G'day all. Thanks for the comments on me & Vron, we rock ya know.
This started off very much as a rambling post, in my usual style, where I witter on about inconsequential stuff, more often than not throw in the odd Grumpy Old Beach Cottage comment and try, and usually fail, to intersperse humour into something as serious as home decor ;-)
So, rather than ramble on like that I cut much of it out and instead give you the scaled down version…culminating in what is essentially, hopefully, eye candy for Easter and giving away stuff.
You see, recently I realised that I have come along here over 400 times to post about my tatty old cottage on the beaches of Sydney
along the way there have been over 16,000 comments on my escapades in my new life in the Lucky Country, the place I now call home, one of the best places on this old planet
I've shared more than a few times :-) just why I love it so much
there've been some interesting things…
I never thought I'd be in The Washington Post. Twice
or be in magazines. More than twice.
or make some fantastic new friends
or think that perhaps my beach vintage speak was not quite so crazy after all
So I thought well what shall I do for a Over Four Hundred Post Beach Cottage Easter giveaway?
And what came up, as I thought about it some more, was what I constantly get asked about.
And that would be one of my favourite books (of course the inspo for today's post)
one of my favourite flowers
one of my favourite magazines and one of my favourite things to throw around in abandon to make this old place look pretty.
Together with that was my recent urge to go shopping
whereupon I stumbled upon dahlias
glass things
just happened across an old vintage weathered ladder
and a few fishing floats
So I put it all together
and wrapped it up in a Beach Cottage package just for you
if you leave me a little celebratory comment, I might send you
a thriftychic by Liz Bauwens
a Coastal Living subscription
a shell sphere
a glass fishing float
(and I'd really like to send you a vintage ladder)
I will leave it at that and wish you a
Happy Easter
and thank you for being on this journey with me
I don't know where it's going or if there'll be another 400
but I do know it's been fun playing Beach Cottages
…with you joining in
**p.s giveaway open worldwide**
**Tweet or Facebook to double-up baby**
blogged for Cindy's Friday Show and Tell Event
I love your blog.:) Happy Easter to you and thank you for inspiring us all.
Those dahlias are absolutely fantastic! I must grow some for cuttings…
I’d love to win this lovely little giveaway, provided you were planning to possibly ship to The States!
Warmest congrats on your 400, now that’s worth celebrating! Hope you’ve had a wonderful Easter break and enjoy the school hols, I sure will!
Congrats on 400….and I have read them all! I am inspired by your wonderful cottage by the sea. I am surrounded by land here in the USA but dream of making my home a beach cottage….
I love all of the beautiful pictures of your home! Your decorating style is so delightful!
Deirdre G
i visit your site every day.It makes me feel closer to a friend of mine who has moved across the oceans to live in Australia. By seeing your site and lovely pictures i sit and imagine that my friend has such an idyllic life as yours. Keep up the good work…it’s addictive
Congratulations on your milestone!! I’m a fairly new reader, so haven’t experienced all 400 posts, but I really love your style and have been enjoying your posts, and am looking forward to plenty more!
Hope you enjoyed the rest of your long weekend!! :)
Oh, Sarah, congrats on your 400th post, being such a hit that you’ve been in lots of publications and thank you for sharing your beauty with all of us bloggers afar. I’ve so enjoyed your blog since stumbling upon it a couple of years ago. Its been fun to watch your talents grow, your photography become top notch, and finally to see your beautiful face come out of hiding. I feel like I know you now, with the addition of a photo to go with the bloggings. You’ve so much talent, and of course your cottage by the sea is to die for now.
Please enter me into your lovely giveaway, and do be sure to draw my name. :) I’d adore a pkg. from Aussie.
Gretchen
As usual, BEAUTIFUL pics!! I so love your easygoing style! I really hope i win because I love that book you are giving away.
A SUPER HUGE CONGRATS TO YA! Jenny
Ilovegk@gmail.com
linked you with facebook- so here i am again! Jenny
Congratulations on 400 posts, being published, and providing inspiration for all of us who are not fortunate enough to live in a tatty old cottage! :)
wow… I love your style of Decor…its so me, I wish I had A beach cottage just so I could have fun working with so much stuff!
Beautiful!! Love the pink dahlias! Thanks for the giveaway. :)
love the simple style! Never know where one day will take you.We are blessed by your inspiration. Thank you for the fun giveaway to one sweet lady.hope I’m not too late to enter for a chance to win.
Congratulations Sarah! Your photos are once again just gorgeous. Looking forward to another 400 posts :)
Love, love what you do with your home. Lots of inspiration! And what a generous giveaway…
Linked on facebook. :)
Not sure if I’m too late, but I love your simple, comfortable, lovely home and would love to be entered in this giveaway.
I am glad to have discovered your blog. Maybe because your seasons are opposite from California, so I can go to the beach vicariously…I love the tatty quality of your furniture the most. I recently painted a table and chairs black, again opposite, and as they have been used the last 6 months some of the paint is rubbed off. And it doesn’t bother me! Thanks for so much inspiration, and helping me get over that fresh from the store perfection attitude!
Congrats on 400 posts.
Tell me not that I am too late…
Sarah, I am a fan from across the ocean who only discovered your delicious blog a couple of weeks ago. I have spent days after days going through all your posts -feels a bit like cramming!-, and have enjoyed your ideas and experiences *so* *very* *much!*
I can somehow relate to your experience, being a city girl who sold everything and fled the noise and pollution of town, just to end up with a splotchy piece of land in the mountains over which my newly acquired Young Husband and I were meant to build up the house of our dreams… or a miniature version, so it could fit the tiny bit of land we owned. Not easy! But the road has been filled with joys as well as challenges.
Still, my work-in-progress, lame attempt of a house is far from being magazine material, but thanks to my patient husband, a realistic budget, and inspirational people like you, it is slowly acquiring the desired form.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that your blog is a source of inspiration, both for decoration as well as for life itself. Congratulations on this milestone, and may you have many, many more. Keep sharing, keep inspiring us, keep on enjoying life adjusting real life to your dreams -and not the other way around.
Thanks for all the positive vibes you spread all over the ‘net. You rock, girl!
Hugs,
A reader from across the globe.
Congrats Sarah on an amazing 400! Your “tatty” old beach cottage is stunning and always a breath of fresh air. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway opportunity and for letting us enjoy your beautiful journey! Cheers!
400? Your posts don’t look a day over 390! It’s always a pleasure visiting you, my Aussie friend. Thank you for including this NJ shore girl in your give away!
What a lovely blog, and a great giveaway…Congrats…Katie
congrats! love the splash of color from the beautiful dahlias. so grateful to have stumbled upon your blog. love your style!
Wow! 400, you must be proud! One of my fave blogs for inspiration. Congratulations and keep them coming!
I really, really would love the seashell ball! I love it in every picture!
Amber
This is a perfect grouping for a give away! It’s amazing how quickly you reached 400. It took my hsuband 28 years as a baseball coach to reach 400 wins. You work hard and fast!
I love your blog! You have brought me so much inspiration. :-)
Nice! Congratulations on all of your recent successes.
Happy Anniversary and here’s to 400 MORE!! =-D
[This is a fabulous giveaway, BTW! I'm excited!!]
Didn’t think I’d see flowers in bottles and people loving it…..i used soda bottles as flower vases as a kid and my mom would just replace ‘em with store-bought ones! hahahahahahaha ;)
Like little treasures from the beach on a summers day, your blogs show how making your place beautiful and chic can be so simple and inexpensive for everyone! You truly are a beachy inspiration for us all! Thx soooo much!