Category Archives: 31 days challenge

day 21 – insulators

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I collect insulators.
I didn’t used to collect insulators.
What happened was, I went into a tip shop one day and saw the two larger white ones. I hadn’t seen that type before, so I grabbed them… thinking I could do something with them of course.
I had tons of the small white ones – from the electric fence I’d put up in Fentonbury.
Then my friend Diane told me about her insulator collection and showed me photos of some really amazing ones… Who knew insulators were collectable?
So, when I saw those blue ones in a shop recently I had to have them. Firstly cause they’re a nice colour and secondly cause now I have a real collection.
They say having 3 of something makes it a collection. If that’s so, then six is way up there.
For now these guys are sitting on top of the hot water cylinder on our porch but one day I’ll find a better spot for them. When I do I might give them a clean as well…
Anyhow, just thought I’d share my newest collection.

What I did today:
The dishes. Some washing, some hanging out of washing, some bringing in of washing when it rained. Brought up some firewood to light the fire cause it was cold. Groomed dogs. Discovered that my customer database had corrupted and, since I didn’t have a backup, started it all over again. Did the grocery shopping. Made a salad. Entertained visitors. Spent quality time with Ben while the poodles rampaged in the top paddock.

What I didn’t do today:
Work on the website. Pay bills. Work on any suncatchers or chimes. Crossed anything off the list.
Better go finish that database. 
What a pain. I learned my lesson though… from now on I’ll have three copies: the one I use and two backups.
z

day 20 – relax is a four letter word

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Right about now you’re thinking “either she’s dyslexic or she can’t count”.
I’m neither. Sure, I’m not exactly great with numbers, but I’m not that bad. I can add up to 10.
All I’m saying is that sometimes it feels like ‘relax’ is a four letter word around here. To me anyway.
I’m always doing something, planning to do something, talking about doing something, thinking about doing something or watching TV.
What people (no names being mentioned here, but it starts with ‘W’ and ends in ‘ayne’) keep saying “Take some time off to just sit back and relax.”
What he doesn’t get is that I can’t. I can relax and read. I can relax and watch TV as long as I can fast forward through the ads or read a book while they’re on. I can relax and watch TV and bend wire and bead for suncatchers, or sew dog bandanas. Or using these flattened spoons and forks to make windchimes…
But I find it really really hard to just sit and relax.
I will, on occasion, go sit outside with Wayne and sit, surrounded by the horses and dogs and chat. That’s relaxing.
Doing creative things is relaxing. Like painting (a portrait or the walls), or making stuff. That is what I enjoy, so its relaxing to me.
I love grooming dogs, but its work, often hard work. I think I dislocated my thumb today stopping one anxious little boy from jumping off the grooming table. But when the dogs were all done for the day I made myself a frappe and took a beer out to Wayne who was working in the top paddock.
I took the poodles, Wayne had Barney and Mischa with him, and we talked and walked around and enjoyed the sun, which had decided to make an appearance about then.
I’m so proud of the poodles. Even Wayne commented on it today. For dogs who had never been around horses or chickens before we moved here, they’re doing so well (though we did have a steep learning curve during which we lost 4 chickens and 3 ducks). When I took them out into the paddock, they ran around, playing chase and kicking up their heels. The chickens and ducks were out, but they totally ignored them. 
Its funny to watch them around the horses though. They’ll be trotting along, spot a horse and quickly change direction. And Dancer… She’s a real mischievous little thing. She loves chasing the dogs. She’ll be pretending to munch on grass and she’ll suddenly take off, scattering poodles before her. 
This afternoon Mischa tried a new tactic. No way can Mischa outrun a horse – so instead she played dead. She just plonked herself on the ground and lay there. 
Dancer didn’t know what to make of it. She was totally stumped. She stood and sniffed Mischa a while, then lost interest. If it don’t run, it ain’t no fun.
Mischa looked up, saw Dancer look away, and skulked off quietly….
Anyway, back to the matter at hand…
What I did today:
Made french toast with bacon, banana and maple syrup for breakfast. Groomed dogs. Shared a few precious moments with my partner and our animals on our land.
Soon we’ll be going out for dinner with friends.
What I didn’t do:
Banking. Bills. Website work. Dishes. The bed. Anything else on my list.
Guess I better go do some of that now.
z

day 19 – shabby bustier

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It all started out as an innocent browse through a tip shop.

Then this thing kind of leapt out at me.

A wire bustier thing. Gorgeous. I think its made to hang earrings on… Whatever. It was pretty.

Even prettier when I finished with it!

Now its not just an earring holder. It’s a work of art all on its own. It could hold its own in Marie Antoinette’s boudoir.

Yep. Another thing ticked off the list. Way to go!

