It Couldn’t Hurt
January 31, 2016
If your hands have taken a beating digging out from last weeks storm or you’re already getting the garden prepped for Spring I’ve got the perfect little DIY project for you. This soothing hand salve of beeswax and olive oil, personalized with your choice of beneficial essential oils, will help put the heal on with just a few ingredients.
I put the simplequietmodern spin on this recipe found on Food 52. For three 2 oz. jars I started with 1 cup general use olive oil, 1 oz. organic yellow beeswax and 21 drops total of peppermint, eucalyptus and wintergreen essential oils (equal amounts of each). Melt the beeswax into the olive oil in a double boiler until combined. Stir in the essential oils. Dip a cold spoon into the mixture to test the consistency. Pour into small lidded jars. That’s it…done. And, you’ll have enough to give away.
My choice of essential oils not only smells great, but adds additional comfort to sore hands and joints if you work your hands hard like I do.
http://food52.com/blog/15239-the-diy-gift-that-dry-winter-hands-will-thank-you-for
photos: gp
Less is …
January 25, 2016
more difficult than it looks. The classic quote ” Less is more” is often attributed to modernist architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe who knew a little something about materials, the qualities of distillation of design and the elimination of all unnecessary and confusing detail. The residence here, by i29 Interior Architects, illustrates these principles beautifully while incorporating and elevating one of my favorite materials, plywood.
photos via http://plastolux.com/?s=plywood+in+a+modern+home
Winter Garden
January 17, 2016
There is no better time than now to rethink the Winter garden. Keep the plan simple…implement it in the Spring…let it take root through the Summer and wait for the rewards come Fall and Winter. You might be inspired by the gardens of Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, with great drifts of native perennials and grasses, their varied color,texture and structure framed by clipped hedge rows or a distant borrowed vista. Maybe a simpler plan is more to your taste with the selection of a few species planted together in a sort of modern meadow. Simpler still, the work of San Franciscan landscape architect Scott Lewis might lead you to bold stokes of a single variety, neatly framed and punctuated with a mature specimen. The best part of this exercise is your reduced carbon footprint, time freed up this summer to spend doing anything but weeding and deadheading and a simplequietmodern new view through every window from October to the following March.
http://www.gardenista.com/posts/10-garden-ideas-to-steal-from-superstar-dutch-designer-piet-oudolf
Who Knew?
January 14, 2016
A better chocolate chip cookie? Could be. Or, at least a healthier one. Made with…of all things…chickpea flour! After all of your holiday overindulging you can forget the resolutions and whip up a batch of these to kick off the New Year guilt free. With a healthy serving of protein and dietary fiber these might just be your new ” go to “.
Relax
January 11, 2016
The holidays are behind us and the New Year is just beginning. The holiday lights are down and all of the decorations are packed away for another year. Now what? A little self-indulgence might be just what’s needed. I’m thinking a relaxing soak or invigorating scrub using Pacha Soap Co.’s Birch Muscle Soak. Three simple ingredients…Sweet Birch Essential Oil, Epsom Salts and Organic French Gray Salt…blended to soothe sore muscles and stimulate the sweat glands to help detoxify the body. Take a deep cleansing breath and the wintergreen-like scent will help open up the sinuses. A perfect way to take advantage of a cold wintry day and fine-tune your focus on the New Year ahead.
For more info:http://www.pachasoap.com/product/birch-muscle-soak/
photos: gp
New Year…New Inspiration
January 7, 2016
It can come from anywhere. Take OSB…Oriented Strand Board. An engineered wood particle board formed by adding adhesives to layers of wood flakes and then compressing them. Used in construction in an unsung supporting role for years, OSB’s good looks provide a modern, natural feel when used front and center as a flooring or wall treatment alternative. And, it’s more cost-effective than plywood, so it might be worth considering on your next project. You might just save enough to pick up a little treat like this vintage 1969 Eames Executive Chair.
top photo: gp , bottom photo via http://plastolux.tumblr.com/
Cheers!
January 3, 2016
Four years, 415 posts and hundreds of photos… it’s time to celebrate as we move into year five of simplequietmodern. Reviewing the last year you have surprised me yet again by digging into the archives and making some of the earliest posts the ones you favored most in 2015. So cheers to you my readers, followers and friends. Thank you for taking the time to stop by, get inspired, leave a comment and inspire me.
From classic mid-century modern furniture and architecture, sophisticated applications of humble materials like concrete and ply, brilliant projects featuring recycled pallets and paper to something good to eat with only a few simple ingredients and minimal effort…just a small sampling of what has kept my interest and yours this past year.
Dawn or Dusk,
December 30, 2015
either or both could have been the inspiration for Pantone’s selection for the Color (s) of the Year for 2016. Rose Quartz and Serenity…the first, according to Pantone, a warm embracing rose tone…the latter, a cool tranquil blue. Together they bring to mind the blended colors of the sky at daybreak or sunset. One glance up and you can feel the calm.
An early start one day had me experiencing what I think Pantone had in mind .Try as we might, it’ll be hard to top this perfect application by Mother Nature.
Top: via: Pantone Color Institute Bottom two photos:gp
Another Holiday Meatless Monday
December 27, 2015
It may seem like you’ve over done it, but between Christmas and New Years Eve you still have to eat. Fancy enough for company yet simple enough for any day of the week…Mushroom Stroganoff. A handful of ingredients and minimal prep will have four steaming bowls of comfort on the table in about 30 minutes.
Photos:gp
Cookies and Cocoa?
December 24, 2015
Maybe for Santa. Now that the decorations are up, the shopping is done and dinner for tomorrow is ready for the oven it’s time to relax with a Christmas Manhattan. Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
The perfect simplequietmodern Christmas cocktail. Fill a rocks glass about 2/3 with ice, add a couple shakes of bitters, 1/2 oz. of sweet vermouth and 2 1/2 oz. bourbon, a maraschino cherry crushed against the side of the glass and give it all a quick stir. Recipe by Andy Ward for Bon Appetite.
Merry Christmas!
Photo:gp
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