Changes

In the next handful of weeks, this little blog will be no more. 

Fear not! I will not be disappearing, more like having a makeover and rebranding. 

As life is changing, I have felt the content of my blog shift, and the things I want to write about don't necessarily fit the original theme or topics I had intended to write about here. 

I am making the move to a self-hosted Wordpress platform, as I feel the layout options and general ease of use is more tailored to my changing needs. 

All content from Love Miss Walker will still be available to read in the archives of my new space, and posts won't be changing too much, they will just be a bit narrower in subject and there will be no Teaching component. When I started LMW, I had intended to make it predominately a Teaching blog, but discovered that as much as I truly love my job, I wasn't passionate about writing about it. I found I am most passionate about sharing beauty products, organisation projects and tools, travel tips and reports and home life. So that is the direction the new website will be taking. 

Once I have finished the re-branding and changeover process (I am hoping in around a month from now), this blog will be linked directly to the new website. 

In the meantime, there will be no new posts on LMW, as I will be busy creating content for when the new site goes live.

Thank you to all of my loyal readers, I am still surprised that people other than my husband actually read my posts and are interested in what I have to say! I hope that you will continue to visit after the move.  In the meantime, be sure to follow me on Instagram or Pinterest to see updates. 

Much love to you all, 

Brooke xx 

Creating a Calm Space in Your Home

This week (5th - 11th October) marks the first Graham & Brown Wallpaper Week. Wallpaper has made a comeback in the design world in a big way, and I can't wait for our build to be finished so I can start decorating walls and spaces and making our house feel like a home. Wallpaper can bring life to a corner of your home, and can set a mood depending on the texture, colour and print it displays.

I think it it is very important to create a space in your home that feels like a retreat. Yes - it is great to go on a resort holiday where you can relax, but wouldn't it be amazing if you could recreate this feeling in your own home?  I have been pinning like a mad woman during the build, and plan on making a focus of our Master Bedroom a quiet little reading nook.
Everyone has different ways of relaxing and setting themselves up for a successful week. I like to start my week off with a planning session in my Pelledori Traveler's Notebook, and having a calm little space to do so is very important to me. Other ways I like to relax by are reading books, magazines or blogs with a cup of coffee (or wine, depending on the time of day!), having a Pinterest pinning session or watching a few of my favourite shows.

{source : Better Homes & Gardens}

My Current Skincare Routine

Just dropping by with a quick Skincare related post for you all! I get asked quite frequently what I use on my skin, as what I recommend for individual friends. I have expressed my love for a few products in the past, but have never compiled it in an all-in-one post. I will showcase the order I use the products in, and provide a brief description about the purpose of each product, as well as links with more information and where to purchase them.

I have quite similar routines for morning and night, with obvious products like sunscreen being left out in the PM etc. Now - my routine is by no means perfect, and some of these products may not work for everyone, but they are currently working for me. There are some staples that I don't see myself ever getting rid of, but I will quite often mix up my moisturisers, cleansers and treatment products. One thing missing from my routine is a Vitamin C Serum, and I am currently on the hunt for one - if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below!

I do not use a cleanser in the morning, rather just splash my face with cold water and have done this my entire adult life. I think over-cleansing can cause issues with skin (especially when using a stripping cleanser!).

1. SKII Facial Treatment Essence. This product is something I can not go a day without. Made from 90% Pitera (the company's signature ingredient), it leaves your skin feeling moisturised, and helps maintain the skin's natural renewal cycle, which in turn creates a wonderful glow. I have been using this product everyday for the past 6 years and would be a 'Desert Island' selection for me. 

2. Clinique Even Better Clinical. Another product I have been using for about 6 years. Being quite fair skinned (and not into tanning - I am pretty much Snow White all year round), some pesky pigmentation spots became slightly visible on my cheekbones when I was quite young. Only really visible to me, I still wanted something to make these fade AND stop new ones from forming. Enter this product. I definitely stand by the Even Better and it's fading powers, and have occasionally tried other newer concoctions, but always come back to this. It is something you need to use consistently to see results, and you MUST wear at least an SPF30, otherwise it is a complete waste of time! Bonus points for this product - it also helps to fade those annoying red spots that acne can leave behind.

3. Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum. Another one from the 6 year family! This product firms, brightens and restores the under eye area like no other. It sinks into the skin in an instant, and despite the name, it isn't really 'serumy' (made up word, I know) like most serums are  - more like a slightly oily water. Would not go a day with out this product either.

4. REN Keep Young and Beautiful Eye Cream. This is a relatively new product to my collection, so I am unable to give you my long-term thoughts, however the last month or so I have been using it, I have really liked it. It claims to 'dramatically reduce the appearance of wrinkles, crows feet and deep expression lines around the eyes'. I don't really experience any of those yet, but I am all about prevention. I find it very moisturising and replenishing.

5. Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF 30+. Yet another 6 year baby. Can you tell I got 'serious' about my skincare at a certain point in my life? Love this sunscreen. Although I would prefer to use a Physical rather than a Chemical sunscreen, I am yet to find one that my skin likes. This Mecca sunscreen also doubles as my morning moisturiser and primer as it sinks in like a dream and isn't even remotely greasy. Triple win.

Despite what it may look like, my Morning Routine does not take me that long, and after I have applied my sunscreen, I start with my make up application.

Some of these products are double ups from my Morning Routine, so I will not go into any detail in regards to those. Like I mentioned earlier, Moisturiser is something I change quite often, and sometimes think about going back to my good old Oil of Olay I used for over a decade, but being the beauty junkie that I am, I love trying new products too much to settle on a permanent moisturiser...

Midori Traveler's Notebook Style Planner { Pelledori }

Hi Guys! Today I have for you a look at the new planning system I have recently adopted. You probably remember only a few months ago I ordered the new Erin Condern Life Planner in Rose Gold and showed all of it's beauty in this post. Now - I still love this planner and still recommend it and all the other Erin Condren prodcuts highly. This year the company made a few changes to the Life Planner, and one of them being a bigger coil. I didn't think much of this upon ordering, but as I got a few weeks into using the planner, I soon discovered that the coil was just too large. I am one of those people that carries my planner around everywhere and uses it to refer back to many times a day for lists and to-dos. The larger coil just made it too awkward to carry around with me. I started to leave it at home/school and transfer lists to another piece of note paper, but that proved to be counter-productive and just plain annoying! So sadly, I made the choice to repurpose my Life Planner (I will showcase this at some point) and started the search for a new planner.

Recently, I started seeing the Midori (or Fauxdori in most cases) pop up on Instagram and Pinterest. I liked the look of this cute little Japanese invented system of interchangeable notebooks, so I started researching. I stumbled across this Video by Youtuber Brittany at VasseurBeauty and she pretty much sold me. So over to Etsy I went and found the gorgeous array of designs by Pelle Studio. After many agonising days of trying to decide what colour Pelledori to purchase (you can't go wrong, and that makes it even harder to choose! hashtag libraproblems) I decided on the Mint and Lush Grey (I also purchased one for my sister's birthday gift).
The turn around was quite fast, and I received my planner from Hong Kong in under two weeks. The lovely Cindy is always there ready to help and answer your questions (I had a change of heart after placing the order and wanted to change a colour I'd chosen. Cindy happily did this for me with a small fee and responded very quickly!).  I would definitely re-order from this store and recommend it to all.
Now for a look at the gorgeous products! (and as usual - Photos are sub-par due to my lighting issues. I know I sound like a broken record! But just need to say it...not even photoshop can help these babies. Hopefully this will be one of the last averagely-lit posts as our house is SO close to being finished!!)

 The gorgeous Pelledori Packaging

Creating Holiday Memories for Little Ones

Upon being invited to become a Brand Ambassador for Graham & Brown, I took some time to get to know all products that they have on offer, be they related to my needs or not. As a teacher of Little Ones, I always like to have my finger on the pulse in regards to products that are child related - be it to share with my Parents or to be able to engage in the Children's conversations throughout the day.

I was happily surprised to see that Graham & Brown have many different Disney and Marvel themed products to help make Children's spaces both stylish and child-orientated (a match made in heaven, am I right?!). What Little One doesn't dream of taking a trip to Disney (and the lucky ones that have, surely reminisce often about their magical vacation!). So with that in mind, I decided to create a Horizon Trend inspirational post for Little Ones, and the spaces in your home dedicated to them (as well as the child in all of us).

