nevousinstallezpas - a favorite crochet artist

I'v been planing to write  about Veerle Maes and nevousinstallezpas  for ages now, but whenever i visit her blog to pick the items i want to share with you, I just get so overwhelmed and dont know what to pick. Its like visiting a fantasy land.
Veerle is a true crochet artist, crochet with yarn can easily  look common , but she  manages to take this old technique and use it in making of real pieces of art. From what i read her inspiration is nature and Africa , you dont need to know it to get the vibes. The structures together with the colors talk for themselves.

The forms are clean , with wonderful proportions and marvelous color schemes.

I found a nice phrase on her site saying something like :
jewelery are not to show what you own but to show WHO you are!

I warmly recommend to visit her site and blog and get inspired :) 
and of course also her etsy shop 

What is Goldfilled מהו גולדפילד

I occasional get asked what exactly is gold filled and what is the difference between gold filled and gold plating.
Gold filled is made of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure onto a base metal, occasionally brass but in some cases silver. The gold part can be any type of gold in weight and in color, although the most common ones are yellow and rose 14k.
If you are looking to compare it with gold plating its a bit tricky since the gold layer on gold plated jewelry depends on the manufacturer and varies,  a rough figure is that Gold-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating.

This is of course just the tip of the iceberg , if you are looking for more in depth explanations you are welcome to read this detailed article : http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html

לעתים קרובות אני נשאלת מה ההבדל בין ציפוי זהב לגולדפילד

ובכן גולדפילד הינו שכבת זהב המהודקת בחום ובלחץ לשכבת מתכת בסיס, מתכת הבסיס יכולה להיות פליז נחושת ולעיתים אף כסף, לסוג שכבת הבסיס ישנה השפעה על קושי המוצר הסופי.

הזהב יכול להיות 14 קרט 12 קרט או יותר והצבע יכול להיות כל צבע של זהב, צהוב, אדום או לבן

  השוואת עובי שכבת הזהב בגולדפילד ובציפוי זהב לא קלים מאחר והעובי בציפוי זהב משתנה בצורה קיצונית בין יצרן ליצרן אך באופן גס מגדירים המומחים כי היחס הינו בין פי 50 לפי 100,000

מי שמעוניין בקריאה יותר מעמיקה מוזמן לקרוא את המאמר המצ"ב :http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html)

Ruth Asawa

From time to time I get asked if I know Ruth Asawa work since my designs resembles the flare and airiness of her work, only in  a much different scale ...  this of course sent me googling her to see her work.
I didnt know her work but was so amazed from what I saw, she makes large to huge wire works, where the transparency of the meshes give brilliant results, the objects look  floating.
The technique in which she work seems quite different from mine, if I'm not mistaken its more like viking knitting where you sort of  weave the wires (which are thicker) rather then knit it.


"I have made doing art part of my life. Art is doing. There is either doing or talking about it. Art deals direclty with life. After it is done, someone comes along to write about it; then someone comes along to exhibit it [...]. The only step that is truly real is the first step. The making of the object. This is the step that children should be involved with completely. This involvement helps them to learn their capabilities and limitations. It is learning by making."  Ruth Asawa, 1970.
 enjoy a taste of her marvelous work :

my students works עבודות תלמידים

As i have more and more students for my crocheted wire jewelry, both online fro my tutorials and traditional ones that come over to the studio, i decided to collect their beautiful work and enable you to enjoy it too, I couldn't have guessed how much i will enjoy teaching , i guess its not the teaching itself but my special connection with the YooLa in me :)

הצצה קטנה לעבודות של תלמידים או ליתר דיוק תלמידות , חלקן וירטואליות מעבר לים וחלקן נשים  אמיתיות עם פנים וקולות שמגיעות לסטודיו לסדנאות.  מדהים אותי כמה אני נהנית ללמד, לא יכולתי לנחש ....

אני משערת שזו ה"יולה" שבי.