What I did today:
I bought a new ironing board cover. I bought a couple of new paintbrushes. I had coffee with friends. I pooperscooped. I weeded. I pulled out a plant I didn’t want and planted some sage in its place. I watered the potted plants. Next I’ll have a shower cause weeding makes me itchy all over, then I’m making bruschetta for dinner. Yum.

What I didn’t do:
Buy chicken for the dogs. Buy black paint. Pay bills.

Tomorrow is another day.

z

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Beyond The Picket Fence

day 18 – suncatchers

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Last night I ended up doing a little more than I expected. I stayed up till way past my bedtime and made two suncatchers. With another two to finish tonight, I’ve made 4 for the lady who ordered them. I figure if I can finish 2-3 more before I see her, she’ll have more to choose from.
These two are made using Wayne’s wire creations. The one above is delicate and pretty, a flower with clear and pinkish crystals. It’d look great hanging in a window.

The one below is centered around a flattened antique spoon which Wayne has added wire embelishments to. This one is about 12in long all together.
The other ones I’m working on are recycled and re-purposed items. Stay tuned.

What I did today:
I finally cleaned up the mess on the guest bed. When I removed the linen closet from the living room I ended up with a huge amount of doonas, sheets and blankets that needed a new home. This is a small house with small rooms and a huge living room. I only have one wardrobe in the guest room and its really small… I’m cutting down on the amount of doonas I have and will get some vacuum bags for underbed storage for what I keep.
In short: one thing ticked off the list – clean up the guest room and sort the bedding.
Actually, that’s two ticks. Yippee!
I also brought the ironing board in from the shed (we don’t iron in this house – its against our religion). That’s one tick off the sub-list in my make cushions and curtains from old flour sacks project.
Of course, before I can do anything I need to buy a new cover for it. The one on it is pretty disgusting… Its not handled the shed very well and I think mice might have been using the top of it as a lover’s lookout…
Yeech.
So one thing crossed off the list, one more added to it.

What I didn’t do:
Go back to the tip shop to pick up a couple of things I saw yesterday which I’m thinking I might need want.
Then again… I’m rethinking it now. Maybe I don’t want need them after all.
z

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day 17 – more junk

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What I did today:
Bought food for the dogs. Bought chaff and pellets for the horses. Went to the tip shop and scored a few things. Went to work, but that doesn’t count on the blog. That’s my ‘other life’.

What I didn’t do:
The night is young. I have plenty of time to not do a ton of stuff on my list.

Till then, here are a few photos of my scores… The hessian sacks I got at an antique shop last week. The other bits and pieces are new.

 

Interesting, no?

I really need to do something about my addiction to junk.

z

day 16 – over the hump

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It was another beautiful day today. We’ve had a few good ones lately… the kind when I feel I have the best job in the world.
What other jobs let you take long walks in beautiful weather?
From Anzac Park in Lindisfarne, a view of the Tasman Bridge.
The yacht club in Lindisfarne.
I took a client out for a long walk today and enjoyed the views, met some nice animals, and just had a nice time.
Like this young magpie.
And this gorgeous bush. I have no idea what it is, and most of the year it looks totally unimpressive. Then in early spring it blooms to a cloud of brilliant purple.
On the to do list? 
I washed dishes. Cooked dinner. Folded washing. Pooper-scooped the yard.
What I didn’t do?
Anything else. I was just too tired.
z

day 15 – taking stock

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Midway through the month already.
Lets see what the list looked like at the beginning of this challenge.

Projects to finish:
  • 4 wire dangles for a customer order
  • memory box which was going really well till I stuffed it up
  • put up a shelf I’ve been working on in the toilet
  • finish living room curtains I started over a year ago
  • memory tin I haven’t stuffed up yet
  • finish sorting items to donate to the work garage sale
Projects to start (and finish would be good):
  • make tea light holders for the porch for summer
  • organise hanging baskets for around the house
  • fix and put up an old chandelier for the bedroom
  • make a hanging light for Wayne’s desk
  • clean up some old metal baskets and find a home for them in the house
  • re-make a drawer unit into a bench for the mudroom
  • make a hat rack for mudroom
  • make a coat rack for mudroom
  • make a small box to hold mobile phones & chargers
  • use the flour sacks to make kitchen curtains and cushion covers
  • make nifty curtain tiebacks (or rather, ask Wayne to make them for me cause this one involves metal work)
  • find a use for some fairy lights I have
  • make a broken suitcase into a side table
  • finish my tip shop chairs
  • fix and paint my gate leg table
  • make a shelf under the kitchen window for herbs
  • paint the mudroom
Big projects: 
  • remove office carpet
  • remove linen cupboard from LR
  • paint the toilet walls
  • make the smallest room into a walk-in wardrobe
  • paint the house – outside
  • stain the deck
  • repaint most of the house inside, cause I changed my mind on the colours.

