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.

my new toy

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You know I groom dogs, right? Well the other day old faithful, my old GMC rotary tool, bit the dust. 
Yes, I use it to file dogs’ nails.
It just stopped working between foot #2 and foot #3 on a dog.
Not a good time to stop. I still had 6 feet to do. Not all on the same dog, obviously!
So last night on the way home from work, we stopped at the hardware store for a replacement.
I looked at all the rotary tools and loved the size and shape of the Dremel 200 best… Its small, light and easy to hold. And cheap at the same price as the shop brand. Its only two speed but has high RPM.
Wayne came along and said ‘how about that one?’ pointing to the next model up, with variable speed and a few more gizmos, and more expensive… I considered both for a while but without being able to turn them on and give them the noise test, I was going for the smaller, easier to hold one.
Then the salesman said ‘May I suggest something else?’…
And we ended up spending three time as much as but now I have a variable speed Dremel with a flexible shaft and I have both light and easy to hold as well as less noise close to dog’s faces!
I’m happy.
So, other than that, where have I been? 
Well, flat out really. I’m so tired! And I’m overwhelmed which seems to be the normal state for me at least twice a year.
I have so much on my To Do List that even looking at it gives me palpatations. I’m sleepy at 8pm and yet, when I do go to bed, I can’t sleep cause of all the stuff that goes through my mind…
Did I mention my mom is visiting at Christmas?
For the first time ever? Her first trip back to Australia in 22 years? And she’s visiting us here and staying for a week?
Did I mention that its the first time my mother has visited me in my own home? Ever?
So I’m a bit stressed.
And I’m so @#*&#$ busy (and tired!) that I can’t start on the mountains of work I have to do in order to be ready for that visit.
Am I over-reacting?
No way. 
We all know how important it is to get mom’s approval!
eek.
z

3 ways to make a display mannequin

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Maybe I should really call this “three variations on making a bust”… 
Either way, we started with a plastic bust and then duplicated it using a variation of plaster mixes to see which would work best. I say “we” cause I worked on this project with a friend at work in order to find the best way to make busts for displaying jewelry.
First up, we used a bust which had been made with papier mache over a plastic one (then cut into pieces, which I had to put back together again like a jigsaw puzzle, missing a piece or two, hence the odd distortions… its a long story…). 
Whatever.
After piecing it back together with masking tape we mixed up a batch of plaster of paris with some PVA glue mixed in to combat brittleness.
I applied the plaster with my fingers, using swirling patterns and leaving small furrows and peaks. Kinda like frosting.
The result is a textured bust which, while retaining that plaster look, has none of the brittleness of plain plaster.
Next, we used a half bust which we used paper mache pulp in first. The pulp we used had too much water in it so it took forever to dry but was nice and strong once it did. Since we didnt want the rough look of the paper pulp showing, we used some plaster bandage over it to even out the texture. We then mixed up a plaster paste using both PVA and a bit of gap filler.
This time I applied the top coat smoothly, using damp fingers. I don’t have photos of the back, but in order to make it strong enough to hang on the wall I filled the shoulders with a plaster mix and embedded wire into it.
Lastly, we decided to see what happened if we used paper pulp and mixed it with PVA glue and silicone… Other than the smell (gack) it worked really well. The bust is light but strong, even a bit bendy.
This bust was painted black by someone while I was off work and wasn’t smoothed over, but its still an interesting piece and a great way to display light coloured jewelry.
All in all this is my advice:
If you want to make your own bust with plaster, add glue to give it strength or use plaster bandage. Another way would be traditional papier mache.
Whatever you choose, have fun with it. What’s the worse that can happen?
I don’t know if any of these would survive being dropped but my bet is on the black one.
z
PS. In editing mode this post is left justified. In preview its centered… and I hate centred posts. So please forgive me for whatever bug got into blogger today.

propeller (fan) light fitting

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Time just flies, doesn’t it?

Every day I think about posting on here but something comes up. I think “I’ll do it later, tonight”. Then tonight comes and I’m wiped out and it takes all my energy to change TV channels.

So, given its been two weeks or so since I last posted, I thought I’d better share this project. I finished this weeks ago and just never got around to posting about it.

Not only has it taken me a long time to share this project, its also been a few years in the making. I bought this propeller for Wayne for Christmas ages ago, with the aim of making it into a light. Its been gathering dust in the casita up until a couple of months ago.

I’ve put it in the enclosed part of the porch where I used to have the fry basket light fitting before. I like this one better and it was time for a change anyway.

