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 Choose The Right Type of Bedroom Mattress For Your Family

It's no secret that a good night's sleep is essential for a productive day. That's why it's so important to choose the right type of mattress for every member of your family. There are many different mattresses on the market, and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. The following tips will help you choose the right type of bedroom mattress for your family, or at the very least get you thinking about the important questions to ask! Okay lets get started, the mattress of my dreams is calling, just need to figure out what that is!

Simple Cake Decorating Ideas To Impress Your Guests

If you have been reading my blog for more than a few years, you may remember that I just love surprising my family and friends with simple and creative cakes to celebrate any number of occasions. It is true, in the past I have mostly relied on paper cut outs, mini bunting, flags of all kinds and even origami to make fun cake toppers, but now, thanks so my teen daughter who is quite the baker, I have come to realize that there are many simply gorgeous ways to decorate cakes without having to get out the colored paper! It is true, you may need a few simple supplies that requires planning ahead, but most of the ideas I've compiled here are really quite simple and can be assembled in a pinch.

So whether you are a beginner and might purchase a plain cake to decorate yourself, or an experienced baker, these ideas will help you take your cake decorating skills to the next level! I can't wait to hear all the oohs and aahs, so lets get started!

The Remarkable Process of Eyebrow Coloring and Its Benefits

What does a collage of little fruity faces drawn on deli paper that was used as a palette have to do with eyebrow coloring you may ask? Well, let me tell you, that in drawing these cute fruit it became so very clear even in the most basic face doodle, eyebrows are just so very very important! So whether you are focused on the cuteness of your craft, or your own beauty routine, eyebrows should never be ignored!

Eyebrows are a vital aspect of women’s makeup. From shaping to coloring, numerous processes are used to beautify the eyebrows. Eyebrow coloring has been a part of women’s lives for a long time. Its application has been in practice since 3500 B.C. Today, eyebrow coloring is popularly termed as ‘eyebrow tinting.’ It is a process that helps to apply semi-permanent colors to the eyebrows. Women use this process to enhance their appearance and add a certain charm to their faces. Some even use tinting to help them cover the thinner spaces within the eyebrows. The fact is that eyebrow tinting does help define and shape the brows such that eyebrow pencil and eyebrow makeup need not always be applied.

The duration of the color-stay depends on the application, and the tinting process consumes anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. Your beautician ensures that before the application, your eyebrows are cleaned thoroughly. The color mix and time of application depend on the results you desire. 

Benefits of Eyebrow Coloring

You can either color your eyebrows using a DIY kit at home or make an appointment with a beautician. Everyone woman desires beautiful brows and lashes to help them look their very best. If you are wondering about the various other advantages of eyebrow coloring, then keep on reading!

Adorable Doodle Pears Boxes To Stack As Art!

Sometimes it is the DIY projects with just the simplest materials, and of course recyclables to boot, that are truly the most special! And these fun stackable doodle pear boxes are truly the proof in the pudding, right? It all started out because I'm doing an instagram challenge called #colormegrow at my @sara.rivka.dahan account, and this week we were working on a project using just red, black and white. The challenge will last for at least 3 months, and I'm planning to do boxes every week, so that at the end I'll have a nice tower! Each week, depending on which color or colors the challenge dictates, I'll be painting stripes on little recycled food boxes (like tea boxes and one sleeve cookie boxes, toothpaste boxes, etc.) and then turning that into something. Last week I made landscapes from my blue boxes, and this week, well, the challenge subject was pears and today is Tu B'Shevat, so a fun pattern with doodle pears was an obvious choice! Of course, if you like my pears, you can use this idea on canvas or paper, it would be fun art in any form.  Okay, lets do it, shall we?

Craft Schooling Sunday Resumes The First Sunday In February

Dear Friends, the customary party break for December just was not quite enough for my schedule and all the demands of my life, so I've decided to wait until February to resume the party. And having come down with a not so mild case of COVID last week, I need to take it easy to ensure a speedy recovery.

Wishing everyone all the very best, good health, and looking forward to reconnecting in two weeks!

DIY Orange and Cloves Pomanders

It has been twelve years (gasp) since I actually made these great looking orange and cloves pomanders, but they are still looking good, so I figured I'd dust off this project and share it with you again. i have come to realize that bringing things out of the archives to see the light of day isn't such a bad idea, especially since most people don't go fishing around in there!

You do have time to actually make some of these pomanders before ushering in the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat and I have come up with a great way to make these so that even those who aren't so crafty can succeed.....and of course the fragrance that goes with this activity is just lovely, so go for it!

Carved Carrot Leaves!

Dusting this one off for the upcoming Jewish Holiday of Tu B'Shevat, coming January 16th!

At long last I have found a really good reason to continue exploring the world of fruit and vegetable carving: the holiday of Tu B'Shevat is coming up this Friday night, and since we'll be celebrating with loading the table with as many kinds of fruit (and nuts) as possible, carved fruit and veggie platters seem just perfect. So introducing another instalment of Vegetable Carving 101, this time it is Simple Carved Carrot leaves! The great part about carrot leaves is that they can be made way ahead, like now for example, and will keep perfectly in the fridge in a container of water. The little leaves you see here are just my first attempt, and did it just before I was about to prepare dinner, so that all the little scraps were not wasted, but rather thrown into a chicken stir fry!

Tips For Finding Creative and Eco-Friendly Gifts For The Holidays

The holiday season is here, and regardless of what holiday you celebrate, that might mean some last-minute shopping for those who didn't already celebrate Chanukah! (Your boss, coworkers, neighbors, teachers, the mail person, household help, the sweet child that lives upstairs?) Buying gifts in a hurry that end up in the trash or clutter our houses for years only to be tossed out later, takes its toll on the planet. In fact, in every holiday season, Australians produce 30 percent more waste that includes food, unwanted presents, decorations, and single-use plastics for gift wrapping. Owing to this alarming rate of waste generation, lets consider switching to sustainable gifting that is useful and poses minimal threat to the environment!

If you are looking for gift ideas that help you make planet-friendly choices while reducing stress and saving money, you've come to the right place. Okay, time is of the essence, so lets get started!

Dried Orange Slice Pendant Craft For Kids

Dried orange slices are great for crafting, and at long last I stuck some in my oven (back in 2012, gasp) to make some things for Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for fruit bearing trees, which my friends is on the night of January 16th. So plenty of time to give this a try, right? Rather than create a dried orange slice garland or another ornament, I came up with this fun idea which could also be a great little activity for a Tu B'Shevat party. Yup, that's right, dried orange slice pendants! And on little kids these pendants are well, quite large, making them all the more fun and festive. And when the party is over, you can simply hang your pendants somewhere for decoration. While I was about to tell you about using cinnamon bark and star spices, never mind, why make this complicated, it is truly great as is! Enjoy!

Fruit Orchard Kid's Craft With Pine Cones

This pine cone fruit tree orchard craft (hanging out in my archives with so many other great projects) is just as cute as can be and perfect for Tu B'shebat, coming up on the evening of Sunday Jan 16, so there is plenty of time to get into this fun craft, and enjoy!

Collecting pine cones on a nature walk is always a fun activity to do with the little ones, but what to use them for afterwards? Here's a good one for you: make a pine cone orange orchard! This idea is so simple yet with great results and fun for a variety of ages. And maybe they'll even take the time to make a popsicle stick shed for their orchard, and some little crates to fill up with oranges. That would be a good start to encourage creative activities rather than anything with batteries or that plugs into a wall, right? And of course if you want to get particularly crafty, how about making a plan to build an entire farm, or little town with all the usual amenities, just from simple supplies like these?