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

Under the Beach Cottage Bedcovers

2:07 pm Byabeachcottage

I found this bolster cushion cover thrifting a long time ago and never did get around to putting it on the cushion. Funny how that happens isn't it? I'm not sure how old it is, it feels soft and the embroidery is very sweet and cheerful, I love it next to the plain white bedlinen.

The last week or so I've been suffering with conjunctivitis and it's made me feel very under the weather, so I've been getting myself tucked up in bed early, like the same time as Mr Teenage Beach Cottage (ok, I'll admit it, mostly before him). I don't actually go to sleep but I like to read sitting up in bed with a hot water bottle and a nice cup of tea, it's an English thing - though I have thoroughly welcomed all things Australian, I can't lose my habit of drinking sixty five cups of tea a day and having to follow a proper tea-making ritual with a tea pot, leaves, teacosy…

Anway the book that's accompanied me on this early-night-tea-drinking-tradition is Under the Tuscan Sun. It had been highly recommended via Liz at Mabel's House (thanks Liz) and I liked the sound of it, even though I'd seen it heaps of times before but never ever picked it up. Oddly enough I walked along scanning the bookshelves, spines all facing outwards like normal, apart from the very book I was looking for sitting face up, just there waiting for me. Oooh and I've thoroughly enjoyed it, sipping my tea, getting lost in Italy, dreaming about an Italian cottage and all I could do to it, imagining the old things I could find scouring the markets…I knew from what Liz had said that it was 10 yrs old this book and it seems since then Frances Mayes has gone on to many other things. I'll be looking out for her other stuff too and trying one or two of the recipes.

Filed Underjust a beach cottage life, thrifted finds for the cottage 23 Comments

white painted beachy stripe chair

8:07 pm Byabeachcottage

So, you all so beautifully commented on the pink stripe and I totally ignored you and went for the beachy stripe and put this in the sitting room at the front of the Beach Cottage, not the bedroom at all. But I will be covering the other chair in the pink and putting it in my bedroom for my clothes to pile up on, when I get the strength to continue my Upholstery Journey.

This chair, though loved by someone else in a former life, was not behaving for me at all and got very close to being thrown out on the lawn. You can take it from me that this was not really easy but it was worth it. I have no idea what I might pay for this kinda chair should I happen upon it in a boutique but I'm fairly certain it would be more than the $20 I paid for it and the $15 I spent on fabric. I cannot put a price on my whining all the way through it though and I hate to admit it but the Beach Cottage air was errrm peppered with blue for a bit.

Now I'm well-pleased with it, but I get the feeling that it's smirking at me, ha ha ha I played up for ya baby & you worked really hard to get me looking like this didn't ya, it seems to say as I walk past.

If you want a chair for $35 that looks like it might well have cost you a lot more than that and looks pretty hot in your white Beach Cottage then I'd say go buy yourself a cheap old upholstered chair and have a go. If you have half a brain I would say on your first project with upholstering take the much easier route and try a chair without a swinging back, avoid a stripe and get a glue gun that costs you more than the chair did.

Filed Underbeach cottage makeovers, thrifted finds for the cottage 34 Comments

white painted chair makeover work in progress

8:26 pm Byabeachcottage

I found two of these chairs a few weeks back and bought them thinking I would try my hand at a little Beach Cottage upholstery…hmmm…they had already been covered in this pinky/gold fabric by someone before me and there was some really sweet darning to the front of one of them, someone somewhere in another little cottage obviously loved these enough to sit and carefully darn the worn patch. I haven't a clue what this style of chair is called, or meant for, but the back is on a hinge and moves as you sit down so you can get comfortable, they are pretty old I think and a teeny bit wobbly because of this…my guess is this was a bedroom chair.

I *knew they would look good white and distressed and covered with a new, clean and fresh fabric. Of course I got them for a song so a dabble with re-upholstering a no-brainer if it went wrong. I did my usual paint job on them which took a tad longer than I'd hoped as it took heaps of white paint to cover up the dark wood and I wanted these chairs to get some more of the care they had obviously been shown before, so I carefully sanded between each layer of paint for a soft and smooth finish.

Then I couldn't decide what fabric to use, I was 85% in favour of a beachy stripe but at the last minute wasn't sure whether or not to go for the more pink shabby stripe, this is after all for my bedroom (which you all know is white on white on white and would probably lurve a smidgen of pink)I felt this would be perfect for me to throw my clothes on at the end of a long day…do you do that, oh dear, I hope I don't sound too slovenly, but when the kiddos have been packed off to bed I'm screaming to be enveloped in my dressing gown and let it all hang out - the last thing I want to do is put clothes away.

So the Pile it On Chair can be where I throw things with abandon, not a care in the world…but what fabric to use?

I thought, I know, I'll hold off with the covering for the next few days and see what you all think? Whaddya reckon?

Filed Underbeach cottage makeovers 27 Comments

a junkin’ man

5:47 pm Byabeachcottage

Friends of ours have a parent who just happens to like old vintage stuff too. He collects old vinyl records, in particular those of Johnny someone (I think it might be Ray). Anyway we got talking on his last visit up here about my love of old stuff and china and his collection and how we get all excited in and love the thrill of the chase. Everyone else glazed over and truly thought the pair of us were mad and a bit, ya know, cheesy. So we plotted a tour of the places I knew he just might find some black vinyl treasure.

Today I picked him up after the school run and we spent delightful hours touring the shabby old places, with a leetle spot of lunch at a beautiful beachside cafe, mmmm. It was not a Boom Boom day for me and I was more than a little bit disappointed…about to give up in the first shop I rooted around on the bottom shelf of the china section, the bit where all the 70's style orange plates are that no-one even wants for 50c (there's money there in the future people, I'll tell ya) and found four beautiful Johnson Bros plates, a mirror and a stack of home magazines. So I perked up a bit…but not alot…a whole school day of hunting, a tour of my fave shops and all I have to show is one mirror, 4 mags, 3 books and 4 plates. That my friends is the way it goes in this game.

Filed Underjust a beach cottage life, thrifted finds for the cottage 26 Comments

budget vintage beachy chair makeover

4:18 pm Byabeachcottage

Woohoo, six of these chairs for 3 bucks each. Result don't ya think?

I couldn't stop thinking about them, sitting out there in the back ready for some making over. I didn't get time Monday or Tuesday to even take a look but today I brought two of them into the cottage. The wood is just sooooo soft and time-worn and I don't know but you can kinda tell they've been loved, unlike most of the stuff I find. When I first got the photo from Mr BC I thought I would paint them white and give them the full on shabby treatment, distressting them up to their eyeballs, but once I felt that wood I just couldn't do it to them, so I just re-covered the seat, trusty staplegun to the fore. I *think they'd look pretty fab all white but for now I'm gonna leave them, adding a bit of natural wood to the cottage is nice. I stuck this one in the corner for the photo, heaven knows where I'll put them though. What do you think?