I’m not sure if you want to come in here today…there’s a lady on a broomstick and a tradie.
Welcome to the only place in my cottage that is not chaos.
I have retreated to the deck while the bathroom is being smashed apart as we speak.
We are having lovely weather here in Sydney and after waiting for summer to arrive all over the Christmas break, it came, with a bang…now it’s roasting.
So yesterday arvo I gave a much needed clean to the deck…I am not quite sure what it is but if left, it is always covered in a grey-ish black, what I can only describe as dusty grime…anyone else in Sydney get that? Or is it just a coastal thing? Suffice to say I never got that in my houses in England. Oh ooooops, I didn’t have a deck in the houses in England, it was too cold
And I got a breakfast tray ready for the morning….one of my New Year’s things I am trying to do is have breakfast…(more on what I want to do this year on another post)…so far I have failed miserably…ever since I got pregnant with Honeymoon Baby, breakfast makes me swimmingly nauseous…I have even before thought it was morning sickness sometimes it is so bad…
So I thought I might kill two birds with one stone today and
1. get everything out ready for breakfast tomorrow so it doesn’t look like bomb went off when the kiddos do it
2. have a little tablescaping fun…
Once I started it though, I got quite hot and bothered and thought longingly of hopping down the beach for a swim in the ocean…it was hot and humid out there cleaning the deck in the heat….
…and so when the table dressing bit of the above scenario came up, instead I made a big pitcher of Iced Tea and sat in an Adirondack observing…
So rather than my usual foofing and messing around with the table dressing….this is a Dump & Go Tablescape…
…I plonked all the stuff for breakfast in the vintage caddy, added the enamel vase I love and a nice tablecloth.
done & dusted…
I still have the coastal wreath up on the door…what do you think of that? I kinda liked it so it’s not yet come down…
Wanna come and have breakfast with me?
I will see you soon…got some serious bathroom stuff to show you, woohoo, plus I need to have a housekeeping post here…to tell you what’s new and upcoming etc…so if you have anything you wanna ask, lemme know…plus just before Christmas, throughout December I had a few email issues…if you emailed me & didn’t hear back and it’s important can you please re-send..
Cheers Big Ears
Sarah
p.s. I had so many enquiries before when I featured the enamel vase…it’s from Freedom
want to be part of the Beach Cottage Club?
for everything coastal, beachy, nautical & cottage…coming to you live from the beaches of the Lucky Country…
I want to come and have breakfast with you Sarah!
I love blue and white crockery etc mixed together, I love hydrangea’s, I love the tray and for some reason I have always wanted a old-school milk bottle even though I don’t drink a lot of milk.
Looks so fresh Sarah. It’s cold here in old Melbourne today, so hard to believe we’re in the midst of summer.
Love the tablecloth and the bowls…well I love it all. Good luck with the bathroom reno…I’m jealous that you can get tradies…what’s your secret? I was thinking of sending my good looking, younger girlfriends to the pub on a Friday arvo to wrangle a few for me. Don’t get the (general) tradie work ethic…they should all be millionaires!!
sorry, rambling
x Marnie
Experiencing a strong need, not desire mind, but need for a tablecloth like yours. Can I ask where it’s from? (Fingers crossed it’s from Freedom last week:) ) Many thanks.
Beautiful Sarah! And the thing about a coastal wreath is that it doesn’t strictly need to come down after xmas… cause the beach never goes out of season!
Once again Sarah..simply stylish. Hope you enjoyed kicking back with your iced tea. Good luck with the tradies, can’t wait to see the result.
I’ll join you for brekky anytime
x manda
I’m not a breakfast eater myself, makes me feel heavy and bloated. Especially first thing in the morning. Now I have a protein shake for brekkie instead. Means something is in my stomach and I don’t starve myself – like that’s ever going to happen – and it keeps me going until lunchtime.
