Summer Apron...

g'day!

 

isn't it lovely

when you get to the end of a little list

&

the last item

gets a big tick.

 

this summer apron

has got the tick of approval from it's new owner

so i'm happy too.

 

 

 

blue skies and sunshine

are the essence of summer

don't you think?

 

...not to mention

sprigs of fresh green with tiny red buds...

 

how could i not be energised

sewing this sweet combination of fabrics?

 

 

the details make sewing fun...

 

cute buttons & a bit of selvedge

ric rac trim

'if' embroidery tag

 

all wrapped up in a bow!

 

 

 

tailored to fit

a standard sized dining room chair..hehe!

 

i'm hoping this sweet monday

is the start of a sunny week for you all...

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



Apron 'n Paris!

hi!

oh, i know i'm a bit silly

but when i was taking pics of the apron i made yesterday

i was thinking of the movie

'april in paris'

and just had to tweak it a bit for my title...hehe!

i made this for a friends birthday...which is today.

i finished it just as the sun was setting

&

of course the light was diminishing fast in my dining room.

'friends' tag..came from a packet of scrapbooking tags

that were on special a couple of months ago at big w...

they are printed on canvas but i don't know how washable they are.

nevermind, if they disintegrate, the rest of the stitching can just be pulled out.

i always like to make the ties

just a bit longer than the pattern specifies...

plenty of length to make a lovely big bow at the back

or to bring around the front and tie up.

i've folded the apron up,

gift wrapped it,

tied the package with a bow,

personalised the card...

&

now i'm off to party!

enjoy your friends today...

naturally Carol xox



Short 'n' Sweet!

good afternoon!

it's warm enough outside,

the sun is shining

but there's a cold breeze biting

and my fingers are freezing

and keep tripping over one another...

i think i need a pair of those fingerless gloves,

the keyboard keeps sucking the warmth out of them..brrr!

at least i was sitting in the sunshine

when i was sewing earlier...

so my brain didn't freeze..hehe!

this apron's short 'n' sweet..

kind of 'curly pops' colours i think!

mostly my aprons have length for long peeps

but this ones for the shorties.

there's a pocket there somewhere

and a teatowel loop as well...

and a delicious bit of white ricrac trimming the waistband!

light and summery

this fine cotton

was flouncing on the cool breeze...

sporting a hem trim purchased from 'beach vintage'!

the waistband is trimmer for the slightly slimmer

but the ties are just as long as ever...

in fact i think you could tie several kids

on to your apron strings with these!!

after taking these pics

i went around to the sunny side of the house

&

caught sight of these...

they are miniature chrysanthemums...

small 'n' sweet,

and just the right shade of pink

to match my apron!

i'm wishing you all

a sunshiney weekend with

warm hands

&

warm hearts...

naturally Carol xox

ps..this one's into the 'madeit' shop too...just in case someone petite

wants an apron short 'n' sweet!

Dreams or Memories?

good afternoon!

you know the thought occurred to me recently

that what is a dream for some

is a memory for others...

and right at this very moment

somebody's dream is becoming a reality...

and then may just be a memory.

how strange is that?

what set me off on that chain of thoughts?

i was sewing this apron...

the fabric has little globes and cuckoo clocks

and words like 'destination', 'airplane' and 'exploring'

and names of countries...

a bit of gypsy glitter on the pocket,

pleats

and a tea towel loop.

long ties make a grand bow

or are long enough to tie around the front!

does this apron remind you of the travel you've done...

or

the dreams that you have

tucked away in your heart?

dreams of...

exploring the amazon in south america..

{being attacked by piranhas..

sorry, that would be my nightmare!}

or memories...

of safaris and sunsets

in africa?

i've remembered that this is 'my creative space'

&

i'm joining in with 'kootoyoo'!

naturally Carol xox

ps...dreaming...this apron can be yours from my 'madeit' shop...button, top, right hand side!

The Green Apron...

good afternoon!

today i'm even later than yesterday...

the sun is down on the other side of the hills

and last light is fast approaching!

but

i have a good reason

for not posting sooner...

i've finished the green apron.

pressed and on the hanger..

a bit of detail..

a flower shaped button on the frilly pocket

&

the loop.

'fandango'..a great fabric to work with,

beautiful quality

&

a kind of polished look to it.

{thanks kate spain!}

the back and ties...

a black label & 'if''.

hopefully this will get mailed tomorrow

or friday at the latest...it will be a surprise..maybe?

{sometimes she checks out this blog..lol}

i've got other news too...

last night i made my first sale on 'madeit'.

i was so excited

i got up early this morning to wrap it prettily

and post it off on it's way to melbourne..yay!

i've got more news too..

i won a 'versatile blogger' award

from beth at 'boatshedchic'..

i'll pass that on tomorrow.

i think i might see if i can join in with 'kootoyoo' today..

if blogger will let me play!

'til tomorrow..

oh by the way..did you watch oprah last night..

i did..and i'm looking forward to tonight!

two more shows to go ..here in oz..

naturally Carol xox

Frilling!

hello there!

it's late in the afternoon

and the shadows are lengthening fast.

the warmth of the day is ebbing away

and the cool of the evening is seeping in.

i took the opportunity this afternoon

in the warmth of my little sewing nook...

to sew a frilly pocket

onto the apron i cut out yesterday....

frills are thrilling me at the moment

so i'm adding them where i can!

i love the softness they add to an item

&

that added dimension and prettiness.

i'm thrilled about a few things today:

i won one of nikki's new books from jodie at ric rac..yay!

