Join the Georgia Conservancy March 3rd from 12:30 – 3:00 p.m. at Captain Butler’s on Whitemarsh Island for the 2012 Oyster Roast! The roast will feature all-you-can-eat McIntosh County oysters, SweetWater beer, and Smokehouse BBQ. Better still? You can relax and enjoy the sweet Southern sounds of local band, Junkyard Angel. All to support the Georgia Conservancy!

This wonderful event is presented by Georgia Power. The 2012 Oyster Roast is a family-friendly event that brings together Georgia Conservancy trustees, members, and friends for great food and good times. You certainly won’t want to miss it!

Tickets go fast, so get yours now! The Members of the Georgia Conservancy price is just $20 per person or $35 per couple. Not a member? No worries, non-members can enjoy the fun at a price of just $25 per person or $45 per couple and, that includes a 6 month membership to the Georgia Conservancy!

The fun doesn’t end after the roast, either. Make a weekend of helping your coast and help us keep Tybee tidy! Together, Mermaid Cottages, Tybee Beautification Association, the City of Tybee Island, and the Georgia Conservancy will hold a Beach Sweep March 4th. We’d love to see you there! Just meet at the Tybee roundabout for the beach sweep on Sunday, March 4th, at 10:00am. We’ll work to clean the beach until about 11:30a.m. Trash bags, grabbers, and gloves will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own gloves if you like. It’s a great way to get active and help the beach we all love so much!

If you want to learn more about the Georgia Conservancy, make sure to check out their website or even follow them on facebook!

Don’t wait, Make plans for this weekend now! Head over to the ticket page and reserve your roast ticket, then get your beach sweepin’ shoes ready! We hope to see you on Whitemarsh Island for a shuckin’ good time!

“I was pinning to my Mermaids pinboard on Pinterest and came across something that combined two of my favorite things! Mermaids…and sock monkeys! I couldn’t resist, I had to share this with you. Just the idea screamed Tybee Quirk to me!” ~Melissa S.

How awesome is THAT?!

Isn’t that amazing?! Who doesn’t love sock monkeys? Pinterest is SO amazing; there’s no telling what you might see! We were so excited about this little sock monkey, we wondered if there was a secret society of these wonderful creatures…and we were right! Look at all these Sock Monkey Mermaids!

Scooter the Sock Monkey Mermaid

This cool fella was featured on the Camp Sock Monkey blog. They said it was “Scooter’s Sock Monkey Mermaid yarn art by Sappymoosetree.” So cute!

This lovely sock monkey was handmade by Lisa, author of the blog The House of Hullabaloo. There’s a wonderful story behind this beautiful art doll, so be sure to head over to the post and read all about it!

Oh, we do love these little creatures! Look at this diva! You can check out this precious sock monkey mermaid and loads more over at SockMonkeyClub.net. Don’t you just love those sun glasses?!

And last, but certainly not least, is Mara the Mermaid Sock Monkey! This beautiful colored pencil drawing is by the wonderfully talented Marisa Hopkins of Abilene, Texas. Mara can be found in Marisa’s Etsy shop, Elegant Snobbery, along with loads of other fabulous, whimsy art and illustrations. What talent!

Melissa, thank you so much for your sighting; it lead to some wonderful discoveries! Mermaid Sock Monkeys, who knew!

Have you spotted a mermaid? They come in all shapes and sizes! If you have a sighting you would like to share, please send your sighting and story to us at diane@mermaidcottages.com. We’d love to share your sighting with the world!

During your stay at The Key Lime Parrot, you are close to everything Tybee Island has to offer. Picnic in the park, take the beautiful 4 block stroll to the beach, or bring your bikes and enjoy cruising where ever you need to go! Your cottage is the perfect home base after a day full of trips to local hot spots, like The Tybee Lighthouse Station, the Pier and Pavilion, or Fort Pulaski. It’s also an oasis in which to escape the world. If staying close to home is more your speed, you’ll enjoy the cozy quirky atmosphere. There’s a fully equipped kitchen for all those home chefs out there, loads of books and games to enjoy, and cable television for surfing of a different kind. You can even stay as connected as you want with the complimentary high-speed internet and WiFi. Brew a cup of our Mermaid Morning Bliss (waiting for you in every cottage!) and enjoy rocking the day away in one of the many rocking chairs, or enjoy the beautiful privacy of the fenced yard. Take it slow and enjoy the salty sea air from your screened porch. Rinse off in your private outdoor shower after a day of beach combing…it’s up to you!

Key Lime Parrot Cottage is just missing one thing…YOU! You don’t have to wait, either. We have dates available now! Plan your visit online now, or give us a call at (912) 313-0784 and let us help you plan your perfect island escape. We hope to hear from you soon!

If you are in the Tybee area, or if you’re going to be sometime soon, please consider donating items to the Tybee Island Community Pool Yard Sale Fundraiser! Items of all kinds are needed, right down to tables for displaying the items, so this is your opportunity to do a little spring cleaning and donate things today!

