a very easy project

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Last night I went through the old sewing basket Merrill gave me. It used to belong to her mother. In fact, it looks exactly like the sewing basket my mom owns. When Merrill asked me if I wanted it I said yes. Of course. Not only does it remind me of the years I spent raiding mom’s supplies to make dresses for my Barbie dolls, I didn’t have a real sewing basket. I’ve been using an ugly plastic container for years.
So, last night I sorted through it, re-wrapping unravelled thread, putting aside all the old bits and pieces which I’ll want to use somehow, somewhere, one day. Then I added my own threads into it and viola. A new sewing basket.
Naturally, there were a few odd buttons in the bottom of the basket.
Aren’t there always?
And I had this tiny little memory box frame.
It just seemed right to put them together.
A small tribute to Merrill’s mom.
z




pom poms and poodles

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Yay! I did it!
I finally made myself a little pom pom posie!

 
I had made this bedspring vase a little while ago and really wasn’t happy with it.I think it was the pink flower that got me.
 
And when I saw the little pom pom flowers at Ecclectically Vintage, I knew they were exactly what I needed!
Since I have a passion for blue, purple and white flowers, I chose some purple and cream wool for my flowers and used florists wire for the stems.
The pom poms really are quite easy to make, using a fork to wrap the wool around, but when they come off the fork they really were the ugliest pom poms I’d ever seen. They really did need a haircut.
Lucky for me I’m a whizz at trimming pom poms as my poodle showing days will prove!
 Ahhh… I do miss poodle hair!
z

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cheap and nasty pantry organising

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I did threaten to share my pantry organising with you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thing is, I didn’t go with the whole mod podge up to my elbows recycling cardboard boxes to store tinned goods in. I have a collection of boxes I was going to make over into the rolling out type of can storage, but when push came to shove I just couldn’t start a project which would take forever the way things are going with projects around here.

Of course walking through Kmart and finding these baskets for $3 and $4 respectively helped lubricate the shift from recycling boxes to just forking out some cash.

Of course I had to make labels for them, cause what pantry organisation is complete without labels? I had some leftover chalkboard from an earlier project… so risking my fingers I cut it down to small pieces using the circular saw (the jigsaw is broken – and I was careful, but I still don’t recommend it!). I then drilled holes into each piece, wrote on them and tied them to the baskets with jute string.

I bought a few baskets in each size to see how they’d go, and I’m liking them. They’re not imaginative or pretty or perfect, but you know what? They work. I can look into the pantry now and know exactly what I have or how low I’m getting on something.

And Wayne wont break his back searching for, and not finding, the baked beans, forcing me to get off the computer and go find them for him.

Win win.

I do need to make more labels. I may make them using cardboard though (as I did in the workshop), unless I buy another jigsaw…

