2009 November | Real Life Beach Decor, Coastal Living & Nautical Decorating Ideas - A Beach Cottage

Beach Cottage Deck Chairs, Old Packing Crates & Non-Production

9:47 pm Byabeachcottage

G'day, it's been stiflingly hot the past few days. We've taken to the ocean a couple of times to escape the heat – even with water full of seaweed, euuuh, I had to take a deep breath to go in with that swooshing around.

It was so hot on Saturday night that I whined until Mr BC went downstairs to get the air conditioner. I don't like air conditioning, in shops, offices, houses or cars. Always had the feeling that air was already conditioned for us by nature and that it shouldn't be fiddled with. But another hot night was beckoning and so on it went.

Today I thought I'd show you how non-productive my weekend was (not of course that I spent it lazing with me feet up) and let you know that my garage sale fix didn't happen, though I went to enough to try but came home with one lonely but very nice old vintage bowl for a dollar and that was it! Whatever happened to my lucky run and finding old trunks?

I thought too I'd show you how I have done completely nothing to the deck chairs and the packing boxes – here's a little area to the side of the deck that seems to be under constant change around here and now is a new home to these undone things…

The other morning we sat in these yet-to-be-re-covered deck chairs with a coffee and today I added a few flowers, of course a shell and sat for a while making a few Christmas things.

I'm not sure if I won't whitewash it? The letters will still show through and I thought perhaps I could hide things underneath that I don't want anyone to know about

Do you have things in your home that are unfinished, undone, non-productive things? I seem to have an almost constant round of them in my head and my garage.

My life really.

Perhaps though some things are best left undone in life?

Sarah

yep, you already know how much I lurve those aluminium windows

Beach Cottage Stuff, Cards & Fruit Boxes

11:35 am Byabeachcottage

G'day sweeties, thanks for the feather fluffing yesterday. My feathers that is. Thanks to those who emailed me too, I got back to everyone I hope. Certainly given me some ideas and more really it's just the oomph I need to put myself out there. Something that isn't one of my talents. Funny really when I publish this out there. Although I dunno, for me this has always felt just like my place, so who cares who likes it or not? Apart from the odd blog troll who tells me what a complete idiot I am. I'm a big girl, I can deal with that

Anyway, I've been to the beach this morning with Mr BC, one of the benefits of working for oneself. The beaches are bathed in sunshine today, we went and sat right by the waters edge with a coffee watching the waves and the vast amounts of surfing dudes who suddenly seem to come out of the woodwork on sunny Fridays – I guess they work for themselves too?

I only wish I had my camera with me, it was a heady mix of crashing surf, icy blue water and millions of those sparkling dots, you know the ones…and Mr BC, you probably won't read this but if you do, hint hint on the CAMERA for CHRISTMAS.

So I thought I'd finish off the week with making some of the notecards I was talking about the other day – I am going to make some with my fave photos and some Christmassy vignettes…if they look ok I may possibly offer them for sale on here…I have to say thanks again to Gail who offered me not only her advice but took the time to help me further on this (you can find her beautiful cards here).

Before I go I'd thought I'd show you the old fruit box I sat and stroked last night , I love this, like really love it but I didn't like the candle thingy I did with it (you can see that here), too much of a fire risk and just didn't look right to me.

I really like it now, the right way up and stacked full of old mags and stuff and books…last night after a long evening driving around the beaches with kids sporting activities (but btw also sneaking in a beachcombing walk with little Mr BC and collecting heaps of stuff for Christmas decs, think: washed up things and white paint) I rifled through it, plonked on the chair beside and stayed there until much later when Mr BC came in tired from the city.

I think you'll agree it looks much nicer and of course is another way for me to pretend I don't keep stacks of old magazines…

I love* the faded grey wood, the vintage lettering, the old nails with a bit o' rust. Right up my alley.

OKay kiddos, enjoy the weekend. I might pop in here with some pics…I'm going garage saling tomorrow to get my fix.

Sarah

blogged for Cindy's Show and Tell and the event at Shabby Nest, thanks!

Filed Underjunking for the cottage, sitting room, vintage furniture 29 Comments

simple

2:17 pm Byabeachcottage

Howdy partners, how's it going out there?

Well it's warm here and sunny, life is ticking along, as it does.

Just another tablescaping post here at the Beach Cottage….I wonder if you are bored yet, of these? I certainly am not. I love tablescaping, I know some may find this a strange sport, but I am a happy participant, and the ones with a challenge, such as an under $10 budget, seem to be the most rewarding.

To be honest, if someone could wave a magic wand and I could be dressing wedding tables or functions all day and getting paid for it, I'd be quite a happy girl. I've looked into it properly and as with many things, an opening for a mum with no formal qualifications in the field are nothing if not non-existent.