2 New tutorials - YoolaCuff in gold and golden drops -crocheted wire jewelry

My "to write" list is growing longer and longer , and since i just so love marking off lines on my list, I decide to publish 2 new of my crocheted wire jewelry tutorials of old "friends".
My classic golden drops design with a pearl that is very popular among brides and brides made, and my YoolaCuff that was featured on Marie Claire a month ago, in case you missed that :)

טיפים לסריגה בחוטי כסף זהב ומתכת

סוג החוט 

מומלץ לעבוד עם חוט שמוגדר רך ולא חצי קשה, 2 חוטים בעלי אותו עובי שנראים אותו הדבר יתנהגו באופן לגמרי שונה בדרגות רכות שונות, עם חוט קשה לא ניתן לסרוג וחוט חצי קשה ימרר לאצבעות את החיים.

עובי חוט

כשסורגים במתכת מומלץ להשתמש בחוטים דקים מאד, העובי השכיח ביותר הינו 0.3 ממ הנקרא גם 28גייג'. ככל שערך הגייג' גבוה יותר כך העובי דק יותר. ניתן לסרוג גם בחוטים מעט עבים יותר 0.4 ממ, אם כי זה לא קל, ככל שסורגים  עם חוט דק יותר התכשיט יהיה רך וגמיש  יותר.

טמפרטורת החדר

כן, לא רק באוכל יש לכך חשיבות,

טמפרטורת החדר והחוט משפיעים על גמישות חוט המתכת, כאשר קר החוט נוקשה וקשה לסרוג איתו, לעיתים צריך לסרוג מעט לפני שמתחילים את הפרוייקט עצמו כדי "לחמם" את החוט.

לא למתוח

צריך לזכור שחוט מתכת מתקשה כאשר מותחים אותו ולכן מומלץ להמנע ממשיכה מיותרת מאחר והעבודה תהיה יותר קשה. באופן כללי בשל כך מומלץ לבחור טכניקות שאינן כרוכות במתח על החוט להבדיל מסריגה בצמר או כותנה.

למתכת יש זיכרון

המתכת זוכרת כל כיפוף וגם אם למראית עין החוט חזר למקומו והתיישר, תהיה לו תמיד נטיה להתכופף באותו מקום שוב, לכן חשוב להמנע מפרימה וסריגה מחדש.

מסרגה

כסף או זהב נוטים לשחוק את המסרגה ולכן כדאי לבחור מסרגה מאיכות טובה שתישחק יותר לאט, סריגה עם מסרגה שחוקה חורקת, לא נעימה ועשויה לפגוע באיכות הסריגה.

גימור קצוות

כשסורגים בכסף או זהב חשוב מאד להקפיד על גימורים מאחר וקצה שבולט מתכשיט ודוקר את מי שעונדת אותו הוא חוויה מאד לא נעימה. מאותה סיבה  מומלץ לחתוך את החוט על ידי "עייפות" ולא חיתוך באמצעות מכשיר כמו קטר או מספריים. מעייפים את החוט על ידי תנועה סיבובית מהירה בנקודה בה רוצים שהוא ייחתך. כך הכסף או הזהב יחתכו בצורה "רכה" יותר והקצוות יהיו פחות חדים.

סריגה בכסף וזהב ממכרת.... ראו הוזהרתם :)

here is the original article in english :
http://yooladesign.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-crochet-with-metal-wires-basics.html

The potion collection in a video presentation

I put my recent photos taken of my Crocheted Wire Jewelry "potion" collection into a video,
enjoy :)

סדנה לסריגת תכשיטים

Workshop announcement for my Hebrew audience...

אני פותחת סדנה נוספת לסריגה בחוטי מתכת בה יילמדו יסודות השיטה ויתורגלו מספר דגמים שפיתחתי.
הסדנה תיערך בסטודיו שלי ביהוד באווירה נעימה ומוארת, עם ליווי אישי ותירגול, המיקום נוח לגישה מכביש ירושלים תל אביב וכביש 6 .
הסדנה  בת 3 מפגשים ותתקיים בתאריכים 18.3  25.3 ו 1.4, ימי שישי בבוקר 9:30 עד 12:00.
מחיר הסדנה 750 ש"ח כולל מע"מ, את פירוט תכנית המפגשים ותנאי הרשמה ניתן לקבל במייל.

