Welcome to Simplicity Relished.
Hello! I’m Daisy, a social entrepreneur, writer, and fellow adventurer. I’m here to help you finally follow your heart, explore the world, and live courageously.
Carmel and Pebble Beach, California
As a child of the San Francisco Bay Area, one of my favorite road trips was driving down to the Monterey Peninsula. It was such bliss to be by the Pacific ocean--cold, windy and salty-- and to be far away from the worries and stresses of life at home (yes, I was...
5 Reasons to Go the Distance
Long-distance relationships are hard. It is so easy to feel frustrated, misunderstood, and generally disconnected. So what makes a long-distance relationship worthwhile? Should you stay in it? Should you go your separate ways?Before I continue, I should note that I am...
10 Ways to Feel Better
I'm writing this post from a place of humility. Certain aspects of this recent season have been really difficult for me, and there has not been much I can do to effect immediate change. Sometimes, we can't help feeling downtrodden, unmotivated, and even a little...
Make Your Own Abstract Wall Art
I've always loved abstract art, particularly those with gorgeous vibrant colors. Growing up, my parents had a few really beautiful paintings that covered blank walls, and they created the kind of ambience I wanted for my own home one day. Though we can't exactly be...
5 Ways to Entertain on a Budget
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you have plans for a fun and restful weekend. In fact, today I'd like to share some tips on how to host friends or family on a somewhat regular basis without breaking the bank. Few of us make the kind of salary where we should be...
Mirror, Mirror On the Wall
Regardless of gender, color, or age, many of us care deeply about how we look. We are naturally drawn to objects of beauty and we desire to be considered beautiful. And yet for many of us, such standards of beauty are hardly attainable-- at least without allowing our...
Easy Clothespin Photo Display
In the age of camera phones and image-sharing media, the printed photograph is becoming a rarity. This, in my opinion, is a bit unfortunate because printed photos are beautiful. Not only are they tactile and portable, but they are also agree quite well with the human...
Finding Peace on Days Off
Happy Labor Day, folks! I hope this national holiday actually signifies a day off for you. In fact, despite the purpose and history of this holiday, I'm finding that advertisers and industries have the exact opposite goals in mind; my email inbox this morning had me...
Peach and Heirloom Tomato Caprese
As friends head back to school and summer's last-hurrah holiday is upon us, I'm savoring the final bounty of hot-weather produce before getting ready for fall. Two trademark fruits of this season are, of course, tomatoes and peaches, easily found at any local farmer's...
6 Ways to Love Someone
My husband and I became best friends about six years ago. And though we've only been married for two and a half months, I have some wisdom (and photos!) to share with you all. By no means do I do these things perfectly; but every good relationship requires hard work...
The Voices in our Heads
Some call it self-talk. Others consider it our attitude. Regardless of terminology, we all are aware of the voices in our heads that challenge us, work against our values, make us feel worthless, and confuse us about our deepest commitments. What is this really about?...
How To Start Writing (Again)
Whether you're composing an application essay for college or graduate school, or trying to produce a blog post that just isn't working, or coming back to writing after a multi-year hiatus, personal writing can be intimidating. It is an undertaking that exposes the...
Easy Treat-Filled Mason Jar Gifts
I've recently written about how we can become generous with our resources, not just with our stuff. I'm a huge fan of giving great gifts (no, not gift cards, gifts)-- and will spend hours looking for the perfect present. And despite the absolute over-commercialization...
New About and FAQ Pages!
Behind every piece of writing is a story. In the case of Simplicity Relished, there's both an immediate story and a slightly grander vision. The former was focused on my needs of the moment, and the latter has been constructed over a longer period of time. Despite...
Delicious Homemade Granola
Back when I worked as a cook in an addictions-recovery community, I made our breakfast granola from scratch. This stuff is incredible! It's a cheap, healthy and delicious way to start off your day, not to mention the easiest recipe ever. The process of making granola...
Denim, Yellow, and Red
When I embarked on Project 333, I had very few pieces on hand to start. Most of my things were in boxes and I was already using a restricted wardrobe. Naturally, I picked my best pieces and was determined to wear them all month long. But there's a difference...
How to Start Giving Radically
"Sell your possessions and give to the poor." We've all heard some form of this commandment-- invitation, if you will-- attributed to Jesus himself. The problem many people face with this concept is in the details: sell my possessions? sell all my...
Seven Reasons to Shop at the Farmer’s Market
There's a problem with our food. And the multifaceted movement towards slow-paced, farm-to-table, ethically raised, seasonably available and downright delicious food has its own niches, too. There are individuals who emphasize each characteristic of this...
5 Ways to Make Your Home More Inviting
Those of us who live in small spaces know that it can be terribly difficult simply to fit ourselves and our stuff into our home. Since my husband and I moved into our 500-square-foot apartment, we have driven to the Container Store a handful of times already. Finding...
