Sorry about the website problem y’day, I hope it is now fixed…thanks for all the emails…oh and yep the fridge is a working, second fridge…so that means it has champagne in it mostly…oh and of course, cold beer..
Now, BCer’s have I got a treat for you today…I have a little inside scoop on the very very hard-working lady behind furniture store Russell & Mackenna…the kinda grass roots success story I just lurve to hear…
Oh and best thing is there’s a $400 Giveaway from Russell & Mackennaattached to this post, as ever all ya gotta do is comment to enter…
So here’s my chat with Lauren…and a behind-the-scenes peek at her gorgeous beachy home…
I just love to hear a success story of a good family company built on hard work, craftmanship and all that comes with that…can you describe what it was like in the early days of Russell & Mackenna creating your goods in a one car garage? It reminds me of my garage full of vintage furniture..was it all a bit of a crazy?
It was crazy in the beginning, but fun crazy. We were only three months old when Coastal Living magazine featured our Wave Hall Table. I remember the editor asked if I was sure I wanted them to print my home phone number as contact information. (We didn’t have a toll free number at that point.) When that magazine hit the newsstand the rollercoaster took off. We took dozens of orders for that table, and back then there were just three of us and Kevin was the only one who could actually build furniture! That was a wild month. We had Wave Hall Tables all over our house. Kevin was building from dusk to dawn day after day. We recruited everyone we could to help us paint them. It was a blast, we were giddy the entire time and just so excited that people liked what we were making.
So to answer your question, yes, it was a bit crazy!
Goodness, how wonderful and manic….maybe I should be selling my treasures
How did it move on from that operation to the success that it is today and do you find that has been an amazing ride?
Russell & Mackenna is 6 years old now. We outgrew my one car garage quickly and then outgrew the next space we rented and then the next space. I don’t know that there was one magical ingredient you could say propelled our growth. But I would say the most important thing we have going for us is our team. Get three people together who believe with all there heart that they can do what seems impossible and watch out. I’m just an artist with an undergraduate degree, Russell & Mackenna has taught me how to take a passion for art and turn it into a viable business. We have really grown up into a real company that has Shareholders, a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. I have a saying that the harder you work the luckier you get…it’s actually printed on the spine of our catalog. So yes, it has been am amazing ride and an emotional one too. I am currently working on our business plan for the next 5 years, so right now I am looking ahead and feel like the ride is just beginning.
Hey I love that saying…working hard makes you luckier…as Mr BC says there ain’t no such thing as luck huh?
As a busy mum of three, how do you keep everything ticking smoothly…that same old question about balance…there’s a joke ’round here that kiddos with busy mummy’s get tied to trees…
Kiddos tied to trees, hmmm, that’s not a bad idea! I am on what seems like an eternal quest for life balance. Finally, in my thirties, I have become pretty good at delegating and asking for help. Early on I tried to do it all myself because I felt like I needed to be Super Woman. The family nearly had to send me to the funny farm because of it.
wow! you nearly went to the same farm as me…unbelievable…;-)
Kevin and I also realized that we couldn’t both be trail blazers at Russell & Mackenna full time if we wanted the balance of a happy family! After trying a few different solutions, we landed on Kevin stepping out of the day-to-day business and being a full time dad. My girls obviously adore their Daddy and were thrilled with that decision.
goodness, kudos to you guys to have found a solution that works, ummmm with Mr BC recently starting his own business and being very busy working crazy crazy hours and the BC Store and book around the corner, oh and keeping up with it all…we are still tieing kids to trees...
Another thing I learned in the last few years…the importance of excercise and a healthy lifestyle. In the early days at I developed horrible eating habits to cope with the stressers of being such a busy mom and I put myself dead last on the priority list. After packing on a lot of weight..and I’m talking a whole lot..I woke up one day and knew I needed a serious change. My dear friend Lee Kriel (who also happens to be our photographer and is the gorgeous woman sitting on the back of the Hinkley Picnic Boat) knew I needed help in this area and encouraged me to do early morning bootcamp with her. Thank you Lee! I’ve been going that now for three years now. Simply encorporating the discipline of an excercise routine has changed my life. I have so much more energy to better handle the stress that comes along with being a working mom – not to mention all the weight I have lost. Putting my own well being higher on the priority list has made a big difference.
