Monday, August 29, 2011

It's Mine!

good morning..haha! it's just turned into afternoon!

it was such a fresh sunny morning out there
that before sitting down
i just had to peg the washing out on the line to dry
and do a bit more cleaning and sorting.

at the end of winter here in australia
i find the light changes
and all those corners that looked ok in the dimness of winterlight
look musty and dusty in springlight
and need a thorough going over!

yesterday, however,
i made up the second fabric that i bought
in the ty pennington range.

i made two luxury size cushions...
for my house.
these won't be going on madeit!



they will eventually be on the black leather couch

but the light was better here for pictures this morning...



birds & butterflies...
first cushion.

this was the best of the pics on the black couch...
notice all the light at the top of the cushion.

i think they'll look good here though.



birds & butterflies
second cushion...




both backs are very similar...
teamed with plain black kona quilting fabric
and black buttons.






i embroidered different flowery tags in shades of coppery orange
to emphasise the lovely tangerine flowers on the fabric.




stacked on the chinese chest...
 another angle.

i thought i might make up the other more geometric fabric
in a pair of smaller cushions to go with these
on the black couch.

i don't know whether they'll happen straight away though!

any more sunshine
and it'll be more spring cleaning
on my list do do first.

i hope all of you
on the eastern u.s.a coast
are ok after hurricane irene....

and all those around the phillipines
and taiwan
and places in between
are ok too after the typhoon.

stay safe and have a good monday!

naturally Carol xox



Thursday, August 25, 2011

My Lacey Grey Creative Space...

good morning!

this is bright and early for me to be here,
but i was filled with energy this morning
&
couldn't wait to get started.

so first thing i took some photos
of my newest little cushion
after seeking the room with the most light,
and that wasn't easy!


reminiscent of moroccan architectural detail

a fine lacey design
in soft grey...



discreetly buttoned up at the back...





closer!




more of
ty pennington's 'impressions'
in pure cotton decor weight fabric
are calling out to be made up...
these two are more in the latte/choc colour theme
but equally beautiful.

i'm joining in with kootoyoo's 'our creative spaces' today...

what's going on in your neck of the woods

this fine thursday?

i can smell spring coming
&
am getting a bit of an urge to do some
reorganising and
dare i say it
a little spring cleaning!


naturally Carol xox



Wednesday, August 24, 2011

What Do You Think?

good afternoon!

i went into picnik.com last night
&
redid my header.

i'm coming up to a year old here
on the 31st...
so thought i'd do a new look to celebrate...

what do you think?

i hope you'll still find a friend here!

just a few last pics from noosa...

i'm totally in love with the sea
the colours
the dance of the waves on the beach
&
the sounds they make.


the boardwalk...

i almost took pics of peoples' legs
as they walked past..but thought maybe i shouldn't.

snippets of conversations
as they walked past
often amused us....



a late afternoon cappucino
&
we were unwittingly
observers of this wedding photo shoot
before the party was rained on
&
they ran off to get shelter!


and no.. i didn't take photos 
of the cushion today..
so will have to show you tomorrow...
i apologise for my slackness.

have a lovely relaxing evening!


naturally Carol xox 


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Home Before the Rain!

morning all!

i'm turning my weekend into a trilogy..haha!

i guess it was a big deal
as i hadn't left our little city
for over a year..
what with my knee probs
and mr w being away working a lot etc etc etc.

sometimes before you know it
time just flies and here you are
just sitting at home.

last weekend broke the drought
&
i'm glad!

sunday morning
was relaxed.
our hotel bed was soft and comfy
and we really didn't have to rush.
the dogs weren't there to beg to be fed
and
we just had to meander downstairs
and across the road to have brekky right by the beach.

so we did.

after brekky we sat by the water
and watched the world go by
&
the storm clouds rolled into the bay...










the sun shone briefly

and some people played...





but already the wind was whipping up!





the clouds were moving in closer...



so after one last look down the beach
we packed up and headed for home...
beating the rain by a few hours!

when we got home
mr w headed off..back to work.
and
what else was there to do
on a wet windy afternoon
but
blog!!

thankful that the rain had held off
&
the sunshine had stayed
for our noosa weekend away...


naturally Carol xox


p.s..have done a little sewing &  will show you a new cushion to start a new
little collection tomorrow!

