Growing Up Creative

Plaster botanic prints

Spring is almost over here in Israelֽ We have a few more days of fantastic blossom before it all turns to thorns. So here is a perfect craft for spring. 
There are many different ways of preserving wildflowers, one would be to make plaster prints. I wanted to share with you this great activity of making botanic prints in plaster, which is essentially making a plaster mold.

Plaster is very effective. It dries quickly and has the advantage of showing small details and textures. Naturally it comes white, but once it is dry, you can paint it. I kept mine white...for now...

I have been making them with my kids and gave them away as Passover gifts. Making them is very easy and very forgiving, that is why it is great for all ages. 

Important:
It can be very messy that is why i recommend doing it outside.

You will need:

+Clay
+Plaster of paris
+Leaves, flowers, etc.
+Small triangle hangers
+A bowl you can dispose of
+Rubber gloves if you like
+Something to protect your working surface

How to:
1. Pick out what you want to print first
2. Roll some clay, a little bigger than your object, and build walls of clay around it creating a ‘bath’ like of clay.
3. Make sure there are no holes so later the plaster doesn't leaks.
4. Press a leaf onto the clay
5. gently….pull out leaf

 

6. Mix plaster of paris with water (follow package instructions)
7. Pour plaster into the bath.
8. When the plaster starts to settle (takes few minutes) place a metal hanger in the plaster.

9. Let the plaster harden a bit (about 20 minutes) before you gently pull out the clay. Make sure you dont let the clay dry.
10. Clean the plaster mold if you like, you may use water very gently. Let it dry for 24-48 hours.

Happy holidays :)

tali

 

Needle work on self hardening clay

My friend’s husband (Inbal), owns a gourmet bakery, so her house is always full with delicious gourmet ingredients that she and her kids experiments with.

I, have an embroidery kit “factory” in my house, therefore it is inevitable that I have lots of yarn and needles available for my kids and friend to play with.

When my brother came by with his son and a package of self hardening clay (DAS), only good things could happen…..We have rolled down the clay, used cookie cutters to create different shapes (mostly hearts as you can see). Than we poked holes in a pattern (or randomly) with a skewer, Making sure the holes are big enough for a yarn needle. On some, we created holes around the shape, on some we created a grid like here, so we have a base to stitch geometric shapes on.

You should experiment with lots of patterns, and make sure you make lots of bases to work on - trust me, you will use them all....

We set them aside to dry (this is the hardest part…..waiting…..), usually dries within 24 hours.

The next day, we started playing around,  stitching and creating different designs.

*Don’t force the needle in the hols!’ Your clay may break. :(
If it does, you can always stitch it …..;)

Go make something

tali

Gift wrapping

Gift wrapping is a GREAT opportunity to practice creativity.
This is how: Use any paper to wrap your gift, such as - craft paper, newsprint, colored paper and even some of your kids drawings. Instead of clear tape and trying to hide it, use bright colored tape (Washi tape works great) to make some fun designs.

Here is a short video tutorial that shows you how simple it is.  

 

Now, after opening an Etsy store, I get to practice my gift wrapping skills even more…I create different designs for each kit I wrap. When you get a kit from me, know that your package is one of a kind ;)

 

photo by:Danya Mor Goren 
photo by: Danya Mor Goren

 

I would love to see what you are coming up with. Share your gift wraps on instagram #washigiftwrap

go make something....Tali

 

 

 

Perfect for weekends

I hope that just like me, you also have childhood memories of putting some sheets and blankets together, and making a tent in the middle of the living room. I remember it took a while, figuring out how to attach sheets so they actually stay together, using all the chairs in the house, clothespins and strings.
After transforming the house into something truly magnificent, you would crawl inside with a book, a friend, a sibling or a toy, and spend hours in a space that you made, that was cosy, and warm, - Imagining you are in different world - .
A perfect activity for a weekend!