למי שפחות מכיר אותי, כמה מילים על הרקע המקצועי,
שמי יעל פלק אני מעצבת תעשייתית עם 15 שנים של ניסיון ,חברה בקהילת המעצבים,  מרצה לשעבר במרכז לחינוך טכנולוגי בחולון ובעלת תעודת הוראה .
בשנים האחרונות במקביל לעבודתי כמעצבת מוצר התמחיתי בעיצוב תכשיטים ואובייקטים מחוטי מתכת, השתלמתי בתחום בשוויץ ופיתחתי שיטה ודגמים מקוריים .
למי מיועדת הסדנה,
לימוד הטכניקה (שאין לה שם.....) יכול להיות מעניין עבור אמנים, צורפים ומעצבים שמחפשים להשתלם בטכניקה לא מוכרת שתפתח להם עולמות ויזואליים חדשים אבל גם לחובבים שמעוניינים להכין דגמים עבור עצמם ובעצמם/ן... אין צורך בידע מוקדם בסריגה.
התכשיטים והאובייקטים שאני מעצבת נמכרים ברחבי העולם דרך האינטרנט ובמספר חנויות מוזיאון וגלריות בארץ ובחו"ל.
בחנות האינרטנט שלי ניתן לרכוש מלבד אובייקטים גם הוראות באנגלית ללימוד עצמי למספר דגמים.
מי שרוצה לראות קצת יותר מוזמן
yoola.etsy.com

אשמח לענות על כל שאלה במייל או בטלפון,

להשתמע,

יעל
YOOLA
054-6233920
מוהליבר 2 (ב)
יהוד
yael.falk@gmail.com
www.yoola.etsy.com
www.yooladesign.blogspot.com

Crocheted wire jewelry - the basics

or in other words, some tips and tricks to better approach crocheting with metal wires.
Wire type -When crocheting with wire its important to pick the right materials, make sure to pick dead soft wire, it looks almost the same as regular wire but the ability to crochet with it is very different.

Wire Gauge - wire projects are often made with higher values, the lowest I use is 28gauge (0.3mm), the higher the no  the thinner the wire , the more flexible it is and the jewel will be softer.

Wire temperature - keep in mind that metal changes its flexibility and softens with temperature, enable the wire to warm up a bit before you get into the temp. of crocheting, do a little project before starting the work on the actual piece.

Stretching the wire- another tip to keep in mind is that metal hardens when stretched, so be ware of that and dont put it into too much tension, always prefer techniques in which you dont have to roll the wire around your finger and keep the wire in tension as you do when crocheting with yarn or cotton.

Wire remembers... - Metal has memory, so if you bend it or wrap it, it will remember and will tend to get back into that form.

Hook type - Its important to pick a good crochet hook that wont get worn out too fast, the wire may leave its marks and the hook will not be as smooth as it was when you started working with it, its not enjoyable to work with such a hook , it squeak and gets stuck :)

Edges - when working with metal wires the edges can be a big thumbs down if not handled properly, first of all make sure to wrap it 2 to 3 times in a hidden place before cutting the wire, then I recommend to cut the wire by making it "tired" and not by cutting it with scissors, this way the edges are much softer and the wire is much less noticeable. It is don by moving the wire ןמ circles rapidly until it breaks.

enjoy :) 
crocheting with metal wires is awesome !

Amethyst, February, Yoola

For those of you following my blog for a while and reading about my hesitations weather to work with stones or not, this design will probably come as a surprise, or maybe not?
I actually decide to stop wanting to decide... meaning? I decided to explore it when it crosses my life, which it obviously does... from time to time :)
so here are the very first birds from a larger collection of crocheted potion bags with a stone.
The stones I picked for my very first designs are large pale amethyst, onyx coins in a mat finish and light turquoise coins.
I was looking for a design where the stones wont necessarily win over the knitting....where both get to contribute to the relationship and relate to each other.
The amethyst potion bags have 3 versions, one in silver, one in gold and the third in my favorite oxidized silver (aren't gray and pale purple perfect  together ?)
I hope you'll enjoy it :)

YooLa's crocheted wire jewelry are on MustHave 2011 !!!

