Best Ways to Spruce Up Your Place for Summer!

So in my last blog I jumped up on my soapbox, ranting about how to declutter your home in this year’s Spring clean! You’ve had a few weeks to get that done now, you’ve sold your goodies online, and you are now cashed up for some redecorating! But.... what will make the biggest impression for the smallest amount of cash, you ask...well, here’s my favs:

Oh, but firstly, my theory hinges on the fact that you’ve got smart and painted your house in fresh,

light neutrals (please tell me you have!), which means every time the whim takes you, you can swap

all sorts of accessories to introduce a totally new colour! But for those of you that decided to go

bold with your colours and now find that nothing this season matches them, your first task is to

spend a couple hundred bucks on paint and get to work!!

So with that small issue cleared up, back to my favs...

1.       CUSHIONS!
Cushions are generally a fav of mine at the best of times, and this is no exception... this season the most popular colours are blue (any sort of blue you can find basically!), with yellows coming in second. Remember to mix and match your patterns and also add some great textures as well. Voilah! Totally new look for your lounge room!

Madras Link are our absolute fav cushions at
The Miners Couch!

You can check out all our new season cushions at www.facebook.com/theminerscouch

 

2.       TABLE RUNNER

A super simple and cheap upgrade is definitely the table runner...you’ve done the cushions, so now, match your dining space in with the new lounge look, by finding a table runner to suit your colour choice for this season.

 

 

 

 

3.       QUILT!
While this may be a slightly bigger expense, the impact is definitely worth it! Your new choice will change the whole look of your bedroom! But if the purse strings won’t stretch quite that far, look into changing the cushions and adding a matching runner along the bottom of the bed too!

We LOVE an Angads (www.angads.com.au) quilt!

 

                                              4.       WALL DECOR....
So you’ve got that dowdy piece of artwork that you just haven’t been bothered to change, and let’s face it, wasn’t it a hand me down from Great Aunty Sue (that’s if you can see it for the film of dust)?? ITS GOT TO GO! And replace it with a mirror, canvas, multi picture frame, or gorgeous clock....100 times better!! Just keep the picture in the closet incase Great Aunty Sue decides to visit.

 

5.       TEA TOWELS (I'm serious!)

See how cheerful they look??

Tea towels you say? Well, I had my faded and stained ones hanging on the oven for all to see...and when I swapped them over to something bright and funky in the new season colours, I could almost feel the whole kitchen breathe a sigh of relief! Remember to match them in with your new table runner!

 

 

So, crank out that cash you’ve been hoarding from the spring clean and let loose your inner decorator! Have fun!

Get Motivated for Some ‘Clutter Management’!

Right....so for all you sun lovers (or lizards, as I like to refer to myself), we have made it through winter and the sun has popped out for us again! And there’s no better time of year to do some ruthless spring cleaning then NOW! So if you’re a hoarder, or the absolute opposite (like me), and you know you’ve still managed to accumulate more goodies (or baddies) over winter, it’s time to get motivated for clutter management!

So you know that drawer? That cupboard? That spot under the bed? Your wardrobe (cringe)? All those convenient places that are so easy to throw things in when you don’t have time to think about it further? Well, make some time this weekend (it’s an extra long one here, so even better!) to tidy these up. Even if you knock off one of them, you’ll feel so much better and it will get you on a role for doing the next ones!

My golden rule...if it hasn’t been used in over a year, you’re not going to use it again!! So throw it out, or better still, SELL IT! There’s some great sites – Ebay & Gumtree - but my fav are the Facebook Buy, Swap & Sell pages. You can usually find at least a couple in your area. Just take a happy snap on your Smartphone, load it straight up to the FB page with a description, realistic price (remember you want to get rid of it! Any cash is a bonus!), and your location for pickup (just your town name is enough) and away you go!! Often by the time I have listed my item on all four pages in our area, it has already sold on the first one! Love a quick sale! And we have a win-win situation, you’ve got rid of your unwanted clutter, have some cash in your hot little hand, and the buyer will have found just what they were looking for!

Now, as for the other items...everything that actually has a proper home in another area of your house....cooking item? Put it in the kitchen! Cleaning item? Straight to the laundry! Spare pillow? Into the linen closet....I can see you’re getting this! Comfy 5yr old trackies (seriously, how many do you need)....Take them, and anything else in good nick, to your local charity! Another win-win – you’ve finished cleaning up and you’ve also helped someone in need!

 

So now you’ve successfully de-cluttered, you’ve got a bit of unexpected cash burning a hole in your pocket AND you’re feeling AWESOME about yourself to boot.... it’s time for some redecorating! Stay tuned for my next blog, where you can read about my hot tips to jazz up your home for the Summer season!

Pretty....AND Practical!

                                       Pretty.....AND Practical

 

Today I thought I’d write about my ABSOLUTE fav combo - items that are both pretty....AND practical!! Now, like any girl, I’m a bit of a sucker for all the pretties in life. But, thanks to some genes I suspect came from both of my ridiculously hands-on grandpa’s, it’s just got to be practical too if it’s coming home with me!

We are super lucky to have a lots of lovely company reps come out to visit us at The Couch (www.theminerscouch.com.au) these days, and often when they point out new arrivals, the first thing to fall out my mouth is ‘yes, but WHAT do you DO with it??’. I think I must drive some of them mad....

But, well its true isn’t it...how many things can you really have in your home that just sit around ‘existing’ (another of my fav words – ‘existing’!)? And, when I’m on my soapbox explaining to hubby why I definitely NEED that new piece of decor, it really helps to win the debate if I can point out a PRACTICAL reason for buying it! What an angle!! He can’t argue with that!

