Little and Friday

One of my favorite cafes is
Little and Friday
they bake the most divine
tarts - both sweet and savoury.

So, when my friend Carol
was visiting from the UK
I couldn't wait to take her there!
I told her she had to try
one of their famous
to die for
cream donuts.
We shared one between us, as we also
had a piece of their
Caramelised Onion Tart.

Everything is served on pretty
china plates.
They have large old kitchen tables
which you share with others.
It's a convivial atmosphere.

Beautiful baking
in the Little and Friday
cookbook - I would love a copy
but do I really need
another cookbook?!!!

Speaking of cook books
there is a new cookbook out by
The Mennonite Girls called
"Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations"
and they are giving away a copy
so head over to their blog now
to enter!

It's Monday so I'm joining
Mary for Mosaic Monday!

and
Bernideen on Friend's Sharing Tea Tuesday

Do pop over and say hello!

À bientôt
and be kind to one another
hugs

Shane ♥

Beautiful mossy garland on the wall
at Little & Friday, Belmont.

FRIENDS ARE LIKE FLOWERS....

Before I went to France

several friends surprised me

with lovely gifts

and I won a Giveaway too!

Tammy sent me this beautiful

card and crochet doily!

I won these tags in Lilla's

giveaway

Lilla knows how much I love lace

so she included this lovely piece

in the parcel too!

Carole popped in to say goodbye

and gave me this sweet

lavender bag she made

to pop in my suitcase!

French Essence Vicki sent me this

beautiful Diptyque candle

...and when I arrived home a parcel

was waiting from
Two Bags Full Vicki

I had won a prize in her giveaway

a beautiful embroidered teatowel

(not for use - just for admiring)!!!

You are are all so kind and generous

 dear friends and I would like

to give each of you this

sweet virtual bouquet of

french lavender

to say

"MERCI"
from my heart!!!

Please visit their beautiful blogs
click on the name and
a link will come up!!!

*** GIVEAWAYS ***

this month there are 3

amazing giveaways

happening in blogland

that you won't want to miss

from 3 very talented bloggers.

See my side bar for

all the details and links!

Thank you all for visiting and expecially

those of you who come by often

and leave me lovely warm comments,

YOU

make it all worthwhile!!

Be kind to one another

hugs and love

Shane xox

A heart full of kindness....

J'aime le coeur!!

Today I received a surprise gift

from my gifted friend Yvonne

in the Netherlands,

please visit her lovely blog

Yitte

where you can see the

beautiful handwork she creates.

I LOVE all the details of this

french heart -

the pretty floral background fabric

embellished with beautiful lace

and beading, and french words

Je t'aime

a sweet vintage button

reminiscent of Marie Antoinette

some pretty blush pink fabric roses

and soft satin ribbon

with mother-of-pearl buttons

and finished with my initials

embroidered on the reverse!

Also in the parcel was a

fragrant lavender sachet -

only Yvonne can embroider

roses like this!

My beautiful heart

now makes up a pretty

vignette

just inside our front door.

EVERYONE

has commented on what

a beautiful work of ART

I've been given.....

THANK YOU so much

dear Yvonne for making me

such an exquisite gift - I'm

"over the moon"

YOU are one of Blogging's

real treasures!

WELCOME

to my newest followers:

Leslie of Trouver le soleil,

Jillayne of A Fine Seam,

Julie of The Cloth Shed and

Gusos of Gusos Santos.

Do pop into their blogs

and say 'hello'!

I hope you have all entered

Vicki's adorable NEST

giveaway!!!

Closes on Sunday 27th.

Thank you my dear friends for visiting

and especially those of you

who leave me a comment - love you!!

Be kind to one another

hugs

xox

Shane

Yvonne's beautiful gift card

in my parcel

Merci mon amie x

BONNE FÊTE DES MÈRES

Bonne fête des Mères

to my wonderful blogging friends

here and across the world!!

I've had a brilliant idea....

Would you like to join me for lunch today in

PARIS??

(a virtual lunch you understand)

I've booked our table - the one on the left, at

Le Café du Commerce

51 rue de Commerce

75015 Paris

Oh what a lovely idea..... if only .....

we can dream and let our imaginations

run wild

it is Mother's Day after all!!

Our family had a wonderful Sunday lunch here

two years ago, the last time we were all in Paris together.

The food was superb and the service excellent!

However, Café du Commerce

was more than the food -

it's an experience!

It was built in the 1920's era and has

retained the decor and them of the era.

I imagine some who considered

themselves part of the cafe society

back then, may have even graced it's doors!!

