creative jewish mom

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome back to Craft Schooling sunday, so great to reconnect here! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and wishing you all the very best in 2019. Winter is the perfect time to get crafting, so looking forward to lots of inspiration from all my beloved contributors, regulars and new comers, don't be shy please! I have been delving into painting which has taken up the majority of my creative efforts, so will share a few photos of the progress soon, as well as lots of crochet projects that are still waiting patiently to be photographed, and hopefully some new projects for the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, the New Year For The Trees, coming up in a few weeks. And now for a few features from the last party back in November, enjoy!

No-Sew Fleece Doll Blanket Craft For Kids And Adults

Ta-da, I took the box with all my fleece scraps down from the attic, and quickly whipped up this adorable no-sew fleece doll blanket as a gift for a beloved three year old, to keep her baby dolls warm. The great thing about fleece is that it doesn't unravel, so like felt it is the perfect fabric for no-sew crafts. It is true, there are many qualities of fleece out there, but for projects like this one, why not just use that $2 fleece blanket from the dollar store, and use the rest to make some wraps, scarves, or even a full size baby blanket? In this case the polka dot fleece is very thin, and the red fleece is much thicker, so the two layers makes a nice blanket, and just as cute as can be, right? This project is great for kids, with assistance, or without for those say ten and up, as perfection is not required for great results. Let's get crafting, shall we?

Indoor Air Pollution and Solutions For Artists And Crafters

This is a sponsored post.

Lets face it, craft supplies and art supplies can be filled with toxins, and now is a great time to start thinking about your health and how to avoid filling your home's air with unwanted pollutants as a result of your beloved hobby, yikes! Even those who don't have art supplies hanging around are also at risk of indoor air pollution from a variety of sources. Indoor air pollution is not discussed as often as environmental pollution, however, it is just as dangerous and potentially even more harmful than the smog infested air that the average city dweller breathes in when they leave their homes. It is important to recognize the causes of indoor air pollution and understand the possible solutions.

Of course, one needs to be aware of what kinds of art supplies have toxic fumes, and please never use spray paint or any aerosol product indoors. Permanent markers and many glues also have toxic fumes, so make sure your work space has plenty of ventilation. Enhancing the quality of your air provides many health benefits, helps avoid illness, and in some instances will even help you save money. Join me as we learn more about what is considered to be indoor air pollution as well as the steps that can be taken to curb its negative effects. Here's to a healthy 2019, lets start by thinking about out air quality.

Crocheted T-Shirt Yarn Flowers In Any Size

Need a bunch of sweet crocheted flowers that will make a statement and won't take a year to crochet? Try crocheting these simple one-round flowers using commercial t-shirt yarn (or super chunky regular yarn) and you'll have a whole tree full of blossoms  to celebrate the arrival of Spring, a wedding or engagement, or in our case, first a 3 years old birthday party this week, followed by the Jewish New Year for the trees, Tu B'Shevat, coming in a few weeks. Tu B'Shevat is generally the time when the first fruit tree, the almond tree, blooms, so crafts with pink blooms is perfect, and these crocheted flowers, now hanging over our dining room table are setting the stage for this lovely holiday.

When you plan ahead for your upcoming event, you can crochet some of these flowers on the go....you know, in line, in the waiting room, on the bus or train, you name it! So lets get crocheting!

Paper Silhouette Installation At The National Portrait Gallery

This past summer on our museum extravaganza in Washington DC, we had the pleasure of visiting The Portrait Gallery, which yes, is portrait after portrait after portrait, but the museum occupies an adjacent attached building to the Smithsonian Museum Of American Art, so one can stay on the same floor and view exhibits from both museums, very interesting! I really enjoyed seeing the portraits of the Presidents of the USA, the new portraits of MIchelle and Barak, and a really interesting numbered series of portraits of Native Americans, just to name a few. And there happened to be a really great exhibit about silhouettes, (which were stylish before the camera came about) that included historic silhouettes as well as present day shilhouette art, including this amazing paper installation of a Victorian maypole scene. Really fabulous, especially for a crafter/paper lover/graphic designer/wannabe artist like myself! Enjoy!

