Summertime in Russell

(click on photo to enlarge)

We've just returned from another
few days away.
This time up north to 
Russell in the Bay of Islands,
a beautiful part of New Zealand.
I've shown you photos before
as we always spend time up
here during summer. 

(click on photo to enlarge)

A view of the bay at low tide
from the deck with
just a few seagulls mulling about.

We enjoyed some wonderful

sunsets while sitting on the deck

each evening.

I hope you are all happily settling
into the new year
and keeping snug and warm
if it's winter where you are!

Tomorrow I will share with you
our family's favorite chicken recipe!

Linking to
James' Weekend Reflections


Oh and don't forget to join
Vicki's
GROW YOUR BLOG PARTY
see the button on my side bar
255 have already signed up
why don't you join us and 
have some fun!


THANK YOU 
all for popping in and
reading my posts, especially
my dear friends who leave
such encouraging comments.

WELCOME
to my new followers too!

Take care and
be kind to one another.
hugs
Shane ♥

My very talented friends...

Late last year four of us got

together for an "Angel" themed

swap for Christmas.

Above is a beautiful angel collage - many of

you will recognise it as the work

of our friend Suzy Quaife 

a very talented fibre and textile artist.

Please visit her blog to see more of her

amazing work.

http://suziqusthreadworks.blogspot.com/

Suzy used one of my favourite
 rennaisance  angel images

as the focal point of her collage.
Then she embellised around it
as only Suzy can,
with treasured pieces from her
lace doily and fabric collection.

Lilla created one of her lovely
paper dolls, embellishing her with
specially died muslin, lace, silk and
delicate golden gossamer wings
befitting a Christmas Angel!
Other special touches of a gold cross,
gold bead and a pearl and
threads of gold glitter to
hi-light her gown.

Lilla is well known to most of my followers
as I often refer to her in my posts.

She is the most generous person I've
met while blogging.
Lilla freely shares her collage,
book making and other techniques
with easy to follow videos on her blog
http://justlilla.blogspot.com/


I've had the pleasure of meeting
Lilla in person on one of her
visits home to New Zealand.
She is a very fun person to be with,
a great shopper (bonus points) and
I learnt so much from her in
that one brief meeting - 
thank you dear Lilla!

You won't be disappointed when
you visit Lilla's blog and also her shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lilla

My dear friend Rhonda of
http://alittlebitfrench.blogspot.com/

was also in our swap.
She made each of us a mini lace collage with
the beautiful Guardian Angels image
a perfect addition to my tree.

Thank you to my three dear friends
for the precious gifts you sent me.

I'm sure my dear friend Dorthe of

http://denlillelade.blogspot.com/

needs no introduction either!

Before Christmas while reading her blog

I spied these sweet little angels,

hand made by Dorthe!

They were perfect to tie to the outside

of Christmas parcels going off to my

three granddaughters in France!

Dorthe sent them at supersonic speed

(thank you for your special effort dear Dorthe)

so the parcel arrived on the other side

of the world well in time to catch Santa's sleigh!
(and to the delight of the girls too)!

Also included in her parcel was a very

special present for me,

a Dorthe designed angel for my tree,

I'm so appreciative

thank you dear Dorthe - you're an angel too!!!

I just had to show you Dorthe's

beautiful Christmas wrapping tissue.

I wish our shops would source

something vintage like this!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/denlillelade?ref=em

Above is the address for Dorthe's shop,

she will be re-stocking it from time to time

but things sell very quickly so keep

going back for a look!!!!

Here's a very fun party to join!!!

If you haven't already heard about
Vicki's
Grow Your Blog Party
please click on the above link
(or the button on my side bar)
to read all about it.
Vicki is another of Blogland's
most generous and kind souls
who always looks after people.

Thank you

to all my followers

for visiting my blog

especially those of you who leave

me your lovely comments.

I'm looking forward to another year of blogging

and meeting and making

more like minded friends along the way!

Take care

be kind to one another

hugs and love

Shane ♥

One of the angel collages I made for 
our swap
(I borrowed Suzy's photo!)

SUMMER IS HERE...

"Happy New Year"
dear friends
and very best wishes
for a wonderful
2013!

We've just returned home after a few
days relaxing at a beautiful, 
East Coast beach,
Whangamata
on the Coromandel Peninsula!

The population is usually around 5000,
however during the Christmas/New Year
period it swells to 25,000.

There are two surf beaches and
one estuary with a marina
at the top.
As you can see by these photos
the beach is not crowded.
When I look back at summers in
Europe, the sand packed with
bodies like sardines in a tin!
That's a weird experience for
us kiwis who are used to
wide open spaces!

 There are Pohutukawa trees all
the way around the East Coast
beaches.
Because it flowers in December
it's known as the
New Zealand Christmas tree.

I'm aware that the majority of you
 who read my blog are from the
Northern Hemisphere, so I hope
you enjoy this post
to remind you that Summer will
be back again before you know it!


WELCOME
to my new followers,
I'll be over to see you all soon.

Thank you dear friends for visiting
my blog - especially those of you
who are kind enough to leave
a comment to tell me
you've popped in and read my posts!

Be kind to one another
hugs

Shane ♥