The yard sale will be held Saturday, February 25th from 7a.m. to 2 p.m. at 613 Miller Avenue. You can drop off your donations (starting now!) at 613 Miller Avenue any time. This will help everyone handling pricing of items to get a jump on the task before the big day. Check out the list below and please, donate if you can! One hundred percent of the proceeds from the yard sale will go toward the Tybee Island Community Pool Fund!

Needed Yard Sale Items

Children’s clothes in good condition
Power Tools: saws, drills, sanders, and so on
Sporting Equipment: golf clubs, workout equipment
Bicycles: especially ones in good shape & ready to ride
Electronics: stereos, computers, radios, etc.
Toys in good condition
Household Items: refrigerators, irons, dishes, etc.
Furniture: chairs, tables, beds
Books: all kinds, but especially children’s books
Gardening Equipment: rakes, hand tools, watering cans
Jewelry: watches, rings, necklaces, earrings
Miscellaneous: wall hangings, quilts, bedding, pet items

And remember, if you don’t have items to donate, we still need tables to use for display! Label your tables so they can be returned to you and drop them off at 613 Miller Avenue. Volunteers are also needed to work from 6 a.m. to 2p.m., so there’s a spot for everyone to participate. Every little bit helps! If you need more information, please contact Chris Garbettat 786-0448 or tybeechris1@bellsouth.net.

We hope to see you out at the Community Pool Fundraiser Saturday, February 25th! It’s for a great cause; Tybee needs a year round heated pool for locals and guest alike to enjoy! Help us make that goal! Donate items, come out and shop…every little action moves us that much closer to our goal. See you Saturday!

Join all of Tybee this weekend for the island’s 4th Annual Mardi Gras celebration! This party will include all the traditions of Mardi Gras, an event that dates back to the ancient Romans. Tybee will be decked out in her finest for the occasion! The fun begins this Friday, February 17^th, from 8-11 p.m. with the Masquerade Ball at Fannie’s on the Beach! Make sure to get your tickets and don your best glitz and glamour for this party! There will be prizes for the best dressed, not to mention the crowning of the king and queen!

If you can’t make it Friday, no worries! The celebrations continue Saturday, February 18th. Join us for the Mardi Gras Parade at 2 pm down Butler Avenue, followed by a street party, free live music from great local bands, and more until 6 p.m.!

This amazing event is put on by the Tybee Island Tourism Council. For more information on this and more up-coming events, make sure to MardiGrasTybee.com and TybeeVisit.com. Please, make plans to celebrate with all of us this weekend…Tybee’s Mardi Gras is a not-to-be-missed event!

Are you pinning yet?

Have you ever wanted a place to collect all your favorite things on the web? We sure did…and we found it! Have you checked out Pinterest, yet? No? Well, what the heck are you waiting for!

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard, like a cork board on the internet! Pinterest allows you to organize and share all your favorite things from around the web. It’s a wonderful way to have an inspiration board without taking up desk or wall space!

Come follow our Mermaid Sightings Board!

You can discover new things by checking out pinboards made by other people, follow your friends’ boards, and pin your own findings to boards you create! Be warned, it is totally addicting! We couldn’t help ourselves once we started; you really can spend hours day dreaming and pinning! Check out their Help Section, it helps out a lot when you are new and need to learn what everything is all about.

Join us on the Mermaid Cottages Pinterest Profile!

Do you have a Pinterest account, yet? Well, we sure do! That’s right, now you can follow Mermaid Cottages on Pinterest! Head on over to our Mermaid Cottages Pinterest Profile and follow us! We have boards about all our favorite things, from mermaids to Savannah things. It’s all there! Pick one board, or follow them all. We’re just excited about this new, fun way to share everything we love with you, our fans! We hope to see you over on Pinterest! Now, let’s start pinning!

Boomer, our newest Mermaid Mascot, comes to Tybee on Feb 14th!

Roses are red.  Violets are blue.  Pet lovers know there’s at least one kind of love that’s true!

It’s Valentine’s Day and one thing’s for sure…if there’s a pet in your life you are loved!

Mermaid Cottages loves seeing photos of our dog guests, so we got to thinking.  What if everyone wrote a Valentine to their dog?

Y’all know we’re all about a howling good time, so for the next week we’d like you to email photos of your dog along with why you love them so much.  We’ll be looking for your emails to diane@mermaidcottages.com with at least one photo of your dog attached and your dog tales about your canine pal.  We’ll gather them all together and let Danny, Sophie and Boomer vote with tail wags.  The top five photos and dog tales will be featured on our Facebook page next week and we’ll ask everyone to help us choose one winner.   We’ll spend this next week creating a special doggy treat basket for the winner, so please be sure to Follow us to know when to start voting.

And, while you’re at it, start planning your next visit to one of our fabulous pet friendly cottages.  Danny, Sophie and Boomer will be practicing their WOOF welcomes and whipping up fresh batches of our all natural Beach Bum Biscuits, too!

Our New Tees

Welcome to Fish Camp Cottage!

