creative jewish mom

Growing Succulents

I love succulents. So given my recent score of some new succulent cuttings it's no wonder that I couldn't even begin to clean the house when my window sill garden was looking far from delightful. And since this little spot is probably one of the spots my gaze falls upon most (as it's next to one of the kitchen sinks), well I just had to do a little container gardening despite the rainy weather. Ahhhhh, now the garden is looking much better, off to cook and clean, no more excuses. Oh wait, my other containers need some attention too. Naw, that'll have to wait, the mountain of laundry (clean I might add) is calling! 

And in case you didn't know this fun fact, succulent cuttings of all kinds root by themselves in water or moist soil, so ask a gardening friend to give you a few snips here and there and start your own succulent garden! Of course if you live somewhere where it snows, so you'll have to start your succulent garden indoors now, but come Spring out it goes. And soon enough you'll be able to share some cuttings with your friends. 

Toilet Paper Roll Owls Great For A Rainy Day

I love any craft using recycled toilet paper tubes, or are they toilet paper rolls? Not sure really but in any case, if you've been saving them (as I have) then you can whip out a few and make yourself some cute owls. I thought this would be a great starting point for a little craft project with the kids this afternoon. I find that if they see how cute the finished product can be they'll be more likely to actually sit down and make something, whether or not their results are at all similar to mine. 

I think I'll bring out some paint, some paper, a glue stick and regular glue, some sequins maybe some feathers (if I can find some) and see what I can inspire my little ones to create. I hope to share the results with you! And if there aren't any little ones around, so this is a great craft for big ones too....wouldn't these look great as place cards for guests at your holiday table? Or hanging out just about anywhere? Grab a black felt pen, medium nib, and have some fun!

Of course, toilet paper roll owls are all over the place, but I was specifically inspired by this photo, to give credit where credit is due! All the best!

Hama Bead (Perler Bead) Snowflakes

Making ornaments and decorations with Hama beads is a perfect winter activity for all ages. I even made a few of these snowflakes as I just couldn't resist! 

Hama beads can be used as beads in a traditional way, but their intended use is to make designs on Hama bead peg boards, and then the beads are melted together by simply placing a piece of baking paper over the design and ironing it. There you have it! We have a whole collection of little things we've made that I will share with you some time in the future, but for now I'd say Hama beads are great to have on hand especially as the cold and rainy weather sets in. 

We made these snowflakes using a round Hama bead pegboard, and a six pointed star pegboard. Though sky's the limit as there are also large square peg boards allowing one to make an original piece of art. Great for building concentration and working on fine motor skills for younger kids. I noticed that there are even a range of Hama bead sizes available by mail order (at least in the UK, at hamabeads.com) so this craft really can be enjoyed by children as young as three years old. Assuming they don' like to eat beads!

That's all for now, enjoy!

Crocheted Skinny Scalloped Scarf

Here it is, my friends, the crocheted skinny scalloped scarf. A super project for beginners and for anybody who'd like to whip up a load of handmade gifts in the next month or so. And guess what, these scarfs may look like they're more for style than warmth, but I can attest to the fact that they're great neck warmers to wear anytime without the bulk of a regular scarf. In fact I'm wearing one right now!

And if you'd like your skinny scarf to be not so skinny, so use a few strands of yarn and a bigger crochet hook (or chunky yarn) for a skinny chunky scarf. I actually made this scarf from two strands of some pink baby weight yarn that was given to me (thanks Dena!) by a reader who moved out of town, and this was the perfect project. My daughter sometimes wears this scarf with her dressy shabbat outfits in grays and blacks, and it looks super!

Super Simple Crocheted Skinny Scalloped Scarf Pattern:

Gauge is really unimportant for this one, yippee!

If using two strands of baby weight or sport weight yarn, use a size J or K hook, but the best idea is to make a small sample with the yarn you'll be using and find the crochet hook that produces the best results.

Foundation Chain: Ch 203 very loosely

Row 1: dc in fourth chain from hook and in every stitch until the end, turn

Row 2: ch 3, dc in every stitch across, turn (Note: for a slightly wider scarf one can simply repeat row 2)

Row 3: Skip first 2 stitches, *scallop in next stitch, skip next stitch, slip stitch in next stitch, skip next stitch, and repeat from * across to end.

A scallop is made as follows: in the specified stitch crochet (1sc, 2hdc, 1dc,2hdc, 1sc)

Enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was chock full of amazing crafts from around the world, from places like Italy, Poland, The Netherlands, France, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Singapore, The United States, Macedonia, and Turkey! Amazing don't you think? And the photos are so very lovely that I've decided not to detract from their beauty with my usual babble......let me know what you think! Here are some of my favorites from last week's party, enjoy:

Gorgeous crocheted fish and fantastic felted ball wreath.

Adorable paper moccasin and paint brush handle fish.

Cute quilted pillow and fun little boy's mobile.

Pencil cans and quilled flowers.

A sweatshirt dolled up with fabric flowers and super fun zipper flower headband and necklace

Brilliant embroidered pencil holder and amazing felt appliqued knit bag.

Super wonderful mason jar sewing kit with pin-cushion top.

Great stuff, right? I really don't think you need me to tell you that, the pictures speak for themselves. And now, it's time for yet another great crafty get together. Sorry to have to mention this, but please remember, this is a Jewish oriented blog, so while ornament projects, or general holiday decor are fine, please no specific x-mas crafts. Gotta run just realized Chanukah is coming too, and I've got a whole lot of crafting to do!

Parental Musings: Drum Sets and Boys (and girls....)

Boys like drums. Some girls like drums. Many more boys like drums. Right? No one is offended right? It's just a fact of life, whether genetic or environmental or hormonal.  That said, I had a funny parenting moment last week that I thought I'd share with you.

