Come holiday season, shit gets a little out of control round the blogosphere with everyone the world over making holiday decorations for their homes or for gifts. Although crafts for Chanukah seem to be improving every year, I find many of them dated in style, too blue or Magen David/ star-heavy. That’s why I was psyched to find this project from Creative Jewish Mom. Not only does Sara have some great, modern crafts for Chanukah, she also has a great deal of kid-friendly projects. So I set up the toilet paper rolls on our table, along with the tissue paper and some metallic paint thrown in for good measure, and somehow things started to take a decidedly, creatively different turn…

Introducing: The Chanukah Candle Mobile! (Yay!)

These eight ‘candles’ or painted toilet paper rolls are hanging in my stairwell (from the stair rail you can see in the photo at the bottom). Since the stairs get the most light and are breezy-central with everyone walking through them, the candles sparkle as they float around. Plus, they bring surprise holiday cheer as you walk down to the living room/ kitchen where all the Chanukah and family celebrations take place.

It was easy and fun, for kids of all ages, and to prove it, here’s how we did it.

You will need:
8 toilet paper rolls
1 paper towel roll (for the taller Shamash or lead candle – we didn’t do this part)
Metallic paints (gold, silver, bronze, copper… you get the picture) glitter paints in colors would work just as well
Tissue papers in flame colors (red, orange, yellow)
Metallic pipe cleaners
Fishing wire
Glue
Scissor

Step 1:

Paint your toilet paper rolls with the metallic (or glitter) paints. Feel free to be creative here, amping up the sparkle effect with glue and glitter, stickers (neon or shiny), sequins, fabrics…

Step 2:

Cut out flame shapes from your tissue paper. Vary the size per color for added flame likeness.
Glue tissue papers onto the inside of the toilet paper roll for fire effect. Let dry.

Step 3:

Using the edge of your scissor (this part’s for adults), poke two holes through the toilet paper roll, mindful of the tissue paper.
Insert the metallic pipe cleaners through the two holes, meet them together on top, forming a flame-top shape, and twist together to close. (The pipe cleaners give you something stable and central to tie the fishing wire onto and hang the candle from.)

Step 4:
Repeat above steps to create 8 candles, one for each night of Chanukah.
To create a taller shamash, or lead candle, repeat the above steps with a longer paper towel roll.

Step 5:

Tie fishing wire to the top of pipe cleaner flames and hang from your desired place (ceiling, window pane, chandelier, hooks…) I used the stair rail which you can see at the top of the photo.

With 6 more nights left to celebrate Chanukah – and holiday vacation with the kids ahead – it’s not too late to decorate your house with this easy and fun Chanukah mobile. Happy crafting! Happy holidays! and Happy Chanukah to all!

Simply put: this poster box,

which holds this poster,

also becomes these alphabet cards and card box.

Israeli designer Oshrit Ben Gal, the brains behind Gugu Design, strives to create aesthetically engaging and mentally challenging games for children and babies that also contribute positively to our shared environment – as in less wasteful packaging and more pleasing repurposing. I personally love how her aesethtics are sweet and modern without overly childish commercialism or cheese, making this a great gift for any design-savvy parent looking to decorate their kids rooms with a bit of Hebrew and lot of pretty. If you have trouble with the site’s all-Hebrew-ness, contact Oshrit directly to order. (And if you still have trouble, contact me for more help.)

Discovering Barbara Shaw’s gift shop on Bezalel Street in Jerusalem was like finding the perfect present pitstop for friends and family in Israel or abroad. With graphics that combine kitchy fun with contemporary abstract, Barbara’s textiles, pottery and glassware offer a wide range of gift giving options for that special man, woman, baby, child, friend, coworker, dinner host, parent or family member in your life – yes, the gift options are just that good. And – AND! – they’re all reasonably priced, under $50!

Below are a few of my favorite selections from Barbara, favorites that Id love to give or receive this Chanukah, or click to her English site – complete with an online shop – to peruse her complete collection yourself (and make someone very happy this holiday season

This pillow will adorn my couch one day. I love the Jaffa Orange retro-meets-Warhol print/ pattern.

