So we are rolling on into another month, wow it’s going quickly already and according to the weatherman, Sydney’s Summer is arriving for March…it’s hot!
But come on in and see what I have been up to in February…
February was all about Instagram and Febphotoaday for me, have to say this is one of my fave little apps ever…it seems to make life so much more interesting and the photo journey carries on but without lugging around a huge great camera…rather, pull out the iphone and secretly snap all manner of things…
this project is going very strong…I love having the little prompts to make you think every day and I love snapping vintage things, coastal things, the ocean, the sky, clouds, the waves, little places in our old cottage and of course, life on the beaches…
Here are some of my Instagrams from this past month
…from a coastal bush walk and filtered on Instagram…singing!
this was my photo for #green
mine for #nighttime
this one is #handwriting … mine!
my Instagram for #shoes…c’mon had to be the wellies, right?
#myday …the day I had scheduled in my New Year’s Resolution to treat myself…massage and mexican!
so looking forward to this, especially numbers 14, 16, 18, 23 and 29
but sometimes it’s the ones you don’t like the sound of that turn out great!
Here’s what Chantelle has to say on this month’s challenge…and oh yeah, remember she’s not a Fat Muslim ok?
Are you ready for another month of photo-taking-fun? I am. I’m so surprised that I’ve managed to do every single day without missing a photo, and I’m still enjoying it. How about you?
If you haven’t played before and want to join, please do! If you want to skip a month and take a break, please do. I love that so many people are playing along {it makes my heart sing}, but it should be fun. So if you’re finding it to be a chore, just jump in and out as you please.
Here’s how to play:
♥ Starting on March 1st take a photo each day with inspiration from the prompt. For example prompt 1 is ‘up’, so take a photo looking up. Or of the word ‘up’. Or something that lifts your mood ‘up’. It it totally up to you how you want to interpret it.
♥ Once you’ve taken your photo you can share it on Instagram, Facebook {on your own profile or business page}, Twitter, Flickr, your blog, Pinterest, Tumblr or even just keep them in a folder on your desktop. If you’re sharing on Twitter or Instagram add the hashtag #Marchphotoaday so others can find your photos too.
and make sure you tag your photo #marchphotoaday wherever you are sharing it..
Have you been playing along?
Please tag me @abeachcottage on Instagram or on Twitter / Facebook so I can see us all playing nicely
I hope you liked my beachy, coastal, vintage, ocean shots and my take on life on the beaches…I love how Instagram is so unique to each person…and tells their story…you can’t fake too much in Instagram…it’s the real deal baby
G’day then Beach Cottage friends
Sarah
p.s. my favourite Instagram from this month is this….left for me by my daughter this morning, I have said before she loves herself a quote or six and this one spoke to my heart…
I am loving what I do, blogging and I am doing what I love…life by the sea xo
I am one of those people who love to look at the photos of others .. their homes, the neighborhood, the kids , the dog.
I discovered ( much to my dismay) that blogger puts all my photos into Picasa, where they are at least private, now that I know but if I delete them from Picasa, they delete from the blog.
I use Tumblr now for all online photo use.
Meanwhile, the photo of the chair (green) is just lovely in so many ways ~
yep I do too Candice, especially the ones that are original…nothing worse than looking at someone who is trying to be someone else…that’s the beauty of Instagram I think…real lives xo
Fab pics … Like you say, you can learn a lot about a person in just a few pictures. I think Pinterest is similar – I can tell after just a quick glance at someone’s boards whether we have common interests and style. Chantelle is just the best though isn’t she? I love her blog and she is just soooo helpful! Jules x
yep she is lovely and been very nice to me! shame some people have tried to jump on her bandwagon and copy her idea, I was so very upset to see that…I get it all the time too though so I shouldn’t have been surprised….x
Gorgeous pictures Sarah,i think my favorite of yours is the is the second one of the chair,it looks dreamy and love your bubble handwriting,
Enjoy your day x
I look forward to these each day. The prompts are incredibly creative and the whole community is inviting. It really makes me take a better look around :0)
yes they are creative but they are also very do-able which is why so many people are still on this one…I have seen a few photography challenges that were just too hard for me…Chantelle seems to easily combine creativity and accessibility which is why I love it…
xo
I’ve also been enjoying this month’s challenge Sarah and posting on my blog http://www.thedigitaliris.net, Twitter & Flickr. I love that so many different people are jumping on board and sharing what they see. Love your beachy pix, they sure do brighten up a London girl’s day! x
yep the great thing is Claire that people are dipping in to this all over the world…it has become quite the routine for me to sit down later in the evening and go the the hashtag and like…x oh and g’day London x
I love the photos..I need an easier way to take pictures than my DSLR. Its too big and bulky for me to lug out and capture the little moments in life. Maybe someday a iphone or similar will be in my future. For now, I might try one day a week to keep the camera out all day.