I don't want this month to end ! so many exciting things happening with my crocheted wire jewelry.
Yoola is featured on MustHave 2011, my copies just arrived..... I can only imagine how many people are going to flip through the pages and get to know me....
Its a wonderful soft cover booklet with many treasuries that I must try, no wonder its called must have :)
It can be found in book shops or you could buy it directly from me, I have a couple of copies for sale, email me for details.

YoolaCuff is on Marie Claire !!!

I was so excited to learn that my YoolaCuff , a crocheted wire jewelry cuff was on Marie Claire, you can imagine what happened when I could actually flip through the pages when I got my own copy ....
About 2 years ago my silver pomegranates were featured on Elle Decor, which was very exciting, but there is something about these shiny color perfumed pages that moves different cords.

Beautiful bride wearing my Gold drop earrings - a crochted wire jewelry

Dear Jana sent me these fabulous photos from her wedding day, if you ask yourself why I am publishing it here, take a look at the earrings she is wearing.....
These are my gold drops with a fresh water pearl , a crocheted wire jewelry !
My Bridal drop earrings are 2"(5cm) long and have a beautiful white fresh water pearl hanging at its bottom.
It is created from 14K gold filled wire, the earrings are bright, dangle, eye catching, unique and enchanting and it swings very beautifully when worn.
If you are craft y you can make it yourself, check my crocheted wire jewelry tutorials section.

Flower chain earrings Valentine inspired - crocheted wire jewelry

Check this new design of crocheted wire jewelry FlowerChainEarrings of mine, 2 flowers chained one into the other, this structure allows the second flower to be in constant movement.
commercially its a bit late for Valentines.... but inspiration wise its never too late :)
more colors to come :) with more springy thoughts !

SEND me your photos to win a 50$ prize

I received lately some really lovely photos of clients wearing my jewelry and from clients that bought my tutorials and followed the instructions.
This gave me an appetite for more.... I would LOVE to receive more of both ..... and in order to give you a little encouragement I'm going to make it worth the effort.... the winner of this "lottery" will receive a 50$ coupon to use in my shop for whatever he/she feels like. it can be jewelry, supply or tutorials, anything !
I"m going to run this promo through out the whole month of February, the deadline will be Feb 28th.
Images should be sent to my email yael.falk@gmail.com in the best resolution you have, you should note that I will also publish some of the photo on my blog and facebook. I hope this is not a thumbs down thing.
looking forward !!!!

New ! my first DVD tutorial is ready - make crocheted wire jewelry yourself

I have wonderful news to the creative people among you, I'm finally ready with my first Video tutorial... yaaaa.
So for those of you that were asking about it, it is here, you can now purchase it with introduction discount and receive a link to view it online.
I look forward in getting your feed backs !

This was made possible thanks to the great Video cam I got from my family for my Birthday and my hubby's patient in filming it :)

More fabulous photos taken by Valerie Belkind

Words are not really necessary here... aren't they ?
as I promised here are more photos taken by Valerie Belkind of my crocheted designs.
in this photo: my gold filled pods necklace, jumbo gold hoop earrings and a trio of gold bangles.

Make up & hair- katya tsupikov
Model-Arnel

New workshop is on it way - learn to make crocheted wire jewelry

The crocheted wire jewelry workshops thing has turned into a wonderful experience, who could have guessed...
I've been refusing to teaching for such a long time , if i only knew how much i will enjoy it i would have started earlier.
I opened this week for registration a new beginners workshop that will take place on Mid February and hope I will have nice participants as I had on the previous ones....
the ladies brought such good energies to my little studio that I should thank them for that. here are some photos, Im not in them since I'm the photographer.....
good excuse ;)

Amazing photographs by Valerie Belkind - crocheted wire jewelry by YooLa

The talented photographer Valerie Belkind has taken some incredible photos of my crocheted wire jewelry, in this photo you can see the Cleopatra necklace , the YoolaCuff and the Yoolaleaf ring, all in 14k yellow Gold filled.

