The Butchardt Gardens...

On a Sunday, our last full day in Victoria before boarding the ferry for Vancouver the next day, David and I spent the afternoon in The Butchardt Gardens.

They are absolutely stunning and I would recommend anyone go there in a heartbeat (yes, it's a wee bit expensive but so so worth it!!). And hey look, an outfit post all at the same time...

This is a beautiful vintage dress that I had hanging in my closet for a little while - it was originally a terrible coffee colour that made me look sick when I wore it. I eventually got round to buying some navy blue dye because I really wanted to wear it. I didn't leave the dress in the dye bath for too long though because I was worred about the flowers dyeing out, but it turned out a beautiful blue-grey colour and the flowers look perfectly pretty against it.

Wish I was back there...

XX
Jen

Victoria, BC

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all your comments on my Beijing post! I didn't really convey how much of a culture shock it was when we got out of the airport though.

David and I landed in Vancouver later on Saturday night and had booked a night in a hotel before we jumped on the ferry over to Victoria (and boy oh boy was a shower and a comfy bed welcome!).

We spent a week on the island and while David had a conference to attend during the week, I was free to amuse myself as I saw fit. And I must say, I really really loved the time we spent in Victoria. It was such a pretty little place and I would love to go back there and explore up the coast line. As it was we spent the bulk of our time in Downtown where we were staying, except when we spent a Sunday afternoon exploring the Butchardt Gardens (which I've decided needs it's own post). Victoria had a great vibe and I could certainly see myself setting up camp there for a while if the opportunity ever arose.

Exploring Victoria via horse drawn carriage one evening. The thing I loved about being here during summer time was that it didn't get dark until around 9pm which meant there was plenty of time explore with David when he had finished for the day.

I didn't eat all of this by myself, promise!! Ruby slippers ice cream float and muddy shoes (?) sundae at Rogers Ice Cream Shoppe. Expensive but worth it for a little touristy treat!

Where we stayed, right on the water (not the ugly apartment block behind it!). We had afternoon tea at in the 'mansion' part of the hotel aptly named the Gatsby Mansion that you can see to the right with the turret.

Just along from where we stayed were the stunning Parliament buildings.

And just along from that, the impressive Fairmont Empress Hotel. I did want to do high tea there but decided that it was maybe just a wee bit too expensive for tea, so I just stared longingly at it everytime we passed (which was pretty much every day). And don't you think this would be a perfect setting for a Poirot mystery?

The next set of photos are from inside Craigdarroch Castle. I went here by myself for the afternoon (stopping of at Origins Gluten Free Bakery for lunch before hand (Oh my goodness, go there and buy the pepita loaf!!)). If you've been reading my blog for a little while, you'll know that it's no secret I love old houses and so a castle is really just the cherry on top...

This beautiful wooden clock greets you as you walk inside...

Drawn by one of the daughters of the Dunsmuirs who built the place when she was seven I believe - how amazing!

I loved this random little guy at the top of one of the staircases...

Even the heating is pretty!

A beautiful model of the castle inside one of the rooms.

Up next my post on the Butchardt gardens.

XX
Jen

Beijing...

Hi everyone...

This first post back has been a long time coming! I've found it a bit hard to get back into the swing of things after a three week break, and catching up on three weeks of work at the job that pays me has been a bit exhausting, especially considering I'm still relatively new (my inbox was a little bit scary!! But I have tamed the beast thank goodness!). I was also dreading editing photos just a little too...

Now, I know how boring other people's holiday snaps can be so I'll try to keep it short, I'm also going to break the trip up into three bits - Beijing, Victoria and Vancouver to try and not lose too many of you to 'boring holiday snap-itis'.

David and I had a rather large stop over in Beijing on our way to Vancouver, we got in around 7.30am and our flight wouldn't leave until 11.30pm that night so we decided to get out of the airport and explore. We had the foresight to book a private tour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall which was such a beautiful area. It is high in the hills away from the smog and traffic of the city and surrounded by chestnut trees (if you go there, make sure you toboggan back down the hill). Then because we still had so much time after our Great Wall visit, we ended up going to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square.

I forgot to change the camera settings to auto when I gave it to our guide to take a photo of us. At least the wall is in focus!!

The Chinese writing on the hill means something along the lines of 'Be Loyal to Chairman Mao'

Say hello to the friendly Great Wall of China donkey!!

LUNCH!!! David and I were starving after our trekking around the wall and so our guide took us to get some real Chinese food (after taking us to a small cloisonne factory. Everything is done by hand and it's such an intricate art. I couldn't resist buying a bracelet which I'm sure will make it onto the blog soon).

After lunch it was off to the Forbidden City...

The Forbidden City is so big that I would have got lost without our guide. It was beautiful though, the details and the colours were spectacular!

Tiananman Square, right outside The Forbidden City.

David and I were exhausted after we got back to the airport and so found ourselves a little nook, some food and watched Bones on David's Ipad.

I would defintely recommend visiting China to anyone and if I have a chance to go back I would hope to spend a little more time there.

Next time, Victoria (aka Vancouver Island).

XX
Jen

I'll Be Seeing You...

David and I are floating off to Vancouver tomorrow (which reminds me, I really need to pack!!).

Bon Voyage,

Jen

ps) Thank you so much for all the lovely comments on my One Pattern Seven Bloggers dress and I just wanted to let you know that I will do a pleat tutorial! It's actually already been written and the photos taken, they just need some editing to make the process a little clearer and I didn't have time last night (I barely got the dress up in time!). I will post it when I get back :)

One Pattern, Seven Bloggers 5

Well, here we are, at the end of the One Pattern Seven Bloggers challenge.

I have to apologise for the bad indoor/night photos, I didn't get it finished on Sunday and when I get home after work now it's dark dark dark.

I'm really happy with the overall fit of the dress and the modifications I made (though the pleats would look better if I had been bothered to iron them). I ended up taking off the little cap sleeves and added pleats to the skirt. I do have plans to make a bow belt to match the dress but that will have to wait. Overall, I liked the pattern though wouldn't recommend it for a novice sewer - the instructions are a bit vague. Though that makes it a fantastic pattern for the moderate sewer who is looking to start modifying patterns by themselves.

It's a great basic dress that really does have endless variations and can be made for winter or summer depending on the fabric you use. It has a lovely vintage silhoette for those looking for that style, but as a warning (and one that I have to thank those who left comments mentioning it) the neckline is V-E-R-Y low. Fix that before you cut your real fabric.

Make sure you check out the other girls, everyone has done such a fantastic job!!

Marie http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/

Reana Louise http://curvespatternsandpins.blogspot.com/

Kat http://katcreativeadventures.blogspot.com/

Rachel http://mymessings.blogspot.com/

Amy http://sewingthroughthemotions.blogspot.com/

Sam http://hand-quilter.blogspot.com/

xx
Jen