DIY bamboo blanket

A few weeks before Eino was born, Minna was visiting a yarn store with her mother. Maybe it was the hormones or just the years spent with Pekka the craftsman, but then and there, inspired by a ball of bamboo yarn, the idea of crocheting suddenly sounded fantastic to her. As the most ambitious piece so far she had crocheted in grade school was a small pot holder, an obvious choice was to hit the other extreme in the form of a 135 x 155 cm blanket. Given Minna's limited experience the pattern needed to be something really simple, and that something was found from a blog called Prinsessajuttu (in Finnish) - thank you, Mira!

Blanket made of bamboo yarn and Franco Albini ottoman

The yarn was actually a birthday present from Minna's mother. She also witnessed the very start of the project and rightfully wondered about the completion time - would a year be sufficient? But lo and behold! Seven months later the prestigious blanket was finished.

Miracles do happen

The bamboo yarn (Blend bamboo from HjerteGarn from Denmark) feels really nice and soft. Eino loved it right away, and while we were taking the pictures he continuously kept trying to reach the blanket and stuff it in his mouth. As he was not allowed he quickly found comfort with the two middle fingers instead.

Testing haptic features

Knowing how Urho loves to hide under a pile of blankets and destroy them in doing so there is a foreseeable risk emerging if Minna's "masterpiece" is left unsupervised for example on the living room sofa. We have learned not to trust this innocent looking creature. In many occasions, Urho has proven to be much, much more devious than suggested by his innocent looks. So ruling out the sofa and the bed the final "Urho-proof" location remains to be decided...

If you'd only know what I'm thinking

One slate at a time

We have had one mission this fall: to lay down all the terrace slates before the temperature drops below freezing point. The intention is not to fully finish the terrace but to allow the slates to settle and to be pressed as tight as possible to the ground over the winter. Seaming and application of a protective coat are on a to-do list for next spring. The aim is to be 100% ready for Sofi's birthday in June, as she has already started telling everyone this is where the party will take place.

Fortunately, the last few months have been quite dry and sunny. As the weeknights are a non-option due to darkness, work needs to be done over the weekends. So this is what we have been doing every single weekend during the past months. Actually, it is almost ironic that all those countless days are now condensed to the following five photos, but so be it. Let us at least make it fast on paper!

Terrace team

So one by one, Pekka has first chosen the slates and optimised the fit for each one. Sometimes he'd get away with minor modifications, but most of the times the slates needed something a bit more substantial. He also wanted to keep the seam as narrow as possible. Next, the slates were set on top of wet stone dust and hammered in place at the same time ensuring correct levelling. To make it easier to ensure the incline was correct, Pekka used smaller slates to mark the reference blocks he had installed before.

Reference blocks marked by slates

The farther he got the more difficult it become to find nicely fitting slates. Some of the stone pieces broke when hammered, and some of them were just too thin or funny shaped. It was also difficult to estimate if we had enough of them or not. Fortunately the company was helpful and interested in making big sand castles.

Assistant mixing stone dust

Even if it was a painfully slow puzzle, it was also very rewarding. The progress was evident - each slate took us one step closer to the goal, every day there was a bit more surface covered. And as the leaves started turning yellow, we were getting close.

Another Sunday afternoon

When all slates had finally found their place, a lot of water was ran on top of them in order to get the slates to settle as tightly as possible to the stone dust. Now we hand it over to winter - let's see the possible effect of ground frost and fix any damages before seaming the slates next spring.

Can you spot the missing pieces?

So the terrace is dirty, not seamed and missing a protective coating, but after all this effort we are unbelievably happy to see it will eventually look great. Sticking only with the facts, however, Sofi's first comment was not perhaps the most constructive one: "Dad, but it is not ready, there are a few pieces of slate missing!" Honesty of a three year old can sometimes be brutal.

Little red chairs

Painting of these two little children's chairs has been on Minna's to do list for a quite some time. The chairs were originally made by Minna's father years ago when Minna was a child. They work perfectly in Sofi's room with a small round table, which was a flea market found by Pekka. Only the colour is not quite right, yet.

Of course, Sofi wanted to help. But you can perhaps imagine the patience of a three year old - anything that lasts more than two minutes is too long. So quite soon after the picture below was taken Minna lost her assistant and switched to a cordless sander to speed up the process.

Sanding team

The recently painted guest room served as a perfect painting studio, as the slate floor was still protected. And of course Urho wanted to be in the center of all action. Where else? The more on someone's way the better! 

Before

After the first layer of red

One would have thought that after spending hours applying five layers of white paint on top of the "persistent" green of the entrance hall coat rack just because we did not use a primer, we would have learned that lesson. But apparently no. A five second discussion resulting in a decision to not apply a primer on the chairs either lead once again, quite a few hours of extra work in the form of five layers of red paint. Great. 