I don't suppose there happens to be a Event Styling 'person' reading this blog who'd like me to come on board? No I didn't think so. So I'm tinkering with doing it for myself, nothing like jumping in at the deep end is there? And as ever on here, let me know your views, comments always throw up things I hadn't thought of or even considered. Would I really be any good? Could I do it? Do I have the talent and the transferable skills. It's all very well doing one table in my own home. Where would I start? Those around me who read here and have had the wonderful-fortune to sit at one of these tables and Mr BC reckon I could. I dunno…

Anyway, enough of that. For this one I wanted to use the tiny shells I picked up on that cold beach walk the other day, some white flowers, my new wire-grey lanterns and little jam jars.

I picked up the cheapest flowers I could find, a budget bunch of gerberas and went from there. Stuck the gerberas in an old Mason jar, sprinkled the shells, added some tealights and picked some foliage from the orange tree in the garden.

I loved how this one turned out…white…vintage napkins and a hint of fresh…suits summer just round the corner for us Down Under and cost next to nothing, a $6 bunch of flowers and a few thrifted napkins…and the most beautiful tiny little shells…

See you tomorrow

Sarah

find more tablescape love here, a grey linen one here, and an all white coffee table one here

BLOGGED FOR TABLESCAPE THURSDAY, THANKS TO SUSAN

Filed Underdining room, tablescapes 30 Comments

Beach Days

2:55 pm Byabeachcottage

The other week I found myself on a beach I don't usually go to, due to training schedules of one of myrats, I mean most-gorgeous-kids-ever.

It was not, by any stretch of the imagination a nice evening but seasoned cold-beach-goer I am from my former life in the Old Country I had with me a big toasty old sweater.

It was bracing and beautiful and so I went for a solitary walk along the shoreline while they trained and spent most of it bending down and picking up the most tiny, most perfectly formed delicate little shells…before long I had a pocket full of them.

So tiny that I didn't really know what I would do with them, but perfect for scattering on a table…more of which I'll show you tomorrow…

Though I really don't need to re-iterate on here how much I love our seachange, this walk reminded me very much of what used to be home and how different my kids' lives will be to the one Mr BC & I had.

When I was a child, going to the beach was an outing, involving a picnic and lots of gear and we would more often than not end up eating sandwiches in the car, watching a dark grey old sea like this, with the rain lashing down outside, the windscreen wipers going and the steam building up…

We always, always had tea. In a flask or, boiled up with the car door as a windbreaker on one of those little old camping burners and a kettle. It arrived in thick 70's orange plastic camping cups and tasted of plastic, and was, shock horror, made by the shortcut method – teabags in the cups – 'cos we didn't have a pot.

I always remember that tea was bittersweet…not quite tasting the same without a pot…but tea and a Rich Tea by the ocean, wind howling, and everything a bit damp, would always hit the spot…

Funny how walking along here, a whole world away brought those memories flooding back…and I thought about how nice it would be along here with a flask and a cup of tea.

Filed Underat the beach, just a beach cottage life 21 Comments

Beach Cottage DIY White Lanterns

2:11 pm Byabeachcottage

G'day, how are you all? I am recovering from a weekend of doing lots but not getting much done, mostly to do with kids' sport and yesterday was frazzled from a sporting event on the beach all day.

It seems we have more and more days like that. Do you? I seem to mentally plan a hundred and one things to 'get done' at the 'less busy' time of the weekend days and end up at the end of it all, being worse off than when I started, with a cottage that looks like a small device went off inside it and spewed kids paraphernalia all around. I'm sure you too have those bombs going off every weekend?

Anyway, these lanterns are much more interesting to talk about.

Recently I found myself stranded for an hour and a half in a town I don't normally go to…Mr BC had dropped me off there and there were a couple of treasure shops I had heard about and was looking forward to stalking…but there was nothing...what is it lately with the so called 'charity' shops and their prices? I am all for re-cycling, saving money and our planet but truly how many people are going to buy stuff in these shops when really it is on a par to buy it new in the mall??

I was hoping to find some vintage plates for a Christmas theme I have going on in my head, you know gold and old with lots of white…I found some old plates which fit the bill but $20 for one actually meant that I didn't even put them in my basket. Shame that.

Anyway there was a beautiful real home shop a bit further along filled with all manner of goodies, oh how enjoyable to dig through there for a while.

In that delightful shop were some white lanterns made from a thick, plastic almost material printed with various words, they really caught my eye…oh and there was lots of white

So I had a go at making my own DIY version of the lanterns, just printed out words on some white paper (I'll show you the others I did soon), ripped the top for a rustic feel, tied them around an old water glass with a tealight in it and secured with string.