Make up & hair- katya tsupikov
Model-Arnel

there is more..... i'll publish them soooon,
meantime,
enjoy :)

Video tutorials comming soooooon

December is the best month ever, no need to explain why, right ?
well, beside everything you may imagine its also my birthday... this year I made a special request for my birthday present (which i usually dont - i love surprises).
So - I'm know the proud owner of a cute video camera that goes anywhere with me.
The main reason i so much wanted it was so I can start publishing video tutorials of my designs, I know some of you are eagerly waiting for this...
The first tut is already on the way, I filmed most of it (wasn't easy... there is still a lot to learn), started editing which is a tricky part by itself.
I still have to film the intro and add narration since im not sure what i said during the shoots is the best.
The obstacles I'm still facing are how to deliver the goods, i can post it by mail on a cd but would much prefer to deliver a link for download. Both because of the green aspect and the immediate delivery.
I'm exploring several options but haven't yet focused on a winning solution,
so any advise is welcome (I can incorporate it either on my wordpress site or this blog).
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone !

Crocheted wire jewelry workshop preparations are in full steam

My 2 crocheted wire jewelry workshops are starting in a couple of days, the first on Friday and the second on Tuesday the following week. This is a great opportunity for some face lifting to the Studio.
My sweet hubby built me a nice large and white wooden table that we will enjoy sitting around, the beaten bookcases got a new white wash, they look so much better !
and the best thing is that we got rid of so much junk we accumulated, I'm sure this will improve the Studios Feng shuei energies:)

I started preparing kits to accompany thy workshop for the girls, it feels like making Birthday surprise bags... LOL !

Promise to keep on updating....

Holiday in the desert

In my view there isn't a better way to pass the holidays then the desert....
we made it a habit in the last couple of years to pack lightly and spend a couple of days in this incredible silence.
We like staying in farms, where you get max privacy, min noise and great comfort. This time we stayed in a place called Karmei Ovdat , a vineyard farm between Sde Boker and Mizped Boker.
We practically did nothing other then stare at the incredible views and dip in the special garden pools they built there.
It made me think it could be great going there for a couple of day just me and my wires....

Happy new Year SHANA TOVA שנה טובה

Happy new year everyone ! I'm going to the desert to relax for a couple of days and great the year to come... I promise to share some pictures when I'm back.
I'm not taking any wire nor hooks.... just my sketch book :)
SHANA TOVA ! שנה טובה ומבורכת

Bangles and hoops - crocheted wire jewelry

Do you know the feeling that suddenly the world is exploding of something that just got into your notion ? like when you are pregnant and suddenly you see so many pregnant woman that you wonder weather its the latest trend ...
This is how I feel about loops, hoops & bangles, up until I started exploring this shape I didn't give it much attention, I have a memory somewhere in the back of my mind that I had a pair of small silver hoops when I was a teen , but ever since then NADA/Niente/Rien ! did it just come back into fashion or was it always there and it was me that was away ..... ?

Anyway ever since it burst into my notion I became an addict, not only that I have now hoop earrings in 5 sizes giant, jumbo, large, medium and mini size. I also have bangles , in gold , in silver, in oxidized silver and in many bright colors such as red, orange, green and more.....

if you are crafty you are welcome to make it yourself , check my  crocheted wire jewelry tutorials section on my etsy shop

Spirals in my designs

The spiral shape has been accompanying me for many years now, it pops in and out of my designs, both on my industrial product designs and my jewelry.
As part of my constant search for new designs I developed a spiral that appears as the item itself rather then mere decoration.

I implicated it in 14k gold filled stud earrings that for unknown reason give me a vintage feeling and as a charm pendant on delicate chain.

Here are the images so you can get the impression yourself.
I examined this design also in color and its lovely, I made a pink - fuchsia pair for myself and will be defiantly make more.
I promise to share it with you once it is photographed.

My first workshop is on its way

I know, I don't believe it myself.... from time to time i was getting inquiries about workshops, very polity (I hope...) I refused and offered to purchase my tutorials and enjoy my online help if it gets rough.
But lately after much consideration I decide Why not actually....
I decided to start with a short workshop of 3 meetings, starting right after the Jewish holidays when everybody can focus back on their life and start the new year with new interests.
Although I have been teaching in the past, this is going to be a whole new experience for me and I'm really excited about it, I know most of you live too far away to attend, but yet I felt like sharing this new idea going on.