So, so lovely and most inviting, indeed! The tablecloth…OMG, it is calling my name! haha Yes to the wreath remaining It adds the unexpected and I like that. I’ll be on my broomstick soon as we’ll be doing a kitchen remodel. I’m excited but also dread the total mess. I’ll be feeling for ya but keep telling yourselve ‘tub bath, tub bath’ in THE MOST FABULOUS TUB that you’ve dreamed of all of your life!!! Have you chosen the name yet?
Love that tablecloth! Yeah. where did you get it? Oh and please gives us your tea recipe…love the rest as well. Now get off that deck and take a swim for all us landlocked natives waiying for warmer weather.
OH thank you! My husband loves disgustingly sweet tea and we are trying to come up with a compromise as I Do NOT. Its odd since he grew up a Yankee and they typically do not drink sweet tea. Now my sister in law is from the south where sweet tea is considered one’s life blood. For that matter my mother lives in the deep south but isn’t FROM there but her tea is barely more than colored water. Oh it looks like our temperatures have start to plummet, the fog is rolling in, and the winds have started to buffet us so I guess I better head out for the weekly grocery shopping before we are lambasted with this storm. Toodles! Enjoy a swim in the ocean and think of us who are chilled to the bone right now.
I seriousy love that wreath, I want one to keep all year around (except during the christmas period, a christmas one goes up then)… I’m working on it…
Yes I get that sandy/dusty type grime too and it drives me bonkers. I am forever cleaning /hosing the outside my windows and my table outside (not to mention the spider webs!!! Is it just me or has this been a really good season for spiders! My house, in and out is so filled with webs that I can’t keep up with cleaning them off!)….Funny, to me this doesn’t feel like summer more like autumn (maybe because of where I am)… I got so confused the other day that I started doing my autumn clean up in my garden!
Sarah this dump and go type of tablescaping is very a much loved way of decorating a table(for a big number of people) for me personally…. I tend to set up a buffet type table with all the plates and cutlery, food etc and every body can help themselves to how much they want… For a small group I tend to do the above…
Hee…hee… I did get that vase from freedom, but I had to get the smaller one because of the big glass bottle (my husband miraculously agreed to get) I bought on the same day from freedom too… Hee… heee… I must have done something really good he even bought me a cape cod chair (not the exact one I wanted but I ain’t complaining)lol!
another american here, and was planning on asking what an arvo is? also, am assuming a tradie is a contractor, or rather a sub-contractor. tradie shortened from tradesman? no, that doesn’t seem right somehow. and would like your tea recipe, living in the south we consume gallons of tea (sometimes called southern wine). also, really wish we had a store ya’ll are referring to as “freedom”, i think i like everything that comes from there!
Gorgeous table! I love how you can just toss something together and have it be beautiful! Also, just saw your share the love tab at the bottom and saw the post it to reddit link. Are you a redditor? My hubby totally is (I’m his sidekick of course and I thought reddit was only for total nerds, which we are, but you are most certainly not!
Count me in. Yes, I would very much like those yummy sandwiches sarah. And some ice tea,please, yes, thank you. Can I also be there at your deck for the rest of the day? I am so, daringly shameless.:)
Having an off today, I am treating myself to the luxury of a good breakfast as well. But you know, I have that breakfast sickness too. I cannot gulp anything before 10 somehow except green tea or coffee. But today I turn an year older and as I age my body needs some food love.
Thank you Yes. The crochet hammock will do for me. I can’t believe you have a hammock outside your home! Makes me want to just lock my apartment and take the next flight to Australia. Also, I’m trying your chocolate tart today.
I love the tablecloth Sarah. It’s beautiful. Enjoy your day. Looking forward to the bathroom.
Not only am I coveting your tablecloth but also your pale blue bowls. All the blues and greens in this set of photos is making me thirst for summer…… I think I see lupin growing in your garden, or is that hollyhock?
