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.

DIY – wine anyone?

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I’ve seen a lot of trays re-made and re-purposed on Pinterest and decided it was time for me to try my hand at one. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
What started like a simple idea turned into a saga of mamoth proportions.
This is what the tray looked like when I found it at… you guessed it… a tip shop.
First thing I did was paint it. And re-paint it. And sand it back a bit. I went with white, then a pale green colour. I tried crackle finish. Nothing seemed right.
I painted chalkboard paint on the base. Then re-painted it and sanded it again. That’s why it looks so messy. I wasn’t very careful with the blue/gray paint I settled on cause I’d already decided I didn’t like the chalkboard paint and was going to wallpaper the bottom of the tray.
Ok. Looking at the photos now I think I maybe should have fixed up the messy bits and stuck with it as it was. But I wasn’t happy so I kept going.

I didn’t take photos of the wallpaper idea. It was horrendous. Take my word for it. I scraped the paper off before it dried and then I had to remove the goop. Yuck. It wasn’t easy to remove and the only way to fix it was to put something else on the bottom to cover the mess.

I bought some popsicle sticks, trimmed off the round ends and glued them to the bottom of the tray. I sanded them smooth, gave them a coat of polyurethane, a light sand and another coat of poly, at it was done.

I actually liked it. Here it is drying.

But thing is I wanted to put feet on it. I’d seen a gorgeous tray with cabinet knobs as feet. I found some knobs I thought would work. Nope. They looked awful.

By this time the tray had become a thorn in my side. Till last night. As I tossed and turned I suddenly came up with an idea!

Corks!


So now, my tray is a wine tray!

Finally!
z

am I the only one?

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… who finds rusty things beautiful? 
No. I know I’m not. In fact, Wayne is a rusty fan too. Actually he has a big rusty collection. One that is now also mine in that what’s his is mine and what’s mine is mine. hehehe. Ok… what’s mine is his too, expect for my tools. My tools are my tools cause he forgets them on the lawn or borrows them and puts them away safely in a spot where neither of us can find them again.
I shouldn’t be mean about Wayne on my blog… I know his family reads this! (Hi guys! I’m joking. Mostly.)
So… I mentioned my addiction to tip shopping, did I mention that I went tip and op shopping the other day and came away with a pretty good haul of stuff for under $15? Compared to what I see on Pinterest and other blogs, we in Australia are deprived. When I hear about the stuff people in the USA buy for single figures I turn green with envy.
For instance, there are no fancy cabinets in junk stores around here. Nothing with decorative trim unless its 60s laminate stuff. Not that I’ve seen anyway, and trust me, I’ve looked. I crawl around on my hands and knees, over wardrobes, and under piles of grannies old bedding. If we want something like that we have to pay antique shop prices. And when you pay hundreds of dollars for an old piece of furniture you’re a bit reluctant to experiment on it.
Still, I did find some good stuff. I usually do. In fact, most of the time I have to restrain myself.
So, I ask again… am I the only person who gets excited about things like this?
These chandelier crystals are only plastic, not glass, but they still look good and will come in handy for something!
Love these little cupcake thingies. I really must learn what they’re called…
 Ok… old hinges. And old numbers. And old latches. And old bolts. I like ’em.
Hooks and knobs and handles and door hardware…
This isn’t a tip shop find. Its something I found in Wayne’s garage. I have no idea what it is, but its galvanised iron and its cool! Wayne said I could have it. I swear. I picture it holding useful items on the outdoor table. A bottle of water. Glasses. Napkins. Salt and pepper shakers. Or jars full of flowers…
Did I show off my new teapot? I think I’ll use this one as it is once I clean it up.
  
So, here’s a photo of my ‘new’ whiz bang workshop organiser. Eventually I’ll put wheels on it so I can move it easily and I’ll find/make/adapt boxes to fit into the slots as drawers. For now, I’ve started sorting things into whatever containers I had handy which fit into the shelves. I’m so excited. I can finally see my work surfaces again – I only have to pull out 4-5 boxes to find the one I need.
I will be putting labels on them.
 On another subject entirely, here are my beautiful dogs. This is Romeo being sooky.
Cause he was barking at the TV earlier and got yelled at.
Montana doesn’t care for TV. She’s a snob that way. 
Her problem is that her mom finds her too cute and kisses her which wakes her up.
I adore my babies and  love showing them off. I haven’t done enough of that lately!
🙂
z
Still,

harry the hooker

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Wayne’s been at it again. He disappeared into the garage for hours over the weekend and I could hear hammering, see smoke billowing out and hear the odd swear word. He got the forge going… and this time didn’t burn off his eyebrows! Bonus!
Sometime yesterday afternoon he emerged, strutted down to the lawn and set this little man out on the table. 
Meet Harry the Hooker.
He’s cute isn’t he? In a kind of dangerous way.
I just love these little robotic monsters Wayne is making and thought I’d show them off.
z