Holding my hands up to ya, good for you…dunno if you’ve heard about the BC walks and 350′s…certainly my therapy and boy do we all know when Mrs BC aint been a-walkin…..what an amazing story, I love how you say exercise has changed your life…all jokin’ aside I feel the same…just sooooo important for us women to get movin’…
So I hear you are the creative one at your place…where’d you get your inspiration and how do you translate that to your wares?
Yup, I am the creative one here…well let me rephrase that. I was the first creative one here and I lead the creative direction but now I have 2 designers who give lots of input too. At this point we design product (wooden furniture, accessories, upholstered furniture and fabrics) as well as catalogs and a website not to mention the interior spaces we create for our clients all over the country.
So the great thing about my job is working in so many mediums, both 2 and 3-dimensional to tell a cohesive coastal lifestyle story that is continually evolving but needs always to stay fresh and uplifting. Inspiration comes from all of the things I’m exposed to in my own life…the magazines and blogs I read, the people I meet, the homes visit and places I travel. My brain sucks it all up like a sponge.
And I have to tell you that your blog has been on my radar for quite awhile. I love the way you live and the simplicity of your style…that inspires me.
Really ! Oh!
Blushing here Lauren, thanks for saying you love my style….too kind!
Hmmm how funny that you’ve been reading my blog…fancy our tatty old beach cottage has inspired you..
oh yeah I’m pretty free for styling & a little trip Stateside in the next few months I am particularly good at sitting on the back of boats, with beer and rolled-up jeans and flags…and taking photographs…
Ok what about day-to-day…what’s a day in your life like?
Alarm goes off at 4:15. I have coffee a bannana and check my email and the Russell & Mackenna sales and web analytics for the previous day. Go to bootcamp at 5:30 where I endure verbal abuse from a trainer for one hour (love you BGood)… running, push-ups, squats and sit ups.
errrm, hold it right there! You get up at 4.15, you mean like a.m.?? Phew. This is one impressed BCer! Tho’ I am quite fancying the sound of endurance…sometimes one needs a bit o’ verbal to get one pumping…
Go back home, carrot juice for me and breakfast for my girls. I talk to them about what they have planned for their day. I like to give them all one thing to try and accomplish in a given day. Sometimes it is simply brush your teeth (I like to keep it very basic for my 3 year old) and other times it’s much more ambitious like make a scrapbook today. I do this for two reasons. I think kids need purpose and praise. So I set them off with a task I think they can successfully handle then when we regroup at the end of the day I can praise them if it was done. I want my girls to feel accomplished and proud. But now I am digressing…back to my day. After a chat with them then it is off to the shower and work. I carpool with my father every morning at 8:30. He lives just down the street and we use the 30 minute drive to talk about business stuff..mostly brainstorming. Then my days tend to be filled with various vendor, client and employee meetings all revolving around brand strategy and design work. Occasionally I’ll have a fantastical day that stands out from all the others…for instance if a celebrity calls to place an order, or we sign a big contract with a Hotel chain. I love days like that, although those are sadly few and far between. I usually get back home around 7 PM just in time for dinner with everyone (hubby does all the shopping and cooking) before we wind down and get ready for bed. About once a week I make a point to leave work at 5 so that I can get home early enough to walk down to our community beach with the girls, grill out or go shopping…generally just some sort of QT with family. Right now, my husband is training for a marathon, so he tends to run while we eat dinner. I sort of miss him lately but I’m so dang proud of him that I am being supportive.
Well you girlie have one busy old life heh? Sounds like fun for sure. Though not the carrot juice. Your hubby…do you rent him out?
Gosh, now that I think about it, it probably sounds pretty boring. But really it’s not. The people I interact with every day (family included here) are so creative, colorful and fun that it makes the days fly by. The challenges we set for ourselves, the accomplishments we achieve and all the laughing along the way are what make my life and job so wonderful.
