Thursday, April 21, 2016

Baskets of blues and browns

Well, I didn't plan on being gone this long! Three weeks since my last post--where have the days gone? I hope you've all enjoyed a lovely April so far? Ours has been delightful with a string of warm, sunny days over the past week. That is coming to an end today, but we do need the predicted rain so it's all good. I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post and also those of you who took the time to email me to let me know you enjoy my blog even though you don't comment. That means the world to me... You see, when you write a blog post, you are taking a chance and putting a part of your private life out there for the world to see. For a quiet, introvert like me, that is quite daunting at times. Oh, sure, I could make my blog private, but one of the best parts of blogging are the friendships that have sprouted up all over the world between myself and my readers--and I treasure those. So, it is truly heart-warming to read your supportive comments and emails--they keep me blogging!

I didn't realize, until I began photographing my latest finishes, that they have three things in common: baskets, blues, and browns! Blue and brown has become one of my favorite color combinations to use in my stitching and I'm so pleased with how the finishes I have to share with you today, turned out...

You all know I love bunnies, right? We've been lucky to see several in our backyard this spring; in fact, I saw the first one hopping across the lawn on Easter morning! This With Thy Needle and Thread design is called "Spring Greeting Bouquet" and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the bunny nestled among the prettiest blue flowers. Well, I fell in love with everything except the French Knotted flowers--yikes!! But, I just did my best and am pretty pleased with the outcome. I ordinarily stitch in hand, but to do the French Knots, I found that using a small hoop for this design helped immensely.  It is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle with a mixture of DMC and overdyeds. I added the series of small x's on the top and bottom of the basket after seeing this finish on this pretty French blog. It adds so much, don't you think?

Spring Greetings Bouquet

I decided an Easter egg shaped finish would be perfect and with the addition of some ruched blue ribbon, some pearly headed pins, and a gingham bow it all came together quite nicely. Sweet, isn't it? I can just see him perched in my Easter basket of bunny finishes for years to come. That is one thing I love about stitching small things... As we downsize in the future and move to a smaller home, I can easily move and display these wherever we end up.


Another blue and brown finish came in the form of this sweet freebie from Cathy's wonderful French blog: Le Chalet des Pérelles.  It stitched up very quickly on 32 ct. sage Jobelan using the suggested colors (which look far more muted in real life than are showing up on my computer screen for some reason!).

Le Chalet des Pérelles freebie

I found some fabric which mimicked the look of the basket so I thought it would be a nice accent to the front and back of the little pillow along with various shades of blue in the ric rak and cording. A quick, easy addition to next year's Easter basket!


And finally, a blue and brown piece I've wanted to stitch for a while: Tralala's "Carré ABC Bouquet." This one will be framed (at some point--hopefully!) and hung in my family room. I used 40 ct. Birch Newcastle linen with most of the suggested threads. I did substitute a couple of the colors for those I already owned.

Tralala's "Carré ABC Bouquet"

Here are all three together. I've fallen in love with the blue/brown combo. How about you--do you have a favorite color combination that you enjoy stitching with?

A trio of blue and brown finishes

As much as I love blue, there has been one big blue "thing" that has recently come into my life that I'm not so happy about. You see, my 2010 Honda CRV has been recalled due to the life-threatening airbag issue that has hit so many of the Japanese cars. Not a problem if there is a replacement available right away, but we were told that the new safe airbags would not be available for three to five months and to stop driving the car immediately! Thankfully, Honda has given us a "loaner" car for the duration of our wait. Although I'm very grateful for that, I thought I would die when the car dealer led us to this bright "look at me!!" blue Subaru that I will have to drive for the next few months... It is even brighter than it appears in my photo and in addition to the color, it has large advertising across the front and back windshields for the car dealership along with the logo: "Subaru: Driven To Be Better." I've been wearing sunglasses and a floppy hat, trying to disguise myself, each time I drive it! Well, that is a slight exaggeration, but I do feel like no one can ignore this car. One good thing, I never have a problem spotting it in parking lots!

