Author Archives: zefiart

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About zefiart

Blogger, DIY-er, poodle lover, graphic designer, dog groomer, recycler, artist, wonder woman in my spare time.

spam comments – help!

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I’ve been getting emails telling me of new comments on some of my blog entries. All anonymous and all spam – they’re basically links to dubious websites. The last one I got was to a porn site.

I never click on the links, never even clicked on the link to see the actual comment on my post, thinking it was just a spam email that would unleash a vicious virus and destroy my computer if i clicked on any links in it.

But its not. Its actually a spam comment on my blog! Now I’d have to go back through all my blog posts and weed them out and delete them.

Is there any way that anyone knows to actually stop spam comments on a blog on blogger? I dont really want to resort to the verification text thing…

help!

z

the shabby market

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The Shabby Market has come and gone. Some of my things came and went with it, others went away forever to new homes.
I’m actually really happy with how I went with my first market stall ever. But I learned a few things along the way too.
For one thing, I suck at setting up a stall. Sure, my stuff is all so different it makes it hard to set things up with any kind of uniformity. On the other hand, I simply suck at putting things together in a way that makes sense and displays things to their best advantage in 1.5hrs.
Another thing I learned was that the layout of the stall I chose was probably not the best. I had to set it out in a manner which allowed people access to the window where I had the suncatchers and windchimes hung. Next time I’ll make a ‘tree’ of some sort to hang them off. As it was, people had to enter and walk around my U shaped stall to see everything and when I wanted to wrap something I had to kneel on the floor struggling with paper and rummaing under tables for sticky tape and string.
Not a pretty sight.
Next time I’m going to do it differently.
I’ll be more organised. I’ll start labelling, pricing and packing the week before the market.
I’ll set up a table to wrap on and a chair to sit on that’s not in the way.
Next time I’ll find a way to display things in a way that people can see them better.
Still, all in all, I did pretty well and sold lots. Even traded a couple of things with other stall holders!
The market was a success. Lots of people came despite the fact that it was an unusually hot day for Hobart and was so windy most of the outdoor stalls had to pack up early. 
It was the first Shabby Market as well, so not its not yet well known, still we had quite a few people go through. 
The hall looked fabulous with the stalls and the banner made especially and the way it was laid out. It was a great day and I loved meeting some of the ladies I’d only ever seen on Facebook.
I’ll definitely be doing this again.
But next time I’ll be more organised.
z

simple christmas decorations

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I’m not all that into the big traditional Christmas thing. I’ve never had a Christmas tree since I moved out of home. It seemed rather pointless when living on my own. Then, later, something small and slightly offbeat seemed a better way to decorate the house for Christmas.
This year I had some bedsprings I wanted to do something with. I bought some wooden stars and put them together to make these:
Aren’t they gorgeous? So simple yet so interesting!
Well, I took them to the market with me thinking I would sell them. I’d keep one for myself and sell the others….
It seems I’m the only person who finds these little beauties irresistable. One person picked one up and looked at it, not even asking for a price. No one else even seemed to notice them! 
How strange.
Maybe it was meant to be. I mean, I loved them so much I was torn over selling them in the first place. Maybe fate steered everyone away from them so I could keep them.
Then again maybe it was the way I growled when anyone went near them that put people off!
z
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basket full of burlap flowers

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I remember when I first read about making burlap flowers the tutorial said “be careful not to burn your fingers, cause you WILL burn your fingers.”
I sure burned mine.
I have a new hot glue gun, a big one, bought at a garage sale. Cool. Or rather, hot. Much hotter than the small one I’ve been using till now.
Or so it seemed when I got a nice big dollop of hot glue on the nail of my right ring finger.
YOUCH.
That made me stand up and pay attention!
So, with blood, sweat, tears and burns, I present a basket full of burlap flowers for the market.
See you there!
z

dictionary prints

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A few more small frames with dictionary page art in them. Graphics thanks to the Graphics Fairy.
This one’s for you Angie (Knick of Time) cause I know you love clocks! A tribute!
This is one on my favourites cause I love old fans.

And a black frame – why not? Not everything needs to be white!

