My Blue Heaven!

hi!

this fabric

is as close to blue heaven as i could get...

romantic and dreamy

and just adore blue and white stripes,

they are a match made in heaven...truly!

want a closer look at the stripes?

and the back?

now just imagine yourself

lying in amongst this trio of comfy blue goodness

on your freshly painted verandah...

under blue skies

this summer!

yep...

i'm just imagining it now...

hang in there...

summer's coming to oz...very soon!

naturally Carol xox

Bright 'n' Stripey!

afternoon all!

i've just been out to lunch

taking this yellow one with me

as a gift to my friend maree

to celebrate her birthday!

she is made out of my last bit of yellow lecien fabric

so i filled in the middle with spots to stretch it further...

maree said she is going to keep it in her car

so her kids don't abscond with it...lol!

yellow polka dots and pre-loved buttons...

the colour of daffodils...mmm!

at the cafe

kim who works for habitat for humanity,

came up to me.

she said..the ladies who received the handmade cushions

that teje and debbie made

were absolutely blown away with the thought,

that someone

would make a cushion for them!

well done both of you...you're gems!

well i'm still counting down with the primary school cushions..

another one for the prep kids...number 24!



bright 'n' stripey is what i'm calling this one...

it's made with vanessa's fabric..from 'flower photography'...

thanks..

from the side...

the back view...

by the way,

the mass of flowers next to the cushion

is actually a hat..made by miss b...

i am caretaker of said hat..while she is in canada...haha!

{i did actually wear it out to a lunch once too!}

i'm having a lot of fun in my neck of the woods..

i hope you are too!

naturally Carol xox

Grateful for..Beach Weather!

g'day...

today there is perfect beach weather...

sunny with a few clouds..

warm not windy..just a bit of a breeze...

this is the view from my computer window

looking towards noosa.

the sea will be warm...

children will be building sandcastles.

max and kara are going too...

to run

max has never been before!

i wonder what he'll think of those noisy waves...

and all that sand and water??

i made another cushion this morning..

while the household was snoozing

...it had to be a beach cushion!

beach balls, sun, sand and surf...

stripey beach umbrellas and strawberry and chocolate sundaes

for fun!

why am i grateful?

everybody is going to the beach....

except for me..

i'm having time to myself

to breathe

and read

and drink coffee!

alone time to refresh my soul

that's what i need.

naturally Carol xox

p.s....only 10 cushions to go!

pps...linking up with 'maxabella' for gratitude saturday!

Crazy for Dots & Stripes!

g'day!

we've had a bit of everything weatherwise this morning..

sunshine and rain

heat and humidity

cool breezes and stillness!

i saw these outside my bedroom window this morning

and just had to show you...

don't they look a picture?

i made two 'crazy for dots & stripes' cushions on the weekend,

one on saturday and one on sunday.

i am going to show them to you interspersed with more photos

of my beautiful pink crepe myrtle...

both displayed 'on the black couch'...

the embroidered tag..plus a few odd threads...on the front of  'mr big stripes'...

the back of 'mr big stripes'

fresh after morning rain...

the front of 'miss crazy for stripes'

the back of 'miss crazy for stripes'...

i had to insert a panel of spots...'cos i didn't have quite enough fabric!

a spray of flowers in the sunshine!

spots and stripes tag on the front of the little cushion...

check out the ladybird on the table!

now i had a bit of fun with this photo,

it wasn't quite in focus...so i chrystallised it!

a little chrystal effect...

i couldn't resist the colours...that deep pink contrasts with the pale blue...

like wallpaper really!

if you want to enter my apron giveaway

go back to yesterday's post and leave a comment to choose the prize you would prefer.

one entry for each comment

and

an extra entry for my 'friends' {followers}!

a big hug and welcome to all my new friends

and 'hello' to any browsers out there!

if you would like to join with me and make cushions for the flood affected people of queensland

please send me an email...we would love to have you on board!

tuesday

is dollar movie day at our local dvd shop..

so i'm off to find a chick flick for the afternoon...

and cut out a new cushion!

naturally Carol xox

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!

