My childhood took place in two different continents. We went back and forth between Israel and the USA until I was twelve. We never spent more then two years in one place - moving around many neighborhoods and schools. The years in America were spent in a classic suburban setting - a front and back yard, plenty of open spaces but very little independence, mainly due to my parents feeling it wasn't secure enough for us to walk around on our own. The years in Israel were spent in Jerusalem, a busy city full of people, traffic, cafes and the regular hustle and bustle of a busy city. We were free to take the bus and walk around the city as we pleased.
Sometimes I look at my kids and I realize they haven't been out of our community in a month (!) No stores, no traffic - just the quiet Israeli countryside. I find myself feeling bad for them, even though I'm pretty sure they could care less. They seem perfectly content.
This week we went out for a walk in the woods surrounding our house. I took pictures while my kids ran around, climbing, shouting, having fun.
We gathered branches we found lying about to make a winter bouquet. When we came home I made a couple of different bouquets. Fist, I took some Holiday Ornaments from my shop and hung them on the branches set in a vase. This would look equally pretty on a branch hanging from the ceiling.
For a more colorful bouquet (but still super simple to put together) you can stick Washi Tape on the branches (I chose neon pink and a minty green color for the tape).
Washi Tape makes everything better
A little while ago it occurred to me the longest I've ever lived in the same house has been the Caravan we're living in now while we're waiting for our house to be built - eight long years - and that kind of freaked me out. I don't like to settle down - I love moving around and discovering new places. But this week with my kids in the forest, I felt content being exactly where I am, no matter where we'll be tomorrow.
Have a lovely winter,
Elisheva
P.S. The ornaments are for a limited time - until January or when they run out - whichever comes first, if you like them you'd better hurry:)
About a week ago I gave a talk in front of a lovely group of women (120 in total) about my business, mainly it's growth over the past year. I showed different methods that worked for me in terms of publicity, mainly overseas. It was very important to me to give actual tips and ideas people could implement - rather then stand in front of a crowded room and show off - which I really hate.
I spoke about planning ahead and ways to get the word about your creative work out there. (You can see the full presentation here . I came out feeling really good - everyone was very friendly, and I was sporting grey nails - my tried and true method for feeling amazing:)
Looking back at the past year, I can't pinpoint anything specific that was the one thing that's responsible for my growth. It's a process that I'm still learning. I can say that the fact I started putting a lot of effort in my shop on Etsy really contributed to my studio, and not for the obvious reasons of increases in sales. Working on my Etsy shop brought back the joy of my craft b/c it made me face a lot of things I had been trying to avoid, and made me get back into creating.
For those of you who don't know, Etsy is an online Marketplace for everything handmade (or in the handmade spirit - they've recently changed the rules a bit) . The revelation that Etsy is more of a social media platform then just a marketplace was a game changer in terms of traffic and sales - with forums and teams created around mutual interests or geography and a big emphasis on liking other peoples creations. For me the most refreshing and inspiring part of Etsy was the fact that I could really feel the pride people take in their craft. I had always tried to hide the fact that I produce everything myself. Studying Industrial Design in a very traditional and conservative school - handmade was a step down from mass production (it sound almost crazy, right?). In school the professors would always praise the industrial process, and I was embarrassed.
Then all of the sudden, I was forced to tell my story. I started to show pictures of myself in the production process. As I came out of my shell, I was blown away by the amazing feedback I was receiving.
The community aspect of Etsy helped me make friends all over the world, like Rebekah from Alaska who takes the most amazing inspiring photos of her lovely jewelery, or Adele, an industrial designer from Italy with a creative outlook on design.
Working side by side with talented people from all over the world made me take a long hard look at my own designs - I knew I needed new ideas, better photos, which helped me rediscover my creative streak. I felt obligated to my new customers to show new innovative designs. Now I am busy designing new items, in addition to designs I created especially for Etsy that would have never come to life without that site (my art prints, in case you were wondering).
