G’day Beach Cottagers, guess what (and if you Facebook with me, you’ll already know)? I’m having an ANTHROPOLOGIE giveaway today to celebrate a little something (well actually it was a large something for me) I recently purchased from the lovely ANTHRO, that I’ll be showing you soon…
Anyway I have a lovely gal over here with us today…thought you might like to come sit with a drink while we chat…her name is Kasey and she blogs right here and after lots of my readers here told me I’d just lurve her blog I never did quite make it over there until a few months ago…and they were right…it’s a funny old world this blogging one is it not?…getting to know people over the oceans in their home towns from the study of a tatty old cottage on the beaches of Sydney
…sit back and enjoy the ride, this girl is right up my alley…shame I can’t go have a drink with her in France…and yep she really does look that good in skirts…
Thank you sarah for inviting me over to chit chat about my little world. Grab yourself a glass of wine…and make yourself at home.
Oops….i forgot that Sarah is allergic to wine….oh dear. Everyone has permission to have an extra glass for her then…and i myself…might have an extra also.Just one though…because anymore then two…i might make hot dogs for dinner….and we don’t want that.
well it is a sad and gloomy world for those of us who get an adult-onset wine allergy, I do not recommend it at all Kasey, though for sure it hasn’t stopped me making hot dogs for dinner
So I am a pretty new reader of your blog, when did you start blogging and why?
I started blogging a few years ago when i had a brick & mortar shop…it was a way to let my customers know what was going on in our little world. ….but then i closed my shop….and started talking more about my family and life…with a bit about my style.
sigh I just love your style….
How do you fit in running a successful blog and being a mum to three?
Oh boy….the whole balance question. I’ve always stated….blog comes first….family comes second.
oops…
i mean cooking and cleaning first….blogging second…then family last.
I really believe that if you put family first…then you end up being the mom servant…you end up cooking and cleaning for them…maybe dressing the kids in the morning and making sure hair is brushed.
ugh. who really wants that?
Alright….i’ll come clean….i’ll fess up and tell the truth.
Sometimes my family comes first……actually….somehow they always come first….and the blog comes in a clean last.
I tend to write about my life and kids quite a bit…..so the balance is there…i just write about life…my life.
hmm so you’re telling me that I shouldn’t really have been locking my kids in a cupboard for the last year so that I can blog? Is that right?
You and I seem to share a love of vintage things, what are some of your favourite pieces in your home?
I love mixing vintage with clean modern look. I love white slip covered sofa’s…but i also love industrial….so mixing
the two is easy.
I just bought an old door that had a beveled mirror on it at the flea market…it has to be one of my favorite pieces right now.I bought it for a steal….and that is one thing i proud myself on…is finding pieces that are very inexpensive.
I don’t believe you have to spend a fortune to make your home beautiful….it might take time….but it doesn’t have to be expensive.
same here, I am loving a bit of industrial at the moment too and yep its always good for the pocketbook to shop from fleamarkets and even better if one steals furniture from outside other people’s houses
How does the white and Frenchy look work with the kiddos?
My kids are not allowed in any of the rooms with furniture…i really try and keep them in their bedrooms
all day if possible. If they are caught touching one of my antique ironstone pitchers…then i tie them to the tree out front and they have to stay there all day. It’s the only thing that works…otherwise they would be jumping all over my white furniture and touching all of my pretty things.
oh wow I thought that was only my dirty little secret, I wonder do you feed them while they are tied up or like me do you throw the odd pack of chips at them while you style your sofa??
Alright….not really…i only tied them to that tree ONE time…..and i promise never to do it again.
pinky promise!
My style is what my kids know…..its all they know. I have white slip covered sofa’s from Ikea….which i think i wash on a semi-weekly basis….and slip covered white really is do able with children..plus white just yells…clean and comfortable.
you said it girlie
I know a girl who has a magazine worthy home….but does not let her children in most of the rooms. I don’t want my children growing up like that….i want my children to remember how their home is pretty…but that they are welcome everywhere…its their home as well.
Some of us might remember growing up and having that one room…the FAMILY ROOM….that was for ADULTS only….and really…it was the only room that only got used a few times a year.
Not here in my house….family room is for family…..all of them…dirty hands and all.
Even though…the next time i find an ant pile because one of the children "accidentally" left a popsicle wrapper under the sofa….i’m sending them to live in Australia.
they’d fit in well Down Under in a tatty old cottage with white sofas that grow chocolate wrappers under pillows…
So how come you ended up where you are now and how’s that different to California?