Question:
Is the beach house the same thing as the summer house? I thought a while back you said you’d be doing some reno on the summer house, and now you’ve got the bathroom reno going. Are there two houses? Trying to keep it straight….
no the ‘Summer House’ is a tiny outbuilding we have renovated…pics to come soon, before/afters…in England outdoor shed-type buildings are called Summer Houses…you use them in Summer to keep the wind off…which is how the name came about….right now it’s a bit HOT!!!!
the bowls are from IKEA, there are lupins out there!
oooh Sarah i am the same with breakfast,when my guys are nibbling away on a morning the smell makes me hold my breath and my tummy turn,then a few hours later i can eat anything….love your palmy plants in the background and the table looks gorgeous and i vote for the wreath staying,it all looks really good out there.
Those hydrangeas are beautiful are they from your garden too? i planted a white one last year and when i tapped it out of the pot a bit fell off so i shoved in a hole and yaay hey it grew,so i am hoping to have lots next year.
See you around Beach girl x
Love the tablecloth Sarah – it’s like those giant old fashioned glassware tea towels my old Mom always used to favour. I think you can still find them.. you could make some cool matching placements out of them?!
So cold and damp here in England, you’re giving me sun envy, lol.
Sarah your dump and go tablescape rocks as much as your dump and go recipes do
For years I have set out our breaks things at night, makes it so much easier in the morning rush I think.
Love the look of your deck, it’s far too hot here in Perth at the moment to even consider stepping outdoors.
Oh, I made your chocolate tart yesterday and for some reason it didn’t set….so today we are making homemade chocolate ice cream with it
I discovered your website before Christmas Sarah and am now hooked! I can imagine your lovely Aussie beach house as we spent some time down under 20 years ago when doing the big travel thing before settling down in rural Norfolk. We spent some time with friends of friends at Whale Beach and I watched in awe as some of them took part in the Palm beach to Whale beach swim!
I love your Blog and the styling and of course the photos – the light always seems amazing. I’m hoping to get my own personal Blog up and running this year (I do personal stuff on our business photography site but I want to branch out a bit) and am inspired by your approach! Will keeping reading!
Love, love, that that tablecloth Sarah! Put me down for one if you end up selling it in your shop! How do you get your hydrangeas to grow like that? Mine are so tiny and pitiful looking.
Xxx
It’s horrible having tradies in the house…cause you’ve gotta dive into the shower and get dressed before they descend…no privacy all day…no laying on the couch and reading….I always feel like I’ve gotta look busy all day so they don’t think I’m a layabout housewife…plus I always feel obliged to offer endless cups of coffee or cold drinks! However, the result will be worth it for you and at least you have your lovely deck to escape to. Robx
I just love the caddy – its fantastic. I live in hope of finding something similar one day.
Re the dust & grime, I dont know how far out of Sydney you are but it might just be “city dust”. I experience the same thing while living in London and central Dublin. Its a small price to pay though for your lovely location!
Everytime you post a picture of your deck I get serious deck envy!
I’ve always wanted one, so much so that I built a pagoda at the bottom of my last garden with my ex (he is an aussie so it was for him to reminisce about home in). We tried to have breakfast down there a couple of times, even in January, but it’s just not the same in the UK!!
I’m going to be putting some decking on the back of my cottage this year and will be looking through your deck photos for inspiration as always. I love your blog and I love your house!
I find it so interesting that you cant stomach breakfast. My eldest son is exactly like that.. he is 7.. and he just doesnt do breakfast. I cant really blame you or him as many breakfast items see too much for a morning tummy. Let me know what you find you do stomach.. then I can try those things on him
Sarah,
I love my deck too. Right now though it is winter here. I’ve put up the cushions and swept is off for the season. But now I am collecting goodies for next season to decorate with. I’m thinking of painting my little decorator bird houses white for next season.
On my deck I have used Christmas lights around the top of the walls to give a soft intimate feel for the evenings when we sit out.
I just can’t wait for next season.