Yes, it is bright, bright, bright blue--yikes!!

My younger coworkers think the wild blue color is great, but for this reserved,  61-year-old librarian, it is just a bit too "loud." In fact, I think it bears a striking resemblance to this fellow. How about you? Anyway, I'd like to give a shout-out to Honda--they have handled this whole airbag recall with integrity. It must be costing them a fortune to provide loaner cars to all those affected for such a long period of time...

Cookie Monster would love my loaner car!

Uruguay photos...  I'm finally getting back to my Argentina trip photos... Are you ready for Part III: Uruguay?  Quick, do any of you know the exact location of Uruguay without looking at a map? I sure didn't until we took our Argentina trip.  It is a tiny country sandwiched in between two of the world's largest countries (by geographical area):  Brazil (Number 5) and Argentina (Number 8).  (Can you name the top ten countries by area? I was so surprised by Number 9 in this list!)  Uruguay is the little country in orange on the right side of this map of South America.


From Buenos Aires, Argentina, it is just a one hour ferry ride across the The Río de la Plata to the historic town of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. This UNESCO World Heritage Sight was founded in 1680 by Portugal, but was the subject of disputes between Portugal and Spain until 1828 when Uruguay became an independent country.  To enter the historic area, you cross a footbridge into the gates of the stone wall which helped protect the city from invaders.


Here is a closer view of the ancient wall leading down to the river.


A view of The Río de la Plata which separates Buenos Aires from Uruguay.


The Río de la Plata is very brown in color due to pollution and an abundance of river sediment.


The weather was perfect for our day-trip to Colonia del Sacramento with a brilliant blue sky and temperatures in the low 80s. It was probably the best weather we had on our entire trip. Uruguay has a mild, humid sub-tropical climate much like that of Florida so you saw some wonderful flowering things.


This red flower, Erythrina crista-galli, commonly called the "ceibo,"  is the national flower of Uruguay. They grow on small trees.


The cotton-like fluff found on the Kapok trees can be used as stuffing for pillows and toys.


This multi-hued beauty, the Lantana camera flower, was my favorite--so many pretty colors on one bloom!


And, of course, the lavender colored Jacaranda trees were all in bloom in November--so lovely!


The well-worn streets of Colonia del Sacramento were lined with old stone buildings--very charming.


Buen Suspiro is a restaurant still open to the public...


People still reside in this ancient town, it is not just for tourists. This was one of the nicer residences.


I can just imagine the clip-clop of the horse's hooves that once pulled this old wagon up and down the hilly streets.

A close-up of one of the cobblestone streets.



Crumbling stones and rusty gates added to the charm of  the town.


The lighthouse, El Faro de Colonia del Sacramento, was built over the ruins of the old San Francisco Xavier convent in 1857. 


For a small fee, visitors can climb to the top...


From the top of the lighthouse, we had a bird's-eye view of the surrounding town...


...and out to the river. You can get a great look at the old stone wall that once protected the town in the distance.

One of the most unusual sights in  Colonia del Sacremento were these decrepit cars parked along the streets. 


This ancient black jalopy even had a garden growing out of it!


I'm not sure what era they were from, but the old roadsters certainly made good conversation pieces.


Looking up the street you can spot the twin towers of the local church.


The parish of the Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento was established in 1680, but the church has undergone multiple renovations... 



The interior is so simple and peaceful... The birds add an unusual touch, don't they?


After a full day at Colonia del Sacramento, we headed back on the ferry boat to our apartment in Buenos Aires. You can spy the city's skyline in the distance. 


I hope you enjoyed my Uruguay travelogue and photos. The next--and final--stop:  Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia!! My very favorite place on our South American adventure. It will take a while to sort through my photos, but I'll try to have them posted by the end of May.  

Thanks again for visiting me and a special thanks for those of you who take a few minutes to comment! Wishing you each a great day with at least a bit of stitching time thrown in... Bye for now...

