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.

It’s more than taking time to stop and smell the roses. Now you can curl up with a good book and rest your head on a cushy pillow, right under your favorite flower or plant. Israeli design team Studio Libel bring the outdoors in with these unique pillow planters for your home.

Gives new meaning to the range of green or eco design options for your home – or perhaps just a more literal one… And now, starting at $40 USD, you can purchase a pillow (or two) from the Studio Libel Etsy shop. What a great, natural way to kick off this season’s Shop Israel Gift Guide! Hmmm, that gives me some ideas.. stay tuned for more

via::Inhabitat

A two-legged table?! I know what you’re thinking, “can’t be!?” “why that’s impossible!” “are you outta your mind!?” Aha, but it can; and it’s not; and I am. (But that last part is unrelated).

Israeli designers Shay Carmoun and Ben Kilinger, collaborating as StudioVe here in Tel Aviv, have reinterpreted the traditional coffee table relying on asymmetrical, oak, wooden legs, positioned at the oblique corners to offset the table’s balance and stability. But what really clinches the deal is their use of a DuPont(tm) Corian(R) techno-surface. According to the press release,

The upper ends of the legs perforate the table top made with DuPont(tm) Corian(R) high-tech surface, conferring rigidity to the table. Further stability comes from the joints between the tabletop and legs. By perforating the Corian(R) tabletop, the legs appear to have the dislodged matter piled on top, incrementing the contact area of the joints and thus their stability. This refined detail is at the same time an aesthetic highlight of the table.

Thanks to the thermoforming ability of DuPont(tm) Corian(R) and the possibility to create invisible seams (even with other materials), the table features astonishing purity in terms of aesthetics and confers a touch of prestige to the smart and stylish design.

First marketed as a high-performance countertop for kitchens and bathrooms, DuPont(tm) Corian(R) has recently become a favorite of the architecture and design world for its malleable material and versatile applications – from indoors to outdoors, surfaces to walls. Moreover, it’s been certified by many green standards in the US, including the US Green Building Council, for its benefits to the environment.

All photos by Tamar Tal.

Having met in high school, Erel and Ben Natan draw their inspiration from architecture, nature and everything in between, using ready-made and specially-constructed materials, to explore the impact of structure on lighting. Lightexture also strives to incorporate energy efficient principles while creative other-worldly atmospheres, all by hand, from their Brooklyn studio.

For more on this dynamic duo, including more on their creative process, check out the video below.

It seemed like the promise of a clutter-free, airy and design-savvy home was even closer than before – even if our Billy bookcase is among the most expensive in the world (why why why). Then a chance encounter with this article at Apartment Therapy opened my eyes, or rather raised some very challenging questions about the value of ‘design for all’ – which I know is Target’s slogan but holds the same promise as IKEA: affordable, knock-off but just as inspired, accessible design items.

* [IKEA is] …by some measures the world’s third-largest wood consumer. The company declines to pay a premium to ensure that all timber is legally harvested, citing costs that would be passed along to the consumer.
* IKEA furniture is made of particleboard and pine is not meant to last a lifetime.
* [IKEA] positions outlets far from city centers, where taxes are low and commuting costs high—the average IKEA customer drives 50 miles round-trip.
* Designed but not crafted, IKEA bookcases and chairs, like most cheap objects, resist involvement: when they break or malfunction, we tend not to fix them. Rather, we buy new ones.

The full article, “Buy to Last”, by Ellen Ruppell Shell for The Atlantic, regards the need for quality and value, and their effects on consumption and hence the environment. It’s something we all probably think about daily as we assess how we live and better our homes. Where do we strike a middle ground of affordability and quality that is most sustainable?

In her book, Cheap: The High Quest for Discount Culture, Shell, explores the larger questions that, in the coming year, we may want to investigate within ourselves a bit further. What value do we place on art, trained skill, handicraft and artisanship? What are the consequences for local designers, artists and craftsmen if we rush out to the global, mass produced wharehouse and stock up on disposable items, produced in a developing country’s minimum wage-paid factory employees?

I hope the year ahead will be full of meaning in creativity and process; and significance in hand-made and personal. For me, and Designist Dream, I plan to focus this year on Israeli designers and artists who are investing and dedicating themselves to their work. Hopefully, before you head out to IKEA for that pre-fab bed frame, you’ll reconsider visiting Rishon LeZion’s Furniture Design Center where store owners are also the carpenters and craftsmen who customize everything your home needs to your specifications. It may cost more, but you’re supporting local artisans in Israel and the importance of skill and craft. Shana Tova U’Metukah, Happy New Year to all.

Nothing like the 2009 IKEA catalogue – and a quick trip for new home accessories – to get me feeling all inspired and creative again. And just in time to celebrate the Jewish new year! The IKEA catalogue is among the most anticipated home design/ accessory events of the year – especially for the design-conscious and budget-restricted set. And this year’s new products and catalogue did not disappoint. Remember that old joke, what’s black and white and re(a)d all over? Well this year – according to the IKEA gods – our lives are black and white and color all over, or just in our homes.

Start with new items like the black credenza (above) featuring curvy, decorative edging and details that break from IKEA’s typically boxy and minimal lines. A new soft white, fabric tufted bed looks too luxurious to even be from IKEA. And I love these contemporary white chairs (above) as an eclectic option for traditional dining rooms.

And then the technicolor fun begins: textiles bring basics to life with bold graphics in lime and blue . New shapes for endtables – for living room or bedroom – also come in colors like golden yellow and bold royal blue. There’s even a new storage bench in burnt red, tall dresser in faded blue and glassfront armoir in muted yellow to liven up your bedroom havens. Green PAX wall closets are certainly a new wall unit color for Israeli homes to dress up your walls. Or add some orange and purple modern-design inspired lounge chairs to your living room and you have yourself an complete color wheel.

Of course the downside is that apparently Israel has the most expensive IKEA in the world. Go figure. But don’t let that stop you (too much) from starting 5769 with some new (and affordable) items for your home.

Wishing you all a a wonderful (colorful), happy (stylish) and healthy (fun) year ahead!

Forget the eco-friendly lightbulbs. Arik Levy’s got a new solution: Teaming up with couture lighting company Saazs and other noted designers, the invention is light-emitting glass plates. Apparently something called “planilum technology”, which sounds like its straight from a work of science fiction or comic book, enables the glass itself to emit light. And cutting-edge designers like Arik Levy, Christian Biecher and Adrien Gardere have incorporated the glass into shelving units, tables and standing fixtures for your home or office.

Levy’s work, featured above, combined wood with the glass light reflecting his interest in creating points of contrast and innovation in the relationship between nature and technology. The beautifully soft and ethereal installations actually better serve the environment by: using a non-toxic gas (as opposed to mercury-infused neon bulbs); lasting approximately for 20 years of use (comapred to your average few months of your average bulb); and keeping 90% of the design recyclable (since it’s essentially based on glass).

{ Crossposted to Green Prophet }