Petals and Pink in Pasadena
Here is my third outfit for my take on Project 333-- Courtney Carver's minimalist wardrobe challenge! Every few days I am sharing an outfit put together with the 11 items I selected for the month. What I wore: Today, I tucked a loose-fitting printed shirt into a...
The Inadequacies of Transition
Despite the liberated schedule and uncluttered calendar that often come with a period of transition, I must confess that transitions are still hard for me. Having returned to San Francisco from Cambridge, Massachusetts in May, traveled internationally in June and...
Asparagus Omelette with Comté and Fresh Herbs
Part of the challenge of cooking for one (or two) is creating new delicious meals you can finish in one sitting. Of course I am also a fan of stocking the fridge with great homemade dishes I can heat up at mealtime-- tomato sauce bolognese, chicken curry or pork...
Project 333 Outfit #2 and Defining “Chic” for Yourself
I'm continuing my attempt at Courtney Carver's challenge for minimalist fashion-- Project 333-- by showing you the outfits I create out of the eleven pieces I selected. As you know, I have been downsizing my wardrobe this summer in order to move into a small apartment...
Instagram and Other Fake Lives
I recently read an op-ed in the New York Times that encourages us to look closely at the lives we portray on social media-- and question whether it deprives us of true happiness. Envy, the author says, often drives or proceeds from our portrayals of perfection in...
Japanese Coast and Countryside in Hokkaido
Hokkaido is the northern-most island of Japan, known both for its cherry blossoms and ice sculptures. We were there this summer for five days and we absolutely loved the landscape, culture and people. Here are a few highlights from the trip! Tasting sea urchin right...
Wardrobe: Project 333 and the Challenge of Minimalist Fashion
There is nothing like packing and moving once every six to eight months to make us realize how much stuff we've accumulated. And yet, though I've packed, moved and stored every half year since 2010, I still have tons of possessions, and admittedly find myself...
The Purpose of Blogging
Here is a story I am unafraid to tell. I started this blog, Simplicity Relished, in the middle of a panic. It was late winter in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and I had a senior honors thesis to complete. This was a project that had been not only selectively funded but...
The (im)Perfect Quiche
I know I've posted about quiche already on this blog, so why do it again? Partly because after my recent trip to Paris, my obsession with this iconic bistro dish has only grown; also because I promised to offer solutions to making weekday meals for one or two people...
Paris: Flânerie in the City of Light
Everyone has their Paris list. Whether we've had the opportunity to travel there or not, the City of Light possesses an iconic quality unmatched by any other metropolitan space. Constantly, a myriad of individuals-- from tour guides to anthropologists to fashion...
Guide to Getting Rid of Clothes (and other things)
If you're like me, you care about the things you throw away and where they're going. Recently, I began to actually clean out my closet at the home where I grew up, and I discovered dozens of clothes I rotated in and out of my college closet and items I no longer...
How to Cook for One (or Two)
I'm writing this post not because I'm an expert on the subject, but rather because I've become acutely aware of how difficult this is. Before my husband and I got married, we (I) rarely cooked for just the two of us over a long period of time. Most often, we were...
Joy and Sorrow, June 2014
It was only last month that I posted from Ecclesiastes 3. For those who have not read Ecclesiastes, the book opens with the author seemingly in a pit of despair: Everything is meaningless, he says. I'm not about to harken back to the first chapter; these are...
Harvard Through the Seasons
I'm coming up on the end of my fourth year in Cambridge, MA and my fifth in New England. Over the course of this season-- which has accounted for the majority of my adult life-- I've become acquainted with the brisk Boston pace, dramatic weather patterns, brazen...
Roasted Vegetables and Rotini
As we transition into summer, I'd like to share recipes that celebrate the delicious simplicity of natural produce. Smooth zucchini with crunchy skin paired with juicy bell-peppers and summer squash slices make an easy meal that's also filling. The key to this...
Spring Brunch Menu
Californians are used to enjoying spring weather-- breezy sunshine, an occasional drizzle-- beginning in late February. So when Easter Sunday in Cambridge brings us a high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and chilly winds, we have to make a little sunshine of our own....
O Ya Restaurant in Boston
You would expect the best sushi to be in New York-- at least in the United States. Well, I haven't tried every sushi restaurant there is, but one indispensable house of sushi is most certainly O Ya Restaurant near Boston South Station. Tucked away a block or two from...
A View From Brooklyn
Brooklyn, New York. The name of the borough evokes so many associations, from poverty to gentrification, hipsters to yuppies. The famous Brooklyn Bridge, Grimaldi's pizza, the Brooklyn Tabernacle and the emerging new artist scene. In the past five years, I've watched...
Before Emails: Letters
It was breathtaking when I handled these fragile letters for the first time. I couldn't believe that what was in my hands was nearly 120 years old, not to mention a significant part of Boston's history. This was one of the many letters Robert Woods wrote to his...
Desperation and Creativity
I'm writing because there's some cosmic pressure on my shoulders. Completing a senior thesis never occurred to me as a way to risk my intellectual confidence, sanity, and sense of identity on something no one will ever read. The irony is almost as worth writing...