z

the best laid plans

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You know what they say about the best laid plans?
Well, I can tell you its true. I had such big plans for the weekend. Then they were all changed on me. I got home from training on Saturday to find we had visitors and that Wayne had made all kinds of plans for my weekend.
None of which included time to work on the house!
But, somewhere between the 504 loads of washing I had to do, the 412 dishes I had to wash and the zillions of other ‘everyday’ chores, I managed to get some painting done on the house!
First step was to remove everything from the deck. Second step was washing down the walls.
Its not easy to see in the photo but, after a trip to the supermarket I hadn’t planned, I finished painting the south side of the house where it needed a 2nd coat, and started on the front.
I didn’t do it all. Basically I had only planned to undercoat the beams under the roof and all the new timber of the railing today, but I had a bucket full of the pale grey paint and I had to use it up, right? So I only painted the lower part of the walls till I ran out of paint.
My next job will be to undercoat all the bits that need that. Naturally I expect I’ll run out of the 3 in 1 sealer/undercoat/prepcoat before I run out of things to undercoat, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
The job wasn’t without casualties… There used to be a shelf on the side of the house which became a bench when the deck was added on. I removed the timber from the ‘bench’ and asked Wayne to remove the brackets for me today. I wanted to use them to move the shelf to above the electrical box under the kitchen window.
He removed them alright. In multiple pieces… sigh…
So, I’m feeling a bit better about myself tonight, having done at least one small thing towards finishing the job I had meant to do over the Christmas break.
Feeling better about myself, not actually feeling better, cause my back is killing me. I was using the sealer/undercoat paint tin to sit on while painting those low bits (cause man, getting old sucks… I’m finding it harder to paint cross legged on the floor like I used to!) and when I went to get up I realised I could hardly walk.
I repeat: getting old sucks!
On a separate and really embarassing note…. a friend gave us this copper artwork last year. I don’t really like copper artwork… but I figured if I can get a patina on it – you know, those gorgeous greens – then I’d love it. So I left it outside in the weather … 
Where she found it and put it on display on the bench.
Ooppps. I noticed it there when I went to hang clothes up this morning. 
How embarassing. I hadn’t thrown it out there, I had placed it there to encourage it to get crusty and green. Unfortunately it refuses to. I think it may have been coated with some kind of protective varnish I should have removed first.
I think I’ll have to actively work on it to patina it. Any ideas? Pinterest, where are you?
Oh, and while I’m at it… any idea what the problem is when a top loader washing machine keeps mucking up dark clothes? I’d never had this problem before with this machine, but lately my blacks are coming out covered in what looks like lint. Lots of it. In streaks and patches.
I washed the washing machine, gave it a good scrub inside and then turned it on, adding some bleach, to clean it. I’d done vinegar before but that hadn’t fixed the problem. The problem is a BIT better, but not gone. 
I can’t find a filters and no one ever mentioned a filter to clean when I bought it. Its an old Whirlpool, a basic model. Simple, no push buttons and flashing lights.
Any ideas on how fix the link problem?
z

no rest for the wicked

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I was so looking forward to a couple of days at home, back to normal, no more guests, just me, Wayne, the dogs and the endless chores.
He’s back, so tonight I only have to do half the chores. Phew. Soon I’ll get up off my butt and go feed the dogs, go down to feed and rug Ben, then return to let Wally out of the corral where he eats his dinner.
I thought I had a couple of days of catching up ahead of me. Time to clean the house (again). Do some washing (again). Attempt to organise the office (again). Finish the painting of the two dogs (finally). And start a new crafting project or three.
For my sanity – you know. Me without some crafting project in my hands is a recipe for disaster. Bad things happen when I get crafting/decorating/DIY withdrawals.
I have some yarn lined up to attempt fork pom pom flowers as inspired by Ecclectically Vintage…
I mean, how cute are they?
I want to tidy my pantry using the 99.99% method of recycling and upcycling and doing it the ‘el cheapo’ way… using jars, plastic containers and cardboard boxes and lots and lots of labels.
But no.
I’ll be going training tomorrow.
sigh.
At least its a fun day of Safety Circle (are YOU inside the circle of safety? Hell no. I use chairs to reach high places and paint the house balanced on the top rung of a ladder…) and Sign Language. Both great topics.
I don’t mind training when its something interesting… I get to spend time with people I actually like, cause really, I like almost everyone I work with… and even the ones I might not want to invite over for dinner, I like enough to spend a day with.
Meanwhile, I found a great blog while following links today.
Mandi. I love her! She’s me in a parallel universe, with kids and a much better sense of humour.
Or maybe she’s who I wanted to be.
Minus the kids.
Or maybe we were twins, separated at birth and born years and a continent or two apart.
Who knows.
All I know is she’s my hero! I do believe her blog will help me sort out my own life in some strange way.
z

