Coffee Morning...

I am writing this a bit later today.

i usually post in the mornings now

and it's a bit like missing an appointment

with a friend!

however...

i had a wonderful morning.

firstly

i went to prayer meeting at church

and refreshed my soul.

then

had a lovely cup of tea with friends at the church cafe.

the fellowship filled my heart

with the warmth of friendship.

and then

off again to maccas {macdonald's cafe}

where another group of ladies were meeting

for a casual natter

and a cappucino...

mmmm, my kinda morning!

just thought i'd share

how much i am like a kid in a candy store

when i see all the special Christmas paraphenalia...

like this special takeaway coffee cup

and this serviette from the same place
{i feel like taking handfuls of these and
wrapping them up with my handmade gifts!}

just designed for this season.

i wish you would share

what lovely cups and serviettes you have

in your local cafe's and eateries.

on the way home
i just had to buy
the christmas edition of the 'australian womens' weekly'.

it has a feature article
about 'simone' from 'beach vintage' blog fame
and her lovely house
...great article.
i think i would have bought it anyway though
'cos i love to read my favourite Christmas magazines
every year!

to me

it is sharing the joy

and excitement

of the season!

naturally Carol xox

ps...just another little glimpse of what i'm working on-

The Dandelion Patch

this morning the sun was shining brightly

and warmly.

out in the back yard there was a patch of golden yellow dandelions...



their faces turning towards the sky...

who can resist the glory of this on a nearly summer's day!

i fetched the camera

and still dressed in my nightie,

hobbled among the dandelions,

feeling delighted and basking

in warmth and sunlight and the beginning of a monday!

are you delighted with dandelions,

or are you thinking

that the lawn is weedy and needs mowing?

that perhaps the laundry should be hung out?

i hope today

and every day this week

that the tasks you have set for yourself

will not keep you from

dancing (or hobbling) in the dandelion patch

in the sunshine!

naturally Carol xox

ps....just between you and me.. there is also a little of this going on!

I'm Still Standing...On One Leg!

nearly two,

this week ~

i'm grateful ...

for legs

i would most of all

love elegant legs

or even cute ones!

elegant or cute they're not.

but i am grateful for them...

two weeks ago

my right knee wouldn't let me stand up.

it has slowly been improving

and i can hobble now

and i am grateful for that!

how wonderful legs are;

walking,

running,

jumping,

moving

legs.

use your legs and see the world

outside your lounge room...

and whisper a prayer of thanksgiving ~

no matter what they look like.

naturally Carol  xox

ps...come over to 'maxabella loves' {button on the right hand side} and find more grateful people...
pps...rewind party at 'life in a pink fibro ' ...see button on side..

MOMA Origami Doves...

i love origami.

i love the paper...the colour, designs, geometry,

i am fascinated by the style

and the art.

i bought this book

last year at the MOMA shop

at the gold coast while on holiday...

the doves...



this is a reproduction japanese woodblock print called 'rock doves and tree sparrows'.

this has inspired the authors steve & megumi biddle

to create these origami doves...

here is how i made my dove...

you will need one square piece of paper

for a large dove like this 6"x 6"

small (like on mondays post) about 2"x 2"

right side up

fold diagonally in half...

then in half again.

unfold the second fold, so it is just half of the square.

valley fold the top points two thirds of the way down.

fold the front flap up again by half of the bottom third...

open out the top of the triangle to form a small square.

showing the back of the paper.

fold in half

{the small square is folding in on itself}

to make the wings.

you can see that this forms the wings on both sides of the body...

do a small (inside reverse) fold to form the head and beak of the dove

seen at the bottom of the picture above.



valley fold the wing up over the body on one side...



then on the other side...and it will look like...

this.





& this.

fold the wing tips over to form bird wings

and you have a georgeous dove.!

the book says you can change the angle of the head or wings

to create different doves each time.

'may the peace of God,

fill your hearts and minds

this weekend....

and have lotsa fun making origami doves'

naturally Carol xox

p.s. a big thank you for the lovely comments made about me on 'gwenny-penny's' blog...cheers gwen!

Breakfast at My Place...

good morning!

last night i finished the binding on my placemats.

when i got up this morning

i couldn't wait to try them out...

{never mind that i had to clear off the table first!}

a closer look.

i decided that a grey border

would make them more versatile~

and i already had this fabric!

being breakfast time

and

being breakfast placemats...

i boiled some eggs,

toasted some bread,

made a cup of tea

and

christened the placemats...

they did the job

magnificently!!! 

mr p has gone to work,

mr m is not yet up,

so max and ellie and i had breakfast

most peacefully this morning.

i hope you breakfasted royally this morning...

and treat yourself like the princess you are today

and if you like

come and have a look at what Kirsty is up to with me,'cos it's thursday!

and ...happy thanksgiving to all you americans

and anybody else who wants to celebrate it!

naturally Carol xox

ps...how to make origami doves...tomorrow!

Pretty Frilly Cushion etc...etc...

good morning

from the place of gusty winds and sudden downpours of rain!

here in south east queensland,

where they tell us ...

it's beautiful one day and perfect the next?

it's looking pretty green but it's not

very warm or sunny and summer-like

at the moment!

thank you all for your wonderful birthday wishes

for my dad's 80th yesterday...

he loved his afghan,

which took me all winter to crochet!

it was totally worth it,

i could hear his smile on the 'phone.

just thought i'd also say

that i have posted the winners of the giveaway

their parcels.

and

also thought i'd give you a bit more of a look

at the little frilly cushion

which joni and anya will receive in a few days!

{i hope i'm not boring you to tears}

you've seen the frilly front,

made with one of the last pieces of my pink 'flower sugar'...

just thought i'd show you the back as well...

made with 'mirabella' if you please.

so if anya gets tired of frilly and pink

she can turn it over and have baby blue and paisley,

i couldn't resist a little selvedge

and buttons and a blue heart lovingly embroidered in!

well, show and tell ain't finished.

no, sirree!!

i'm going to display a work in progress.

these are a couple of the placemats

i cut out "snippety snip" last week.

after some wise words of advice,

from experienced blogging friends,

i bought grey polar fleece

and sandwiched it between the back and the front layers...

if you look closely

between the front {top} and the back {bottom red fabric}

you will notice a little line of grey!

needing some way of holding it all together,

{wish it were this simple with the rest of my life!}

i decided to emphasise the stripes of different patterns

on the fabric in red cotton...

i am happy with that.

i'm going to get on with binding the edges now...

so tomorrow i may have something else to 'show & tell'.

how exciting is that?

i just know i've made your day! lol...

but first a creative cup of tea!

i'm hoping your weathermanperson is forecasting

just the kind of weather you like...

naturally Carol xox

Today is a Special Day!

'cos today is my dad's 80th birthday...

hi dad!

i know you're busy!

i just want a few minutes of your time today...

to wish you a very happy birthday...

and a wonderful year ahead !

you deserve the best !

a little while ago...

i made something for you,

handmade especially for you!

i sent it off to new zealand early

so the big old aussie moths

wouldn't get stuck into it over summer!

{the stamps weren't french!}

mum has probably given it to you by now....

just thought...

you can use it over your knees when writing those radio articles in winter...

or take it on picnics...

or put it in the spare room!

anyway

i hope you enjoy everything

that today will bring!

love from

naturally Carol  xxxxxxxxxxxxx

ooooooooo xxxxxxxxxx

xox