Linnea:
So, first of all I have a confession to make: I have a "thing" for ostriches, trees, leafs and peacocks. Maybe I forgot something now, but I guess that this mix is weird enough as it is. And on top of that, I love strong colors. One of my latest projects are two cabinet doors that my land lord had laying around on the road to our house. In the beginning, I really wanted to make them into tables but after I had painted them, they seemed more suitable on the wall. I used acrylic paint for glass and made the ostrich sketchy like. The trees took longer time, cause there was a lot of precise painting to do. But what took me the longest time, were the frames. They were covered in thick layers of lack and it took me forever to get it out. When I finally got rid of it, I didn't feel like covering it all again. So I used linen oil to protect the wood andto bring out the beautiful tree color!
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Linnea:
Today is the last day of my fathers 2 week visit here in Israel. It has really been a wonderful time and I have learned a lot. My father is 73 years old and has worked as a carpenter for most of his life. He actually built our summerhouse in Sweden and all its interiors alone and it´s still standing strong, looking the same after nearly 40 years! I really admire his way through life and his way of looking at things. Despite illness, he fights on and wants to get as much out of life as he can! One of the things that I have in common with him, is that we both like the challenge of making something out of nothing. Using the tools and materials that we have and try to come up with solutions to what´s missing! So this is what we have been doing a lot of these 2 weeks, especially since this is a typical Israeli house:-). There was no gate between the outside wall and the fence, but now we have one thanks to my dad! And now, we can also close the doors to all the rooms properly, hang the towels on the bathroom wall etc. But I am most happy for the new working table that he put together for me outside, made by blocks and a pallet on top! Finally I can work without hurting my back. Why didn't I come up with that before??? Another thing that he helped me with was a turned wooden chair that I found on the road. We needed to pick it all apart and glue it back on again. But since the chair was so delicate, you couldn't use screw clamps. Instead we had to press it together, using thin ropes and tension rods of smooth wood. I took some pictures of it to remember how to do it the next time and maybe someone else can have use for the information too! Anyway, my dad is going tomorrow morning and my heart is aching. But I am so thankful for this time. We don´t see each other so often now when I live in Israel. But when we do, it is for a longer period and we both appreciate the time more than before. Linnea:
My husband brought an ugly mirror home and it was a big one. A bit broken in the corners and I didn't like it at all but I put it on the side as always and waited for a good idea to pop up! Later I had a conversation with my mother about the interior in our summer house in Sweden. It has a quite small living-room and my sister (the interior designer) thought it would be a good thing to put up a big mirror above the sofa, to make the room look larger. I said of course - this is what I am going to do too!!! I cut out the outer plastic coat on the ends of the mirror and cleaned it from all grease. Then I spray painted the frame, first with matte - white and then with sun-yellow twice. I hung it up by the dining table and the room really feels bigger now! Caroline: As Swedes, we are spoiled by a lot of things that one cannot get in Israel: free education, free water, easy internet banking and 50 cm long cucumbers. We are also spoiled by the amount of options in shops. When I was in Sweden last, I counted to 24 different balsamic vinegars in one supermarket! Linnea and I go to DIY stores often. In Sweden, a DIY store is a HUGE warehouse of 6 000 square meters, yes it is true! The aisles for paint are at least 50meters floor to ceiling shelves and if you want a paintbrush you will have at least 10 meters of different kinds of paintbrushes for all sorts of stuff. In Israel, a DIY store is about as big as your living room. You can get 2 brands of paint and 3 kinds of paint brushes: super cheap and shitty, expensive and super expensive. In most DIY store you can only buy SHINY oil based paint…YES this is also true! (In Sweden most of the paint is water based and you can get all kinds of sheens) One of my first visits to the DIY store in Israel went like this: I walked into the tiny DIY shop. Inside were 7 rough looking men. 3 behind something that looked like a counter and 4 milling around near it. They were all deep in conversation when I walked in and then – SILENCE! All 7 pair of male eyes stared in a confused way at me and I smiled to disarm them -it didn’t work. So I walked around the VERY dirty and disorganized shop trying to find paint that I needed whilst 7 pair of eyes followed me around. The silence was only broken when one of the men behind the counter barked out aggressively “Can I help you?” I said in English “Yes, I would like some white paint” The man sighed as if disturbed from his winter sleep and walked around the counter to give me a can of paint. I look at it bewildered by all the Hebrew text and ask “Is it water based?” The man replied, “WHAT?! Water based?! No!! Why?” “Well, I want water based.” I say. “Why?! What is it for?” he asks incredulously. “Furniture. Wood.” “Well” he says irritated “This is oil based and best for furniture” “Ok… thank you, but I want water based.” I say The man sighed again and made fun of me in Hebrew to the other men in the store, who laughed. Then he got a can of paint and shoved it into my hand and went back to the counter. I do actually read Hebrew but slowly and I read on the can “קיר” which is “wall”, so I trot after the man and say, “This is wall paint!” The man barked at me “SO?! You can use it on furniture - a lot of professionals use it!” That is when I had had enough and I barked back at him angrily “Well you can also paint with SHIT and if someone is using this on furniture then I would not call them professional!!” There was an even bigger silence in the shop then a lot of laughter and a smile of embarrassment on the man’s face and after that I got the help I wanted. I go to the DIY store at least once a week in Israel and I have still NEVER seen a woman in it. After the incident above I am quite good friends with the owner Asi and his Armenian helper/friend, Ohan. They call me Happy Face. :) |
Linnea & Caroline2 foreigners in Israel trying to find their space. Up-cycling furniture and clothes for a better environment and future. Check us out on Instagram:
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