Budding artists, kids included, will enjoy this portable pencil roll up with patterned notebook. There wasn’t a good pic to download but on the site you can see the opened roll with all the pencil slots. From the Seven Species collection.

UPDATE: If you’re in Jerusalem, Barbara is hosting a pre-Chanukah party at her store, 2 Bezalel Street, on December 15th. Enjoy live music, drinks, nibbles and good cheer as you stock up on some Chanukah presents for friends in Israel or abroad (with enough time to send by post). Details here.

I was very excited to happen upon this Designboom’s feature article on the Israeli design student art exchange and training program in Chinese bamboo production and craft. Back when I first posted about it, I could only find photos of three bamboo toys. Now we can all drool at the super cool Metropolis cityscape set by Israeli design student Michal Zohar (above) or the hipster-meets-scooter by Israeli design student Etay Amir (below) and plenty of other toys – which I’ll put up on flickr – show how cool bamboo is for kids and parents alike.

Now, environmentally, the benefits of bamboo as a material are plenty and it seems that as the material of the moment, bamboo is also enjoying the spotlight of modern design. Keeping Israeli designers on the forefront of eco-conscious design – and strengthening the Israel-China design connection – is Daniel Fintzi who is working on some products for Bambu Home. “Bambu provides design solutions made from renewable materials that excite and delight people about sustainable alternatives for modern living”. They’re work ethic is astonishing too: it just keeps getting better. They only use bamboo that is sustainably harvested and free of fertilizers or pesticides, ie. from organic sources and treatment. They employ fair trade practices for artisans, workers and production. All products are reusable and/or biodegradable. They donate a percentage of the profits to environmental causes. And the list goes on! Plus, and this is important too, Bambu home accessories are beautifully modern yet handmade with a touch of classic. Check out the Veneerware utensils and plates by Bambu below. Now that’s the kind of Made in China I’d want to fill my house with. Looking forward to seeing what Daniel will be designing for them.

{Crossposted to Green Prophet}

Tel Aviv’s prestigious Shenkar College of Engineering and Design is hosting a conference and exhibition tomorrow called “Eco-Play with Bamboo” featuring guest lecturers from Germany, France and China about the material of bamboo for toys – its versatility as a material for toys and the impact of its usage on the environment. Or, more simply, why using bamboo is a good material to use for your kids’ toys. Turns out bamboo toys are way better than plastic (duh) and for sure better than wood, huh? Well, it’s safer for the environment: it is easily cultivated and, as opposed to depleting the rain forest further for trees, bamboo is easily replenished; it grows in cycles every 3-5 years.

Anyway, back to Israel’s design contribution to the field – or why I’m writing about it. Back in 2004, 15 students from Shenkar were invited by designer Peter Handstein, of HaPe International toy company, to study bamboo – how to grow it, cultivate it and work it into design products. Just when you thought toys from China were all plastic and being recalled, check out Anji County where ecological principles reign supreme and the county is synonymous with bamboo. HaPe International works with Anji’s natural resources and antique Chinese traditions for fashioning bamboo into children’s toys and other household objects. The Shenkar students trained with masters and local craftsmen, focusing on toys that were suitable for children between 6 months and 8 years old. And of course taking into consideration issues of safety, developmental stages and imagination. A judging panel of close to 800 children from Anji played with the toys designed and offered their ‘expert’ criticism. So check out the toys created by Israeli art students – like the truck above by Itai Amir – at the exhibition opening tomorrow night and on view through February 13th at Shenkar Gallery on campus in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv. Alternatively, listen to speakers from leading toy, design and bamboo product companies at the conference. Or, reed more (ha, get it?) about bamboo and its role in our ecology here.

