Growing Up Creative

About me

My name is tali buchler
Here are 10 things about me:

1. I have 3 beautiful, smart, energetic, talented, funny girls with my partner Oren. Zoe is 9, Ori is 6, Mika is almost 2 and Oren is 40…..
2. I live in Israel. I moved back here after living in the US for 16 years.
3. For those of you who ask: “why move back?” I will say in short – that I was extremely jealous of my sister who was living at the time 2 houses from my mom. I believe there is NOTHING in the world that compares to a grandmother’s unconditional love and I couldn’t stand depriving my girls of this.
4. I am an architect, such a big word with so much responsibility. I don’t design houses so much any more, I use my design skills with my interest in kids’ creativity to design spaces and objects that ignite their imagination.
5. I have a real weakness for fabric, books and good coffee.
6. I love creating.
7. The beach is my real escape (Paris is second on the list).
8. I’m messy, but I can’t start working if my desk is not organized.
9. I am a Virgo, therefore I make lists (for everything).
10. I love: food and wine, daytrips to Tel Aviv or New York (depending on the continent I am at).
11. I can’t sing or write, but I love doing both. (I sing while I’m driving, and write my blogs).
12. I’m a dreamer; I truly believe that everything you want to do is possible.

I wanted to write 10 things, and I got to 12. This is where I stop.
Please write to me with any questions. ([email protected])
And don’t be upset if it takes me a while to write back, I often lose track of time .
Cheers
Love
enjoy
tali

 

Lets talk about creation: Religion vs. Science is that the real question?

  On the way to school today Zoe asked me how come it took God only six days to create the world, how did he manage to plant all the flowers and the trees, pave the roads, build the cities and schools and everything else. It seemed to her like a lot to do in such a short period of time. I was wondering how come she was not aware of the Big Bang theory and blamed Oren for that, since he is the physicist ‘wannabe’ in the family. Then I was wondering what would I tell her if she was to ask me about the two different ideas for the creation of the world, what would I say?

  I was looking for answers online and found many long and tiring explanations for that same question. Most of the explanations were answered by raising more questions. But then I found an article in the Jewish Journal by Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater that I thought was a very useful discussion of creation. I liked how he made a connection between Earth and man’s responsibility in taking care of it instead of exploiting it. Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater was redefining the relationship between man and earth:

” This week, in Genesis, we are told, "God took the first human being, Adam, and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to watch it" (Genesis 2:15). Yet, a misinterpretation of an earlier verse has guided our human relationship to the Earth for too long. In the first chapter of the Torah, God says: "...Fill the Earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Genesis 1:27-28).
Dominion is too often read as "mastery over," freedom to control and use at will, which easily leads to exploitation. However, there are many commentators who understand the word "dominion" as correlating to "uniqueness." In this reading, humans have the unique responsibility to care for the Earth and its inhabitants. Rather than dominate, humans are called upon to make moral choices on behalf of the Earth, for we are the only creatures that God created with the capacity to reason and with the gift of free will; we alone have the capacity to destroy or protect the planet.” read more

So while scientists are trying to explain how it happened, the Bible is helping us understand our role as human beings in that creation, making us a part of it by being responsible for maintaining it and taking good care of it. So maybe our question should be redefined from WHO? and HOW? To WHAT? WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP CREATION? 

 I think this is a great opportunity to bring this up with your kids, ask them if they have any ideas on how we can take better care of Earth. At home we will probably be making a list of the things we can do to take care of Earth (draw as well as write the different items) and have a daily chart to follow through, the chart can be part of the bedtime routine in a place you wont forget. I will let you know what’s on our list. Hope to hear what your kids had to say.

Sukka Decorations

Growing up making the sukka decorations has always been my favorite part of the holiday (besides eating and sleeping in the sukka). While the boys in the neighborhood were getting splinters in their fingers from all the wood they were stealing from construction sites (part of the holiday tradition in Israel), me and a few other friends were getting paper cuts while making   m   i   l   e   s   of paper chain links, lanterns, and “snowflakes” cut out to beautify our sukka. 30 years later I enjoy it just as much, the only difference is that now I have some design background to refer to and a child (Zoe) who loves making things even more than I do.   

‘Snowflakes’

(made by Zoe)

We were using coffee filters for this because the filters are very thin therefore easy to cut, and very absorbent and durable which is great for coloring with water colors. But you can use any other paper for that matter (used magazines are perfect for all sukka decorations).

Fold the paper on it self 3 times till you get a ‘thin slice of pizza’. Start cutting shapes out. You can have random designs or specific designs such as figures, doves, hearts, stars, pomegranates etc. Open the paper up. We always say WOW, Its really fun to see what comes out.
After you are done cutting you may add colorful paper underneath or just pin on the sukka walls as is.

To get inspired you may want to check out some Kirigami reference books. Kirigami is the Japanese art of folding and cutting paper.

Lanterns
Our lanterns were an extension of the kirigami work that we have been doing. We took a large tissue paper, the kind you rap gifts with. We went through the same process as we did for the snowflakes; we put extra attention on trimming the edges. After opening the paper and saying WOW (again)….we draped it over a cone we made of construction paper and hung it in our sukka. What we did was very fast and simple but the effect was similar to the light 'midsummer' designed by the Dutch designer Tord Boontje. (see below)

(made by Zoe and mom)

(designed by Tord Boontje)

Paper chain link
A must have sukka decorations, done ‘traditionally’ with used magazines. The chain link symbolizes the chains of slavery that were removed from the Israelites in Egypt when they were set free by Moses back in the days.

Have fun.

 

its Sukka time

Every year the same dilemma, should we build a sukka or just visit our friend’s.

My kids love it and wait for it impatiently, so we don’t really have much say in the matter. What I should say is that the ‘sukka’ project gives us the reason for endless activities, and like every great holiday, a great excuse to break our everyday routine.

We like the mini version of a sukka, that can hold a kids table and chairs, tall enough that our 2 year old will not be able to pull down the decorations. We use 1”x1” wood from the lumber yard, which is strong enough for a mini sukka. For the sides we use white sheets and table cloths. For the roof we trim the trees and bushes in our building, and throw them over a web of strings enforced with a couple of wood joists.

Almost done…Favorite part is next, decorating the sukka.