My visit with Kim!

Well...what can I say?

Kim and I were destined to meet.

I don't think I've ever laughed so much as I did in the nine days we spent together.

Kim is a wonderful, kind, generous and beautiful person.

We have so much in common...there were things in her house that I have in mine on the other side of the world.

Kim took me to so many beautiful bakeries and cafes.

When I saw those macarons in the pretty pink box I just had to buy them!

 

We did a lot of mini shopping together.
I've never seen so many miniatures to buy in one place!

This was at Peg's house...everything was for sale...we spent a lot of time...and some money here!

 That's Dena in the top left corner (and Peg in the bottom right).

Dena has a vast collection of miniatures...a lot of them made by Kim.

 It was a real treat to be able to meet Dena and see her amazing house and miniature collection.

And I'll never forget senior lunch at Star's with Dena, Peg and Kim, I don't remember what we ate I just remember laughing so much I was crying!

And never, ever in my life have I seen so many antique malls and vintage collectives.

So many beautiful things...

I bought quite a few things here...

then rang my husband and told him I'd be bringing an extra suitcase home!

 

Kim and I loved this booth!!!

Oh, if only I had more suitcases...and $$$$!!!!

Kim was baking miniature pies while I was there.

I found the 'Dolly Pie' book at an antiques mall and surprised her with it.

This shelf came home with me!

All those minis on the shelf came home with me too!

Most of them were gifts from Kim...we spent some time painting everything in pretty colours.

 

 

As you know I got to play in Kim's gorgeous craft room.

Someday I have to go back - we have a lot more collaborating to do!

We fell in love with these bambi's!

A lot of Christmas decorations came home with me too!

 

Just a few of the treasures that came home with me.

I searched everywhere for the pastel spatulas...pastel coloured kitchenware has become a bit of an obsession with me! I ordered the Miu spatulas on Amazon while I was at Kim's.

I love the vintage moulds and cookie cutters!

I liberated the sugar sachets from an Olive Garden restaurant...they're pastel coloured!!!

And we came across the vintage Tootsie Toy furniture at two different stores.

 The night before I returned home we had a spectacular dinner at Francis Ford Coppola's Winery.

There was a masquerade ball on that night and a ballerina was dancing under the stars in the courtyard as we left...it was like being in a movie.

 

 There was one place I had to go to on the day I left.

(Well, there were quite a few places we went to on the way to the airport!)

Kim and I went to the  'Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture' store in San Francisco.

It is a tiny shop filled with beautiful (very expensive!) shabby things!

 

The airline had attached these labels to my bags when I got home (Sylvia, I can hear you laughing!)

 

I can't wait to go back or (hopefully) have Kim visit me here in New Zealand one day.

Kim and her incredibly lovely family showed me the most fabulous time.

It was a wonderful trip and I feel like the luckiest girl alive to have met a true kindred spirit.

 

Mercedes

My wonderful trip!

My trip to Europe really was the 'trip of a lifetime'.

Now I'm back it all seems like it was a dream.

This time last year I would never have thought that I would be meeting Sylvia and Sabiha.

Those two girls gave me the most wonderful time. I stayed at Sylvia's house for the first few days and really was treated like a Princess from the moment I arrived!

I took about 600 photos in the ten days I was in Europe...I'll show you just a few.

The photo above was taken in the incredibly beautiful town of Zaanse Schans.

Here we all are at the restaurant where Sylvia's son is a chef.

We had the most fantastic and delicious five course meal here, I ate all sorts of things I would never eat at home, lol!

Sylvia took me to Utrecht to meet her daughter.

Never in my life have I seen so many bicycles!

Rosanna flew in from Italy to meet me!

We all such fun together, lots of talking, laughing, presents and playing with Sylvia's dollhouses!

Sylvia took Rosanna and I to Amsterdam where there were so many beautiful old buildings.

We went for a long walk to meet...

the fabulous Karina!

Karina's mouse mansion is truly a sight to behold and she is just the loveliest person!

The day after Rosanna left Sylvia, Sabiha and I went to Paris together (we were living the dream!) on the high speed train.

Macarons at McCafe!! LOL!

We spent an afternoon walking around Montmartre and enjoyed the views from the magnificient Sacre Coeur.

We managed to find our way to Lea Frisoni's tiny shop.

Doesn't it look just like a dollhouse!

The buildings in Paris were just beautiful.

I think we took more pictures of rooftops, windows and doors in Paris than anything else!

We took an 'open top bus tour' so we could see all the sights.

We were able to get off the bus and on the next one wherever we liked.

Although it was sunny it was freezing!

I don't think I have ever been so cold in all my life!

And of course we made our pilgrimage to Laduree.

Which was every bit as fabulous as I had imagined it would be!

After Paris I stayed at Sabiha's beautiful home where I continued to enjoy the life of a Princess!

Here is the table all set for breakfast.

Sabiha took me to see some very famous windmills near Dordrecht.

All too soon I was back at the airport to make my way back home.

The Netherlands are a VERY long way from New Zealand! About 23 hours flying time. On the way there I had a 16 hour stopover in Malaysia - so it took me two days to get there.

But it was worth every minute of the travel time.

Friends here at home ask me what the best part of my trip was and I can honestly say that every day was the BEST! I really cannot pick just one day!

Thanks to my wonderful friends in Europe I really did have the time of my life!

Mercedes

My trip to Tasmania

My all too short trip to Tasmania was fantastic!

I went with hubby as he had to go there on business.

Our flight from New Zealand was delayed and we almost missed the overnight ferry to Tasmania.We were the last people on the boat and it left as soon as we were on.

The cabin on the boat was tiny, wouldn't want to be in there with three other people, could barely move with just hubby there! I hardly slept a wink that night, the sea was quite rough and I kept thinking I was going to fall out of bed.

Tasmania has the most amazing scenery. There were the most beautiful old stone houses all through the countryside. As hubby was working and was in a hurry I didn't have time to take many photos. The best houses were the tumbledown ones, I sighed every time we drove past one (and there were LOTS of them!).

On Wednesday we drove from Launceston to Hobart and hubby dropped me off at Linda Carswell's house.

I had the BEST day ever with Linda.

Here I am with her spectacular 'Petite Maison'...which is not that petite at all!

Linda is the loveliest, most generous person and she spoiled me rotten.

We had the most divine friands for morning tea at Linda's house and then she took me out for a delicious lunch.

We talked and laughed all day.

And we made some gorgeous roses!!!

Linda thinks I work like a machine because I made seven roses to her three...but as any mother with young children knows - you have to make the most of every child-free minute!

I found a little shop full of French things in Hobart and I bought an Eiffel Tower cookie cutter. Liberty was so excited! We had to bake first thing Saturday morning.

And here's our first attempt at Eiffel Tower cookies.

And here's one little girl that was so happy to see me when I got back!

I bought her that lovely twirly tulle skirt that she's been wearing everyday since I returned.

And just so you know Linda really does exist, here we are together at the end of our day.

My day with Linda just seems like a dream now, it was all over too quickly. But hubby has promised to take me back next year, yippeeee!! Hopefully for longer as Linda and I have much more to do and talk about!

Mr Nylon enjoyed his trip too...just wait 'til you see his photos!

Mercedes