Cleaning cats ears - not fun, but necessary.

Cats need their ears cleaned otherwise they can build up with dirt and moisture and get infected. Due to the curved shape of the ear canal it's a bit different to a humans ears so you can really get in there and give it a good swivel with a cotton ball and bud. Use a cat ear cleaner solution to loosen up dry bits.

Amelie's just had her ears cleaned and she's clearly overjoyed.

If the stuff that comes out is really thick or brown/yellow and smelly, it may be worthwhile having a Vet check it out. And if she's scratching at it or shaking her head a lot she may need one of these.

An e-collar. A cat's best friend.

The best way to hold a cat is to sit it on your lap facing outwards and hold the cats head firmly so it doesn't swivel around too much. You might need someone to help you hold the body or wrap it up in a towel kitty-kebab style to keep all those sharp claws contained. Ears should be cleaned on a monthly basis.

It's a kitty kebab, hold the tomato sauce.

Mini terrariums - great for the lazy gardener!

I've always loved miniature things since I was a bit miniature myself. I'd make little models of houses and towns complete with all the details. 

When I stumbled upon mini terrariums it was like a kid stumbling onto Christmas, pure elation! These are basically mini landscapes usually using low maintenance plants like moss and cacti, all contained with a glass vessel. Add a  few clay ornaments and you have yourself the perfect little world to keep on your desk.

As you can see they can be small and simple or you can make them a bit fancy depending on the glass vessel and plant choice you make. There is a great company call miniscapes based in Melbourne that do wonderful pieces on a commercial basis, their blog is great for some inspiration.

Otherwise if you're attempting your own, just find a glass container. As a beginner, I found one that has an wide opening so I can stick my hand in easier. You can use light bulbs and glass bottles but they require much more fiddling around trying to get everything in. Place some pebbles on the bottom, then soil. Some say to add activated charcoal between these layers but I believe this is only necessary if you have a closed lid system.

Then just add your plants. I stole all of my plants from my mums garden but your local Bunnings or nursery should have moss and small plants. Try to choose a variety of shades and shapes. Also make the surface a bit uneven to give the landscape some texture (like a real woodland). I made my little village mushrooms and ladybugs out of polymer clay (refer to my clothesline tutorial for a how to with clay).

Maintenance is really easy. Just keep it out of direct sunlight and a light spray with water every couple of days.   I really love that  it looks like little people would move in any minute. 

Break fast with a breakfast cup!

So as a tea enthusiast (geeky I know), nothing starts the morning off like a nice steaming cup of black tea with a smidgen of milk. However I'm a one pour kind of girl and I'd like my cup to hold  all the tea I will need that morning. Hence my dilemma because the average teacup holds around 200ml which really doesn't cut it. Sure I could get a large mug which will do the job but they're so heavy and as a purist I really prefer the traditional teacup shape. The breakfast cup is the perfect solution to this, round, holds 300ml. And if you get one in fine bone china as opposed to regular pocelain, it's quite light. The search begins.

Rhubarb do nice, affordable porcelain cups with cute prints and I found a nice large one a few years ago from David Jones for around $20. Sadly, this one got a crack in it after frequent use. I have their regular sized ones as well but find them too small and now I can't the large one anywhere.

Bodhum have funky clear glass cups that are double layered to provide insulation so you can hold your hot liquids with ease. Your friends will marvel at the fact that you can see the outline of the tea! However the bodhum ones are  expensive, a bit fragile, slippery and small. 

I found this beauty at the Oriental Teahouse on a Melbourne trip, beautiful and convenient in the fact that you don't need a teapot because it houses it's owner filter. However the holes are a bit large for black tea so more just suited if you're wanting the leafy teas.Also it's a bit narrow which makes it hard to wash.

After months of searching I found the perfect teacup. This Roy Kirkham Garden Birds breakfast cup holds a satisfying 300ml. Has a lovely shape to it. Appears sturdy enough but is very light. I found it on etsy for around $40 (including postage). Now to sit back and relax.

Hanging out dirty laundry...on your neck!

So you know how one thing leads to another. Browsing through etsy for a double brooch I stumbled upon this quirky brooch that brought a smile to my face made by a Lithuanian artist by the name of Hairysock.

I really really wanted it and was THIS close to getting it when reading through the description saw that it was made from polymer clay, coloured with acrylic and varnished. Most things, with a bit of trial and error and creativity you can try to make yourself. Googling polymer clay, I found out that it's a modelling clay you can get at any craft shop which will go hard either just by exposure to air or oven baking. This project took me around 6 hours in total (most of which was waiting for paint to dry). Here's the recipe.

I used:

-1/4 x Fimo 56g soft modelling clay (oven bake) in white

-28 gauge silver craft wire

-wire cutters (pair of sturdy scissors will do)

-regular acrylic paint (whatever colours you like) + paint brush

-oven

-Derivan Matisse clear sealer

-two safety pins or any other form of brooch backing to secure it

-sharp blade

All these products you can get from Eckersley or Riot! Art and Craft.

1. Start by cutting the clay into slices about 4mm thick. Cut out the various pieces roughly. You can smooth it out with something blunt afterwards (I used the round end of the safety pin). This is the most time consuming step but take the time to get the details right because once you bake it there's no going back. Remember to add little tabs at the top of each piece as pegs and use a pin to push holes through for the wire. 

