2008 October | Real Life Beach Decor, Coastal Living & Nautical Decorating Ideas

A Beach Cottage Toolkit

7:46 pm Byabeachcottage

No I am really not that anal that I want a toolkit in a basket, all pretty, however, the paraphanalia for my incessant projects littered around the cottage was driving me batty, I could never find anything, scissors in one place, staple gun in the garage, blah blah blah. Today I finished off sanding that chair I showed you and screwed the seat pad down (Mr BC proceeded to tell me that what I thought was a 'screw' is in fact a 'bolt', I am now unsure as to quite what a 'screw' is though I'm sure he might think it to mean something else). Anyhoooo I had the electric screw/bolt driver, the staple gun, a saw, fabric scraps and other stuff floating all around the sitting room, mess, mess, mess and then I spied this thrifted basket sitting by the door ready to be taken to the garage to be whitewashed for the ongoing and yet to be shown study makeover. So I plonked all that stuff in the basket….mmm mmm, I'm liking that…

The Beach Cottage crew will be drawing the winner for the giveaway on Sunday so if you haven't left a comment ya still can.

Oh and I've got a few things up my sleeve that I'm hoping to get finished over the weekend, a buffet that is coming to life with some fresh white paint and a 1930's table that I nearly cried when I painted, the wood was so beautiful but just too dark for me..have a good & spooky weekend

And I'm waving to my friend Linda in Canada, who I met online many moons ago and sent me a lovely email while I was snoozing here Down Under…

Filed Underjust a beach cottage life, thrifted finds for the cottage 33 Comments

Desk and Chair Makeover Before & After

5:29 pm Byabeachcottage

I don't know if you remember that a few weeks ago I bought, not one, but two desks, which is doubly odd seeing as I am, as I type, sitting at a pretty nice desk that I already owned. Of course I was pre-thinking my Professional Collector title and practising…

I've been working on it over the last week or so, being not well last week seriously halted any progress and it feels like it's taken forever to get this baby dressed and ready for a new life in the cottage…last night I finished sanding down and was jigging around all pleased with myself, hee hee. It certainly needed some TLC when I scored it, but it's turned out divine, I do believe?

errm, and I just had to say thanks so much for all the comments yesterday, the giveaway certainly pulled some leetle peeps out from lurkdom, as I read them (with a beer) I can't tell you how all of a sudden I had a rush of horror, oh my goodness, my post didn't sound like I wanted people to leave nice comments about me in order for them to enter…I went back and re-read and no that was not the case at all, so thank you…

and another thing, I've had a few emails asking me if I have a cleaner, a housekeeper (pah!) and do I have a secret to getting things done and someone asked me jokingly, at least I took it in a kind, happy, jokey way, if I ironed my undies - like oh ya, of course I don't, that's Mr Beach Cottage's job!! That really couldn't be farther from the tuth. But I'm telling you if I did have time I would iron my undies just because I'm weird like that *wink.

Just to get the record straight, I started this blog to help me focus on the things in life and the cottage that were good and ways I could get this fixer-upper house by the sea we'd bought into some kind of home without spending too much money.

ABeachCottage blog is doing it's job for me, keeping me from avoiding the stuff that ain't so good from taking me down (you can read more about this here) and a place that I never want to be again.

I'm so glad some of you have hopped on and are enjoying the ride.

Filed Underbeach cottage furniture how-to's, beach cottage makeovers, thrifted finds for the cottage 40 Comments

Beach Cottage Giveaway

7:54 pm Byabeachcottage

I'm combining my tablescape this week with the first Beach Cottage Giveaway.

I was delightfully surprised at how easy this worked for my latest tablescape – go to Susan's Tablescape Tuesday for some more wonderful ideas, I just love to browse through them…this just pulled together so beautifully without any fuss, was quick and easy but looked not quick and easy (love that) - there's just something about those stripes, with white behind and plain accessories that just makes me sigh.

