Special Feature
Oh Santa! I almost forgive you for that flu you plagued YZ and I with this Xmas, what with all the juicy gifts you lugged down our chimney along with it. All in all, the 25th was a veritable indulge-fest, with everything on my list neatly wrapped in recycled paper under the tree…
The holidays are all about home, home-comings, and homeyness so why not give a gift that celebrates the abode? From the tiniest trinkets to the enormously extravagant to the quirky never-knew-I-needed-that shwag — the home is like one more child that can’t stop asking for something new. Here’s our 2010 gifting roundup — all in the spirit of adding a dose of whimsy and color to your home this season.
For some of us, the holiday season is about one thing and one thing only. Ok, two things. Ok, a bunch of things—all nicely wrapped and book-related. Because there is nothing more satisfying than winter reading, whether it’s the classic you know almost by heart, the novel everybody else already read six months ago, or the thriller you’ll never admit you couldn’t put down.
Etsy has to be one of the coolest places for gift giving — simply because most of the offerings on the site are handcrafted and one-of-a-kind. But, with this endless trove of offerings, a bushy-eyed shopper can quickly get dissuaded by too much good stuff…
Hip hip hooray! ‘Tis that time of year again: christmas trees, wreaths, family get togethers, snuggling up by the fireplace singing carols, oh, yes… and lots of gift giving! What better way to kick things off than with the wee ones!!
One of our hands-down favorite crews bombing the walls of Tel Aviv is the Haifa-based Broken Fingaz Crew. The 10-year-strong foursome (Tant, Unga, Dezo, and Kip) have a hypnotizing and intricate style which recalls 1960’s psychedelic posters, old school American comics, and B-rated horror flick poster typography…
A little bit Steampunk, a tad industrial loft makeover, these upcycled KOZO lamps are being produced by a 7-member collective called DEMO Design Clinic working out of Florentin (Tel Aviv’s Williamsburg doppelgänger)…
The work of Raw-Edges is not for crowd-followers or wallflowers. Indeed, the pieces are ballsy, sometimes rough, often bright and clashy. It’s the sort of furniture that a more timid houseguest would veer away from – never daring to plop down on the “Volume” couch, for example.
A house isn’t a home without a cozy nook for reading–preferably illuminated by something striking, simple, and versatile like this 001 model by Naama Hofman. Made of a cleverly angled iron rod and acrylic tube filled with 120 LED lights, this has got to be one of the niftiest reading aids I’ve come across in a while. The design is such that you can place it any which way on a table top, or hang it from the ceiling or wall…
Our baby niece Lir is pretty much the apple of YZ’s and my eye, making it hard to resist buying her every little cute thing that we come across. But, when we stumbled upon a beautiful striped bunny by Tel Aviv label Timo in a boutique in Jaffa, we just had to add the critter to Lir’s collection of toys. Totally in line with Lir’s parent’s philosophy of hugging (not mugging) the earth, each toy is…
Holy gods of fashion! Everything, just everything, is spot-on with this Alon Livne campaign I found on Mitchatnim.co.il. The collection (for bridesmaids perhaps?!) is worn by a waify, pixie-esque model in creepy bug-like poses sporting headpieces fit for any good Cleopatra impersonator. The soft, Victorian color palette brilliantly contrasts the dark, lurking feeling of the clothes, of which I would wear every darned piece…
There are few things more rewarding than antique shopping and Tel Aviv’s Jaffa neighborhood (one of the oldest port cities in the world) is brimming with boutiques where you can spend days clambering through mountains of tchotckes and treasures. For such a rigorous underdaking one needs proper breakfast, and there’s no better place for a mid-morning boost than Jaffa foodie stronghold, Dr. Shakshouka…
Ever wonder what the Hoopoe (national bird of Israel) looks like in the creatively bursting brain of Tel Aviv-based illustrator/art director Gal Shkedi? Well, thanks to this uber-approachable ad campaign by BBDO Israel for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, you now know: scruffy and chamood (cute) but a wee bit depressed-looking too — the standard chasm that exists in so many of Shkedi’s riotous characters…
Last night I dreamed I was at the finals. I was dressed in full Oranje regalia with a cheese wedge hat. With an hour to go before the finals, nerves at all three Martin-Verhoeven camps are high and I keep getting random bouts of the goosebumps. I’ve been practicing my Roger Milla-inspired goal dance (with the hopes that I will be calling upon it at least once this afternoon) and am so hopped up on coffee I can’t quite complete a sentence. The final day of the cup is here and, although I clearly want my Dutch peeps to come out on top, it’s just a thrill to watch them fight for the chance.
Just one more day of World Cup action. { sniiiiif… } Today’s game for third place (what a doozy) found me screaming at the Celeste to “just score another f***ing goal” in a desperate plea to see the match stretch on for another 30 minutes…
