I didn't realize until the project was over that these DIY soaps look so much like Japanese Sola Cubes 🧊
And more from the MAY ISSUE!
While the other two spring issues should’ve reached you by now, here comes the next missive in print: May! It’s a sort of ~florals for spring, groundbreaking~ situation, but really, who cares. As previously shared, spring in Maine is a long haul, so when flowers (color!) begin to appear, it’s hard not to get an outsized feeling of elation.
This month’s cover is a pretty—floral!—print illustration taken from a really interesting artwork, the Grosse Stammbuch of art dealer and diplomat, Phillipp Heinhofer. What is a stammbuch?, you might rightfully wonder. It is essentially a book full of the signatures of your friends. However, this Grosse (large) one is a 227-page book of signatures and coats of arms, each one commissioned and illustrated for months, and is essentially a huge brag-book for Heinhofer, to show how cool and royal all his friends are. I guess this must have been important for some people at the turn of the 17th century. Funny and interesting to note is that he rarely traveled without this buch, so he must have been showing off everywhere he went!
Inside!
An incredibly fun and simple project for making these sweet dried flower glycerin soaps. I had originally thought, whoa OK drying flowers out for this may take a while, until I realized that, in fact, the entire outdoors is already full of dried flowers that need to be trimmed back. So, at least for this planting area (6a!), I thought it might be a fun, timely project wherein you trim back last years floral growth—in this case, I chopped up a bit of hydrangea—to make sweet lil soaps with them. Something that hadn’t occurred to me about these soaps until I had already finished the project was how much they end up looking like those very cool Sola Cubes from Kyoto-based Usagi no Nedoko. Given that, I definitely think the next time I make these, I’ll try a cube shape instead. And potentially a flower that has a little more color to offer. And, AND! Because this particular project is just so simple to do and the payoff is miles ahead of the effort, I know there will definitely be a next time.
Next, last, is a little photo essay by me: Photos I took on film with my trusty and beloved Olympus Mju III (No, I know, it’s not The One, but that’s what I like about it. Photos are still stellar and I don’t have to worry about toting around Precious Cargo). We went down to New York for the school break in April and, it being spring there at that point, of course I took a million photos of flowers. Especially fun, we visited the New York Botanical Garden, a first for me despite so many trips and residencies in the city over this lifetime! (And a reluctant almost-matriculation to Fordham!)
Last, a moment, which is always a fun little treasure hunt for me to dig out of the assets I have for this issue.
Happy end of spring, pals!
The kind of LA canyon house I’d always dreamt of—and exactly the type of structure that inspired the original Treehouse (and still in this iterations DNA!). In short: I love this house. (LINK)
Hard-ish to find very long bench! This one is in Massachusetts! One lives in my very own mud room and it is extremely helpful and frequently complimented. (LINK)
Surprise! These are free in Portland (OR). (LINK)
Have always loved these. Here’s a sweet one in Maine. (LINK)
