Month: May 2013

Busy Crafting

Mini Books for writing or they can be used as a necklace pendant
Mini Book Kit for writing or they can be used as a necklace pendant

I’ve been super busy the last year….crafting. I guess you could call crafting for a living one of the best jobs ever; I think of a craft project, design it, photograph the tutorial steps, lay it out in a design program to make the tutorial and photograph the product photographs. Tiffany and I have been developing our company Lullubee , adding craft of the month categories for pattern kits, needle felting kits, dolls and puppet kits and teddy bear kits. We’ve been working on marketing the business and getting the word out about Lullubee, sourcing cool craft materials and making product videos and video tutorials.

Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear Kit

We’re focusing on the teen and adult market, including seniors. We know that adult children are looking for activities for their elderly parents and we believe crafting is a great outlet for everyone.

Gatsby jewelry
1920’s-style Tassel Necklace Kit

It’s difficult to juggle a start-up business and our daily mother jobs, Tiffany and I often hear complaints of “Mom, we have no clean clothes” or “there’s no food in the house!” We clean Nutella off of shower doors, pick up clothes and shoes that have been left all over the floor, feed and walk our pets as part of our morning routines to prepare for “work”: a day of post office runs, packing kit boxes, meetings and internet work. We often work strange hours to be able to do both jobs;  I work late and Tiffany works early and we often work the same hours even though we’re in two different countries! Did I mention that Tiffany runs our business from NYC and I do my thing from Tel Aviv? Take a look at our social media sites and some of our new products and if you’d share our information with your own networks, it would really help us out:) Thanks!

http://www.lullubee.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Lullubee?ref=hl

http://pinterest.com/lullubee/

https://twitter.com/

Tiny mohair Teddy Bear Kit
Tiny mohair Teddy Bear Kit

 

Bow-tie Jewelry Kit includes materials for earrings, bracelet, necklace and ring.
Bow-tie Jewelry Kit includes materials for earrings, bracelet, necklace and ring.

 

Steampunk Earring utilize real watch parts
Steampunk Earring Kit utilizes real watch parts

 

French Dish Cloth and Rosemary Salt Kit
French Dish Cloth and Rosemary Salt Kit

 

Painted Mushroom Kit
Painted Mushroom Kit
Needle Felted Apple Bowl
Needle Felted Apple Bowl Kit

Our New-Old Home in Jaffa

view to the sea e

The ancient, Biblical port city of Jaffa

One of my newest artistic projects is restoring, designing and furnishing an 150 year old-historical piece of vernacular, Ottoman architecture. Basically, we bought a fixer-upper! We’re moving “down the street” from Neve Tzedek to Jaffa (a 15 minute walk) where we will adjust to the very different sea-side city, it’s inhabitants and all Jaffa has to offer. I’ll be documenting the 2nd floor, one story residence through it’s restoration. We’ve hired the architects Paritsky and Liani because we like their clean, modern style; together we will design the house to highlight the original shapes and materials of the structure and combine modern architectural elements that will blend with the ancient. After a brief history of what best illustrates Ottoman architecture,  you will see the interior of our new-old house before any work has started.

studio-courtyard-dining eTurkey ruled the area that is now Israel from the earyly 16th century to 1922; we can see numerous example of vernacular Ottoman architecture throughout Israel. Ottoman architecture can be recognized by a few basic characteristics common to the style: vaulted ceilings, domed ceilings, semi domes, pointed arches, columns, inner and outer courtyards and ornate tile decorations. Ottoman period courtyards were influenced by the Paradise of the Koran; so the garden (courtyard) or Earthly Paradise was designed to represent heaven, a serene place. Decorative motifs were based on nature. Vernacular Ottoman architecture retains the basic Ottoman style but the residential architecture is built with native building materials, forms, and spatial arrangements.

Positive elements of Ottoman architecture are:

  • Thick cement walls to aid in resistance of the vaulted ceilings (arched).:
    Non-combustible, low heat transfer in fires
  • Does not rot, termite-proof at prescribed densities
  • Non-toxic, insulating, creates a healthy micro-climate, feels warm
  • Sound absorbing, neighbors cannot be heard through the walls.
    dining room and front courtyard area e

 front court-yard, studio, dining area bedroom eroots growing in ceiling efront staircase efront steps to the roof eIMG_4138view e

corner room efamily room into a bedroom e