Blogger Beach Cottage Trip

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Have you ever been so excited before a trip that you just couldn’t sleep the night before you were to catch an early morning flight out for vacation?  Or, have you ever been on a blind date and had butterflies in your stomach for the 24 hours prior?  Well, after I saw this first shot (below) of the front entrance to my friend Shauna’s Naples, FL beach cottage last week, I felt both of those emotions just thinking about the fun times we would all have sharing life stories and just plain old getting to know one another on this trip!  The funny thing is that the moment I met each one of these lovely ladies, I already felt like I had known each one of them for years!  And I think that is how it is when you have so much in common with someone….especially something like the passion for interior design and all things home decor that we all share.  And bottom line, I think more than anything it was such a blessing to get to spend some time with people that I know truly “get” me (we kept saying that the whole trip) when it comes to interior design, home decor, and blogging!  We were so excited to finally be with our SQUAD after all of the anticipation of this upcoming trip and you’ll just have to hang with me a bit to find out exactly what I mean by that!

So this is where my giddiness began about the trip when I saw this photo on Shauna’s Instagram page last week…I mean isn’t the front entry to The House Of Silver Lining beach cottage so lovely and welcoming?  I know you may have seen shot’s of the beach cottage renovation by now but if you haven’t seen the full reveal, you can see it here.  And let me tell you, Shauna is one talented lady and her cottage is even more lovely in person than it is in the photos you may have seen of it!!  One could only dream of staying at this lovely getaway for a few nights and I feel especially privileged to have been able to do so.  It’s cozy, welcoming, comfortable, charming, bright, and beautiful, not to mention beautifully decorated and was an absolute dream to spend a few days in.  Now here’s that front entry shot that had me swooning with butterflies in the days leading up to my departure south…Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-1

We got there late in the day the first day and were oh so tired so we didn’t take too many photos the first night but this shot (below) was our first full day in the cottage (you may have seen it on Instagram).  We got up and lounged by the pool a bit (still in our pj’s) and chatted about blogging and other stuff.  It was so relaxing and I was super excitied to be learning so much from my experienced blogger buddies!  Then, we decided to get casually dressed and head to a nice brunch for some local fare just around the corner from the cottage.
Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-2

Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip2 fashion home-1

Here we are (above) and let me introduce my talented blogger buddies to you from left to right ~ Tana of Your Marketing BFF , Brittany of Addison’s Wonderland,  Erin of The Sunny Side Up Blog and Shauna of The House Of Silver Lining, and me:).  All of these sweet, fun girls whom I just love dearly have the best blogs offering tons of inspiration and tips to their readers!  Hope you’ll check them out if you aren’t already following along with them!

And then back at the cottage, we had a little pool time with Shauna’s big pink flamingo and boy was he the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!  I now am a firm believer that every pool needs a big pink flamingo.  We were going to name him but I’m not sure we ever got around to that.  Well, there is always next year.  Hopefully by then he’ll have a mate and we can name both of them together, hehe!!Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-3

And just look at my cute friend Erin of The Sunny Side Up Blog…she had so much fun floating around with him in the pool:)…Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-5

And Tana of Your Marketing BFF  (Tana is a fabulous web designer and marketing pro) did the best job ever of relaxing in the pool.  Lol, I think at one point we had to check to make sure she was still breathing!Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-4

 

And then it was time to get dressed for dinner and of course we had to do another photo shoot before we went out!  So. Much. Fun!!Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-6

And you know how photo shoots go sometimes with your girl friends…there was a lot to coordinate here and we just laughed and giggled in between each shot to get just the right one (just keeping it real here, hehe!)…Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-9

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We had so much fun in the town of Naples walking up and down the street looking for just the right open air restaurant where we could hang out for the evening while tasting some yummy Naples fare and sipping on a cold beverage. I just love this sweet shot of Shauna and Tana at dinner…Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-12

The next day was beach day!!  Brittany of Addison’s Wonderland found us the most darling t-shirts that say SQUAD and we absolutely LOVED them!!  Thank you again, sweet Brittany!  We loved them because we truly felt like we had found our SQUAD on this fun trip.  Couldn’t have had more fun hanging out with a group of liked minded, kindred spirits that “get” each other like I mentioned before!!Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-16

We also had a blast getting some shots at the beach!  Oh the laughs we had over these…the other patrons on the beach must have been doing some major eye rolls and laughing hysterically at us by now!!  But we had a blast and that’s all that matters, right?!Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip2 fashion home-2

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Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip2 fashion home-1

 

And this was our final night together.  It was bitter sweet but we had the best time chatting and just spending time together over a farewell dining experience;)Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-17

And never mind the humidity ridden hair!  Boy I’m telling you it’s brutal down here in sunny south Florida!!  All of these ladies look lovely but it really took a toll on me, lolNaples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-13

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Naples Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip fashion home-14

 

Most nights at the end of the evening after dinner we went home, put on some comfy clothes and just sat around talking and enjoying one another’s company until sometimes around 3 a.m.  These were the times where we shared most of our tips and secrets, and personal stories about family life, kids and hardships.  It was so much fun getting to know each other better and I’m so happy to say these girls will be friends for life now.  And, I think it should go without saying that these were truly some of the most special moments of our trip;)ZDesign at Blogger's Beach Cottage Trip2