More then anything, I think it's about being in constant motion. Something about being a creative entrepreneur working from my home - you kind of function in a different time zone. I needed someone or something to get me back to living with the rest of the worlds schedule out of belief in me, not criticism.
There is a lof of frustration in this kind of job. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get things done, and even when I do get them done I'm not sure if done is good enough - not to mention all of my other jobs (mother, wife, etc) I feel like I should be putting more time into - it's nice to get a friendly push in the right direction every once in a while.
How about you, dear readers? Have you ever gotten a kick in the butt from someone who believes in you? How did that work out? Let me know in the comments below.
I have so much to do and I feel so tired and overwhelmed, I just want to sleep.
Or go to Ikea.
But this is a special time of year In Israel. Here we celebrate the New Year in September, what we refer to as Rosh Hashan. September always feels like the end of something, and the beginning of something new.
So I thought if I have sum up this last year it'll make it much easier to leave the past in the past and energize for this new year we are welcoming.
This past year has been very meaningful for me and my business. So much has happened, let's take a look, shall we?
For starters, my former partner had to leave the studio when she moved up north, this is the last post we wrote together.
A wonderful DIY by Tamar for apple flowers
My designs were featured in many places! Blogs that I love, amazing web sites, and a lot of thought happened after I took part in ICFF in New York, more about that here.
Lots of new designs in my collection, I wrote a little bit about the design process here.
I made a lot of new friends through this blog, and these virtual friendships became real ones. We cooperated on some projects, and we already have a couple of new ideas for the upcoming year.
A piece we did for Zuriel Dairy Company that was featured on the no 1 Israeli news site
One of the biggest things that happened to me is this blog. What started out as a side project for my Homeware studio, became really central in my growth as a designer. I've never had this many ideas in my head, and I'm so happy I get to share that with my lovely readers, weather here in the comments, Facbook, or email.
Working from home in my teeny Caravan, far away from the city, well, it hasn't been that amazing for my social life. I'm so happy we get to meet up every week and chat:)
So, what's in the work for next year? Some new designs I'm working on, getting the word out about this blog, and all kinds of little dreams I have that I'm not ready to spill the beans on yet - I don't want to jinx anything:)
So I'm taking some time off now for the High Holidays, and I will be back real soon!
As we say here - Shana Tova Umetuka - have a happy sweet new year!
So this week I did something completely out of my comfort zone.
This might not sound so daring, but it was for me.
I added a picture of myself to the studios Facebook page.
And no it wasn't a picture of me in an artistic pose, hiding my face behind one of my butterboards. But a real live front faced picture, you can now officially recognize me on the street.
Up until recently, I felt fine hiding behind my logo. Lately, and I think this has to do with the blog, I felt like a more personal approach could work for me. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt being myself on the blog, so this was the next natural step.
The truth is, my business IS personal. Not only because I design everything myself, but also because I produce many items on my own. Almost every design is partially handmade, whether it's the packaging, cutting, or assembly. This used to be b/c I had no choice, but now I kind of enjoy it.
The most exciting part of my job is when I send out orders. It doesn't matter how many orders I've shipped, I'm still always so surprised someone ordered something. And knowing that the item I've designed and made is on it's way to someones home far away, well that just makes me so happy and honored.
A typical pose, this is how I spend most of my day
Now that I'm out in the open, I'd love to show you more of what goes on from my side of the screen. You can now follow me on Instagram, and until I add a button you can find me at hooknloopdesign.
Join me next week, Holiday season is coming here in Israel, and there will be quite a few treats.
I've always been a very visual person. Memories are stored as movies in my head, my thoughts are like a photo album, and I have a knack for remembering faces - I'll often recognize someone on the street who once rode the bus with me.
A lot of my memories are associated with color. I remember what I wore on a certain occasion, what color the room was, the dishes, the food.... This might sound funny, but when my niece asks my brother to tell her stories about his childhood, he send her to me - telling her the stories will be more accurate if I tell her his childhood memories.