Thank you for sharing the summer with us stuck here in the winter. )
Love the caddy! The beautiful crispness of the white with all the blues and turquoise remind me so much off the beaches right here in Hawaii! Will for sure keep for inspiration when it will be time to decorate my lanai. Oh and I just scored two old adirondack chairs on Craigslist, sweet!
i love the shots with the antique cart! I want one of these so badly! I took my boyfriend to an Antique Mall here a while back and wanted to buy like three of these but he looked at me like I was crazy. Little does he know that I still have plans to go back and get those!
So very pretty tablescape! I wish I had more time to play at home. I still can’t get used to the idea of Christmas in the Summer! Its been cool here on the coast of North Carlina in the good ole US of A.
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 like the idea of having a coastal wreath up year round, so if I were you, I would leave it on display.
Love your tablescapes, as always
thanks Susan x
Can I come and live with you PLEASE!
only if you teach me how to vlog
x
I want to come and have breakfast with you Sarah!
I love blue and white crockery etc mixed together, I love hydrangea’s, I love the tray and for some reason I have always wanted a old-school milk bottle even though I don’t drink a lot of milk.
A very beautiful table setting
Enjoy your breakie
Steph
x
yeah me too Steph…I love blue and white also…always on the lookout for nice blues to add to it all…I like it mis-matched so great for op-shopping !
x
Looks so fresh Sarah. It’s cold here in old Melbourne today, so hard to believe we’re in the midst of summer.
Love the tablecloth and the bowls…well I love it all. Good luck with the bathroom reno…I’m jealous that you can get tradies…what’s your secret? I was thinking of sending my good looking, younger girlfriends to the pub on a Friday arvo to wrangle a few for me. Don’t get the (general) tradie work ethic…they should all be millionaires!!
sorry, rambling
x Marnie
yeah same here Marnie…to be a tradie on the northern beaches you pretty much are a millionaire lol!
we have a nice one though
I heard Melbourne was chilly…weird!
x
Experiencing a strong need, not desire mind, but need for a tablecloth like yours. Can I ask where it’s from? (Fingers crossed it’s from Freedom last week:) ) Many thanks.
Beautiful Sarah! And the thing about a coastal wreath is that it doesn’t strictly need to come down after xmas… cause the beach never goes out of season!
Love your vase jug!
x Catherine @ The Spring
ahhh yes Catherine, that is a good point…it’s staying!
x
Love the Dump & Go tablescape! (Still waiting for summer to arrive in NZ . . )
hmm, you too?
hope it comes soon! xo
Once again Sarah..simply stylish. Hope you enjoyed kicking back with your iced tea. Good luck with the tradies, can’t wait to see the result.
I’ll join you for brekky anytime
x manda
you are welcome manda xo
I’m not a breakfast eater myself, makes me feel heavy and bloated. Especially first thing in the morning. Now I have a protein shake for brekkie instead. Means something is in my stomach and I don’t starve myself – like that’s ever going to happen
– and it keeps me going until lunchtime.
hmmm Robyn, I don’t think I could even do a protein shake! x
Keen to see your bathroom Sarah, hopefully those wonderful tradies will turn up on Monday to start mine.
So, so lovely and most inviting, indeed! The tablecloth…OMG, it is calling my name! haha Yes to the wreath remaining It adds the unexpected and I like that. I’ll be on my broomstick soon as we’ll be doing a kitchen remodel. I’m excited but also dread the total mess. I’ll be feeling for ya but keep telling yourselve ‘tub bath, tub bath’ in THE MOST FABULOUS TUB that you’ve dreamed of all of your life!!! Have you chosen the name yet?
no I am still debating the name Candy!
Lovely as always – I want to come have breakfast at your place
Gotta have me one of those tablecloths – its the perfect thing – love it!!!! Sarah please please spill the beans on where you bought it?
of course you are welcome, tablecloth details coming soon! x
That is one sweet place to hang out !!!!!!
it is! thanks Bev xx
Love that table cloth, may I ask where it is from please? Hope you are enjoying the sunshine like we are across the dicth. Amy x
more on the cloth soon Amy, thanks!
x
Love that tablecloth! Yeah. where did you get it? Oh and please gives us your tea recipe…love the rest as well. Now get off that deck and take a swim for all us landlocked natives waiying for warmer weather.
more details soon shirl’!