 

Embroidery kit for beginners - a new beginning

 

I used to make a ton of those when I was a child, not knowing what I should actually do with them when i’m done….I always meant to either frame them or turn them into a decorative pillow - which never really happened.... ( If you grew up in israel you are probably nodding your head with empathy right now). On our last trip, I bought one of those embroidery kits for my daughter Ori (9). I couldn't  believe they still sell the same designs they did 40 years ago.  Ori got hooked - as expected. The only mistake on my end was buying only one kit. We all wanted to do one too (Zoe (12), yotam (13) and, my self). Luckily, Ori was kind enough to take turns with us.  

As soon as we got back from the trip, I called my friend Marina, who has many talents including being a great illustrator. We came up with new designs, and a new package  - a cardboard envelope that folds back on itself into a picture frame that you can place your embroidery in when you are done. Possibly  decorate the frame, write on it, glue sparkles, washi tape it etc.(you know how much I love cardboard…)

We had some serious technical issues figuring out the manufacturing part, but we managed to pull it through.
Feels very much like giving birth to a new baby... The difference is that Instead of a baby, we now have a fox, a unicorn, a robot, and a rainbow. (ever tried giving birth to a unicorn?)
Before we knew it, we had a new line of products and a store on ETSY!

I welcome you to visit our store and get one for everyone design you love. 

 

A little about the kit:
The kits are great for everyone, especially for kids and beginners.
The canvas mash (the image is printed on it) has large holes suited for a big embroidery needle (included in the kit). It is stiff, therefore, an embroidery hoop is not needed.
The embroidery is small enough, approx 6”x6”, so it doesn't take forever to make.
It is recommended for kids age 6 and up.
12 year old also love making them.
AND YES!!! Boys like making them too!!

Thank you always for taking time to read my blog.
I love to hear back from you! Comments and emails are all welcome.

Go make something!

tali

SOZO ON ETSY

Geometric sketching - Ikea - Free download

<sup>Oris' (9) fox

'Fullfolja' from the paper section at Ikea</sup>
A couple of weeks ago I stopped by at Ikea on my way home (no special reason).
I bought nothing I really needed, as well a pocket size sketchbook with rubber band fastener, for my illustrator friend Marina.
Surprisingly, the pages had a very light grey dot pattern.
Next I knew, I was getting a stream of ‘whatsapp’ messages from Marina, with some beautiful geometric illustrations, using the dotted pattern as a grid.
I went back to ikea, this time with a specific task.
I got more sketchbooks, one for each girl, and one for me.

 ^{by marina zlochin}

It doesn't take much to ignite creativity.

To start sketching immediately, print this DOTS PDF DOWNLOAD

Use #growingupcreative  to share your drawings on Instagram.

 

have fun!!!
WARNING: this can be addictive.

tali

Coloring wall (not only) for Tu BiShvat - 2 free downloads (yey)

Way back in the days of Matzo ball soup - the blog (now it is combined with guc) I have created a creativity book dedicated for Tu BiShvat, the Israeli “new year of the trees”. One of the pages in that book was a black  and white photo looking up a tree, that kids (and adults) could color the shapes that interlocked within the branches.

^{creativity book}

I took that same idea, blew it up, and pinned it on the wall in the local community center in ZIchron Yaakov. I put out some colored pencils and - VOILA - you have a coloring wallpaper (not only) for Tu BiShvat that is easy, fun, and seriously inexpensive.

Some technical information (incase you want to print your own):

Preparing the photo:

• I enlarged the photo using photoshop to fit the width of the plotter available in my local printing shop (90 cm wide).
• I mirrored the image to fit the length of your wall
• saved as pdf once as is and once mirrored

Printing:

• sent it to print
• I asked for 2 plots from each file so I have 4 banners total of 360 cm wide.
• I asked for plain paper (the kind they used for architectural drawings), black and white print.
• I trimmed the white edges (usually plotters doesn’t print to the edge)

Mounting:

• Start from the center out.
• Mount the first banner perpendicular to the ceiling or floor.
• I used push pins since I mounted on drywall.
• Move to the next banner and the next.

