Holiday Traditions and Black Friday Sale

I love family traditions. Something about doing something the same way every year calms and excites me at the same time.
Here in Israel we are in the midst of celebrating Chanukah, a holiday that commemorates the miracle of light. Every night we light another candle in the Menorah, for eight nights.
But for our family, the preparations start the night before. We light the menorah on a side table near the window so people outside can see, so we need to move around a lot of furniture to make that happen. The big empty space by the wall where the side table usually stands can only mean one thing - It's Chanukah.

 

Winter DIY - How to Make a Winter Bouquet

My kids are growing up differently then I did.

 

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.

 

You can purchase the ornament here

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:)

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How Etsy Changed My Life (well, my work life)

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.

 

 Holiday Ornament, inspired by Etsy

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. 

 

 Producing the Felt Storage Bin

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. 

 

 The lovely photos from Rebekah's shop - Burnish

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.

Until Next time,

Elisheva

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Retail Therapy

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!

Have a lovely week,

Elisheva

House Visit

So where did you say your from????
This is what people normally ask when I tell them I'm from Shekef.
The next question is always - What?!
The truth is, I never know what to answer when people ask me where I'm from. In Israel, is my usual answer. But going into detail is always a bit more difficult. You see, I live in a teeny tiny village (it's not even that much of a village) with only 80 families in Southern Israel. The closest city is called Kiryat Gat, and it's about a 15 minute drive on a winding road filled with cows and vineyards.  So windy, in fact, that every time my mother comes to visit from Jerusalem she calls from the road to say she thinks she got lost. No Mother, you're not lost. Keep going. A bit more. In the end you'll make it.

 

How did we end up living here? Well about 7 years ago my husband and I moved here from Jerusalem to join a small community of super nice people named Eliav. We are supposed to build our house here, and are living along with all of our neighbors in small trailer in a community named Shekef in the meantime. Hopefully we will start building our home in August on a nearby hilltop.

 

This area is beautiful all year round. But it is especially lovely during February, when the Anemones start to bloom. Red carpets suddenly spread out along the hills and valleys, and the road that is usually completely empty is suddenly filled with traffic. OK maybe not traffic, but they're are definitely a lot more people.

So please join me for an inspiring hike down the road leading to my little house. You can bring anyone you want - my kids will join us too. And because a hike is always connected to food (well, in my mind everything connects to food:), I'll give you a little culinary local secret - Deweys (pronounced Doo-ee) Hummus.

 

Dewey is a well kept secret in our area. He lives in Shekef (where I do) and almost every day he ties his little house shaped trailer to his pickup truck and drives it about 10 minutes closer to the main road. In a little clearing in the woods there are a couple of plastic chairs, some tables, and the best Hummus I've ever had. And I'm from Jerusalem - I know my Hummus!

 

He makes his own olives,  Olive Oil, and Hummus of course. You can also order a Shakshuka (an Israeli dish made of eggs and tomato sauce - it's amazing) or Sabih (a sandwich made with a hard boiled egg, eggplant, and a potato in a pita) and sit under the trees enjoying the cool breeze. On any normal day you can find a handful of farmers, some truck drivers and a bike rider or two, but during February there are a lot more tourists coming to see the flowers bloom. 

 

Working from home is often a lonely thing. Sitting in front of my computer for hours on edge, I sometimes forget to enjoy where I live. It's important for me to remember to seek inspiration outside of the computer. That way I can give my designs a more local touch. A lot of the inspiration for my collection comes from hiking around our house with my family.

 

So if you have a couple of hours off, I highly recommend stopping by. And next week, I will be showing you all of my new designs, right in time for Spring!

See you soon,

Elisheva

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Happy Birthday - To the Blog

How exciting is this?! My first Blog post... Well, technically I have been blogging for about three months, but seeing as I live in Israel, it is in Hebrew.  Now that I have been getting a whole lot of traffic to my Studio Site  from outside of Israel,  I decided to start blogging in English too.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself - Elisheva (I guess that's the equivalent to Elizabeth) Manekin, Industrial Designer,  Mother of two, hostess. I live, dream, and breathe design, and love surrounding myself with beautiful things. I design modern and chic homeware that helps you achieve that effortless style you crave for your home from the comfort of my small trailer (yup, I live in a trailer, but it's temporary until we finish building our house:) in a super rural area of Southern Israel.
What can you expect to find on this blog?
Tips and tricks for entertaining with style, DIY ideas to transform simple dishes into "WOW, you made that?!" dishes, interior design that makes my heart pitter patter, plenty of inspiration, and some behind the scenes of how I live and create.
So let's get started, shall we?

I thought it would be appropriate celebrate with a homemade dessert, but I was lacking in time (=a nice way of saying lazy), I ended up faking it. How does one achieve that homemade look without all the hassle? I'm glad you asked.
Here's what you'll need : store bought muffins/cupcakes, whip cream, and some form of sprinkles.
Here's what you do: Whip the cream (I use my Kitchen Aid but any hand held mixer will do. Of course you can buy whip cream, but it is NOT the same as the home whipped kind, and it really is not too much work to make some on your own). Take the cupcakes out of their package. Spoon a dollop of cream onto each cupcake, add a couple of sprinkles and - you're done! I like to serve these on a trivet from the studios collection (out of stock) with a cup of coffee.

So why does this work? The whip cream heaped on the cupcake makes it seem effortless, and scattering the sprinkles in no particular order help achieve that half homemade half boutique-y look. It's kind of like that skinny girl who just threw on a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt and looks amazing... You never want to look like you're trying too hard.

So, do you have any great ideas for faux - homemade desserts? Do you know any annoyingly good looking girls who don't even try? Let me know in the comments below!
I'd love to see you again, and I'd love it even more if you sign up to the mailing list.
Until next time,
Elisheva

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