And when everything is done at the end of the day what do you do to kick back and relax?
It does’t take much. I really like wearing flip flops and sunglasses and just hanging out at our beach with hubby, a pitcher of Malibu and pinapple and a pound of steamed shrimp. I am all about keeping it ultra simple. I live in a small community of cottages north of Annapolis, Maryland just off the Chesapeke Bay. Our neighborhood beach has a great big grassy area where all the neighborhood kids play made up games. There is a beautifiul pier and sailboats everywhere. Like you, I am so fortunate to live near the water. I just love it. Attached a photo of my oldest singing a song at the talent show put on by our community’s co-opperative summer beach camp. So cute.
Oh yeah, digging the cute! Hey, do you need a house guest to share a Malibu and pineapple with you? I’m good at steaming shrimp…
And last, but not least, Lauren, how did we get all the way to the end of this girl-chat, talking about the beach, talking about furniture, talking about carrot juice and bootcamps and not mention….your big brother????…hmm….
Grab yourself then a Malibu, put your feet up & go head for a little bit of ice-cream colour, seaside inspiration at Lauren’s place Russell & Mackenna …I’m lovin the hutch here, this fabric makes my heart skip a skippity beat, oh & yep I could just rock it with this hall table…
That’s all folks
…leave a comment to win…tell me how you kick back and relax, or keep it all together as a mummy or you could p’haps just comment on Lauren’s big brother…so very easy
hit that button people to enter for a
BEACH COTTAGE/ RUSSEL MACKENNA
FOUR HUNDRED DOLLAR GIFTCARD
See you drunken sailors layta
*giveaway open til close of play 10/09/10, tweet/facebook to double up*
I am a huge fan of armoires. I was admiring the ones you posted here, but I’ve got to say my favorite is the one in the children’s room that looks like it’s a door leading into a magical world of imagination. Ha! What a creative idea – I’m loving it. Thank you for letting us admire the furniture and Mr. Big Brother (clearing throat)…thanks for sharing.
Great interview Sarah, I love hearing success stories like that…..as far as relaxing goes – for me there’s nothing quite like kicking back with a cold bottle of bubbles with the one I love.
It was a great read until I got to the bit about getting up at 4.15 am….I ain’t doing that. I relax at the end a the day with a long walk after dinner with my husband, then I settle down with a cup of tea and either knit, quilt or read. Great giveaway thanks Jenny
The way I like to kickback and relax is to put on comfy pjs, get a bag of chips, something sweet, and a soda. Curl up on the couch and catch up on my dvr’d shows. My “filth,” as I call them… Real Housewives, the Bachelor Pad, etc. I love having that time to myself!!
Thank you so much for offering such a generous giveaway! xoxo
nothing spells relaxing like a good rainy day movie and popcorn cuddled up in a warm knitted blanket…..okay, if it isn’t raining, shutting the shutters and pretending that the sun isn’t shining and the yard doesn’t need tending….hugs…susan
So much to comment on…
1. LOVE Lauren’s Necklace
2. Love Lauren’s Hot brother….
3. Love Lauren’s boat
4. Love the Wave table 2.0
5. Totes, bottles and glass balls…Oh my!!!
I am so delighted by this interview. What a fabulous lady, so jolly and hard-working and wonderfully creative. Her type of relaxing sounds heavenly! As does your idea of perching on the back of a boat barefoot with rolled up jeans. I love being outdoors to relax: sitting at the beach, or on the creekbank behind my house, just me, the wind, the water, and a dear friend or two.
What fabulous furniture, love the upholstered chairs, they look so comfy. My favourite way to relax is with a cuppa and a good mystery book, sitting in my ‘adults only room’ which overlooks gorgeous views of the city and mountains.
