The Thing About Blogging Is..

i was thinking this morning..in the wee hours of around 4 a.m...

that one of the greatest things about blogging is

that to the drama queens among us...it's a stage,

to the writers among us...it's a fresh new page

&

to the artists among us..it's a blank wall

in our own private exhibition!

the thing that some don't realise

is that it's also an insight to our heart,

here we wear it on our sleeve in every post,

even when we try and cover it up.

a tribute to another beautiful sunny morning...kara on her bed in the sunshine.

the bible says to 'guard your heart...

because out of it flow the issues of life',

passion or poison

gratitude or greed

forgiveness or revenge...

i must say that i love most of what i read

and appreciate the kind and generous hearted people i've met here.

i love the way you open up your hearts regularly

&

let your love flow out into cyberspace

to be balm to the lonely and needy

...and me...thank you!

don't you just love fresh clean sheets?

when i changed the linen yesterday

i took this photo of the pillowcase i made a couple of months back.

i've made quite a few for my linen cupboard lately

&

some for others as well.

this fabric didn't really appeal to me when i first made it up

so i couldn't give it away...

but it's grown on me

and is a part of my

shake-off-those-winter-webs-'cos-spring-is-'round-the-corner campaign

happening at my house this week.

lots o' love

naturally Carol xox



That Seventies Pillow!

good morning sunshine...

well, it's cloudy here

and i feel like something the cat's dragged in!

but

i hope you're feeling sunny!

i mentioned that i would show you

the pillowcase i made

that the kids laughed at and said

belonged to the seventies

the egg carton must be a seventies relic too?

despite the mirth of my offspring

i think it will go quite well under my orange pillowcase

as i used a little piece for the label.

this morning i've got my pink aprons underway

and sewed a little pink ruffle on the front of the 'flower sugar' cushion.

i have decided

{with the help of my blogger friends]

to sandwich the placemats with polar fleece...

if you want to be in the running

for my 'le petit bunting' giveaway...

comment here

to say you want in

or

visit tuesday's post
for details...
opportunity ends sunday midnight aussie time...
will announce winners (2)
on my monday post...
all the best to you!

may your weekend be
all that you want it to be!

naturally Carol xox

ps...i'm off to find a small cave somewhere that i can curl up in and zzzzzzzzzzzz...znooze!

Pillow Case Party...

they had a sale at lincraft

a week and a half ago,

30 percent off everything, they said,

who could resist this cute fabric, with it's flowers, bees and ladybirds?

my pillowcases

are old and shabby,

threadbare and boring!

i definitely need a new pile...

i thought my new style would be

colourful and crazy,

mismatched and interesting...to me.

so now i have made a pretty pale green one,

two pretty flower, lady bird and bee ones,

one jazzy orange one

and one little flowerprint one that would've been at home in the seventies!

they will be great for guests who sleep on the lounge...

or in the spare room,

or where ever!

i think i need new pillows next...

they're getting a bit flat

and you need about three for a good night's sleep!

if i get game

i'll show you my seventies one sometime...

didn't mean it to be that way

but it just evolved !  hehehe!

pillowtalking

is cool this tuesday...

naturally Carol  xox

ps...i hope it's sunny tomorrow 'cos i'll then i can show you pics of my new pink apron!

Crazy Linen...

i loved sleeping on my fresh,newly made, orange pillowcase last night,

the cotton was soft and smooth.

this morning i was thinking

what fun it would be..

to have a crazy linen set

a bit like a crazy tea set!

where you gather what ever your mood dictates

to make up the linen for your bed...

put away {or spice up} those dull beiges

and put away those elegant but terribly correct creams!

oranges and lemons,

florals and spots,

reds and turquoises,

greens and blues...

all are welcome in my rooms!

leave those neutrals

for the walls

and the floors

and the ceilings

and add pillows of colour

to bring on the dreamin'...

karen sue who left a comment on my post yesterday
had a great idea...
when making a quilt
grab a couple of yards of your favourite fabric
to make new pillowcases.

i'm taking the liberty
of including the measurements of my pillowcase here:

topside...29 1/2 " x 21" or 75 cm x 53.5 cm

bottomside...35" x 21" or 90 cm x 53.5 cm

(this uses nearly all of 1 yard of 44" wide fabric)

i firstly hemmed the opening topside edge
fold over raw edge  1/4" hem, then fold over again stitching 1" hem.
topstitch near the edge.

hem the bottomside opening raw edge 1/4" and then fold again and stitch another 1/4" hem.

match up the top and bottom pieces of fabric,
fold and press the excess bottomside fabric to form a pouch for the pillow to sit into.
{so you can't see the bare pillow from the opening}

stitch wrong sides of fabric together along side seams {1/4" seam allowance}
turn so that right sides of fabric are together,
iron so that the side seams are neat.
stitch side seams again, making a french seam, just over 1/4" from edge,
{so that your first seams are encased in the fabric}.

make sure that you catch all 3 layers of fabric at the opening end when you sew the sides.

sew the bottom of the pillowcase closed.

turn the right way and press with an iron.

ps... if you want to decorate the top, i think it is best done
after you hem it and before the side seams are sewn.

i hope that makes sense to you...
otherwise there are lots of great tutorials on other blogs and utube.

by the way...
i took the multifocal glasses back to the optometrist,
{have spoken to others who say they never get used to them either..
one old man was told he'd get used to them in a couple of YEARS!!!}

he replaced them free of charge with ordinary lenses...
they are now great!

and...
mr t and sharrie
arrived in bendigo
at 11.30 pm on tuesday night.
it took them about about 24 hours driving
over 2 days to get there...{with a trailer on the back}.
i am one relieved mum!

wishing you all a creative weekend...

naturally Carol xox

An Orange Creative Space...

last week,

i blundered my way into kootoyoo's place,

not really doing it right, i suspect...

well, just thought i'd have another go

and perhaps,

do it all a little better?

i'm a copycat really.

i was visiting anna maria horner's corner

and saw a bit of orange pillow

that i found irresistable!

{unlike my majorly uncool bed pics}

so i made a pillowcase this morning

out of anna's 'innocent crush'.

i wanted an envelope end on this one...

i think it is the vibrancy

of the orange,

the unexpected clash of pale pink,

and the circles of maroon

that appeals to

my unconventional, hippy chick, lived through the '70s side.

i finished this at half past nine

this morning!

i had a sore knee

that got me out of bed early...

at half past five,

i was washing dishes and feeding the dogs.

a cup of coffee

is on the agenda

this drizzley thursday morning,

perfect weather for sewing and blogging!

sometimes it's all about the fabric...

naturally Carol xox