We moved here to the Chicago area 3 years ago from Colorado due to my husbands job relocation.
That was the toughest move ever….because i really felt settled. { we lived in the San Fran bay area before moving to colorado}.
I love living here….and have made some really fabulous friends. It’s the weather that kills me…i really do
not love the frigid cold of winter.
If the chance come to move again…i think we would move back to the bay area of Cali.
I love the mild winters in which i can still layer my clothes {i have an Anthro shopping problem}..
and we can be near the beach….the wine country {i love my wine….}…and the mountains.
really, I never woulda picked up that you love wine 
hmm I’m thinking I need to find me some Anthro layering for Sydney winters
tell me again, quite how do you make fabulous friends when re-locating, i haven’t quite cracked that yet??
A strange thing has happened to me since I started reading your blog…I have swapped my jeans & flip flops for skirts and find myself incessantly oggling hair clips, do you have this effect on other people too?
Sarah…..i love your look….don’t change a thing!
I can’t really wear jeans because when i sit down….my belly fat oozes over…so that is why i wear skirts…elastic band around the waste.
I don’t really wear flip flops because of my toe fungus.
My hair clips are only because i have a huge bald spot on my head…so the hair clips always disguise that.
oh wow, you mean if I do skirts I won’t have an oozing muffin top?
ahh yes, I see now those shoes are good for disguising fungus…
I heard you used to do Fashion Friday, is that coming back anytime soon?
I loved doing fashion friday….and will start back up soon.
Thank you for giving me the OKAY to go out and buy more clothes…because i must have new clothes in order to do fashion friday.
If my husband calls you because i told him you said okay….then just go with it.
ok, no worries…a little birdie I know named Darcy told me husbands on your side of the water and my pommie accent go down quite well, so I might be able to work a little something out with him…
What’s some of your fave places to shop…for shoes and homewares and girly things?
I really do love Ikea…and a place here in the states called Homegoods. I love perusing thru Anthro’s home
department…to get ideas…then finding the things elsewhere for less.
I find a lot of my shoes at T.J.Maxx…but will spend some good dollars on boots when Anthro debut’s their fall line up.
I’m a boot girl…..and i love me some ruffled slip covered furniture.
how very funny…I love IKEA too and boy-oh-boy have I heard a mint about Homegoods…bring on my trip to the States that’s coming up….rocking Anthro and Homegoods…
Hey did you get the styling call from Anthro yet ??
??Not yet Sarah……why……do you know someone that could hook me up?
oh don’t worry I have connections…it won’t be long…think you may well have to tie the kids up tho
Do you have plans brewing for your blog and what is coming up next at your place?
I don’t have one single plan brewing at the moment……other then getting thru the summer
with three kids home and a mountain of laundry pilling up in the corner.
This last year has been pretty amazing…i was able to travel to France with a close friend…it was my
first visit there…..and have been writing here and there for some places {like here…thank you sarah}..
but my life is really content right now.
I just take life as it comes…..one day at a time. If something presents itself….then we will see….but so far…
no one has knocked on my door and asked if they could be my personal chef for a year…..so right now…i’ll just keep cooking boxed meals for my family and documenting about it on my blog.
same here Kasey, my doorbell sure ain’t been ringing off with requests for my services so guess I’m right there with you…cooking fish fingers and just bloggin’ along for the ride
Hope you enjoyed our chat and if you don’t know Kasey, go say G’day!
And just because I fancy it and because I am surely revving up to my trip to the States whereupon the good people at Anthropologie have offered me a couple of nights in one of their Cali shops, this post has an ANTHROPOLOGIE giftcard giveaway attached to it… OPEN WORLDWIDE tho’ if you win and you are in Aus or somewhere tricky for Anthro it’ll be from somewhere very nearly as nice 
all you gotta do to win is :-
tell me which homey pic in this post of Kasey’s ya love?
or much more interestingly
and because she pretends she doesn’t have a lot of them
but I think she rather does
let me know
what you think of her shoes?
I’ll be seeing you sweeties around…
**comment = entry, more you comment more you enter**Facebook/Tweet this to double up**
love Kasey…she is one sweet gal & her home is to die for
.My fav. pic is either the cake w/ the the birdcage or the one of her in the grey {gray 
} ruffled skirt,that outfit is lovely…
..
So sweet of you to interview her & i’m excited to check out your blog
Oh well I definiely love the cake that says Eat Me! And I am a new follower, love your blog! And those pink open toed shoes are to die for!