It’s inspirational to see such creative beauty….. not only in Lauren’s work but in the way she lives fully as a wife and mother. It was a blessing for my eyes and soul to read your story. AND I love this site….it’s the first time I visited your beach cottage and it reminds me of the cottage home I grew up in on Lake Erie. Ahhhhh…….mental retreat!
Only recently found your blog and am loving it, loved going back to the start of your story and seeing how your projects have turned the house around. Gorgeous!
It’s always amazing and very inspiring to hear how other people have started their businesses – Laurens was no exception.
To relax I like to meditate at the quiet end of our beach, then perhaps a stroll along the shoreline.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
The art of relaxing-
*make a cup of tea, turn on the computer, see what Sarah’s been up to on ‘abeachcottage’ peruse a few other blogs for a quick read, notice tea is half-cold, oh well it must be time to get back to work!
* make a cuppa, find a good mag, curl up on the lounge, or sit in the sun and soak it up!
*grab the camera, go for a walk, take some ‘nature’ shots
Love, love your interview! Thanks for sharing. And I truly love to see a family run business from my hometown in the international spotlight. All the best to you Sarah and to Russell and Mackenna.
…………………………..sitting in Columbus, Ohio….soaking in all the wonderful-ness of A Beach Cottage…. fantasizing about ‘life by the sea.’ Just love your blog.
I love this post, it just takes me away! Living by the water must be so so nice. I’m married, but hey, the brother. . . he is fo’ sho’ F-I-N-E!
Things that relax me. . . simple things. . . reading to my kids, antique stores, and of course, blogging.
We recently bought our own beach cottage, and while I can’t really afford R&M, I am so inspired by their work and their home that we “thrifted” all sort of furniture and “R&M’d” it! So great to see more pics of their home. Wonderful company!
I relax by finding a beach and looking for sea glass & shells. Also working in my gardens although that can be exhausting. I so enjoy your posts. I can’t always leave a comment but I never miss reading. It’s like reading a fun novel! Thanks Sarah and G’day to you. Sharon
G'day! I'm Sarah, I live in a tatty old cottage, near the sea in Australia with a battered old deck & a big old fig tree out the back...stripped wooden floors, old sash windows & a jumble of vintage furniture. [Read More …]
Beach Cottage ladies, we have some vintage linen and some wood/twig washed up on the beach today here in Beach Cottage Land….don’t say I don’t keep you entertained now will you . Come on in. So, yep I have posted about colanders on this blog, about things sourced from the side of the road, about [...]
G'day ladies, let's have a Too Easy Beach Cottage recipe yeah? The original place for Too Easy Recipes on the web ;-)
So, after my last salad went down a storm in my inbox, that's here if you missed it, I had to do this one seeing as I make it most weeks.
There is a problem with this salad and kiddos though...it looks, well, it looks, kinda yucky...but once they try it, they'll ask if and when they are next having it....at least that's what happens in this ratty old cottage...but I must interject here that my kiddos are 'good eaters'? ...they didn't get a choice in that ;-)
Now, stop, don't start running and hitting that next on your blog reading list, pulses are your best friend in the Too Easy Dump & Go kitchen for the busy mum, or busy anyone for that matter...that reminds me I must blog the garlic canneloni Go To for when you forgot to do dinner, feel like a bath but have three ravenous young Beach Cottage Kiddos on your hands...another day.
I am almost embarrassed to tell you how easy this is, we have it so much that I always have a couple, make that six, cans of lentils around and a jar of goat's cheese in the fridge...the great thing about this is that it's all too easy to get ready in just a few minutes, but it looks, tastes and seems like you did oh so very much more than that.
You can obviously too change it up a bit depending on what you have to hand in your kitchen, and I must say that is how I settled on this version...because one day when I made it I didn't have enough Parsley in the garden and so I chucked in some basil too, and liked the Summer feel it added.
I think of this as being a rather posh salad, not sure why, because it couldn't really be further from the truth...the great thing is that it works so well for an average run of the mill day, (when I did this for this blog post, it was a hot Sydney Sunday and I did it just simply to go with Rosemary & Garlic stuffed pork, you can see that pork here),
...but just as easily it works on a regular old Wednesday night when you have lost all enthusiasm for rustling up yet another meal, or indeed on Saturday night, when your friends are on their way over for dinner and you my friend, are in your new vintage inspired clawfoot bathtub (that's me in a few weeks time, k?) without any clothes on, a tipple and no idea what to cook for dinner...
