xox from Mum...

 

hi!

 

when most school leavers

are going to 'schoolie's week' down at the coast,

my friend's daughter has gone to thailand

to help at 'destiny rescue'.

{a halfway house/charity that gives young women a chance at another life style

after they have been sold or enslaved, against their will, into a life of prostitution.}

 

 

she has gone armed with small gifts

&

her guitar.

her aim is just to encourage them in their new journey

and to make some new friends.

 

 

her mum is a legend.

as well as making and selling

hundreds of jars of homemade jam,

lemon and passionfruit butter

for her daughter's trip

 

she is renovating her bedroom

while she's away.

 

 

 

the windows have all been reputtied

and the walls undercoated.

 

 a couple of friends and i went around there this morning

and my job was to sand down the furniture

ready for painting...white.

 

there will be white walls

except for one...

 

 

 

 

this fabric

will be made into cushions for her bed...

 

 

i hope it will be the best surprise for her!

 

 

yesterday,

was mary's funeral...

a young woman, a friends daughter,

who died going to work a week and a half ago.

 

rest in peace, mary.

 

she had a smile as wide as the sky,

an infectious laugh

&

was a loyal mate

with a passion for life & love.

 

 

tomorrow...

a bag to make...two cushions & an apron.

well, that's the plan.

 

what have you got planned for the weekend?

whatever it is..

do it with all your heart...

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 

 



Baby Shower...

 

with the baby!

 

 

hi...

this morning some friends and i

held a baby shower.

 

 

 

 

zoe was expecting a girl,

but lo and behold a boy was delivered

exactly two weeks ago.

 

i had made pink invitations

&

had them in my handbag ready to deliver

when a little boy was thrust into my arms.

 

here he is sleeping snugly this morning,

at his own welcome party with a friend.

 

 

last friday

we made some bunting...

 

 



 

which we strung along the rails of the deck at the cafe.

 

easy bunting it is.

coloured paper stapled on to curling ribbon

taped with washi tape onto the railings.

 

we blew up the balloons...

 

 

ordered cappucinos and cake

&

played party games...like baby bingo, baby memory,

name the parents and name the baby.

 

 

i can't wait to help host another one

it was so much fun!

 

i'm hoping you're all having fun this wednesday too...

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 



 

 

 

 

 



Going Postal!

 

ready!

 

 

 

 

set!

 

 

 

 

 

go!

 

go! go! go!

 

for christina's ornament swap.

 

 

have you posted yours?

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



Backyard Bunting!

 

good morning!

 

it's quiet here...

well, humanly quiet.

i can hear cicadas

&

three different birdsongs...

the gentle swoosh of traffic

hurrying away...

some sounds of sleepy snoring,

this pleasant sunny saturday morning.

 

i made this bunting last year

&

yesterday got 'round to taking some photos

of my friend's verandah...

'out the back'.

 

it's faded now

into true shabby chic-ness...

 

 

do you remember the bunting swap we did

with rachael @ squiggly rainbow?

that's one from her in the middle there.

all i did was make some extra ones

to go with her beauties.

 

 

 

knots are tied in the rope between the flags

so they don't bunch up.

 



 

a gentle flutter in the breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

the outside dunny...

 

 

every house used to have one...

outside!

 

enjoy your weekend...

 

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 

 

 



Gates.

 

good morning!

 

firstly...

a big thank you for all your thoughts and prayers

for my friend and her family...

the peace of God is evident there.

 

further down my street

a gate caught my eye.

the house is empty right now.

 the front gate stands...

 

 

alone!

 

then there was this one i noticed

directly across the road...

 

 

as you can tell

i live in an area with plenty of character!

 

it led me to wondering though.

 

i wondered when it was

that these gates got opened or closed

for the last time.

 

isn't it funny

how we lay things aside.

maybe it was the last time you rode your bike

or put on roller blades

or twirled wearing your favourite twirly skirt.

 

we never think

'this is the last time'.

it just happens...

silently

while new gates are opening

meanwhile.

 

mr m made these...

 

 

they looked like chocolate earthquakes..haha!

 

 

very chocolatey

light and cakey inside...

good with a cup of tea to wash them down!

so big

half was enough.

 

i'm tossing up

whether to go to mainly music today.

it's not my week

but some of the helpers will be away.

 

....and it's ms s's birthday.

i can't wait 'til she gets up

so i can give her

her presents.

are you like that too?

as soon as i wrap something up

i want to give it and see them open it..hehe!

 

much love to you all...

 

naturally Carol xox

 



Raining Tears...

 

this morning it has been raining

...tears.

 

 

my friend lost her daughter today.

she was on her way to work early this morning,

to milk the cows.

on the highway her ute spun off the road

and she died.

she was a beautiful daughter,sister, fiancee and friend.

a tragedy.

a heartbroken family.

 

got to church late,

just needed to be with the crowd.

another friend came up holding a little bundle.

she was expecting a baby girl

but had a gorgeous baby boy on tuesday.

as he rested his tiny head on my shoulder

and curled his body up against mine....sleeping,

he comforted me with his peacefulness.