Colors remind me of emotions, experiences, people and objects.
I decided to photograph some of my designs by color stories, and see what memories they spark. It was a pretty cool experiment, and I am really happy with the outcome.
In this photo: Linen Napkin, Candlestick Stack, Butter Board, Graphic Coasters. See more here
Pink Remind Me Of....
A summer dress twirling in the wind, my mothers dishes on a rack, a walk in the park, the wallpaper on my childhood bedrooms walls, summer fruit, a babies blanket.
In this photo: Linen Napkin, Candlestick Stack, Butter Board, Graphic Coasters. See more here
Blue Remind Me Of....
My sisters room, the beach and the pool, summer camp shirts, winter rain, excitement before a long flight, the flight that never ends, first earrings, ponytail holders (the chunky kind)
In this photo: Linen Napkin, Candlestick Stack, Butter Board, Graphic Coasters. See more here
Black and White Reminds Me Of....
Holiday dinner, old movies, fancy dishes, newspapers by the door after the weekend, dripping ice cream, chocolate cheesecake.
And once you combine the colors together, all of the emotions and feelings mix- you don't even know why you feel something specific - and why it was triggered. And you keep trying to perfect the amounts and the relations between the color until something clicks.
Here. Just like that.
In this photo: Linen Napkin, Candlestick Stack, Butter Board, Graphic Coasters. See more here
And because it's summer vacation here in Israel, my eldest (5 years old) is currently interning at Hook n' Loop design. When he saw what I was doing he wanted in on it - this is what he collected in his room. I helped him organize it.
In this photo: A ton of toy cars, Cookie Monster, Grover, and some random elephant puppets.
How about you? Do you remember by color? Or is it something else?
I have some big news to share with you.
I bought a camera.
That might not sound like a big deal to you - but believe me, it is. I have been making due with my small and pink (!) pocket camera for way too long. In fact, all of the pictures on the blog, on Facebook and even some of the photos on the Shop are with that dinky camera. I learned how to use the manual settings, and honestly tried my hardest, but I felt it just wasn't working out anymore, and if I want to take everything to the next level, I cannot put off buying a camera any more.
So I bought a new camera. And it was expensive.
I came out of the store a little shaky. Mostly b/c I was excited, but also b/c I was kind of shocked at how much I had just spent on myself. And then I thought about all of these other times I had treated myself to something expensive, or asked for a crazy gift. Something I could do without. That I didn't REALLY need.
My Kitchen Aid. Honestly, the person who said diamonds are a girls best friend obviously didn't own a Kitchen Aid. Every time I walk by it, I give it a little pat, it's just that beautiful.
Sandals I bought in London. I was so pregnant at the time, and so sad I couldn't try anything on, and then I saw these shoes and tried them on and they made me feel so much better about myself.
My leather bag from Forestbound. When I turned 30 I decided it was time for a big girl bag, as opposed to all of the cheap-o ones I had had up till then.
And then there was that one time where I decided I needed a silver sequined pillow for our living room. As I went looking for the right kind of fabric and everything was so expensive, I felt kind of bad that I was spending that much on a pillow that, honestly, was not going to be very comfortable. And now that I've sewn it and it's on display, I'm so happy I did. Sometimes I look at it all sparkly and shiny, and I smile. It always sparkles back.
Once in a while I take part in craft fairs, and I often hear people saying -
Oh I love that! but I don't have any gifts to buy right now...
As if some things you can only buy as a gift - and not for yourself.
For some reason many of us are unwilling to treat ourselves, just because.
But spending money on ourselves - and it doesn't have to be a lot, it can be something small that we hadn't planned - does wonders for our self worth. Basically we're telling ourselves - you are good enough, you deserve this!
What can I say, I'm still on a high from my new camera. And I strongly urge you - go treat yourself! Buy yourself that necklace, something pretty for your home, go out for dinner tonight - you are worth it!
