Sunday, June 20, 2010

Beautiful Wales and A Lesson Learned..

Just got back from a week away in Abersoch in Wales. Stunning place. Gorgeous beaches and we were blessed with lovely weather. Funny how when you have kids, holidays don't really feel like relaxation anymore!

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So I have a few bits to update you with. I actually have a finish! The first finish of my Pledge! I finished this before I went away but didn't get time to post. So here is the SAL I did with Sally, Tracy and Lesleyanne. It is At Home with Jane Austen from The Sampler Girl.

At Home with Jane Austen June 10

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Stitched on 28ct antique ivory cashel linen

Now there was a lesson to be learned with this piece but I am not sure which lesson it was. You see, as usual, I was so eager to start this piece that I didn't check to see if I had all the correct threads so things got a little mixed up. I didn't have all the right colours so I decided to use what was in my stash for some of the numbers at the bottom. One colour I had started in I ran out of and so did another colour there. You get the picture. So is the lesson, "Make sure you have all threads to begin with," or is the lesson, "Use stash you have and get creative"??? Hmmmmm... I am quite happy with the way it has turned out even if it isn't using the exact suggested threads.

Anyway, look at these gorgeous Sweet Peas from my mum's garden I brought home with me today.

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They smell amazing!

Okay and before I left I also got this gorgeous gift from Heidi through the post but I didn't get chance to post. Whenever Heidi finishes something and posts it on her blog, she apparently collects all the comments from that finish and draws one out for a gift and I won it! Well, I didn't even know I was entering in for a draw so it was even more a surprise. I just love it and it is on my scissors I am using at the moment.

Stunning RAK from Heidi. June 10
Well I think that's enough for now. Hang on for me whilst I try and catch up with you all.
xx

29 comments:

Надежда-nagual said...

Hi, Hazel! My name is Nadia, I live in the Crimea (Ukraine). I like your blog. Have you had a wonderful holiday! A wonderful sampler!

Lesleyanne said...

Your Jane Austen is gorgeous. Congrats on the finish. Like the new start. Your mum's sweet peas look lovely. Glad you had a good holiday.

Missy said...

Hi Hazel. I just came across your blog and am loving it.

The picture from Wales are beautiful. I wish I could have floss the color of that water. The Sweet peas look lovely and I think I can smell them from here.

I have that sampler in my ever growing To Do Pile....somewhere!! Your version looks beautiful.

hugs
-missy-
http://eatstitchlove.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Congrats on the finish! I finished Damask Roses last week, my first finish after the pledge.

I would LOVE to be able to get fresh flowers from the garden...

mainely stitching said...

I bet those sweet peas smell absolutely wonderful! I think your stitching looks gorgeous, btw, and no one will ever know your story of the floss if you don't tell them.

Vacations with young kids ARE work. And sometimes it's even harder work than at home because you don't have your tried & true "tools" (special toys, etc.) at hand.

Jackie's Stitches said...

I love the mountains that you can see in the background in the beach photos. So different that what my beaches look like!

Nice finish. I like your thread color selections.

carol fun said...

Love the Jane Austen piece - this is one of my favorite sayings! I think your creative use of what you had is wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

Margaret said...

Glad you had a nice vacation. Yes, kids make vacation very different, but it's still fun, right? :D Love the ocean pics of your kids!

Your Jane Austen finish is beautiful, even with running out of threads and all! Love the colors! Nice sweet peas! And what a nice surprise to win something without even knowing you've entered!

Tanya Willis Anderson said...

LOVE it!!! That beach looks divine - and not crowded. Awesome fun.

Tanya

Christine said...

Great finish on your JA, and the sweet peas are beutiful too

Deanne J said...

It looks like you had a wonderful holiday, Hazel.

Congrats on your finish.

Berit said...

I'd no idea Wales was so lovely--the little people look so busily intent. :)

Congrats on a great finish--good job on the substitutions! :)

Isabelle said...

Hi Hazel , it sounds like you spent wonderful vacation in the Wales :-)
Your finished Sampler is just lovely and I also like a lot the sweetness of your sweeat peas :-)
have a nice day ,
Isabelle

Angela said...

Your Jane Austen piece looks great.

I love Sweet Peas they smell so great, it's just such a shame they don't seem top last very long once they are in a vase. Mind the more you cut them the more flowers you get so at least you can refill the vase quickly.

My but your son has grown, it doesn't sem like 5 minutes since you were going inot hospital to have him.

Sally said...

Your JA piece looks gorgeous Hazel:) Thanks for SALing with us :) Barb and I are starting Return to the Sea With Jane Austen in July :)

Beautiful gift from Heidi:)

Glad you had a lovely holiday!

Siobhán said...

Hazel, what a fantastic finish! I loved the holiday pics. I agree--once you have kids, it isn't quite a holiday for the mother! LOL I love the fob from Heidi, too.

Julie said...

Lovely fob!

DH brought me some sweet peas from up at the allotment on Sunday, they smell heavenly, you just can't help stickiing your nose in for a sniff can you LOL

Gorgeous holiday snaps, you picked a great week to be at the seaside.

Love the latest finish. I think go with the later... use the stash you have and get creative

Barb said...

Hi Hazel love your JA finish,how about joining Sally and I on the next one lol. Well you nagged me so now I am returning the favourlol.
Nice gift from Heidi.
Hugs

Stitchabilities said...

How true is that, they are not the same sort of holidays are they lol
I love sweet peas, I may try and grow some... one day!
Beautiful stitching.

Olga said...

Congrats on the gorgeous finish! You were really creative in stitching it!
Your mum's flowers are so lovely!

Lindsay-ann said...

Hello Hazel
Thanks for your comment today. I am very pleased to 'meet' you. I have really enjoyed my visit to your great blog today. It's so full of wonderful finishes, projects and inspiration. I especially love The Jane Austen sampler. I wish I had more time to cross stitch but life's so busy these days. I love the little gift from your friend Heidi. My daughter adores dragonflies. Great pictures from Wales too, it's years since I went there.
Hope you are enjoying this lovely weather. I am making the most of it today as I am working the rest of the week :(
Lindsay
x

Aussie Stitcher said...

Your holiday pictures look lovely. Congratulations on the finish Hazel it it gorgeous.

Karan said...

Looks like you had a lovely time & great weather - lucky you! Great finish... & you adapted it & made it all your own. :0)
Beautiful sweet peas & the fob is lovely - enjoy! :0)

Marsha said...

I love the way your jane austin piece turned out. The colors look great and only you will know you changed them. I tried to grow sweet peas but apparently they don't like Ohio. I wish I could smell them. Love the beach pictures too. I didn't know Heidi did that either and guess what? I just won a fob too! Happy Day.

Cheryl said...

Oh wow, that place in Wales looks beautiful! And i completely agree-hols with kids are not relaxing!!

Parsley said...

The beach pictures are so peaceful.

I like your stitching project so much, I'm going to put the pattern on my Christmas wish list. Truly an appropriate piece for us.

Heidi said...

I am so pleased you liked the fob! I love surprising people like this and will be doing it all summer. It is fun to get something when you had no idea you were going to even enter let alone win.

The holiday looked heavenly! Your kids are certainly having a nice time on the beach.

Congratulations on your JA finish! And what lovely sweet peas! I have never had luck growing them but obviously your mother has sweet green fingers. :-)

Hugs from Holland ~
Heidi

Brigitte said...

Oh, I know the place where you spent your holidays. The Lleyn peninsula is one of my favourite places in Wales.
Congratulations on finishing such a lovely project.

stitcherw said...

Home turned out so pretty, you'd never know that you had a challenge with the thread colors, it looks beautiful.
Sue