creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, so great to reconnect with all the regulars and welcome a few new party goers as well! The first party of 2020 was filled with great projects, especially if you love to crochet, and/or knit as I do. While the holiday of Tu B'Shevat is the next Jewish holiday is happening in another 3 weeks or so, I haven't quite gotten over Chanukah, and the decorations are all still up, which is fine as they are wintery and glitery and so much fun. While we follow the lunar Jewish calendar, the new year on the Gregorian calendar does provide another push to think about new beginnings and the speedy passage of time! I am really really hoping that this will be the year in which I can at long last get at least one book out there into the world, though truthfully I have so much material (both old and new) a series of books is what needs to happen. So now as I write this, I'm thinking that at a certain point very soon the only way to actually do that is to put the book first which means possibly having to turn down other work. I do like to think that I can do it all, but reality is there are only so many hours in the day! So wishing everyone the brain power to make the right choices with how to spend our time, and then making the most of it! That said, a few minutes checking out the features from last week's party is time well spent, so enjoy!

Woodworking Projects You Can Do At Home

Above: Order wooden doll making parts from a woodworking supplier, and make the cutest wooden toys ever. And if you've never seen all the supplies available, enjoy!

Looking for some woodworking projects that you can do from home, in order to inject individual style and comfort into your space in the new year? Harness all that "new year" energy and delve into some simple projects that you can easily do from your own home workshop. The project ideas I'll share with you here involve a few power tools and would likely be done in a garage space. If you don't have a place where you can truly make a mess with wood dust and noisy tools, not to worry I don't either, though I'll admit I do dream of that sometimes.......and it is fun to learn about projects that I might theoretically do! Okay, lets get started!

Simple Wall Shelf Or Set Of Shelves

Creating a simple wall shelf, or a set of shelves, is quite simple, and it can change the entire ambience of the room. It takes little to no effort to style a wall shelf, and it can easily change the mood in the room depending on which direction you choose. You can arrange photos to create a montage with multiple shelves, or use a single shelf to display a stunning art piece. The options are endless, and not time consuming. Be sure to select the finish of your choice in order to make sure the shelf works with your decorating scheme. Honestly, the lengthiest part of this project would be cutting the boards to the exact size necessary for your project.

You'll likely want to use a table saw for this project, and if you don't already own one, it is a great investment for anyone that loves to DIY (and has the space for the saw.) There are many table saws out there, and detailed reviews of these options might assist in educating you about your decision. If you're looking to complete more than a few woodworking projects around the house, investing in a table saw might be just the thing to make sure you actually complete those projects of your dreams!

More Quick DIY Birthday Crowns Spread Joy!

DIY birthday crowns are so simple to make, look amazing and truly make the birthday person feel extra special! In the past I made these crowns in five minutes, and they were cute but not exactly works of art. Fast forward and I had a little extra time to actually figure out how to make a great looking birthday crown and voila, a bunch of designs were born. Now I just can't stop making them, and had to share one more with you! The latest crown was made for a woman nearing 70 or so, and she and her husband were supposed to be our guests for shabbos. Her husband had quietly told my husband that it would be his wife's birthday, knowing that I would do something for her, of course. Now, I do not know her age, nor would she necessarily want her age on a crown, so instead I made the hebrew letter shin, for Shulamit, her name. So we made a cake and a crown, but then the couple were not feeling well and couldn't come for shabbos unfortunately.

Sooooo, since they are our neighbors I sent my daughter over to their house with the birthday crown and a few salads for shabbos. My daughter reported that Shulamit loved the crown so much she was both crying and laughing at the same time! And when she called to say thanks, she reported that the crown made her so happy and served as their shabbos centerpiece. So there you have it my friends, a birthday crown can bring happiness at any age, truly! So lets find out what we'll need to make them, shall we?

Simple DIY Anniversary Cake That Is Great For Engagement Parties Or Newlyweds Too!

It is always a great idea to have a really simple decorated cake idea up your sleeve to whip out when needed, right? And these sparkly cake flags have been a winner lately, having appeared at two birthdays, and now they have made an appearance to honor a newly married couple who joined us for a shabbat meal last week. I took the photos before shabbat, which meant that I was running late, (as time is precious before sundown on short winter Fridays) but it was worth it, as showing the cake flags on the cake surely beats previous photos of just the flags. While I made this cake for newlyweds, it is of course perfect as an engagement party cake, an anniversary party cake, or a sheva brachas cake. And of course with just one letter it can be a birthday cake as well, or a congratulations cake, or a just because cake? The crowns over the letters and the diamonds on the flag poles certainly work with any royal theme, and so this could be a fun cake for Purim as well!