Lately I've been moving stuff around. Again. I get tired pretty easily with the way our Caravan looks, and I'm always looking for ways to change it up. My husband asked me a couple of years ago when I'll be finished decorating our house. I thought that was the funniest thing ever.
The good thing about constantly redecorating, is that it gives me loads of new ideas for the studio. Every time I feel like I'm missing something around the house, I start thinking about how I'll design it myself.
The way I look at design is fairly simple. I always keep the backbones neutral, then play it a bit less safe on the accessories. This works for every form of design - interior, product design, fashion design - even for setting-the-table design.
For example, the pieces I know I won't be changing very often - the sofa, a rug, shelving - are all in neutral tones i.e. gray, white, and more gray. Then with the pillows, storage units, pictures, that's where I'll get creative. What's amazing is that these accessories are what gives the room it's personality. (Silver sequin pillow, anyone?)
The same thing goes for table settings. My dish set is white, and so are most of my serving pieces. But I will have some serving pieces in less conservative colors, and mix it up with a printed tablecloth, or some cute trivets. You'd be amazed how changing up the accents help shift the entire mood.
But if you think about it, it's sort of like wearing jeans and a white T. With shoes, jewelery, and hairstyle - you can play it up or down - the accessories set the tone for the entire look.
So I found myself looking to spruce up our walls a little, and seeing as we might not be living here that much longer, painting seemed overdoing it. I decided to change some of the artwork. I knew I'd be using some of my own sketches, a print by my amazingly talented friend Keren Asaf, and a couple of prints I was planning on designing on my own. Of course that turned into a mini collection of prints, now available on my Etsy shop, and soon up on my site.
What can you expect to find there? Geometric patterns with a 3D effect, crisp ornament-like patterns, and a little bit of love, all in the subtle and clean style I use with all of my designs. Color wise, I kept it in shades of black/gray/white, and some pops of fuchsia, teal, and blue, with the occasional pastel shade - simple and modern. I love the way they are lively and calm at the same time.
Right now they come in A4 size (that's 8.375" x 11.750"), but soon they'll be up in US standard letter paper size as well, and larger prints or postcards will be available, too. The paper is slightly textured, that adds some depth.
If you've found yourself looking up one of these phrases on Google:
1. Activities for summer vacation
2. Stuff to do with kids during summer vacation
3. Cool things to do with kids that are fun and not too messy and photograph well
You've come to the right place.
My childhood memories are filled with bubbles. Growing up in the US, the bubble bottles were kind of chubby, and had a really sweet smell, while in Israel, till this day, the bottles are really thin and the smell is soft. We'd run out of bubble juice so fast, and then my mother would fill them with dish soap solution, but it just wasn't the same. Maybe it's the nostalgia, or maybe it's the fact that bubbles are THE BEST at any age, during the summer I'd say we go bubbling about once a week. I fill a huge bowl with home made bubble solution, and off we go to the park. As for the wands, here is a simple DIY you could do with just about any cotton weave strap (it would probably work with synthetic as well) or rope you may have. I use leftovers from the strap we use for our constantly breaking blinds. I attached two plastic hoops to the rope and knotted them in place - place them fairly close together so a child (or adult, no judgement) can easily hold on in each hand, then close of the rope. If you don't have hoops, no worries! Just make a loop with the strap and tie it in place.
My oldest tied the rope to a stick, and my youngest followed his lead.
The cool thing about these bubbles (other then the fact that they're huge) is that they are great for and little kids and big ones (and there mothers, of course). It takes some practice getting it right, which is great for the older ones, but sometimes the wind makes bubbles on it's own, which is great for the little ones.
How does it work? Hold a loop in each hand and bring them close together. Dip the entire thing into the bowl, making sure it all gets covered. Slowly bring your hands out and separate them - the strap will have a "wall" of soap on it.
