2009 April — A Beach Cottage

We had friends over on Saturday night and we wanted to sit out and enjoy watching the evening draw in before it gets too cold to sit outside at night. I set about the table with not much forethought and had forgotten to buy any flowers from the market so I ended up scooting round the Beach Cottage with a basket filling it up with things I could use and grabbing some hydrangae's from the garden whose colour was not quite right, but this is not about being perfect right?

And that worked well, picking out a few things that kind of went together. The putty stripe, white and shades of cream and white of course is a regular theme around here but 'don't fix what ain't broke' don't they say?

And for me it certainly works, not too much fussing, just layering it on and then adding some shells and some candles.

For a time here at the cottage I was somewhat reluctant to have people over, for me 'entertaining' conjures up scenes of stressed-out-women-with-souffles in the kitchen, I like rather to think about having friends over for a casual meal. Which I spose is what it's all about here overall, casual living, casual decor…

And for me I think the key is simplicity, who wants any more stress, right and more than just simplicity for me it's mood depending on life, schedules, budget and time, but although I like simple I too like effort. I don't know about you but walking into someone's home when they've made some effort to set a table, perfect or not and light a few candles makes me feel that wonderful fuzziness that I guess is being on the end of hospitality

I've had a few messages asking, so here's what works for me

roughly plan the meal once the invitation has been accepted and once you've set it DO NOT SWAY FROM IT, you want pizza have pizza, do not start elaborate planning of courses that will send you into a spin, I've done this before and it's led to me having to lie down in a darkened room

know your limitations, I am no baker or desert maker, I normally ask the guests to bring a desert or buy something like a French Apple Tart from the patisserie or just have cheese and biscuits…at the moment I am the not-so-reluctant baker and am gradually building up a repetoire of eye-shut-recipes

use other people's knowledge – search the net for easy menus, easy 'entertaining' ideas and what I did for this one is phone a friend – a very good friend of mine pulls off hospitality with what seems like little effort, she likes to cook similar things to me, likes to dress the table, but with not too much palaver, so I swiftly got on the phone to her last week and asked her what she's been cooking lately and what's good – we poured over the same cookery books each end of the phone, rating what she'd tried… which led me to the pudding and it was a true delicious no-brainer of a success!

do-ahead – I hate to sound all apron-wearing-boringly-organised but I try to prepare ahead and find recipes that can be put in the oven a coupla hours before they arrive, can be slow cooked all day (love love love my crockpot) or if my brain cannot go to thinking about a menu I stick chickens into roast surrounded in little fat-laden roast potatoes, you won't find too many complaints there and you'll have a cottage oozing fragrant domestic-bliss. I steer well clear of pasta, stir-fry or anything that requires me to stand in the kitchen and stir, watch or foof. To lose the stress I need the security of something sitting in the oven, me happy in the knowledge that it's just there and ready

lose the starter/entree – buy bits and bobs from the deli for a loaded platter, a wedge of cheese/sausage or of course posh chips or a tub of dip and some pitta

I don't like the idea of some regimented itinerary of tight planning but if I can I do set up earlier in the day and there's no fretting involved just a bit of ya know clarity – I go through what I might need during the course of the evening and shove it all on a side table or on the counter – the dishes for the food, extra glasses, coffee cups, cafetiere so it's all out and I won't be delving around on my knees in cupboards looking for the milk jug

delegate, delegate, delegate – those kiddos can get the basics on the table, Miss Beach Cottage made the desert for this one, Mr Teenage Beach Cottage set the lighting and the candles, Mr BC did the shopping (oh yeah people I am so there!)

get the beverages sorted, stacked and cooled and keep em flowing & if all of the above and all else has failed have a glass of wine, or as in my case, beer

We had a Thai curry from Jamie Oliver, not something I would normally have but I just fancied shoving it all in a pot at the beginning of the day and forgetting about it and that so happened…we started with a platter of crostini and ended with Nigella Lawson's Sticky Toffee Pudding.

And as the teenagers round here say, easy as pie

blogged for the tablescape event at betweennapsontheporch, thanks Susan

G'day friends.

I'm currently drawn to rustic in the cottage to go alongside the vintage stuff so I've been on the lookout for the last few weeks for some baskets, wooden boxes, tin pails – you know that sort of stuff.

Well on my day of treasure finding last week where I had a treasure-panic-attack I came across these wine boxes. I wasn't really sure what I could do with them of course other than store wine in, which would be not so appropriate to me seeing as I am allergic to it. I thought I would try them as a side table to add a bit of old rusticyness to the sitting room to place alongside that chair, which I have to say is on it's last days around here and when I find a new white two seater for this spot it will be toast…

So I snapped these little beauties up, for oh about the price of a cappuccino, full fat, no sugar and set about giving them a makeover, I wanted the result to be woody but white and still showing the lettering…

I simply added a blob of water based paint to my paint tray and topped it up with some water, mixed it round till I had a thin, sloppy consistency and then painted it on, it dried just right.

Then I turned over the top box to the side without any lettering and using No Nails glue, glued it to the bottom one. Then added a stripe place mat to the top, securing it with the fave of blogland, which is the hot glue gun and stuck on a few flowers and a candle.

Job done.

And as Mr Teenage Beach Cottage says, easy-as-pie. Though I'm assuming he has never made a pie in his life so completely ridiculous really.

Let me know if you have any questions…