I didn't use any glue whatsoever, but you can experiment a little to see what works best with your paper.

 

Here is the coloring wall paper file You may download this file of wall and use it for private purposes. No commercial use please, and, if you write about it, I appreciate the link back and credit.

coloring wall part 1 download
coloring wall part 2  download

Here is a link to the Tu BiShvat creativity book.

go print :)

tali

Last call for Muki

Happy holidays to everyone, hope you are celebrating among friends and family wherever you are. 
I wanted to let you know that my campaign for Muki on Indiegogo is about to end.
T​here is still a chance to make it happen but only with your support. In case the project doesn't reach its goal, you will be fully refunded, no risks involved.
Here is the movie. It explains the product very well and will put a smile on your face. 

 
Thank you for all your support.
If you have any questions, don'​t hesitate to contact me. 

xoxo
tali

How-to shadow play

I like simple.
It usually works so much better than complex. Especially when working with kids.
last week I organized a Chanukah family activity in our local community center. For a few years now I have been planning on doing a shadow play activity, and Chanukah seemed like a perfect opportunity. So... I hung a white sheet across the room, using twine and clothespins, and placed a strong light source behind the sheet. I set up a table with black bristol board, scissors, craft sticks, pencils and tape, and set down to watch the kids make and play.

Since this activity was so successful, I decided to do this with Zoe’s class (6th grade). This time I divided the class into small groups, asked the kids to write a short skit keeping Chanukah as their theme. once they had the story down, they cut black cardboard silhouettes. Finishing with the grand performance of each group in front of the rest of the class.




To sum it up....if you want to have your own shadow play

You will need:

• a white sheet
• a rope
• clothespins
• strong light source
• black paper
• craft sticks
• tape
• pencils

How to:

• Hang your white sheet
• Place light behind the sheet
• Cut silhouettes attach silhouette onto a craft stick
• play

Options:

1. You may have silhouette  template to trace ready in advance

2. Pick up a specific story, have kids make the characters from the story and let them act the story at the end

3. Make up your own story and cut out silhouettes accordingly

4. Place elements that create shadow of landscape such as a pile of blankets and pillow for mountain etc.

 

Simple is good!

go have some shadow play!

 

DIY cardboard blocks - free download

Finally, the cardboard blocks tutorial many of you have been asking for.

You can download it free via play-scapes (one of my favorite blogs).

Here is the link

let me know if you have any questions.

 

go play

tali

 

Creativity!!!

I logged into typepad (my blogging platform) the other day ready to start a new post for a change, when I noticed  their slogan right on their login home page. This is what it said: ”typepad - share your passions with the world”, and I thought that was an accurate statement because that is what blogging is all about - sharing your passions with the world. 
Writing this blog, sharing my passions with the world, made me realize what I want to do when I grow up (at least for now) - I want to inspire people to be more creative every day, for their own sake and for their children, and after I do that, I can go and work in a bookstore or a vineyard.
3 years after I started writing growing up creative I finally changed my architectural practice from designing homes into designing and creating environments that promote creativity, making and play. 

In the process of writing and designing I read lots of books about creativity and lots of current research, and they all point to the fact that Creativity is the Number 1 Skill for the 21st Century. If you look around you will see how obvious this statement is. Infinite knowledge is at the palm of the hand of anyone holding a smartphone, but creativity is a skill one cannot find online. It must be nurtured and practiced.
Creativity is a mind set and an approach to life. That is why it is essential to provide kids with environment and experiences that ignite the imagination, promote creativity and curiosity. Providing them with this basis will ensure that they will grow to be independent thinkers, problem solvers, kind and caring to others and their surrounding.