oh Molly I hope you can get an iphone one day… my photo journey has come on leaps and bounds with my phone, I LOVE my DSLR with a vengeance but I do not love how heavy it is, particularly when I am out walking…phone in pocket solves that…but the quality is much lower, but that in itself is a challenge xo
Thanks for the reminder… I tried doing the Feb list… Managed about half, I find it hard to keep up with anything these days… Will try harder.. Apparently it is possible to use android for instagramming so as soon as I get an upgraded phone (sooner rather than later I am hoping) I will be joining you – yeah!! For now I just save the photos to my desktop. My fav photo of my lot ended up being the hands one… It was the hardest for me…ohh and blue that turned out quite interesting too… When I looked at the list for number one the first thing that came to my head was my ceiling fan hahahaha…. It was a life saver yesterday, it would have been quite an unpleasant day yesterday if it hadn’t been for that celing fan… lol I am so grateful to have it!
well if it is hard then just jump in when you can…that’s what I do, I haven’t made all of them…sometimes life takes over for me! yeah I have a nice ceiling fan I love too!
Loved your post today Sarah. The pictures were beautiful!!! They just took my to such a lovely “happy place! Especially the ones of the beach!! I live in Arizona you know…point me in the right direction to get to the stunning “land of bliss” My bags are packed and I’m ready to go!! Your photography just blows me away sarah. How I wish I could take photos like you. One day dear friend. One day. Hope to sign up for a class one of these days. It’s at the top of my to do list!
I’m in this month although I said that last time too and I couldn’t make it. Tell me Sarah, does it have to be instagram? because i dont have an i-phone. Also, if I am doing a post, can I use the picture of fatmumslim challenge in my blog? I’m asking because with the whole copy thing, I’m a bit scared. Do you something? I actually found my photo on one of the websites of Adrian lima. I was like huh? Then I wrote back to the admin. What a rip.
Also, lately we’ve been getting private messages from twitter that leads to phishing sites. Please be careful.
Hi Sarah
I have managed to complete both the Jan and Feb photo a day challenge. What is hilarious, my 22 year old daughter laughted at me when I showed her what I was doing on instagram in January, (that’s really lame Mum! and then I got a message from one of her friends asking how she could join in on the challenge) then today she told me that it is posted up on Facebook and that she might do March’s challenge herself!! LOL who says you can’t be cool in your 50′s (which is the new 40′s)….made my day!!! xo
what happened to good life wednesday ?
Please let me know if it’s NO MORE so I can remove it from my list.
O, and my email is bjconklin@xanadoo.com
Thanks, Sarah
Hey Sarah,
I love the whole photo thing too, and trying to take photos each day. I used to scrap book too but find I don’t have the time now. I loved writing little bits of our every day, and I love even more reading them now especially from a few years ago. I have found a great way to keep up with that now but in a much more simple way. It is called Project life and it is a product by Becky Higgins. You can google it.
I love popping my photos in each week and jotting some notes. I thought you might find it a fun place to keep your photo a month projects. Just a thought. Happy Day!
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 …]
Helloooo lovely Beach Cottage ladies, some blog tips for real girls from this old cottage broadcasting from deep Down Under this morning. Now, I love blogging, I think that is pretty much obvious now for sure, for me it has opened up a world of opportunities that simply were not available in any shape [...]
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 one of those people who love to look at the photos of others .. their homes, the neighborhood, the kids , the dog.
I discovered ( much to my dismay) that blogger puts all my photos into Picasa, where they are at least private, now that I know but if I delete them from Picasa, they delete from the blog.
I use Tumblr now for all online photo use.
Meanwhile, the photo of the chair (green) is just lovely in so many ways ~
yep I do too Candice, especially the ones that are original…nothing worse than looking at someone who is trying to be someone else…that’s the beauty of Instagram I think…real lives xo
Fab pics … Like you say, you can learn a lot about a person in just a few pictures. I think Pinterest is similar – I can tell after just a quick glance at someone’s boards whether we have common interests and style. Chantelle is just the best though isn’t she? I love her blog and she is just soooo helpful! Jules x
yep she is lovely and been very nice to me! shame some people have tried to jump on her bandwagon and copy her idea, I was so very upset to see that…I get it all the time too though so I shouldn’t have been surprised….x
Gorgeous pictures Sarah,i think my favorite of yours is the is the second one of the chair,it looks dreamy and love your bubble handwriting,
Enjoy your day x
thanks Krissie, I love that green chair! xx
I look forward to these each day. The prompts are incredibly creative and the whole community is inviting. It really makes me take a better look around :0)
yes they are creative but they are also very do-able which is why so many people are still on this one…I have seen a few photography challenges that were just too hard for me…Chantelle seems to easily combine creativity and accessibility which is why I love it…
xo
I’ve also been enjoying this month’s challenge Sarah and posting on my blog http://www.thedigitaliris.net, Twitter & Flickr. I love that so many different people are jumping on board and sharing what they see. Love your beachy pix, they sure do brighten up a London girl’s day! x
yep the great thing is Claire that people are dipping in to this all over the world…it has become quite the routine for me to sit down later in the evening and go the the hashtag and like…x oh and g’day London x
I love the photos..I need an easier way to take pictures than my DSLR. Its too big and bulky for me to lug out and capture the little moments in life. Maybe someday a iphone or similar will be in my future. For now, I might try one day a week to keep the camera out all day.