Fish Camp Cottage is filled with fun art, comfy places to relax, and a beautiful garden in which to while away many a lazy afternoon. The family room has a new 37″ High Def television with a BlueRay/DVD player, and the kitchen has been refreshed with paint and new touches as well! Stay as connected as you’d like with our complimentary high-speed internet, or choose to unplug and take it easy. Bring your furry children to enjoy Tybee too, because your cottage is cat and dog friendly. They’ll love to share the fenced in yard and salty sea air right along with you!

Enjoy every little detail!

Your cottage is just an easy one block walk to AJ’s Dockside Restaurant- the best place on the island to watch sunset and enjoy dinner and drinks. You will be close to everything Tybee has to offer, like the beautiful Pier and Pavilion, the wonderful shops of Downtown, and the island’s gorgeous Tybee Island Lighthouse Station. Even better? You are a mere 20 minute drive to Historic Downtown Savannah!

A beautiful shot of the Pier and Pavilion sent to us by Sheilah Peake!

Want to shake off  those winter blues? You don’t have to wait another minute to escape with the Mermaids…we’re waiting for you! Our cottages book fast, so give us a call at 912.313.0784, book your stay online, or email any questions you may have to diane@mermaidcottages.com. We can’t wait to help you plan your perfect Tybee Island escape!

Lisa Watson is the founder of Plan It Green Design, and she is the wonderful person we go to for all things green! Lisa is our garden design consultant. She helps us with our planting and horticulture care and her goal is simple…use renewable, local, and eco-conscious resources while designing outdoor living spaces and gardens.

Our Headquarters, Mermaid Manor! Photo thanks to Lisa Watson

Lisa is a gardening guru! She has helped Mermaid Cottages create beautiful outdoor living spaces at our headquarters, Mermaid Manor, as well as our Tucked Inn at Tybee Cottage. We love her philosophy of re-using, recycling, re-seeding, and rethinking design to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Lisa definitely helps us make more sustainable choices for a better future, and we are so proud to count her as a member of the Mermaid Cottages family! Even better, Plan It Green Designs will be at the 2012 Tybee Island Energy and Water Fair this weekend! Make sure you stop by (it’s FREE) and visit the Plan It Green exhibit as well as the other more than 30 exhibits!

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If you need help making you home and garden greener, or just want to learn more about our lovely Lisa, check out her Plan It Green Designs website, give her a call at 843.290.9017, or check her out on the offical Plan It Green Facebook Page!

Thank you for all you do Lisa, for Mermaid Cottages and for our planet!

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Looking for something to do this weekend that is fun as well as good for the planet? Look no further than Tybee Island! This Saturday, February 11, is the Tybee Island Energy and Water Fair!

The Energy and Water Fair is an event designed to educate everyone in ways to conserve and reuse community resources.  Conservation is so important. We only have what the Earth has given, so we should know how to better take care of our resources! The Community Resource Committee is holding this fabulous event, and it’s not to be missed! There will be local vendors, scientists, and organizations participating.  Fair-goers will enjoy more than 30 exhibits and 8 workshops, plus free events for kids. There will even be free and confidential document shredding along with electronic recycling available at the fair! Learning ways to Use less to save more is easy and fun! Just look at this schedule of events!

WORKSHOPS

• 9:30 – 10:00: Lester Wiggins, Savannah Tech Construction & Maintenance Technology, The Future of Solar Energy in Our Region
• 10:10 – 10:40: Dr. Clark Alexander, Skidaway Institute, Sea-level Rise & Coastal Erosion in Georgia
• 10:50 – 11:20: Anna Smit, Southern Alliance for Clean Air, Benefits/Challenges of Offshore Wind
• 11:30 – 12:00 Pat Prokop, WTOC Weatherman, History of Climate & Use of Fossil Fuels
• 12:10- 12:40:  Julian (Solar) Smith, How to Use Solar Energy
• 12:50 – 1:20: Keith Freeman, One World Sustainable, Solar PV Potential in SE-Residential and Commercial
• 1:30 – 2:00 Tonya Bonitatibus, Savannah River-keeper, Interconnection of Our Waterways & Their Uses
• 2:10 – 2:40 Dr. Joe Richardson, Tybee Island Beach Ecology- Diverse, Seasonal, and Interesting.

ALL DAY EVENTS

• David Loxsom, Atlantic Recycling Solutions – Electronic Takeback

• Sam Kirkland, Wind Turbines of South Carolina – Exhibit

• Wes Jackson, Solar Cooker Demo – free sliders

• Scott Kilpatrick, Savannah Shredder, Document Destruction - confidential and free

• Lester Wiggins, Savannah Tech, Solar Power Generator – Exhibit

• Tybee Charter School – serving goodies

• Silent Auction

This fair is FREE to the public, so don’t miss a minute of the fun! Come on down to the Tybee Gym (next to Memorial Park) from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and learn loads of ways to lower your water and energy bills, as well as other things you can do to take better care of our planet. It’s the only one we’ve got! We hope to see you at the 2012 Tybee Island Energy and Water Fair!!