Carton Museum, Ma'ayan Tzvi

When I told Mister Handmade in Israel that I wanted to visit the Carton Museum, situated in the industrial area of kibbutz Ma'ayan Tzvi, he rolled his eyes. He is used to me taking him off to weird and wonderful places, and I guess he thought that this was just another one of them. But when we found the small museum, he was as enthralled as I was. It is a charming place where we discovered that you can design and build anything with cardboard!

The museum showcases the work of Elian (Lula) Kaczka. Kaczka was born in Uruguay in 1984 and grew up in the Jewish community in Montevideo. She gained a degree in Industrial Design at the ORT University, then started studying sculpture at the Pedro Figari School of Arts and Crafts in Montevideo, before deciding to move to Israel to pursue her personal and professional dreams.
Kaczka continued her studies in Israel at the now defunct Basis School of Art and Culture in Herzliya, exhibiting her work in various locations around the country, as well as participating in student exchange programs in Switzerland and Scotland. She currently works out of her studio in the Carton Museum, working on commissioned jobs as well as her own designs.

A selection of Kaczka's cardboard sculptures are on display in the museum. Cardboard is generally considered a side or supporting product, meaning that it itself is not important - the important thing is the product stored inside it or protected by it. Cardboard will usually be thrown in the rubbish bin (or at best the recycling bin) after it has finished its job.

In Kaczka's works there is a reversal of roles: the cardboard is the material from which the work itself is made. She creates pieces that we usually identify with grandeur and high aesthetics: cathedrals, fashionable clothing associated with aristocratic circles in previous centuries, neoclassical architectural elements, and more. The dresses on display in the Carton Museum refer to the Mantua style dresses that were in fashion in the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly in the courts of the European kingdoms, and in the circles of the aristocracy.

Kaczka's mysterious "Creatures" series is inspired by Pre-Columbian art and by old maps from the 16th and 17th century. Commonly referred to as "map monsters", these creatures adorn maps on spaces that are usually left blank or in spots where the geography of the world was still unknown. One particular sculpture on display, below, was made for the group exhibition "Paper Creatures" at the Old Jaffa Museum in 2016. I recognised it immediately!

The artist's fascination with sumptuous buildings and architecture can be seen inside the Carton Museum itself. While the outside of the building is a typical industrial unit, inside Kaczka has created a sumptuous interior inspired by Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The ceiling is grand and impressive, yet made of cardboard - a humble, cheap and perishable material. We couldn't help but marvel at the disparity between the majesty of the interior and the simple material from which it is made.

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Mosaic Monday, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Sarah and Kerry

My customer received one of my cards for her own 50th birthday last year and has since started asking me for cards for her friends too! Her friend Sarah's 50th birthday was in October 2024. Sarah likes reading, baking, and is a dental nurse. Apparently she is always losing her glasses as well!

I have shown Sarah with a book in one hand and a toothbrush in the other! A big white tooth is next to her. I added a mixing bowl and a spatula, and, in the background, some chocolate chip cookies, a cupcake and a wooden spoon, to represent her love for baking. Some teeny tiny glasses are hiding just behind her.

My customer loved the card. "I just picked it up. It's great!!!" she wrote to me.

Kerry was also celebrating her 50th birthday. Her sister-in-law told me that she is in to meditation, loves the beach and, in her words, is "zany". She wanted to me to include an Israeli flag on the card and also told me that Kerry likes spicy food.

I have shown Kerry sitting cross-legged and meditating on the beach. Her left hand shows the correct placement for meditation. It is called gyan mudra and is a sacred hand gesture or 'seal' used to direct energy and maintain focus. Kerry is waving the Israeli flag with her right hand.

I added a little pot of red spices and a chili pepper. A big red number 50 marks her age, and a banner below that brands her as "zany".

* This post has been shared on Mosaic Monday, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Toda - Thank You

Mister Handmade in Israel asked me to make a card for a co-worker who was retiring. They had worked together for many years at the IT department of Clalit. Clalit is the largest of Israel's four state-mandated health service organizations, providing medical services to approximately 4.7 million people. (All Israeli citizens resident in the country must be a member of one of the four health service organizations.)

Mister Handmade in Israel's co-worker, Shai, is a Hapoel Tel Aviv superfan. Hapoel Tel Aviv is an Israeli football club based in Tel Aviv that competes in the 2nd division, the Liga Leumit. Bizarrely, Shai is also a keen Leeds United supporter, despite the fact that he has no connections to the UK or any family living there!

I have shown Shai wearing his red Hapoel Tel Aviv shirt. Behind him is a picture of Bloomfield Stadium, Hapoel Tel Aviv's home ground. I added the Leeds United badge in the top right of the card. The badge is based on the City of Leeds coat of arms and features the White Rose of York, which is a symbol of Yorkshire. In the left corner of the card I added a computer with the Clalit logo on the screen.

The Hebrew greeting on the card simply says "Toda Shai", "Thank you Shai".

* This post has been shared on Mosaic Monday, Happiness is Homemade, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Chaim

Back in August 2024 a very organised customer wrote to tell me that her son, Chaim, was preparing for his Bar Mitzvah in January 2025. She had seen my work in the Facebook group Israeli shops to purchase from. The group was set up back in October 2023, in the aftermath of the outbreak of war in Israel. It currently has 82K members worldwide who are keen to buy handmade items from Israeli sellers. My customer wanted to commission a custom piece to mark her son's upcoming Bar Mitzvah. "I really love your work and know my son will, too!" she wrote.

After discussing the various options with her, my customer decided upon a larger piece that she could mount on a board for the Bar Mitzvah party guests to sign, and which she could then frame after the event. She wanted me to show her son wearing tefillin. He also loves biking, wants to fly and engineer airplanes, and is super talented at LEGO, she told me. She requested some musical notes and a food item. After checking with the Bar Mitzvah boy's siblings, they decided on sushi. Finally, she suggested that the centre square of the piece should be dark blue and her son should be wearing an aqua or lighter blue T-shirt with his current daily uniform of adidas joggers :)

I showed Chaim putting on his tefillin. There is a leather box containing parchment with biblical passages on his forehead and upper left arm. Different reasons are given for the seven straps wrapped around his arm below his elbow, but one suggestion is that they signify the seven days of the week. 

On Chaim's right there is some LEGO and a platter with sushi on it and some chopsticks. To his left there is an EL AL plane (EL AL is Israel's national airline), some music notes and a bike. The background box is dark blue, as requested, and Chaim is wearing the light blue shirt and adidas joggers with the important three white stripes.

My customer was delighted with the piece. "The picture arrived today and we love it!" she wrote to me. "Thank you so much. Chaim appreciates every detail of it, and we can't wait to display it at his Bar Mitzvah and afterwards."

She later sent me another message, along with the fabulous photos included in this post.

"Hi Lisa, the Bar Mitzvah was this weekend and I wanted to send you these photos from Saturday night! Many people commented on how wonderful the artwork is, and Chaim is happy to have such a special keepsake!"

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade,  Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Creative Muster Link-Up.