winter sale

i've been marking down oodles of winter goods in the hodge podge shop to make room for spring, so get 'em while they're here! keep an eye on the SALE section as i'll be adding more stuff and slashing prices all week long. if you've been coveting something, or recently realized your current hat just doesn't keep your ears warm, hop on over and browse!

ruffly re-style

would you believe you can go from this to this with just a few simple snips and stitches? this is a very easy project that won't cost a penny, and scores high on the eco-points! win win! it seems to be very popular over on CraftStylish; i think this one's got more comments than any of my previous tutes...

the farm adventure begins

so, it occurs to me that i haven't really explained where the hell i am, or what on earth i'm doing exactly. let me fill you in! for the next three months, i am care-taking an incredible farm owned by some dear friends of mine. a few years ago, these dear friends realized that running a farm in winter in the Catskills is HARD WORK and, though there are aspects that are completely amazing, they might rather enjoy packing up a few ponies and wintering in Florida. they asked me two years ago if i would be interested in farm-sitting for the winter, but at that time, it wasn't an option for me. this past summer though, when the idea was again presented, i slowly began to realize that this could be the ideal situation to catapult me into my new life upstate.





well, here i am! i've given up all of my jobs and my apartment in the city, and the adventure begins. i am caring for 5 horses, 12 guinea hens, and 2 cats here on the farm. snow management is now a major part of life, not to mention fence repair and water-pipe-freezing prevention. i rise by 7:30 to feed, water, clean stalls and check that everything is in working order...




... then it's back into the house to get the fire going and make breakfast. above you see my first fried eggs cooked on the woodstove! gertie spends most of her time curled up right in front of it, as it's our primary heat source as well as my preferred cooking appliance. i love that i can keep the tea kettle going all day, without using any extra energy.

stripey friday

rounding out color week we have stripes-n-plaid friday. i found more stripes than plaid, but the search was fun. even though i've been less than punctual, i have really enjoyed this week of paying attention to the details around me, and hope to continue to be more aware.

pink fri...um, i mean THURSday

yeah, late again.
i am a recovering pink-aholic, but there was not much rosiness to be found around here on this january day...
i prefer these pinks.

rug bee

this week's tutorial is on making rag rugs out of old tees; see it over here. this whole month the projects on CraftStylish are all about making from recycled materials, and there's some way cool stuff!!! i've always been a big fan of braided rag rugs, but the braiding and then hand-stitching always seemed tedious (and painful!). but then i discovered that you can crochet rugs out of scraps and they look almost the same, and i've been hooked (sorry, can't help it) ever since. i would love to have a rug bee this weekend where everyone brings over some scraps, and we all work them into our rugs. anyone wanna come?

yellow wednesday

now, why was yellow so easy, bright and fun to find on this grey january day? not like that gloomy purple! this is an interesting project, since i am not in my own home (which no longer exists!) so it's not even a reflection of my taste at all. here are some more really nice examples of all of these colors...

purple tuesday

purple tuesday wasn't easy (the fact that it's actually wednesday, *cough-cough*, notwithstanding). i think in the spring there is a lot of purple out in the world, but in january, not so much. it was a struggle, and i'm certainly not in love with any of these photographs. i'm not even certain some of them are purple. but i tried.

oops: blue monday

ok, so last week i was reading one of my regular blogs, curious bird, and leya said that she was going to do a color week starting on monday. the idea is that each day of the week is assigned a color, and you go out and take photos of whatever you can find that fits. what a fun idea! i've never participated in anything like this, and i thought it would be a perfect way to get me started taking photos and noticing details on this amazing farm that i now (temporarily) reside upon. now, fast-forward to yesterday, when i suddenly realized with a start that i had signed up to do this and, yes, it was already tuesday! and it was already dark. so, tail between my legs, this morning i dutifully went about making up for my three-days-lateness so here you have it: my rendition of Blue Monday...

it's official...

...i am now a resident of upstate New York. it is yet to be determined where i will actually settle and grow roots, but on january 3rd i rode a one-way bus up to my temporary home in Kerhonkson. looking out the window upon the snow-covered landscape, a combination of peace and exhilaration washed over me.