I’ll be blogging the iced tea cos I have had lots of emails about it…
LOVING the warm weather xo
OH thank you! My husband loves disgustingly sweet tea and we are trying to come up with a compromise as I Do NOT. Its odd since he grew up a Yankee and they typically do not drink sweet tea. Now my sister in law is from the south where sweet tea is considered one’s life blood. For that matter my mother lives in the deep south but isn’t FROM there but her tea is barely more than colored water. Oh it looks like our temperatures have start to plummet, the fog is rolling in, and the winds have started to buffet us so I guess I better head out for the weekly grocery shopping before we are lambasted with this storm. Toodles! Enjoy a swim in the ocean and think of us who are chilled to the bone right now.
well I hope you will like my sweet tea Peggy though with the sounds of your weather I think you might have to heat it up lol xx
love your style~~~~I need to take it right here to California;)
~Cheryl
Fresh Vanilla For C
thanks Cheryl for stopping by and taking the time to comment…xx
Love the tablecloth! Oh don’t I know about the workmen and the chaos, six bloody months of it. Wine will help a lot.
yeah I am alergic to wine! !!
x
I seriousy love that wreath, I want one to keep all year around (except during the christmas period, a christmas one goes up then)… I’m working on it…
Yes I get that sandy/dusty type grime too and it drives me bonkers. I am forever cleaning /hosing the outside my windows and my table outside (not to mention the spider webs!!! Is it just me or has this been a really good season for spiders! My house, in and out is so filled with webs that I can’t keep up with cleaning them off!)….Funny, to me this doesn’t feel like summer more like autumn (maybe because of where I am)… I got so confused the other day that I started doing my autumn clean up in my garden!
Sarah this dump and go type of tablescaping is very a much loved way of decorating a table(for a big number of people) for me personally…. I tend to set up a buffet type table with all the plates and cutlery, food etc and every body can help themselves to how much they want… For a small group I tend to do the above…
Hee…hee… I did get that vase from freedom, but I had to get the smaller one because of the big glass bottle (my husband miraculously agreed to get) I bought on the same day from freedom too… Hee… heee… I must have done something really good he even bought me a cape cod chair (not the exact one I wanted but I ain’t complaining)lol!
haha I know that vase bottle you are talking about…I want it, I need it and have got my eye on it lol !
xx
Lol – good job I read all your posts… I was just about to ask where the jug was from! Lx
thanks it’s from Freedom Laura x
I have been wondering this for a while now. What does the term arvo refer to? I am one of those crazy American’s who have never heard this term.
Your tablescape looks inviting and lovely. I am not a huge breakfast person either but I would so eat at your table!
another american here, and was planning on asking what an arvo is? also, am assuming a tradie is a contractor, or rather a sub-contractor. tradie shortened from tradesman? no, that doesn’t seem right somehow. and would like your tea recipe, living in the south we consume gallons of tea (sometimes called southern wine). also, really wish we had a store ya’ll are referring to as “freedom”, i think i like everything that comes from there!
well Carol I’ll translate for you!
tradie = tradesman
arvo = afternoon
Freedom = a homewares shop
hope that helps, as a gal from England I find it odd that these things slipped into my language so very easily x
G’day Karen
arvo = afternoon!
xx
Gorgeous table! I love how you can just toss something together and have it be beautiful! Also, just saw your share the love tab at the bottom and saw the post it to reddit link. Are you a redditor? My hubby totally is (I’m his sidekick of course
and I thought reddit was only for total nerds, which we are, but you are most certainly not!
no I am not Annastacia, it’s just part of the commentluv plugin!
x
Count me in. Yes, I would very much like those yummy sandwiches sarah. And some ice tea,please, yes, thank you. Can I also be there at your deck for the rest of the day? I am so, daringly shameless.:)
Having an off today, I am treating myself to the luxury of a good breakfast as well. But you know, I have that breakfast sickness too. I cannot gulp anything before 10 somehow except green tea or coffee. But today I turn an year older and as I age my body needs some food love.
well Happy Birthday!
