Inspired By Snow - White Fur Cushion Cover

This white fur cushion cover was inspired by all the beautiful snow that we've had lately.

The sun made an appearance this morning so I was finally able to take some photos and add it to my shop.

  

I think it's a fun whimsical piece that would make a great accent in any home.

Enjoy!

All Change - Inside My Craft Room

I feel extremely fortunate to be able to use one of our bedrooms as my craft room (although I hate to admit it but I still take over other spaces in the house too).

In a sudden fit of madness I decided I would move my craft room from one bedroom to another.  It seemed like a good idea until I was knee deep in boxes and both bedrooms looked like a tornado had made a destructive path through them.

It took several hours but a few sore muscles and one pulled back later  I finally got both bedrooms squared away. 

I always love seeing the workspaces of others so I thought it might be nice to share some photos of my workspace with you too.

 I still need to get some artwork up on the walls but I haven't quite decided what yet.  I'll have fun figuring it out though.

Dark Dreams

Photo by Nicola Dyche

It’s that time of night when it’s really dark

That dreams appear like a predatory shark

Some where no-one can hear your cries

Thankfully it ends when you open your eyes

by Kathryn Dyche Dechairo

Ink Drawings By Nicola Dyche

I love crafting and creating but the one thing I can't do is draw.  Thankfully my sister (Nicola) was blessed with this artistic talent.

These are just some of her latest pieces.

I love where her mind goes, her imagination and the stories she's able to convey through a drawing.

I also love the whimsy in her work which can't help but draw a smile.

If you're interested in Nicola's work she can be contacted by email.

Heating & Hot Water Saga

You can just imagine the look on my face when I turned on the shower Saturday morning only to be greated by ice cold water and the crushing realisation that our propane gas had run out.  That meant no heating, hot water or the stove for cooking on.

We live down a very steep and long 3/4 of a mile dirt road and after the recent snow storms it's made it impossible for any big trucks to make it down to us including the truck that we'd need to fill up our propane tank (in fact we can barely make it up and down our road in our own 4x4 vehicles).

In an attempt to find a solution and temporary fix our heating company sent someone out at 8pm that evening with three small tanks of gas which they had to connect above ground to our inground tank.  Unfortunately this lasted all of one day before the hot water went out on us again.  There just wasn't enough pressure to keep the hot water tank lit.

So yesterday evening they came back out and attached another three small tanks in the hope that it might help with the problem.  

It was sheer heaven having a hot shower this morning and I'm just hoping and praying that these extra tanks last longer than a day this time.  I'm also hoping for a big heat wave so that the ice and snow on our road will melt and enable us to get a proper refill real soon.

Hope the rest of you are staying warm and safe.

Latest Creation - Brown Fur Cushion Cover

After my husband was such a sweetheart and cleared our deck of snow this weekend I was finally able to get outside and take some photos of a new cushion cover that I recently created.

Brown Fur Cushion Cover

This fun piece is the perfect accent  for your space and it's so soft and tactile you just won't be able to keep your hands off it.

The Rat/Thing By Augusten Burroughs

One of my favorite pieces of writing is a chapter in Augusten Burrough's book 'Magical Thinking' where he describes an encounter with a rat/thing.

Illustration by Nicola Dyche

Extract from this chapter:

This morning at four-thirty I woke up and walked into the bathroom to take a leak.  I am one of those people who must wake up at least six times during the night to either pee or eat refrigerated M&M's.  I am probably prediabetic as a result of my constant M&M consumption, thus the need to pee frequently at night.

So I was standing there in the dark, half-asleep, trying to keep my burn-victim dream afloat, when I hear a vague, dry scratching noise coming from the bathtub.  Definitely not a drip.

I paused midstream to listen, but there was no sound.  So I played the alcoholic's wild card and pretended I never heard anything in the first place.  But then as I was getting ready to flush, I heard it again.  I turned on the light and peered into the tub where I saw an actual rat/thing trying desperately to scratch/shuffle up and outside.  It would make a run for the slanted rear of the tub, get halfway up, and then slide back down the smooth white porcelain.

I was struck with a bolt of distilled horror like I have never known before.  Far worse than suddenly finding yourself walking through a prison cafeteria wearing Daisy Duke shorts and a Jane Fonda headband.

And like a campy cartoon housewife, I climbed on top of the sink, crouching under the ceiling and scorching my bald head on the light bulb of the vanity.  I am over six feet tall, so this was a very sad sight.

Knowing I couldn't remain on top of the sink, I climbed down and made my way to my desk, where I sat at my computer.  I lifted my feet off the floor and folded my legs up underneath me to think.

Where did the rat/thing come from?  Where?  And of course, the answer came to me in the same way Jesus comes to those who drink in trailers: as an epiphany.

The rat/thing came from the faucet  . . . . . . .

His writing style is offbeat and extremely comical and while it's not to everyone's taste I absolutely love it.  If you haven't had the weird experience of reading any of his works I would highly recommend it.

Magical-Thinking - Augusten-Burroughs

The Versatility Of Totes

Totes are one of the most versatile bags and can be used to carry a multitude of items.

Teal Tote

From shopping . . . . .

Red Star Tote

. . . . . to groceries.

Paisley Tote

Schoolwork and books . . . . .

Pink & Brown Paisley Tote

. . . . . to housing your latest projects.

The Big Dig - Blizzard 2010

Yesterday my husband spent the day trying to dig us out after getting over 2.5 ft of snow.  The pic below might look like a beautiful winter scene but under there somewhere is our driveway.

My poor husband trying to shovel us out.

Our home.

It's times like these when you wish for a super short driveway.

This is the view from the end of our driveway of the 3/4 of a mile dirt road we live down.  It is covered in about 3ft of snow and doesn't get plowed.  Not sure when we're going to make it back out in the land of the living again.

One trench dug for one tire . . . just another one to go!

See you some time in March. :0)

Blizzard Of 2010 - North Virginia

We thought the snow storm we had before Christmas was really bad but the one we had this weekend was even worse.

Last time I measured we were at 29 inches and the snow was still coming down fast.

My husbands truck was fast becoming burried.

And our driveway was nowhwere to be seen.

Yesterday evening we started trying to dig out my husbands truck.

But we still have a very long driveway to try and dig out with just one small snow shovel.  Who know's when we'll make it out.