I have a complicated and ever-changing relationship with goat's cheese...it never fails me in its performance and it never fails to impress me (you can find out a bit more on what I like in food here if you like) and I kinda collect it...because it's very easy to collect and has a fairly long fridge-life, I love trying out different ones and there's not many things I love more than goat's cheese on sourdough...but I think the best thing about it is not thinking about it exclusively in the toast/salad department...I've stuffed it in chicken and all sorts of things as a last minute and it's been fab.
But let's get down to the nitty gritty of this super salad that makes you look like an angel who has been on her knees all day scrubbing the front step when really you are in the digital world and spent most of ...
G'day Beach Cottage ladies, howdy, howdy howdy today for a Beach Cottage Too Easy recipe.
If you like cake, cream, sugar and chocolate, make this.
This is, rather than a recipe, a putting it together...as you know I am no dessert maker, but, I do make quite a few sweet things, because, somehow I have ended up with kiddos, who in their roles as offspring, believe that part of the deal, is that not only do I feed them a home-cooked meal with a few homegrown ingredients in there, yes, they also believe that dessert and not the kind that comes out of a packet is included too in this All-Inclusive Deal they call Parenthood.
So, this, for sure, is no culinary masterpiece, but if you are looking for something that is so very easy, dump-able, uses everyday ingredients and at the same time makes you look like you spent hours pulling things together plus tastes good....well, then this is for you.
Best though, you don't make this for yourself, if you have spent the most part of your week sitting on your derriere reading blogs...this my friend ain't low in the calories department...if, however, you are treating yourself to a delight in a mason jar, this is so for you.
I first had a version of this when at dinner back in Old Blighty with a girl, I once, in another life, caught the train up from our village to London with...she was a funny thing really...I am not quite sure how we got on...she was kinda prissy and a bit bothered by too much...I would run to the train flustered, having got up late, and she would have a spreadsheet on the train times, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, a few years later when we both had bambinos, I bumped into her again and we met up for playdates and dinner sometimes....this particular night, after a lovely meal she served up little bowls of creamy, cakey fruity stuff topped off with chocolate flake...it was delicious!
She didn't serve hers in little jars like this, hers were in a champagne glass and not quite so layered as these ones, plus she used tinned fruit not fresh or frozen.
Years later when said offspring kept requesting dessert, one day I wangled together somehow these from what was around in the fridge and they've been with us ever since.
Most likely, if you ever come here for dinner, and shock horror, you dont' bring the dessert with you, this, if you are lucky, will be what you will get.
Throw it all together, sprinkle a lil bit of chocolate on the top and the blog reading past-time you so rudely left in order to make this, is my friend, your oyster.
Beach Cottage Too Easy Layered Raspberry, Cream & Sponge Dessert
1 small maderia or butter cake or a pack of cupcakes (or of course make your own)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
8 tbsp fruit
1 x chocolate Flake or chocolate bar for grating
1. beat the cream cheese until it is soft
2. whip the cream until soft peaks form
3. combine & add the sugar through
4. cut your cake into portions
& layer into the bottom of your jar
5. add a tablespoon of fruit
6. layer on top the cream combo
7. repeat
8. grate chocolate or Flake on top
*Beach Cottage Recipe Notes : this is just a guide really, you can use any cream that you have on hand...I have made this with clotted cream (don't even go there unless you want to seriously get these babies on your thighs), with double cream and I have even, in desperate times squirted in that, ...
G'day Beach Cottage ladies, well I thought it was time for some blogging tips here today, alongside a few nice flowers and shells ;-)
I was recently part of a blogger discussion group over at Kidspot and a couple of hours later had a few questions from girls who couldn't make it to the live chat, one was on my Facebook page and one via email, the Facebook one I will deal with in another Real Girl Blogging Tips post...the email one asked me what essentials do I think every blog needs?
