Pretty in Pink...

Pretty in pink.

In New Zealand these pink lillies are commonly known as 'Naked Ladies'...

Otherwise known as the Belladonna Lilly...

Family: Amaryllidaceae   (am-uh-ril-id-AY-see-ee) 

Genus: Amaryllis   (am-uh-RIL-us) 

Species: belladonna   (bel-uh-DON-nuh) 

Read more:http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2377/#ixzz2YCgIR39o

Gorgeous ribbon cushion in white...

with a pretty blossom themed duvet.

Delicate ribbon roses...

The Belladonna lilly is deliciously fragrant!

Clea the lilac Burmese joins the photo shoot!

"My fur is a fabulous contrast colour, don't you think?"

Emmm, time for a nap!

Winter Rose....

What a fabulously warm winter it has been so far!

Some of the roses are still flowering... 

 And there are still a few bees around gathering pollen!

This red rose is called a 'Flower Carpet Rose'.

'Laundry' Sign....

You can buy all sorts of quirky Laundry signs nowadays...

But I wanted to hand-craft one to match the blue of my laundry walls...

Plus hand-crafting is so much more fun than walking into a shop 

and just buying it!

This is how I made my laundry sign.... 

First of all I cut an MDF board to the desired size, and then painted it white.

 Using free lettering from the net, I block coloured the letters in blue, 

and printed using my home printer,  

then cut out the letter shapes...

I roughly hand tore the edges of three squares of 

pretty contrasting scrapbook paper.

Glued the squares onto the board first,

 then the lettering spaced over the squares.

I did this freehand, 

but if you want use a ruler to get perfect spacing.

Using permanent black stamping ink and desired stamps, 

stamp an edging design around the board.

 Once stamping ink is dry, 

use a black sharpie pen to outline the lettering.

When dry, lightly and quickly so as to not smudge the inks,

 coat entire board with a sealer.

(I used 'Mod Podge').

And here's the end result!

I'm really happy with how it looks with the blue walls!

New Hearts...

I have an addiction to hearts...

I seem to have quite a few now, 

but theses are the latest addition to the collection...

A woven heart made of wood.... 

A ceramic heart...

dipped in grey/white paint for a french country look

This heart has a beautifully embossed surface...

Fabulously french...

I'm in love!

Drought Blues....

Oh how I wish it would rain...

Poor old Mia Bella Gardens is looking sooooo sad!

Rain has been elusive for many months now, apart from a mere millimetre here and there. 

The heat has been unbearable, and the garden is starting to suffer.

Sadly my five finger tree is dying, and so is my beautiful 3 metre tall Brugmansia shrub.

The dahlias however are LOVING it!

 Unbelievable but true...

they have stood tall like soldiers in the heat and dryness.

Water restrictions have meant hand held hose watering 

(NO sprinklers allowed).

This takes me three hours every second or third evening!!  

(Perhaps a glass of Chardonnay in one hand would help...)

The monarch butterflies LOVE the dahlias too....

sucking the delicious nectar from deep within the flowers.

It is Autumn now, but it still feels like summer.

I'm so looking forward to those cooler days and the end of this terrible drought,

so I can start to prune, feed, and aid the recovery of Mia Bella Gardens.

3D Easter Rabbit...

Print the template for the bunny 

link is via:

 http://creativetryals.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/make-your-own-decoupage-cardboard.html

Cut the template out

Copy shapes on to paper covered cardboard

Make the concertina joins for the legs and ears...

And then you have a cute 3D Easter rabbit

to add a little fun to your Easter table or decor'.

For more detailed step by step instructions,
decouplage option,
 and the link to the bunny pattern visit:
http://creativetryals.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/make-your-own-decoupage-cardboard.html

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?