I've been hunting out the putty stripe napery for a while now, but every time I've been by the beach boutique they've been sold out. So the last time I went in there one of the lovely beachy ladies spied me stroking things, walking around drinking it all in and asked me if I would like some assistance. I told her my dilemma, that everytime I come in the putty colour has walked out the door in double quick time. Oh yes she said but you know red and white and blue and white are our top sellers. I can put them aside for you, just a small deposit. Can you? Done. In fact, I'll have two sets, one for me and one for my bloggie friends.

So here's what you get, 4 putty beachy placemats, four napkins and four napkin rings (oh yep of course I'll be sticking in some extra surprises!), just stick it with a white tablecloth and some plain china & glass, a loada candles and tealights and voila! I'll send anywhere in the world so anyone can play…

What do you have to do to enter?

Leave a comment, every comment gets an entry, leave 1, 2 or 102. If you would like to put a little link on your blog, just put that in your comment and I'll double your entries. Too easy.

If you want to put a little banner on your site, just copy this code

There is a super-duper highly technical BeachCottage crew waiting to draw the winner, I'll keep it open til the weekend.

Click below to be whisked away to a carnival of blog giveaways - linking up heaps of gals who have treasure to parcel up and mail to ya…I love this party – well, c'mon you all must know by now that I love something for free, eh? fantastic!

Filed Underjust a beach cottage life 288 Comments

Ms Beach Cottage – Professional Collector

7:59 am Byabeachcottage

Hi girlies. Guess what? I feel much much better today, thank the Lord as I don't think those Beach Cottage kiddos could take anymore. I don't do under the weather very well, it makes me cranky when I can't do what I want to do, I get all antsy and like yesterday, sat at the computer looking at things like houses and painted furniture and blogs which made me want to have a move around, or craft, or paint and I couldn't do any of it cos I didn't feel well enough. So today I woke a tad more full of beans, oh yeah I'm gonna change the world today. Hmmm.

Well I tell you what I did do. I painted some furniture (one of those desks I bought the other week, it's beginning to sing and I love it), went for a walk to the lake with my two younger kiddos, finished Under the Tuscan Sun and went treasure hunting – hey I'm a Professional Collector now ya know (flicking through one of the Australian House and Garden's one of the features was a to-die-for warehouse painted white and full of white distressed furniture, be still my heart, and the owner describes herself as a Professional Collector, ahem, 'scuse me lady I am SO STEALING THAT TITLE).

What I did find is Peter Mayle A Year In Provence that unbelievably is nearly 20 years old, I can't believe I've been avoiding it for that long, I must have been 18 when it came out. And there is a reason I've been avoiding it, I won't bore you with it but it stems from many trips to the South of France to my godmother's who is French (Toulouse, just lurve that city) and meeting way too many expats living the life in France. Anyway, strangely, this book, again like jumped out of the shelf at me, I was in a rush, with Little Six Year Old Mr Beach Cottage and late so to find it that quickly was a delicious surprise.

So it's all ready and waiting for me for my tea ritual tonight. Can you even imagine how excited that makes me feel? Gawd I am l o s i n g the plot, I buzz around all happily cos I found this and line it up on my nightstand all ready and waiting. All I'm saying is it better be worth the extra dollar more it cost me tha Under the Tuscan Sun did.

And for all the linen-addicted out there I decided after being prompted by Cindy's collection at Romantic Home, that I would start using my linen like daily. I got Mr Beach Cottage to put up a rail of hooks and dug through my stash finding some that were in the category of pretty-loved-and-special but not-too-loved-to ruin. Do you know what I mean?

I also thought that if I start using my linen stash then I can happily start collecting more of it now that I am a Professional Collector…;-)

p.s. swing-on by the Beach Cottage Giveaway on Monday, I promise I won't make you do anything nasty to enter…

Filed Underjust a beach cottage life, thrifted finds for the cottage 22 Comments

ABeachCottage House Tour

6:15 pm Byabeachcottage

You might well have seen some of these photos but I wanted to join in Julia's Hooked on House House Tour cos I am just soooo nosey about looking into peoples homes. C'mon you do too, hmmm? Shoot yourself over there and start clicking on the Mr Linky thingy…it's good