EASTER CARDS

I can't believe it's almost Easter...

so I spent the morning making

Easter cards for my

darling granddaughters

in France.

The first card is for my

eldest GD

I really enjoy playing with

pretty papers,

cutting out and glueing -

I must be re-visiting my childhood!

This one is for No2 GD!

You can probably tell that

they both love fairies

A tag page with a
special message

The back page of both

cards is the same!

My  messy desk!!!

The art piece at the back is

my favourite,

it's a beautiful collage I won

in a giveaway from

Rhonda of

"A little bit French"

please visit her here

She makes divine creations

and has a shop here

you won't be disappointed!

A BIG WELCOME to

all my new followers,

please visit their wonderful

blogs, it's fun meeting

new bloggers!

Linda of heARTfully inspired 

Dee, of French Fancies

Ali, of Betty & Violet

Michiko

Marijke 

Elsina of Emsarts

Lu of Romance of the Roses

Monica of Hither and Yon

and Viola in Italy.

Thank you dear friends for visiting

and especially those of you

who leave me a comment - love you!!

Be kind to one another

hugs

xox

Shane

Jessies first slippers.

xox

BIRTHDAY.... une femme d'un certain âge!!!

Remember on my

Cosi Fan Tutte post

I mentioned to you that I bought

a birthday gift for my

daughter who lives in France.

A 6 piece set of

 Mason "Chelsea" pattern

side plates

which will be perfect for her

afternoon tea parties

with her girls!!

And in June I will be there too

to share some of these

precious moments with

my 3 granddaughters!

Such pretty edging detail...

Am I mad carrying these in

my suitcase... 12,000 miles to

France - they are quite heavy???

Would you do this?

Today is one of life's milestone

birthdays for me....

oui une femme d'un certain âge!!!

I am meeting a large group of

my fabulous girlfriends for lunch

at a delightful french cafe!

I'll share photos next time.....

Completed...

Jessie will no longer be

barefoot at her christening!!

You might like to visit my friend Leeann

at Fabulously French here

and watch an amazing Cartier

video clip!

Wishing you all a wonderful week

full of all your heart's desires

xxx

Thank you dear friends for visiting

and especially those of you

who leave me a comment - love you!!

Be kind to one another

hugs

xox

Shane

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Camper the New Zealand boat image from here

A week ago today

we went out on the harbour

to welcome the

yachts arriving in Auckland

on the 4th leg of the

Volvo Round the World Yacht Race!

Camper is the New Zealand

entrant in this amazing race.

They had sailed from China

non-stop for 20 days

The crews must have been beyond tired

and looking forward to stepping

on to dry land

with the prospect of a warm bed

and dry clothes

Their families had flown in several

days before and were waiting

in the Viaduct Basin.

It was a very blustery day,

raining off and on

but that didn't matter...

we were just happy to be part

of the excitement and see

all the boats arrive here safely.

In the calmer waters of the

inner harbour Camper

is reunited

with her shore support team.

Home at last but only

for one week, as the fifth leg

of their journey started today.

They deaprted this afternoon

bound for Brazil via Cape Horn

which yachties call

'the Everest of yachting'.

On the way back to the marina

we passed this massive boat.

An overseas supporter of the race,

even if I won Lotto

(which has reached $20million here)

I still couldn't afford to run it!!!!

C'est la vie.....

A very big welcome to my new followers

Stephanie, Julia, Jane, Virginia,

Vintage and Loved, and

Connie.

You may like to visit their blogs.

Thank you dear friends for visiting

and especially those of you

who leave me a comment - love you!!

Be kind to one another

hugs

Shane

All images are mine unless

stated otherwide.

cosi fan tutte.....

Today I'm taking you on

a shopping spree

to one of my favourite

shops

'Cosi Fan Tutte'.

This is where I come to find

a special gift

or

when I feel the need to immerse myself

in the sights and sounds of

french shopping!

On every display

I find things I want - no...

things I must have

you all know what I'm

talking about.....

There's romantic french music

playing in the background

and the delicious fragrance

of a french candle burning.

I love this shop....

I can close my eyes and

imagine for a moment or two

that I've slipped into

an irrestible boutique on

a Parisian boulevarde!

Back to my real world...

There are wonderful collections

of essential beauty treatments,

plus a great selection of candles,

soaps, sachets.....

the list goes on and on!

and the ribbon selection is

the best in Auckland -

I can always find exsactly what

I'm looking for.

I was tempted to buy

yet another gift for my

darling new granddaughter Jessie -

this mouse family is adorable...

but I think I should send

her something a little more

kiwi this time!!!

Next post I'll show you the

sweet cake plates

I bought here for

my darling daughter in France!

Bienvenue / Welcome

to my four new followers

Ranae

Jody

Brandyl (no blog) and

Nella

you may like to visit their blogs!

Thank you dear friends for visiting

and especially those of you

who leave me a comment - love you!!

Be kind to one another

hugs

Shane