So here we are again people.  One day sometimes just slips into the other, does it not?  I am not someone who finds it easy to keep quiet about things that excite me in my little life in the cottage, or things that make me all thrift-thrill-intoxicated.  And even though I feel a bit life-jaded presently, I can't keep quiet about this latest find.

The enthusiasm exuded when I came across this lovely old table.  I saw her at a sale, I'd been searching through the dusty old stuff, filling my notebook pages with possibles and spying the odd thing or two for the Most Wanted List, so I'd be ready for action when the sale began, when I saw her tucked under a pile of junk, with a hideous cat house thingy sitting right on top.  Mmmm mmmmm.   

There were a few people after her (an interesting bunch of people at this sale, too interesting and too interested in the stuff I liked).  She just kinda oozed that sweet old loveliness from vintage things…the shabbiness of the top, the old peely paint, the legs, the faded patina…there was no way she wasn't coming home with me.  But what to do with her?

I'm loving that whole inside out thing at the moment.  Last night I had a stack of magazines by my bed and accompanied by a cup of tea and soft lighting, I whiled away, just flicking on through and just about everything I salivated over seemed to be inside things outside.  You know those heavily styled pictures?  Some completely over-the-top, including an beautiful linen roses covered wing-back chair in an old vintage rowing boat on a river.  Like a river with water.  Completely.  Ridiculous.  But just so sigh-able.

So, I decided I'd get that table outside at the top end of the garden & set myself up with a little inside out thing.  I'm needing stuff like that at the mo'.  It's shabby up there, we've done little, ooops cross that out, nothing to it, a square of lawn with an absolotely huge old Moreton Bay Fig tree. And I love its undoneness and often sit here at lunch for a quick sit down.  I don't know why but it reminds me of England, funny really cos the sea breeze swings in and the old Australian fig is just about as far from any tree I saw in England…and the Kookaburras laugh and screech as you sit there.  It just feels like I'm in the country and more importantly I'm unseen and can look up at the wonderful blue of the Australian sky offset by trees

Wanna swing by for some lunch?

Thanks to all of you who took the time to leave a comment and lift my spirits yesterday.  I needed it and yes it worked.  Yeehaw.  It's funny how knowing other people in the same boat makes you feel soothed, isn't it?  And it's funny how things seem to work in a non-coincidental way to make you think, oh you know, things aren't so bad.  Two things happened, one I visited the blog that first inspired me to write this and second I opened an old Sarah Ban Breathnach book

It got me to thinking about all that's gone on here in the Beach Cottage over the last year and how you can get something out of nothing and make a nice life without having a heap of cash I thought I'd show you a little collection of thrifted things that I've found that gave me inspiration yesterday in my gloominess 

the gorgeously lovely kidney mirror I rescued from an antique shop in England 

the sad and lonely table I rescued and covered with oilcloth

the Noritake china, all dusty and for sure coming on home with me

the old door from a old lady's garage sale who thought I was a true loony to buy

the wash stand that was oh so grubby

rattan basket, one of three cleaned up and re-painted in beachy white, singing happily now

a white desk, painted and distress to within an inch of its life

a little side table, brought from England with thrifted vase and garden flowers, much loved

a thrifted white jug, added to a growing collection, and a gerbera fresh picked

a yet to be painted room divider and a delicious old trunk full of vintage linens

a blackboard & shabbied frame plus thrifted candlestick

a thrifted cream plate

and last my absolute fave of faves the white shell balls picked up from the Beach Boutique

Little things, found for little, giving big pleasure

I'm grateful for those things today, what are you grateful for?