A couple of posts ago, I wrote about bach life, and how it has changed things a bit for me. I wanted to not buy anything new for three months for my home.  It has been more freeing than I had realised it was ever going to be.  I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently and she talked about her family motto, between her and her Husband, being the saying Just Enough – We Have Just Enough.  Enough to make them happy.  Content.  I think we all understand that if we don’t set ourselves some limits, that it will never be enough, even when we have all the necessities, all the ‘things’. Unless we decide for ourselves that we have enough (of whatever) we will always been hankering for more.

It has made me, interestingly, just look at beautiful things for what they are, and think they would be nice to have – but I am OK for now.  My only rule has been that I can replace things as they are broken, but instead I have found myself going through kitchen drawers and actually removing things that are just excess, and finding new homes for them. When I feel the need to buy something (which is still quite often) I try and think of something I already have that could do the same job.  I haven’t bought anything and we are into month number two.  Ask me at the end of number three how I went…

Anyhow, these are the things that I love at the moment.

These Otto Loom turkish towels are a bit of a revelation to me.  I have a large cupboard filled with towels that we use with our pool.  The children are forever taking a towel out of the cupboard and then throwing them over a chair outside so the place resembles a chinese laundry by the evening. While we were away on holiday, the place we stayed at had these towels for us to use, and they were amazing!  They take all the water you throw at them and then dry in five minutes ready to be used again. Made for many years in Southern Turkey, these have been sourced and handmade locally with 100% vegetable GOTS dyes (Global Organic Textile Standard).  They retail from $49 for the organic cotton and from $99 for the natural linen.  Find them online at OTTO LOOM, but I know that Madder & Rouge stock them also.  The ones pictured are the child sized versions in lovely candy colours.

I get sent thing from time to time, sometimes when a new collection comes in, I may be sent a piece.  Which is rather nice.  Recently I got sent this scarf from NoaNoa to celebrate the release of the summer 2013. Scarves are not things I usually wear in the summer – I have only two.  One is an amazing Maaike silk scarf of their Bleeding Flowers print which I love, and the other is now this gorgeous NOANOA scarf. It has gone everywhere with me over the holidays as I took to wearing it to stop the back of my neck burning while biking (yes I do do that occasionally) and while gardening. Basically whenever we went out in the sun. It will be going in my luggage when I travel to the States later this year for our first family holiday (we are not big family travellers) as it is so damned practical. When it isn’t being worn, it lives in my hallway on my coat rack. NOANOA is stocked at Smith and Caugheys, Kirkcaldies but also check their FB page for other stockists.

I get to travel to the States almost annually to see my Sister and her Wife and family in San Francisco. I would happily (as I have said before) sit and talk to her for the ten days I am there over cups of tea and her fabulous cooking and never leave the house. We try and make up for the year that we don’t get to see each other, and we try to talk ourselves out.  It never happens!  This year she will be coming home for our parents 50th wedding anniversary (she has just arrived – happiness!), and we will holiday together with our families for the first time on her turf, when we have a month in LA, Vegas, Utah (there are dinosaur museums there) and back to San Francisco in July. If we have talked ourselves out by then we may feel the need for a bit of shopping.  Not far from where my Sister works in Sausilito is the Heath Ceramics factory and store.  I try to get there each visit, and my Sister tries to buy me a piece each time I am there.  The factory has been open since 1948, started by Edith Heath (1911-2005).  The factory is in its original building, with 50 crafts people making short runs of some of the most easily recognizable American Mid Century design. We can now get a tiny piece of that heritage here in Auckland with their Bud Vase (the smallest of the Heath vases shown) now stocked at Everyday Needs for just $69.

Yes, it is icecream.  And yes i love it.I dont just love it because it is has no additives or presservatives, or even because it is made by two genuinely nice local guys (and not a huge corporate).  Those are all just added bonuses for those of us that don’t do milk (for whatever reason).  To try and find a subsitute for icecream that isnt full of all sorts of nasty things is just about impossible.  But this is made from coconut cream – not soy as so many are made of. It isnt full of sugar, but it is so decilious and I just love that my kids are able to eat icecream out and about as so many places in Auckland are quietly starting to stock it. Fantastic.  It is called Nice Cream. And dont get me started on their Nice Blocks… we buy ours from Huckleberry Farms in Royal Oak.

What better combination than an entirely practical ghd and a shot of colour – in this case lavender.  Unfortunately my current ghd is going strong so there is no likelihood of me being able to replace it any time soon.  But I can still dream… Limited edition ghd Pastel Collection, in periwinkle, jade and lavender. For stockist information call 0800 880 209, RRP $289.