July | a final thought

This post is our last for the July ‘embrace’ issue. Hopefully you’re fully embracing summer now, relishing every moment and looking forward to some slow time just for you over the next few weeks.

Above is the illustration from our back cover. We hope it made you smile. And here’s a haiku we penned as an ode to June. As always, we would love to hear yours. Write your own in the comments below or leave it for us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Five, seven, five, remember. We’ll send a lovely book to the author of our favourite.

New books to be read, 

Sands to tread, tastes to try.

Holidays are here.

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More from our July issue…

More wit and wisdom from our back covers…

March: a final thought

Photography: Catherine Frawley

Please enjoy our back page chalkboard message and a seasonal haiku

Our ‘Seek’ issue has been a veritable romp through spring sights, quirky curiosities and all sorts of magical things that you only spot when you’re really looking. We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

Here’s a March haiku in homage to all that. Do have a go at your own and leave it in the comments below. We send a lovely book to the author of our favourite each month.

Light, bright mornings and

A breath of bulbs on the air.

Spring is really here.

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More from our March issue…

More inspiration from our chalkboard…

February: a final thought

Please enjoy our back page chalkboard message and a seasonal haiku

From overnight bakes to wild walks, to indulging in the art of bathing, we hope you’ve enjoyed our Soothe issue this month. Here’s to lighter, warmer days to come.

We’ve penned a haiku in homage to February. Do share your own below (5, 5, 7 syllables, remember). We’ll send a lovely book to the author of our favourite haku.

Last days of winter,

Only twenty-eight, at least.

Thanks, February.

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More from our February issue…

More of our back cover messages…

January: a final thought

Please enjoy our back page chalkboard message and a seasonal haiku

Our ‘Cheer’ issue has reminded us of all the reasons why we love winter. We’ve been celebrating the dark evenings by hunkering down, gathering friends and lighting fires. Having an excuse to stay at home and cook, relax and hibernate a bit is a very good reason to enjoy the cold weather.

Here’s a January haiku in homage to all that. Do have a go at your own and leave it in the comments below. We send a lovely book to the author of our favourite each month.

Don’t misunderstand,

Snow’s great for a week or two…

But hibernation’s better.

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More from our January issue…

More inspiration from our back cover…

December: a final thought

Please enjoy our special December cover, along with a seasonal haiku

We so enjoyed putting our December issue together and pausing to remember all the things we love about midwinter and the magic it brings.

We’ve packed up our pencil cases for the holidays now so will leave you with our December haiku…

An afternoon walk
Gets more unlikely
The more sprouts one has consumed.

Please do have a go at penning your own and leave it in the comments below. We’ll send a lovely book to our favourite.

This cover was a little different but usually we publish a back cover chalkboard and have turned some of them into postcards that you can buy here if you would like to.

That’s all from our December The Simple Things, but our January issue should be in the shops any day now, full cheery wintry things to inspire and surprise you.

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See more of our final thoughts…

More from our December issue…

November: a final thought

Please enjoy our November back cover, along with a seasonal haiku

Some of the things we’ve enjoyed most about our November issue have been finding out about fabulous bookshops from around the world, creating nooks in which to read alone, perusing essays on autumn, and cooking comforting things perfect for a Sunday afternoon in with a rip-roaring novel.

Here’s our November haiku in homage to all that.

Reading a good book

Is so much more rewarding

With a good biscuit.

That’s all from our November The Simple Things, but our December issue should be in the shops any day now and we’re feeling rather festively excited about it.

We publish a back cover chalkboard most months and have turned some of them into postcards that you can buy here http://www.icebergpress.co.uk/shop/chalkboard-postcards-pre-order-

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More from our November issue…

See more of our chalkboards…

Good things come in small packages

More from the April issue:

More chalkboard wisdom:

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View the sampler here

Merry Christmas from The Simple Things

More Christmas posts:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.

Chalkboard art PLUS win one of five tote bags (closed)

From signage to prints to The Simple Things’ own back cover, chalkboard art is enjoying a bit of a revival. Requiring only chalk, a blackboard surface and a spot of creativity, it’s easy to understand its appeal. In the October issue of The Simple Things we share the step-by-step instructions for creating a chalkboard party invite, taken from Valerie McKeehan’s The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering.

The book is filled with helpful tips for aspiring chalkers, and projects ranging from birthday greetings to vintage-style store signs. If you enjoy that, we recommend you also taking a look at the incredible 1909 Blackboard Sketching book by Frederick Whitney (discovered through The Public Domain Review).

Bulrushes and baskets, cosy fireside scenes and glimpses of the great outdoors all come to life through Whitney’s mastery of chalk. With the whole book available to read online, it may help equip you with the skills to sketch up a quick igloo. At the very least, it should give you a few “wow” moments.

As Whitney describes, “Such drawing is a language which never fails to hold attention and awaken delighted interest”.

Competition

We’ve got five tote bags celebrating The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering to give away. Enter below

Read more:

From the October issue

More chalkboard back covers

More competitions