A Comfortable Place...

 

good afternoon!

 

it's so good to be sitting here again.

i've really missed you...

i know it's really only been a few days

but i love to get on here daily or at least every couple of days

and visit you all,

scattering comments like confetti,

laughing with you,

concerned for you and your families...maybe even shooting up a prayer...

or just quietly smiling as i read about your day.

 

 

this afternoon

i've realised that i feel relaxed here.

i can chat to you

and know that i've got a friend in you...

it is a comfortable place.

 

 

 

 

i've tried to be here this week

but i melted.

that day it was thirty nine degrees celsius here

and i could barely read my emails before finding a fan

in a cooler room!

 

 

i've still got a tiny bit of gift shopping to do

&

then i've really got to make out the lengthiest grocery list i'll have all year.

i think i'll take some strong men with me to help!

 

these delightfully wrapped gifts from giveaways at chantille-fleur

 

 

 

and bron@ taylor made arrived this week...

{thank you so much!}

 

 

 

and i know just what i'm going to do with them.

 

 

 

sarah jane's sweet presents are off to a three year old in cairns...far north queensland

&

bron's hand dyed pretty pink doilies are going to be attached to some more tiny totes

... all in good time.

 

 

wishing you all the cheeriest pre christmas week!

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 



Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

good morning!

 

 

this is the morning of the big draw...

 

 

 

we're really into doing things by hand around here,

so names were handwritten on slips of notepaper,

hand folded into quarters so no names are showing,

hand placed into my beaut blue bowl

and then

the winners (two) were handpicked

by mr t...on uni holidays, otherwise busy doing his assignments

&

mr p...who never goes to work on mondays!

 

 



the winners are...

 

{drumroll please!}

 

christina lowry @christina lowry designs

 

&

 

ANB @ suburban sonnet

 

{cheers and applause thank you!}

 

christina and ANB please email me with your addresses

so i can send your little girls a petite tote each.

 

congratulations to you both!

 

better luck next time to everybody else who entered

&

a big thank you for taking part.

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

p.s....sorry no chicken dinners!

 

 



Little Jilly Bag!

 

 

hi there!

 

i was thinking of all those who've entered my giveaway yesterday

who have more than one little girl needing a bag...

 

so i set out to make another one just in case it's needed
or
it could be second prize.

 

weeeell a funny thing happened...

catastrophic at the time really.

 

i was busy cutting out the red spotty lining

then cut out the little squares at the bottom edges so that it has a base...

then

oh, no!

i realised i'd cut them out at the top not the bottom...aaarrrahagggg!

 

but then not only did i make one mistake...hehe

but another..

i was measuring the amount needing to be taken off the other side of the bag

&

whooops!

i took off a full half inch more on that side.

 

well i evened it up...

&

it became shorter,

but sweeter i think!

 

talk about making strawberry jam out of squished strawberries..hehe!

 

i've also made the front pocket wider...

so i thought it needed a completely new name

so it's my "little jilly bag".

 

if you want to enter the giveaway...

just comment on the previous post.

it's still going 'til sunday night.

 

haveagoodweekend!

 

naturally Carol xox

 

p.s...mr t took this gorgeous photo for me...you can see the budding jacaranda tree and a brewing storm in the background.

 

 



Giveaway Very Pink Petite Tote!

good news!

a giveaway!

 

i've made another petite ..very pink...tote

just for one of your little girls,

probably best suited for 2-7 year olds,

but younger ones will grow into it soon enough....

 

 

&

i'm giving it away

to one of my followers!

 

so anybody who follows 'naturally carol' will be eligible,

just leave a comment here..on this post
by the end of sunday...aest..queensland time,

&

the winner will be posted here

on monday, 24 september.

 

my decision will be unequivocally indisputable..hehe!!!!

{which means that my decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into!}

 

 

so if you have any little pinkophiles in your life

i know they'd love a petite tote

to help you with shopping...

guaranteed to fit at least a few sweet surprises inside

&

 has two outside pockets

just waiting for a petite purse or tissue

...perfect for tiny hands to hide tiny treasures in too.

