Why does Rudolph have this expression?
fear of flying
Ho-ho-ho! Once again, it’s the time of year to make Christmas tree ornaments! Last year I made a gnome ornament tutorial that was very well received, you can see that here. This Rudolph ornament is based on the same idea of transforming one simple shape into an ornament.
Zombie Elli
My daughter Elli had an “epic” Halloween party; epic is the new in word the kids are using theses days, as the word “lame” was not too long ago-FYI. The party was for the 12 year old crowd, with a few 9 year olds thrown in for good measure (Emili’s friends). It’s hard to celebrate American holidays here in Israel for a few reasons, the main one being that since American holidays aren’t celebrated here, you don’t get the day off and Halloween for example, is just another Monday. It’s difficult to have a party on a Monday night when parents have work the next day and children have school. You can’t trick or treat because Israeli’s don’t really understand what that is or really how to do it. (The American school does organize a trick or treat night in a neighboring town to Tel Aviv, but you need to be affiliated with the school or get tickets from someone in the school). About 5 or 6 years ago, some friends who had lived in America for quite a while had a children’s Halloween party. They asked a few of their neighbors to give out candy to the children in costume that would be knocking on their doors that evening. The neighbors ended up throwing the candy and pita bread at the children (?); maybe they got the whole handing out candy idea mixed up with throwing rice at a wedding! (?) Costumes are only out at Purim time in Israel and these costumes are mostly lame and poorly made and last but not least, it’s hard to find a pumpkin around here and the ones I have seen are white! Obstacles for sure, but with a little ingenuity and determination, a very scarry Halloween party can be achieved…
The big kids watched a horror movie and screamed and screamed and screamed
You can’t really find Halloween decorations here, but we did found a few skulls, bones, skelatons and spiders in a junky toy shop in Florentine. We ordered a few special things from America and had my sister send them to us; we ordered cookie molds for witch fingers and bones and a jello mold for a brain. And as usual, we made many of our decorations; I made the girls’ costumes and ratty, tattered curtains that we hung on the windows and used to cover walls. I drug home several big tree branches that I found along the side of the road and put them around the front door and we scattered leaves in the front garden around the cardboard tombstones that Elli made. I spread my needle felting wool over lights and in corners and put spiders all over them, I spread white sheets over everything, dimmed the lights and played spooky music…
We had tasty treats…
Brains, Severed Heads and eerie skulls
Finger and bone cookies
Ghoulish candy
Putrid Punch
Crunchy rat snacks
We had Ghoulish guests…
Ghoulish guest Michal
We had an evil hostess…
Would you like a slice of brain?
And most importantly, we had horrible ambiance…
Creepy, crawly spiders
haunted living room
Haunted House Curtains
skull lights
The kids danced in the basement (dungeon) but adults and their cameras were banned from this part of the haunted house, thus I don’t have any dancing photos:( Don’t worry, we knew what was going on down there the whole time because the 9 year old guests tattled on the 12 year old guests every chance they got!
And in one rare moment when I wasn’t cleaning, serving or monitoring the kids, Doron and I boogied to the horror of our children, then someone broke a whole glass bottle of orange juice and I had to go back to clean up duty.
Doron and Laura boogie
All in all, the kids rated this party a success!
Needle Felted Rooster Mask
I don’t know what it is about costumes and masks that get my imagination going! Emili has brought this rooster mask to life (after much complaining about having to model it); from this costume I’ve thought to make angry birds, a punk mohawk headpiece, a gladiator helmet and an owl mask-alas, there’s just not enough time.
Vogue Elephant
This mask and pose make Elli look like a young celebrity elephant posing for a photo shoot in Elephants Today.
Needle felted Rat Mask-Where's my cheese?
The Rat Masks were made as an ode to my girls’ pet rats: Bibbl and Harry. Check out the fimo teeth!
Rat teeth detail
And last but not least, the very pink lounge singer, the elegant Ms. Flamingo…
Ms. Flamingo
See last years needle felted masks here: http://www.lauraleeburch.com/blog/2010/10/playing-and-teaching-with-needle-felted-masks/ and
http://www.lauraleeburch.com/blog/2010/10/needle-felted-halloween-masks/
You can find this year’s mask in my shop: here
red cafe umbrellas on the Champs Ellysee
So we’re in Paris for our summer vacation! There’s a never ending panorama of beautiful sights, but this last week has been a photographic challenge as the weather has been grey and rainy. We are thrilled with the cool, rainy weather (so opposite from Tel Aviv right now, it’s a wonderful break for us) but photographically, much more difficult to achieve great photos. Most of the old buildings are a cream color, lending themselves to black and white or sepia tone, but I’ve found a few colorful subjects in this wonderland of neutrals.