I LOOOOOOOVE those grey ruffled shoes. Not sure if they are hers, but I reeeeeeeeally need a pair!
And I love the picture of the mirror surrounded by the clock faces, with the lovely aged rack beneath. Love.
She is such a funny, down to earth person. I love her shoes, I just could not wear them. She does make you want to dress up though. Nice interview.
I love Kasey’s style and she does have the “skirting” effect on me as well. I shop Anthro in the clearance room on rare occasions but I need Kasey to help me put it all together! My favorite pic is the one of the balloons in the dining room because of the story behind it and the simple glamour that is so evident in that photo.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I love the picture of Kasey’s dining room….the blue on the walls is to die for. Inspires me to paint my own! The gray ruffle shoes are by far my fave.
Thanks for a great peek into Kasey’s World!
kasey is a joy to read. Love the cake in a cage pic. Great interview.
Sarah, excellent interview with Kasey. I have been following her blog for 1 and 1/2 years now and have enjoyed every minute of it. My favorite pic of this post is in the sunroom. Looks like a perfect place to read a good book. I agree with you that Kasey has more shoes than she tells us about. That’s ok shoes are a good thing. Love Anthro was just there on my birthday, but could always use a gift card for more clothes. Love your style as well Sarah, looking forward to reading more of your blog.
I can see you two being best friends – you have so much in common and both write so well!! Kasey’s pic of the French chair with the rustic table and modern yellow china is great – I could enjoy a glass of wine with her right there! Love all the shoes too – Anthro has the best and I now have a store just a 15 mins. drive away, yippee!!!
Thanks for the fun interview Sarah – I think Kasey will be having a lot of new visitors to her blog!!
Mary –
A Breath of Fresh Air
I’m so glad that white is ok with kids around because I think I have found my true love in decor! I love the look of an oceanfront cottage.
Now to start saving for a new slipcovered sofa from ikea.
I’ve been a follower of Kasey’s blog for a while now. This was a fun interview! I like the picture of the room at the end of your post with the fireplace in it. I really like how she has styled that room. Looks like your blog is full of great inspiration too. I will add you to my following!
I love when Kasey takes pictures of here shoes! My favorite are the gray ones with the red toe polish. Soooo pretty! Hoping to have an excuse to visit anthro in the near future
I love the one where the curtains are puddled on the floor! I want to do that so bad but I’m not brave enough.
Kasey’s decorating style is awesome and something I envy! I’m just not good at putting it together. I wish I were.
And I’ve never even been inside of an Antro…gasp, I know. But I love her clothes so I’m SURE I could find something! lol
I love the pic with the yellow shoes on top of the wooden crate. I really love all the pix, I would trade houses with her any day…though I love living in South Carolina, and I don’t think I could move back to the North with the cold winters!
great interview! i love kasey – her writing & sense of humor is wonderful!
love the yellow peep toe sandals shown on Kasey’s feet above. and love the talk of Home Goods. I’m slightly addicted to that store. Can’t go in without going down each and every aisle. :}
Love Kasey’s blog! And so glad to have discovered yours now, too!
My fav picture is the birdcage from her daughter’s Alice in Wonderland party.
Wow what a ” glamorous life ” As Sheila E. Would say . Love it all. I am a new follower on Kasey’s blog but what style she has. I love the mix of french chic meets flea market cast offs, and I mean that in a good way. I love her style. I must say the pink ribbons pull at my heartstrings. They remind me of an old lampshade I own with simple lace, rose ribbons and the works. Lovely. All of her pics are fab. I especially like the pink tufted chair the welcomes you to a morning of tea and perhaps crumpets. Cheers.
I love the pic of the table and chairs – the yellow is perfect, so warm and inviting! Great interview!:)
Blog comes first- LOL!! Great interview. Enjoy reading both of your blogs!!
I love the very first photo of her in front of the blue door I think its perfect!
I love the picture Kasey took for her friends husband. The one with only the girls leg showing.
I read her blog daily and now I will read yours. Hello from Canada
My favorite is the picture of the mercury glass pitchers on the coffee table. Great style! What a funny interview!
I love the photo with the dark gray ruffley skirt and yellow and gray sweater. Oh, and about the shoes, we all know she has an entire tool shed of shoes that she switches out with each season. Every time I’m at T.J. Maxx I’m thinking, I bet that blog lady that I read all the time would like those!
I love all her pictures, but the one that stands out is the tea party. Great interview, now I need a glass of wine….but it is only 8:20 am in Chicago….so I will wait until I finish work
I love the yellow polka dot shoes!! So summery.