 

 

feel free to become a follower

&

if you have a good reason not to

i'll accept that too!

 

oh..and by the way

everybody..aussie and international followers are welcome to enter,

i will send it 'round the globe for you...

 

hoping you're all feeling terrific this thursday!

 

 

naturally Carol xox


p.s ...i've just linked in with mycreativespace..hop over there for some scrummy creativity.

 

 

 





 

 



A Gift...

good morning!

at seven o'clock this morning

i went to let the dogs outside

and saw this amazing rainbow!

rainbows are a reminder of a promise kept...

and my promise to you..

my followers,

was to host a giveaway

when you reached 200 strong.

so as a heartfelt thank you

to all of you,

who at the moment number 201...

here is how we are going to play

my giveaway game....

this is for my followers exclusively...

go to my 'madeit' site....

and pick out your two favourite items,

then make a comment on this post.

the random number generator will pick out

2 winners

who will win

2 items each, the same or similar, to those items you've picked out!

this giveaway will close sometime on friday 12th august

and i will notify the winners by email

and on this blog.

enjoy yourselves..

i hope you find something you like.

you are my pot of gold...

thank you so much for your friendship

your care and concern

your loyalty

&

for being your delightful, insightful, creative selves!

all followers

new and older

...good luck!

have a marvellous monday ...

naturally Carol xox

And The Winners Are...

Kymmie

from "A Day In The Life Of Us"

&

Tara

from "Shabby In Suburbia"

each of the winners will receive...

one of these!

have a great weekend everyone...

naturally Carol xox

A Royal Wedding Day & Giveaway!

good morning!

i have proved to myself this morning

that i'm just another romantic soul.

with london on every airwave..

or so it seems,

i was overtaken by the urge to create

a cushion to honour the royal wedding...

i wonder what wills and kate will be up to

when big ben gets to five minutes to one!

will they be married..or almost?

i couldn't resist embroidering a tiny crown on the tag this time...

and had to put a small gold button on the selvedge

with a coat of arms...'cos there had to be little bit o' bling!

sorry about the lack of quality in this photo...

the dog (kara) kept interfering..nudging my elbow for a pat

while i was taking all these and this one isn't the clearest of pics!

you can see a little of the back though

with it's polka dots and black buttons...

i'm putting it in the shop in a minute,

so if you'd like it, you'll have to beat off the crowds..lol!

talking about dogs..and pets..

the news this morning said some people want to change the name 'pet'

to 'animal companion' 'cos apparently the name 'pet' is derogatory to an animal!!!!

{is this more political correctness gone bananas???}

ha ha ha !!!

now for a wedding day giveaway...

these remind me of english country gardens!

a tumble of flowers and colours,

light and shade.

i thought i'd give these little cushions to two people

who leave comments on this site...

normal (for me) rules apply.

ie...if you're a follower you get 2 votes for leaving a comment,

if you're not you get 1 vote.

anybody, whereever you live, can enter...

my friend debbie from canberra sent me the little squares...

already sewn into four patch squares!

vanessa {clip cafe & flower photography blogs}

from western australia sent the inserts...

which i ended up not needing for the theodore cushion collection!

mel sent the lovely pink backing fabric...

it was in my pink present from the colour swap!

and i added assorted threads and buttons and labour!

they are only tiny cushions..about 35cm x 35 cm

but very sweet.

all the best to the brits

and their royal wedding...

we're celebrating with you this friday!

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




 

Le Petit Bunting Giveaway Winners!

good morning!

i have filled my bowl with

origami doves!

there is one dove for every entry...

so if you entered a comment about the bunting you got a dove

and

if you were a follower/friend as well,

you got two doves!

i then took a long pair of tongs

and stirred them up

and the first dove i pulled out was

NO. 14

the first winner is:

trish at 'my little drummer boys'

congratulations trish

the second dove i pulled out with my tongs was

NO. 31

the second winner is:

gwen at 'gwenny-penny'

congratulations gwen

and

i have made an extra present for these winners

as

i figured the bunting would more than likely

feature in a kids room

i made the mums both a 'pink flower sugar' apron

these will be put in the mail with the bunting!