What is creativity:
If a person or a child is considered intelligent or gifted, it doesn't mean they are creative. Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships,or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods,interpretations, etc.
The synonym to creative is: originality, progressiveness, or imagination. (from dictionary)
For  example (always help): if a child is learning how to tie their shoes with some guidance that is not a creative act (dah!), but, if a child learns to tie their shoes without any guidance or without seeing how it’s done, that would be considered to be an act of creativity. This child just invented how to keep his shoes tight on his feet using the 2 things dangling from them.

I hope I was successful in getting my message across. If you want to read more about it, drop me a note and I will send you some great references.

So... go make, draw, invent, think something new

tali

M+M+M

 

Marina Muki and Me

I have amazing friends and family. Every time I get to work on a project it seems like I take them all along with me. My work is a big part of me and so are the people who are close to me, so it make all the sense in the world to mix it up together. I remember many years ago in my early 20’s, I was secured to a rope ready to bungee jump off a bridge 100 meters off the ground….crazy... I was sitting on the ledge for several minutes that seemed like eternity.  Eventually I told the person standing next to me that the only way I was going to jump was if he would jump with me. He had no harness so of course he didn’t think that was such a good idea. I didn’t make the jump, not by my self!

Marina is one of my good friends. She is also an amazing illustrator. Her work is all over the net, you can find her on creative market, shutterstock on the Muki campaign and more. She is the designer for the coolest Muki tattoos and the illustrator for the robot Muki in the video. She also illustrated a Muki for Zoe, my oldest, for her Bday.

^{temporary tattoos by Marina Zlochin}

In both the Robot and Zoe’s Muki she used sharpie paint markers (I used to be on the Sharpie squad so I still have lots of markers left). Here are some pics from a great afternoon over at Marina’s house with lots of Mukis friends and sharpies.  

Sharpie markers paint work great on cardboard. The paint marker is opaque, and the colors are brilliant.

So what are you waiting for, go get your own Muki so you can start painting.

 

xoxo

Tali

 

 

 

The beauty of material - honeycomb cardboard

I have been working with cardboard for a while, trying to stretch the limits of the material. I've made furniture, suitcases, hats, shoes, toys and more is yet to come….I work with double flute cardboard that can be easily found and manipulated.

While trying to develop MUKI - a cardboard dog DIY kit - I stumbled upon a different kind of cardboard. It's called honeycomb cardboard, and it is practically a dream come true. Changing material enabled me to find a solution for the kit. 
The idea behind it is very simple - honeycomb paper construction sandwiched in-between two layers of heavy craft board. The honeycomb is an extremely strong structure, which is very beneficial for construction.
The beauty of the process is how flexible the honeycomb is before applying the craft board on to it, almost like an accordion. Once mounted it is almost as hard as wood. The thickness of the material can vary between 1 cm to 20 cm thick.

During my first visit to the factory I was privileged to get a walk through, only after a healthy breakfast kibbutz-style, of course. The first thing I could see walking into the warehouse were towers, stacked panels reaching to the roof, forming a grid of what may be imagined to be a city. The rigid material forming huge blocks of texture. In the adjacent room one can see carts piled up with a continuous thick line of honeycomb acordeon, the flex and malleable inside of the panels ready to be fixed into the rigid material we need to make Muki. 

For security reasons I could only take a few photos. I love productions lines, and this one was truly inspiring.

I hope you had a chance to visit my indiegogo campaign and share it with your friends.

Thanks for your support

tali and Muki

 

Here I come, ready or not, introducing muki

I want to tell you something that I haven't told you yet. For some time now (not sure how long ago, 3 kids slow things down a bit), I have been working on Muki - my cardboard flat pack dog. Next week I will be kicking off a campaign on Indiegogo trying to raise funds to manufacture Muki. I’m not sure if I am more nervous or excited, my stomach is flipping and turning, and sleeping is not on my to-do list. I feel like I am not ready, but I don't think I can be more ready than I am. So here I come, ready or not.