I knew something was up when my eight year old son went outside to make a phone call to a neighbor. It turns out that the neighbor was willing to sell his mini slightly broken drum set to my son for a whopping 6 shekels, a steal given the full price was 80 shekels. (From my perspective their mother should pay us to take the drum set off their hands, but never mind.) So the neighbor brought his drum set over for a trial run, and then his younger brother, decided he'd like to get rid of his drum set too.....he's rather have a tiny tiny plastic smurf or something. So here we are in the kitchen with two sweet little boys banging the daylights out of these mini drum sets. 

It was so cute that I took photos and even a little movie. I asked my six year old "what are you doing?" His answer, are you ready for this? "I'm playing a motorcycle." Granted his English isn't the greatest, but I found it so interesting that he associates drums with motorcycles! And then it occurred to me that if this is the case, then certainly one should overcome the annoyance of say, drums, to help a child satisfy that inner desire for something a little out of control, such that when he (0r she) is older he won't choose to do things that will really have your heart in your throat. 

And the end of this little tale is that first of all the neighbors mother did not agree to the sale. And secondly my daughter reported that a friend's grandmother is buying her friend a drum."That's nice" I said. " But drums aren't for girls" said my daughter smirking. "Who says?" I said. "Oh, really? Well in that case I want one too!"  

My choice as a parent is to say yes to a little bit of drumming now, so that my children will hopefully in the future understand that choosing personal safety is just about one of the smartest things one can do. And for that I'm willing to go just a bit deaf. Please remind me of this if infact there are ever drums around here. Or maybe I'll maybe I'll just join them. Moms need to live a little on the wild side sometimes too.

Holiday Table Decor: DIY Gilded Apples

DIY gilded apples are just so much fun. And they're an example of another project that you can make now and enjoy as a decorative touch until spring! Make a bunch and place them just about anywhere for a little crafty holiday touch. And of course there are so many creative ways to use them! I painted them in pink and coral because I was craving those colors, and the results are really gorgeous. But you could really choose just about any color combo that works for you.....

You'll Need:

• styrofoam apples
• acrylic craft paint, I used pink, coral and tan
• metallic gold spray paint, (if choosing cool colors you might like to use silver spray paint)
• wooden skewers

How To:

Remove stem from apple and insert wooden skewer in hole. This way you can paint entire apple in one sitting and set aside to dry by inserting into a piece of foam or placing in a vase of some kind. Once apples are dry, take them outside, place on a piece of newspaper, and lightly spray with the gold spray paint in just a few areas such that the underlying color is still quite visible. Set aside to dry, remove skewer, re-insert stem. That's it! 

ps: if you're looking for a little project that's just a bit more artful and might interest the kids, take a look at my painted fruit centerpiece post here. You could certainly help the kids do this project in pastel and metallic colors to go with your gilded apples!

Giant Paper Flowers For Your Fall Table

Guess what? You're in luck, I do think that giant paper flowers made in cremes and neutral tones look great right about now. Imagine a little candle light, some glitter, a little something rustic, like maybe some burlap or a table runner made out of pieces of aged wood, and you've got yourself a really unique look that while not using the traditional fall colors, will certainly be gorgeous and transition well into the December holiday season! Phew. Got it? 

And come December, so you could add a little gilded or glittered edge to your flowers. Okay you're right. You want to see my version first and then you'll decide. Gotcha. I'm gonna try it! Of course I understand if you do love browns and oranges and just really feel out of sorts without them, so if that's the case use those colors for the flower centers, attach the centers very lightly, and to keep on enjoying those flowers in December and January and on, so swap the center for something that feels right for winter.

For complete information on how to make these wonderful oversized paper flowers, see my previous post and tutorial here.

For The Love Of Bougainvillea.......

I arrived home today just as the sun was starting to set, and realizing that I hadn't had a chance to photograph any crafty projects today, I figured I'd share with you something equally wonderful and life enhancing: blooming bougainvillea in November! A feast for the eyes that I enjoy first thing in the morning as I step outside to send the kids off to school! 

Gorgeous blooms that are also great for dried flower art.....or even incorporating into handmade paper. But for now I'm just enjoying their vivid color at a time when all the flowers of summer are long gone, and many of the plants are starting to get just a bit sleepy.

Bougainvillea is a bit finicky, and not always a great performer growth-wise, but certainly worth the patience! Really a tropical bush, or even tree, bougainvillea comes in many gorgeous colors like white and orange and purple, along with the colors you see here. Due to our coldish winters here on a mountaintop in Northern Israel, there are only a few colors that are hearty enough to survive, and all the more so in pots. 

Bougainvillea sometimes just takes my breath away, growing rampantly amongst other large trees and bushes, like in this example a few minutes from my house, wow! Got it? Blooming flowers = joy! Well worth every minute.

That's all for now, crafting coming soon. You know me!

Gorgeous Cake Decor In Minutes With Powdered Sugar

Decorating a simple cake with powdered sugar is something I do often, but I'll never go back to just sprinkling sugar on the cake, as with the addition of a simple paper silhouette, your cake can look simply fabulous! Cut out a simple paper shape, or even a few shapes, or use a ready made paper doily, place it on your cake and sprinkle the powdered sugar over your cake using something like a little strainer to make sure the sugar goes on in a fine layer, not in clumps. Carefully remove the paper by slipping a knife under it, and voila!

I just love sharing with you creative touches that will make your family feel loved, and put a smile on your guest's faces with minimal effort on your part. And this my friend's is a keeper. No excuses that you don't have enough time, because this literally took about 3 minutes! 

If you'd like to bake a delicious apple cake like the one shown here, try my whole wheat apple cake recipe, it will disappear in minutes, so it's good thing you didn't slave over the icing!