Well I have been around here for a while now doing the blogging thing, so I should know this, yeah and I mused this on my walk by the sea this morning I thought well what do you only need?
...I think it is really very easy when blogging, whether or not you are blogging up there in the lofty heights of the Super Bloggers or you are just dipping your toe in the water, to get side-tracked by 101 million different things that are 'essential' to your blog and if you are someone like me who actually gets a thrill from reading blogging tips then you are in an even worse place because you will find yourself literally buzzing with these essential things to add/do/implement on your blog.
However, walking along, gulping down that brisk sea air today (no sunshine & clouds) I thought you actually don't need any of that professional blogging stuff to be successful...but there are a few things that are pretty much crucial ...and once I started to think about it I got it down to about 5 - these are the only things that you need to concentrate on...once you have read through take a look at some of the big girl's blogs...you'll see that actually they don't have bundles of stuff on their blogs...but they do have all of these...
So here are my top things that your blog must have
1. About Page
There are all sorts of About Pages out there, and if you search on it there are many different tips and ideas for what to have on yours
Whatever blogging platform you use, adding an About Me Page is easy, quick and simple and will do everything to grow your blog.
I like a long-ish About Page, I am inherently nosy and I like to know a bit more about the person but at the least you should have on it your name and where you are located. I also think a photo is good too...over the last year or so I think this has become more important in blogging - if you are hesitant about that as I was, you can try using sunglasses or a behind shot until you get comfortable.
There is nothing worse than stumbling upon a new blog and going to find out more to only be faced with a piddly little one liner About Me Page...well there is something worse, not having one at all!
2. Contact Page
The chances are someone, somewhere will want to contact you and you will be surprised what lands in your inbox once you put yourself out there on the world wide web with a blog.
Many bloggers also use this page to include details for PR's/brands that may want to contact them and some bloggers put their stats on there too.
A short, to the point and simple Contact Page works really well...whenever I have wanted to contact another blogger I am often very busy and have limited time so I don't want to hang around sifting through information looking for an email address, so concise and clear ...
G'day lovely Beach Cottage lovelies.
So, yeah, so on a roll people, so on a roll.
I feel kinda home accessory wired right now.
I am always telling people, if anyone ever listens, that blogging is all about passion, not that sort of passion, but about passion that makes one tick.
Things like this make me tick tick boom.
I love finding things that suit my budget and let me treat my home but look amazing too.
So without further adieu I introduce you, ladies of the beach, to the blue vintage glasses that I have been stroking for about a week or two now...
These glasses are from a little boutique I sometimes happen upon, this boutique sells also pet accessories, carpet cleaner, bras and compost...it's quite unique though.
And, thanks to my friend Marnie (she blogs over here, go take a look at her praying position, interesting), who just so happens to be one day having me over for a lil' Greek dinner, has let me in on the fact that we call Kmart....The KMart...with an accent ....as in 'I love The KMart'...just like her MIL does. Oh yeah. Love that.
So I have had my eye on reproduction vintage glass blue wine glasses and being trying to find real true vintage blue glasses for like ever.
Oh yes I have spied them in Frenchy boutiques, I have lusted after them in stores that I shouldn't even enter and I have put them back pretty quickly in those shops with the hand-written price tags. C'mon, you know the ones.
And, though all of the above have tempted me, muchly, really, even with my wardrobe stashing skills I just thought that, actually, I'd rather be saving that casherooni for our next trip overseas..
Hello The KMart.
Tick Tick Boom
Vintage style blue wine glasses.
Do not come to my old place and think you might pick up one of these and smile with pleasure at their handblown quality, their weight, and be secretly jealous that my wine glasses cost more than your car...friend, that would not happen...these do not feel like that...indeed these in a funny way reminded me of my baby girl, she was a tiny little thing, with stick legs, the tinsssssssiest ankles and wrists you ever did see, she slept sideways in her cot wedged in between rolled up blankets and would only settle attached to Mr Beach Cottage or I or a (dirty) pj top of mine scrunched up under her nose...the first few times I picked her up to cuddle, being used to Honeymoon Baby who weighed in at 9lbs at birth and has never really stopped growing, I nearly threw her little bird-cum-rat down covered body over my shoulder.
