Patchwork-chic

Hey, so have you seen some of the new items up in our ladies' shop lately?

I've been obsessed with the whole "gypsy patchwork" thing lately - sort of a bohemian chaos chic thing. Take a look!

  

I really can't get enough of this lately...

♥

Andrea

Helloooooooooo Eilat!

Had a little quick trip down to Eilat the other day... the view from our hotel room was stunning!

 I really wish that we'd had more time, it's such a beautiful city! Got plenty done though, and here's hoping we'll be back again soon in December!

Flan-Tastic!

So the other day we were out for lunch and this happened...




Flan (aka Malabi in Israel) has got to be one of the most play-with-your-food inducing desserts!

Happy Birthday Shai!

But how do you ride it?

Awesome concept, but how exactly would you ride them?

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665720/ai-weiwei-piles-1200-bikes-on-top-of-each-other-for-dazzling-effect

Ron Arad 720*

We went to go see the Ron Arad 720* exhibit last week. It was pretty amazing.

Not only was the installation brilliant (not to mention STRETCHY!) but the video art displayed on it was original and inspired.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome exhibit. At one point there was even a dude inside playing the piano & singing songs!

If you ever get the chance to go see it, we highly recommend it!

Angie Hiesl Installation Pieces

Senior Citizens Just Lounging 20 Feet Above Ground 

X-Fois Gens Chaise, or X-Times People Chair, is a site-specific piece created by German artist Angie Hiesl. During each performance, selected people between the ages of 60 and 70 float overhead on metal white chairs attached to the façade of various buildings. As the performers sit, perched in the air, they conduct normal, everyday activities such as reading the newspaper, folding clothes, knitting, and having a snack—they just happen to be doing these activities from 20 feet off the ground!

The project is hilarious and passers-by can’t help but pause to take a look at the incredibly surprising display overhead. Hiesl’s intentions are to transform a recognizable place into what she describes as a “rearrangement of reality,” encouraging viewers to take a new look at what we once believed to be a familiar space.

During the piece, the performers ignore the crowds who stop to stare. When time is up, they simply climb down a ladder and walk away, stunning the crowds who have congregated below. Hiesl is well known for producing art in public spaces and has shown this installation piece all over Europe as well as in South America.

You can also check out a video of some live reactions to the public displays here on YouTube.

Angie Hiesl’s website

Surprise! A Day at the Beach

So, the other day Shai got a little spontaneous and decided it was the perfect day for us to head over to the beach!

It was a spectacularly beautiful day, and it was so nice to just get lazy for an afternoon.

I think Noodle might have enjoyed our lounging beach time even more than we did!

Then there was this stunning sunset that we couldn't resist either.

To top it all off, we wandered into a bookstore and picked up an awesome book filled with all kinds of chocolate recipes - can't wait to try it out! But that's for another post...

More Awesome Porcelain art...

We found some amazing porcelain art by artist Kate MacDowell - http://www.katemacdowell.com/portfolio.html

I don't know what exactly it is about porcelain artists, but they make some really amazing work.

A fantastic upcycled wedding

So - Shai and I are getting married (again - it's a long story) in December, and being designers, of course we're making all of our own wedding garments.

It's quite an adventure, and the beauty of it is that we're going to have full control over how everything turns out. Being the control freak that I am, you can imagine how happy that makes me. So keeping in theme with our Eco-consciousness, we're each creating our own upcycled outfits.

I think what I love most about upcycling, reclaiming, recycling etc. is the way that you can take something someone else has completely dismissed, has no interest in anymore and create this amazing thing out of it.

For Shai's outfit, we are working on a funky upcycled collarless dress shirt with some studs on the shoulders for added drama, with a vintage blazer and pointy silver shoes.  The dress shirt will be made out of two boring and plain mens dress shirts, deconstructed and reconstructed to become a super-tailored fitted sleeveless shirt. Color scheme will probably range between the blacks, gun metal, silver and blue. (Photos of the work in progress to come soon.)

The wedding dress will be a real challenge, to be unique and classy at the same time. Thoughts of  big poofy skirts starting at one spot and drifting off into flat or pleated areas, asymmetrical hems and other surprises. Pink and white will probably be the color scheme - either way, it's going to be a fantastical creation.

We're going to spend some time sourcing the materials at our local charity shop and getting to work on it.

Can't wait to share more with you!
<3
Shai & Andrea

Sunglasses that'll make your jaw drop

We discovered these awesome sunglasses by Emma Montague - they seriously made our jaw drop, particularly when we found out that they're made of actual jaw bones. Pretty awesome. Talk about upcycling!