Once you realize how simple it is to make folks happy with a cake like this, I think you'll start doing it often. And if baking isn't up your alley, so buy a cake, or better yet cut a watermelon into a cake shape and add the decorations! (We only have watermelons in the summer here, so have yet to try this, not to mention that my family certainly prefers the sugar filled cake.) Okay, lets have a look at some more photos of this cake, and a list of supplies and tips.

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome back to Craft Schooling Sunday, great to reconnect with everyone and looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to! There are no features to feature, so sorry about that, lets just dive head first into the first party of 2020 and get inspired to have a very creative year! Okay, keep on reading for the link up.

Moroccan Semolina Soup With Veggies Is Perfect Right Now!

Introducing semolina porridge, a simply delicious, quick to whip up, and somewhat exotic soup that is a bare pantry kind of recipe to boot! And dear readers, my version is Moroccan, (well, at least is was, until I decided to add some veggies to the basic recipe......) though I'm thinking other Meditteranean and North African cuisines may have something similar. I love soup of all kinds, though many soups really do need a few good hours on the stove to really taste their best. So soup may not be thought of as the kind of dish to whip up on a whim, but semolina porridge is indeed! Assuming you've got a bag of semolina, some garlic, a bit of fresh cilantro and some olive oil (which actually I realized I omitted today when I made this recipe, and no one noticed) you are good to go. And when you produce this thick belly warming soup for your friends or family, you are going to feel pretty darn proud of yourself, promise! And if my quite particular family loves this recipe, I think yours will too? Okay, lets get cooking......

Today Is The Tenth Of Tevet

Above: Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem circa 1900, roughly 2,000 years after the destruction of the First Temple!

Today is the Tenth of Tevet an important day on the Jewish calendar, and a minor fast day. The fast begins at dawn and concludes at nightfall and there are no other physical constraints beyond fasting, in contrast to the major fast of Tisha B'Av. Because it is a minor fast day, there are many exemptions from the fast, many women do not fast, and certainly those who are nursing or with young children are exempt. Whether or not one is fasting we certainly do keep in mind the importance of the day, which I why I generally try to remember this day, and all mourning days associated with the ultimate destruction of the Holy Temple on this blog.

What does this day commemorate exactly? How is it possible that we are still observing an occurrence related to an event that occurred 2,608 year ago? Keep on reading......

Simple DIY Birthday Props For Any Age

No one is ever too old to receive some birthday love in the form of a glittery DIY birthday crown or some simple cake flags! Both of these items are so simple to make, and while those of us in DIY land may make things like this for their loved ones regularly, realistically most folks have never had such a birthday experience. So, if you happen to be having a guest with a birthday around the time of their visit, flatter them with a little surprise birthday party, and you will bring smiles all around, promise! The twenty two year old for whom I made these birthday props is a young man studying in Israel, far from home in Brooklyn, and he likes to think of us as his second family.......so of course when I heard about his birthday I just had to do something. And truthfully, the house was already decorated with birthday/hanukkah decorations, so only a tiny bit (comparatively) of effort was involved. We needed desert in any case for the all the shabbos guests, and a simple birthday cake with flags is our go-to birthday cake. After shabbat was over and the young men came to sign our guest book, I even took photos to send to the birthday boy's mom. And that dear friends is how to spread joy through crafting!

Now we've heard that some regular guests who will be coming this next shabbat also have a birthday, so another crown and cake coming up! This time I won't be using the age (as I don't know it, and not everyone likes to publicize their age) but rather an initial for the birthday woman, whose husband sweetly told my husband that she has a birthday. Ahhhh, I'm gonna make her smile too.

Craft Schooling Sunday Returns Next Week!

Hope everyone had a great end to 2019, and looking forward to another fiscal year of creativity. On the Jewish calendar the year is well underway, but new beginnings are always great incentive as well. So see you all next week, when Craft Schooling resumes, band until then happy crafting,

Going to a Kid’s Birthday Party: Which Gift to Buy?

Above: Every gift becomes more amazing when placed in a fun DIY gift box, more info here.

Have you been invited to a birthday party for a friends’ child? If so you may be wondering what present to bring? I love to give something handmade together with a purchased item to make it as personal as can be, and since I have kids of all ages in my life choosing something everyone will enjoy is part of the fun. If you are facing difficulties however, not to worry, I'm sharing some ideas here to help you out!

And just by the way, if there are siblings in the picture you might like to remember them as well with some small prizes or a small gift to avoid anyone feeling left out. Gift bags filled with an assortment of inexpensive prizes from the dollar store are a budget friendly and fun way to go. I just did that for a four year old and she was so excited she insisted on going to sleep with all the prizes beside her. She didn't even notice what her seven year old brother received!