Easter Supper...

 Easter supper with friends...

what a great excuse to consume delectable goodies!

 Iced almond cookies...

 Rabbit shapes of course!

 Gooey cupcakes drizzled with icing...

 Chocolate rabbits and edible eggs...

 Gorgeous flowers...

these are mini chrysanthemums picked from Mia Bella Gardens...

 Plastic eggs and shredded paper make a great base for another glass vase that holds the flowers...

 Spotty bowls, candy stripes and chocolate bunnies!

 A beautiful candle...

 And butterfly...

A 3D rabbit in pretty paper...

Tutorial here:  http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/3d-easter-rabbit.html

 Delicious chocolate cake with icing dribbles, chocolate leaves...

And MORE eggs!

 What a feast...

 Easter wishes to all my blog followers...

Hoping you are lucky enough to celebrate with family and friends dear to you.

Afternoon tea...

A friend was coming over for afternoon tea, 

so I decided to get out my Grandmothers tea set, 

and do afternoon tea 'pretty'!

Now our area is in the midst of a drought...

so flowers are not at their best in Mia Bella Gardens at the moment, 

but I found a few beautiful roses.

Then on my wanderings around the garden was one lonely sunflower 

with sprays of soft yellow flowers. 

This must of been a self-seeded one from last summer.

And thank goodness for that because it was a perfect colour match for my tea table.

 Add a French look runner, white vase, candles 

and a little dish of frangipani flowers and it was just perfect.

 I love these sunflowers...

Heart shaped buttery shortbread...

And cucumber sandwiches for a perfect afternoon tea party... 

This variety of sunflower is called 'Vanilla Ice',

 they are perfect for picking, 

and they last so well in a vase...

If you are in New Zealand, you can get these from Kings seeds...

www.kingsseeds.co.nz/

 It only took about 15 minutes to throw this look together...

plus extra time for food preparation of course!

 Grandma's tea set - this is Colclough china, 

but has no pattern name on it.

 I'm not a huge fan of the colour yellow actually, 

but I really like this table setting.

And these candle holders are crystal sherry glasses 

that I found for a mere $2 each at the op shop.

Just pop in a tea light candle,  

and you have a gorgeous candle holder.

Why don't you invite a friend over for a 'pretty' afternoon tea?

Mosaic Tray...

I saw a beautiful tray with French Country styling in the Garden centre which I adored, but at that moment had no spare dollars to purchase.  

When I went back a few weeks later, it had sold.... 

My friend has a handled tray on her dining table, with a vase of flowers, a candle, and other bits and bobs on it, and it looks very classy....so I had to come up with a plan.

How could I create a centre piece tray out of an old MDF one I already had?

Mosaic it of course!

Then there was quick visit to the Op shop to find a pile of old porcelain plates for a friendly price of $6, and a rummage around the shed to source the required white paint, tile fix, grout and tools...

Finally I was organised to restyle my old MDF tray into a stunning mosaic piece.

This old tray was painted purple so the first task was to recolour it white.

Only one of the porcelain plates had a chip, 

so it felt criminal to smash them with a hammer.  

However one has to do what one has to do!  

So I selected the striped, pattern and embossed plates...

(my daughter did receive a gift of the excess plates!)

 Those plates were so hard to break!

 The small bits were incredibly sharp!
So gloves are a must.

Use a tile glue to attach the pieces to the tray.
Leave to dry overnight.
Then Grout.
Polish off the excess.

 The finished piece looked fabulous!

 One little embossed plate lived to tell the tale, 

and these Fleur de Lis balls looked fab sitting on it...

 The jug of white Iceberg roses and bright blue hydrangeas gave it all a French Country feel....

I LOVE the contrasting patterns...

 Iceberg rose buds...

 Blue Hydrangeas...

 A touch of French with Fleur de Lis...

 A pretty white French Country jug...

 End result is stunning...

 and a perfect look for my table centre piece...

My latest cushion...

My latest cushion is this one...

Gorgeous don't you think?

'Mouse' adores cushions too!

I love the embroidery motifs of butterflies and birds...

and the french twist...
well French I thought, until I read the stamp.
It says 'Liechtenstein'...
Now this is the incredible bit,
as my family has a past connection with this country.
Hubby's father was a prisoner of war in Liechtenstein, and became connected to the Royal family through the toils of war.
His father revisited the Prince and his family in the 1970s...
Hubby's brother visited on his OE.
My youngest daughter also wishes to one day visit this small principality.
Amazing how a small post stamp on a cushion bought in 2013 can revive memories from many, many years ago!