I’ll reserve you a space on the crochet hammock? yeah?
x
Thank you
Yes. The crochet hammock will do for me. I can’t believe you have a hammock outside your home! Makes me want to just lock my apartment and take the next flight to Australia. Also, I’m trying your chocolate tart today. 
I love the tablecloth Sarah. It’s beautiful. Enjoy your day. Looking forward to the bathroom.
love me a hammock Rukmini!
xx
i will bring the swedish pancakes, sarah. this is your idea of just a quick tablescape. you are absolutely incredible and sooooo inspiring!
smiles.
michele
haha too funny, Michelle…this too me minutes! I like it that way
Cheers
Sarahx
Not only am I coveting your tablecloth but also your pale blue bowls. All the blues and greens in this set of photos is making me thirst for summer…… I think I see lupin growing in your garden, or is that hollyhock?
Question:
Is the beach house the same thing as the summer house? I thought a while back you said you’d be doing some reno on the summer house, and now you’ve got the bathroom reno going. Are there two houses? Trying to keep it straight….
Looking forward to the tea recipe ❈
no the ‘Summer House’ is a tiny outbuilding we have renovated…pics to come soon, before/afters…in England outdoor shed-type buildings are called Summer Houses…you use them in Summer to keep the wind off…which is how the name came about….right now it’s a bit HOT!!!!
the bowls are from IKEA, there are lupins out there!
cheers
Sarahx
oooh Sarah i am the same with breakfast,when my guys are nibbling away on a morning the smell makes me hold my breath and my tummy turn,then a few hours later i can eat anything….love your palmy plants in the background and the table looks gorgeous and i vote for the wreath staying,it all looks really good out there.
Those hydrangeas are beautiful are they from your garden too? i planted a white one last year and when i tapped it out of the pot a bit fell off so i shoved in a hole and yaay hey it grew,so i am hoping to have lots next year.
See you around Beach girl x
ps i can’t wait to see your bathroom!
yes Krissie, they are really really easy to get cuttings from…I have little cuttings everywhere!
x
Oh love those bowls- I wish IKEA was a little closer so I could just pop in for some!
Love the tablecloth Sarah – it’s like those giant old fashioned glassware tea towels my old Mom always used to favour. I think you can still find them.. you could make some cool matching placements out of them?!
So cold and damp here in England, you’re giving me sun envy, lol.
oh I am sorry for your cold and damp….I remember that…
yes it is like a giant tea towel x
Oops – *placemats
Sarah your dump and go tablescape rocks as much as your dump and go recipes do
For years I have set out our breaks things at night, makes it so much easier in the morning rush I think.
Love the look of your deck, it’s far too hot here in Perth at the moment to even consider stepping outdoors.
Oh, I made your chocolate tart yesterday and for some reason it didn’t set….so today we are making homemade chocolate ice cream with it
xx
I have to have coffee first thing then food a couple of hours later, very bad for the metabolism, i know!
loving this scape – just no fuss brilliant
best le xox
You are totally teasing me with that ice tea recipe…
I discovered your website before Christmas Sarah and am now hooked! I can imagine your lovely Aussie beach house as we spent some time down under 20 years ago when doing the big travel thing before settling down in rural Norfolk. We spent some time with friends of friends at Whale Beach and I watched in awe as some of them took part in the Palm beach to Whale beach swim!
I love your Blog and the styling and of course the photos – the light always seems amazing. I’m hoping to get my own personal Blog up and running this year (I do personal stuff on our business photography site but I want to branch out a bit) and am inspired by your approach! Will keeping reading!
Debbie x
Love, love, that that tablecloth Sarah! Put me down for one if you end up selling it in your shop! How do you get your hydrangeas to grow like that? Mine are so tiny and pitiful looking.