The Sunday we had lunch here, there was a big

family group on the top floor

celebrating a Christening with great

joie de vivre!!

This bistro was a favourite of

my daughter and her husband when

they lived in this quarter -

15th arrondissement.

Dreams are free....yes?

Meantime I'm giving each of you

a virtual bunch of these exquisite peonies

and wishing you all

Bonne fête!!!

Please don't forget to visit the two

Vicki's on my side bar.

They are both having wonderful

GIVEAWAYS.

Vicki Archer has the beautiful blog

FRENCH ESSENCE

and wrote an inspirational book of the same name.

Merci

dear friends

for visiting and expecially

those of you who come by often

and leave me lovely warm comments,

YOU

make it all worthwhile!!

Be kind to one another

hugs and love

Shane xox

Made with love for

my darling granddaughter

JESSIE

for her Christening in June 2012.

Inspiration Campagne Style....

Hello dear friends and welcome!

I know you are all enjoying the joys of Spring and the start

of Summer in other parts of the world - lucky YOU!

Here in New Zealand,

 down under in the topsy turvy

Southern Hemisphere of the world,

it's Autumn, one of my favourite seasons!

Last weekend we experienced the

SUPER MOON over our skies!

Sadly this photo doesn't do justice to this

wonderful phenomena, as the moon was

bigger, clearer and brighter than I've ever seen.

It looked like a HUGE GOLD BALL in the sky...

sooooo MAGICAL and I for one could

have watched it all evening

gazing and dreaming!

When I look up at the moon I imagine my

family in France doing the same!

We both see the SAME MOON -

it's just the stars that are different!

It's comforting for me!

..............OOOPS I seem to have been side-tracked

not unusual for a dreamer like me!!

My daughter sometimes sends me a french

magazine - and usually it's an interiors one

like this Campagne.

I fell in love with the AMAZING stone house featured

in this issue - not HARD to do as you can see!
My decor style of choice is Nordic French

however I'm probably even more eclectic than that.

The kitchen is lovely, but I'm quite practical

when it comes to kitchens, I like to have a

casual table and chairs for family meals!

Benches and bar stools don't do it for me.

(image from here)

THIS is PERFECT just what I LOVE.

Are you a bar stool at the bench

kinda girl or

table and chairs girl like me?

The living room is beautiful...

it has key french elements combined with

the charm of english country too.

I've always been fond of mixing florals

and checks - makes for homely comfort.

...and I'm totally in LOVE with

the FIREPLACE!!!

I'm still beavering away with my sewing

and embroidery bits - I can almost see light

at the end of the TUNNEL - thank goodness!

I should be able to show you the fruits

of my labours very soon!

MEANWHILE DON'T FORGET TO ENTER

VICKY'S

DIVINE NEST GIVEAWAY

click on Vicky's name to take you to her

GIVEAWAY POST.

Thank you my dear friends

for visiting and expecially

those of you who come by often

and leave me lovely warm comments,

YOU

make blogging worthwhile for me!!

Be kind to one another

hugs and love

Shane xox

Made with love for Jessie oxo

FRANCE IN 4 WEEKS....

I'm on the countdown now as there

are only four weeks left to complete
 all my bits and bobs that I'm
taking with me to France.....

The pressure is well and truly on,
hence I haven't posted for a while
because I really needed some

"me time" to get things done
you know what it's like!

I'm doing the finishing on two Christmas

stockings for the older girls - Jessie's can

wait until after I come home!

No2 granddaughter has her birthday while

I'm there so I'm making her a wall hanging

of Miss Maude - different to this one

I made for her older sister a year
or so ago.
(sorry for the picture quality)

If you would like to embroider a
Miss Maude contact Carole
at Madness & Mess to purchase
 the pattern!

We've also had several trips up to
the Bay of Islands in the last 3 weeks.

Life has been very busy

as it is at times for all of us!

Why is it that everything

happens all at once?

However, in no time I'll be sitting on

the aeroplane winging my way

to my favourite city in the

whole world - Paris!

I've really got nothing

to complain about!!

WELCOME

to my newest follower

Jan of A Passion for Vintage Textiles

please pop in to her blog and say hello!

Just a wee reminder about Vicki's

amazing Spring Giveaway.

If you aren't already familiar with

the exquisite nests that Vicki creates

you must visit her blog.

You are in for such a treat,

she is an inveterate

traveller too and takes

the most amazing photos!

Thank you dear friends

for visiting and expecially

those of you who come by often

and leave me lovely warm comments,

YOU make it all worthwhile!!

Be kind to one another

hugs and love

Shane xox

Jessie's first slippers

made with love.