Monday, January 31, 2011

Unbelievable!


good morning!

i am totally blown away
by your friendship and response yesterday!
thank you...
i am already enjoying all the new sites to visit and comment on!

as promised
i am giving away an apron
to celebrate the goodness of friendship....

have a look at these...they've both already been featured here.

and choose one

'happy daisy' is the blue one and 'meadowsweet' is the orangey one!


the back of  'happy daisy'



the back of 'meadowsweet'!

you wouldn't believe the trouble i have just had downloading these three pictures..
the modem was overheating so intermittently dropped out my internet connection...
my security firewall wouldn't give me access to my own pictures!
and in the end i had to download a different picture to the one i took this morning...
the trials of the internet...
i should have had this post up over an hour ago!
grrrrrrrr....

anyway back to the giveaway...

choose the one you like best,
leave a comment on this post...

if you are a follower/friend it will count as two chances...
if you are a casual commenter it will count as one chance.

the winner will be picked randomly on friday

i will send the winner the apron they liked the most!

i will contact you by email and on your blog if you have one...
so if you don't have a blog make sure your comment contains your email address.

all are welcome to enter!

best of luck...

naturally Carol xox




 


Saturday, January 29, 2011

Actually Not Quite A Hundred...

today i'm grateful for

99   101 103 104 106 110
friends

as i like to call them....

there seems to be 100 102 104 105 111
but there really isn't...

sharrie..my daughter-in-law...
was my first follower.
she had a little portrait and
yesterday it disappeared and became a grey head!

i spoke to her in the afternoon
and she said she would put a new photo in her google account...
she didn't know why her photo disappeared
and became a grey head.

so she did...and popped up as number 100

but

really i only have  had 99!!

sharrie will probably have to take off her first head
and just leave her photo head...lol...it sounds really way out doesn't it?

but it is the truth.

so
somewhere out there is a true hundred...{it was 'maxabella'...thank you!}
{and Nomi quickly followed and was no. 101...thank you too!}
{thanks also...ms style you and renette from south african kiwi}
a solitary beautiful person
who would like to see cushions, aprons
and read a rambling blog
written by an ordinary girl!
{who will follow their blog too...in the hope of getting to know them better}

then i can host a giveaway!
{an apron giveaway will begin on monday now!}


i'm joining in with 'maxabella loves' today...'cos it's saturday...you can join in too if you would like to...

naturally Carol xox

if you would like to join with me and make some cushions for the flood affected families of queensland please leave me a comment or email...thanking you!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Just One More...

cushion!!



how did you know?

i am beginning to think i am boring you silly
with my cushions!
i am driven by the picture in my mind
of all those people who have lost everything in those floods
and have to restart their lives materially...



it is a perplexing thing to think about though
because i know that in brazil they have lost hundreds of people recently in floods too...
and there are so many disasters around the world
where people lose their homes.



and i wonder
how then can i ask people in other countries to contribute to queensland
when we are so much better off
than a lot of countries.



but i can't really do anything to help them..
i have to do what i can
with what is in my hand
and help those i know how to help...

if only in a very small way.

i hope they will see the kind intentions of our hearts
and know that we care!

we can't fix the world
only God can do that...and He has through sending Jesus!
if only people would listen to Him...
but they go their own way...that is free will!

i can only do my bit...
the bit that He has placed on my heart...
and that
is enough for Him.

deep thoughts today...

i am thinking though that i will have a give away apron when i get to a hundred followers...
i'll make one this weekend just in case i get there!...not so deep a thought!!

have a wonderful weekend!

with love
naturally Carol xox

if you would like to join me in making a cushion cover or two please leave a comment or email me and i will get back to you...thanks!


Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Serve of Summer For You!

hi and good afternoon!

this afternoon i just want to give all those snowed, fogged, and cold, grey day folks...
a slice of summer.


there is nothing quite like a crepe myrtle blossom laden bough
reaching up to the summer blue sky
to lift the winter heavy spirits.



only a few short weeks now
and winter will flee for all of you northern people
and colour, perfume, green green leaves,
buds and blossoms
will be the order of the day!

this morning
i loaded up the washing machine and fed the worms
and then saw this crepe myrtle
and just had to capture a summer morning!

you are now standing with me in my back yard
my little palm tree
and the lawn
have loved the summer rains.

 yesterday i finished two more cushions...

this is the small 'berkeley'

with non-matching buttons!

and a yellow elephant.


'big berkeley' has an unembellished front
but..

her back...

has bling!

just a final glimpse of summer flowers
from my front yard...

i'm not sure what this pretty baby is called
but she is showy and very hardy
and minds the front gate!

many summer dreams to you!

naturally Carol xox

if you would like to make cushion covers for the flood affected people of queensland
please leave a comment or send me an email...many thanks!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Summertime on Australia Day...

it's australia day!

happy australia day
to aussies everywhere!

i'm off to a barbie {bbq} for dinner
to celebrate this wide brown land of ours...
a land of flooding plains...
as we have recently been reminded about!

still making cushions for flood affected people

this is the front of 'summertime'...



loving the spots...dots...multicoloured dotty bits of colour...scrumptious!


just a 'summertime' selvedge and a square red button...

please excuse me
i am rushing today...
i now think it is my modem overheating that causes the internet to go off!

so i'm posting this as soon as humanly possible...
please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors that may occur in my haste.

have a wonderful aussie day wednesday!
remember the aeroguard if you're outside bbqing...

naturally Carol xox

want to make cushions for flood affected people in australia...
please leave a comment or send me an email....thanks.