Xxx
It’s horrible having tradies in the house…cause you’ve gotta dive into the shower and get dressed before they descend…no privacy all day…no laying on the couch and reading….I always feel like I’ve gotta look busy all day so they don’t think I’m a layabout housewife…plus I always feel obliged to offer endless cups of coffee or cold drinks! However, the result will be worth it for you and at least you have your lovely deck to escape to. Robx
I know…I hate the having to be in the shower quicly cos I normally hang around in my pj’s til the last minute!
x
Here’s another girl loving that tablecloth! Can’t wait to hear where you scored it!! Gorgeous! x
I just love the caddy – its fantastic. I live in hope of finding something similar one day.
Re the dust & grime, I dont know how far out of Sydney you are but it might just be “city dust”. I experience the same thing while living in London and central Dublin. Its a small price to pay though for your lovely location!
Cheers Big Ears. LOL LOL
Sarah, blame the full moon for your mood. Just remember your bathroom pain is going to help me and many others with our renos.:)
alison
Everytime you post a picture of your deck I get serious deck envy!
I’ve always wanted one, so much so that I built a pagoda at the bottom of my last garden with my ex (he is an aussie so it was for him to reminisce about home in). We tried to have breakfast down there a couple of times, even in January, but it’s just not the same in the UK!!
I’m going to be putting some decking on the back of my cottage this year and will be looking through your deck photos for inspiration as always. I love your blog and I love your house!
hmm, I guess looking out at a very blue sky and the colours on an Aussie backyard do help Erica…but really you can’t beat an Englishman’s garden…
x
I find it so interesting that you cant stomach breakfast. My eldest son is exactly like that.. he is 7.. and he just doesnt do breakfast. I cant really blame you or him as many breakfast items see too much for a morning tummy. Let me know what you find you do stomach.. then I can try those things on him
I know exactly how he feels…it’s horrible actually….hope you find something too! xo
Sarah,
I love my deck too. Right now though it is winter here. I’ve put up the cushions and swept is off for the season. But now I am collecting goodies for next season to decorate with. I’m thinking of painting my little decorator bird houses white for next season.
On my deck I have used Christmas lights around the top of the walls to give a soft intimate feel for the evenings when we sit out.
I just can’t wait for next season.
Thank you for sharing the summer with us stuck here in the winter.
)
Hi TAbby….I love being on my deck in the Winter…hot water bottle, patio heater if it’s very cold, quilt, pillows and a hot choc! xo
Love the caddy! The beautiful crispness of the white with all the blues and turquoise remind me so much off the beaches right here in Hawaii! Will for sure keep for inspiration when it will be time to decorate my lanai. Oh and I just scored two old adirondack chairs on Craigslist, sweet!
wow sweet as score Ingrid. x
i love the shots with the antique cart! I want one of these so badly! I took my boyfriend to an Antique Mall here a while back and wanted to buy like three of these but he looked at me like I was crazy. Little does he know that I still have plans to go back and get those!
haha do it without him knowing and then put it in the back of the wardrobe x
So very pretty tablescape! I wish I had more time to play at home. I still can’t get used to the idea of Christmas in the Summer! Its been cool here on the coast of North Carlina in the good ole US of A.
yeah Lisa, Christmas in the sun is lovely! xo and I lurve tablescaping !
Yes please, I’ll have tea, black no sugar and then you could perhaps tell me all about that rather nice tablecloth.
yeah you are welcome x
Your tablecloth is to-die-for!! Where did you get it? And your tablescape is gorgeous as usual…you are my hero!!
more details on the tablecloth coming soon x
I seriously need to move to the beach!
Your pictures!! So crisp and clean and beachy. We live in the Texas Hill Country, but the coast calls my name.
dee
well this coast is pretty nice Dee, but it might be a bit of a long way for a day trip! x
My eye was drawn immediately to that tablecloth. Everything else is great too, but I am thinking I need to find that tablecloth in white and red.
As soon as I’m well enough, I am so going to Ikea to get those bowls! I love the pale, high gloss blue!