elmer the emu

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The other night I got into the ‘zone’ again and made another felted animal. I had an emu in mind cause we’d made an emu at work with clients last year and really enjoyed it. In that instance it was a papier mache emu and we couldn’t find a way to get him to balance on his long skinny legs, then I accidentally broke a leg… so we ended up putting him in a wheelchair. It was great. How perfect is a disabled emu made by a group of people with a disability? He was exhibited at the Cosmos Art Show and sold.
This is the only photo I have of him, unfinished.
Wheelie Bird, made by Day In The Hall clients at Cosmos Inc. (website designed by me, incidentally)
But back to my emu who looks like a cross between Big Bird and Beaker.
Elmer, the emu.
 See the resemblance?
Anyway, I think he’s adorable. I made Elmer and Kangarat to enter in a competition being held in Salamanca in Hobart but now I’m not sure. It costs $15 per entry, then I have to price them for sale and drop them off and pick them up if they don’t sell. I think I’d be better off reviving my Etsy shop and selling them through there.
Then again, if I’m going to be selling items through Etsy (or ebay) I should really have a regular list of items for sale, right? And I’m too scattered to do that. 
Seriously. I have a million projects on the go at any one time and another gazillion whizzing around inside my head, bouncing around like dodgem cars.
Plus, I have a serious affliction. I’m addicted to tip shopping. I can try to resist but its futile. I give in and I’m in there, on my knees going through boxes of rusty stuff, getting my hands dirty, unearthing some small bit of something which I know will be perfect for some project I have in the back of my mind. Or seeing stuff I think would be perfect for xxx, or would look great if I just did xxx to it.
I just can’t help myself. I’m like that bug in A Bug’s Life who flies toward the light saying “I… can’t… help… it”.
Yesterday I asked Wayne to help move a cabinet which weighed as much as a small tractor into the workshop area of the casita for me. I believe it was some kind of sorting cabinet for paper in a previous life cause it has tons of small slots in which paper would fit perfectly. I think it’ll be really handy to sort my junk inventory in some sort of order. All the knobs in a box in their own slot. All the hinges in another. All the nuts and bolts in another. You get the idea.
A wise friend of mine pointed out that until I start to actually use the stuff I’m collecting to make stuff (and by that she means FINISH stuff) I’m nothing but a hoarder in training.
I have to face reality. She’s right. My desk is covered in post-it notes with To Dos. I have a notebook full of To Do lists and all I seem to do is cross off one, add 3 and reshuffle the rest.  I need to actually finish some of my projects. Then I can justify the stuff I collect…. cause I ain’t about to stop!
Perhaps letting the ideas out of my head will give me some peace as well. As it is, getting to sleep at night is really hard when I’m lying there thinking of solutions to problems I haven’t actually faced yet.
z

its a kangarat!

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Yes, yes. I know. Its been AGES since I last posted. I don’t know how those ‘other’ bloggers do it. I just can’t blog on a regular basis when I’m working. I seem to push blogging down the list as other things pile on top.

However, I have been busy. Not as busy as I’d like given the wrist pains. For instance, this last week I haven’t done much at all.

One thing I did do was finally finish my lightbox. This is a lightbox made from a cardboard box, white paper, a tip shop sheet and a desk lamp. The desk lamp came from a garage sale a few months ago. I bought it despite the fact that it didn’t have the clamp to hold it to the desk cause I thought we could make a base for it. I asked Wayne to make a base for it on the weekend and this is what he made:

The base is made from 2 offcuts of wood from our deck extension and corregated iron strips which have been hammered flat and nailed on. Pretty cool. A bit of overkill I thought, but hey. It works!

And the proof that  it works is in the photos! This is my felt kangarat. I took these photos in my new lightbox using my simple point and click camera.

I’ve tried various felting experiments in the past. Most of them were dismal failures. Or mediocre failures at best… First is a small felt purse made with bought felt with a felted toy poodle on it.

Then there’s the throw with felted poodles playing on it. This one I think I buried in the back yard.

 
In fact I think this is my favourite felt project till recently. My favourite polar fleece jumper had lots of small holes on it from puppy teeth (thanks Bonnard!). I cut up pieces of felt and felted on the patches. I love the colour spots on my jumper now.

So… when I decided to have a go at a three dimensional felted animal I was diving into the deep end. I started with some pieces of a scarf I wet felted and would never wear. I cut a piece of the scarf and created a cone shape. I filled it with felted scraps, then I started felting the two tones of grey onto it to make the kangaroo colour.

The head, ears, legs, arms and tail were all made separately and felted onto the body. It was interesting, and other than impaling myself on the felting needles a few times, it was easy enough.

