From Tink to Chic..

The Renovation is Complete!! I had so much fun on Saturday transforming Little Miss 3's bedroom into a shabby chic wonderland, with everything coming together perfectly! I have a space on one wall where I would like to put a big print, a chandelier to purchase and a few slight touch-ups to perform, but I wanted to share the almost finished product with everyone that has followed me on the journey thus far....


So, firstly - the BEFORE pics!

 A bit of mix matched furniture from over the years!

 

 Little Miss 3 in her Tinkerbell bed!

 

 This is the set of drawers she had as a newborn!

 Even Tinker on the walls too of course! Lol

And now THE NEW ROOM!!!!

This is the spot on the wall I am yet to find a picture or print for..

I LOVE that she has proper curtains instead of blinds! 

(Thanks Nanny for your awesome sewing efforts!)

This mirror is my favourite buy of the new room - I LOVE it!

Her gorgeous new tallboy...

I LOVE this this little set of drawers!!

I love that my mother is as sentimental as me - this was MY bedspread that was on my bed 30+ years ago..

She had kept it all this time packed away, and now my little miss has the same bedspread her Mumma had as a little girl...

Her Earth Angel from Made By Niss - one of the first things I ever bought off Facebook!

 This was her new-room-warming present from her Nanny..

 Some quick do-it-yourself Art Work (Thanks Nic from Buttons Dior for the tutorial!!)

And finally, her new hair accessories box!

So there you have it!! From Tink to Chic in a day (well, over a few weeks of collecting items - Lol) and apart from her tallboy that we got new-ish, everything else was from ebay / op shops / items I re-vamped etc...

A room fit for a princess and she absolutely LOVES it!  Let me know what you all think!

Now for Master 5's room.....  hmmmmm????  Lol

Smiles & Happiness, Haylie x

Just Another Day... Or Not?

I just celebrated another birthday.....   And for all the people that wanted to make a big fuss about it, my single reply was "It's just another day". Nothing has changed, the calender of life has simply clicked over by 365 days and when you get to my age (mid 30's) birthdays are about clowns, balloons & Toy Story invitations for your children - not making a big deal about your own. I am actually looking forward to a quiet day & night of pottering around my house and later curling up with my new book...  boring to some, heaven to me.

My husband comes home from work to tell me he has organised a baby-sitter and we have dinner reservations in a very fancy restaurant this evening. WOW - SUPER EXCITED!! Not only at the fact that I get an uninterrupted night with my super gorgeous husband, but I actually get to go out like a grown-up without hearing 'Put that down / Stop hitting your brother / Inside voice please" come out of my mouth for a whole night!!!!

Dinner is booked for 7pm, so I jump in the shower at 5pm and proceed to do the ritual of hair / make-up / outfit mission, all the while thinking "I will put a little more effort in than the usual slap-on of make-up or tied back hair because it is a special occasion & I am going out as a WOMAN with my gorgeous husband"...

An hour later, there are hair dryers, curling irons, discarded clothes and an abundance of make up from one side of the bedroom to the other - and I am almost EXHAUSTED from this womanly ritual of getting oneself ready! I think to myself while applying a second coat of mascara - "How do woman do this daily for work or even weekly for girls nights out??" because I am ready to put on my Pj's, make a coffee and curl up with my book! All of this effort for "Just Another Day", but instead, we jump in the car & are off to dinner...

Dinner was lovely, and it did feel nice to be out and about in the world, but weirdly enough it wasn't my world. Twenty-somethings running & giggling through the mall... groups of people ready to go out clubbing.... it all seemed so distant from my normal reality. When hubby asked if I wanted to go to the Casino after dinner, or maybe a walk through Surfers Paradise all I could say was 'Baby, I wanna go home'... By this stage, my hair had gone frizzy, my feet were starting to ache from the high heels I made myself wear 'to put more womanly effort in' (instead of my comfy flat lace up boots!), my face felt heavy from all the make up I had on, and I now had a full belly - which in my world, meant bedtime was not far away.

On the drive home I found myself thinking about the irony of the situation...  As a Mum, and a Work AT HOME Mum, you spend a lot of time wishing you could escape those four walls more often, even just to grab a coffee; that you could have more opportunities to be a woman instead of a routine caregiver; that you could leave the comfy trackie pants in the clothes hamper and finally put on that dress you were given for Xmas 2yrs ago but never went anywhere to wear....  And yet, when I got the chance to do all of these things, my whole being was yearning to be home in the comfort of all I sometimes wish to escape.

Flash forward 30 mins and I am stepping out of the shower, hair shampooed, conditioned and tied back in a neat plait, pajamas on, cuppa in one hand, book in the other heading over to our comfy old lounge that is sitting there ready to welcome me back like another member of the family.

