Get super proactive and start now to plan a trip to the New Mexican desert next Winter and paying a visit to the Georgia O’Keefe residence and museum in Abiquiu. photo: https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/
Get on it and shake things up with this Alexander McQueen inspired velvet from Knoll Textiles. If not a chair then perhaps just a pillow will do the trick. Photo: https://www.knoll.com/knolltextileproductdetail/Arezzo
You could always spend more quality time with your favorite sidekick. Yes, even knee deep snow can be fun with this guy.
Now is a great time to revisit, reconsider and actually finish a stalled project. While these balls of newsprint yarn were created during snow days of Winters past, they still sit waiting to be transformed. Now’s as good a time as any.
Pull out that Sharpie and a clean pad. Start sketching and editing and committing some new ideas for your Spring garden projects to paper for when the weather finally breaks.
A little sustenance. The simplest recipe ever…Labneh. This Mediterranean dip and spread is basically Greek yogurt with a good pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon stirred in, placed into a cheesecloth lined strainer and left to drain out the whey over 24 hours. Serve up with a drizzle of good olive oil and a healthy dusting of Za’atar to spread on a variety of breads and vegetables.
Photos except where noted: gp
Time Flies
January 12, 2020
Well, it just does. There is no other explanation for the fact that simplequietmodern has just celebrated it’s eighth anniversary. At this time each year I am always interested in what subjects, products or photos you’ve been drawn to most. Black fences seems to have shot to the top of the list again along with a few of my favorites from Heath Ceramics…their new Muir flatware, classic field tiles and the updated Coupe line of Edith Heath’s iconic dinnerware. The simplicity of Spring flowering bulbs rounds out the top 5. Nice. So, thank you for faithfully checking in and checking things out…for indulging me in inspiring you and for your continued support and friendship.
photos:
Black fence: https://www.gardenista.com/posts/trend-alert-black-fences/
Muir flatware, Coupe Line and Heath Field Tile: https://www.heathceramics.com/
Tulips: gp
Hard to believe,
December 17, 2019
but I am actually enjoying a Poinsettia moment. Really. Like Truman Capote in Jay Presson Allen’s Tru, I too felt that “Poinsettias are the Bob Goulet of Botany”. Decades of over-saturation in the seasonal marketplace have rendered this bright red holiday staple cliche’, cheesy and hopelessly out of date. It was spotting this new variety, Envy, with it’s bright chartreuse coloring that made me stop and rethink it’s potential. While I generally indulge in white Tulips, Amaryllis and Helebore from the Winter Solstice through till Christmas and the New Year, I couldn’t help but think how well this fresh new addition would play with the others, both in the pot and as a cut specimen.
Photos: gp with the exception of the Amaryllis photo via https://www.shopterrain.com/categories/blooming-gifts and the last photo via: https://www.gardenista.com/posts/poinsettias-rethinking-traditional-christmas-flower/