A new visitor to our suet feeder: The Carolina Wren

79 comments:

  1. Congrats on the adorable finishes Carol. I am green person. I loved seeing more of your vacation pics. Sure looks like you had a great time.

    Linda

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  2. Beautiful photos of your trip Carol. What an interesting country! Those flowers are stunning.
    I love blue and brown together too, also pale pink or mint green with brown. Your stitching is absolutely beautiful as always and your finishing is perfect.
    I'm impressed that you can park such a huge car, I know I couldn't!

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  3. Hello Carol - so good to see your latest post, and all your wonderful photos. As usual, your stitching is so lovely and always an inspiration. I will send an email very soon, just been rather snowed under lately. That bright blue car is rather a head turner, isn't it?!! I do love to see you photos, and those from your South American trip have been fascinating.
    Take care of yourself, and have a lovely weekend,
    Love,
    Lynda.

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  4. What fantastic finishes you have there. Blue and brown are great, but I really, really like pink and brown together. I would NOT like that Cookie Monster blue car. Oh well. Gorgeous photos you have shared.

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  5. All of your finishes are fantastic, but I love the way you finished the bunny.

    I'm glad Honda gave you a car to drive even if it's not one you'd choose.

    I also loved seeing your vacation pictures,especially since I'll never have the chance to actually go there.

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  6. Carol: Wow they are such lovely finishes, I love the colors blue and brown together, the colors just seem to be perfect for each other.
    The blue car is really blue, I am so happy they gave you a car to use, with 14 million cars to do I can only imagine what they have spent so far replacing the airbags.
    Love your photos from vacation, I think my favorite is the Church, I would love to go to Mass there.
    The old vehicles on the side of the road are a hoot, some people just do not want to get rid of the old cars.

    Blessings
    Catherine

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  7. Dear Carol, lovely finish!
    Thank you for the pictures of our travel!

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  8. Hi Carol. It is always inspiring to me to see your beautiful stitching with the excellent finishes!! It would be hard to pick a favorite of the three. Your travel photos are interesting. What a trip you had!! I agree, your car is bright, but since it's not yours long term, not so bad. It's great that they furnished loaners!!

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  9. So much to see today! I love your finishes and your travel pictures, but your Cookie Monster car takes the cake! :) It's good to have a sense of humor, isn't it!! : )

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  10. Lovely finishes as always. Enjoyed the trip's photos and wondered how your feet and heels handled those stones. Now about that car. I miss my bright yellow so much! Never had a problem finding it and most times, no one missed me coming down the road! Doesn't it make you feel spunky?

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  11. Such beautiful finishes, Carol! Enjoy driving your bold loaner, lol.
    Love the pix - thanks for sharing. k

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  12. First, thank you for sharing the photos from the Uruguay portion of your trip. Wow! Your bunny finishes are adorable and your TraLaLa piece turned out great as well. I love blue and brown as a color combination. Other than its bright color and annoying advertising, how do you like the Subaru?

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  13. Beautiful stitching and travel photos!!

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  14. Just love these bunnies, wonderful finishes! Thank you for sharing your photos of Uruguay, will visit it one day ha ha!

    I am not blogging much now but just love your postings!

    Hugs,

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  15. Your finishes are just lovely, Carol. I'd be interested to know what type of thread and how many strands you used in making the blue cording. It is perfection. And your ruching? Oh my!

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  16. Carol the stitching is just so pretty. I love them all but I adore the French one that looks like trillium flowers.
    Those flowers from your vacation are so beautiful - it must have been lovely to see them at that time of year!
    That old blue truck is almost the same shade as your loaner car! Perhaps it was a sign....
    On your last post I left you a comment but soon afterwards got an email saying it was 'undeliverable'. Perhaps this has been happening to others and that's why you aren't seeing the same amount of comments? I'm not even sure if this one will reach you or not.
    Happy Days!
    Jenn

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  17. LOVE LOVE your stitching especially the ABC Bouquet! Where can I purchase that pattern, do you have a suggestion? Your finishing is beautiful as ever too..............
    I love blue & brown as well!
    Your pictures are gorgeous, what a fabulous trip that had to be.

