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.

Stunning Floral Arrangements For A Rustic Chuppah

Last night we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of a 2nd cousin at a kibbutz wedding venue just outside of Ranana, Israel, and I shared the photos of the stunning rustic chuppah earlier. Now, lets take a closer look at those floral arrangements which really pulled the whole chuppa look together. Not to mention that all the women/girls in the wedding party wore burgundy dresses, a wonderful choice. While decorating a chuppa with real flowers may not be the most budget friendly choice, it sure is lovely! Here in Israel actually, to cut down on the cost of fresh flowers on tables, for example, and behind the bridal chair, real flowers are often placed together with faux flowers, say covering topiaries or arches, and it can look quite good as well, so do consider that option, if you want to maximize your budget! This wedding even had party favors, which I will share soon. Okay lets take a closer look at those arrangements, come along!

A Stunning Rustic Chuppa Under The Stars

Last night we were so thrilled to attend the stunning and so very festive wedding of my husband's cousin's daughter, at a wedding venue on a kibbutz in Naan, Israel, not far from Ranana. There were so many smiles at this wedding of at least 500 guests, it was truly special! We made a wonderful new connection with a distant cousin we had never met, (and who lives in Israel) and were happy to see the Aunts and cousins of the bride who were able to fly in from Canada. Needless to say I invited quite a few of these second and third cousins (including the new couple) to come to our home for Shabbat, and I do hope they will take us up on it! Hear me cousins? Lest I digress, I wanted to share with you the gorgeous rustic chuppah, as something like this is so simple to construct, and so lovely for those seeking something rustic! A few years ago I also shared a lovely rustic bamboo chuppa, that can be easily set up anywhere, so have a peek at that here. I've also shared a post on the chuppa flower arrangements as I just had to highlight them! Lets zoom out to see the surroundings, shall we?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! The time is just speeding by, and chanukah is coming in just 5 weeks! We just bought a new light fixture for over the dining room table, and it came in a huge white box with many blocks of styrofoam inside, so it looks like it is going to be a snowy Chanukah theme once again. Now just gotta find those cardboard polar bears, and maybe this year I'll actually make the clothes pin dolls I'm dreaming of to ride those polar bears! Of course I generally do come crocheting for chanukah too, so time to the ball rolling. Speaking of crochet, this blog party is always full of great crochet projects for starters, and so inspiring thanks to all my loyal participants! Okay, lets take a look!

Simple DIY Succulent Centerpiece For Any Occasion

Need a lovely centerpiece for your fall table, or a special occasion? Something that will last for months and more and can be incorporated into your garden or container garden in the future? Something that is breathing and alive? Something that is low and won't get in the way? How about a simple DIY succulent centerpiece? There are so many kinds of succulents that one can indeed create something either rustic or delicate or even modern and sleek. The centerpiece shown here is delicate and pretty, something I had not previously thought possible with succulents, but here it is!  This succulent centerpiece is so very simple and even the most inexperienced gardener can have great success, as succulents are very very forgiving! Okay, lets do this!

How To Choose Pots For Succulents

Succulents make amazing pets, truly! They come is so many amazing varieties, have a great range of size, and require very little care. Plus you can talk to them and they won't talk back! Ah yes, and they are so very simple to propagate, so if you like you can make gifts for friends, or simply amass your own huge collection quite easily. And of course, if you are looking for some really great looking outdoor accents, assuming it doesn't freeze where you live (or you have a greenhouse and pots on casters) succulents (as well as plants in the cactus family including agave and yucca) may just be your answer! While it is true, the succulents given just enough water generally don't need much care, but they can get too big for their pots or most often, too leggy, meaning some pruning (which leads to more baby plants) is generally necessary. Of course, this article is about choosing pots for your succulents, so lets get back to that!

The Cyclamen That Didn't Stop Blooming!

This is the best cyclamen plant I've ever owned as it just will not stop blooming! Okay, honestly it took a tiny break during the early summer, having bloomed non-stop from December to May or so, and then after that short rest, it started blooming once again, and now 5 months later it is just starting to look like it may need a rest. No complaints, I received this as a Chanukah gift in 2020 and it has been such a wonderful addition to our entry courtyard! I even left it on that table as a succah decoration! Yes, I have a sidetable next to my front door, because it is under an overhang, and just happens to be perfect for holding a plants. The side table was actually found on the street years and years ago, and back then I was actively doing mosaics with broken tile, so the top got a mosaic treatment that is still going strong 20 plus years  later! Keep on reading to see more......