So I shopped my credit card off at the FMarket as the shopping bags above illustrate. Presents for the whole family from tee-shirts (for the man), cute things (for the little girl) and jewelry (for me). It seemed like accessories were the most exciting part of the FMarket. Not only because the items were incredible for the most part, but also because the designers were readily on hand and happy to talk about their products. So I’d like to highlight a bunch who really tickled my fancy – I’ve uploaded more pics on the DesignistDream flickr page, so feel free to check those out too for more. Now for the good bits:

Ilan Orbach‘s bags really impressed me. Not only because they were top notch quality but the designs of the fabric bags were so almost innovative. They were at once feminine, structured, practical, textural, modern and chic. To be honest, I’m not the biggest leather bag fan – mostly because I like the texture and print of fabric. And I find it’s more interesting to work into the structure of a good bag. That said, I was very tempted to buy myself the larger shoulder tan bag above. The picture isn’t so good. First, the tan color was in person a vibrant camel with a herringbone pattern. Second, you can barely see how the exterior flap also doubles as a coin purse! These bags seemed perfect for day to night wear. Plus they spiffed up a more corporate or business look with a bit of femininity and creativity.

It was hard not to go nuts and buy up all the sweet clothing designs by Israeli children’s clothing company Lulu4kids. I couldn’t resist their charm – the amazing patterns, the detailed ruffled shoulders and ruched collars. And, believe me, I’m searching high and low for nice clothes for my daughter and obviously only reasonably priced items will do. So to find them right under my nose in Tel Aviv is a treat. Then to be able to feature my own little one so happy modeling her new body suit is even more fun. This amazing blue/green flower combo was one of several retro almost pucci-esque designs on tops for kids. The bright but cool designs are available as body suits for the younger set and long-sleeve tees for older ones. The fabrics used by mothers/ owners/ designers Vicki Israel and Shlomit Golan are also impressive in and of themselves. No synthetics, only quality cottons and cotton blends make these items longer lasting for your kids and better wearing – more flexible and breathable. Think about it this way: Now you can show off your kids and their fashion sense – or, with options like Lulu, you can just claim the style all for yourselves.

PS. Tomorrow’s the final FMarket report with a focus on Israeli jewelry and a super giveaway you won’t be able to resist. Details on their way, watch this space!

Nobody does design blogging better than Grace at Design*Sponge. So it’s quite fitting that she would feature Israeli design legend Ron Arad in her Rocking Chair Roundup posted today – because both are amazing. Design*sponge features a range of guides that are invaluable for the design savvy set. There are city guides – from Brooklyn to LA, Toronto to Dallas, even one for South America! – and product guides – including my personal favorites about dressers and dining chairs. Head over and check out the goods. Warning, they’re almost guaranteed to make you swoon – or at least drool.

If you can’t pick out the Ron Arad Voico chair immediately, it’s the black marshmallow chair on the bottom left that demonstrates Arad’s powerful and influential exploration of volume and material and the simplest of shaped rocking chairs. Although it seems super modern, there’s also something so attractive about it – as if the interest value is beckoning me to just get one for my daughter’s room already. Oh, to dream. Anyone else wanting one of these?

I run straight into a Minene bag. Minene bags are a snazzy diaper bag. Their ingenuity lies in their divide and conquer approach: the diaper bag is essentially comprised of four compartments of varying sizes that all interlock. The main square-shaped diaper bag (#1 below) is a large sized bag, with two backpack straps on the back and two key ring clasps on the front. And from there it gets tricky. The smaller square-shaped “satchel” bag (#2 below) clips onto the two key rings on bag #1 but also has its own backpack straps. The rectangular shaped messenger bag (#3 below) is a stand-alone bag with inner and outer pockets for storage – but also doubles as an insert within the #1 larger backpack. And then clutch-style purse #4 hooks onto the clasps of the #1 larger backpack, doubles as a wallet-type insert for valuables, or triples as an evening handbag. All that versatility is wearing me out.

Just think of the possibilities:

Scenario 1, you’re bringing the kids over to your in-laws. Each gets a backpack to fill with their pj’s, favorite toys, books, etc. The shoulderbag contains any important pacifiers, wipes, diapers, creams, formula, bottles, you name it. You say goodnight to the lot of them and head out with your hubby for a romantic night out – your stylish clutch as disconnected from the rest of your Minene bags as your mindset should be. Oh, what a dream.