I sit down with the biggest smile on my face since 5pm that day and think, is it really 'Just Another Day'??

No it's not. It's my birthday, I'm getting older...  and I'm ok with that.

Long gone are the days of nightclubs, heavy makeup & must have fashion; and honestly, I don't miss them one bit! I now admire Mothers who continue to have a social life, because the tiring thought of it alone makes me reach for my pillow and curl up that little bit tighter.

Laying in bed at 11.30pm as I drift off to sleep I realise...  All of those things I thought I longed for outside of these familiar four walls are so foreign and uncomfortable to me that they could never compare to the safe, warm security blanket I have created on the inside of them - and I so wouldn't have it any other way.
Happy Birthday to me...

Smiles & Happiness, Haylie x

Shabby + Chic = LOVE...

Ok, so I am a TOTAL Vintage / Shabby Chic / French Provincial addict, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Lol.. Any of you that have come to visit me at a market would have probably guessed in a heartbeat of course...

In fact, I hope in the next 3 years to have a gorgeous Little Miss Fascinated boutique to call my own that I can shabby the heck out of top to bottom!

But, until that is financially possible, I have decided to renovate Little-Miss-Almost-4's (Moo) bedroom!! Now, we are currently renting, which limits me slightly in the way of painting walls, but I have begun to gather all the goodies for her new French Provincial inspired room; and in a matter of a week, I am almost ready to do the complete transformation!! (When this Mumma sets her mind on something, she is one determined munchkin!). Now let it be clear that I am the biggest OP Shopper you will probably ever meet (though I have met my equal in Nic from Organised Chaos - and can't wait for the two of us to take over the up-cycled world together!! Lol), so everything that I have for Moo's new room is from an Op Shop, Ebay or a Garage Sale!

I don't have near HALF the space to work with as I would like for Moo's room, but will make do with what I do have and try to make it as vintage as possible...  However, here is my inspiration picture that I absolutely ADORE!!!!

I am needing one set of drawers to complete the furniture side of things, and then I am ready to transform & share the pictures with you all!!!! Sooooooo, on that note, I am off to ebay & gumtree once again in hope of finding my last few pieces so I can spend my weekend decorating!!!!

Smiles & Happiness, Haylie x

The Night Owl...

Yes, I have one...  the dreaded 'Night Owl' child. My Little-Miss-Almost-4 is a total night owl - just like her mother! I worked as a Bar Manager for 12yrs before becoming a full-time Mum and starting Little Miss Fascinated, so my body clock now works until about 12am/1am every night naturally; which a lot of mothers are shocked about, but honestly I just don't know any different.

In fact, 90% of the creations that come out of Little Miss Fascinated are conceived and executed very late at night while I am pottering around in the peacefulness of my dark house. Having a husband that is an executive head chef and works from 10am to 12pm 5 to 6 days a week aids in the fact that I am usually waiting up to catch an hour or so with him too, so it doesn't feel as though we never get to see each other....  however for the past 8 months, Miss-Almost-4 has decided to follow in her mothers footsteps and has become a total late-nighter too!

The only thing that makes this really hard to work with is the insane level of energy she brings with it! She hasn't had a day sleep for 2 yrs now, as we learned early on that we would struggle to get her to bed if she did. And unlike her brother who is SNORING & sleeping soundly after literally 5 mins in his bed (If not less!! No exaggeration necessary!!) she will talk to her bears & dolls, try and read books and eventually wonder out a thousand times if she wants to, constantly ready to talk up a storm!  The worst thing we have found, is that she is an incredible POWER NAPPER!!! It can be a quick 3 min trip up the road to get her brother from school, and if she falls asleep during it, she wakes up loud, crazy & ready to take on the world! God forbid I am hanging out the washing and hear absolute silence for 5 or 10 minutes only to find her snoring on the lounge before I desperately wake her up. Hubby & I have now recognised our worst enemy is THE POWER NAP!!!

The past five out of seven nights I have had to let her lay on the lounge (or the loungeroom floor) and fall asleep when she is ready, which is physically, emotionally & mentally draining - especially while trying to get LOADS of work done....  But at the moment, nothing else seems to working! Maybe it's genetic!

So I am wondering....  how many other Mums & WAHM's have their own little Night Owl, and what works for you?!?

Smiles & Happiness, Haylie x

Sharing the love...

It is absolutely amazing this day and age to have the ability to use social networking & social media to expand a business...  In fact, the handmade market has grown in the thousands over the past 2 years coining the simple phrase "Share the love" along the way. I love to get on my own facebook page and see people "Sharing the link love" between businesses and also the underlying support network it offers alongside it. It's what can take a simple 'hobby' and turn it into a 'business'.....