These glasses are like that...be careful or you might lose your wine down the front of your shirt.
But oh baby, we are not talking picking up here, we are not talking quality, we are not talking house accessory snobbery.
Beach Cottage ladies, we are talking aesthetics.
And this is what I need in my cottage.
Blue vintage style glass, paired with coastal / nautical / beach stuff on my deck.
It's The KMart.
Tune in tomorrow, tomorrow, I have more budget foofing for your home, or maybe it will be the dress that wraps me up in supermarket-chic and makes me feel like me again.
Good Day to you my friends, wanna come hang out on my deck, talk house accessories, The KMart and drink some wine from blue glasses?
Sarah
I am a huge fan of armoires. I was admiring the ones you posted here, but I’ve got to say my favorite is the one in the children’s room that looks like it’s a door leading into a magical world of imagination. Ha! What a creative idea – I’m loving it. Thank you for letting us admire the furniture and Mr. Big Brother (clearing throat)…thanks for sharing.
Great site! I’m redecorating right now so this would be super useful. Thanks so much!
Wow, Lauren is an amazing woman!! Smart, talented, organized, ambitious…. just the 4:15AM thing is a bit crazy!!
Thanks for the introduction to Lauren and the opportunity to win a gift card for her shop
Kelly
Just tweeted about your giveaway
Kelly
Great interview Sarah, I love hearing success stories like that…..as far as relaxing goes – for me there’s nothing quite like kicking back with a cold bottle of bubbles with the one I love.
I live steps away from a river so I go there to renew! ladyhightower@live.com
It was a great read until I got to the bit about getting up at 4.15 am….I ain’t doing that. I relax at the end a the day with a long walk after dinner with my husband, then I settle down with a cup of tea and either knit, quilt or read. Great giveaway thanks Jenny
Wow! What beautiful things they make. I chill with a good crime fiction book.
The way I like to kickback and relax is to put on comfy pjs, get a bag of chips, something sweet, and a soda. Curl up on the couch and catch up on my dvr’d shows. My “filth,” as I call them… Real Housewives, the Bachelor Pad, etc. I love having that time to myself!!
Thank you so much for offering such a generous giveaway! xoxo
What??? That’s awesome. (I would redo our balcony space!) Great interview.
Beautiful post, photos, furniture…I’m along for the boat road~Sign me on up sailor girl!
Thanks for a great post and eyecandy!
Wow, that’s some really gorgeous furniture. Great interview too.
I like to relax with a book on my balcony when the Texas weather isn’t too particularly sweltering (and barring tropical storms…).
I relax by looking at lovely blogs like yours. x
nothing spells relaxing like a good rainy day movie and popcorn cuddled up in a warm knitted blanket…..okay, if it isn’t raining, shutting the shutters and pretending that the sun isn’t shining and the yard doesn’t need tending….hugs…susan
So much to comment on…
1. LOVE Lauren’s Necklace
2. Love Lauren’s Hot brother….
3. Love Lauren’s boat
4. Love the Wave table 2.0
5. Totes, bottles and glass balls…Oh my!!!
what a great story. Beautiful pieces of furniture!
Wow! What an amazing story. Do you think you’d want to take your shop in that direction?
I love nothing more than curling up in bed or on the couch with a warm blanket and my pup and kitty!
Another great interveiw! I love *meeting* all these new people!
I am so delighted by this interview.
What a fabulous lady, so jolly and hard-working and wonderfully creative. 
Her type of relaxing sounds heavenly! As does your idea of perching on the back of a boat barefoot with rolled up jeans. 
I love being outdoors to relax: sitting at the beach, or on the creekbank behind my house, just me, the wind, the water, and a dear friend or two. 