Rain Clouds Over The Mediterranean In Northern Israel

My two teenage sons, 15 and 13 are attending a sleep-away Yeshiva about an hour's drive from home, and we miss them dearly! They do come home every-other shabbat, and we try to visit now and then on weeks when they won't be coming home. This week my 15 year old really sounded like he needed us to visit, which is rare, so I re-organized my schedule in order to visit them this afternoon. I was somewhat worried about driving in stormy weather, as visibility around our mountaintop city can be very low during rain, but fortunately there was a respite from all the wet weather we've been having, and the drive, one hour each way, went smoothly.  And, as a reward for our efforts we got to witness the stormy winter Mediterranean with dark grey rain clouds overhead, so very beautiful indeed! After I finish 100 flower paintings, I'm planning on giving clouds a try, so I will surely refer to these photos as reference, though once painted no one will actually believe clouds can look like this! Enjoy my stormy sea photos taken from the pier on the Nahariya boardwalk.......

Acrylic Floral Painting With Pastels

Yes, it is true, a bit less crafting going on around CJM headquarters lately (though still more than anyone else I know) because I have been fighting a little war with acrylic paint and a paintbrush....and let me tell you, it is not so simple to try and realize those dreams of painting real paintings, you know the kind you'd want to hang proudly on your walls, or even sell! Apparently one has to paint 500 paintings to start mastering the paint, so I am working on paper to make it less precious, less expensive, more space friendly and hopefully quicker! My brother told me "real artists don't worry about these things, just stop making excuses and paint." Funny guy, not as easy as it sounds, but I'm giving it a run for my money, and if you hang around here for another year or so you may just see the results, and hopefully it'll be great. If not, then I'll start making quilts, since I've always dreamed of that as well. Or even if the painting adventure does result in some huge gorgeous semi-abstract floral paintings that I'm dreaming of, I think I'm going to need some quilts to complete the look, you know in that large stone house, or white industrial space, either one is just fine, of course a yurt would work too. Enough babble, keep on reading if you are interested in learning how this painting was made......

Hanukkah Candle Drip Art With The Leftovers!

After eight joyful nights of Hanukkah, shining light into the very darkest corners, you might just have some leftover candles? (We light our main Chanukah menorah using olive oil, but use candles for some smaller chanukiahs.) Don't toss them, spend a few moments of pressure-free creativity, and create something with the drips. This of course is only with adult supervision, or for teens, and maybe even Mom or Dad could use a little creative time after a hectic week-plus of celebrations? (Don't worry about me, I know how to take that time when possible, you should see my kitchen table right about now......) So instead of trying to save those candles for next year, or tossing them, lets bring more light into the world through creativity!

Monet's Water Lilies At The National Gallery, Washington DC

I have enjoyed Monet's Water Lilies at MOMA in NYC countless times, a HUGE tryptich, if memory serves me that occupies an entire wall, and most of a room. There is a bench allowing one to sit and enjoy. Lest I digress, I love the French Impressionist Monet, and appreciate his art even more now that I am on a little painting journey myself. This time around at the National Gallery in Washington DC I has the pleasure of seeing another of Monet's Water Lilies paintings, this one much smaller and less abstract, and all in all just beautiful. Come, lets take a moment for a little art break, shall we?

Mary Cassat's Girl In The Blue Chair

Rather than share a whole bunch of great paintings from one museum in one post, I decided to share some of the highlights of my museum extravaganza (this past August in Washington DC and NYC) in shorter posts in order to really give credit where credit is due, and to enable us to focus in on several works at a time. Introducing this fabulous painting by American impressionist Mary Cassat (1844-1926) Girl in A Blue Armchair, 1878. Really truly a special painting, and just love the juxtaposition of the girl's tight rendering versus the loose brushstrokes on the armchair and blanket. Truly stunning, hope you are inspired to take a chance with creativity, Mary Cassat certainly did! Enjoy!