    Chris

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  18. Love your finishes! I'm a red person. I love your blues though too - they're not overpowering so it gives each piece a spark. Very nice.

    The car is bright! Some cars need to be named and I think Cookie Monster would be a great name for her. Cookie for short. Ha!

    Loved seeing more pics of your trip. I've never seen a Kapok Tree before. Reminded me of my parents going to the Kapok Restaurant in the Tampa area with friends when I was you. We lived in Orlando and it was weird to me they drove so far for dinner. Interesting tree!

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  19. Carol,
    Love your stitching and finishes! The blue cording and ric rak along with your fabric choice are perfect and make the cutest piece. I "need" that! Ha! Super cute. All of your pieces are adorable and will look great with your Easter bowl next year. I agree that I like smalls as they are great when you downsize. As for your electric blue loaner, no doubt you can spot that in a parking lot. No walking in circles trying to locate your car ;-) The pictures are beautiful and I'm a big fan of Lantana. I have it out front every year and it performs all summer as well as low/no maintenance.

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  20. I love the blues and browns! And your finishes are so lovely, as always.

    Great pics from your trip! Thank you for sharing!

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  21. Hi Carol! I was looking forward to seeing what bunny(ies) would be stitched for Easter! I love the WTNT bunny in a basket and I agree with you the addition of the extra x's makes such a difference. The freebie is adorable and I love the Tra La La piece (well, truthfully, I don't believe I've seen anything you have stitched that I don't love!). The blues and browns are beautiful together. I love blues, earthy colours and pinks. I would have a difficult time choosing one group. I am still working away on my BBD AoTH (I will send pictures, I promise!
    I have enjoyed your trip pictures very much. What an incredible trip you had. One of my very good friends is from Paraguay.
    What a fabulous picture of the Carolina wren. Thanks as always for your beautiful posts. Your blog is pure eye candy and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

    Hope you have a great end of April with lots of stitching time,
    hugs,
    Wanda

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  22. Hi, Carol. I am a new fan of your work and just subscribed to your blog posts. Your pieces are gorgeous and I adore the finish work you're doing. Do you have a tutorial on the hand cording method you use? And how are you mounting the round and oval pieces? So pretty and unique. Thanks for answering my questions. Jill Jones (Sacramento, CA) jilljones1(at)froniernet(dot)net

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  23. Carol - In the last comment, I misspelled my email address. It's actually jilljones1(at)frontiernet(dot)net. Thanks! Jill Jones

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  24. I own a Honda, 2012 to be exact and I'm hoping that recall doesn't affect me! I heard about this recall last year earlier than when I bought my car so I think I'm in the clear. The dealership would have said something! I hope! Blues and browns are very pretty together. Your finishes look great as always. I'm a shy retiring type myself, so yeah, I understand completely about posting to the blog. Sometimes I think I'm putting wayyyy too much on my posts and I try not to yap a lot! Great pictures! I'm looking forward to the Tierra del Fuego story. Have a super great weekend, Carol!

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  25. Hi Carol, As usual your finishes are gorgeous but the "Spring Greeting Bouquet" is definitely the winner in my eyes. I'm rather partial to mauves/purples combined with green and anything in the autumnal shades.

    Love seeing the holiday pictures and as Patagonia has always been on my 'wish list' I am really looking forward to seeing your photos. The beautiful Lantana is considered a noxious weed in New South Wales, as it is so invasive. You can be fined if you have a plant growing on your land.

    As to the blue car, I drive a red vehicle much to my sons' horror when I bought it. One comment was along the line of: you're too old to drive a red car! I love it and it has become known as the "Red Sleigh" after a Christmas shared with friends in a rambling old house by the sea. The guys all went ahead and my girlfriend and I packed my car with the tree, holiday gifts, treats and cooking.