What fabulous furniture, love the upholstered chairs, they look so comfy. My favourite way to relax is with a cuppa and a good mystery book, sitting in my ‘adults only room’ which overlooks gorgeous views of the city and mountains.
I like to sit down at the end of the day with a good book.
I’ll also say that I love all those pictures. What a fun house!
I run to relax, nothing better than a run along an ocean route.
Beautiful pics…especially her brother:)
I love to sit on my front porch and watch my girl ride her scooter in front of the house. Thanks so much for the chance at a very generous giveaway.
It’s inspirational to see such creative beauty….. not only in Lauren’s work but in the way she lives fully as a wife and mother. It was a blessing for my eyes and soul to read your story. AND I love this site….it’s the first time I visited your beach cottage and it reminds me of the cottage home I grew up in on Lake Erie. Ahhhhh…….mental retreat!
Only recently found your blog and am loving it, loved going back to the start of your story and seeing how your projects have turned the house around. Gorgeous!
xc
I love those orange chairs. I can see myself and my four cats curled up reading a good mystery – listening to the rain.
I’m loving that $400 giveaway but it would be even better if you included Lauren’s big brother! He’s movie star gorgeous.
What a great interview. Love reading about a great success story!
It’s always amazing and very inspiring to hear how other people have started their businesses – Laurens was no exception.
To relax I like to meditate at the quiet end of our beach, then perhaps a stroll along the shoreline.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
A walk on the beach is all it takes to remind oneself that life really is just a walk on the beach.
Thanks for the splendid interview and for considering me in the generous giveaway.
A long walk at dust is a perfect relaxing evening.
Great interview! Thanks for sharing.
Terrific interview, her style is amazing – looks effortless! I like to relax with a glass of wine and some chilled out music.
Curling up with a great book gets me everytime….when I can tear myself away from my busy life that is!!
Did I read BC Book right?
It would be fabulous to win!!!!
The art of relaxing-
*make a cup of tea, turn on the computer, see what Sarah’s been up to on ‘abeachcottage’ peruse a few other blogs for a quick read, notice tea is half-cold, oh well it must be time to get back to work!
* make a cuppa, find a good mag, curl up on the lounge, or sit in the sun and soak it up!
*grab the camera, go for a walk, take some ‘nature’ shots
Delcie…I love my camera as a way to relax too!
Great interview…..lovin the pics!
I would love to relax with her brother!!!!
Love, love your interview! Thanks for sharing. And I truly love to see a family run business from my hometown in the international spotlight. All the best to you Sarah and to Russell and Mackenna.
What a lovely home, and I also loved the lady’s necklace. Love to be in the draw Sarah. xx
Lauren rocks! Beautiful handmade furniture and an inspiring story, what more could we ask for?
…………………………..sitting in Columbus, Ohio….soaking in all the wonderful-ness of A Beach Cottage…. fantasizing about ‘life by the sea.’ Just love your blog.
right now relaxing is curling up with my 1 or 2 or my dogs with my laptop reading decorating blogs.
I love this post, it just takes me away! Living by the water must be so so nice. I’m married, but hey, the brother. . . he is fo’ sho’ F-I-N-E!
Things that relax me. . . simple things. . . reading to my kids, antique stores, and of course, blogging.
Love your blog.
I love all the color in your life. You’re definitely not afraid of it!!! Bravo!!!!
I like to kick back by spending the evening on my deck in a comfy chair with a hot cup of tea and a good book
We recently bought our own beach cottage, and while I can’t really afford R&M, I am so inspired by their work and their home that we “thrifted” all sort of furniture and “R&M’d” it! So great to see more pics of their home. Wonderful company!
I relax by finding a beach and looking for sea glass & shells. Also working in my gardens although that can be exhausting. I so enjoy your posts. I can’t always leave a comment but I never miss reading. It’s like reading a fun novel! Thanks Sarah and G’day to you. Sharon
wouldn’t it just be wonderful…that will be my mantra from now until 10/09.
Oh my gosh, THAT. MAN.