שלום לכולם,
לאור הביקוש (נשמע בנאלי אבל זו האמת....), אני פותחת קורס ראשון לסריגה בחוטי מתכת בו יילמדו יסודות השיטה ויתורגלו מספר דגמים שפיתחתי.
הסדנא תיערך בסטודיו שלי ביהוד באווירה נעימה ומוארת, עם ליווי אישי ותירגול.
הסדנא הראשונה בת 3 מפגשים תתקיים בתאריכים 8.10 15.10 ו 22.10, ימי שישי בבוקר 9:30 עד 12:00.
את פירוט תכנית המפגשים, המחיר ותנאי הרשמה ניתן לקבל באימייל.

למי שפחות מכיר אותי, כמה מילים על הרקע המקצועי,
שמי יעל פלק אני מעצבת תעשייתית עם 15 שנים של ניסיון , מרצה לשעבר במרכז לחינוך טכנולוגי בחולון ובעלת תעודת הוראה .
בשנים האחרונות במקביל לעבודתי כמעצבת מוצר התמחיתי בעיצוב תכשיטים ואובייקטים מחוטי מתכת, השתלמתי בתחום בשוויץ ופיתחתי שיטה ודגמים מקוריים .
התכשיטים שאני מעצבת נמכרים ברחבי העולם דרך האינטרנט ובמספר חנויות מוזיאון וגלריות בארץ ובחו"ל.
בחנות האינרטנט שלי ניתן לרכוש מלבד אובייקטים גם הוראות באנגלית ללימוד עצמי למספר דגמים.

YooLa's Bridal jewelry collection

What would be a more perfect timing for writing about Brides and weddings then now, when we are in the middle of THE wedding season. I must admit that i myself got married in the winter but i totally understand people that want to celebrate in the summer, everything is bright and open and happy.

People have been telling me for a long time now that several of my jewelry are perfect for brides, and that i must find a way to offer my relevant designs for brides, either for themselves or for their bridesmaids.

So I decided that as a start i will make it easier for brides to be to find me, i started a section on my etsy shop dedicated to Bridal jewelry where i gathered all my items that i think match best this category.

If i try to describe what goes into this category, i picked the items that are especially glamorous and that give a sense of elegance and sophistication, pearls certainly go into this category as well as bright silver and gold.

I can already write some success under this category and cant wait to get photos from my brides and bridesmaids.

July inspired jewelry

July is here , with so many blue, red ant white events that I was inspired to explore this color combo.
First there is 4th of July, United states independence day, then we will be "celebrating" the tour De France together with the Bastille day, Le 14 Juillet on the 14th.
I started with my sunflower design trying to combine all three colors in different order to see how it works together. red, blue and silver or silver as a separator between the blue and red. I think the outcome is very festive, sort of medals.
These three "medals" intrigued me to explore some more and for the first time ever I combined more then one color into my pod shaped beads, this time I already knew I would like the silver to separate between the blue and the red. I made one and then another one.... and decided it would look just great on my pod hoops design.

The most interesting thing is that I will defiantly be checking some multicolor designs in the near future and hopefully come out with a whole new collection....
enjoy the celebrations !

Featured seller on Boticca.com

Hi Everyone, this a very exciting week, I've been picked up to be this week featured seller on Boticca.com. For those of you that dont know this site its a great opportunity for me to send some traffic their way. Its a high end online botic that presents carefully picked designers from all around the world.

It has a very clean look and heavy restriction on us designers regarding image quality we present there.

As part of this week opportunity that i got, I produced a short film showing my work place and me working. As I'm not used to such situations i have a lot of criticism about my performance.... But I decided after all to share it with the world.... so you are welcome to have a look.

Also to this occasion the editorial stuff of Boticca wrote a few words about my design that left me speechless..., I wish I could write like this.
here it is :
"Yoola tosses ostentatious gems aside for fine metal jewelry knitted into the most modern of shapes. Appropriate anywhere, from the countryside to the city, these shining bulbs, blooms, and sunbursts are as bewitching as they are unique.