So… now lets see what it looks like now:

Projects to finish:
  • 4 wire dangles for a customer order– 2 finished. 2 to go
  • memory box which was going really well till I stuffed it up but still not happy with it.
  • put up a shelf I’ve been working on in the toilet shelf is finished but its not up.
  • finish living room curtains I started over a year ago not even started. but I have an excuse. I’m not sure I want them now…
  • memory tin I haven’t stuffed up yet
  • finish sorting items to donate to the work garage sale 
That’s not bad. 4 out of six finished. One may be removed from the list, leaving it as 4 out of 5 done.

Projects to start (and finish would be good):

  • make tea light holders for the porch for summer Not even started
  • organise hanging baskets for around the house Does looking at the colanders count?
  • fix and put up an old chandelier for the bedroom Nope.
  • make a hanging light for Wayne’s desk Nope.
  • clean up some old metal baskets and find a home for them in the house Nope.
  • re-make a drawer unit into a bench for the mudroom I moved it twice… does that count as starting?
  • make a hat rack for mudroom hm…
  • make a coat rack for mudroom hm…
  • make a small box to hold mobile phones & chargers I’ve sorted bits of wood to use… that’s a step in the right direction.
  • use the flour sacks to make kitchen curtains and cushion covers I will now break that down to smaller steps and add a bit…
  • bring in ironing board
  • iron flour sacks
  • sort which flour sacks to make cushions out of
  • make curtains for kitchen
  • make cushions
  • make inserts
  • make nifty curtain tiebacks (or rather, ask Wayne to make them for me cause this one involves metal work) I have asked W to make lots of other things involving metal work
  • find a use for some fairy lights I have Eh.
  • make a broken suitcase into a side table Its still sitting on the desk, waiting.
  • finish my tip shop chairs Darn. I knew there was something I had to do…
  • fix and paint my gate leg table Nope.
  • make a shelf under the kitchen window for herbs Nope.
  • paint the mudroom Yeah right.
Big projects: 
  • remove office carpet
  • remove linen cupboard from LR
  • paint the toilet walls
  • make the smallest room into a walk-in wardrobe
  • paint the house – outside
  • stain the deck
  • repaint most of the house inside, cause I changed my mind on the colours.
To be fair, those last ones were a long shot!
So, how did I go?  I’ve gone from 17 to 22 projects in the “things to start and finish” list. And only started 2 of them.
Not so good.
On the other hand, I have done other stuff.
Just today I undercoated a ton of stuff I want to paint and revamp. I’ve started 3 more projects, and I’ve printed out a ton of stuff for some artwork I plan to make.
I also held  horses to have their hooves done, and I went with Wayne to pick up 2 huge round bales of hay.

Things I learned today:
You can get splinters from hay.
Hay in your bra sure is irritating.
So…
Here is a quick revised list:

Things to finish:
  • paint 4 photo frames
  • artwork for frames
  • paint 2 trays
  • make photo holder
  • finish retro storage tins
  • finish shabby jewelry holder
  • use hessian bag to finish the bookcase in Wayne’s office area
  • iron and sort flour sacks
  • make cushion covers
  • make cushion inserts
  • finish the suncatchers and chimes I have waiting to be done.
  • fold and put away all washing
  • wash dishes
  • have dinner
 I can knock the bottom three off tonight. Tomorrow is another day.
 z

day 14 – a collection of scissors

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Today I finally managed to do something creative.
I have actually been doing lots of creative things in bits and pieces, all the time… but I finally managed to do something and finish it all in one go. It feels good.
A long time ago I found these old wooden crate/trays in a tip shop. I grabbed them cause I knew I could use them. One day. Like everything else.
I had plans for them, but they just took up space, got moved from here to there and then to further over for quite a few months.
Over the last few months I’ve found, and collected, a couple of old shears (the ones on either side). When cleaning out some of Wayne’s old horse gear I found these very old, rusty scissors. Perfect.
I now knew exactly what to do with one of the crates.
I drilled holes in the sides, threaded wire through to hold the shears in place. I had to use wire through the back to tie the scissors in place.
I love it. I’m thinking I might use old tools in the other two and make a set to hang on a wall outside somewhere…
Things I did today:
I groomed a dog. I went to a garage sale and bought a ton of printing paper and two printers – one to replace Wayne’s busted one and one for a backup. And a matt cutter. And some almost antique thick cotton sheets. I bought fuel and I whippersnipped the entire yard. 
An observation… no  matter how much care you take to pooperscoop the yard before whippersnipping, there will always be some mines for you to find, which you will hit and scatter. At least the horse pooh is bigger and easier to spot. Though I think I now know what the inside of a horse tastes like. Yeech.
I’ve started a whole heap of projects. I started and finished one (above). I washed dishes.
Things I didn’t do:
I didn’t fold the washing. I didn’t cook dinner. We went out instead. 
Not a bad day overall.
z