You can then blow a bubble with your mouth, stand across the breeze, or swirl around creating your own breeze.
Wanna try this at home? Here is the recipe we use:
Just add 1 cup of dish soap to 12 cups of water, add 2 tbsp. baking powder (not soda) and 1 cup cornstarch. They say it help to let it rest, but I can never wait that long.
If you have a different recipe, or any other bubble related ideas, fell free to post on the comment section.
It's been a week since I came back from participating in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and I'm so happy I can finally share my experiences with you!
I've got to say, I thought about all of you lovely readers quite a lot while I was there. Normally when I travel I don't take many pictures, but this time I took a ton of photos! I kept thinking - maybe I can show this on the blog/ this might interest my blog readers/ what a great photo to share...
Let me start from the beginning, for those of you who looked at the title of this post and said - wuh?!
ICFF is the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (sounds fancy, eh?). Located in New York, it takes place every summer. They feature mainly Furniture Design, but also some accessories from well established firms as well as young designers mostly from the US. I came to exhibit there through Designboom - a website for Designers and Architects from all over the world. They feature works, offer courses, organize competitions- lots of good stuff. And they also host what they call Designmarts in different cities across the world. These take place during Furniture Fairs and Design Weeks in cities like Tokyo, NY, Stockholm etc. Young designers apply, and designers who get accepted take part in the fair and sell there designs. So you get to meet buyers, press, and design enthusiasts coming to the fair - and also sell your items to cover costs. People attending the show often describe it as one of the highlights - Cool, right?
I always wanted to go, it seems like such a great opportunity, but never felt quite ready. Then this ear whrn they had a last call for designers, I decided I am ready - my collection is complete, the production is sound - let's do this!
So I applied, got in, freaked out, designed some postcards, packed, freaked out some more, and flew to the beautiful and amazing city - New York (this would probably be the time to thank my husband, who stayed with our kids who were of course both sick while I was gone).
I was to sell the Stretchy Bowl and Candlestick Stacks, but I brought the rest of my line to show people who were interested, and eventually sold those samples too.
So if I had to describe the experience, I would say it was a success. But that's not to say there weren't any difficulties. On the contrary, there were quite a few. When I arrived at the Javits Center where the fair took place, my heart sank. They had moved the Designmart to a different hall far away from the main area. Even I had trouble finding it! I knew something had to be done- but what? And although English is my father tongue (Thanks, Dad) I felt so Israeli in the way I wanted to handle things. You see if something like that would have happened here in Israel, I would have made such a stink. It's completely normal to yell at people you don't know here and make demands, it doesn't seem odd to anyone - this is a warm Midlleastern country after all. But I felt over there I had to be very polite, and that was tough, b/c of how upset I was... I ended up finding some allies in a couple from Venezuela and a girl from Barcelona - and together we went to the main office to complain a couple of times. Eventually they put out more signage and the traffic got better, but I can't help thinking what would have happened if we were in the main hall.
I decided to regroup and manage my expectations, which turned out to be a smart thing to do since it allowed me to actually enjoy myself. Any entrepreneur gets knocked down again and again, what makes a successful entrepreneur is the ability to pick yourself up and start over again.
The other designers were pretty awesome, and came from all over the world - Spain, Italy, Thailand, Germany, Japan - cool! And turns out what every designer has in common (especially the European ones:) is there love of alcohol, especially the free kind. People were filling empty Starbucks cups with the wine that was being handed out at various events. There was a very good vibe, I can tell you that.
So let me introduce you to a few of my new friends, and show you there designs.
This is my new stylish friend Gab, from Montreal. She designs reusable vinyl stickers to mark your wine glass - they look like lipstick marks - so cute. You can see more at Gab Design.
The next designer is Carmen from Labyrinth Studio in Barcelona. She and her partner Doron design coasters shaped like miniature pallets and salt and pepper shakers shaped like safety cones. Carmen and I had a good connection and I was so glad I met her.
