the mermaid cottage

hi all…

i have been wanting to give a tour
of my mermaid cottage for some time now-
so please, come on in.
make yourself at home.

recently i found an old journal i had made with the
12 year old i work with.

we had collaged all of our secret dreams in there,
and i had written under a picture of a colorful cottage:

“find a nice surfer boy and live
in a magic cottage by the sea…”

funny how these things work….

i feel like our area has this great energy
because we are so close to the meditation gardens,
which are a mile away from our home.
the gardens sit on a cliff overlooking
the ocean, and one feels at peace
instantly when they arrive.

a few years ago i was at the e street cafe,
and overheard a monk say to another monk
that they had never felt energy like this before.

i am lucky to live in such a good vibe mecca.
sometimes i forget.

i had never lived with a boyfriend before justin,
and he had never lived with a girlfriend.

it was new territory for both of us.
where would i put all my stuff?
what if i couldn’t deal with not being alone more?

in the middle of the move my girlfriend
lila asked me, “are you in complete bliss?”

uh-oh.
i wasn’t.

did that mean there was something
wrong with me, or with us?

i was overwhelmed with all my crap,
and all his crap,
and how we were supposed to combine
our crap.

why wasn’t it like the movies
where the couple is painting a room
together and giggling while they had
a paint fight?

i had pms and was cranky
and honestly felt sorry for justin
for having such a suck ass girlfriend.

however,
over time we learned
to mesh our things together.

(when justin first saw these letters, he asked why i spelled
JIM out on our dresser.)

our cottage is from the 1920s and has the same feel
as my grandparents beach cottage, which was also
built during that time.
this was an instant comfort to me.

i also love that we are right on the beach,
&can hear the waves when it is quiet enough.

we also never get tired of those killer sunsets….

i have learned to live in a teeny space really well too.
this was something i was a bit worried about.

people ask how we peacefully live together
in such a small space.

oddly enough, it works.
although i can’t see me doing it
with anyone else.

plus, justin is easy.
i am the over-reactor.
he is the zen buddha.

i love how he is okay with me constantly changing our space.
does anyone else do this?
i love to mix and match and move shit around
on a whim.

we have no real style theme going on.
but it always looks pretty happy.

it is important to me to be
surrounded by things our friends
have made.

my dear friend emily painted that mermaid
and this one as well.

one of my little students claimed that
“the blue one was the queen mermaid,
and the green one was the princess mermaid.”

i have to say i see where she is coming from.

here is another special mermaid,
from my two fairygirls.

it was a christmas present, but they could
not wait and i got it in early november.

our mantle holds a lot of special art too.

i like a lot of color.
color is joy.

books are joy too.

all of these books were given to me
by friends for a specific reason,
which makes them golden.
they also bring in a nice, warm energy.

our cottage sits with two other cottages
in a beautiful courtyard.

there are palm trees and daisies
and all kinds of good stuff.

there is much room to stretch,
always a plus.

we are friends with all our neighbors too.
its a sweet little crowd.

greg just moved in across from us.
he is learning to surf this summer.

kira moved in a few months ago,
and i really like having a cool girl around.

and kent lives upstairs from kira.

he is moving out this weekend
which is kind of a bummer.
kent is a favorite.

mostly i just like that i feel inspired here.
inspired to live a lovely life with my boy.
inspired to make art.
inspired to take pictures.
inspired to create happiness.

this is the first home, away from home,
that has really felt like home.

sometime soon we are all going to have to move out,
for our landlord will be moving in.
(and i can’t say i blame him)

justin says we are the last keepers
of this enchanted place.

it is a job we take seriously.
wouldn’t you?

56 Comments so far
Leave a comment

What a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing your magical space with all of us here. It is beautiful.