The designer of Yoola creates her complex jewelry in Israel, where craftsmithing traditions run deep. Lightweight and heavenly, this jewelry that can't be ignored, whether your piece of choice is a thicker cuff or a tiny, airy drop of an earring. Industrial-designer-by-day Yael Falk uses her trained eye to develop unexpected designs—from far away, these pieces look like lace, but they flash like only metal can from up close. Read more...

Yoola isn't merely modern jewelry. There's glittering appeal to each piece that's reminiscent of a time when glitz and glam reigned supreme. Knitted metal captivates, whether it's in a deep plum purple, jet black, or a bright gold, and it can work in casual settings just as easily as it can in professional ones.

With a twist and a turn by Yoola, wire comes alive in a series of complex undulations. Necklaces feature bulbs with a distinctly earthy edge; earrings burst forth in a spray of intertwined metal. The fusion of simplicity and a cosmopolitan air is only part of Yoola's universal appeal: these glittering pieces add spice to any wardrobe."

and here is the video:

My workplace corner

I've been planing to do this for what seems to be ages, but since I'm such an unorganized person (to say the least), I never got there.
It just had to be something coming from outside or heaven sakes an earthquake to drive me into organizing my corner.

But this Saturday, my traditional shooting day, it finally happened, I put it in order during probably no more then an hour, well maybe an hour and a half.
And I just love it ! usually I sit there only when I put the jewelry together and do the knitting on one of my favorite sofas. But now... I cant leave it, luckily it is situated just between the kitchen and living room, so I can still control everything going on in the house .
It is an enigma, if I enjoy it so much when it is organized why don't I dedicate the attention needed to keep it like this a l w a y s ????
Well, this time I promised myself I will, but only time will tell, meantime you are welcome to enjoy the pictures.
Im sorry but i cant show you the before....only the after, I did shoot it but its too embarrassing.
Yours,
Yael aka YooLa

Yoola on TV

<iframe src='http://reshet.tv//PageHandlers/EmbedIframe.aspx?vmlId=164016' width='438' height='330' frameborder='0' scrolling='no'></iframe>

or on this link : http://reshet.tv/Shows/Meatzvim_video/videomarklist,164016

I was featured on a Design oriented TV program called " IZUVIM" which means Designs in Hebrew, sO for all of you that haven't seen it here it is.
One little detail -I'm afraid its in Hebrew......
I must admit It was a great experience, I truly enjoyed it and was ready to stay :)

Even Yehuda Art Fair

Yes.. its been a year .... and again I'm participating in Even Yehuda's art fair.
I hope it will give me a chance to meet in person with people that i know only virtually and with people that i don't know yet at all....
I will be located in Shvil Hanotea 9 from (House no 15 in the Map) 10:00 to 19:00 , this Saturday May 1st.
A map is included in this post.
cheers
yael aka YooLa

Mar de color rosa

I have been following for some time now a wonderful spanish oriented blog that features exquisite contemporary jewelry designs. Its name is Mar de color rosa , here are some of the exquisite designs I found there, very inspirational, I warmly recommend subscribing to the newsletter.

A treasury I curated made it to etsy Front Page

Wonderful news for Saturday morning , my latest treasury list was featured on etsy FP, its been ages since the last time.... or so i feel.
enjoy :)

Jewelry live modeling

Ever since I opened my etsy shop almost 2 years ago, I've been struggling with this issue. I Love taking abstract photos of my designs, where the geometry, textures and colors are the main feature. Nevertheless from time to time I get requests to see the earring on an ear, or a necklace on a neck.... I also got more then once a comment from clients saying, this is so pretty when worn !!!! you just have to take photos on a model...
Its not that I have been fighting it , I have really tried, but always felt that the abstract transforms better my concept. Crazy designer one may say.
I decided to give it one last try before i turn to a pro (i.e. photographer + stylist + model+ makeup), i get a headache just to think how many people i would need for hire such a production....
So here are my latest experiments, which i feel aren't that bad .

I LOVE museum shops

I LOVE museum shops, this is the place where I do most of my shoppings when going abroad and want to buy souvenirs for myself and others. When my kids were younger i used to bring them quality coloring booklets and other arty stuff.
As a designer it was one of my aims, to have my designs offered in a museum shop, its not like having a show in a museum but the appeal is great .
So I'm glad to tell you all that my items are now available both in Tel Aviv museum of Modern Art shop and Tikotin museum shop in Haifa.
So now when you come visiting Israel and dont have the time to pop in to my studio you know where to find my designs......