oh Molly I hope you can get an iphone one day… my photo journey has come on leaps and bounds with my phone, I LOVE my DSLR with a vengeance but I do not love how heavy it is, particularly when I am out walking…phone in pocket solves that…but the quality is much lower, but that in itself is a challenge xo
Thanks for the reminder… I tried doing the Feb list… Managed about half, I find it hard to keep up with anything these days… Will try harder.. Apparently it is possible to use android for instagramming so as soon as I get an upgraded phone (sooner rather than later I am hoping) I will be joining you – yeah!! For now I just save the photos to my desktop. My fav photo of my lot ended up being the hands one… It was the hardest for me…ohh and blue that turned out quite interesting too… When I looked at the list for number one the first thing that came to my head was my ceiling fan hahahaha…. It was a life saver yesterday, it would have been quite an unpleasant day yesterday if it hadn’t been for that celing fan… lol I am so grateful to have it!
well if it is hard then just jump in when you can…that’s what I do, I haven’t made all of them…sometimes life takes over for me! yeah I have a nice ceiling fan I love too!
Loved your post today Sarah. The pictures were beautiful!!! They just took my to such a lovely “happy place! Especially the ones of the beach!! I live in Arizona you know…point me in the right direction to get to the stunning “land of bliss”
My bags are packed and I’m ready to go!! Your photography just blows me away sarah. How I wish I could take photos like you. One day dear friend. One day. Hope to sign up for a class one of these days. It’s at the top of my to do list! 
Sally
xoxxoxo
thanks, too kind Sally! G’day Arizona x
Pefect chair xx
Love YOUR photos as always and that’s what makes them special they are 100% you and your real life.
I have printed off the photo challenge lists each month but as I have no iphone to be using Instagram thats where it has sadly ended!
I’m in this month although I said that last time too and I couldn’t make it. Tell me Sarah, does it have to be instagram? because i dont have an i-phone. Also, if I am doing a post, can I use the picture of fatmumslim challenge in my blog? I’m asking because with the whole copy thing, I’m a bit scared. Do you something? I actually found my photo on one of the websites of Adrian lima. I was like huh? Then I wrote back to the admin. What a rip.
Also, lately we’ve been getting private messages from twitter that leads to phishing sites. Please be careful.
no it doesn’t have to be instagram…you can share wherever you like!
if you tag it with the hashtag and then share on social media, more people will find you
yes you can add the picture from fatmumslim as long as you credit….
x
Thank you. I’m in. And of course, credits will link to the respective blogs.
good girl! x
Pssst. Here’s the important “m” you left out. Quick! Grab it, put it in and NO one will notice.
alison
PS We all make typos
PPS Still giggle at your “holes” in the walls (ventilation panels) that worried you.
Hi Sarah
I have managed to complete both the Jan and Feb photo a day challenge. What is hilarious, my 22 year old daughter laughted at me when I showed her what I was doing on instagram in January, (that’s really lame Mum! and then I got a message from one of her friends asking how she could join in on the challenge) then today she told me that it is posted up on Facebook and that she might do March’s challenge herself!! LOL who says you can’t be cool in your 50′s (which is the new 40′s)….made my day!!! xo
yeah go Stacey 50 is the new 40!
I had something very similar with my daughter… xxx
what happened to good life wednesday ?
Please let me know if it’s NO MORE so I can remove it from my list.
O, and my email is
bjconklin@xanadoo.com
Thanks, Sarah
Jumping back on the band wagon this month, after falling off about 1/2 way through last month!
XXX
Hey Sarah,
I love the whole photo thing too, and trying to take photos each day. I used to scrap book too but find I don’t have the time now. I loved writing little bits of our every day, and I love even more reading them now especially from a few years ago. I have found a great way to keep up with that now but in a much more simple way. It is called Project life and it is a product by Becky Higgins. You can google it.
I love popping my photos in each week and jotting some notes. I thought you might find it a fun place to keep your photo a month projects. Just a thought. Happy Day!
thanks Shannon I will have a look x