January Sponsor Highlight

It's time to introduce you all to this month's sponsors.  These three lovely ladies are my large ad holders, and I would love you to check out their blogs/shops.

 

Meet Mo!

My name is Mo and I'm a New Orleanian, vegetarian , animal lover, pizza addict, bicycle commuter, women's college graduate who currently works in the film industry.

Blog: Fleur De Moi

Meet Laura!

Hi! I'm Laura from Lauryn Green. On my blog I like to share my daily life, illustrations and projects. I usually draw animals and things that make smile to others, this is what I like most of my job. Come and say hi!

Blog: Lauryn Green

Etsy: Lauryn Green 

Meet Amy!

I live in the most beautiful state of Vermont where I garden intensively on a small piece of paradise. I am developing a very small nursery here specialising in hardy woodland perennials and also focusing on Primroses.

My other passion is knitting. A good day must include time to garden & knit! I love the feel of natural fibers and knitting them up into pretty accessories. I mostly knit small items such as scarves, shawls, fingerless gloves & childrens items. This way I don't have to buy large amounts of yarn and can play with different fiber contents and stitches.

Etsy: Primrose Hill Handknits

Thanks for your support!

X

Molly

BLOGGERS OPPORTUNITY - FREE SIGN UP!!!

Ohsoamelia will be hosting another HUGE giveaway as the $100 cash giveaway was such a success last month! Interested in participating in this awesome giveaway? Keep reading for more details! You can now sign up for free by re-posting this post or purchasing a link from $5! 

We are giving away an Ipad Mini! That's right! One lucky reader will win an Ipad Mini 16gb in the colour of their choice! Last months Giveaway was a tremendous success for our participants and of course for our winner Bex who was super lucky to win $100 in paypal cash! The giveaway rang in an enormous amount of bloggers and traffic to all co-hosts blogs. Participants on average saw a growth of 200-500 GFC followers each! 

Don't want to participate? Don't forget to come back February 15th and enter for your chance to win! :)

- Giveaway will run Feb 15th – March 15th 

- Hosted By: Ohsoamelia

- Prize: Ipad Mini 16gb Wi-fi Colour of Choice!

- Open Worldwide

- Entries will close once we have reached the prize total amount.

- The blogger who refers the most amount of people gets $25 Free Paypal cash!

SIGN UP OPTIONS:

- FREE SIGN UP by copy and pasting this post onto your blog 

OR...

- Pay $5 for ONE LINK Facebook or Twitter ONLY. (If you would like other links you must purchase them separately i.e 2 links = $10 3 links = $15)

For more information and to sign up CLICK >>>> 

BLOGGERS WANTED

Sponsor The Cottage Diaries in February (the month of LOVE)

I'm a small but growing blog which means advertising is cheap!  My large ads are $8, and include a group sponsor highlight and an opportunity to host a giveaway or do a guest post.  I also do ad swaps! Get in quick as I only have 4 large ad spaces and 10 swap spaces, which means each ad gets more individual attention.

Check out my sponsorship options here.

X
Molly

By the Lake

What I'm wearing: Dress by Temt, Cardigan by Elwood, Sandals by Wild Pair, Belt by Glassons, Fedora by Volcom

On our recent trip around the South Island, we drove through the beautiful roads of Central Otago and camped at this lovely spot by the lake.  

This is one of my favourite dresses.  I hardly ever wore this green cardi before I got the dress, but since wearing them together for the first time its become my go-to outfit!  

X

Molly

Friday Fancies: Black and White

Happy Friday everyone!  I have just arrived back from an amazing trip around the South Island.  You will be seeing plenty of photos over the next few weeks! While I'm sorting them all out, I'm linking up with Long Distance Loving for this weeks Friday Fancies. 

Dress : Necklace : Sandals : Clutch : Sunglasses

I have a lot of black and white in my wardrobe, but I do usually mix it up with at least one colour.  I'm loving this combination of black, white and gold though! What do you think?  

X
Molly

Life lately

Spiralwise : * Salmon on creamy fettucine * Healthy summer dessert * Smudge hanging out with the washing  * Tomato and basil penne * The beach we camped at over New Years *  Enjoying a cup of tea al fresco * Making sushi * Smudge doing what he does best *

I love summer food.  Salads, pasta and sushi.  Its so much easier to eat healthy in the summertime, don't you think?  As you can see, life lately is pretty good.  Lots of eating and hanging out with my furry friend.

Ahh, summer.

What do you love (miss?) most about summer?

X

Molly

Let's go Glamping!

Right now, we are travelling around the South Island in our camper.  Ever since we bought her I've been drooling over vintage campers and caravans.  I would love to open up a shop in a colourful vintage caravan one day!!

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

Trust me, ours looks nothing like these but maybe the next one will!  

Which is your fave? I love the pretty blue and yellow one.

X

Molly

Corners of my home: Bathroom

Our bathroom is small and has only one little cupboard, so I try to make the most of the little space we have.  Instead of trying to jam everything into the cupboard, I put everyday items on display, (yes, even toilet paper).  Store them in pretty bowls and glass jars to make a feature out of them!   

A big bathroom with plenty of storage space is definitely on the must-have list for our next place.

We picked up the white frame at a second-hand store for about $20, it's one of my best finds yet I think.

You can view my Corners of my home: Bedroom post here.

X
Molly

Top 2012 posts

I didn't know much at all about blogging before I created The Cottage Diaries, so it has been an interesting journey.  I first posted in June and since then have managed 47 posts.  I hope to post more regularly in 2013, although I don't think I could ever commit to posting every day!  Those of you who do are amazing.  

I hope to be more organised and have several posts up my sleeve in the inevitable event that I get crazy busy at some point.

I'm so grateful to all of my followers, and I hope you will continue to support me throughout 2013.  These are the top posts of 2012:

DIY Christmas Gift: Homemade Muesli

Corners of my home: Bedroom

Cranberry and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Pastel Love 

Nine Ways With: A Vintage Suitcase

Creamy Bacon, Spinach and Sage Vermicelli

Duck Egg Blue

Introducing Smudge

What Pinterests me this week

Summerhouses and Garden Parties

Which of my posts have you enjoyed most? What would you like to see more of?

X

Molly

Here's to Twenty Thirteen

{via}

2012 was a great year for me.  I got married, had a wonderful honeymoon and moved into a cute little cottage with my husband.  I graduated from uni, began my Masters degree, started a blog and got the kitten I've always wanted.  So goodbye 2012, here's to Twenty Thirteen!  Hope it's a good one.  

Here are some things I want to achieve in 2013:

1. Do some volunteer work
2. Make some decisions about the future, including finding a                    place to settle down and raise a family
3. Get out and get physical more often, and try to lead a healthier            lifestyle
4. Learn a few new recipes that are healthy and easy to whip up
5. Keep a few meals in the freezer to save us going into town for              takeaways on those busy days
6. Blog more regularly, and focus on creating quality posts
7. Learn more about photography.  I've recently acquired a Canon                1100D, so I want to learn how to take better photos
8. Reach more people through my blog.  

I've been loving reading everyone's New Year's resolutions.  What's at the top of your list for 2013?

X
Molly