creative jewish mom

I Am Now On Instagram, Please Follow Me!

Dear Readers, after many many years of holding back from engagement on Instagram, because I am not a smart phone user (I do all things blog etc. on the computer) I realized that if indeed my goal is to share the joy of creativity in general and Jewish crafts with the world, then one needs to figure out how to get to the world, in this case without necessarily letting the world in!

So please follow me @sara.rivka.dahan, right here, and on @creativejewishmom right here. The first account will be all things art related, namely painting and drawing and the second account will be crafts, jewish cooking and all things I share on this blog.

How to Preserve Family Memories with Scrapbooking

The scrapbook is a fantastic way of showcasing and protecting precious family memories, photos, souvenirs, and heirlooms. A scrapbook can be your way of telling the people in your life, as well as your future generations, the story of your family and the proud heritage you are passing on. Immortalizing family memories can be a daunting task at first glance, but if you put your heart to it, and do it with patience and love, you’ll find it rewarding. A scrap book can also be a wonderful way to give thanks for all the good in your life, to work through issues from the past, and to develop a creative style, all while creating something with great meaning. There are many ways to preserve family memories through scrapbooking, whether you choose an art journal style as seen in the photo above, or something with more photos and less ephemera. Lets learn about some of the options!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I am rushing to finish this, so just wanted to wish everyone a very happy new Jewish month of Tammuz, and get that summer crafting going! Lots and lots of great inspiration from last week's party, enjoy!

What To Do With Your Family’s Old Photo Albums?

There’s a strange reality coupled with technological advances that fundamentally changes how we live and how we view things from the past. Not that anyone intended to change how things used to be, it is just a side effect of the advances. Just as folks didn't need horses once the car was introduced, or washing boards once the washing machine became a common household item. Today one of the most obvious changes is internet and online shopping, and the end of malls.  Who would have believed that? Because there’s a huge marketplace with often better deals online, the hassle of driving to, parking at, walking through, and spending money at stores in a mall is quite simply outdated. Why do that when you can just type commands on a search query line through something like Amazon, find a thousand of what you want extremely cheap, and have them shipped them to your doorstep?

Digital Photography And The Outcome
While the internet has made things more convenient, it has also erased other meaningful and even valuable aspects of daily life that were once common place. Digital photography has totally changed how we take, manage, and store pictures. In the world of yesteryear, family photos were kept in photo albums. Today, digital photos can be kept online and reprinted a million times.

Consequently the photo album is a bit outdated, (though smart people still print the best photos and make selective albums) and folks who care about passing those photos on will in any case have the best ones scanned and saved digitally. Additionally, any photos one cares about need to be placed in a new archival album to preserve the photos. So what do you do with those old albums once you've removed the photos? Surely you don’t just throw them out? Here, we’ll explore a few different ideas for organizing those old albums in order to upcycle, or if necessary toss!

Wildflowers Bloom On Mount Arbel, Israel In The Spring

On our visit to Mount Arbel, just a 40 minute or so drive from our home in Northern Israel, we were in awe of the views, which you can see here, and in awe of the archeology, some of which you can see here, though I also realized that this was indeed a very special place as far as nature and ecosystems are concerned, as it is a plateau mountain just above the lowest fresh water lake in the world, which means all kinds of things. It is home to a diversity of plants, birds, and cliff-dwelling animals, and I did discover on the National Parks website that in fact there is a specific snail that lives on on Mount Arbel, and is unique to Mount Arbel, called Cristataria genezerethana; there are also rare plants like the bladder senna (colutea istria), rock scrophularia (Scrophularia xylorrhiza), and the wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Addtionally there is a bird that over-winters on Mount Arbel, and looks like a red butterfly in flight as well as nesting birds of prey, and many more.

While I did not identify any of these rare plants on our trip, I did take note of all the wonderful little wildflowers in bloom, which I am sharing with you here, enjoy!

A Visit To Mount Arbel On The Shores Of The Sea Of Galilee

I have passed by the cliffs of Mount Arbel numerous times, (and we even see a sliver from our home 45 minutes away) or rather many many times, and it never occurred to me that the area on the top of the mountain would be a national park, silly me. So grateful to have at last made this realization and taken some of my family for a little visit this past Passover. Wow, wow, wow, a must visit my friends! Mount Arbel is located in the eastern Lower Galilee, with monumental cliffs, and a plateau that offers a breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley, the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, Mt Hermon, and the Galilee.