Paris metro sign
I really wanted to bring the girls to Paris so they could practice their French and experience France as French speakers; I think it gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. They all three study in a French school in Tel Aviv, they’re fluent in French, Hebrew and English; I felt that they should have the real French experience. BUT, it seems they are not the least bit interested in seeing the monuments, museums or touristy sights, all they want to do it SHOP! To the girls’ credit, the only museum that I remember visiting as a young child was the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (I was probably 10 or 11 years old); I remember that my brother, sister and I loved dropping coins into the wax mold machines, watching the souvenir machine make wax molds of an Abraham Lincoln bust, then the mold dropped out still warm for us to take home and I remember the lake Michigan beach that was nearby. I don’t remember one thing from the museum, but I do remember the experience with my family and I think that’s the most important part.
Rue Boubourg, Paris
I will have to say that shopping here is vastly different than shopping in Tel Aviv, there’s so much more to choose from! I’ve tried to strike a compromise, a little shopping, a little Eiffel tower, a little shopping, a little Louvre, a little shopping, a little Notre Dame….I’m hoping one day they’re appreciate the experience a little more than they seem to now.
My experience with children on vacation:
We were in the Pompidou Center,
Emili (9 years old)-shortly after we arrive: “Can we leave now, I’m tired and bored.”
my husband: “We’re all tired and bored, that’s the price you pay for culture.”
The Eiffel Tower, Paris
When I visit a new place, my goals are to take some great photos AND I like to collect accessories like shoes or eye glasses; I search for these special things as I wonder foreign places. These accessories become my souvnenirs from the places I visit. I haven’t found anything here that strikes my fancy yet.
little dove outside my window
I’m shoving the girls out the door now, we’re going to the Louvre. I hope that as we roam the galleries of the Louvre, my enthusiasm for art will rub off on them a little and the recitation of my art history lessons that I remember will entertain them for as long as it takes to drag them past some of the most famous art in the world. I’ll promise them creme brule if they finish the tour without driving me crazy!
sunset on the Tel Aviv beach
Summer is grinding on at our house; toys, Barbies, crayons and swimming goggles are flying around my head as I sit at my sewing machine, my kids are whining I’m bored and I’m trying to think creatively to keep them busy.
flip flop feet
The girls’ new game while we’re driving around town is waving at everyone that will look at them! Most people ignore their weird, friendly greetings and some smile. I just shrug my shoulders and shake my head as I drive because I can’t pretend they belong to someone else like I usually do. Even though their frantic waving at stangers is fairly embarassing, the belly laughs I hear from the back seat make me chuckle too.
summer swimming
I’ve been concentrating on tidying up the house (which was ignored the last 5 years that I had my store). The girls and I have been washing walls, organizing drawers, cleaning everything, making new bed curtains and table cloths, dusting things that haven’t been dusted for 5 years and throwing out piles of junk. The downstairs-storeroom (which I called the troll hole) was filled from with boxes, sewing machines and fabric from the store; it has finally been turned back into a useable playroom again. Really, this is a huge achievement because you used to have to climb over things to get to the couch to watch the t.v. which was framed by “stuff”, you could barely walk down there after we unloaded everything left from the store. I was supposed to tidy up this area a long time ago so I could work downstairs, but I couldn’t bring myself to work without a window and lots of light, so I took over the kitchen table as my little work space.
(Before) storeroom/family room
I wanted to get all this done before we take off for our vacation in August. The trip in August should supply me with endless photo opportunities at which time you’ll see where we are when I post some of the photos on my blog.
Emili in the pool
Creative summer kid activities include:
1. The girls and I planted our baren window boxes that were filled with dead plants and twigs with herbs and flowers.
2. I painted a small wall in the kitchen with chalk board paint which has proved to be a new “fun” place in the house. I was worried about the dark green paint being “too much”, but with all the art covering it, it’s o.k.
3. The girls and I attempted to make our own sushi one evening with a kit. I’ve been watching the Japanese sushi makers at the restauant down the street and thought “that looks like fun, and much easier than one would think”. We were deliciously successful!
4. Trips to the pool and the beach in the evening (armed with a bottle of vinegar to combat the jellyfish stings.)
kitchen wall chalkboard
We have seen quite a few visiting friends and relatives we haven’t seen in a while, that’s always fun! Stay tuned for photos of our vacation, followed by new needle felting tutorials of some cute (Waldorf style) toys.
sprinkler park in Tel Aviv
