#5 Beyond the Shop — A Gentle Reintroduction

The first days of Grandmother Cottage

Hello my lovelys 🤍

It feels like the right time for a gentle reintroduction.

It has been a while.

For those who have been here for a while, thank you for staying.
For those who are newly arriving, welcome—truly.

Behind Mammas’ Lil’ Witch and Iyanda El Designs is not simply a business, but a life being built slowly, intentionally, and with great care.

A life shaped by creativity, old places, meaningful work, and the quiet belief that beauty still matters.

Grandmother Cottage sits at the heart of that.

If you are not familiar with my little cottage (aka ‘witches hovel’), it is a precious piece of Australian archtiectural history - a tiny 1900’s traditional stone home, hand built from field stone and held together with the rich sandy-clay soil of the land it sits upon.

Stabilizing Grandmother Cottage

It is where I go to paint, draw, reflect, meditate, heal, and reconnect.

It is where I return when life feels too loud—where I remind myself that I am okay, that everything is okay, and that in time, everything will be okay.

Much of the practical work happens from my townhouse in the city—the designing, refining, packing orders, and the everyday responsibilities that come with building something meaningful.

But Grandmother Cottage is where it all begins.

It is where inspiration lives.

It is where ideas return to their roots.

There is a kind of healing energy there that is difficult to explain unless you have felt it yourself.

Even though it is not completely isolated—resting quietly on the outskirts of a small village—the peace there feels as though I am entirely alone.

As though the earth itself is wrapping its arms around me.

There is a stillness there.
A softness.
A quiet that allows me to breathe properly again.

It reminds me of what matters.

It reminds me why I create.

And it reminds me that some things are worth restoring slowly.

Grandmother Cottage

This place asks for nothing—
and somehow gives me everything.

This space—beyond the shop—is where I hope to share more of that journey with you.

Not only the products and finished pieces, but the life behind them:
the restoration, the seasons, the land, the gardens, the lessons, the beauty, the hard work, and the quiet magic found in building a slower, more intentional life.

This is a place for story, for legacy, for creativity, and for remembering that there is value in creating things that last.

So whether you are here for the art, the cottage, the journey, or simply because something about it feels familiar—welcome.

I am truly glad you are here.

With warmth and love,

Hakora 🤍
Mammas’ Lil’ Witch
Iyanda El Designs