What a wonderful post dear heart.. i am new to your site, but had to leave a comment to tell you how much your site makes me happy. A rare feat these days..
Thank you

oh my gosh, it is a beautiful magical place and seeing pieces of me in your space surrounded by other beautiful art and life made my heart smile …

i move stuff around all the time too, it drives my boys crazy but i secretly think they like it and your house reminds me of mine, teeny but stuffed full of colour and art and books and love ~ all the things that make a home beautiful.

also, thank you for the incense tip, i finally found some in our little india and my house smells so beautiful now and it always makes me think of you …

thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us, this beautiful piece of your life, xoxoxox

Wow, I am floating after reading about your magical cottage. You sounded so peaceful and happy to me as I read all that you had written and shown us. Thank you!

just exquisite .. what a lovely peek around your enchanted place .. can feel it, in every bit of art, color, books etc .
just so you !
always

oh mccabe . . . what a lovely space! i loved every single little bit of this post. your cottage has so much color and light and art and love. all those mermaids just moved me so much, especially the sculpture one on your bookshelf and the green princess mermaid painting. loved learning about your neighbors, too.

when i first lived on my own, i lived in two places before marrying kirk. they were both guesthouses, only about 350 and 250 square feet in size. perfect for one. it was great preparation for the little studio garage that kirk and i rented together that was about 700 square feet. we wondered how we would do, too. turns out, we did just fine. amazing. i can really identify with your okayness with the size of your cottage with justin . . . because you love each other and you love the little love space you have created there. i so identify.

good to hear from you here again, as always.

I am sa-wooning up here in the mountains…aching for some beach, some cottage, some color. Thanks for sharing!

Lovely! Colourful, bright, happy, and real – thank you for sharing your beautiful cottage with us.

What a beautiful post – you made me cry. We are really struggling in a home that doesn’t feel like home right now – but you have inspired me to be really clear about what I want in a home so that it can find us – thank you so much!!!

beautiful home!

your home is truly a magical mermaid cottage. the colors, the energy…it conveys across this computer screen so i can only imagine what it’s like to breathe in your space.

and even when you’ve moved on, you’ll still have this in your hearts, your first home together as the last keepers of the most special place on earth.

your portraits of your neighbors are inspired brilliance – i totally get it about each of them. simplistic and telling, they are stunning as is this post. xo

Love the tour of your magical cottage by the sea…and I have the exact same charming apple green teapot! Love you McCabe!

Beautiful. The magic really comes through in your stunning photos and words. That’s my only voyeuristic tendency, I love looking into other people’s homes I like to move things around, too, ever since I was a kid living in a tiny apartment with my family and creating a small scale map and paper pieces of our furniture so that I could see all the possibilities of changing them around. Thank you for sharing your home with us

“i was overwhelmed with all my crap,
and all his crap,
and how we were supposed to combine
our crap.”

This is one of the best descriptions of life with another person that I’ve ever heard…isn’t it all about figuring out how to fit together our crap, inside and out?

lovely!!
wish i could be there right now……….i need a magical
cottage to run away to!
xo
k

i love you magic cottage…I have the same green teapot! i wish we were neighbors and you could come and help me figure out my new camera so I could take pictures of my suburban cottage!

OMG! I want to live there.

*plus, justin is easy.
i am the over-reactor.
he is the zen buddha.*

i SO hear you.
heeeeeeee!
omg, gurllie~
such beaUtea.
i don’t have time rite now to comment like i’d like to.

hey; did i win that surprise mermieLOVE contest ?
>>>griiiiining>>>>>>>>>>>

A magical post McCabe…I have that same book, Learning to Love You More, and absolutely love it. I have yet to try most of the assignments in it, but I still enjoy going through the pages. You live a wonderful life. xoxo, Josefina

I feel special to have gotten an “in-person” tour:) magical.

your magical spirit colours every step you make!
thank you so much for sharing your wonderland with this asheville n.c. visitor-it was way fun !

what a wonderful tour of your magic beach cottage. i have been a secret admirer for a long time… i love your rocks, and your cat(s), did the new one come yet?.. and your new magnets (yes!) i live in Virginia Beach, and agree.. there is something very healing and magical about living with the ocean… cheers to you, lovely McCabe.. Victorai.. a friend in Va Beach