Monday, January 24, 2011

New York! New York!

good morning
my internet connection was on the blink on saturday night,
then again last night
so i'm not risking it going off again
i'll post this as soon as i can..
making hay while the sun shines..so to speak!

i completed 'miss central park' today
{the second in my New York series}
so she was displayed on the black couch!





here's a close shot of the people in the park...

check out all those little people rowing their boats on the lake
and the others gawking at them from the bridge...
and those georgeous stylish trees!



the back is similar to the 'mr rockafeller's'
the selvedge looks a bit odd here...but does look better in real life.



here sits 'miss central park'
keeping 'mr rockafeller' company
in the front room.

sunshine or rain
snow, fog or stormy weather
i hope your hearts stay warm
and your mind  free to be creative...

enjoy your monday

naturally Carol xox

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Simone and her Mates!

today i'm grateful for
simone
from 'beach vintage'
and her mates
who
have been taking bottles of water
and rolls and fruit
and other goodies
to
flood affected suburbs in brizzie;
handing them out to residents, volunteers and other workers
to relieve their hunger and thirst and give comfort and support!

i am in awe of her actions...
taking several days off work
and just getting out there where she is needed.

to see what she was doing this week
and
make a donation to the work
if you want to...

today
i made a cushion for me...
after making them all week to give away
it was my turn!

i have had this fabric for a month or two
and i didn't think i would cut into it...
but
if i don't enjoy it
what's the point in having it!!

retro new york...the rockefeller centre...
check out those cute little umbrellas and tables and chairs
and people...

just irresistable..to me
i love the geometrical forms of the sky scrapers too!

the back...in 'nicey jane' ...'lemongrass'
it featured the perfect shade of olive...

black buttons with a reptilian texture...
&
ha! ha!...buttonholes again!



this chair will be 'mr rockafeller's' home...

in my front room...
soon he will have 'miss central park'
to keep him company.

i'll tell you when she arrives!

meanwhile...
kara is keeping a very close eye,
{you would think that her body is relaxed,
but no!
look at those radar ears and bright eyes}
on my and mr p
while
mr m {the master}
is in brisbane this weekend.

i'm linking up with 'maxabella loves' today...
being grateful saturday!

have a great weekend

naturally Carol xox

ps..the links to 'beach vintage' blog and 'maxabella loves' blog should be different colours...the link is there but the colour to show them up as different keeps disappearing...why?  who knows!!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Spots and Daisies...

i wanted to sew something blue today.
so this is the cushion i came up with
pictures taken on the black couch...



this can either be the be the back or the front...

interchangeable.




the other side.

i have run out of black grosgrain ribbon for my tags...
so it is sadly tagless : (
the little shop in town has not reopened
since the floods...
i hope it does next week.


my fourth successful buttonholing experience!

can naturally carol sew a button hole or two?
no worries mate!



selvedges...
just love the little birds in a row!



just had to put these three little birds
on the other side...


my happy little cushion collection!

the thought of these
and many more
making a little couch or two
a sunnier
cosier
place to be
kept me sewing this week.

i'm not the fastest cushion maker
or the best...
but that doesn't matter at all...

i just want to do my bit
for fellow aussies
who are doing it tough...

join me if you want to.
leave a comment or an email...
and check out last mondays post

naturally Carol xox

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Strawberry Fields...

the crepe myrtles are blooming
mauves and pinks
in bunches!

was i enjoying them bouncing on a summer breeze
this morning...
no!
i was beavering
making 'strawberry fields' into chubby cushions!

here they are on the black couch...

this pair just covered their 40 cm inserts...
it was like dressing fat babies!


'strawberry' cushion no1



'strawberry' cushion no 2


back...note my second go at sewing buttonholes...
successful!


all the buttons are vintage or repurposed...






maybe there are sisters out there
who share a bedroom...
and love strawberries
and chubby strawberry cushions!

now
i'm going to enjoy the crepe myrtle blossoms,
the cool breeze
and the white pillowed clouds
drifting above me...
and laze a little.

i'm playing along with kootoyoo today...my creative space....link here

have a wonderful day!

naturally Carol xox

p.s.   if you want to join me in making a few cushions for the flood affected people in queensland...
drop me a comment or an email so i can give you my address to send them to.  see monday's post for details!  all cushions sent to me will feature in a post pictured 'on the black couch'!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

On the Black Couch...

as cushions are made
by me or by you,
for the queenslanders affected by flood...

i am going to display them on the black couch!
{and feature them in a photo sitting on the black couch right here on my blog ~ in case that isn't clear!!}

like this one i finished this morning...

i'm calling it 'sunshine'
it has a 40 cm insert in it...

tagged!

yay!!
i found out that buttonholes are easy on my machine...
so now i'm hooked on them...
watch out for the next cushions i'm making.

looking at the back...


do you recognise the grey...
yes, that's leftover from my dining room curtains!!

i am hoping
that 'sunshine' will
make a little of the same
in someones day!

a happy sunshiney day to you all...
and remember
look at mondays post
for details on joining me in making these cushions/pillows
to make a little bit of difference!

...and they will all be featured on the black couch...with your blog site or name too..
unless you want to be anonymous...but i will still feature your cushion/pillow!!!

...and if you like...aprons or even pillowcases/pillowshams...
all are very usefully beautiful...
like you!!

naturally Carol xox