Getting ready for a fair

Getting ready for a fair always brings new opportunities for taking photographs of multiple item. I agree that it doesn't necessarily benefit all designs and that sometimes it may turn it less valuable when it is not presented solo.
Personally I have a week point to such photos, maybe its the industrial designer in me that LOVES to see my designs in quantities.....
So here is a photo I made thanks to these preparations.....

Spring and Pesach event

Spring is here and also Pesach, and to this occasion talented Idit from BANIM studio has invited me to participate in her yearly traditional spring sale.
We will be presenting our designs under the trees next to the Studio in Kfar Bilu B this Friday 19.3 between 9:00 and 15:00.

I hope to see you there,

WIDE Gold filled bracelet in crochet

As you can see i was busy last weekend making this WIDE bracelet,
Its been sitting in my head for a while now to try and make a wider version of my glam flat bracelet. I wasn't sure if i will be able to maintain the consistency in such a large and straight piece. but i thing it turned out not bad at all, I LOVE it but still waiting for the right occasion to put it on. Its not an everyday item, unless you are a princess or a movie star......

Going green, with the coming St patrick and Spring

Spring is almost here so I figured its time for some freshening up, and what would be more perfect then trying out some green fresh designs.
Another boost for this green time mood is the fact that Saint Patrick day THE day of the friendly Irish people is to arrive soon.

green, yoola, fresh, spring, st Patrick, grass, crochet jewelry, wire wrapped,

New PDF pattern - my crochet ring

I feel like it has taken my ages since i last issued a tutorial, but it is finally here.
Not long ago my etsy shop crossed into a new millennium and I very much wanted to celebrate it somehow, unfortunately i didn't find neither the time nor an original idea.
So today a little late I'm proud to add to my line of tutorials my popular crochet ring design.
The tutorial explains in detail how to make a band crochet ring using a crochet hook.
The pattern includes photos, illustrations and step by step explanations.

Help with tagging on etsy

When I List a new item the hardest part would always be the tagging, I would always go to the obvious, in my view, and I'm never sure weather those would at all be the words people would search by. so I'm actually asking for a little help here. I would take a test case of one of my items "my pod hoops" and ask you to give the 14 tags you would give it.

Mine would be :
1.jewelry
2.earrings
3.pod shape
4.14k gold filled
5.crochet jewelry
6.hoop shape earrings
7.large earrings
8.urban style
9.ISART team Israel
10.1.5 inch hoop
11.wire work
12.yellow
13.light earrings
14.YooLa

A pearl on a curl

A friend needed (desperately) a last minute touch for her evening outfit for an important event, the outfit had a deep cleavage ....
So - since I'm such a good friend always ready to help those in need... especially when design issues pop up... since it was a last minute thing I couldn't start from scratch, I prepared her a last minute improvisation by taking half a curl from my Goldilocks earrings and hung it on a large loop. to this I added a wonderful large fresh water pearl to give it some weight and to increase the movement of the flexible curl.

The outcome in my eye is very feminine and design wise a nice combination of a trendy jewel with a classic touch.
With the photo I'm not yet quite happy, I think it will have to be taken on a live model, meaning sometime over the rainbow or just over this super busy period.

The curl is created using a tiny crochet hook in a rare technique as most my pieces are...
The chain is 20"(52cm) long and the curl with the pearl are additional 2"(5cm) .

ME? on a black list ?

I would have never thought I'll find myself and my shop on a black list, and why.... because someone thinks i have been featured too many times on etsy FP !!
But the most annoying part is that this blogger/bloggist calls people to stop buying from my shop (and my friends....).
Read for yourself, white on black.....
http://etsyblacklisted.blogspot.com/2010/02/front-page-repeats_12.html
If this person which stays anonymous would have put all this energy in making treasuries as we on our ISART team do, he/she may have made it there themselves, but instead he sits at the computer and counts the no of times and hours we made it there...