&

got a special package from my friend deb in canberra...

a real pick-me-up!

i am totally overwhelmed with your blessings deb and jodie...

thank you so much.

i'll share more later about these.

by the way..i did comment on some posts yesterday

and then found that blogger wasn't connecting me properly..

so if i'm a regular commenter on your blog

and you didn't hear from me yesterday,

it's not favouritism

it's just 'cos when i had to sign in...

i had to sign in

&

sign in

&

sign in

&

then it made me an anonymous commenter

&

still wouldn't sign me in!!!

so

i gave up and left!

i hope it's fixed itself today.

i forced myself to go out last night

to my usual tuesday evening thing..

and

it forced me to reconsider some silly sad thoughts

that have roamed around in my brain

the last few days..

then being blessed by deb and jodie

put those thoughts away permanently.

as a result i feel my normal self has returned

and the joy i usually carry around is back

where it should be,

in my heart.

i love having friends!

wishing you are having a joyful wednesday!

naturally Carol xox



Snowy & Miss Ted!

hi there!

in the early hours of the morning

i was dreaming of sewing something different..

well it ended up that it wasn't too different

but just a kind of mini me different!

snowy and miss ted needed a new portrait taken,

so they agreed to model this new piece of clothing for me...haha!

'snowy' belongs to my brother,

he lives here on a semi permanent basis,

but may be called upon at any moment

to go back and live with mr b.

miss ted belongs to mr s

and mr s is overseas.

miss ted may be called upon in the future

to be part of his family again too.

until then they are happily living together with me!

miss ted's new apron has a little selvedge tag

and pretty yellow ric rac braid...

just like the big aprons.

{there's a little pocket as well!}

aww! i just happened to click

as she upped and turned around...

it's a little bit blurry!

the perfect portrait at last.

snowy is a lot older than miss ted.

she is only in her early thirties

whereas he is in his fifties.

if there was a tv series called

'grumpy old teds'

i think he should be in it!

she is as sweet natured as they come.

have a sweet thursday

and make something different for a change...

naturally Carol xox

ps...sorry about not showing caroline's cushions today..they'll have to be later..the creative urge usurped their place..sorry caroline!

Metro Retro!

hi there,

i'm hibernating today..

so i'll show you a little metro apron

i did a while back,

'cos i'm not doing nuffink..haha..today!

have a lovely day

naturally Carol xox

Farmdale Apron!

hi...

despite the clouds and the rain

it has been a good day so far!

i had an order for an apron

so i made it up today.

when i saw the 'farmdale' fabric

that came in the post last week

i knew that it would make just the one she wanted..i hope, anyway!

after making so many cushions,

i felt a bit rusty making an apron..

but i think it turned out ok.

all the bells & whistles are here,

the selvedge detail

&

the embroidered 'if'' tag...

this baby is all ready to pack up

and go to a new home!

mr m is coming up to visit..yay

it's been a while since i've seen him

and kara, his dog, will be over the moon.

it's getting a bit chilly here as the afternoon wears on,

and there's not a ray of sunshine in sight

so i'm off to put on a woolly cardi

and i'll catch you later!

take care & have fun

naturally Carol xox

And The Result Is...

True Random Number Generator

Min:

Max:

 Result: 1

Powered by RANDOM.ORG



congratulations

to

kimmie

@ 'the serendipity cafe'

you have won...

'miss happy daisy' apron

{handmade by moi!}

kimmie..please email me at naturallycarol@hotmail.com with your full name and address.

it was quite funny 'cos as i was printing out everybody's names

i thought to myself...number one never wins...

i always see numbers in the middle of the pack so to speak!

then i went into random. org and used their generator

and lo and behold

out pops number one...lol...

so really it proved my thoughts wrong..ha!ha!

i'm sure 'miss happy daisy'

will be appreciated!

thank you all so much for your recent support
...i have loved reading all of your comments so much.
i'll have to do another giveaway when i reach 150 followers

...probably not too many months away!

have a great weekend..

naturally Carol xox

ps....the cushion mystery is solved...those 'lilac beauties' and kids cushions featured

'on the black couch' yesterday

were sent to me

{for families affected by the queensland floods!}

 generously by 'the spangler' from her blog...'the quick unpick'!

i'll put her link up on the blogroll...right hand side...

she's a wonderfully creative woman who makes amazing clothes for her girls

and her house...go and say 'hi' if you haven't met her...

and a big thankyou from me!

we now have 19 cushions!

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




 

Meadowsweet...

hi...today has been a hot humid sunny day

and we've just had a thunderstorm!

so glad to cool down a bit...

nice of the sun to pop in though this summer!

i made this apron over a week ago..

but with one event after another

just didn't have the heart to show you last week.

the design is a slightly modified amy butler...

cutting out was the hardest part...

getting the rows of flowers just right

and the dots!

the back...i love a generous tie,

in fact

i always use the whole width of the fabric per tie...

that way they can be tied around the front

if that's the way you choose to wear it.

showing the teatowel loop..

very handy when baking.

the pocket...could be a little bigger

...next time!

using the selvedge

to give miss apron a 'sweet' name!

'Y'...as in 'why?'

i can't resist a comment

as my regular readers will know...

i leave a trail of them,

so

y

not

here!

just a note...a bit of a p.s really...

if you want to make a cushion to give to a flood affected person or family...

see yesterdays post for details.

leave a comment or send me an email for an address to send one to!

i'd love you to join me

naturally Carol xox