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Afternoon...

good morning!

on saturday afternoon..
after 'the lunch',
which finished at nearly three...
we crossed the road
and headed for the beach.

noosa beach
is a beautifully calm sheltered beach,
great for swimming
or walking along.

mr w and i
strolled and sat
and talked.

this is some of what we saw...
















oh..
and by the way,
we had an encounter
of the famous kind!

we were sitting at a table in the food court
about half an hour before we were due to go to 'the lunch'...
mr w needed a drink..coke zero...not rum and coke...
&
mr kevin rudd
{australia's current foreign minister
& ex prime minister}
just appeared in front of us,
walking through with two of his kids.

i looked up
saw him and my eyes just locked with his for a second
while i recognised who he was...
then he lifted his hand and gave a bit of  a wave
and said 'hi, how are you?'
we just nodded
and he walked past
as another table crowded with youths
yelled out to him..'hello, mr rudd'.

he looked healthy and his white hair shone,
he wore his customary blue shirt and cream chinos...
he was taller than i had expected
and had more of a presence about him
than i thought he would have.

in fact
he looked just as though
he had stepped out of my tv
into my real life...
then back out again..lol!

isn't life
serendipitous???


naturally Carol xox


Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Lunch...

hi!

just got back from our weekend noosa break
&
our very important
meet the parents of the bride lunch...
{mr w and i are the parents of the groom}.

we went to cato's...


it was a beautiful sunny day.


this is ella...


she is adorable...
{she is the daughter of the bride-to-be's brother}
she was tired from exploring the eumundi markets in the morning,
but after her mum took her out for a bit of a break
she settled down again and was very well behaved.

the lunch was a great success.
mr s is marrying into a wonderful family
who are close and friendly
and welcomed us with open arms...
we feel privileged to be part of their lives now!



hasting street

i was amused, delighted and proud
to discover that my son
had asked for their daughter's hand in marriage
in mandarin {chinese}...

miss a's parents were very touched by the gesture too.

i'll show you some beach pics
and tell you about the rest tomorrow!


naturally Carol xox



Friday, August 19, 2011

Purple Flower Power in Noosa!

good day!

this morning
these came in the post
fresh from cam @ curlypops!



thanks cam for sending my purple brooch so promptly
&
for the little green owly mirror too!

i loved your package wrapped with hot pink yarn and sequins
arriving early this morning
just in time
for a very important weekend.

my eldest son is getting married at the end of the year...
new year's eve to be precise.
he is to marry a beautiful taiwanese girl
whose parents are here in australia at the moment.

tomorrow
we are lunching together...
at a lovely hotel in noosa
&
meeting each other for the very first time!

mr w and i are spending the
night there too
and making it into a weekend away...
a little bit of luxury.

so
we're hoping
for good outcomes
all around!


wishing you all a great weekend too...


naturally Carol xox


ps..i'll be the one wearing ms curlypop's purple brooch!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Spot!

good afternoon!

no
the weather hasn't improved...

but,
just like my gorgeous friend kim commented...

after
a moment of introspection
it's a good idea
to think some good positives

&
get on with it!

so after getting out of the house today
&
enjoying a delicious kebab for lunch
with mr t for company...

 i came home
&
 decided on a little project just for fun
&
made "spot"!


'spot'

was made from cath kidston's book 'sew!'
{he is otherwise known as the stanley toy}


but
i always wanted a dog called 'spot'..hehe!




i think i was meant to attach the ears after the body was sewn up..
but i didn't
so his ears stood up on end!

so
i had to put a few stitches behind his ears
to make them flat...
he's the only one in the family whose had plastic surgery.



here he is again...

just hanging around the kitchen,

like most dogs.


just pop over to 'kootoyoo'
for other crafty fun!

i hope your thursday turns into fun...


naturally Carol xox


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Restless...

hi!

today i feel like the weather looks!

restless.

yesterday was glorious..warm sunshine..blue skies.

today there was blue sky and black thunderclouds bobbing around!

&

i know just what that feels like.

inside i'm restless...
i want to make something different
but i'm just not sure where to start
or
what to start with.



some areas of my life feel like this

&

i feel like a glass half empty girl!

but you know that ain't half bad.
sometimes i even like to be a 'glass fully empty' girl..
just so that i can examine the glass
of my life
and see what it really is.

am i genuine?
do i truly believe in what i'm doing?
have i integrity in what i'm doing?
do i need to change anything in my life right now?
am i moving into a new season?
or need a tweak here and there?
or just take a nanna nap from the usual?

oh, yes...
sometimes i am an introspective soul!

but
that's how i get to know myself.

then
i can allow myself to be filled up again...
renewed
and refreshed
and enjoy 
 all those things that make life full and abundant
and amazing!



are you ever restless?

do you feel that you know yourself well?

do you like what you see..on the inside?


just pondering...


naturally Carol xox

Monday, August 15, 2011

Much to Twitter About...

good morning!


today is a bright and beautiful monday morning..

and this twitter has just come from my sewing space...




so much tweeting going on!


little jenny wren is hopping about...