    Take care and happy stitching, Carolyn

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  26. This post is loaded with such interesting things! First, I do love that blue and brown combination. All your projects look so pretty and of course are finished just beautifully. I have really enjoyed the photos of your trip. That is a part of the world that I will probably never get to visit. It is beautiful and I thank you for sharing the pictures with us.

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  27. LOVE your blue and brown and basket theme this post. I do love that color combo as well and some day would like to make a quilt with those colors. Your finishing is creative and lovely. Love to get ideas from you. Thanks for sharing the vacation photos. I am quite sure I will never get there, but I LOVE armchair traveling! That blue car is definitely bright! I guess you'd had to have some fun driving it rather than hiding with it! Happy Spring!

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  28. More lovely finishes Carol and I have been really enjoying looking at your holiday pics :) It's a part of the world I'll never get to visit and now I have some idea of how beautiful it is! Have a great weekend.

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  29. Very pretty projects! i love the blues and browns and how you finished them. I really do enjoy your travel pics and can't wait for the next installment. Have a great weekend!

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  30. What a delightful update Carol. Wonderful stitching and finishing, fun blue car story and amazing traveling photos.
    Your finished bunny pieces are so beautiful, love, love them and thanks for link to another chart. Tralala's design is lovely, I have also stitched this one few years ago. And yes, I love blue, it's my favourite and blue and brown together is perfect combination.

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  31. Your finishes are always so perfect and beautiful!!:) I enjoyed seeing your trip photos and thank you for sharing the same. Your car looks great, you can add some brown stickers to make a favourite blend of colors :D or you can trade it for few months with your young colleagues who like blue color.

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  32. Hello Carol,
    wonderful and lovely finishes. I like them all.
    Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos from your holidays.
    Have a nice weekend, Manuela

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  33. Brown and blue is definitely a very pretty colour combo. The brown makes the blue pop out. Your three projects are so lovely, and the two little pillows so beautifully finished. And I think the Tralala project will be framed, won't it? And you even stay with these colours concerning your rental car - now, that is a blue that pops out even without any brown, lol. But I have to admit that I find it really cool.

    I loved traveling with you to Uruguay and looking at all the pictures of the the old murals and houses in Colonia des Sacramento. I love visiting old places and imagining what life must have been like in the old days, the really old days. These ancient cars you saw are fascinating.
    Looking forward to seeing your pictures from Patagonia.

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  34. What beautiful finishes, you always come up with something pretty :-) Blue and brown is a great combination.

    Thanks for sharing your holiday photos, i daresay this is a place that i will never be likely to visit so i really enjoyed them :-)

    Have a great weekend x

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  35. More wonderful and beautiful stitching , love the blues and browns , and oh yes and the rabbits.
    I love the finish on both of them .
    Thank you for the wonderful photos of your trip, it is great to see parts of the world we may never get to see , I wish we could grow some of their flowers here , I know one bush I have grown before but it never gets past the winter months, hugs and have a great weekend ,

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  36. All of your blue and brown pieces are so pretty.
    Yes, that is a good combination.
    The X's DO add a lot to that basket.
    Congrats on all of your finishes.
    Thanks for sharing the pics of Uruguay, so pretty.
    Marilyn

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  37. Another lovely blog post. I love all your stitching finishes, you are so talented at the finishing process. I have boxes full of stitched pieces that just need finishing but I am always so worried about that part of the process and so scared that I am going to ruin what has taken me time to stitch. I have never heard of the Carolina Wren, very different from the wrens we get in the UK. I enjoyed your photos of Uruguay, stunning images. xx

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  38. Wonderful stitching & perfectly made up finishes as always Carol :)
    Oh I remember being gifted a Cookie Monster teddy bear when I was younger and used to be petrified of it!! Even though I enjoyed watching him on the TV program :)

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  39. Hi Carol, I love all of your pieces. So very pretty and the finishes , Oh my!!!, such an inspiration you are. Thanks for sharing, and I love the car.

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  40. So THAT'S what a Jacaranda tree looks like! I'd heard about them, but never seen one. At our local nursery yesterday, I noticed a Lantana plant that the blooms look very much like that of the Jacaranda!