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks for joining me here! The weather is starting to cool down here in Northern Israel, and I can't believe that Chanukah is in just 6 weeks, exactly yikes! But before getting into my holiday preparations, i think I need to crochet some acorns, I mean really, who can resist? Or maybe some fall leaves, or both? There is something about a change in the seasons and especially the approach of cooler weather that always has me thinking of crocheting something, as for years I did just that! This year I am still on the mission to build my personal art skills, so not looking for other ways to spend my creative time, but it is always great to have a small project in one's purse for a car trip at the least! Okay, lets get this party started, enjoy!

How Can Art Therapy Have a Positive Impact on a Hospital Stay?

If you are here on this blog, you are likely a big fan of all things creative, and hopefully you have seen the many benefits of crafting and creativity in your own life. I have often wondered about the profession of art therapy, and when I was asked to look into the benefits of art therapy specifally for hospital patients I jumped at the opportunity, as it is such an amazing concept to explore. Using art to do acts of kindness is something i always encourage, and so of course discovering the actual benefits of art for someone in a difficult situation, amazing!

Hospital stays rarely rank as one of the most enjoyable experiences in a person’s life, and activities such as art therapy can certainly help make them more bearable. Those of us who already appreciate art and creativity will of course be very happy to learn that art therapy is increasing in popularity for hospital patients.

The unfamiliar environment, separation from family and uncertainty of the outcome of the condition can make hospital stays particularly stressful. Delays in medical treatment don’t help either, but at times like this, it’s important to remain calm and do whatever one can to stay positive. One of the best ways to do that is by engaging in art therapy, which has been shown to improve the quality of hospital stays.

But what is art therapy and how exactly does it have a positive impact on a hospital stay? Let’s find out…

Houseplants 101: The Money Tree, Pachira Aquatica

Isn't this Pachira Aquatica Money Tree houseplant great looking? I can't take the credit for choosing it, as it was on the kitchen counter in our airbnb in San Francisco. Of course I can take the credit for realizing that I ought to share it with you! And I have to admit, while I have not been a fan of terra cotta pots lately, this looks fantastic, and is such a great compliment to the exposed red brick wall. So, I'm rethinking the terra cotta pot friends. I don't think it will fit into my Moroccan style black white gold and aqua theme, but who knows! And regarding this plant's name, i just did a bit or research and discovered that while money trees, are considered to be a symbol of luck and prosperity, but they haven't been for all that long. This doesn't date back centuries, like we might expect, but rather, to the 1980s! The braided money tree as we know it was actually first cultivated then by a truck driver in Taiwan, and quickly became popular in Japan and East Asia, also becoming associated with the Chinese practice of Feng Shui. Okay, maybe we need to come up with our own money plant, right?

Okay, lets learn a little bit about how to care for a money plant, should you be blessed with one anytime soon. Here in Israel we generally aren't buying new plants this year, as we are in the Shemittah year, the year in which according to Jewish law we need to let the fields rest, and this extends to our personal gardens at the very least in that we aren't busy with it! So, while I'd love a plant like this, I don't recall seeing any in my area, and it will have to wait a year in any case. Okay, get out those green thumbs......

DIY Projects That Will Increase the Value of Your Home

Whether you’re looking at putting your home on the market or just thinking about selling it in the future, it’s wise to be aware of what you can do to increase the value of your home in a general sense, and which things you can actually do yourself with a budget in mind. At this point most folks have heard about curb appeal, and the benefit of making your house look great on the outside, but how it looks on the inside is of course also a major consideration.

Selling a home can be an exciting life step, especially if you’re expecting to sell for more than initially purchased. However, there are likely to be a few things you’ll need to tweak before putting it on the market. From conveyancing solicitors to valuers, there are several people you’ll need to involve in the selling of your home, at a cost, so it’s often quite nice to undertake the renovations yourself to go easy on your budget and increase your potential profit. DIY projects can help dramatically increase the value of your home, as well as making the property feel well cared for and even brand-new.

We’ve come up with some simple and cost-effective DIY projects that will help you add value to your home. Let’s get started..........