Father’s Day Gift Guide, part 1.

Father’s Day is fast approaching and if you want to shop in your PJ’s with a glass of wine and no make-up like I do, then you need to start shopping soon to allow for shipping times.

Of course you could always buy those techy things like a Sonos sound bar or Jawbone fitness tracker, while those things are pretty fabulous and obviously great gifts, I’m thinking a little outside the box.

 I’ve found some stylish gifts, the gifts that when I buy them I kinda feel like I’m getting a gift myself, a little bit cheeky huh!

MOZI

I am loving this collection, it’s so much fun and perfect for the Big Bear in my home! This will definitely be wrapped up for my hubby this Father’s Day.

THE JIMMY CASE

Fun, functional and well-crafted phone cases that incorporates an elastic pocket to hold cash and credit cards. They are made with military grade mahogany and a silicone bumper which makes them light and strong. These are perfect for the Dad that likes to carry the essentials, but nothing unnecessary.

THE MAN BOX

Such a great idea, The Man Box does has done all the hard work and put together a selection of manly hampers! There are 8 different boxes catered towards the Travel man, Metro man, BBQ man, Candy man, Golf man, Fisher man, Jalepeno man and my pick, the Biére man. It’s all packaged up in the original Man Box wooden crate, and my favourite part, it comes with a crow bar to open it!

UBERKATE 

I love this sterling silver disk, shaped for comfort and designed to be tied around his wrist with a leather strap. It is the perfect mix of masculine and stylish, and I’m sure even the most manly Dad will love it, especially when it is adorned with all his favourite peoples names.

HAPPY PLACE TERRARIUMS

I love to see an office with some greenery, preferable a big leafy plant, but I know a lot of men who would never remember to water them and brown crispy plants are just not pretty.

What about a terrarium? I think this is the perfect alternative to bringing some nature into an office space, and the bonus is – there is barely any maintenance required.

This one is my favourite, it’s The Mykonos, and it was created by Happy Place Terrariums for the Better Homes and Garden shop. It contains a slice of blue agate, white quartz stones and 3 air plants all nestled on white sand and gravel. I would love this myself, maybe you could sneak this in as a gift for hubby from the kids, but really pop it on the dining room table for everyone to enjoy.

WINTON HOUSE

My hubby is forever sitting at the dining table, particularly outside, and he pulls a second chair around to put his feet on … so annoying! I love the idea of him having his own pouf to pop his feet on! This is not just any pouf, it is made from Dash and Albert’s hero polypropylene which is scrubbable, bleachable and UV treated. So, he can drag his pouf inside, outside, anywhere he wants to throw his feet up, and you can hose it off and keep it looking super stylish! Love it!

What do you all think, I think all these gifts will make Dad and YOU happy!

Stay tuned for part 2 of my gift giving guide for Dad next week.

Happy Shopping!

Hayley x

So, as you know, we bought an ordinary house with an incredible view in a great location. We figured we could change the house, but we couldn’t change the view or location, so here we are, in our very Vanilla home.

She’s not pretty, she’s not big and she’s got no personality ….. but we’re going to give her a facelift, maximise every inch and inject buckets of character.

So, here it is!

Please note: These are the realestate.com photos and are not of my furniture or styling.

As you can see, it is very boring, but I think it has great bones, and I can see so much potential. We will be adding walls, removing walls, refinishing all the floorboards, installing a new and expanded kitchen, laying new flooring downstairs, painting throughout, changing the staircase …. and the list goes on. Oh, and don’t even get me started on those pine doors, eeesh, can’t wait to get rid of them!

Then of course the fun parts, we’ll be adding some fabulous lights, wallpaper and decorative touches that really make a house your home.

Unfortunately our budget is not unlimited, and I will probably leave the bathrooms (there are 4 of them) with minimal changes for a few years. I’ll switch out the cabinetry handles, tap ware and fittings and they will be fine, very vanilla, but not offensive.

We’re are starting a few of the smaller projects in the next couple of weeks, i.e.; the pool fencing will be changed to frameless and the dining room doors and windows will be removed and changed. Stay Tuned!

What do you all think? Can you see the potential I can see?

Hayley x

Those of you that follow me on Instagram will have seen my latest prized possession antlers in a few of my pictures. They are the perfect fusion between nature and colour. I adore the texture and the shape mixed with the bright pops of colour.

It fascinates me that somebody was clever enough to think of such a creative use for these beautiful antlers, and I wanted to find out more.

Meet Susanne …. the face behind Pink Deer.

 TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?

 My husband David is a stockbroker and we have three gorgeous children; Charlie, Mimi and Harry. Prior to having kids, I studied Fashion Design and then worked in Television production. We married in our early 20’s, had the children and then motherhood became my career up until three years ago. Pink Deer came along at the perfect time, as previously I wouldn’t have been able to devote the time to it while being the mother I am.