losing a friend…

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… but gaining a place to visit.
Merrill is on her way to her new home in Victoria right now.
She decided that the climate in Tasmania didn’t suit her health-wise and that the artist inside her was crying for an environment more conducive to creating.
Here’s hoping that Victoria is that environment.
It does sound lovely… and the adventure! I envy her the excitement of a new home, a new place, meeting new people. I think its a wonderful opportunity and glad she decided to go for it.
I convinced her to start a blog so I set one up for her this afternoon. Take a look and tell me what you think:
I’ll let her explain the title.
Meanwhile I’ve been feeling rather seedy lately. I’ve been flirting with the flu for about a week now – I got the sore throat, the headache, the chills, the dry coughing which keeps me up half the night. I didn’t get the fever luckily.
As a result though, I haven’t done much. Then again, I could blame Merrill and having a guest for not getting anything done…
Or the fact that Wayne’s away so I have to do everything around here on my own. Nothing makes you appreciate the other person as much as taking on their chores.
I got home yesterday and spent 2.5 hours feeding chickens, horses, dogs and ducks, burying a wallaby one of my dogs killed in the morning, turning on the pump and watering the paddocks, flipping to the other pump to fill the tank, watering the vegie patch…
I was exhausted by the end of it. 
What made things take longer was the fact the Ben is down the road currently, at boot camp. He’s with a friend who’s teaching him manners and giving him experience having someone on his back (and not throwing them off).
Here’s hoping I get a horse I can actually ride at the end of it.
However, having him down the road adds to the chores as I have to drive down and feed him twice a day… not as easy as walking down to the paddock to feed the horses.
So I have nothing new to share. No new projects. No new decorating or crafting. I did manage to sort the lids in the plastics cupboard. I was sick of the mess in there so I used two ice cream tubs to hold lids.
Nothing too exciting.
Next item on the agenda: organise the pots cupboard and the lids in there…
 
and organise the pantry…
Baby steps…
z

coat rack FAIL

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Thought I’d share this beautiful coat rack fail with you, just to show you I’m not perfect and I can’t do EVERYTHING (in case you did actually believe that).

I had this brilliant idea that I could make a cute coat rack using these antique style brass coat hooks I’d gotten on sale a long time ago.

I had this small piece of old skirting board which was perfect. How hard can it be?

Harder than I thought, turns out.

Firstly, I didn’t measure correctly. Sure the hooks were evenly spaced, but I forgot to take into consideration the space on the ends… that should have been smaller and the space between should have been bigger.

First fail.

Then I couldn’t get the darn screws in properly so that the plates sat flat! I tried all kinds of things… every effort digging me deeper into the quagmire of failure.

The skirting board was hardwood… the drill too strong… the screw heads just popped off left right and centre.

I gave up.

I gave it to Wayne and asked if he could fix it.

He fixed it.

He broke the timber and gave me the hooks to use on another project.

I dont know if I can… I’m scared of them now!

z

a box for ursa

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When I first met Merrill she had a heart dog. Her name was Ursa. Unfortunately, I never really go to know Ursa as she developed a brain tumour and the first time I met her was also the last.
Its so sad when you lose any beloved pet… they are members of the family. Its even harder when its one you’ve hand raised from a baby and which is much a part of you as your own heart.
When I lost Billybear, my toy poodle – my special boy – I made a small box to keep his ashes. It wasn’t the first time I’d made a ‘memory box’. I made one for Scooter the year before. But with Billy I used the words of a song as part of the box. The song was The Dance by Garth Brooks. Its a song about love and life and how pain is part of loving.
I promised Merrill I’d make her a special box for Ursa’s ashes to take with her to her new home. I used a photo of Ursa’s paws… there’s something so beautiful and vulnerable about her paws.
I also incorporated both the words of The Dance, and the words Ursa said to Merrill through an animal communicator. They are beautiful words.
z
The Dance
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared ‘neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you’d ever say goodbye

And now, I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything
For a moment, wasn’t I a king
But if I’d only known how the king would fall
Hey who’s to say, you know I might have changed it all

And now, I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain,
but I’d have had to miss the dance