I decided my little kanagroo needed a jumper so I simply felted a square piece of blue, created holes for the sleeves and folded over the collar.

When I showed it to Wayne he said it looked more like a rat than a kangaroo.

Hm.

I will call him a kangarat!

And I think he’s gorgeous!

z

its a pain in the wrist!

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Fox Photos, Getty Images

It’s been hell week around here.

It all started last weekend with a sore wrist.

If you want to get technical, the sore wrist started over 20 years ago, but let’s not get too carried away.

Week before I lifted a client’s bag at work and something went PING in my wrist. I swear, the bag is heavier than the client. From now on, for OH&S reasons, I’ll use the van hoist to lift the bag into the van.

But I digress… I was simply trying to set the scene. The wrist was already feeling a bit more fragile than normal, which is fragile enough.

Then I decided to groom the poodles. Ordinarily, not a big job. But on top of other things I’d had to do on the weekend and the long overdue-ness of the grooming, it really took it out of me.

Looking back now with what the Doc said, I can understand where a lot of my wrist issues come from. Yes, I gave in and went to the doctor. Again. Last time I simply got “It could be carpal tunnel, but we can’t be sure. Just rest it.”

However, the pain used to last a night then go away. Lately the time lag between being sore and feeling better seems to stretch out to days or weeks. It really gets me down. Not only am I sore but I have to put off things I need/want/am itching to do.

So off to the doctor I trekked. This time, not my regular doctor, agreed we test for rheumatoid arthritis given its hereditary and I’ve had pains in my other hand as well. But he said that the wrist problem was a separate issue. He seems to think its not carpal tunnel but de quervain’s tenosynovitis – aka washer woman’s syndrome or, more exotically, gamer’s thumb.

I figure that having had RSI years ago which resulted in pain every time I over-used my right hand in any repetitive way, has somehow made that wrist weaker and more susceptible to this new and improved problem.

Whatever the cause, the only real treatment is rest.

Rest. What’s that????

I hate resting. I have too much to do. If I rest my body then my brain just goes into overdrive and I can’t sleep.

ugh.

So I’ve been rather down this week. Add to that a hellish week at work where everything that could go wrong did…. you get the picture.

Getty Images

I look forward to the weekend, though this weekend is stuffed up as it starts with a full day of training at work.

Still, there are things to look forward to. After work today Wayne and I will visit the Art from Trash exhibition in Salamanca which I’m excited about. Then on Sunday I’ll have time to work on some of my own projects.

There are so many of them and I’m really keen to get to them. Nothing too wrist/thumb intensive…

I’ll leave you with some cheerful thoughts.

See ya soon.
z

DIY – the coffee table

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This used to be Wayne’s coffee table. It was boring and dark brown and I never gave it much though. Not, that is, till I started thinking of it in another colour, with a different handle… hm…

As usual, no before photos. What I can offer is an ‘after the undercoat’ photo. I found that they now sell Zinsser Stain Cover in Australia. I’d read about it on many DIY blogs and was eager to try it on something. Anything that saves me having to sand is a good thing!

After I’d done a really bad undercoat I painted the table with my own chalk paint. Thats just some white paint I already had which I mixed a bit of super fine grout into. I’ve decided I just love the texture that gives to the paint. So soft and satin to the touch.

I had to give the table 3 coats of paint before I felt it was finsihed. I did one coat of pale blue on the table top, then covered it over with white. I’ve also started doing something I’d never done before in my life: giving the paint a light sand between applications. It actually makes a difference, much as I hate to admit it.

I change my mind alot. I can’t say I have any real ‘set in stone’ plans for my projects. They’re kind of more ‘go with the flow’…

Once the paint was dry I did some sanding with fine sandpaper by hand, and some with the electric sander, concentrating on the edges and spots which would normally get wear.

When the table was finished, I was ready to try another first for me – waxing. I did actually experiment with a some was on something small first, but then I went straight to it. I used a mix of antique black (translucent) wax and clear wax. I had to experiment a bit to get the result I wanted, but in the end the table looks and feels wonderful.

Lastly I put on the new antique knob I’d bought off ebay.

Of course it really doesn’t suit my living room at all. As much as I love it, the colours in the living room are just not right for the table… sigh. I’m thinking I may sell it.

Or re-paint the living room, rip up the carpet, get a new couch…

Might be easier (not to mention cheaper) to sell the table!

So now I’m going to get some well deserved rest. I’ve been moving furniture, cleaning house, washing clothes and clipping dogs all weekend. I’m pretty tired.

z

making pretty – the spare room

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Time for another wander through my house. This time its the spare room. Or the purple room as its generally known.