    Beautiful stitching! I think my favorite is the 2nd one.

    Thanks for sharing your stitching and your trip!

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  41. Gorgeous finishes Carol. I absolutely love your Tralala piece and you are so right,I had not realised, blues and browns do make a good combination. Your addition of crosses on the basket defines the whole basket really well.
    What amazing photos,my favourites have to be the flowers and trees,beautiful colours. Your son going to Argentina certainly gave you the most interesting holiday.I know I will never visit these places and I know of no one else who has done so. Your photos allow me to glimpse a little bit of each place,thank you.

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  42. So lovely to see your photos of your visit to Uruguay. The blooms at that time were gorgeous. I love the lavender flowers of the Jacaranda trees! I didn't know that's what they are until now!

    Browns, Blues and Baskets. And Bunnies! Everything stitched are gorgeous of course. I am partial to the bouquet of blue blooms though.

    We are due for a bit of rain too and we need it as well! Have a lovely weekend, Carol!

    PS The loaner car suits you to a T: it's blue (your favourite colour) even if it's bit on the bright side, and you're the cookie monster baker!

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  43. I had no trouble pin-pointing Uruguay on a map, as it was one of the high points of our visit to the bottom end of South America some years back. Of all the cities we visited, Montevideo was my favourite but of all the countryside, Tierra del Fuego was IT...so I look forward to your next post.

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  44. I just love seeing all your finishes. You are so creative when it comes to finishing your stitching. I don't really have a favorite color combination but don't particularly like dark colors.

    I also have a Honda CRV and it is now 14 years old. When we received the recall notice we weren't told that we couldn't drive it. We've had the notice for quite a few months now.

    Thank you for sharing your trip with us. Very lovely pictures.

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  45. Oh how much I look forward to hearing from you . Your long Posts I enjoy always . You're so wonderfully entertaining. Your embroidery like me again very good , the basket of Les Perelles I had embroidered because it is so cute . However, the combination of blue and brown is beautiful . Your other holiday pictures are again gorgeous, it is so incredibly far away from me . Hardly imaginable.
    I hug you
    Your Sandra

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  46. Carol, who are your beautiful embroidered with blue and brown, the combination is pefect and elegant. Beautiful photos of your trip for those distant lands, I'm looking forward to seeing the last part of this adventure. If the replacement car has a garish color, it's fun. My foot is wrong, the fracture has not consolidated, I hope it is a matter of time and patience.
    Many kisses.

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  47. Loved your Argentina photos!! Very beautiful.

    Kudos on your finishes. You always do such pretty things.

    It's really great that Honda has stepped up and provided loaner vehicles despite your having to drive the cookie monster mobile. :)

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  48. Love all that chocolate blueberry! One of my favorite color combos too.

    I think that's a very cool car. I wouldn't be embarrassed by it at all!

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  49. What beautiful finishes! Maybe you can picture the blue car in your mind with some brown trim so it appeals to you a bit more :).
    I've so enjoyed sharing your journey; how nice that we have another stop to make. Thanks for sharing!

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  50. THE new pieces are so cheerful. Love the bunnies. The blue car Is bright, you will have your old one back soon. Amazing pictures from your trip. Beautiful flowers.

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  51. Wonderful stitched finishes. I don't know which one I like the best. Your blue and brown combination is lovely, it does seem quite a gentle colour combo.

    Great photos from your trip. Do you know why I enjoy them ... well I'll tell you ... they're not tourist photos, well they are but they're not. :) You take photos of things and scenes, I for one wouldn't even think of, but it is sooooo interesting. So a huge thank you.

    Have a good weekend.

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  52. I am SO in love with your blue and brown stitches - they are wonderful Carol. Also very much enjoyed your further trip photos. My goodness, but you will be a very careful driver in your screaming blue loaner car!