 

i had made girly baby shower invitations...too late.

i will make new invitations

&

in a week and a half

we will celebrate the birth of a little boy.

 

tears of grief

tears of joy

it rained this morning.

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 



Lovely in Lavender...

 

but even better

spiced up with a bit of paisley!

 

 

 

 

this is the second out of three

that i'm making for my friend debbie.

 

the first was for her daughter,

this one will be for her

&

the third

for her to give away at christmas.

 

 

 

the bag was made from an amy butler fabric

and was beautiful to sew.

i'm a real amy butler fan.

her fabrics are always beautiful quality

and the colours always better in real life than on the screen.

 

 

 

these baby staghorns

have been growing here for over a year now.

 

i am thrilled

'cos when i lived in canberra

i tried to grow ferns from seed.

they germinated

but the humidity level is normally very low

and i didn't have much success beyond that.

 

here, living on the trunk of an old jacaranda

these have sprung up naturally!

they're living on the west side of the house

where they're shaded in the morning

and in the afternoon

they are shaded by the tree and the fence

so they thrive.

 

 

 

this hardy fern

grows verdantly out of an old tree stump!

 

it shrinks away over the cold and dry of winter

then springs back to life every spring.

 

 

we are expecting a super cell to hit later today

and the air is so thick and muggy

i think i'm turning into a puddle

and will melt away through the floorboards soon

if it doesn't rain soon!

 

i hope you're not feeling quite so uncomfortable!

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 











For Your French Books?

good afternoon!

today is bursting with summer!

it's hot, skies are blue

those little singing insects are back in the trees...

'tis pretty much perfection.

 

 

i took some pictures

of a 'book bag' that's decked out

in eiffel towers

and black and white polka dots...

 

 

she's nearly eighteen

&

in love with all things french

&

especially parisian.

 

 

 

ah, though

 

we are all in love with paris...

 

city of lights

 

city of love.

 

she and i are not so different after all.

 

this is a day

that lends itself to dreaming...

so both of us,

all of us

we will dream of paris!

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 





The Book Bag...

 

hi there!

 

a little while ago

a friend asked me to make her

a bag.

 

smaller than the market bag

but bigger than the child's bag.

 

kind of an inbetweener...

good for a couple of books

and a purse.

 

 

 

 

this is the prototype...

 

now i'll have to get my act together

&

make three more.

 

 

 

 

today i went shopping with ms s

we don't shop together very often

so it was a real treat.

 

we are feeling rather christmassy at the moment

so we gawked at lots of decorations

and singing softies,

oohed and aahed at the sparkles and glitter,

sipped some soft drinks

and nattered and chatted.

 

we bought a singing santa hat,

some ribbon and beads

&

a pink fluffy koala purse for her sister in America!

 

it's good to be feeling better again.

 

i hope your week is swinging along sweetly...

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 



 

 

 

 



Red.

 

hi!

 

meet red.

 

red the gingerbread man...

 

 

red is a gingerbread man with plenty of bling!

 

 

 

he's a blingin' red head.

 

 

 

here's his dog...

red dog.

 

 

they've been hanging around together

ever since they were stitched up!

 

 

 

red the gingerbread man & red the dog

are part of the christmas ornament swap

@ christinalowry designs.

 

they'll be posted off to their new home

by the end of the week.

 

thanks so much for all your kind comments

...i'm feeling much better now...

and i'm sure it's because of all the love you sent to me!

 

many hugz to all of you...

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 

 

 



Squeeze Half a Lemon...

 

good evening!

 

i have been attacked...

so it's one {wo}man down around here,

a random casualty of a spring cold.

 

 

this old fashioned concoction is making a very sore throat

feel a whole lot better...

i've had 3 today.

 

 

boil the jug and let the water cool down a bit while

squeezing the juice out of half a lemon

{wrap the other half up in cling wrap and keep in the fridge for next time}...

pour the juice into a glass or mug

add a good teaspoon or two of honey..a good dollop anyway.

fill up the glass with hot water...

and sip slowly.

 

it really takes the edge off.

 

i'll pop in and visit you again just as soon as i can...

 

take care!

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



A Tiny Feather...

 

hello!

 

 

a tiny feather

found it's way onto my windscreen this morning.

i noticed it

as i pulled out from the school driveway

and onto the main road.

 

 

it was right in my line of vision...

spot on really,

i had to notice it.

 

 

 

i was fascinated.

it was so small and perfect.

i wondered what kind of bird it had belonged to

and why it had lost it.

overthinking really.

 

 

 

i realised i was willing it

not to let go...

not to get bumped off

or loosened by the wind

and carried away.

 

 

 

i realised i was not concentrating on the road

as much as i should be.

 

so i stopped.

gently pried the tiny feather off my windscreen.

placed it carefully on the seat beside me

&

took it home.

 

 

what did you do this morning?

 

 

naturally Carol xox

Retro Christmas Fabric!

