Coastal Living Giveaway, Surfer Dudes & Life By the Sea

G'day sweet bloggers, how's it cooking out there?  A beautiful Aussie day here…in fact I've had a lovely day all around, started with a coffee with lg, then a run on the beach, then a sit staring out to sea watching the surfer dudes, phew, home and painting things white…simple pleasures.

Oh and a good old disect of Coastal Living magazine, what is a day without a little bit of magazine delving huh?

Just as I spend too much time at home lost in magazines, I often stuff one in my basket to take to the beach…today I took the January issue of Coastal Living to ogle the New York cottage that I told you about that is fueling my bead board obsession. 

I love to look at the homes featured in this magazine…though I am not a designer…goodness…or even a trained decorator…but I know what I want to look at when I open a magazine or book.  I want escapism, but not too much, inspiration, but not outta reach and eye candy, but not too precious…

But, for sure though, I don't want a magazine that fills me with dread and panic and longing for someone else's perfect…you know those stylist's spreads where you jaw drops to the floor at a sofa, or lamp, blimey you are hook line and sinker and then you look to the stockists and realise that oh-my-golly-gosh that one lamp is a month's worth of beans-on-toast-for-dinner for the kids…

I want a magazine to inspire me to try something that might not be too demanding but also just has the right amount of magic to get my backside out into the garage to paint something new or off to the nearest DIY shop to come home with a a roof load of bead board.  Do you know what I mean?  

And in Coastal Living I get all those feelings in features like this

love the white, the roof, the lanterns…

love the quilt, the lamps, the frames

love the tub, the floor, the window

love just about all of this…sigh

love the fans, the rocker and the stripes

Now, it seems I am not alone in either my magazine-habit (find more on that here) or my love of Coastal Living…and so I thought well how about we have a giveaway with a coastal feel?  Kinda topical 'round this here blog. 

And so lovelies, that is how I'll say adieu this evening at the Beach Cottage, with a Giveaway, a copy of Coastal Living tucked under my arm, a paint brush up my sleeve, a cold beer in my hand, the wonderful Australian sun going down and dreaming about bead boarding, outdoor porches, and mosquito nets…

See you next time, there are more photos of my morning here

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  **THREE Coastal Living subscriptions on offer for this giveaway..**

(one kindly donated to Beach Cottage Readers by Coastal Living)