So, here’s my list of TOP 5 pretty AND practical pieces of decor!

1.       CLOCKS!

Clocks these days are totally gorgeous!! I don’t know who first had the idea of turning a boring old item like the clock, into something huge, textured, coloured and delicious – but I wish it was me! So, if you haven’t got yourself one of these statement pieces (which conveniently also tells us the time!), definitely add it to the list!

 

 

 

                                                                                                   2.       LAMPS!

Hmm...Whether you’re cosying up on the couch, reading a good book, entertaining for dinner or treating someone special to a bit a romance....where would you be without a lamp! And now lamps come in so many amazing forms! A real feature in any room and a complete mood setter too!

 

  

 

 

3.       PICTURE FRAMES!

Now the practical side of these is pretty self explanatory! Most of us like displaying a few (or a whole wall) of our most fav people, pets and places. These days the frames you get to choose from are just about as diverse as the people you are putting in them! Styles, colours, textures, sizes....an endless choice!

4.       CUSHIONS!

Ok, so those of you who follow our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theminerscouch), will already know how (let’s be frank) OBSESSED I am with cushions! Practically... they’re soft, they’re cosy, and they’re comfy. They support your head, your back...your busted ankle!! And prettily....they are gorgeous!!! Once again, the range available these days is just SO diverse! Colours, textures, patterns, sizes! And it’s easy decorating, with mix and match being the latest style. You can make a huge impact to any of your rooms with just a couple of these pieces of gorgeousness!

 

5.       SUPER SOFT THROWS & BLANKIES

What a partner this one is for cushions! The two are seriously a match made in heaven! So for my practical argument, blankets are warm, cosy, snug and suit all of us ‘texture lovers’ (I’m rubbing my fingers together just thinking about them)!  And they are colourful, add warmth and generally just soften a room, making it more appealing and homelike. You can check out my absolute fav cosy winter blankets at http://www.theminerscouch.com.au/#!cushions-and-throws/ctxk

 

 

So, you can see my point! Why these two words are NOT such an unlikely match, and what is pretty CAN be practical too! And the more you think about it, the more pretty AND practical items spring to mind!! I can almost hear your brains ticking over! Handy coasters, textured footstools, rustic benches, amazing dining tables, lovely mirrors, scented candles.... So go forth and fill your house with such goodies...your home will look marvellous, and your hubby will tell all his mates about how lucky he is to have such a practically minded partner! *Giggle*

 

 

Five Years at The Miners Couch

FIVE YEARS!!

So, yesterday marked my fifth year of running The Miners Couch! What a milestone! My Dad (a wise businessman himself) told me in the first few months of starting my new career at The Couch, that owning a small business is very hard work and if you’re still trading at the five year mark, you know you’ve made it in today’s market...he then hit me with all the depressing stats on how many small businesses don’t make it to that five year goal (always so straight to the point is my Dad!).

Luckily there’s nothing that brings out the best in me like setting a tough goal (which looking back, I suspect my Dad knew)...so the whirlwind began....

I still remember the first week I spent as a ‘Shop Keeper’, looking around my new workplace and wondering what on earth I had done by leaving my teaching career. I flicked through all the files, looked at the meaningless names of the companies, tried to sound like I knew what I was talking about when customers asked questions, felt like a fraud... even went home in tears one night thinking I was stupid for taking it on in the first place.

But I’m a ‘swim’ kind of girl, sinking was just not an option, and over the next few months, something clicked into place...something I’d been looking for, for ten years...and I started to feel like I’d found what I was meant to be here for!

Suddenly there were awesome companies to find, new styles to explore, lovely reps to meet, gorgeous customers to please...There was Bed and Breakfasts to renovate (www.redwingbnb.com.au) as well, and a shop move to Moonta.  It was such a fabulous learning curve!

But let’s not make it out to be all fun and games...it was HARD. Long hours, always researching to stay on top of the trends, chasing up the very best of companies, learning to be fair but tough too,  constant reviewing of figures, and constant revamping and generating *new ideas. My job became my life, and while it’s an amazing job, my most steep learning curve was finding a balance.

So, while I work my little butt off still, I have also learnt to walk away, to turn off my phone and even to enjoy long walks on the beach (true!). And if any of you are thinking of starting your own business, I highly recommend you do the same!  Once I worked out how to do that (and yes, i still have to constantly remind myself to switch off), things started to flow and my business started to roll.

So for the last five years, I've had this goal in my head. Sometimes I was scared I wouldn’t make it, sometimes I felt like I was physically dragging the business through. But I have determination, I have strength, I have dreams, and I flatly refused to not make it!! AND IM HERE!! HAPPY FIFTH BIRTHDAY TO US!!

 So all of you out there, if you are dreaming of something new, my advice....

* do the research,

* do the figures,

* find a mentor,

* ask every question you can think of,

* challenge yourself (but realistically),

* work hard,

* learn to switch off sometimes,

* don't be afraid to ask for help (you can't actually do it all yourself, all of the time!)

* dream big,

*  believe in yourself and

* ENJOY!!

Thanks so much for being a part of my journey! Couldn’t have done it without you all J

*insert me singing happy birthday and doing a happy dance here!*

 

*New Ideas included numerous things, some ridiculous, but some better ones were www.theminerscouch.com.au, www.facebook.com/theminerscouch and www.pinterest.com/theminerscouch.