ZDesign at Bloggers Beach Cottage Trip

And I have some great advice I’d love to share here…if you can find your “Squad” or “Tribe” or group or anything else on Instagram, in the blogging world, or any place else that matters to you whether it be the work place, school, church, or your kids play ground, I strongly advise doing it!!  Sometimes nothing can take the place of just hanging out with the girls no matter where you are, how old you are, or what you all enjoy doing (as long as it’s good clean fun;) and there’s just no better medicine!  Make sure to watch each other’s backs and take care of one another because at times these are the people that love and “get” you the most.  And since most of you are probably coming over from Instagram, one of the best ways I think to build relationships on IG (and subsequently build your account) is to find people that have the same decor style you do and/or that you can somehow relate to.  Play and host hashtags together, share one another’s work, and always comment on their photos when possible to help encourage their growth.  This builds each other up and helps you to become more established in the Instagram world and at the end of the day (and most importantly) hopefully you’ve made some virtual friends that will become real life friends one day like us (my dear friends Jennifer @decorgold and Randi @randigarrettdesign take this talk a step further by sharing more about how to grow your Instagram account in some wonderful blog posts found here & here)!  I also have some other amazing friends from Instagram that were not forgotten during this trip and that I hold dearly in my heart and hope to meet soon one day!  That old saying that friends are the best medicine truly is so true!!

 

And last but not least, and just in case you were wondering and haven’t seen it yet, here are a few shots of Shauna’s beach cottage renovation to end our little trip.  The following photos just hit the high spots but you can see the whole cottage renovation tour here.beach-cottage-renovation-reveal-kitchen-14

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I sure hope you enjoyed me taking you on a tour through our blogger beach trip this year but we already have plans in the works for next year so stay tuned!  Can’t imagine we will have more fun than this year but I can’t wait to see what unfolds in 2017!!  So here’s to next year but until then, don’t forget to leave me a comment…I always love hearing from you and thanks for stopping by ZDesign At Home to see what’s happening this week!!

Xoxo, Bree

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24 Comments

  1. Bree, I absolutely loved the recap and following y’all on your trip. I am so glad y’all had such a great time; I can’t wait until August! xo

    1. I can’t wait either, Kelley!!! I know it will be just like we’ve known each other for years! And next year, you are coming to the cottage whether you like it or not, lol! Thanks for stopping by sweet friend:))

    2. Bree I loved reading about your trip. Y’all are so cute. So glad you found your squad! And shaunas beach house is beautiful just as suspected.

      1. Thank you so much for stopping by, Mysha!! We truly had the best time, and don’t you just love our SQUAD shirts Brittany got us?! they were so much fun!!! :))

  2. Ohhh, Bree…I loved every single morsel of this summary of the girls’ trip!!?⛱??☀️? ?. You girls are absolutely the cutest!!!??? Love you all, and you know how much I was hating that I couldn’t be there with you all this year joining in the fun!! But I lived vicariously through all the great pics you all shared, while I was in San Antonio!! Awwww, the cottage reno is divine, and you ladies sure looked like you had a ball!! Thanks for sharing all the fun here on your lovely blog, Hun!!! I loved it!! ???????

    1. Oh Deb!! Thanks so much for stopping by to check it out! The only thing that would have been better is for you to have been there!!! Well, there is always next year and we all fully expect for you to be there in 2017!!! Love you my friend!! :))

  3. Looks like an amazing time! You girls are all so darling, and Shauna’s cottage is amazing! Thanks for sharing – you are an awesome group of friends! Xoxo Kathleen

    1. Thanks Kathleen!! We did have so much fun and thanks for stopping by to check it out:))

  4. This post was too much fun Bree! What a great re-cap! Absolutely LOVED our time together. A trip I will never forget! Hopefully the first of many to come!! Couldn’t love you more sweet friend.. and roomie. 😉 xoxo

    1. Erin (my roomie!), I had the best time with you and our little group!! It honestly couldn’t have been more fun and relaxing to just hang out and talk blogging stuff (and thanks for all of the tips and tricks…I learned so much for you)! I can’t wait to see your recap as well…so much fun!!! Love you dear friend:)

  5. p.s. Cracking up at my eye in that last pic of the two of us! It was starting to head downhill! Ha! 😉 xo

    1. You’re too funny, Erin!! I honestly didn’t even notice that in the photo! You are gorgeous my friend!!

  6. So amazing Bree! I’m glad you had such a wonderful time with your fun group! Shauna’s beach cottage is absolutely perfect and all of you girls are as cute as can be!!!

    1. Thanks Jen! It was a fun time! Wish you could have been there for sure:)

  7. Awe Bree! I’m just teary eyed over here! Miss you girls so much and so very thankful to God for bringing each one of you into my life! The memories we made at the cottage will forever be cherished! It was such an honor to have you, Brittany, Tana, and Erin visiting! Thank you so much for all your kind words and compliments to my little ol’ cottage too! That means so much to me. Love you girl!!
    xoxo

    1. Oh gosh, Shauna! Where do I even begin?! I had so much fun and I am forever grateful for the time we all shared at the cottage. I love all of you girls to pieces and I know we all had so much fun sharing and spending time at your special little place in Naples!! So thankful for your friendship too and I can’t wait to do it all over again next year!!! :))

  8. Bree! That was such a great post?? so glad you had such a great trip! Reading that makes me want to plan a million ig trips…honestly it was so inspiring! P.s. Let’s get to the #realtalk you looked so gorgeous in each one of the pics!! ???

    1. Awe, Leslie!! You are so sweet girly!! It was truly so fun and I highly recommend doing an all girls IG trip to anyone that has found their squad or tribe on IG! Thanks so much for stopping by and checking it out and thanks for the sweet comments:)

  9. So good to see you all together! Looks like you had a fabulous time. Thanks for sharing all the great photos, you’re all gorgeous! (So is the cottage!) xoxo

    1. Thanks for stopping by to check it out, Amy!! It was a ton of fun:))

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