I know how much you love peeking inside people’s homes and especially when they are quirky and creative! I met Amy from Lil Miss Mabel on Instagram and discovered she was in Adelaide. I was taken by her gorgeous star chalkboard to begin with and ended up buying one for my Christmas Styling shoot.
Don’t you just love stars!
Styling and Photography by Helen Edwards- DIvine Drops and Lil Miss Mabel
From there we started to chat and I discovered she lives with her family in the most cute little cottage that I just had to go and shoot, as well as sharing her and her hubby Stuart’s creative business. Here is some upcycled home inspiration with a tour inside Amy and Stuart’s home.
Amy and Stuart have lived in their 1879 bluestone cottage for three and a half years. It used to belong to Amy’s Grandma and Stuart purchased it at auction, as Amy couldn’t go to it – she was too emotional at the thought of someone else buying the property and changing things and not appreciating the history. “My grandma lived in it prior and raised her eight children as a sole parent. She was a very kind Catholic lady who was devoted to her family and friends. She was always my solid base growing up as I had a fairly disruptive childhood so her place is really special to us” says Amy.
The sense of whimsy envelopes you as soon as you walk in the door and I felt right at home. There is a warmth and sense of fun and it is as if you can feel the strength of Amy’s Grandma bringing up her family in this home, against the adversity she must have suffered. Amy is passionate about their business, Lil’ Miss Mabel, which started when Stuart first created an arrow that Amy attempted to purchase online. Amy contacted the source who informed her they were no longer available. Shortly after learning this, Stuart disappeared to his shed for some time and surprised her with his own version by adapting the original arrow so it wasn’t exactly the same. He didn’t really understand why she made such a fuss as she was so excited!!
This is how it began really, says Amy. “I’ve dreamt of selling things I make but really I’m his lacky and I love it, we do this together and both agree that once it gets to the stage where we are no longer having fun, we simply do something else. For now, I really love being part of Lil’ Miss Mabel.”
The couple work outside under their porch, right next to their vintage caravan which they dream about renovating and selling their wares from. I can not wait to see them get to this stage and to find them by the beach with a pop up shop! Amy says Stuart does all the creating, she paints and does the social media side of the business.
Amy has created a beautiful blend of contemporary, rustic, upcycled and vintage in the interior. Stuart personally built the kitchen, after discovering the beautiful stonework. He also fully renovated the bedroom and I have seen the before shots – it is an amazing transformation! He is an electrician not a builder, but can clearly pretty much turn his hand to anything. Both Amy and Stuart are still working in their day jobs and spend their spare time together creating and selling at markets and also online via Instagram or email: amy@lilmissmabel.com
Amy has also stocked some of their pieces vi @Have You Met Charlie. Shop 30, Regent Arcade Adelaide.
Amy says the house is a work in progress – they have plans to finish the renovations and add on to their magical little house in the suburbs of Adelaide.
What a gorgeous business and home! I just love the history of the house and the fact that it holds such a special place in Amy’s heart. Do you have a story about the history of your home? Or anything you discovered when renovating?
Helen
xx