Prepping for the next six weeks...

It has been a busy six weeks, with an even busier six weeks ahead of us and we wouldn't want it any other way.

The Cottage is coming along nicely with the grass growing in all the right places. The garden has certainly been in favour of all the wonderful rain we've been blessed with lately.

We have had the good fortune of meeting some amazing people who have stayed in Leigh's Place over the last six weeks and we look forward to meeting many many more. 

Our special for January: book and pay in full for any 2013 booking and you'll receive a 15% discount off your total accommodation bill... 

So from all of us at Leigh's Cottage, all the best as you start preparing for the silly season. Remember to keep calm, shop local and don't loose sight of what this Season is really all about.

Lots of love,
Leigh
xoxo

The patio is complete...

Hooray! The patio awning is up! And what a difference it has made.

Here are the BEFORE and AFTER shots:

BEFORE                           AFTER

So now all we need is the boundary wall to go up (currently there's just a fence), the grass to grow and the plants to flower. I've been contemplating adding more plants to the area to brighten it up a bit.

But in the meantime, the guests that are currently staying in the cottage are enjoying the shaded outside area.

So once again, watch this space as Leigh's Cottage continues to be nipped and tucked to truly become your "home away from home".

Leigh
xoxo

Garden

It's been a relatively busy week here at Leigh's Cottage. Our first guests came and went (and thankfully, left rave reviews) so we're feeling pretty chuffed! :) 

In preparation for our next lot of guests (who arrive tonight!) we've been very busy getting the back garden sorted. As you saw from a previous post, I've been trawling through Pinterest for inspiration and have managed to get some really nice ideas without having to break the bank... 

I must just add that I'm blessed with THE most handy, capable and clever husband who is half way through building a rustic gazebo over the Cottage patio. This will not only protect the front door from inclement weather but also provide some much needed shade should guests want to sit outside while taking in the sights of the (soon to be flourishing) garden :) :)

There is still plenty to do but I must say that I'm quite satisfied with Phase I of "Operation Garden Clean-up"! Below are some BEFORE & AFTER shots:

The awful BEFORE photo.

The very talented hubby getting ready to build the gazebo.

Getting there...The AFTER phase 1 (roof of
gazebo will be added this weekend).

Added some pots and plants...

So slowly but surely we are making progress... I'll be sure to upload pics as the garden improves!

Love,
Leigh
xoxo

Repurpose. Reuse. Recycle.

While gathering all the bits and bobs together for Leigh's Cottage, we realized that we really didn't have to spend a fortune on decorating the cottage as there were many pieces that we had in our home that we could "repurpose". 

Our repurposed coffee table.

The coffee table (right) for example, is a small solid wooden table that I bought months ago for my home office from a 2nd hand store in Hillcrest. It's the perfect size and will certainly be put to better use in the Cottage than my office!

Our new 'old' dresser.

The only thing we realized that was still missing was a dresser for the main bedroom. So we set off today to see what we could find and came across the perfect sized oak dresser, again from a 2nd hand store in Durban North! (see left)

So I'd really encourage you to look around the house and see what's available. You'll be amazed at what you could reuse or repurpose, and should you be in the market for something new, start off at the 2nd hand stores! They're popping up everywhere. PS: Have you seen www.thriftcollection.blogspot.com for "pre-loved" clothing? 

Here are just some ideas that I've seen on Pinterest:

An old wooden door makes a stunning '
shabby chic' statement in a bedroom.

Window shutters can flank a mirror or
picture frame beautifully!

An old wooden stepladder is
the perfect bed-side table.

Another great idea for a stepladder is to
hold pot plants in your garden.

So I hope this post has inspired you to Repurpose - Reuse - Recycle... It's totally worth it!

Have a great weekend!

Love
Leigh
xoxo

Online presence

While investigating online where and with whom we should upload links to Leigh's Cottage, we've been really surprised by the variety of holiday letting sites available.

The most impressive has got to be AirBNB!!! If you're looking for accommodation anywhere in the world, from a chalet or flat, to a single room or tipi (I kid you not), you will literally find it on AirBNB.

This is also where I heard about Glamping for the first time. What is that you ask? Apparently it's glamourous camping {for those of us who battle to "rough it"...} :) But seriously, you name it, you'll find it on their site. Oh and by the way, here's a link to our cottage on AirBNB: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/699900 

Two other great resources for South African's looking for affordable accommodation are www.travelclips.co.za or www.travelfreedom.co.za . 

So besides the standard sites (www.wheretostay.co.za and www.sa-venues.com), it's often worth casting your net a little further and frequenting other sites to see what's on offer.

So, if you haven't planned anything for the end of the year, get cracking! Be adventurous, go glamping or stay in a tipi or hire someone's caravan! Be bold, be different, get adventurous! Just do it!  

Love
Leigh
xoxo