Jacki's Beach Escape

Just about every chance we get, we hop in the 10-year-old minivan (it won't die) and drive to the beach. Being from the south, we say beach. Some people say shore, or a specific town name, but here in the south we say, "We're goin' to the beach". In case you haven't studied a map of NC lately, that could mean a LOT of places. To be more specific for our readers from afar, our little cottage is on Oak Island, a West to East facing island off the coast of NC. If you saw the movie Safe Haven, it was filmed just ten minutes away in the charming little town of Southport, NC.

The cottage was already named "101 Relaxation" which is not my favorite. First of all, shouldn't it be Relaxation 101? Well, you see, on the rental page, numbers appear before letters, so it's one of the first ones you see if you are perusing the Internet for a week's rental. Hmmm. That is a dilemma. Think of all the cute names we could come up with?


Check out this awesome old credenza I found on Craigslist. When I was painting it, I found a box of old cigarette holders from the 1940's. Cool.

As soon as we walked inside and saw the old knotty pine paneling and the sloping floors, we were in love. You see, over time, piers settle and occasionally have to be jacked up to support the structure. This can throw the floor out of level; but to me, that's all the more charm!

 The kitchen could use a little update, but who wants to go to the beach to WORK? Not me!

 The bathroom did require some work. It was one of the first things we did when we moved in.

 This room has been arranged and rearranged 500 times. The bunks have a trundle underneath, but you have to move the ladder to get to it. Ultimately, the room was too small for the use of the trundle, so we just use it for a dresser now.

 This is the very yellow, back bedroom. I want to move the bed to the other wall, but that means moving the cable, which Patrick is not thrilled about. It bugs me that there's no place for a second nightstand.

This bed is one of the only pieces of furniture in the house that hasn't been replaced. Patrick often reminds me that the place came FURNISHED, but seriously, did he really think I was going to be happy with someone else's decor? Bah!

This was a gift from my cousin who has a flair for the unusual vintage treasure. The housekeepers threw away all my magazines which go in the bottom, but you get the idea.

A nice view of the pier and the ocean. We aren't ocean front, but it's just a few steps across the street.

 This is the downstairs bathroom. Whew. It is tiny. I'm not even sure Barbie could shave her legs in that shower. It's on the "To-Do List" for sure.

This is the downstairs guest room. The terrazzo floor is basically bullet proof which is good in case we have another hurricane.

And now a photo of my favorite room in the house. Technically, it's not IN the house, but who's being technical?

Ta Da! It's the outdoor shower! Odd favorite right? There's something about coming in from a day at the beach and taking a shower in the great outdoors (sort-of). PLUS, it was so nasty before (couldn't find a before pic, lucky you), that the new driftwood tile on the walls just makes me happy.

 And now for the absolute BEST part about the property.....

 It has a guest cottage! Get ready to travel back in time.

 Check out that paneling! You know what though? I kind of love it. It takes me back to summer camp circa 1984. We think the cottage was built sometime in the 60's because it has similar features to the main house.

 Nothing like some crisp, white bedding to brighten up the place. Oh, by the way, that bedroom is 7 x 11. Yep, 7 feet wide. Uh huh, P's feet hang off the end of the bed.

 This is the boys' bunk room. Also 7x11.

I desperately want to win some kind of HGTV makeover for this place. I have visions of it looking like this:

But this is more my reality:

So until the money tree starts bearing fruit, it's destined to remain like this:

And that's okay with me!