 

good morning!

today is our 35th wedding anniversary!!

when reading 'small acorns' post today
i was reminded that it was 'guy fawke's day' in new zealand on that day...
except that it was a saturday in 1977.

our reception was held in my parent's back yard
and we did have fireworks...rockets and sparklers and the whole deal!
i was nineteen and mr w was twenty one...
i don't think either one of us thought we'd ever get this far..hehe!

i still have the wedding cards i received,
i'll have to dig out the best of them and show you...
you'll have a good laugh!

 

 

 

last week i bought a metre of retro christmas fabric

from tanya @ suburban jubilee.

 

 

 

 

it arrived on friday.

it is light but has a great barkcloth texture

the gold is glorious and the colours perfect.

i think it must have been made in the fifties..maybe early sixties.

 

 

 

 

i've been thinking all weekend

about what to make with it.

 

my first thought was cushions

but then thought i don't want them ending up on the floor,

the fabric is too precious.

so i've been thinking of a table runner...

or one for my sideboard...

or perhaps placemats...

or even frame some of it for a christmas picture.

 

what would you do with it?

 

 

it's fun just thinking about it!

 

have a magical monday...

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 

 

 

btw...if you get in quick you can have some...

i checked this morning and there was some left in tanya's shop on her blogsite...

$7 metre + postage = it's a steal!

 



For Her...

 

hi there

i've just come home from 'for her'

&

i'm buzzing...too awake to go to bed yet...even though i should,

i've got to be up and out of the house by a quarter past eight tomorrow morning!
 

 

 

 

it has been a stunning night.

the speaker was alison buttenshaw from newcastle,

she spoke about her experiences

and about forgiveness.

 

 

 

her father was killed by her brother

when she was only ten.

she saw a lot and had a lot to forgive.
 

she has written a book called 'out of the shadows'
which describes her journey from pain to freedom and healing.
 

 

 

 

it wasn't until she was preparing for her wedding

that she realised more deeply what she had lost,

not having a dad to walk her down the aisle among other things.

 

she chose to forgive her brother

despite the destruction that had happened to her family.

 

she finally found the courage to forgive

and found peace.

 

 

 

she talked about the damage that harbouring bitterness causes...

she quoted someone who said...

unforgiveness is like drinking poison

and hoping the other person dies.

 

very strong words.

 

 

 

afterwards there was time to talk,

eat cake and drink tea

at tables that were lit with candles and strewn with pretty stones

and glass jars with lights and baby parasols and tied with ribbons.

 

we even got to take home a party favour!

 

 

aren't the hearts scrumptious?

they'd look great done up in christmas colours...

little ones for the christmas tree

or to dangle on presents.

 

 

enjoy your sunday...

 

naturally Carol xox

 



Life is Sweet!

 

it's friday...again,

boy does it come around quickly sometimes.

 

after being out this morning

for an early breakfast/morning tea with a friend,

i gathered some gorgeous shots of some crafty goodness

going on around me for the next 'for her', tomorrow night...

but i can't show you until sunday

just in case anybody local reads this blog...

well, you never know!

 

 

lyncraft was having a storewide 30% off sale..yippee,

so i got a few bits of fabric, cotton and tiny christmas accessories

as well as some fluoro tape..a bag full of goodies.

 

being totally wiped out when i arrived home

from the heat and the gusty wind...

and of course all that socialising and shopping,

this was the only thing i craved...

 

 

a few pieces of red seedless watermelon..yum!

 

this was better and faster than any rehydrating formula in a bottle,

sweet and delicious...

a bit like my week actually.

 

sometimes

you actually get a week

where you think...

ain't life sweet!

 

haveagreatweekend...

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



Plucked From the Too Hard Basket...

 

good afternoon!

 

last week was a wonderfully slow week.

this week has been wonderful, but busy.

 

 

 

there is something that has been nagging at me...

and for the past couple of weeks i have just folded it up like a piece of laundry

&

put it in my

'too hard basket'.

 

i have to thank ana and janet for being patient with me over this topic too...

which is 'awards'.

 

when i first blogged i duly received a few awards and completed their tasks

 and passed them on...

now i feel myself holding back,

both on the receiving and the giving of  them.

 

there are a few reasons

but the main one is that fifteen or eleven other bloggers to pass them on to seems a bit much...

do you think?

that's a lot of links to write up

&

the awards seem to either be ignored which is disappointing to the giver

or

flood the bloggosphere with everybody getting them

'cos they multiply so rapidly.

 

about two weeks ago

 

ana @ ana love craft

&

janet @ praying at the clothesline screaming at the house

 

both handed out an award in my direction...

thank you girls for your appreciation,

i value your friendship.

 

i encourage you all to go and visit these two newish bloggers

and make some new friends!

they are both lovely.

 

please tell me what you think about this whole subject...

is it in your too hard basket?

 

do you love awards?

 

is is just too time consuming to find so many people to pass them on to,

but would love it if it were only one or two?

 

do you just ignore them when they come your way?

{and feel guilty..'cos you like the person that gave it to you and appreciate them!}

 

i'm interested to hear what you have to say!

 

have a great day...

 

naturally Carol xox