I love her style…all of it! Makes me want to add more “girly” items to my wardrobe.
i just love the picture of her dining room with all the white balloons and her shoes are to die for!! i love kasey’s blog so much and her sarcasm cracks me up! great interview.
Oh, so happy to of found your blog! I read Lola B everyday and now I will read yours~
I love the all the pictures BUT if I must pick a favorite…. let’s go with the one of her lovely legs in the FAB grey shoes lounging on the chaise!
Hi Sarah, I LOVE the pic with her friend lounging on the old daybed in a field, I’ve seen it on her blog before and think it’s so dreamy/sexy/beautiful. Thanks for doing this interview/giveaway! I just heard Anthro marked a bunch more stuff on sale yesterday (my friend works there and told us Wednesdays are the best day to go, because they get markdown lists on Tuesdays for the week).
What a lovely interview! I love how genuine and real Kasey is
And you too, of course! You girls are amazing! I just get so much inspiration from both of you.
I am in love with the tea party picture….the one with the lemons. It’s just so summery and lovely. As for the shoes….I could just die for that grey ruffled pair….worn while lying on a lounge chair. Perfection!
I love all of Kasey’s pictures! I wish, wish, wish for her home-style and clothing style….This Anthro gift card would help!!! =-)
Oh Wowzer!! How can I pick a favorite shoe? I love all of them. But i do think that my very favorite are the off-white peep-toes…with the scalloped, feather/petal-like design on the side. Obviously- i am the universal worst at describing things. Ha! But truly – what a lovely home and lovely person. And very witty. I like it!
my favorite thing about al the pics are her shoes!! gottal love the peep toes. my most fave home pic would be the one that features a chandeleir with birds… thanks for the chance to win!
I think I’m going to take a picture of my toe nails with the lady bugs on them (in really cute shoes, of courses)
I’ve been reading Casey’s blog for over a year now. Love her style. Very hard to pick a favorite pic of her house. They are all amazing. Love how she uses tons of old mirrors to dress up a wall. And her sun room looks so relaxing. All her room are very inviting. My favorite Casey shoes are her ruffle boots from Anthro.
I also blogged about it here http://www.monkeysaidbear.com/design/great-people-to-follow-and-a-give-away-you-need-to-let-me-win/
Facebooked about it here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Monkey-Said-Bear/103440469694292?ref=search
I love the cake in the cage begging to eat it. How Alice and Wonderland! Great idea for a garden tea party!
I love the photo of the old mirror and the clock faces on the wall with the white housewares. I LOVE Kasey’s blog. It’s one of the highlights of my day reading it at work…haha!!
rray@liberty.edu
And tweeted
@monkeysaidbear Some Darlings to follow along with a give-away that you should ignore so i can win it please http://fb.me/BX2tkxKO
@monkeysaidbear make sure to check out my favorite imaginary vacation blog for a give-away today! @abeachcottage http://www.abeachcottage.com/
i love love love the photo of her outside lounging on the bench with ruffled heels! it so describes the feeling i always have of wanting to look relaxed and put together without being overdressed. although with three kids that rarely happens, so the blurry edges of the photo also reference the foggy-ness of a dream…
Hello,
I have been reading Kasey’s Blog for a long time and love it. I love her shoes and one of my favorite pictures is when she had the party for daughter and had the eat me sign on the bird cage with a cake in it – how did she do that.
great read! always good to get a fellow blogger insight!
Great interview !!
Kasey is missing her calling with the writing and all — someone someday will snatch her up though !!
Her pictures are great too. See there an author and photographer ,whats the name of the book ???
I love the picture of the birdcage with the beautiful cake waiting inside. We don’t have an Anthro close by. Our area is campaigning for a Trader Joes right now . But I am a girl willing to travel !! Thanks !
I love the pic with the hatboxes!!! I’ve collected them for years. I really covet all of Kasey’s shoes!!!
I’ve always loved that birthday party scene with all the white balloons up on the ceiling, pink ribbons hanging down, and luscious frenchy-white decor everywhere. ::sigh::
I have a thing for birdcages and I really loved Lola’s “Alice in Wonderland” party so I’d have to say the cake/birdcage photo is my fave. Really enjoyed the interview….
Wow, It is hard to choose!!! I think my favorite is the last photo with the chandelier and bird candles!!!! Love it!!!!!!
Oh, how I LOVE Kasey’s blog! I’ve been reading it for years! I am in love with all her ruffly shoes and adorable outfits. So inspiring! As are YOU!