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day 13 – roadkill furniture and other finds

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Today has been a great day. Mostly. It all started with a great find on the side of the road.
I was on my way to the work garage sale in Hobart when I spotted something on the side of the road. Was it alive? Was it dead? What kind of animal was it?
It wasn’t an animal at all! As I whizzed past I caught a glimpse of something timber with scalloped edges.
I braked so hard I almost sent poor Romeo into the middle of next week. I parked and ran back to find this beauty.
Someone was obviously taking it to the tip. See, the top is missing, broken off, maybe under a pile of rubbish at the tip as we speak.
It was wobbly, nothing tightening up and a bit of glue wont fix. And its got a few scrapes where it hit the asphalt. Just right for a shabby look. It was calling my name, thanking me profusely for rescuing it from a fate worse than death at the tip. Its promised me years of loyalty if I fix it up and give it a new top.
Not a bad way to start the day.
So, I did go to the garage sale, and took Romeo with me. He’s been to work with me a few times and some of the clients met him and ask me about him all the time. It was great to take him there and see some of them and give them a chance to see Romeo all grown up. Both Romeo and the clients loved it.
I got this from the garage sale – its metal but light and over 12in long.
 
From there we walked up the road to a church fair where I bought some home made jam and Romeo got more attention. He’s such a well behaved boy, more focussed on me than anything else. I could have him offlead and he wouldn’t leave my side.
After that I had a toy poodle puppy to do a show groom on, and back at home I had 2 more small mixed breed dogs to do. One a new customer and one a regular.
Then the day went downhill…
Did I mention to you that I have competition in town now? A dog grooming salon has opened in New Norfollk.
Well, to add insult to injury, I heard today that they’ve named the shop VALLEY DOGS.
This is my logo:
Its not a registered name as I have an ABN (Australian Business Number) for my name, not a particular business so I can groom or paint or whatever, but its what’s on my business cards and the name I’ve listed in the local directory!!!
In fact, I got a call on Friday from a lady who wanted me to groom her golden retriever next week. After booking her in she said ‘You’re in Willow Court, aren’t you?’ I said no, I was in Magra…
So… she obviously saw the sign they had out on the road in town and looked ‘them’ up in the local directory and got me. She booked in with me. 
What can I do? Do I have any rights given its not a registered name? I mean, I’ve been using it for 2 years now. Surely that counts for something. If they have registered the name as a business though… what do I do?
Sigh.
I’m not happy.
z

day 12 – treasures

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Today I thought I’d share some treasures I’ve collected over the last few weeks. I just can’t help myself.
I say I won’t buy anything else cause, to quote a wise friend (same wise friend who’s the list making expert), “until you start making/finishing things, its all just clutter”.
But such nice clutter.
Clutter with potential!
Anyway, above are some handles I found which are so tarnished they look gorgeous.
Then there’s the chess board with backgammon on the back. What will I do with that? No idea. It just looked nice at the time!
I loved this bowl. Simple and white. I bought it for no other reason.
 
This light fixture piece. I think the parts might come in handy. One day. For something. Maybe.
A flower press. I don’t press flowers, but I can start!
Or I can use it for something completely different. Who said it has to be a flower press forever?
Two old and rusty metal tool boxes.
Ahhh, the call of rusty metal. Loved these pieces and think they’ll make terrific somethings one day.
Now, how can you say no to this cute little wall shelf? Its gorgeous.
And you know my unhealthy obsession with old tools and rusty bits? Here are a couple of handles, another hand sander and a pair of shears of some sort to add to my collection of shears and old scissors.
Which I’ll put together in some kind of display one day. 

Last but not least… a Noddy book! When I saw it I just had to have it for my Benny boy.
Ben (my horse) was named Noddy by his original owners cause he has this habit of nodding his head when he’s excited.
So, back to business…
What I did today:
I put on a load of washing. Only another 512 to go. It was easier when I had two working washing machines in the laundry.
I posted an important letter.
I finished 2 suncatchers (did that last night, but since I’d already blogged I’m claiming it as an achievement for today).
I pooperscooped the yard. Collected eggs, fed horses and dogs. Washed dishes. That was a feat.
What I didn’t do:
Cook dinner. Put away groceries. Wayne did that. Groom a dog after work. I postponed that till tomorrow. 
Don’t they say ‘Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow?’
No? 
That’s not how it goes?
darn…
z