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! And since I do have my eye on eventual selling of art and possibly Judaica, the place to do that is on Instagram, hands down. So while I am really only sticking one foot into the instagram waters, I have nonetheless started and account and do plan on keeping it active.

I am starting by participating in two instagram challenges, #28februaryflowers2021, and #28feathered friends, which will be keeping me more than busy with two things I love, flowers and birds! 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 which I will be posting on shortly, will be all the rest, crafts, travel, cooking, gardening for starters!

How To Organize And Take Care Of Jewelry And Accessories

With Passover coming in three weeks, and our yearly spring cleaning happening before the holiday, now is a great time to get organized, so lets start with something that should be relatively simple, our jewelry! For many, jewelry is an essential part of every outfit, and can be precious both due to value and sentimental, so it deserves and requires special storage and care.  Ensure that your pieces stay safe and tangle-free rather than tossing all your necklaces, rings and earrings into one box, which is a bad idea and can result in damage, scratches and irreversible tangles. To keep all your bling in one place, yet stored safely, and accessible, here’s a little guide that will help you. Hello jewelry and accessory organization!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here. Spring has sprung and on a shabbos stroll in the nearby nature area I saw many lovely red anemones in bloom, and I really must head back tomorrow with a camera! With Passover in just 3 weeks from today, the intense house cleaning and holiday preparations need to start, and I'm going to have to make a deal with myself that painting and art will be the reward after a certain number of hours of organizing. This coming week is the week to get serious, and 2 of my boys will be on vacation in another week, just in time to really help, so it needs to look like I've gotten a serious start in order to motivate them to help, right? Wish me luck on that, and enjoy the features from last week's party!

How To Easily Find a Present for Mother's Day

Mother's day is coming soon, in the UK it is on Sunday March 14 (and in the US, not to worry, May 9) so now is the time to plan the perfect gift to present to your beloved mom. With so many options available both in stores and online, finding the right gift can be a little bit stressful, after all, you want to get it right! Follow the tips in this article, and your gift giving will go so smoothly you may just start giving mom gifts just because, and that would be a great thing!

Get To Know Your Mother's Preferences

When you pay attention and therefore know what your mother likes, things are so much simpler! Then again, if she already has enough of that thing she likes, you still have a challenge on your hands. Is by chance her favorite blender is not working anymore, or do her gardening tools need to be replaced? Sometimes, if you just listen to what is going on in Mom's life, you'll know what to give. And if you are really stuck, ask someone that spends lots of time with her, or is her best friend. You may be surprised to hear that Mom wants to take up ceramics, and if so, gift her some lessons at a local studio! Or maybe she would really like to know how to change a tire, or the oil in her car? Give her coupons to learn all kinds of handy things!

How To Crochet Booties For An 18" Doll

Crocheting booties for a newborn baby is a quick gift, that I have been know to whip up in the car on the way to visit the new mom, so crocheting booties for an 18" doll? Piece of cake, just figuring out bootie patterns takes a bit of patience and willingness to just wing it. And yes, sorry, that goes for the pattern I'm providing you with, as well, I am not a professional crochet pattern writer. Not to scare you, just try to follow the directions and I'm sure it will be just fine. And if you use variegated yarn as I have, you really don't see the stitches anyway. The main thing is to keep track of what you've done, as you do need to make two that are somewhat if not altogether the same! 

The 18" doll that I gifted to a little loved one for her birthday came without shoes and minimal clothing, so I just had to whip up a wardrobe, with the yarn on my desk and someone what quickly. And of course you've got to cover those bare feet, so booties seemed like the way to go as they can look like winter boots, and they will stay on, onlike crocheted shoes that need to be the exact size to stay on those doll feet.

If you have not done so already, I'd recommend first making a crocheted 18" doll hat, and a crocheted 18" doll scarf, and then top it off with some booties, for starters that is! Okay, lets crochet some tiny booties!

How To Crochet A Simple Scarf For An 18" Doll

Thinking maybe it would be a good idea to crochet a simple scarf for an 18" doll that belongs to someone special in your life? I'd say, great idea, and even if you are a novice at crocheting, this is so simple, you can do it! And if you are not a novice and are making a hat and a scarf set, all the better, because this scarf can be whipped up in say 15 minutes give or take, and looks so adorable as a set with the crocheted 18" doll hat seen here! If you are thinking about crocheting some doll clothes, I'd recommend starting simply and seeing how it goes. I started with a hat and it was so much fun I ended up crocheted a sweater, a skirt and booties! And the end results were just so adorable I can't wait to make more. Actually I need to make more pronto as this doll needs an outfit for spring, and she does not live nearby, so I need to put that new outfit in the mail! Okay, but first, lets make a simple doll scarf!