Le Petit Bunting...

good morning!

ever since i've browsed other blogs,

just lurking in the shadows shyly...

i have been intrigued with bunting.

bright and beautiful,

shabby chic and dreamy...

tiny or not,

inside or wrapped around trees.

yesterday

i was just wondering

if

i could make some too.

so i came up with this...

i happened to have some of this...

you may remember

i used these strips in a cushion last month.

they were originally strips that miss b had sewn together

and given to me.

then i used some in the 'love' cushions,

and i had about four strips left over.

i chopped them into these.

then chopped up some purple polycotton to back them with.

then i sewed some onto some aqua craft ribbon.

different lengths and patterns

that i joined together

and some got sewn onto a brown ribbon

that was lying around

in my box of tricks.

for a first go

i'm happy with them...

i'm not sure what to do with them though,

i might give them away...

next week

if i can figure out how!

thank God it's friday.

mr w is coming home for a long weekend,

miss b is coming home tomorrow too!

{i've had a pesky sore knee all week

and made myself a support bandage

out of light green knit ribbed stuff

that was lying around...hehehe

i wouldn't dare show you

for all the tea in china!}

though next week

i might thrill you

with a look at that seventies style pillowcase

i've been hiding from ya...

just so you can have a good laugh

at my expense!  lol

"a merry heart does good like a medicine,"....proverbs 17: 22

have a very merry weekend,

full of laughter and joy...

naturally Carol  xox



One Hour of Sunshine...

yesterday

there were storms all day...



blowing all the new jacaranda flowers off the trees.

the rain made this hippeastrum even more beautiful...

but it was a very dull day to take photos of my sewing.

this morning,

i got up at six,

and there was one hour of sunshine!

i grabbed my camera

despite

having birdsnest hair and a nightie on...

{thank goodness i wasn't in the shots...hehehe}

this is a library bag

to top up the box i put together last friday.

you may remember bits of these fabrics from other projects.

these are the last pieces of some of them.

i couldn't resist the scottie dog button i found in the button tin,

he' off on his own adventure now!

tuesday is just the day for an adventure...

hoping yours is wonderful.

naturally Carol  xox

A Tale of 3 Cushions...

good morning!

last saturday,

i wanted to sew something

but was at a bit of a loose end.

i didn't know what to sew or what fabric to use.

so

i rummaged around my little box of fabric pieces.

{i don't have much, it was a short rummage}

anyway,

i came across a few strips of pink

that miss b had sewn together and passed on to her mum {me!}

and said

"you can do anything you like with these".

i thought,

"i could slice these up with my cutter,

and put a few more bits in

and make a cushion"

well,

i added a bit of this and that and

ended up with four sides.

then i thought,

"this front really doesn't go with that",

so,

i'll put this with that and this one should have some of another,

and

i ended up with

3 cushions.

i am only showing you one today.

i'll show you one tomorrow,

and one on thursday...

'cos there's nothing like

anticipation!

shari

decided that she liked all their girlie goodness,

so they are no longer up for adoption.

i call them my

'love' collection.

i love the way

that scraps

can end up being made into

something useful...

fun...

and cute.

i am amazed that

Jesus Christ

has taken my scrappy life

and is making it

beautiful.

naturally Carol xox

Perfectly Practical...

tea towels are perfectly practical

as opposed to...

mary poppins

who

as we all know is

practically perfect!

they only take a few minutes

to cut out and sew,

perfect for using

oddments of fabric.

the butterfly fabric

is a leftover from miss b's endeavors.

the patches

are 'city weekend' charm squares,

which happen to contrast with

royal blue

beautifully.

these 'maxwell & williams' teatowels

come in a pack of three

and are only a few bucks each

on special....yippee!

i reckon

they will make

great gifts...

thank you and i'm thinking of you

presents and stocking fillers...

'cos

i'm a practical kind of person,

i guess.

haveagoodweekend!

naturally carol xox



Sewing a Rainbow...

rainbows are promises...

remember noah's ark.

i made a promise to a grandma...

this is what i came up with.

"Alicia"

"Mia"

"Leah"

grandma and i

can't wait to see if

all of her girls

approve of these three..

but i felt there had to be a mite more..

the presents just weren't complete

so soon...

i'll show you what fun i had

when something else arrived in the mail.

p.s.  these maids have a brother,

just a small tyke

who may want to join in with

the kitchen fun..so

"tai"

this is for him.

do something today...

just for fun.

naturally Carol  xox