This room was my bedroom when I first moved to Fentonbury. At the time it was painted blue with a bad white sponged on effect. At the time I was in love with the texture of suede paints so I picked the dark purple for this room.

I actually loved it as a bedroom. It was a ‘snuggly’ room. Very relaxing. I felt safe in that room.

When I bought the house this room had a horrible carpet in it. I removed that and found some old lino, some old newspapers and a great timber floor! I used a hand sander to sand back any rough spots and then sealed it with polyurethane before moving my furniture in.

The room has an open fireplace which I never used, but it was nice to just have it. The fire surround was painted but I didn’t like the colour so I repainted it white and purple to match the walls.

Yeah… I know, but at the time it really did work.

The curtains were the first curtains I ever made. I didn’t know about full length curtains being the way to go and, since I was replacing old curtains, I just made mine the same size as the old ones.

This room has had many lives. It was my bedroom, then it was a guest room, then the dog’s bedroom (yes, they even had their own TV) and an office. 

Since moving back, I’m using this as a spare room. I moved in my gorgeous old cast iron bed to use as a daybed, a small desk for my laptop and a few other items to make it cosy.

The daybed is so comfy its hard to do any work and not just curl up and spend the day reading.

An old ladder acts as a bedside table. A small clip light works perfectly as a reading lamp.

I think every single bed needs a teddy of its own.

The mantle just holds a collection of things. An old photo, some empty frames, 2 of the vases from my collection which didn’t fit in the dining room.

A gorgeous nautical box acts a bookend. I got this a couple of weeks ago at a sale. I had planned to use it in the bathroom to hold cosmetics, but it said it wanted to live in the purple room.

In the other corner is the mosaic topped old school desk which I use as my laptop table. An old suitcase holds extra blankets.

All in all, a warm and cosy room I think. One I enjoy being in.

z


DIY – louvre door wall hanging

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I’m not dead, lying in a ditch somewhere being eaten by tasmanian devils. I haven’t been abducted by aliens and getting probed (cause we all know “the truth is up there”)…

I’ve just been busy. And I haven’t been very creative.

I did take photos of projects which have been finished to share so here is one of them – an old louvre door made into a wall hanging/card and letter holder.

 I found this little door somewhere in one of the tip shops somewhere along the line and held onto it. I knew I’d use it some day. It was grimy and white, which was fine, but I wanted a bit more colour on it. Like it had been painted a few times over the years.

After giving it a good clean I painted it a pale green which I had left over from another project, then did a topcoat with a creamy white. When that was dry I used the sander to distress it in places so the green showed through and even the timber in some areas.

This pic is the only ‘before’ photo I have. Sometimes I just get carried away in my eagerness to start a project and forget to actually take before pics. Here I used an old sale board as the backing. I used glue to fix it to the back of the door. I then put those little screw in eye thingies (the technical name for them) and some wire so it could be hung on the wall.

It now lives in my home in Fentonbury as wall art which has a practical use as well. I’d originally planned to put it in the actual kitchen, but this spot seemed best for it. The colours of the cabinet underneath match the louvre door.

One project down. Only a million and 5 left to go!

z

making pretty – master bedroom

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As part of making my house in Fentonbury livable, the bedroom has had a bit of a makeover. I’ve taken up some furniture and bedding from here in order to make it pretty. I made the word art frame specifically for this room, and the pillow, to tie in the reds I’ve used in the decor. I seem to have a thing about red at the moment… My little pig in the red jumper fits right in. Love that little guy.

You can read about how I made the artwork here.

The bedside table is a little 60’s cabinet I found at an op shop a few years ago. It had a horrible laminate top which overhung the cabinet sides and those angled legs. I replaced the legs with solid little straight legs and lined the top with tongue in groove pine. The glass door is original but the brass knob was a new addition.

I love the swirly 50’s carpet in this bedroom, though I know not a lot of people do. Then again, I love the big old rose carpets of the period as well. I saw them in a carpet shop not long ago and am so tempted… hehehe.

An old wicker chair, formerly used on the porch, sits in the corner of the bedroom creating a cosy corner to sit. My repurposed box/side table/bookcase on wheels next to the chair keeps books handy. It doesn’t really fit in that room, but it will do for now.

I have a million more projects on the go, one of them might suit the room better once its finished. And if I ever get to work from home more, I’m sure I’ll be making a lot more items of furniture for my home.

For now I’m taking it easy. Last night I had a terribly sore middle left hand finger (and I was not doing rude signs with it!) so I didn’t do much. This morning the finger was swollen. Its not as sore, but its twice the size at the second knuckle. Who knows what I did. Maybe it was making semolina pudding the way mom used to make it. That frypan is darn heavy when its full.

Maybe it was cooking dinner – a mango curry which stained my dishes yellow.

If it was either of those then I have a good excuse for not making dinner tonight! 🙂

z