Easter Update

Mr P and I had a lovely pre-Easter week at homebythesea, Nellie enjoyed it as well and spent many hours sleeping, I think the sea air gets to her.

The weather was good so we were able to catch up on some gardening jobs, I promise my next blog will be a before and after on the garden so you can how much we have actually done.  The shed has gone from brown to green and is now a nice nautical grey based on this lovely find on a beach walk

I love this one but thought a bit too much for a garden shed! but very very nice,

 I decorated the dresser for Easter,

Adding some knitted eggs,

                                                               eggs and clay tags

eggs in egg cups,

eggs and glass bottles

and the egg tree

We ended Easter in Stratford Upon Avon, enjoying some family time with the other Philips' crew, the weather wasn't so good but we still had fun.

Enjoying lovely food

some history, at Shakespeare's birth place

views along the river Avon

some boating fun 

with the gang.

Hope you all had a good Easter break whatever you did..

Happy Days,  Pauline x

A mirror or two/spring flowers

Mr P and I are spending a few days at our homebythesea, with Nellie of course.

Whilst typing this I am becoming intoxicated with the scent from these hyacinths.

The weather in West Sussex has been glorious today, we had our first BBQ of the season; hopefully many more to follow.

Mr P and I have been working hard in the garden which is now beginning to take shape.  The dreaded leylandii have been removed and new beds have been created.  Mr P has laid decking and patios and we've painted the shed, twice.  The first time it was dark green and we have now decided on grey which is more in keeping with the coastal look we are trying to create.

I love spring flowers and I also love white jugs and glass bottles, they go so well together, like these grape hyacinths that are growing in abundant at the moment.

how about the snowdrops

or the daffodils

decorating with flowers and coastal accessories

like a shell 

or a clay tag.

If you like taking photos I think you will love Instagram, although only available on iphone.  This month I am taking part in photoaday, details at www.fatmumslim.com.au  Today's prompt was 'your reflection' which also prompted me to take some photos of the mirrors here.

I like these art deco style mirrors so much that I couldn't decide which one to use, so I hung all three !

The mirror over the fireplace which was a charity shop find and originally dark brown, Mr P painted it my favourite colour, F&B white and along with more coastal accessories its here

the heart shaped mirror was a present from a favourite house guest

accessorised with a heart shaped clay tag, do you like ?

or a scented candle,

another with glass bottle and shells

and just one here because there was no where else it hang it ,

and with a colour other than white,

and the small one on the door which is also decorated coastal style

hearts and shells. 

If you like seeing a taste of our home by the sea please follow me.  There is plenty more to come including my take on Easter decorating coastal style.

Happy Days 

Pauline x

'Our Beach'

It's hard to describe how lovely it is in this part of the country, a coastal area in West Sussex not too far from Chichester.  I never thought that I would end up with a home by the sea but somehow we ended up here and I think both Mr P and I are both so happy that we did.

Mr P had a dream to own a home in the sun, we thought about Spain, great for golfing and Sangria but just did not feel right, Portugal, just not us, Crete, too far.

We settled on France, a fab French farmhouse not too far from Bordeaux (I will relay our French tale one day).  .

But now we are here, in West Sussex, in our delightful home by the sea and I mean we are right by the sea.  Everyday I get to walk 5 mins to the beach.

We have our own special entrance

 Nellie loves the beach.

  I love the beach.

 Mr P loves the beach.

And everyone's so happy here

Happy Days
Pauline x

Coastal Xmas Decorations

The countdown to Christmas has started and today Mr P and I are at our lovely home by the sea to spend some time relaxing before the stresses of Christmas take over.

First things first and we took Nellie  for a  walk on the beach;

Back home time to start with the Christmas decorations, not the traditional holly and baubles type but in keeping with the house; white and coastal, fairy lights and candles and lots of red ribbon.: -

And my table arrangement, a twig tree with white hearts and shells

Happy days, enjoy your Xmas preparations.

Best wishes Pauline x

Decided to start blogging again and another room finished

 Well for those who have been following my blog you may have been wondering why there have been no updates recently well Mr P has still been very busy painting etc and I have taken loads of photos but somehow they have not made it onto the computer.
I think I kinda lost my way with this blog, I have been following a few others and they seem so professional that I felt my little blog was slightly boring and very amateurish.  Anyway I've decided to persevere even it is only for my own interest.
Also the last couple of weeks have been busy preparing for 'Lissy off to Nottingham Uni, I am glad to report that she has survived freshers week and enjoying this new expereince.

Anyway back to 'home by the sea', the middle bedroom is now finished. Sometimes when I have a blank canvas (ok a white painted room)  I need  something to inspire me;   for this room in was these 'bunting voile panels',

These were bought from John Lewis, I wish I could say that I made them.  But I did have to adapt them, so a chance to get the sewing machine (or ziggy zagger) out.

I find it very therapeutic using a sewing machine, maybe its the technical skills required,
winding the bobbin, setting the tension,  threading the machine ....

 or it may be that I like to keep my thread and ribbons in Jo Malone boxes and my sewing bits in Cath Kidston bags,

Whatever the reason I spent an enjoyable hour sewing heading tab onto the voile, nothing more adventurous than that, and Nellie kept an eye on the proceedings.

And the finished look,

The room before:

And now

Best wishes Pauline x