Afternoon Tea

Hi all, happy Monday! Today I AM happy even though it's Monday again - I have had my third cold since January, and after spending the weekend feeling crappy and ill, today I am back in work but feeling much better! So that's worth a smile!

It gets me down that I constantly seem to be ill, so I am going to go to the doctor next time I'm in Wales (it's free there - here in NZ it costs a LOT) and get checked out.

Yesterday the bf and I hosted an 'afternoon tea' for our landlords and our new neighbours. As I had a cold, the bf did all of the cooking and culinary preparation - I just made things look pretty and tidied up before and afterwards (something I had to remind him about when he laughed at my suggestion that I'd helped! How rude!!) :)

The bf made mini spinach quiches

And these 'triple decker' (his words!) finger sandwiches. I added the skewers - they were actually very useful!

My contributions were shop bought Red Velvet cupcakes. No one ate them and opted for the bf's handmade lemon cupcakes instead!! LOL.

 

I used the fancy dessert forks my mum bought me for Christmas..."you're the only person I know who would use dessert forks" she said. True that! :)

I also used my fun napkins. Does anyone else hate using fancy napkins as they don't want to waste them!? Well I do. But I used them anyway.

And I was very happy to bring out part of my teacup collection for the occasion - these were all bought here in NZ, mainly from one particular antique shop which I LOVE.

This one isn't actually antique, but it looks the part anyway :)

This is the first teacup I bought in NZ - and I think it's Japanese.

The bf bought me this one for Christmas two years ago. I smashed the plate on the return trip from Christchurch (where we'd spent Christmas) but found a matching one at my trusty antique shop!

I think I bought this one because I was having an afternoon tea party a year or so ago, and needed extra cups.

Same with this one.

This is one of my favourites as it's unusual. Even though it's cracked slightly and the plate doesn't match the saucer.

And this one was gifted to me yesterday by my landlord! SO thoughtful! And I absolutely love it :)

 

Do you ever use a teacup and saucer?
Lady Gaga style!?

New in!

Hi all! I came home from work yesterday and was OVERJOYED to find a surprise parcel awaiting me! One of my best friends had sent me a little gift from the UK...

How cute is this box?

And the label!

 

OMG this is amaaaazing!!! I love it! She knows me so well!

 

It's really funny because another friend sent me this necklace from the UK last month....well I think it's obvious I love a nice cup of tea eh!? Not as much as I love my wonderful friends!! :)

This week there's a huge import sale on in town. I made sure I ran out of work at 10am yesterday to get there on its first morning! I scrabbled around for cash to pay the parking meter (I never have cash!) and could only park for 20mins so made a mad dash around the sale. This is my haul...

My favourite perfume - G of the Sea. Couldn't get it for hide nor hair the last few months so I ordered two bottles to my address in the UK for my trip home. Now I have two more here!! And I also bought Harajuku Lovers in 'Baby'. They were $60 instead of $100.

I bought three OPI colours - two potentially as gifts for my sisters when I go home (the gold one is MINE though!).
They were just $12 each.

Mascaras....(they can be SO expensive here so I bulk bought!)

Another mascara and some black eyeliners....

And a couple of other bits and bobs.

 Now I just need to find somewhere to store them all!

I also totally splurged on a nightie and pair of trousers on Sunday. Australian designer Peter Alexander does THE most amazing sleepwear. The store always smells amazing too because they light these gorgeous candles -  I've come close to buying a $60 candle on a few occasions!! Help!

I paid $60 for a cotton nightie. Am I mad? Probably. But I do love birds.

And coughed up $60 bucks for these trousers. Also a sign of madness.

But with packaging like this, how can a girl resist?!

 

Do you have any favourite beauty products you bulk buy?

High Tea!

Hi all, how is your weekend?

The craft fair was GREAT fun on Friday - I only took one photo of the stall (oops) but I am hoping to get the photos my friend took and then I will tell you all about it properly!

We have the bf's sister and fiancee staying with us this weekend. They have tried to visit us twice this year - the first time their flights were cancelled due to the Christchurch earthquakes, the second time their flights were cancelled due to the Chilean ash cloud, and when we went to visit them last month our flights were cancelled due to the snow in Christchurch! So it was a miracle they actually arrived on Friday (albeit 2.5 hours late and we'd had to cancel dinner at a new Mexican restaurant because the plane was delayed!!). 

Anyway I digress (sorry). I wanted to share photos from the lovely high tea the bf and I had last week at Martha's Pantry.....

Love the old tea cups and random spoons!

It was SUCH a wet Sunday afternoon....

Teeny tiny tea shop

I would love one of these for my house!!

The top tier - little cakes :)

Pinky up!!

Middle tier - pieces of scone and savoury frittata

Bottom tier - sandwiches and pate (I could only eat the veggie cream cheese one)

 

What a cute cake!

Does anyone else love the decadence of high tea as much as I do!?

What's in your bag?

Hello, I have something a lil bit different today! Over on A Pretty Nest Marie-Eve is having a link party for us to show what's in our handbags...and seeing as I'm a little bit nosey, I joined in!!!

So here is what was in my handbag today.....

Today was not an average day - and my bag contents reflect this!

My trusty Betsy Johnson - it's a really great bag as it holds a LOT. I treated myself to this when I got my first job as Editor a few years back and it's still going strong :)

SO what is in here???

Birthday card for my niece (she is FOUR next month OMG!), delivery of cabouchons for my shop I collected today (all the way from the UK!), and passport photos from my morning at the immigration office today - I DIDN'T GET MY VISA RENEWED and have to wait for them to decide whether I get to stay in NZ or not! How rude! hahaha

My purse (from Witchery) and a thermos cup from T2 in Melbourne - I was going on a work road-trip straight after the immigration office and so thought I might need a cup of tea for the road - I didn't so just carried it with me all day anyway!!!

My trusty pink Filofax!!!!!!! My mum asked me 'does anyone still use those!?' when I told her I'd ordered one - well Mum, I do!!! hahaha

The rest of the photos won't rotate sorry - I don't know why Blogger is saving them this way around :'(

Proof I may be the last Filofax user!!

My Radley passport cover - a gift from a friend when I left the UK

Which is now EMPTY because immigration have my passport with my visa application

Keys and leather gloves (Primark)

Sunglasses (cheapies I just leave in my bag for winter sun), headphones and camera cord

Make up bag, postal receipt for my latest shop sale :D, random business card, hair elastic and headband, painkillers and my business card wallet

A lot of stuff in one small(ish) bag!!

SO - WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG? :)