DIY & Sustainable Lifestyles

Nowadays, consumers are becoming more and more aware of what goes into the products they consume. With this knowledge there are many who refuse to be a part of a system that endorses sweatshops, child labor, chemical additives, GMOs, out-of-control pollution, etc. Knowledge is power and in the days of instant information just Google that chemical listed as an ingredient in the cereal you like or look up the production for that brand of clothes that's so hip right now.

Besides just the ethical comforts, there is a charm in going back to the way our grandparents and great grandparents used to consume. It seems like the world was completely different back then. There wasn't "fast food" and there were no more than a handful of multinational corporations.

Though it's also key to remember that shifting over to a more sustainable lifestyle won't necessarily save you money. That said, you will get more value from your money, both for yourself, your family and for the planet.

There are a few simple steps you can take to ease into a more sustainable lifestyle:

1. If you can't make it/fix it it yourself, support a locally run business that can, rather than a multinational chain.

2. Learn to pull yourself away from the TV/computer and get outside. It's easy to forget about the importance of the environment's health on the drive from home to work/school in the morning. It's  especially important for us city mice to see what trees, birds and fresh water actually are. Otherwise these things just seem like images from travel websites or nice desktop backgrounds. Take a day trip and hike around in a nature reserve. Breath in the fresh air and just appreciate nature!

3. Make your own health a priority. Once you start doing a little research, you'll find that there are basic habits that most of us have that are ultimately unhealthy - and we're including mental health here as well, because mind and body have to work together. I mean, how many times have you come down with a cold when you're under a lot of stress? The key is to understand what stands behind the strange words that make up the ingredient list of all of the foods that we eat, more or less processed. The movie Food Inc. is a great place to start.

4. Exercise! Jog, run, do yoga, lift weights, pilates, anything Just keep your body active. We are creatures that are meant originally to hunt for our food, not just push buttons and sit comfortably eating it...

5. Step out of your comfort-zone. If you really want to make a change in your lifestyle, it means that you're not only going to have to stop certain habits, but you'll also have to try out some new things that may be uncomfortable at first - it's called building character. Don't be afraid to visit groups, places, forums, anywhere where you don't know anyone, and be willing to do it alone. Your current group of friends and family may not yet be willing to take that step with you, but that's OK. This is your opportunity to meet some new people who can help you. In fact, if you show up at a grow-op on your own, you'll be surprised at the enthusiasm from complete strangers willing to teach and help you learn!

It's often fun to fantasize about living a more sustainable lifestyle. It would be so much fun to be able to re-use, re-purpose and even fix the broken and worn out items that surround us instead of throwing out an buying new.

These are just a few possible ways to move towards this type of lifestyle. It is not something that is possible to simply switch into right away. There are no magical shortcuts, however these are some basic steps and methods that can be used to move your life in a more positive direction. 

<3
Shai & Andrea

Our studio - a beautiful disaster!

We thought we'd give you a little glimpse into our working process...

It's a beautiful disaster, just the way we like it!

We came accross this awesome phone online. A must have in every household! Or at least in our PopLove studio ;)

The Bubbleverse

We found this awesome "Universe in bubbles" print on our hunts around the web

 http://society6.com/Starstuff/Bubbleverse_Print

 Just thought we'd share :)

We found this image while navigating the inter-web. It's one of those images that makes you stop and think...

Marks & Spencer UK get on board with recycling!

It's exciting to read about Mark's and Spencer's new initiative "Shwopping"

They are encouraging their shoppers to donate one item that they no longer want/use each time they shop for a new one.

The idea is to collect as many items for recycling as they sell per year (which is about 350 Million items!)

The donated clothes are then given to Oxfam, who in turn resells, reuses or recycles the garments.

This is a great initiative and puts M&S in line with many other big brands out there who are becoming environmentally and socially aware. It seems that the average consumer is longing for some additional meaning to be part of their shopping experience. People are starting to fill guilty for their  consumerist behavior and this is a step in the right direction.

Check out the initiative on the M&S site:

http://plana.marksandspencer.com/about/partnerships/oxfam/shwopping

We went to see this really cool and inspiring movie in the docaviv documentary film festival, about NY street fashion photographer Bill Cunningham.


This 80 something year old photographer lives without a private bathroom or kitchen , his apartment contains a bed and filing cabinets filled with photos and negatives and his life is completely devoted to his art.


Very inspiring and highly recommended.

Theme parks and candy bikes

Last week we decided to check out a local amusement park - it was so much fun! It's been years since we were at one, and it was great!

 SO - with that fresh in our memories, of course this bike was absolutely irresistible!

 Check out more details on art student Britta Hope's Creation!

Spring cleaning in the studio

SPRING CLEANING FTW!!!!

Happy Easter / Passover weekend everyone!