2. Preheat the oven to 120 C. Place the safety pins onto the back of the window pieces and secure in place with some extra clay over the top. Place all pieces on some aluminium foil and place on a baking tray. The clay will soften a bit in the oven so place the window pieces face down (shown below).

3. Bake for about 30 minutes. The thicker the pieces the longer you need to bake it for. Once done take them out and cool.

4. Paint the pieces anyway you want. You can see that I added some more colour variation to the clothing.

  

5. Thread the wire through the holes and knot it through the hole of the safety pins to secure it on each end. To tighten the knots twist it at the base.

6. Varnish pieces with the clear sealer (if you don't have any, this step isn't really necessary but adds a nice shine to the clay).

I think it came out really well and the only thing I would change is to use a beading wire rather than the craft wire as it would be more malleable and not sit so stiffly. It's also a bit difficult to pin the brooch to your collar using the safety pins and I think the round pin that Hairysock had used would attach a lot easier. Other than that, I am very much looking forward to taking this baby out for a spin the next time it's windy.

Introducing Amelie

So as a Vet of course I love all creatures great and small (though to a lesser extent for the scaly ones) but I've always had a soft spot for dogs. They just seem like better companions - more friendly and loving. That was until I met Amelie.

Just hanging out with the shelves.

She's our clinic cat. She's around 5 years old but no one can be certain because she's an ex-street cat (though the way she prances around you would hardly believe it now).

She's also deaf but that just means that her sight is more developed and she has a particular fondness for chasing shadows and moving lights. She is also food obsessed and will spend her days trying to ferret that one piece of cat biscuit under the cupboard or knocking over the liver treat jar to get to the bounty within.

This is her sleeping face - CUTE!

I've never had so much fun with a cat as I have with Amelie. She is a constant surpise, a joy and just so adorable. I'm sure you'll fall in love with her too. Amelitis is highly contagious.

Elegant and regal.

Stripe, Sheer and Maxi. Perfect.

Awhile ago I saw a girl crossing the street in Paddington and my head turned a full 90 degrees. She was wearing a striking sheer maxi skirt that seemed to float behind her like a dream. 

At first I thought that she was pretty brave for wearing something so sheer but soon realised that there was a black miniskirt lining that still allowed some modesty without ruining the lightness of the material. Plus I've always love maxis but found all that material swamping to us short folk, so this seemed like a good compromise.

American Apparel Sheer Maxi from ASOS 

Using a tan and black sheer fabric I bought from a Vietnamese market, I thought I'd give it a go myself. Using a thick stretch wool mix for the lining and some elastic for the waistband, I was able to complete this skirt in 2 days as it's pretty basic. No fancy seams or tricky zips to deal with. 


The hardest part was making the diagonal waistline but you can just use black elastic or skip it altogether. I made my lining skirt a bit longer than the one I saw, just in case. But unless you're in a bright sunlight it's hard to tell anyway. 

I like the cheeky surprise element to it. You look a bit naked but on second glance, it's all good. 

Shear delight - the search for good pinking scissors

So after having the brilliant yet costly idea that I need an overlocker (serger to some) I then came to the conclusion that maybe just get some pinking scissors would be the next best option.

There is an awesome tutorial on the Sew Kate Sew blog here so I won't bother doing a poor imitation of it.

The two best brands appear to be Gingher and Fiskars. Having called around the local Sydney stores they range from $39-69 for a good pair and most places only have one or two in stock so they may be a bit hard to track down. I find going online is the best option and the US appear to be the motherland of pinking shears.

The Gingher ones are highly rated by most sewing guru's for their sharpness and ease of use but one negative is that they are quite heavy and don't have soft grip handles for those who have some serious pinking that needs to be done. Also amazon.com seems to be the only place that sell them for a reasonable price (around $25) but don't ship at all to Australia. 

The Fiskars appear to be a good all rounder. Light, soft grip handle, sharp and accurate. There are the spring action ones but they appear to a bit more cumbersome and the lock mechanism is likely to break. Also they cost around $10 more than the normal ones. 

I've gone with these ebay Fiskars soft grip 8 inch ones. I paid $13 (including postage). I'll let you know how they go. I've got my fingers crossed my frayed edges days are over once and for all. 

Upcycling is the new cycle!

Since moving to Eastern Sydney I have found heaps of things on trash day that can be given a new lease life. Now before you get an image of me sifting through people's bins like a bum I'm more referring to those big collection days they do twice a year where you can get rid of your larger items. Most things just need a new coat of paint and a bit of creativity. I find Paddington is a great suburb to go scouting in and they have dates of these collection days on their council website. If you're not feeling lucky ebay is always good for bargains.

Ebay chairs for $1.

Bird fabric $10 from ebay, can of high gloss black paint from Bunnings $25.

Branch made of coat hanger wire + bandage material, birds from ebay, flowers from japanese paper.

Wooden fruit repainted.

A new year, a new start.

2012 is the year of the getting things done. Which for me, means finally using all the fabric I've been hoarding last year. I've been putting it off due to lack of motivation and the fact that my sewing machine was squished on one side of the computer table. 

But the other day whilst jogging I found the perfect table for all my sewing paraphernalia. A tidy area is a productive area so I've got all my buttons and zips in a former shoe rack and fabric stored below. Just looking at this little sewing haven has already buoyed my spirits for some new sewing projects.