Please ignore all the electrical cords. We don’t have enough power points and I’ve got extension cords everywhere for the time being.
I’d originally thought I’d put this light over Wayne’s desk, making his office area more industrial… but the living room ceiling isn’t high enough for a large pendant light. I could just see him knocking himself senseless every time he stood up at his desk.
Not to mention this is one heavy sucker. I doubt I could find a beam in the right spot to hang it from in the living room. On the porch I can see the beams! 

When I first got the propeller I had a friend weld a chain to it for hanging. I already had the bits to make the light part so it was just a matter of joining things together and adding a globe. I chose an LED edison bulb for bigger shine. There’s already a light fixture nearby so I put a bayonet end on the cord to plug into the socket.

Funny how the house looks yellow in the photo… I hate pale yellow houses and picked this grey/brown tone to change the look of the house.

I’m loving the new light. It makes me smile every time I walk through the door.

z

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birdwire light fitting

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I went through a phase a couple of weeks ago where I was updating, making, changing light fittings. If you know me, you know I’ll do nothing for ages cause I’m worn out, then do all kinds of things which aren’t on my to-do list, then begin working on things which are on my list, then get side tracked with spur of the moment things.
The light fittings were like that. I began by doing the office/guest room swap and thought it’d be a good idea to change light fittings in those rooms while the furniture was out of the way.
Somehow I managed to stuff up the light connection (no idea what its called, but its the bit that’s in the ceiling and holds the globe) so the guest room has no light currently.
The office has a light (a working one I might add) but it hasn’t got a light fitting. I want a pendant in here as the ceiling is high enough.
So, having given up on the guest room light and having put off the office light, I went ahead and changed the light fitting in the wardrobe room. For those that don’t know, that’s a tiny room in our house which I converted into a wardrobe for Wayne.
Yes. You heard me right. In our house the man has the walk in wardrobe cause he has more clothes.
Anyway, back to what I was saying… The original light fitting in there was a real quickie I whipped up using wire and an old lamp shade. 
I never liked it much.

The new light fitting is made from some leftover bird wire I found in the shed. It was a bit crushed but that made it perfect. Imperfection is what I’m all about. Sometimes its even on purpose!

I had this shallow shade frame so all I did was attach the bird wire cylinder to it. Originally I had a long Edison bulb in it but they really don’t give off much light. Now it has a big white ball glove in it.

I think Wayne’s happy with it. Its a light. It comes on when he hits the switch. He’s happy.

z

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meet mr fox – in felt

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Hello Mr Fox!

Here is Mr Fox going for a drive. And below he sits on our gate post as the horses do a good job of mowing our driveway.

He’s such a happy little fellow. Mainly cause I gave him a little grin when I needle felted him.

My what big ears you have Mr Fox!

Here I was ridiculing the Fox Eradication Program… They spent millions of dollars to eradicate every single fox in the state. 
Well, it worked! I’ve never seen a fox, have you?
Oh! Wait! There’s one!

Perhaps they were right… there were ARE foxes in Tasmania!

z

garage sale trailing

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Yesterday was national Garage Sale Trail day. That’s when there are garage sales all over the place and you can look online to see who’s registered and plan your day so you can visit as many as you can.
I joined forces with my friend Patrice and we hit the sales early. I picked up a few odds and ends: a couple of mugs for Wayne (bucket size), a couple of plants, a really nice (badly in need of TLC) cabinet, a broken step ladder… and a few fun and wierd things. 
Like this:

I just had to have it. It was too wierd to pass up.

And this:

Have you ever seen a wooden girl with a pin cushion between her legs before? 
Then I got a box full of rusty things, like this old desk sharpener. I think it’ll look good on my desk with paper clips in the drawer.
Also in the box was this tin train:
And these metal trains and truck. None of them are in good condition, but they’re fun and colourful and I’m sure I’ll find somewhere to put them.

Since our travels took us up to Bushy Park we decided to take a detour through the hops farms to look at the old hop kilns.

I love this part of the Derwent Valley. I worked picking hops during the harvest for 5 years when I first came to Tasmania, so this area is special to me.

Patrice bought tons of plants and a retro leather poof. All in all, it was a great day!
Today, on the other hand, was a challenge. Did I mention we got a new washing machine? We used to have two washing machines, one for the dog stuff and one for us. Well, one of them broke ages ago so I’ve been using the old Whirlpool for our stuff… and it get covered in lint. So much lint. And there’s no filter, so there’s no way to clean it. I tried everything I found online, even some guy showing me how to take it apart and clean it out. Nothing worked.
We were sick of all the crap on our clothes so I bought a new washing machine. Its a Samsung front loader and I think you need a degree in laundry to use the thing. It does everything but make your coffee in the morning! I actually had to read the manual to work it out… sheesh.
z

a pink step-ladder bedside table

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Before I show you this project I’d like to apologise for the fact that I can’t find my ‘before’ photos. I know I posted about this step ladder when I got it, but when you give your posts wierd non-topical names, its impossible to find specific posts!

