may magic
A particular softness is in the air this week. Just enough to leave the windows open overnight. The seedlings at the garden are finally making progress after the rainy days of late April. I've been out walking without a sweater over my shoulders. A gentle loosening, a blossoming. The month of May is such a gift. Hope you can take a moment this week to simply be in it, no matter what else is happening.
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listening:
to this beautiful album, piano + kora
to our very own rose-scented playlist
reading:
and from the archives, the roses of the Lower East Side
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above, clockwise from top left:
the magical cabinet, full of treasures…
sending this little beauty out to a new home! more vintage, right this way.
freshly poured cardamom lip balms
testing out a new iced tisane blend, stay tuned!
I’ve been spending some time with Alyson’s beautiful new book, Our Kindred Home, over these last few weeks. Full of seasonal recipes and rituals for re-connection with ourselves + the earth, it’s truly a wise and beautiful offering for these times.
The seasonal shift toward warmer weather here in the city has meant a subtle shift in some of my own skincare practices. For the moment, that means a spoonful of our honey clay cleanser on damp skin in the morning, gently massaging it away with a warm, damp facial cloth, and following with a little hydrosol mist, and a few drops of balancing serum (the gorgeous oil infusion behind this special blend can be seen, below!) blended with spf to finish. A simple and restorative way to greet the day!
The garden this month has been absolutely bursting with color and life. So many of our communally tended native plant beds at 6&B are really settling into a certain rhythm, with plants happy in their places self-seeding freely.
Below, (clockwise from top left) from these last few weeks:
the Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
the exquisite electric blue of the spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)
the absolute magic of the honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) which blooms multiple times each year
and our lovely Penstemon smallii in the most lovely shade of purple.
May in the garden is truly a feast!
p.s. I’ve been eyeing this northeast native plant reference guide recently, sharing here in case you’re also in the region and looking for more information on adding native plants to your garden…
more spring things
April is always such a busy time, our energy rises with the blossoming of the natural world outside, which can be both invigorating and a little overwhelming.