The site was declared a nature reserve in order to restore and conserve the fascinating heritage sites and antiquities found at Arbel. These sites include Arbel Fortress and the impressive cave village, where historic battles were fought in the days of Herod, called Horvat Vradim (Hamam), as well as the ruins of the Jewish settlement of Arbel, in which the remains of a splendid ancient Galilean synagogue are still to be seen. (Have not been there yet.....) Okay, lets take a look at this special place! And do check out my previous post, which shows the views of Mt. Nitai from Mt. Arbel,and its caves, right here.

The Ancient Caves Of Mt. Nitai In Tiveria, Israel

This past Passover we had a whole week in which to explore our beloved Israeli sites, and for the first time ever we finally made it to Mt. Arbel, an amazing location because it not only includes a view of the Kinneret and the Golan heights, but also of the neighboring plateau mountain called Mount Nitai. Interestingly enough we can actually see a sliver of Mount Nitai from our porch, and late in the day it glows with a beautiful reddish tinge. After all these years I finally know what I'm looking at, and that there are historic ancient caves in part of the mountain where the Jews hid from the Romans! Amazing. So while we have yet to make it to the top of Mount Nitai, we enjoyed a gorgeous view of at least one side of it, from Mount Arbel. Mount Nitai is situated west of the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, and north of the city of Tiberius. The mountain is named after Nittai of Arbela who was was Av Beit Din or vice-president of the Sanhedrin under the Nasi Joshua ben Perachyah at the time of John Hyrcanus (r. 134–104 BCE). Wow, the only confusing part is that his name was really Mattai, so it seems, but never mind that for now, lets take a look at this amazing place!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, rushing to get this party started, well actually rushing to get ready for Shabbat and preparing this Friday afternoon for it ot post automatically just after shabbat is out. Lots of cooking and hosting a full table of guests, so thanks for joining me here and enjoy the features!

7 Different Ways To Encourage Creativity In Children

Creativity is the use of ideas and imagination to come up with something that is of value, whether it is a piece of art, physical invention, or even a solution to a certain problem. Creativity has always played a huge role in our success and it is something that can be nurtured throughout one's life. One can enjoy unlimited creativity if you understand how to recognize it in yourself, and how to keep the creative juices flowing!. When it comes to children, you need to make an extra effort to ensure that they do not lose the creative spark as they grow up. In many cases, school can dampen creativity depending on the types of art programs available, and the teaching methods employed. Parents need to be extra vigilant if they want to give their children the gift of everlasting creativity.

The best form of self-expression is creativity and there is nothing more fulfilling for children than being able to express themselves without judgment. Not everyone is born with creativity, but even if you aren’t born with it, you can learn it to some degree. Nothing should hamper the development of creativity in children and as parents, it is your job to cheer them on, and encourage them. Let’s take a look at how you can do so.

Guide to Doing Your Big Cleanup Faster and More Efficiently

Over time, homes naturally accumulate quite a bit of dust, dirt, and even debris, whether indoors or out. The same case of course applies to commercial establishments. This is why from time to time, a top to bottom general cleaning is necessary, for peace of mind and to insure a healthy environment. It is true, a big cleanup can be quite frustrating, especially if you don’t know where to start. Despite how impossible it may seem, it becomes do-able if you are well informed. Here is a brief guide that can help make your big cleanup faster and less frustrating. I can definitely use some of this information myself for the big studio clean up that keeps getting pushed off! Okay, lets do it!

Create On An Index Card For 2 Months This Summer!

I have to admit, I did not know that there have been thousands of creative people creating on index cards every year for the months of June and July, each year. Of course when it started 11 years ago I can imagine it was not thousands, but today it is, and WOW! I am familiar with the idea of creating on index cards, or index card size, I just didn't know it was "thing" that I could participate in. Just as I was wondering what might keep my creative practice running once I finish my 100 oil pastels, (9 to go!) voila, this opportunity comes along. At first I thought, no way, you are too busy. But then I realized that by adapting a simple style, I could infact do an index card a day, and it could be great! With three days now under my belt I am so very very happy I committed to this 61 day challenge, and while I'll be sharing with you here from time to time, the daily peeks will be on my instagram @sara.rivka.dahan.

The challenge is called Index Card A Day, and the home base is right here. There is a Facebook group one can join for a fee, though I don't really have time for that, so I'm sharing on Instagram and making connections with fellow participants there. You do what works for you, maybe a family challenge with no social media? Maybe a challenge with a friend? There are no rules about what to put on the index card, so sky is the limit! I was even thinking about doing little sculptures, but then the illustration style I'm currently doing won out, plus it is much quicker!

I really think that an index card creativity challenge would be a great thing to do with the kids this summer, and at the end you can make a book, or do the second side next year! Daily creating is an amazing thing to fit in anyone's day, believe me, you'll end up doing it every year!