When I got it the middle step was broken off and it was natural timber but badly stained on 2 of the steps. And the top step was warped. Still is, in fact. I think the poor thing had been exposed to the elements and mistreated.

First order of business was to re-attach the middle step. I tried glue and clamps. Nope. It broke off when I thought it was all dry.

So I nailed the sucker down.

I have a hammer and I ain’t afraid to use it!

I tried sanding off the stains with the intention of varnishing it, but that was too much hard work and didn’t look like it was working. Paint was the answer. Paint is the answer to everything.

Even two coats of Zinsser Stain Blocker didn’t cover those stains! So, I did two coats of that, then two coats of DIY chalk paint in grey.

While I was at it, I made a shelf for the bottom step, making it more useful as a bedside table. I cut and edged a piece of MDF, used a strip of timber to hold it in place, and viola. Easy (removable) shelf.

Then I painted it light pink. I still had some DIY pink chalk paint from a previous project.

Lastly I wet sanded it and rubbed it down in places to expose the grey, the white undercoat and even the timber in places. I’d never tried wet sanding before and I think I like it.

Here it is in the guest room.

I haven’t yet styled the shelves or made the bed properly (no rush till I have visitors, then I’ll run around like a headless chook trying to do it all in an hour), but I’m liking the new bedside stepladder!

The photos aren’t the best. I’m having some trouble with my camera. I was playing with the settings one day and now I can’t seem to get good photos…

I’ll figure it out eventually. Hopefully before I’m too old to care.

z

really easy ice cream

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I mentioned I made ice cream the other day and that I’d share the recipe if it worked. Well, it did! So I’m sharing. Its really easy. So easy its really a cheats ice cream.

A bit of background: years ago, I found a recipe for raspberry ice cream in a magazine, cut it out and made it. It was wonderful!

…Only the recipe called for 1 cup of raspberries but I had more, so, what the heck, more is better right? I put them all in.

The ice cream was delicious but you had to spit pips out as you ate it.

It reminded me of the ice cream sold in a shop in Melbourne many years ago. They made full cream ice cream and their lemon ice cream which would coat your mouth with frozen cream.

Deadly but good.

Anyway, fast forward to now and I can’t find the recipe. I’ve looked for it on and off over the years but never found it.

I did an online search but couldn’t find it, just a couple of recipes which were similar, ie no cooking! I decided I’d make it from memory and with what I had on hand.

Basically this is what I did:

1 400g container of cream
approx 400g flavoured yogurt (I had caramelised fig)
1/4 cup sugar

I used my new food processor to mix it together well. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours, took it out and blended it again. Repeat. Then left it over night.

The result is a very creamy ice cream which coats your mouth with cream, but is very hard to scoop out. Basically if you don’t mind using a jackhammer to dish up your ice cream, this is the recipe for you.

Now, having read up on google, I learned that adding sugar would stop it crystalising which is why I added a bit of suger. The original recipe didn’t have any in it. However, without a proper ice cream maker I think I’ll always have rock hard ice cream.

I may experiment with light cream next time.

Still. I’m happy with it. I’ll make it again when our raspberries are ready.

z

zip junk necklace

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Have you ever looked at junk or steampunk jewelry and thought “I want to make one of those”?

I do every time I see them on Pinterest, so I decided it was time to try making one of my own… my own way.

It was so much fun! I’ve always had tons of junk (obviously!) so I had a lot of things to choose from.

I started with an old zip as the base. Then I began building on it using old bits of jewelry, buttons, beads, a tiny spanner, rusty safety pin, bits of chain… even a rusted through bottle top… all kinds of things.

(I really am a magpie!)

Its not just a necklace, its a piece of art! I had it entered in the Salvaged Art Competition last month but before that I had it hanging on the wall and it looked great.

z

comfy poodles and where have I been?

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Montana keeping Wayne’s seat warm.
Where have I been, you might ask.
Well at least one person asked, but I’ll answer anyway, cause when you start a blog you have this feeling of responsibility to post even when you’re busy or don’t feel like it.
Lately its been a bit of both: being busy and not feeling like it. On the busy bit, well, its spring. Spring is not just the season the garden begins to come to life and you can hear it calling to you, its also the season when daylight savings kicks in and you spend more time outside doing things you put all ’till the weather got better’.

Romeo snoozing till another animal show comes on TV.

Around here the lawn is currently needing mowing twice a week if I want it to look like lawn and not the collection of weeds it really is. But I may have taken care of that. I bought Kamba-M on the recommendation of a friend who said her husband uses it on their lawn and it kills weeds but leaves the lawn alone.