in amongst the

blue zinnias on the black couch!




have a lovely monday
all you gorgeous people!

if you missed out on the giveaway last week
don't despair...
there will be another at the end of the month
there being my first blogging anniversary to celebrate!


naturally Carol xox

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Slow Cookin' Sunday...

hi there!

it has been a four-in-one season day today..
in fact the morning started off foggy,
then the sun came out and warmed us all up,
but that was followed by black clouds
and at the moment its raining!

i went to church this morning..
this always starts the day off just right ..for me.
at church i got talking to a young woman
with a baby about casseroles..and
only just having made one myself last week
that i enjoyed i offered to show her how.

mrs z, her husband mr d and baby j
are word game addicts and had been puzzling over a few missing answers
to their puzzles,
so we worked them out together over a cuppa
at my house.

then we got working in the kitchen
creating this slow cooker casserole...
pretty much the basic formula.



well now, dinner is made,
company enjoyed,
time for a movie
&
play time with the dogs...

and that's a good slow cooked sunday...

gratefully enjoyed!

{pop over to maxabellas for some more grateful...}


naturally Carol xox




Friday, August 12, 2011

The Winners Are Picked!

good morning!

thank you to all of my followers who participated in the giveaway
running here this week!

please forgive me for not showing the random number generator...
it is my fault
as i was so eager to pick the second winner after seeing the first,
i forgot to save a pic of the first,
so didn't bother getting a pic of the second
as it would have been a bit weird to have one
without the other.
i hope that makes sense to you???

here are the winners...

mindy
@

her choices were

'island girl'



&

'scootin' 'n' scarves'





the second winner is...

sue
@

her choices are the two purple paisley cushion covers...



mindy and sue
congratulations!

as soon as you email me your addresses these will be winging their way to you!

thank you to all of you for following this little blog of mine
&
journeying with me through thick and thin...

{though hopefully getting thinner!!! lol}

have a great day & a lovely weekend ...
i'm going to show you a few newies later!
{they'll be in my madeit shop today}

naturally Carol xox

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Blue Zinnia!

good afternoon!


just made...




"blue zinnia"


see yesterdays post for details of my giveaway
if you're interested.



a week ago
i was interrupted by a health scare...
it is good to be around
today!


i am thankful
more than ever
for
life!


live life to the fullest this tuesday...



naturally Carol xox

Monday, August 8, 2011

A Gift...

good morning!




at seven o'clock this morning
i went to let the dogs outside
and saw this amazing rainbow!

rainbows are a reminder of a promise kept...




and my promise to you..
my followers,
was to host a giveaway
when you reached 200 strong.

so as a heartfelt thank you
to all of you,
who at the moment number 201...



here is how we are going to play
my giveaway game....

this is for my followers exclusively...

go to my 'madeit' site....



and pick out your two favourite items,
then make a comment on this post.

the random number generator will pick out

2 winners

who will win

2 items each, the same or similar, to those items you've picked out!

this giveaway will close sometime on friday 12th august
and i will notify the winners by email
and on this blog.

enjoy yourselves..
i hope you find something you like.


you are my pot of gold...

thank you so much for your friendship
your care and concern
your loyalty
&
for being your delightful, insightful, creative selves!


all followers
new and older
...good luck!

have a marvellous monday ...


naturally Carol xox


Sunday, August 7, 2011

Taking Time to Celebrate...

good evening!

my friend ada turned eighty this week
and yesterday her daughter brought together a room full of her friends
and we had afternoon tea.




ada is the first person in her eighties who i call a friend
my dad is eighty
but he's my dad..that's different.

when i first moved to this city
i went out on a ladies supper evening to a local cafe with a group of women,
and ada and i just connected.

it was like talking to my mum and my grandma and a very good friend
all at the same time.


this is how a lot of girls dressed in the forties
when ada would have been a teenager...

but i think in rural queensland
a lot more of them would have been doing this...


i remember ada telling me that
when she was about twelve or so
her family was so poor
she had to cartloads of wood
and sell them to save enough money
to buy her underwear...
'cos her family couldn't afford it.

i can't even imagine being that poor.

fortunately today
ada is not that poor anymore
and lives a comfortable life
gardening, sewing and enjoying her family,
loving God
and has many friends.

her birthday afternoon tea was special
and had a kind of grace and elegance
not often seen.
her daughter brought a lavender coloured cake
up all the way from melbourne...
we had canapes, punch and birthday cake,
made speeches up
about how we knew her..
and celebrated by singing her favourite songs together.

thank you ada
for showing me
a different era of life and a slower
more caring way of living!

happy 8oth birthday ada..
i hope your 80's rock..gently!


happy birthday to all you august babes out there too!

naturally Carol xox