Meet Muki, a friendly cardboard dog. He doesn't bite, won’t pee on your rug or chew on your furniture. He comes in a flat package and is easily assembled. Muki is a lovely mix-breed with a long tale, an offshoot/ byproduct of a project I designed and built for a local community center a couple of years ago. The project included a modular cardboard furniture system that was used for play as well as serving as a waiting area for the center. As part of the project I included 5 cardboard dogs of different breeds, one of which was Muki. The first Muki was made of corrugated cardboard with a grid inside for strength and yellow duct tape to seal the edges. I call it Muki classic. It was very strong but took some time and expertise to assemble.
Many people approached me asking me to do workshops that taught how to build a Muki, so I did.

Soon enough I started developing a Muki that comes as a kit and is very easy and quick to assemble, Ikea style, so people will be able to build their own Muki without the need for my expertise. It took some time and some help from Boaz the brilliant engineer. Until one day... it happened, I had the answer. I have switched from corrugated cardboard to honeycomb cardboard and that opened up new possibilities. Honeycomb cardboard enabled me to rethink my construction method and changed the assembly technique to slot connections, which are easy quick and fun to do. A little bit like magic.

I will tell you a little more about Muki next week as my campaign on indiegogo comes to life.

I would like to invite you for the kickoff of the project on ndiegogo via facebook this Monday Nov 3rd 3pm in Israel 8am EST. 

here is the link to the event

xoxo

tali

Cardboard furniture techniques - how to achieve strength

^{Frank Gehry, demonstrating cardboard strength via vitra}

Cardboard furniture has been around for a while, ever since the early 70’s. Frank Gehry’s “the wiggle chair” designed in 1968, was one of the first cardboard furniture manufactured. It is actually still available today. A beautiful organic shaped chair, made of stacked cardboard with some additional hidden reinforcement. About the same time, came out the Otto cardboard chair by Peter Raccke (with a German accent) one of my favorites, if I may say, and a childrens table and chairs diy kit set by Riki Watanabethe from Japan. The technique Peter and Riki used was not like Gehry’s at all, but similar to packaging design.

<sup>the Wiggle chair by Frank Gehry 1968


the Otto chair by Peter Raccke via pulpo</sup>

^{1965 Riki Watanabe childrens set via loknstore}  

Since those two very different chairs came out, cardboard has been popular among many designers, design students, and the most creative of all - kids.

So why work with cardboard?....Why not?!....

• Because it is so easy to manipulate, you can do it your self
• It can be very strong
• Inexpensive
• You can find cardboard materials easily
• Cardboard is recyclable and biodegradable

Cardboard is very easy to work with. You can apply almost any technique in working with cardboard. I have stitched a hat and a suitcase, glued flip flops, taped a chair and slit cardboard into a dog shelf (muki). in building furniture with cardboard the biggest challenge   is achieving strength.

Here are 3 different method for building with corrugated cardboard: 

The “simple” method - stacking:
Creating the desired shape by cutting multiple layers of cardboard and gluing them one on top of the other. (Like the wiggle chair I mentioned previously by Frank Gehry).
The bright side:
Very easy to plan
Works great with organic shapes
The downside (can be bright sometimes depending what you're looking for):
Uses lots of material therefore heavy
Cats LOVE to scratch stacked cardboard
Time consuming

Here are some great examples of working with layers:

^{Mafoombey Acoustic Space – Martti Kalliala & Esa Ruskeepää via my design fix}

^{Saxum double-sided chair by Simone Carminati for Gruppo Pozzi S.r.l. via retaildesignblog}

 

 

^{lights by E-side}

^{monocomplex design studio via designboom}

The “smart” method - folding
Creating furniture by folding cardboard into desired shape (think origami), achieving structure by folding triangular shapes.
With this method, planning is more difficult. You need to know what you're doing.
Also, one may need larger sheets of cardboard, which is harder to find. The results are usually very appealing and one can achieve high level of sophistication in the design.

