Tuesday 4 March 2014

Some of my fovourite things

While a lot of people were participating in No buy January and Frugal February, yours truly was busy spending money on new launches and upcoming trends for spring. However my bank balance is not a bottomless pit (although it seems I like to believe that it is). It is time to relax and take a back seat, and live vicariously through others.

It is officially time for Modest March and Austerity April (at this point it is a requirement for me). So in order to help me last the distance, I decided to concentrate on the wonderful things that I already have.

Home and Beauty:

Soap.



Have I already bored everybody with my soap obsession? I just can not get enough of artisanal soap, not only is it pretty as a picture, it smells fantastic and is so much better than shower gels. A good soap is moisturising and there is no bottle to get rid of, let alone the fact that a bar of soap lasts for ages.

What I normally do is I cut a bar in half, one part is in the bathroom and the second half I put in a muslin cloth bag. This way there is less product waist, and the muslin bag keeps the soap fresh, but also allows it to breathe. I always seem to have a stash of soaps, and as you really need to use one at a time, the rest are kept in drawers. They make everything smell awesome, so you can see how this really is a multipurpose product (I do need to justify the ridiculous amount of soap bars to Mr. RF somehow).

Also I have noticed that a lot of soap makers tend to include little samples of their other soaps, which are great for travel (and if I don't have any on hand, it's super easy to cut a piece of one of the unused bars).

There are so many soaps around nowadays you really are spoilt for choice, but I really like to brows through etsy, as there are so many different ones conveniently grouped together.

Candles.



Who doesn't like candles? Well I am sure there is someone, but if we are talking your general run of the mill candle, I guess I don't like them either. What you hope to achieve with a candle is a relaxing, possibly romantic atmosphere. And if you are using a scented candle, you are hoping for some aromatherapy benefits as well. But if you combine your desire with paraffin wax, lead wicks and synthetic fragrance, well you get yourself a pretty polluting product, which is going to be used in a fairly confined space.

I would love to try a Neom candle at some point, they seem to be all the rage. But for now I have this pretty fresh smelling Lavender and Peppermint one from Indigo Wild. I am not normally a big fan of everything lavender, but this candle smelt so good, and I would say peppermint was more dominant. I picked mine up from a local health and beauty store, but you can easily get them on amazon.


Books.



I tend to read a lot, but rarely re-read books. These to stories are the ones I turn to when I feel a little stuck. No one can beat Jane Austin when it comes to a romantic story with a feel good ending, and the prose itself is just so wonderful. Pride and Prejudice is my personal favourite.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a book that I have loved since I was a kid. It is your ultimate epic adventure and it never fails to inspire me. Just one of those stories that transcends generations.

Both of these are from the Penguine Clothbound classics.

Elephant.


My dad brought me this little elephant from India. He said it was for good luck and prosperity. It really cheers me up every time I see it. I just love the design on it, the ability of people to create beautiful things never ceases to amaze me.

Arts and things:



I have so many art supplies, it can be a little difficult storing them in a limited amount of space. After I finished a box of rather delicious date I noticed that the box they came in was the right length for some of my pencils that didn't have a home yet, and as it came with handy separators, I filled the rest of the empty space with rubbers and blenders. I love this little box more than any containers sold for these purposes.

One of my favourite sketchbooks to draw in is Moleskin Folio. The paper is very smooth, and even though it doesn't allow for heavy layers of pencil, I just love how the drawings look on this type of surface.


Accessories:

Mirror.



I found this lovely compact in a little store called Mitzi B. It was full of great accessories, stylish furniture and even vintage clothes. I have a few things from them, all loved, but this mirror is truly special. It was the mirror I had with me on my wedding day.

Earrings.



Most of the jewelry that I make I don't keep for myself. I just couldn't help myself with this pair. It is a pretty simple design, but it speaks to my inner hippy.

Hair bands.



I don't know if I am the only one who has struggled with constantly snapping hairbands, that don't seem to hold your hair in a top bun for more than an hour, and always seem to rip out some of it when you try to take them off. Granted, my hair is fairly long, and I do have a lot of it, but surely it shouldn't be that difficult?

The search is well and truly over. These Ooh La Lara bands are absolutely fantastic, and cute to boot. There are many great choices, but I have a soft spot for Ballet collection.

Owls.



It is so rare for me to buy jewelry, but I found these owls from Mikey to br absolutely irresistible. It was a fair few years ago, just before a Halloween, I spotted the ring and I just couldn't put it down. As I was walking out of the store I noticed earrings that looked pretty similar, so here we are.

Brooch.



I only have three brooches and this one came in a People Tree goody bag. I only wear them occasionally on my outer clothing, but I do really like this one. It just brightens everything up.

Socks.



If you ever wondered about the name of this blog, it originates from my obsession with fluffy rainbow coloured socks. I would wear them so often around the house that my husband started to call me "rainbow feet". I still have some somewhere, but I don't wear them so often anymore, but all my socks are still colourful (and I don't think that part will change).

8 comments:

  1. The compact mirror is beautiful :-)

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    1. Thank you, I always admire the craftsmanship when I use it xx

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  2. I am so obsessed with handmade soaps as you are! I have plenty of them, and I also cut them into pieces to use it longer. No shower gels or liquid soaps can replace them... XxX

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    1. phew, I am gald i'm not alone in this ;) xx

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  3. Such a great point about bar artisan soap... no bottle to get rid of! May I ask how you store your soap after you are done with it? Do you just leave it in your shower, or do you set it somewhere else? Bar soap runs out so quickly for me usually, mostly because I probably leave it in the shower getting goopy with other uses! :0) Kathryne at getunsullied

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    1. I put it in a travel container making sure no water gets in to it and leave it on the furthest edge of the bath (bath and shower in one over here). You really shouldn't leave the soap where water can get to it if you want it to last :)

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  4. I gotta know where those soaps are from!

    Mayah x

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    1. Ok let me try and look through my scatter brain, the big orange one is from Osmia (zucca spice I believe), the two smaller pieces in front are from Bulles est Molecules ( they are on etsy but also have a website, Canadian brand), and the one with purple is from soak yourself ( a uk company and they don't use palm oil ) xx

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