Scenario 2: You’re headed for a quick trip to the mall with your baby and just need one diaper, one bottle, and some snacks. You grab the smaller backpack (#2) to strap onto the stroller, fill the clutch (#4) with your wallet stuff and use the shoulder bag as your own. Genius, no?

Now for the important information, the bag costs around $130 and comes in an array of colors and pattern combinations that range from denim with flowers to green leather with pucci-style prints or grey matte vinyl with waves. I personally like the black, brown or denim with colorful patterns but that brings me to the only drawback of the Minene: it isn’t as male-friendly or unisex as the Gitta. But then again, that’s also a plus for us ladies no? Specially designed for our plentiful needs.

And as for the diaper bag showdown, the only question that remains is whether Gitta is unveiling some new diaper bags at this weekend’s fmarket designer fashion market in Tel Aviv. Stay tuned for updates!

It’s amazing how much stuff kids need. And I’m not talking about the basics (clothes, diapers, food) I’m talking toys. Last week, I decided to head out for some new toys for little Tz. Now that she’s moving around a ton, I felt her toys should be able to move with her. And I was psyched to go find some cool Israeli toys because buying blue and white, as we say here, not only supports an Israeli company, but if I played my cards right, I could even find myself a new neato Israeli designer as well.

There are several local toy and design shops in Modiin that feature Israeli designers both well-known and independent. I had never heard of MoteKids, sweet kids in Hebrew, but was immediately drawn to the bright orange bunny rabbit wearing the vintage-style apron dress. She was entirely floppy, large, soft and fun. Hadas Hall, the designer behind MoteKids, creates dolls and clothes that are reminiscent of her childhood, both in fabric and design. From vintage style patterns – sometimes recycled from her mother’s dresses – to brightly colored characters – check out the mouse who sews! – MoteKids are the perfect, kid-friendly pal to make into your child’s next best friend.

I was on a mission though, so I put the MoteKids Dolls on my list for presents (for us or others) and continued in my quest for a mobile toy. I knew I wanted to buy a Pastel Toy since I first posted about them in my Hanukkah Gift Guide. I had originally seen them in person and was struck by their beauty and simplicity. The materials, designs and colors were so classic and appealing. Pastel Toys also have the added bonus of being part of a physical and creative rehabilitation project in Israel’s North for special needs individuals. So buying Pastel Toys helps support the Kishorit community project where volunteers and villagers live and work side by side. We bought the semi-truck featured above because it offers two trucks essentially and a ton of blocks so the play options are multiple. Over the weekend, Tz had fun building and knocking down block towers, pushing her semi around (because every little girl deserves an 8-wheeler) and generally putting it all in her mouth (this is where Pastel’s milk-based paints come in super handy). It’s like she’s playing with a real work of art.

Awesome Israeli design studio Reddish plays with the ideas of surface, texture, decoration and nature in household objects ranging from tables to lighting to illustrations. The incredibly clever Yakuza wooden table above combines tattoo decoration on a wooden table, the idea?

In its design, the table is treated as a living body, receiving its character from a unique tattoo printed on its surface. The wood texture acts as skin, becoming a platform for expressing a strong cultural and personal identity. The digital printing technology enables to easily treat each table individually, making them unique – just like people.

I love the personification of the table and how it works on several levels: from the table’s wooden texture as a finger print to the Yakuza Japanese mobster tattoo decorating its ‘skin’. Although it’s not a new concept – see Judy Chicago’s abstraction of 39 women into one triangular table, complete with China patterns, in The Dinner Party at the Brooklyn Museum of Art – the tattoos lend an aggressive and almost violent presence to the table. Beautiful in design though aggressive in its symbolism, somehow the tattoos don’t just decorate the surface but also penetrate it and stain it forever. It’s hard to imagine the Yakuza table as a working table. After all, what gangster would let you rest a hot mug of coffee on his back? (You drinking on me, punk?)

Other works by Reddish also infuse humor with provoking combinations. Check out their ‘safsalush’ concrete graffiti bench for kids or these ‘avocado’ planters, which really had me smiling and thinking back to that science project from 5th grade. Good times.