Chez Larsson

Water Bomb String Light

Evenings are getting darker now and I was longing for a string light in the living room. I keep one up always except for the summer months. The one I had up last was broken and I tried to find a nice new one to buy but stores don’t stock them yet. All I had at home was this snowflake one. Aside from feeling out of season it was also not very pretty with some yellowing around the bulbs. 

That’s when I remembered the instructions for the butterfly mobile. It also came with instructions for water bombs.

So I made a bunch. Well, like twenty to be more exact. I made them out of tracing paper which turned out to be a bit more difficult to fold than regular or origami paper.

 
But it was worth it because once done they looked pretty neat. Possibly a bit too big but they will do nicely until later in fall when stores will start selling string lights again.

Custom Knobs

If you have a blog with a certain amount of readers you know what it's like to constantly be solicited by companies wishing you help them out by promoting their stuff. Most often with zilch in return for the favor.


A couple of months or so ago Reid got in touch and all he kindly asked for was some input via e-mail about his fairly new product and site. So after clicking away I discovered that I LOVE the potential of his product and am not so much in love with the look of his site. And I told him. Aside from pointing out some flaws (imho) on his site I also gave him a couple of ideas on how his product, personalized, custom knobs could be used in other ways than just on a dresser or on a kitchen cabinet and by the time I was done I REALLY wanted to try them.

So we were kind of on the reverse here, I was soliciting him into sending me some, haha! Not really though, we kind of mutually agreed that it would be fun for me to be able to make some as a thank you for checking out his site and giving him some constructive criticism.

 
They arrived and look how cool they turned out! The four I have on the cabinets in the dining area are of the four areas in Stockholm where Martin and I have lived since we met. I think it’s such a cool idea to be able to make your own knobs. The possibilities really are endless.  My one criticism on the clear knobs is that they do feel a bit plastic and I wouldn’t put them on formal looking furniture but on our simple cabinets they work and the fact that they’re unique does make up for it. There is another finish called the Satin Yuba which has a nice metal look though so there is an option.

 
Here’s a square one I made for the cabinet in the stairwell that I just changed the fabric on. Unfortunately it doesn’t go with the Orla print which I got after I ordered the knobs so I’ll keep this baby with my other leftover knobs and handles in the garage. It will find a home one day! What it depicts? That’s the electrical scheme for the 1972 Beetle. Fitting for a cabinet that hides a jumble of electrical wires, cables and fuses, non?

 
Here are the rest of the knobs I had made. I’ve had a crazy busy weekend so I didn’t get a chance to get them all up as planned. Next weekend I’m off to see my mom so not much in terms of knobs is happening then but I’m hoping to get them up soon. Promise I’ll show you!

Find Reid’s site Ghostnest here!

Thanks Reid!

Ps. I love how the knobs came in a can.

Doors, Handles & Locks

One of this summer’s big projects has been painting doors and trim upstairs as well as downstairs. After some years the white yellows and it was definitely time for a fresh coat. Before Martin and Wille went to Skåne  we took the doors to the loo and stairs off and while they were away I worked like a mad person so it would be ready by the time they got back. Door-less loo is not family fun.

 
The first thing to do was to remove the old handles. I also considered changing the locks because we’d had problems with the handles “dropping”. New locks would cost $75 dollars each though and I wasn’t really keen on spending that OR the fact that the new locks weren't the right size and I’d have to do a fair bit of drilling and carpentry OR the fact that original is always nicer than new.

Imagine my joy and surprise when I went to the lock smiths and he didn’t automatically sell me those new locks but instead offered me two little do-dads to insert into the locks for a grand total of $2.

 
Since the holes for the lock plates were really worn and some screws kept falling out on the old handles I used my new best friend Mr Chemical Metal. I love this dude! I’ve tried to fill these types of holes before with wood filler but with all the pulling and pushing of the handles they’ve come loose again. This is much much stronger. It’s stinky business and you need to get a smooth finish within the five minute time frame before it hardens as it’s difficult to sand but it works so well.

After a sanding and wiping session I needed to come up with a way to paint the doors on both sides without having to wait for one side to dry so I came up with this solution. We have these two work horses and I clamped the backs of the doors into them while resting on some strips of wood so paint wouldn’t puddle at the bottom. I then primed and painted everything, three coats in all. Well, I didn’t really paint everything, I left out the little areas where the doors were clamped and touched that up when we got them back upstairs.

I had been dreading this painting session and it did take a while but imagine the time it would have taken to wait for one side to dry and cure before being able to paint the other! Oh, the reason why I didn’t leave the doors up and paint them upstairs was due to our feline family members who would have been walking past all the time… So didn’t want any of their cute little hairs in my fresh paint.

I kept busy in between coats too. The locks had previously been painted over and I didn’t want to add another layer so I removed the paint with paint stripper. I very rarely use this stuff, I usually just soak whatever metal I need to remove the paint off in hot soapy water but I couldn’t really dunk the locks, could I?

Check this out! It is kind of magical. After a few minutes the paint starts to crease and bubble and you can easily scrape it off. I used my favorite tool for this!

After having wiped off the last of the old paint and stripper this is how the locks ended up looking. I like!

So it was time for new handles. We had a jumble of different ugly handles on the doors upstairs when we moved in twelve years ago and ended up buying new modern ones for the four doors. I regretted that purchase almost immediately after and have been lusting over repro ones that match the original ones on the inner front door above ever since.

 
Finally! It was a bit of a splurge with our currently strained ecomomy but now that they are up it was so incredibly worth it (here's a link to the store where I got the handles).

 
Hey! How’re you doin’? Pretty good looking huh?? I did for a second or three consider a Bakelite white version but am super happy with these. They are so nice to the touch!

And that completes one of the projects I’ve been most eager to check off my to-do list this summer.

Hello Little Tree

Will I be able to keep you alive? Your odds are not great. Casualties so far include Miss Lavender and Miss Olive. I’m afraid I’m no good with indoor plants. Please hang in there, I will do my best to care for you!

Yours,
B.

Byggfabriken

Oh Lord, I love this store! Byggfabriken at Söder in Stockholm with another location in Malmö down south specializes in restoration in keeping with past tradition.

 
I finally got new 1930's style interior door handles for upstairs. It's been ten years since I added them to my shopping list so it was about time we switched the old ones out.

Here's some more of what the store offers; the exact coat rack we have in our house and cool period wallpaper.

You can also get period style light switches, house numbers and other signs depending on the style and age of your house.

Love this new kitchen complete with Formica style top, knobs and handles.

Here I can get replacements for my basement and outdoor light shades...

 
...and I la-la-love these! I don't have anywhere to hang a single one but I want at least three.

Aside from friendly, knowledgeable staff and cool wares it also smells divine in there. If you're ever in these parts of Stockholm or visit Malmö this store's worth a visit even if you don't have a period home or a small 30's cottage in suburbia like we do. 

And, yes, I promise I'll show the handles in situ and in action, just need to paint that last little bit before I can remove the "Fresh Paint" signs from the doors. And no, I've not been sponsored by Byggfabriken, I wish :).