Subtle Memories
Some people may just want to add a touch of magic to a child's space, and not make any permanent changes. Graham & Brown offer a range of tasteful Disney artwork, some of which would look as much at home in a child-free home, as they would in a Kids Room.

Gorgeous Peter Pan and Cinderella Movie stills

Bambi, Arisocats and Tinkerbell Artwork - To die for!

Wallpaper Choices

As with any wallpaper options - the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some are loud and over the top, others are more subdued and classic. Whatever your little Prince or Princess's taste may be, there is definitely a little something for everyone!

Creating Holiday Memories at Home

I have some very exciting news to share with you all! I was recently invited to become a Brand Ambassador for the gorgeous UK wall interiors group,  Graham & Brown. Of course I said yes straight away - as I am building a house, I had already stumbled across some of the gorgeous Wallpaper Graham & Brown has on offer in my many hours spent researching decor for our new home. So I am super thrilled to be working with the talented team and be able to share with you my favourite designs and decorating inspirations on a monthly basis.

Some background on the company - Founded in 1948 by Harold Graham and Henry Brown, the brand has grown with it's customers and offers fashion-forward designs across 4 continents and 65 countries throughout the world. Wallpaper, Kids Decor, Wall Art, Paint and Home Accessories are items that Graham and Brown specialise in and everything they do, they do it well!

Each month I will be sharing my ideas and thoughts on a particular design trend, as a part of Graham & Brown's Year in Design initiative. This month, I am exploring the 'Horizon' trend. Nature is a big influencer in a lot of people's decor, and personally, I love to create subtle reminders of special vacations and trips within our home.

As we were married in Hawaii at the beginning of the year, the Hawaiian Islands hold a very special place in our hearts. If I ever find a Hawaiian scented body wash, candle, soap - you name it - I will most likely purchase it as a little daily reminder of our magical trip.

When I spied the Honolulu Palm Wallpaper by designer Julien MacDonald, I was in love.

"This ultra hip palm leaf wallpaper design hits the tropical fashion trend of the moment, this gorgeous design is very versatile allowing you to create real drama with the darker colourways or a more subtle effect with the neutrals. With a glittering background and metallic embellishments to the leaf it's got to be the hottest look of the season. This statement wallpaper design in palm green, white and metallic looks fabulous on all four walls, or if you prefer you can use as a feature or parallel wall utilising the Disco white design as the coordinate. This design would look perfect in any room of your home, and better still so you can spend less time decorating and more time relaxing we've produced the collection using our paste the wall technology which means it's far easier to hang and remove, so what are you waiting for embrace your inner glitter" 

 Given that our new house is still a month or two away from being finished, I am going to create a mood board based around this amazing wallpaper. I could see this statement wallpaper as a feature in a guest bedroom or even to make a Home Office feel fun, cheerful and inviting.

{from top left and clockwise}

Honolulu Palm Green Wallpaper, Graham & Brown

Map Printed Canvas, Graham & Brown

The World Wall Art, Graham & Brown

MAP Shaped Letters, Graham & Brown

Our Wedding, Kualoa Ranch, Ashley Goodwin Photography

Aloha Pillow (already owned), Target

Oahu Candle, Glasshouse Fragrances

My Hawaiian Memories...

Erin Condren Life Planner 2015-2016

Like most Erin Condren fans, I waited with eager anticipation for the launch of the new LifePlanner back in June. I ordered a day or two after the launch, and only just received my order. With all of the changes the company has made this year to the LifePlanner, the launch was super successful, hence the long wait. That and I live in Australia, so shipping takes a while. Luckily, the wait was worth it!

Belle getting in on the Erin Condren action 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Rose Gold edition, and I hope this becomes a regular feature for all planners in years to come as it is so pretty. I will be interested to see how the rose gold coil holds up in comparison to the silver in terms of scratches and tarnishing, but my hopes are high as this option costs more than both the silver and gold coils.

The gorgeousness that is the Rose Gold Life Planner

So, what are the changes the company has made? All great ones in my opinion, and I will list below :