I guess we’ll see. Given we have more weeds than actual lawn I think my mowing problems will soon be a thing of the past and my new problem will be the dust bowl in the front yard.

Montana squeezing into the smallest of the dog beds.

Meanwhile I’ve been working on a few projects. The major one right now is a work art installation we got roped into volunteered to help with. I’ve been making large round spheres with plaster bandage and various size beach balls. Yesterday in an attempt to keep where I’d been with new plaster bandage and where I still needed to go I had this brilliant idea… I’d use food dye to die the water I was dipping the bandage in, thus creating a definite distinction between the old (white) and new (pink) bandage.

I couldn’t find any food colouring though… I probably threw it out… so I used potassium permanganate. Do you know what that is? Well, in the dog world it can be used to stop nails from bleeding when they’re cut too short. Its a disinfectant. It goes a vibrant purple when wet so I haven’t used it in ages, but I still have it. Thing with this stuff is it goes purple but dries yellowish and stains like hell.

I had dark brown hands all day yesterday.

My nails were the worst. The hands are back to normal now, thanks to many many many many washes, but the nails are still looking decidedly jaundiced.

I solved that with some dark grey nail polish.

Live and learn.

Next time I’ll wear gloves.

Other than that, what’s been going on…

Well, I mentioned the garden flowering and crying out for work. Some things are going great. My mexican orange blossom bushes are flowering for the first time since I put them in a few years ago. The yellow banksia roses are flowering on the one stem that avoided the great massacre of last year when I thought I needed to cut them back cause they weren’t flowering. I’ve set them back about 3 years.

There are pink foxgloves coming up everywhere (not necessarily a good thing considering they’re poisonous), forget me nots are popping up everywhere, and I have baby lupins popping up all over the place too! I even have sweet peas where I sure didn’t put them. I love cottage gardens and, by golly by gosh, I’ll have one one day!

I lost two of my gauras, one white and one pink. I lost one pink daisy bush, one lavender and a few other flowers. The potato vine is struggling along after Wayne accidentally broke it while dragging out the sculpture it first grew up on. Its gonna be a hot summer without the shade that provided on the porch.

The frost damaged quite a few of my succulents but most are coming back since I moved them onto the porch. I found this little shop basket at the tip shop a while ago and am using it to hold some of my plants.

When I was at Ikea a few weeks ago I bought two white doona covers for our bed and am now loving the new white look. I’d always been afraid of white as it gets dirty so easy, but I realised that its easier to have white since you can bleach it.

Our bedroom is quite small, it barely fits the wardrobe, two chests of drawers, bed and bedside tables. I love the blue walls but I’m considering white walls. Everywhere in the house. I’ve come full circle. When I was young I wanted plain white walls. Then I wanted anything but white. Now I’m back to white again.

Bedrooms feel restful when they’re a darker colour though. What do you think? All white house including bedroom, or leave it blue as it is?

I have a plan for the bed itself… the bedhead mainly. I guess I’ll reserve decision making on wall colour till I’ve made changes to the bed. One step at a time.

I broke my food processor. It was cheapie from Kmart but I broke it making pastry for spanakopita. Not my usual pastry but a recipe I found online… Just goes to show you should stick to what you know. Anyway, I replaced it. I’m trying out the new one today. I made us milkshakes in the blender and am making ice cream. I’ll let you know how it goes. Maybe even share the recipe if it works out.

With the better weather comes time to move on replacing our old wood heater. I’ve gotten one quote and am waiting for one more for reverse cycle airconditioning. That’ll be exciting. Maybe I’ll actually get through a long hot summer without melting this year.

Oh, and our geese are having babies. Did I mention that Annabelle is sitting on something like 21 eggs? One of which is a duck egg (long story). Well, turns out that her daughter (as yet unnamed) is also sitting on eggs. Its so funny to watch Hank protect Annabelle, he hovers around her when she comes to the dam for a swim and a wash, then herds her back to her eggs while keeping the other boys away from her.

I have no idea what we’re going to do if all the babies hatch. We don’t have room for 5 million geese. Wayne wants more but seriously, 50 will be a bit too many.

As for the duck egg… well, the day I found and counted Annabelle’s eggs Wayne found an egg in the middle of the paddock. It was still warm, kinda like a duck had been walking along and suddenly went “oops, I can’t make it to the nest” and dropped the egg where she was. I took it and put it outside Annabelle’s nest. Next day it was in the nest with the others.

Its going to be so funny when we have one duckling in a flock of geese thinking its a goose. At least the geese protect their young from crows better than ducks do so maybe the little duckling will make it.

So we wait and see.

z