A great example for a folded chair is Fold School; free pattern download of his chair and stool.

^{fold school via inhabitat}

Other great resources are the books by Paul Jackson: both folding techniques for designers and structural packaging.

The hybrid method
Combining both structural grid with a cardboard envelope. This method is very easy to plan and design, doesn't take too much material, and produces light pieces of furniture. it works better for simple geometric shapes, but doesn't work that great for curved shapes.

This is the method I used for this project.

 

follow this board for more cardboard projects


Stay tuned for diy instructions for the cardboard sofas. Coming soon

tali

How-to draw with sugar inspired by vik muniz

I have recently began teaching art to 6th-8th graders. I must say, it’s quite challenging. Keeping them interested and focused is hard!!!

Yesterday I had a great lesson with the 8th graders that I wanted to share with you. My theme is portraits. After teaching proportions and some basic observation methods, I decided (after consulting with my brilliant artist friend Ronit Baranga) to explore with them different techniques by studying different artists and applying those techniques, keeping portraits as the main subject matter.

The first artist I introduced was Vik Muniz.

After showing his work to the students, I gave them black paper, a black and white photo of a person (side view) and material of their choice: sugar, rice or noodles. Looking at the photos, they had to create what they see. starting with the overall shape of the head, making sure proportions are right, training the eye to look at the negative space to define what’s there. The students frequently checked proportions and easily fixed what was wrong. The temporary drawing allowed them great flexibility and the courage to try.  

After they finished, I took a picture of their work and the original was put away...

Huge success.
 

  

Pencil and charcoal

I recently paid a visit to a local art supply store, the kind of shopping I like. After spending 2 hours at the store I left with my best new find - a graphite aquarelle* (3 for a matter of fact) and some charcoal.

When I got home, all I had to do was put it out on the table and things took on from there. I often say that new drawing tools will ignite drawing imagination.

So go get your own….

^{left: tree - charcoal by Mika (4)   right: tree - aquarel by ori (8)}

*Aquarelles are colored pencils that become like watercolor when applying a wet brush over them. Graphite aquarelle is a regular pencil that becomes like water color with a wet brush.

La Machina - process video

 

 

La Machina - A Minute Counting Machine

 
Every summer the library in Nahariya holds a special program for school children to promote reading. Every child participating in the program commits to reading 20 minutes each day, and together they have a shared goal of accumulating 150,000 minutes of reading.

I was asked by the library manager to come up with an idea that will be incorporated with the weekly prize ceremony.

My thought was to build a structure that will look like a machine, “counting” reading minutes.

La Machina is a large marble run consisting of five runs intertwined. Every marble represents one unit - 10 minutes of reading. Every week when the kids gather to count their reading minutes they get marbles to drop into the run according to how many minutes they have been reading. The runs are made of cardboard and different objects in orange and metal. They twist drop and generate various sounds as the marbles run through them. Kids and parents run around La Machina to watch the marble disappear and reappear in what seems like magic. All the marbles are gathered into jars, making a big clang sound when they fall.

Marble runs are fun for all ages. Parents and kids alike enjoy dropping the marbles and watching them as they twist and turn and make different sounds on their way down.

I encourage you to make your own run at home or in your local library.

Enjoy reading and the rest of your summer

tali

 

 

 

Craft and play - how to make a ball from plastic bags

In the process of making the 'Beads' art installaiton we were making lots of balls made of used plastic bags that we strung together into necklaces. The technique is very simple, stuffing used plastic bags into one another, creating a shape of a ball. those balls/ beads very quickly became footballs and flying balls. craft and play 

I found this tutorial on vimeo that demonstrates how to make plastic bags footballs, apparently very common in Africa (there are 2 tutorials, I recommend the second one starting on 03:30).  

Remember this tutorial next time you are in need of a ball.

How to make a Plastic Bag Football from Send a Cow on Vimeo.