Your zen zone is magical! It’s exactly everything and all I’d expect a chick like you to live in. What a gracious hostess too, opening yourself and your doors for us!!! BTW – will you tell me what you did with your couch??! It’s exactly what I want mine to look like…it’s had it’s day w/o covers, but it’s so, so squishy.

beautiful and amazing; thank you for inviting us into your awesome world of home! how cool to live by the ocean with your surfer boy
xoxo

having experienced the magical mermie cottage i can truly say it’s all those things and more. it’s a special place where magic, art and color live. it’s cozy and makes you want to snuggle right in. i am heartbroken you and j might have to leave soon, but i have no doubt wherever you two land will be filled with glitter, color and wonder.

xoxo

p.s. yes, i move stuff around all the time too. ; )

i cannot wait until i get to see you and your magical cottage in person …

love you!
j

your home, your life, your spirit just shine in this post. i love it. i am making a page in my journal about living in a magical beach cottage, it’s all i’ve been dreaming about, yearning for… thank you for sharing this beauty~

wow…so welcoming. and so, very magical indeed! there really IS so much inspiration from this space…it radiates through your pictures. the vibrancy in the colors, the glow of the candles, the art and creativity abounding all around you…it all comes together to form one really freaking great dwelling place! beautiful!
and, yes, I love to move stuff around as much as possible!

love your color books..especially the green ones…
love your stove with all the magnets 7 art on…
love your colorful bowls…must be fun choosing which color you feel like early in the morning…
love your art…
your words..
your heart!

Oh, McCabe, you live in the most magical place!!! I love, love, love it!!! Thank you for taking me (us all) on a tour. Such a cozy cottage filled with art, books (ah, my addiction), color and light. I could almost hear the mermaids giggling- maybe it was you! * Such a sunset too! That JIM part had me giggling- too funny!
I would have a hard time leaving, but the future will bring souls such as yours and Justin’s an equally beautiful home- I just know it! xoxo Eileen

I feel as though I’ve just had a nap ~ so peaceful and relaxed! Thank you, beautiful one, for the visit to your magical cottage. The colors, the art, the flowers & candles…the sound of the ocean just brings happiness to my soul. I was almost in tears to think you have to leave soon…but, the next place will be filled with beauty & magic too!
Big love,

*sigh* I adore your cottage.

my hubby and I, to save for our house, lived in a friend of ours garage apt for about a year. It was-oh, 500 or 600 square feet and ugly. And by the end of it, I wanted to move out, new home or no. I am inspired by the way you guys beautify and share small space. We have more room now but I am inspired to make it more ours and more cozy.

What a gorgeous, magical home you have created for yourselves and each other! I just adore it! I can feel the color and inspiration and creativity and love just through these pictures. It is so enchanting and wonderful and exactly the kind of home I wish to create for myself someday. I am working towards your kind of delicious magic. Thank you so much for inviting me in!!

xoxo

I felt like I just walked into a literal crayon box—-the really big one w/ all the colors that bring joy to big kids and little all across our planet! NICE, NICE, NICE!

your home is {divine}
it’s as colourful beautiful fun natural inviting warm and magical as you are.
thanks for sharing xx

You have a way of making everything look edible.

Thank you for the tour of your magical space. It is so you, it is perfect.

Sending so much love and light and joy!

Thanks so much for sharing this magical place. x

My goodness, i just came across your blog-i forget how? It is so uplifting.

I will definitely be visiting again. x

Thank you for the tour! It looks like a beautiful place.

**double sigh**

simply dreamy. i love the colors, the paintings, and mostly the peace. ;-D

Wow, what an amazing home! I think you need to post a book list of all those amazing colorful books you own!!

what a beautiful home you have!
i so love that you arrange your books in colours. it looks like such a beautiful space, almost exactly like how i would like my home to be (when i finally settle down and stop moving)!

still, even as writing this, i am wondering why i am not allowing myself to live in a space like this already!

blessings.

thank you for sharing the beautiful space where you dwell…the magic in your home comes through in your wonderful photographs.
and so nice to find another who color coordinates her books…
wishing simple pleasure onto you today…

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