Satisfied chair owner

But now the chairs are ready and they are red! We like them, and most importantly Sofi likes them. For the picture she insisted her best buddy Sammakko ("the Frog") to have a seat also. And as you can see, he seems to be smiling as well!

Upcycling 1970's bed sheet

The other day Pekka's mother Merja came for a visit and kindly asked if there was anything she could do to help. Recognizing where Pekka has inherited his skill of craft, Minna had a perfect project in mind. As little Eino is now moving more and more in his crib, the sides of the crib need something to prevent Eino's legs and arms getting jammed between the bars.

Crib cushions in the making

So, the plan was simply to turn an old sheet from Pekka's childhood into fun crib cushions for Eino. The crazy green fabric took us flying back to the seventies. If you are a Finn, you may recognise the "Nukkumatti" ("Sandman") character. Based on a quick google search, the Nukkumatti fabric still seems to be commercially available, so if you fancy a design which in addition to a sandman hosts a cow's behind (What on earth was the designer thinking?), check it out here at least in brown and blue!

Sandman and a cow from 1970's

Not only was the fabric old, but so are Minna's sewing equipment, a sewing box and sewing machine. The wooden box was a birthday gift from Pekka, who naturally found it from some auction. The sewing machine, Husqvarna Automatic 21, used to belong to Minna's great aunt. Apparently dating back to 1960's there is not too much information about it available online, but via Spinning a Yarn blog by Jessicah one can find a scanned copy of the original user manual. Quite a cool read, thank you Jessicah for sharing! Despite it's mature age, the machine works like a charm and sews beautifully!

Husqvarna Automatic 21 and a sewing box

To make a long story short, two hours later we were really pleased with the ready cushions. They fitted perfectly to Eino's crib, which also is old - it has been in the family for about 50 years. Somewhere along the way the bed has just been given a bit fresher look by replacing the ends with some Airio Art graphics.

Eino's cushioned crib

The last piece of the Sandman fabric was just big enough to make a small bed sheet for a baby duvet. Perfect!

End user approved

So the risk of stuck arm or leg in between the bars has now been greatly reduced, and old bed sheet with a great sentimental value has been given a new life. Thank you Merja so much for driving the most effective and fun sewing session! Eino seems quite happy with the improvements as well, at least he has been sleeping better than never before. Knocking on wood, the slightly sleep deprived parents cross their fingers for this to be a permanent change...

Josh White

You may have noticed the new Olive Green banner? Quite cool, isn't it?

So here is a little story.

Josh White, who is a graphic designer from Boulder Colorado contacted us some time ago kindly asking for a permission to use some of our photos in his study project, Aleksander Nielsen Paint Collection. We said yes, of course.

Paints (photo by Josh White)

Brushes (photo by Josh White)

Ideabook (photo by Josh White)

Browsing through Josh's portfolio, we found we really liked his style - instantly he seemed like a guy with an eye for MCM (you can check out some of Josh's work here). So we asked if he would be interested in helping us with the blog graphics. To our delight, he was.

After exchanging some ideas we agreed Josh would draft us a couple of concepts to get started. He sent them with a note that we could pick, choose and mix elements. But we didn't need to do any of that - this creative genius nailed the design at the first time. We were ecstatic.

So far, sounds very simple and straightforward, doesn't it?

The only thing missing was the blog tag line. In the draft it said "Olive Green - an interior design blog". Yes - but no, too obvious. This is when it started getting complicated. We just couldn't come up anything intelligent. Days passed (distracted perhaps by work). Then weeks (work and kids). And finally months (work, kids, dachshund, renovation). Nothing.

Finally we reached the breaking point. We had this cool new graphic ready to go live, so how difficult could it really be to come up with something? After all, one of us works as a marketeer and another one is a creative professional. Yet we were lacking the big idea.

So we sat down (something we should have done months ago), took a blank piece of paper and started making a very traditional mind map. And funnily enough, after five minutes, we had locked "MAD for MCM". Yes, only in five minutes. One could turn it around and say for each letter, we took about a month of consideration. Crazy.

Then, back to Josh. It wouldn't have been surprising if he would have completely forgotten us after all this time. But no. Josh, who seems to be the most easy-going and flexible personality on earth, sends the updated material with his compliments on the tag line in his reply the next day.

So, thank you Josh, you are the best! We are really happy that our paths crossed and we had an opportunity to work with you! And needless to even mention - if you ever need a recommendation, you know who to ask.

Meet Josh White (photo by Gabrielle White)

"I'm a graphic designer who grew up in the plains and recently fled for the mountains. I share a cozy apartment with my significant other—Gaby, also a designer. Together we enjoy DIY, the outdoors, and the dream of starting a design studio."

Slate Terrace, Part 1

For about two years a pile of slates on the back of our backyard has been patiently waiting for this weekend. For a bit more than two years, we have been dreaming of a slate terrace. The time has finally come to turn a dream into reality, a random moss-collecting slate pile into a beautiful terrace.