Apologies for the last two photos, they were taken in my lightbox and aren’t the best. 
z

the small coat rack

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Another tip shop find. This poor little coat rack was in a bad state when I found it. Broken bits, chipped paint, screw holes and a couple of nails which had been used to fix it to a wall.
Some gluing, some sanding, some filling of holes… nail removal of course, and a lick of paint and its as good as new…
Better than new actually, with its chipped paint and the character of a much loved old piece.
z

framed bunnies

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I love this print of bunnies in a wide shabby style frame. Its a frame I bought a while ago at a garage sale when I found the frames in this post.
The colours are soft and the bunnies look so cute and cuddly. This might be perfect for a little girl’s room. Then again, it would be perfect in my kitchen too…
When I bought these frames they were all dark timber and looked clunky. With some antique white paint and a bit of distressing they’re light and pretty and not a clunk in sight.
z

fish bowl with a difference

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You know those wooden bowls you find in almost every op shop? 
Well this one was fish-shaped. Different. Unusual.
It appealed to me cause things that are different and unusual always catch my eye.
This is what it looked like when I found it – boring, uninspiring.
This is what it looks like now – fun, whimsical and offbeat.
I’m not sure if you’d use it as a bowl or hang it on the wall. Either way, I think its cute and much much more interesting than it was before!
z

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Beyond The Picket Fence

odds & ends finials – counting down

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The countdown to my first ever market stall is well underway.
I’m nervous.
I’m excited.
I’m hoping people will love my stuff. 
I’m hoping people will buy my stuff.
I’m hoping my car is a lot lighter on the way home than it is on the way there.
I’m worried in case this doesn’t happen and I’m on the wrong track…
Wayne is worried I’ll buy more than I sell…
Meanwhile I’m wrestling with my To Do (In Preparation) List. Instead of getting smaller it seems to be growing. Its now going to be HOT on Saturday* so an electric fan has been added to the things I’m taking with me. And a small eski with ice blocks to keep some water cold.
*Only in Tasmania can you have snow on the mountain on Wednesday and a heat wave on Saturday.
I don’t do well in the heat. But enough about that. 
I’m sharing a few more items which will be coming with me to the market. Here are some cute finials made from odds and ends I collected here and there.
I did a bit of mixing and matching (odds & ends, here & there, mixing & matching…hehehe) and when I was happy with the results I glued them together.
Once dry I gave them a couple of coats of paint, beat them around with some sand paper then glazed them with some burnt umber to age them.
They’ve come up really nice I think. 
Sometimes I wish I had a bigger house and more room to display things. But then I’d never be able to part with anything…
z
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Beyond The Picket Fence

the flower tray

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I found this worn and battered tray in my wanderings a while ago and brought it home to the tray hospital for some TLC.
This is what it looked like before:
And this is what it looks like now:
The colours are very soft so the photos were difficult to take but you get the idea.
This is another item coming with me to the market on the weekend. I’m getting there in terms of preparedness… the flyers are printed and cut and I found a cute little box to keep them in. The tags are all printed and aged. I have my wrapping paper and more twine for tying.
All I have left to do is finish off a few projects (or decide to forget them and leave them for the next market!) then tag, price and pack everything going.
And pack a ‘market toolkit’…
I have all the best intentions in the world. I come home from work all geared up to get stuck into it. I have plans buzzing in my head: finish xxx, make more of xxx, check xxx…
But I get home, feed dogs, cook dinner, clean the kitchen, check mail, look at the overflowing laundry hamper, at the living room and its piles washing to put away and the craft mess, the carpet that desperately needs vacuuming… and I lose all my energy.
Instead of crafting and organising I sit down and watch the episode of Bones or Grey’s Anatomy or CSI I taped, then go to bed.
I guess I’ll be doing an all nighter on Friday night.
I’m having some serious headaches lately. I think its a tooth which I got filled not long ago. I saw the doctor and ruled out ear infection. Now its down to either TMJ (long name for sore jaw joint from clenching – which I do in my sleep) or a dying tooth… maybe even an abscessed tooth. Yet when I saw the dentist (after the filling but before the headaches cranked it up to ‘killer’ status) he swore there was nothing wrong with that tooth or any in the vicinity, nothing showing on the xrays.
Great.
I’m popping pain killers like they’re going out of fashion but I think I’ll have to bite the bullet and call the dentist today and get in to see someone the earliest they can get me in.
Ugh.
Off to take another pill.
z