 HOW DO YOU JUGGLE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS WITH 3 CHILDREN?

 Even though my kids are grown-up, (late teens to early 20’s) they all still live at home and I still have the “Mum jobs” that go with it. My girlfriends and I all agree that “the bigger the kids, the bigger the problems”. I think motherhood is a lifetime job and my kids always come first. It’s a balancing act and I’m very lucky to be flexible with my hours.

 WHY DID YOU START PINK DEER?

Pink Deer was totally unplanned. I’ve always felt that being creative energised me and have been applying my creativity to small projects for my entire life. When my youngest son had his tonsils removed, I was housebound and decided to create some jewellery. Before I knew it, friends wanted to buy it, the kids started a Facebook page and it snowballed from there. Not long after that, a retailer saw the jewellery and antler on Facebook and Pink Deer was born.

 WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU SOLD AND IS IT PART OF YOUR CURRENT COLLECTION?

 I was really lucky in that my first sale wasn’t just a single piece, but my entire collection! Since then, my style has evolved and even though each collection differs from the last I think Pink Deer has a distinctive style.

 HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE PROUDLY DISPLAYING OR WEARING YOUR PIECES IN PUBLIC OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

In a word? Surreal. I love seeing how people style the Antler and how they put an outfit together with my jewellery and scarves. Career highlight was probably seeing Shaynna Blaze style my antler on The Block and Rebecca Judd discussing it on Postcards.

 I LOVE HOW YOUR JEWELLERY RANGE IS AVAILABLE IN SEASONS, CLEARLY YOUR COLOUR PALETTE IS INFLUENCED BY THE SEASONS, WHERE ELSE DOES INSPIRATION COME FROM?

I know it’s a cliché, but I find inspiration absolutely everywhere. I’m addicted to magazines and love Google and social media. I find inspiration in shop displays, people watching or even just seeing a colour, which can evolve into an idea. I’m also addicted to Pinterest, which is where I have a virtual pinboard and pin things I find online that interest me. My Pinterest username is Susanne Permezel.

 THE ADORNED ANTLERS ARE VERY POPULAR WITH INTERIOR DESIGNERS DUE TO THEIR ORGANIC SHAPE AND UNIQUE TEXTURES. TELL US WHERE THE IDEA FIRST CAME FROM?

Before the Antler lighting trend came to Australia, I sourced a carload of antler (courtesy of my poor husband who had to go on a road trip to find them!), but never ended up creating any pieces. Years down the track, I decided to paint them and its just evolved from there.

ALL YOUR ANTLERS ARE NATURALLY SHED, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Male deer naturally shed their antlers every year around August/September. They immediately start to grow back and by about February the antlers are fully-grown but in soft velvet. This is a substance that covers the antler and gradually calcifies and hardens. When calcification is complete the velvet skin dies and is shed. During this time the deer rub their antler on trees to remove the skin and polish their antlers. So, it ’s a totally natural product of the lifecycle of a deer. I find the whole process fascinating and have a few favourite pieces I can’t part with simply because of their beauty and texture.

 DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER CREATIVES WHO WOULD LIKE TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?

“Do what you love and love what you do”.

It might not be your first idea but keep trying and never give up. The first store I went to with my antler said they “weren’t for them”. I was crushed, but not long after they were in demand. Social media is a great platform for getting your products out there.

 WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR PINK DEER?

 Pink Deer will continue to evolve as a brand. I’ve added scarves to my range, which I’m personally designing. I have a few exciting new products in the pipeline so stay tuned.

Now, I know you all want to add a splash of Pink Deer into your life, so here’s a few of my favourite things for you to drool over…..

And, just because Susanne is so lovely, she has a very generous offer for all my readers …

20% OFF ALL ITEMS FOR 2 WEEKS!!!

Apply the code – Mumlittleloves after checkout. Offer expires on Wednesday the 26th August. RUN, don’t walk!!!

Happy Shopping!

Hayley x

* Pictures of Pink Deer products from the Pink Deer website with permission.

First of all, I’m sorry for the lack of blog posts in the last week. Moving has been hectic, and we don’t have internet until next week (hopefully), so I’m posting from my phone using all my data, eek!

Yippee!!!

We’re in our new house and I’m excited to share it all with you, but today I’m exhausted, did I mention that moving sucks, so please excuse the short post.

I’d love to show you the reason we bought the home.

Let me tell you – It wasn’t the beige on beige on beige interiors, it wasn’t the boring layout and it most definitely wasn’t the curb appeal. We bought the ugliest house in a great street, but just look at those magnificent views!

What do you think? What makes you sign on the dotted line when your buying a house? Is it the views? The layout? The style? or the area? I’d love to know how you make your house buying decisions.

Hayley x