Grey river rock from Argentina

Well, not so fast. Remember our past challenges with the terrace project? Continuing on the same note, a couple of days ago we learned how a "small" error in volume estimate can turn into several hours of extra work. The delivery of stone dust (the final layer under the slate) went fantastically - excluding one small detail. There was way too much of it. Nearly twice the amount needed. Great.

The deliver of stone dust

However, such happens. And then you just deal with it and accept the delay. Quite soon neighbours and friends have came up some projects where stone dust would be needed. 

Too much of a good thing

The point of reference for the correct level was is by a concrete step by the back door.

Point of reference

A friend gave us an invaluable guidance on how to achieve a correct level and inclination across the terrace area. The trick is to set several references across the entire area, and mark them with wooden blocks. Such a simple, but a perfect method. Thank you Stenkka!

Reference blocks in position

Miraculously, next morning it was done. Or to be precise, half of it. But at this point, Pekka couldn't resist the temptation to start laying the first slates. Besides, variety is the spice of life (and terrace work).

Waiting for the first slate

Two years is plenty of time to forget how much heavier the thicker and often times bigger slates are vs. the ones used inside the apartment. No need (or time) for gym during this project. The first slates are now laid, and once again, we are convinced that good things are worth the wait. It is going to look quite fantastic when finished!

Pekka's puzzle

And guess who is enjoying the stone dust? Yes, it is great to dig holes when His Sausageness wants to find a hiding place for a bone. Or it serves pretty well as a very large "Dachsroom" when the nature calls. Or, it presents a fantastic opportunity to refine the skill of being able to position oneself dangerously. Whatever it is, you can always count on Urho.

"Certainly it is going to be electrically heated, isn't it?"

About renovation and relationships

Some years back we came across an article about challenges of building a house. There was one paragraph that stuck with us (freely translated): "I'll build a house. You take care of the kids. See you in two years." Unfortunately we were no longer able to find it online, which is a pity - it was a great read.

It is also a well known fact that while building a house or extensively renovating one things may go sour quite easily. The entire process is a stretch for a relationship, and thus a true test. Will we really see in two years as agreed?

We have always been renovating. Thus when asked how do we deal with such a lifestyle it would be easy to say: "Oh, it is our mission. We just love it."  But the fact that we tackled our first shared project only a few months into our relationship and are still on that road does not make us superhuman. Quite the contrary, we do not love every minute of it. There are times when we absolutely hate renovation. And there are times when we grow frustrated with everything, even each other.

Helsingin Sanomat (a national Finnish newspaper) wrote about renovation and relationships just recently (1). The article was based on interviews with a couple who had finished a major project and a therapist, who compared renovation to a third wheel in a relationship. It all starts with a beautiful idea of a perfect home to be built/renovated together. Then, one commits to the project work whereas the other takes care of the kids. Slowly, the latter one starts feeling excluded and stranded. Most likely, unexpected challenges will arise, deadlines and budgets get exceeded. Everyone who has ever renovated can vouch for this message.

We have certainly received our share. Nasty surprises of a 1960's apartment, broken machinery, unfavourable weather conditions, stretched budgets, constant mess and eternal incompleteness, long working hours either with the project or children,  - the list is quite extensive. In addition, as mentioned before, we have very different personalities. Pekka enjoys to process, Minna would love to finish things as soon as possible. Keep adding careers, daycare and a dachshund not forgetting too few hours of sleep. At worst, it might get very interesting. Still, we hardly ever really fight.

Of course we have talked about it trying to recognise our key success factors. The HS article mentioned above lists a few very good points we fully agree with. Choose a partner with a similar taste. Recognize each others strengths and utilise those. Allow ideas to fly, bounce them back and forth with each other to reach the best outcome for both. Celebrate project landmarks.

Another crucial one for us is involvement. It is not sufficient just plan something together, we both need to participate in the actual work, be project owners. Even if Minna would be mostly watching the children, every now and then the roles get reversed and she will get to do the "dirty work".

Also, there need to be breaks for "normal life" and to allow inspiration. Sometimes it is difficult to get started even with the smallest project, there is no drive. In these cases, we drop the gloves, forget renovation for as long as it is needed. We dive. Play tennis. Visit relatives. Sometimes the wait is shorter, sometimes longer, but eventually the motivation and enthusiasm will return.

And finally, acknowledgement of each other. Visitors always kindly pay their compliments to how beautifully something has been designed and implemented, but the work of a support team remains more invisible. But it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that between the two of us, not a day go by we wouldn't thank each other or recognise the other person's achievements.

It is teamwork. And fortunately we seem to be pretty good at it.

Last but not least. These photos were taken by our favourite photographer, Nani Härkönen from Nanianette Photography during a day when she was photographing us in our home. Thank you Nani, you are a Star - a pleasure to work and hang out with and skilled beyond measure!

Reference:
1. Helsingin Sanomat 2.8.2015 (http://www.hs.fi/koti/a1438311010004)