I was very flattered recently to receive an email from the fabulous Crafty Mumma's on facebook in regards to some upcoming Markets & Expos..  The gorgeous Marlene and Sally asked if I would be interested in showcasing some of my products on their tables that they would have set up at the Billycart Markets in Brisbane and the rather large Business Expos in Parramatta!

Of course I absolutely jumped at the chance to be seen with the WONDERFUL networking business Crafty Mumma's that supports all handmade, work from home parents - and in truth, is who inspired me in the first place to join facebook and turn my little 'hobby' into the successful business it is today! They were the first to "Share the link love" of Little Miss Fascinated amongst their then 3000+ fans (now close to 12000!) and not only help my business to expand, but offer a priceless network of support for me along the way.

So if you are in the Sydney area around the 25th of May, or Brisbane on the 28th of May - head over to where these magical ladies can be found, say Hi and "Share some love" with them while you're there...

And don't forget, you can also grab a piece of Little Miss Fascinated for yourself while you're there too!

 Smiles & Happiness, Haylie x

The Talented Miss Tahnee...

You know how once and a while a business or facebook page comes along that either inspires you and your work, or enhances your work directly? Well for me, one of the biggest business influences for me personally and for Little Miss Fascinated is the very talented Photography By Tahnee May.....

 This was the very first picture of Tahnee May's that captured my heart and my undivided attention. The natural talent that this beautiful lady has astounds me and leaves me craving more of her work; including one of my favourite projects of hers - the "365 Day Photo Challenge" (available to been seen on her facebook page) which is just Tahnee capturing a moment in her daily life & sharing it with the world.

I have been using Photography By Tahnee May for my professional product shoots since the beginning of 2011, and I must say - even though I love my pieces and they get praise on their own; the most common comment on my facbook page I get now is "Wow - your photography is outstanding"...  with all the credit going to the talented Ms May.

Last Wednesday I finally got to meet Tahnee in person (and the above beautiful model, her daughter Izzy) as we took our two little girls out to shoot the new Little Miss Fascinated line for winter.

It was such a pleasure to stand back and watch this quietly spoken lady transform into a quick moving shutter bug once the camera was brought to eye level and how she encouraged the girls to be just where she needed them with such ease (and me behind her acting like a lunatic to get the girls to laugh! Lol) and I am so excited to be able to see the finished product in the next week or so.  

Of course, being the darling that she is, she has given me a sneak peek of what's to come....

So if you are looking for a professional photographer for business or personal use, or would just like to support amazing Australian talent, I urge you to stop by and 'like' this wonderful lady's page on facebook ~ Photography By Tahnee May. Grab a cuppa and be prepared to stay for a while with an abundance of gorgeous, natural, raw pictures to look through..

Thanks Tahnee for all your hard work & making Little Miss Fascinated look so good....

Smiles and Happiness, Haylie x

Review's Tab "THANK YOU" Gift...

I asked our valued clients over the past week to leave a review on our Facebook Review's Tab so we could do a random 'Thank You' gift as a little extra way of saying not only thank you for supporting my business & purchasing from Little Miss Fascinated, but also to say thanks so much for taking the time out to follow the Facebook page and write a review!

Picking Mother's Day as the perfect time to give a little surprise pressie to someone, I have just gotten back from random.org and would like to congratulate............   KRISTY BROWN!!!!

Here is Kristy's review...

" Thankyou so much Haylie for the work you did on my daughter's headband. I gave you practically no time to do it and it still arrived overnight! Just beautiful!!! I have posted my pics and told every one I can about your fabulous work. We will be back for more very soon!!! xxx"

Kristy, you have a set of grey Couture Leg Warmers coming to you this week! 

 A HUGE thank you to everyone that took the time to leave Little Miss Fascinated a review, and remember - you still have the chance to win a 'Review Thank You' gift in the future as I plan to make it a monthly occurrence...  it's my little extra way of letting you all know how much I appreciate each & every one of you...


Smiles and Happiness, Haylie x

Happy Mother's Day to me...

Well, here we are Mother's Day 2011 already....  and my Mother's Day present to myself is - I have finally created a blog!!!

I'm not really sure what I am doing - Lol - but have been inspired from the gorgeous girls Nic at Buttons Dior and Tina at Georgie Girl recently to expand out into the netherworld of cyber space and have more of a personal link & connection with my clients, fellow colleagues & friends...

I look forward to sharing the life & journey of Little Miss Fascinated with you all as I plod along in this wonderful world of WAHM's & Handmade Businesses, and also sharing the behind-the-scenes goings on of my gorgeous little family that make it possible for me to do what I do in the first place.

So HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you all, may your day be full of Love, Peace & Loads of Face Kisses! Hope to see you all on here now & then  :o)

Smiles and Happiness, Haylie x