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  53. Enjoyed your post! Loved the Uruguary pictures so much! And your blue and brown stitching -- I love that color combo too! I made a blue and brown quilt for my DH years ago. :D The Honda -- yikes! How did you find out your car was affected by the recall? I tried to check our Honda once and it didn't seem to be in the list, but who knows for sure. It's a 2010 also, a Civic. Anyway, great post as always! I'm recovering from bronchitis/sinusitis I caught while traveling the beginning of April. Ugh.

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  54. Wonderful photos Carol, so interesting. Love your blue and brown stitching, a lovely combination, I also like pink and green. Lovely Lantana, nothing like my poor example which looks half dead this year.

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  55. Hi Carol...as always I loved your stitching. You inspire me to try and finish some of my own projects. Thank you for sharing your travel pictures. As traveling is not my favorite thing I enjoy seeing photos from the travel excursions of others. I look forward to reading your next post.

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  56. Your stitching and finishing are beautifully inspiring, Carol! Blue and brown has always been a favorite combination of mine. I love the Tralala bouquet! So pretty! I may have to track it down. And oh my, that car! I'm afraid I would have to request/insist on a different one. : ) The last two cars I've bought have been black. I feel inconspicuous in black. : ) I have so enjoyed your trip photos and appreciate you sharing them! I especially loved all of the colorful blooms and even though they have seen better days, I know my father would have loved those old cars.

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  57. Loved you blue and brown stitching and your finishes were awesome as usual. Thanks for sharing your travel pictures.

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  58. Hi Carol, what to write, everything is said. I can only repeat. your stitching and finishing is beautiful as always and your pics are awesome.
    The blue and brown combination is perfect!
    The Honda is really cool! Enjoy it!
    Hugs from Germany

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  59. Oh Carol,
    your Spring stitchings are just darling. I love this color combination too - it is also my favorite, especially when the brown is such a "greyish" one. I am really looking forward to see this pieces in your next years Easter basket of smalls ...

    The color of your loaner car is really special. But one advantage of it: Everybody can see you come from far ....

    Thanks for showing all this wonderful pictures of your journey. I so much enjoy taking a picutre walk through foreign countries.

    Have a wonderful new week, my dear friend. I love all your posts and normally read every single word of it.

    Hugs
    Hilda

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  60. Your projects are so pretty! I love your blues and browns. One of my favs is pink and brown. I also like aqua and brown. So fun to try different ones. Thanks for sharing your trip pics; such beautiful historic buildings etc. Happy stitching.

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  61. I love your easter bunnies. One of the reasons I love your blog so much is that tI can always find new designs that I haven't seen before which I love. x

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  62. Love your pretty blue and brown pieces Carol! Love the way you finished them too! What a great trip you had!

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  63. Love your finishes! My favorite color combinations are any that include pink :) We have bunnies all year and in the winter snow, we see tons of bunny footprints going every which way across the yard. Thanks for sharing more pics of your awesome trip.

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  64. "Oh Santisima" is one of my favored latin hymns we sing in Mass. Here it is (if you would like to hear what the toured church is named after)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEqnw9rFHTA
    brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it or sing it. I love that hymn!
    The birds are very odd, but they do add a poetic justice to the dignified sanctuary. What a lovely church!
    I adored looking at your pictures of Sacramento. It reminds me of St. Augustine, it has that Latin/Old world flavor with cobbled streets and tropical flair. Love it!
    Your finishings are absolutely perfect...each stitch divine and lovely...and makes me want to run out and stitch everything blue and brown that I can find! Thank you sweet Carol for sharing with us your life and your thoughts and your blue rental car :) Now for some cookies and milk!

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  65. Your bunny with the blue flowers is beautiful! All the finishes are lovely!
    Good thing the car is for a short time. It's really a very blue one!
    Lovely travel pictures...and as always, I love your eating bird. You take such great pictures of animals!
    Have a great day!