 



and

i decided there would be a 'runner up' as well

the next dove my tongs connected with was

NO 23

congratulations to

joni illanora at 'the diary of joni & anya'

she will receive a little cushion

with a frill...

i will contact you all asap

and ask that you email me with your names and addresses

so i can send you your goodies!

my commiserations

to everyone else who entered...

i appreciated your encouraging comments

and would have loved to see you all win...

maybe next time!

naturally Carol xox

Grateful for...

people...

family is always first when

you ask people who they are grateful for...

that's true.

friends are always next on the list...

that's true too.

often i've found

i appreciate strangers!

people i don't know now

are potential friends.

sometimes miracles happen in my life

through strangers!

sometimes strangers appreciate things about me

that family and friends overlook,

and that encourages me!

i found this today in an email

and i'm grateful to be reminded :)

love people use things

not

love things and use people.

i'm grateful for you today...

naturally Carol  xox

ps...i'm linking up with maxabellaloves today...

pps...you can still be part of the 'le petit bunting' giveaway...see tuesdays post for details!

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!

Cutting It Out Creatively...

after finishing my summer tablecloth

yesterday morning,

i was excited...

i've never made one before.

my inspiration

was my friend irene in new zealand

who's family is dutch.

she used to put a rug on her dining room table!

it looked fantastic.

so i thought

i could make a patchwork tablecloth

and dress my table with it...

this morning,

though,

i was just wondering

how to start.

have you ever been there?

so i just fiddled around

with the fabric i have in my little plastic box

and came up with

a few ideas

to keep me off the streets!

these will be breakfast place mats,

the retro pattern is the front,

the red connected dots will be the back...

should i put a third piece of fabric in between the layers for bulk?

or a thin piece of padding?

i would love it if you would let me know!

&

&

a couple more 'flower sugar' and pink polka dotty aprons...

{all the girls in the family...me included...are loving pink aprons!}

&

 the start of a couple of little girly cushions,

a rectangle and a small square,

just inched out of left over pink flower sugar.

i'll have to hunt around for coordinating materials now

to finish them.

{i haven't made a rectangular cushion before!}

now!

it's on to the fun stuff.

just a giveaway reminder...

if you want to enter to win

one of two

'le petit bunting' strings like this -

see tuesdays post for details

or leave a comment here...

entries open until sunday!

i'm linkin' up with kootoyoo today!

do you want to see who's there too?

naturally Carol  xox

Summer Tablecloth...

good morning!

did you wonder?

why

on monday i called the post 'tea for two?'...

it was a hint, 'cos

all that sunshine yellow, grassy green and other summery goodness

was becoming

my

summer tablecloth!

 grab a cuppa, sit down nice and close to the computer

 and i'll tell you about it...

i used

bits of a 'dream on' charm pack,

three fabrics from the 'botany' range

and two from 'nicey jane'

based on the dimensions of  six charm squares

joined together to form a rectangle,

it grew like topsy!

my summer tablecloth

measures 45" by 56"....

just the right size for my square table

next to the window in the dining room...about a metre square.

it's actually the one i've been using

for sewing and watching the world go by outside my window.

i patched the front,

lined it with mainly 'nicey jane',

bound the edges

and tagged it!

so one day,

when you come around,

i'll pull out my 'summer tablecloth'.

we'll have tea and scones together

with lashings of jam and cream,
 i'll use my best china,

and... we can both watch the world
go by outside my window.

remember?

i'm giving away

two

strings of 'le petit bunting'

read yesterdays post for details...

you can leave a comment there or here to enter!

hoping you have an opportunity

to use your talents

to bless someone today!

naturally Carol xox