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pretty things make it home

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Do you remember the heart wreath I made for our front door as a welcome? Well, I loved it, but Wayne kept knocking it around as he came and went. So in the end I gave it to a friend as a housewarming present and hung up something new…
Wayne made this and its the perfect front door decoration! Just my kind of thing.
Have I mentioned how great Wayne is? Yesterday I asked him to price an air staple gun for my birdproofing the house and he came home with one for me! 
Nothing melts a girl’s heart like power tools!
Its a big week next week. Merrill is moving to Victoria and I’m helping her sell stuff before her move, adopting some of her stuff for us, and organising to make room for things here! I’m buying her old leather sofa and armchairs (cause its leather!) and 2 of her bookcases.
The headache… We have too much stuff. This is not a big house. Four bedrooms, but not big bedrooms. In fact, the smallest bedroom is so small you have to go outside to change your mind.
ha. ha.
I’ve always wanted to say that.
Now I have and I apologise.
Anyway, small bedrooms, a huge living room but too much furniture. I like things to look pretty and this place ain’t pretty. Yet.
I have pretty corners. Like this one on the coffee table…
And this one on the other coffee table…
But I have plans. I’ve sold my grey couch. I’m donating the single bed and tons of clothing and bedding to the fire relief. The other couch and the recliner are both looking scared. 
I plan to make more room in here so I can feel the space. And the smallest bedroom will soon be a walk in wardrobe!
Stay tuned!
z

what do the internet and potted herbs have in common?

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 I’ve been having some time off blogging.
Some of it was voluntary. I actually made a decision to not blog for a few days last week. Then a couple of other days I didn’t blog cause I was too busy doing other things… like… living.
Then I had some internet connection issues which caused me to mutter under my breath a lot and storm out of the office in disgust repeatedly.
The internet issues are continuing currently but I’m on the netbook, connected to the modem directly via a red umbilical cord. I can’t move from this chair if I want to be online.
At least I’m online, right? It would be better if I could remember my email password so I could log on to my webmail.
That’s the thing when you get too comfortable with your own computer. You set up your passwords in the computer memory (probably a really bad thing if you let others on your computer!) and you log in to sites on a permanent basis. ie no need to actually remember passwords.
Now I have to search for the safe place I wrote my password.
But I may have the situation under control before I need to panic.
See, I’ve been having internet connectivity problems for a while now. A couple of months for sure. Some days it worked fine. Other days I couldn’t log on at all. When it was bad I couldn’t log on to the Activ8me website to get the phone number to call… When it was working fine I would think ‘eh, its ok now, why call?’
Yesterday afternoon I finally snapped and called. I spoke to a nice man in India who said that the only way to get to the bottom of the problem was to disconnect the router and hardwire the computer into the modem direct.
Great. That means only one computer in the house has internet access for the period.
(Guess who’s?)
So I crawl around on my knees, unplugging bits and pieces and plugging other bits in. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that step 1 didn’t work. I had to spend a second day, talking to another nice man in India, in order to set up the netbook to actually connect using the red umbilical cord.
Now that’s working. I’ve been putting it through its paces and so far no dropouts.
Step 1 seems to show that the satellite dish is working fine.
Tomorrow I’ll call again and see what the next step is. It could be the router. It could be the little silver box thingy on the modem cable.  Whatever it is,  I have finally gotten someone to confirm my suspicions:
That the satellite dish is interfering with the TV antenna and our reception. 
Sigh.
Why is it that when I say something is a problem I get pooh-poohed, but when someone else says it it makes sense?
Anyway, on another subject entirely, I made these little hanging baskets for outside the casita a few weeks ago and never got around to sharing them.
I used some old colanders I’d been collecting for a while with this project in mind, and some chains bought from the hardware store. I then lined the colanders with hanging basket fibre, added potting mix and put in basil and coriander.
I made one double hanging basket and 2 single ones which I hung on either side of the casita door.
You may have noticed my collection of pot plants below the double hanging basket. I actually I had to move all my pots there to get them out of the worst of the sun before they died.
Notice the barbed wire clover Wayne made me? He called it a flower, but its a four leaf clover. That’s ok by me. I can use the luck!
Anyway, this is how my plants looked 2 weeks ago. Since then the coriander has died and the basil is looking sickly.
I never have luck growing herbs. I don’t know what I do wrong but they just don’t seem to like me much. I give them pretty pots to live in and they repay me by dying.
hmph.
z