Next is Lee from i-clue in Korea. He was selling lots of cute stuff, including little silicone people in a yoga position -to rest your phone on. He said he designed them for his daughter, and after meeting her I can tell you she is super cute.
These cool wood additions designed by Carolina and Mathias for Combolab (originally from Venezuela, now they live in the US) transform regular plastic crates into awesome stools. They are stackable too, allowing for all kinds of different heights.
The lovely Rita from Lithuania (currently living in Berlin) purposes old basketballs into small bags and wallets. These are one of those designs I wish I had thought of. You can see more at Bal Design.
And if you'd like to see the entire list of Designmart exhibitors, you can do that here .
Here's a more detailed optimistic list of the actual results:
I am currently in negotiation with a couple of large scale stores and distributors.
A design I'm working on got shortlisted in a contest (fingers crossed) for a big company to manufacture (cross them tighter:)
I had a couple of orders I actually sent out while still in NY
And some pretty fancy reporters will hopefully write about the studio in a fancy publication.
I hope for some of these to follow through, and you know I'll keep you posted.
I am very proud of myself for taking on this adventure. It was definitely fun to be on vacation, even if it was work, in one of the most amazing cities in the world.
I'm an industrial Designer. This is my trade. I took me four years in Bezalel Academy (a big art school here in Israel) to get my diploma. A lot of you already know this. But what you don't know is how long it took me to accept this was what I do, and even love it, and that that's OK.
Every year at Design School, as the semester would come to an end, I'd apply to the University to study Psychology. Every year for four years. I kept saying to myself (I talk to myself a lot) - Elisheva - how is it possible that all of your friends are studying such important subjects that actually help society ( Education, Medicine, Social Work, Physiotherapy - I have a pretty cool group of friends) while you sit on your chair in the studio at school, at 2 am, playing around.
"folding chair" - 3rd year studio project, Bezalel
I went to school with some amazing people (a ray of light in what was otherwise some dark 4 years), and we'd often find ourselves upset, tired, stressed out, and running late. And all of this, for what? It's not like we were saving lives or anything. We're not changing the world. So why are we working this hard? Why are we taking school this seriously?
"Felt and String" Soft Materials, 3rd year project, Bezalel
The great people who went to school with me shared a common trait - dedication. They were all so dedicated to doing there best - and they'd spend time, money, energy - anything really, for an amazing project. No one just slid through it. And trying so hard and putting so much effort into school while not really being sure if it's actually important or means anything - was the hardest part for me.
So how did I end up finishing school? What helped change my mind?
"Countertop", 2nd year studio project, Bezalel
My Mother.
My Mother is a women with exceptional taste. Growing up our house never looked like my friends houses. It was always so pleasant to be in, every object was personal and carefully chosen. Whatever she couldn't buy - she made.
So on one of the occasions where I applied (yet again) to the Psychology department - I told her how horrible I felt when I compared myself to my friends. It's hard for me to deal with nonsense in such a serious matter, I told her. All of my friends are doing something far more important.
And that's when my mother told me something that changed everything.
She said she wouldn't want to live in a world without beauty. Such a simple sentence that allowed me to finally embrace what I had been doing all this time.
For me, beauty isn't just about aesthetics. It's when the objects around us allow and help us to live the life we always dreamed we'd have.
In my eyes, a beautiful home is one that makes me smile as I walk in, that hints to me who lives in this house, and that get's me excited about what is yet to come.
Do you know the feeling when you're invited to an event, and you really don't want to go? But then you find a perfect dress, and all of the sudden you're really excited and happy about going?
That's what I want to create as a designer. That anticipation for having people over at your house, the Beautiful surroundings that make us want to create memories in.
And the more I understand that's what I want to do, the better I am able to express myself clearly as a designer, and really understand my pont of view. Designing pretty items, modern and subtle, that hold a smile and a promise, that you can move and build and change.