How To Crochet A Simple Hat For An 18" Doll

I made this simple crocheted doll hat for an 18" doll (American Girl doll size) and a set of winter clothing a few months ago, and am only now finding a window on the blog for sharing. Fortunately we've just had a drop in temperature and some rain, so this doesn't feel strange at the moment, thought  I do need to get cracking with a spring/summer set of clothing or this doll might just bake in a few weeks, poor thing. Okay back to the topic of how to crochet a simple hat for an 18" doll. It is so quick and simple and the sweet kind of handmade gift that can even be sent in an envelope, so if you know a little girl that is crazy for her 18" doll, and you know how to crochet, don't wait, pull out all the stash and scraps and get crocheting! I had not crocheted in quite a while when I made these items and it was so satifying and so relatively quick, that I am now sold on the idea of satisfying my crocheting needs with doll clothes! Plus it will make one little girl very very happy. While this blond doll was the gift, I did think ahead and have one of my own to use as a model for all my future creations.....she is the red head you'll see in the photos within the post, so lets get started!

Personalized Gift Ideas To Give Your Sustainable Friend

Giving gifts is a wonderful way to show you care, and it is well worth the time and effort to get it right, as a gift that is truly personal is the very best way to go. It is true, sometimes it is the thought that has to count as we don't know the person well enough to be totally on target, but if that is the case I'd say go with sustainable and eco conscious gifts, as you really can't go too wrong with lovely wooden brushes and handmade soap, or an interesting market bag! Have some friends and family or even coworkers that would appreciate sustainable gifts? Keep on reading so that you'll have a bunch of good ideas up your sleeve when you need them!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Phew, after a very busy Purim holiday on Friday that went straight into shabbat, we are all exhausted, but had a wonderful action packed holiday. Friday afternoon is generally a time to prepare for shabbat in a hopefully relaxed stress free way, and some are even able to take a nap, as they have done most of the prep work on Thursday. This year, it was as if shabbat wasn't going to come, and those of us in charge had to steer the ship in that direction by trying to clean up and do all the usual preparations while the rest of the folks were oblivious! So be it, on the other side of lots of wine and treats we are all feeling a bit sluggish, but hey, with Passover in just one month tomorrow starts Spring cleaning! And I think this year I'm going to do a little bit each day in my studio, as it is a wreck.....and then hopefully I'll cross the finish line with an organized space for creativity! Speaking of creativity, the features from last week's party are inspiring, with something for everyone. So yes, get that Spring cleaning underway, but leave some time for creativity!

A Mixed Media Peacock Painting For Purim!

When Purim is at the doorstep and there is so much to do, and yet this year with no crowd to host the pressure to do it all is somewhat reduced, so you paint a peacock, because it reminds you of royalty and castles and castle gardens, which certainly could be connected to Purim! Okay, that does not mean that there is not loads of bags of groceries and all kinds of preparations to do, but hey, when you are on a mission to be an artist, you know one that actually sells their art, well you have to show up and make art, lots of it, even when Purim is calling.....

And friends, this is clearly not a highly detailed 20 plus hour painting, I did this in a few hours or so.....and I already had the under-painting on hand, keep reading to see what it is!

DIY Carrot Gift Tags For Purim!

The pressure is on folks, with Purim happening tomorrow night, and that means I must fit in a few creative projects, because otherwise the holiday just wouldn't feel right, to me that it, I don't think anyone will notice. Thanks to the large plastic bag pom poms on our living room now for months, well the house looks like it is ready for a party anytime, phew! That said, the mishloach manot, gifts of food for neighbors and friends and teachers (I'm done with that!) and folks we need for acknowledge or give thanks to, does need to happen! For the past two years I've given everyone a really nice selection of homemade Moroccan salads, but this year it feels like a bit too much, so I'm going the healthy route with a large quinoa mixed veggie salad, some spelt rolls and maybe some corriander pesto. Since the them is "healthy" and I have some adobrable little rabbit shaped plastic bags for the rolls, I figured a carrot gift tag fits the bill. Not quite sure how this all will come together, I'm running to the store right now, as I can't exactly put salad in recycled oatmeal containers, can I. No, not even in a plastic bag inside the oatmeal container, that sounds weird as well. Wishing everyone joyful holiday preparations, and please, no perfection, just simcha!

And on that note of perfection, this is actually one of the first times that I've actually planned ahead with the gift tag before the gift, there were plenty of years when I made a gorgeous gift basket but forgot about the importance of the tag. Just sayin' everything in its time!