Pop over to Glamour Coastal Living today where Ashlea has written a beautiful post about the renovation we did on our current home.

You can read all about it here.

Hayley x

One thing I am definitely going to miss from our home is the stair case. I fought hard to get exactly what I wanted in my staircase, from the panelling on the walls, to the exact stain on the timber treads, which is Porters Paint – Palm Beach Black if you wanted to know.

Excuse the picture, It’s an old IG one, but I currently have about 30 boxes piled high in front of the stairs and I couldn’t find the energy or motivation to move them for a photo. Packing is hard work!

   The staircase at our new home is not exactly my dream staircase, but I think it has potential after I tweak it a little bit.

Here’s my plan of attack –

1. Change out the balustrading. I’m not loving the wavy iron look. I am not a fan of glass, it is a little too modern for me and with 3 kids and dog, I would be cleaning it constantly.  I don’t mind iron, just not this design. But I will probably go for something classic like a square timber post, with a big chunky newel post at the bottom. Pretty much what I have now.

2. Sand back the treads and risers, re-stain the treads in a dark, rich colour, probably Palm Beach Black again. and paint the risers gloss white. Again – pretty much what I have now.

3. Create a point of interest on the walls. I don’t think I will do the panelling again, as much as I love it I’d like to do something different. As the wall is curved it is not ideal to hang art or do a fabulous gallery wall. I have an idea in my head for something very simple, but hopefully quite effective, stay tuned!

What is your dream staircase? Here’s a few I found on Pinterest that have me drooling …

I love the striped runner, it makes quite a statement paired back with the spotty carpet. And I do love the contrast between the white balustrade and black handrail.

I wish I was confident enough to do this. I have seen some similar stairs with gorgeous tiles, but this one is done with wallpaper. Wallpaper would be easier to change than tiles, but I still don’t think I am brave enough. Are you?

How about these ombre stairs, It’s only paint … easy enough to change … right? This is so fun!

What do you think? Do you have any advice for me? I’d love to hear it!

Hayley x

PS. It seems that cute dogs are the most fashionable accessory when styling your staircase for a photoshoot, Ha!

It’s that time again, the monthly round up of my favourite five businesses from the June #mumlittleloves is here. You can find the last couple of months here and here. Gosh, this is so hard to choose each month, I share so many awesome little businesses every month that choosing just 5 is near impossible, but here goes …

COUANI 

Couani stocks the most amazing handmade goods direct from the heart of Africa. Each piece is hand crafted from villages in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. They are bright, colourful, fun and bang on trend. The bowls look amazing clustered on walls as display pieces, and the baskets are useful throughout your home in so many applications – pop a plant in them, toy storage, in the bathroom, anywhere you want a jolt of useful colour.

COCCO

Cocco provides high-end body care products made from organic local ingredients. I am completely in love with their “Maine Beach” range of moisturising cremes, bath washes and lip balms. My favourites include the Lord Howe Island Organic Coconut & Tahitian Lime range and the Organic Ligurian Honey range. It has become a staple item in my bathroom, the packaging is beautiful and the body care inside doesn’t disappoint. It has also become my new ‘go-to’ gift. I love this Australian brand!

LISA LAPOINTE

Lisa Lapointe is a pencil artist who draws upon spiritual, religious and indigenous mythology in her art. Her cushions and art are geometric, colourful and full of life. They make me smile and I think they would be a beautiful addition to any home.

THE COASTAL CUSHION COMPANY

The Coastal Cushion Company was the idea of a lovely local girl here on the Gold Coast. She has hand selected a gorgeous range of cushions to bring a coastal influence into your home, apartment or any living space. They are priced very reasonably with free shipping anywhere in Australia.

MADE MEASURE

Made Measure is a collaboration betweenPaul Kinny and Christina Teresinski. Their love of leather brought them together. They have a quality over quantity approach towards their work, and their pieces are simple in form and function. They produce leather joinery handles and goods that are rich in texture and will only get better with age. The saddle tan leather coat hook is most defiantly on my wish list!

Did you find something? Click on the pics to begin shopping, and enjoy!

I would also like to take this opportunity to answer a couple of questions I get asked regularly.

“Do you get paid to feature products?” No, I don’t. I feature products that I like or feel that my followers will like. I prefer to feature products that I have personally seen or used as I would hate to promote something that is of inferior quality or is not as it appears in photos. I want my followers and readers to trust my judgment on products.

Will you do promotional post in return for products? Yes, If I believe the product is of interest to my viewers. If I come to an agreement with a business to promote their business in return for a product I will disclose it as a ‘sponsored post’. Be prepared, If I do a sponsored post I will ask for a special offer for my readers, there has to be something in it for them too! Occasionally, I receive gifts with no prior arrangement to promote the product, If I choose to share these with you it’s because I genuinely love the item.

How do I get on #mumlittleloves? Simple! Tag me on Instagram, send me an e-mail, leave me a message, send me a sample, just alert me to your product. If I think my readers and followers will like it, I’ll feature it on Instagram and Facebook, and maybe even my blog!

Hayley x

I have a few items in my home that makes one of my friends a little squeamish.

She believes that the souls of the passed animals haunt the places where their remains are. In that case, I am living with a shark, a turtle and lot’s of sea creatures who once lived in my extensive shell collection. They don’t seem to mind living at my house, they seem pretty friendly, we haven’t heard any animal cries in the night.

I have a huge shark jaw that my husband brought home from the rubbish tip. Yep, the dump! A local fisherman was dumping it and hubby asked if he could take it. It was still a little yucky, and I soaked it in bleach and then left it in the sun for a few weeks to completely dry out. I absolutely love it, sharks fascinate me and scare the living daylights out of me at the same time. I have great respect for them, and am honoured to have it in my home.

I recently received a pair of custom painted antlers from Pink Deer. The antlers are naturally shed. Antlers are extensions of the skull bone grown in deer. They are true bone structures that usually grow in symmetrical pairs. In many species, antlers are shed and regrown each year. No deer were harmed decorating my home!

I adore my antlers, they are textural and sculptural, they bring a touch of nature into my home and I think they are perfect for winter decorating. You can purchase your own custom painted antlers at Pink Deer here.

I also have a vintage turtle shell which I adore. It was given to me by an elderly lady who was moving. She had been given it by the Fijian people as a wedding gift on her honeymoon over 50 years ago.

Turtles are beautiful creatures, and I was very unsure about whether to accept this turtle shell into my home. I most definitely don’t approve of killing turtles for their shells, and I do understand that by displaying them, they can become a coveted item which in turn can lead to people killing them for profit. But I also felt that this beautiful vintage shell should be lovingly displayed and appreciated for it’s beauty, instead of being stuck away in a cupboard and forgotten about.

So I hang it in my home and appreciate it’s beauty everyday.

How do you feel about having these items in your home?

What about shells? I know many of my readers have shell collections just as I do, those shells once had little creatures living in them. What about dried starfish and seahorses?

What do y’all think? I’d love to know your thoughts!

Hayley x