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  66. Hi Carol. Your baskets of blues and browns are lovely. I just finished Spring Greeting Bouquet..but I used tiny beads instead of french knots. I knew I would not be satisfied with my french knots. And the finishing is not disappointing! That sure is a bright blue car, at least you were able to get a loaner. The photos of Colonia del Sacramento are so interesting. It is nice to see other areas of the world ( I know I will never go there) from someone's perspective. I love the old cars and trucks along the road. Thanks for sharing! Hope the storms in your area are not too bad. It is that time of year and we have had our share of storms already. Have a great weekend.

    Judy Heartland stitcher

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  67. I really enjoy seeing all of your beautiful creations! But most especially I want to thank you for mentioning the safety recall. I too received a very vague letter about a recall issue and that I would be notified when parts were available. As it didn't seem urgent, I disregarded the letter. After seeing your post, I related it to my husband who did some research .....and I am now driving a very dull beige rental! Thanks again!

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  68. Your stitching finishes are lovely. I enjoyed seeing the latest photos you posted of your trip.

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  69. Love the latest finishes Carol - I need to practice my ribbon ruching as I love the blue one you did. I also love blue & brown together so they're all winners.

    Thanks for the lovely photos of Uruguay and your other stops. I'm looking forward to your photos of Tierra del Fuego - it's always been on my bucket list! It just seems so cool to see where 2 oceans meet up. I will likely never get there but I can enjoy it through you!

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  70. Your new car did make me smile, I can just imagine you hiding on your journeys and walking round the parking lot till no one is about before you climb inside lol.
    Such cute little finishes, so delightfully co-ordinated and trimmed.
    Your little wren looks like he's enjoying a feast on the suet feeder.
    {{hugs}} x

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  71. That is a lot of lovely stitching done! Your journey was incredible I believe.

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  72. Your finishes are very wonderful. As always! You are such an inspiration to me. Looks like you had a wonderful vacation.

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  73. Wonderful post Carol! I loved seeing all the photos of Uruquay. What wonderful flowers! The color spectrum always amazes me. And your blue/brown finishes are pretty. I love them all but that little bunny is precious. I have a 2011 Honda CR-V and I heard about the recall but they never said anything about not driving the car! I am going to have to go back and read the letter they sent. I can't wait to see your Patagonia pictures! =D

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  74. Enjoyed catching up with your post Carol, your comments about the car made me smile. That's not good about your car being off the road till the "fix" is in place. I've driven Minis of some form or another for years and would highly recommend them. I used to drive Hondas for many years and enjoyed those too - what's happened to you is bad luck. The upside down wren was cute.

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  75. Hi Carol!
    I've just discovered your blog and it's lovely!
    I will follow you from now... have a nice day!
    R

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  76. Your Easter stitching is, as always, amazingly beautiful. I do love the XXXs that you added to the basket, and those french knot flowers are perfect. A very pretty Easter egg. Love the pillow as well.

    As for that BLUE car…i don't know, not sure I would have left the lot in it. Did you ask for a different, quieter color? Fortunately, it is merely a loaner.

    LOVED the travel pictures. I can't get over how brown the water is in Río de la Plata! I have never seen water that dirty.
    The flowers are gorgeous so that makes up for the water. My younger son would love seeing all of the vintage cars. I can't get over the interior of the church,,,why the birds? I do like it but have never seen anything like that in a church. Your photographs are as nice as your stitching.

    The pic of the Carolina Wren is a riot…Do they always eat upside down? :-)

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  77. Gorgeous finishes and thanks for the freebie link, Carol. I love the blue-brown combination but I have to say, I love stitching in most colours now - depending on my mood. really. Thanks for sharing your day trip to Patagonia with us - so interesting. xxx

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  78. Loved taking the little travel trip with you Carol. That was one amazing vacation you had for sure.
    Beautiful, beautiful finishes in a lovely colour combination. Just so very pretty.
    As always I leave your blog feeling inspired.
    Happy stitching,
    Margaret

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Hello! So glad you dropped in and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I truly appreciate each and every one...I'm happy to try to answer any questions you may have, but please make sure to include your email address so I can get back to you...

Hope you have a wonderful day!
Carol