creative jewish mom

A Low Blooming Phaelanopsis Orchid

As you may know, my home has become an orchid sanctuary for nursing neglected orchids back to health, which given my ever increasing knowledge and experience works most of the time, but not always. Last summer I was given a crate full of mostly phaelanopsis orchids, but in a variety of colors, (some were a mystery) and all in desperate need of attention. I put them outdoors in a shady spot until cool weather came, and sprayed them every morning with water. And, while not all the orchids grew new leaves, they all flowered, and it has been quite a lovely show! Some of the orchids flowered but were still too weak to sustain the stalk of blooms for the standard several months, and some flowers with a stalk with minimal flowers, but nonetheless the results were truly gratifying.

Orchid flowers generally bloom on long stalks that are given support with a stick and some tiny clips, while this white phailanopsis decided not to put any effort into the long stalk and instead bloomed on a very short stalk no taller than its leaves, and truthfully it is a nice change, so I'll take it! It will be interesting to see what happens with the next bloom, I'll just have to remember to label the plant as I have quite a few that look just like this one.

No-Bake Chocolate Quinoa Date Balls With Nuts, The Perfect Summer Treat!

After Passover I had quite a few dates and almonds that really needed to be used up, and I remembered the chocolate almond date balls recipe from years past. I made this as a dessert for husband and myself when there were no guests for shabbat, and he just loved the balls, as they can pass as sugar laden not so great for you something or other! A big phew as I really don't want to bake things that I personally don't want to eat! That said, I realized that truly one does not need so much sugar (even natural from dried fruit) and that the balls could be enhanced by adding other things. So I started adding quick oats and some coconut, with good results, and then a lightbulb moment happened a few weeks ago.....what about adding quinoa? So I gave it a try, and kept adding more and more quinoa, until I was able to really reduce the proportions of dates and nuts, so that it is also a whole grain treat!

The great thing about these chocolate quinoa date balls is that you can experiment with adding all kinds of things, and making a variety of coatings as well, such as chopped pistachios, cocoa powder, something colorful for a special occasion, got it? And, these would also be great to make when on the road, or renting a summer cottage, especially for folks like us who might rent a place where the oven isn't usable for kashrus reasons, so no-bake is the answer! Honestly I just made these last night with no appliances whatsoever, so you can too! Enjoy, and maybe now is the time to start thinking about training your family's taste buds to go for the healthier choices? ( Or at the least maybe just keep them for yourself to pull out when everyone else is eating the junk?)

DIY Crocheted Tiny Backpack For Dolls Or Keychains

Looking for a fun crochet project to whip up as a gift, to use for a doll or maybe even as a keychain? I have to admit, in the past I was not keen on crocheting tiny things, but that has changed, and this backpack isn't truly so small, so it is well worth it, and the results are just adorable! I'll be gifting two tiny crocheted backpacks together with 2 rabbits, two crocheted sleeping bags, two crocheted nesting baskets, and some dollhouse camping accessories, and truly it is just so much fun! I used yarn and beads (for buttons) that I had on hand, but next time I'm near a fabric/craft store I'm going to look for some tiny toggle buttons to use as the button, as I have a feeling I'm going to have to make a bunch more of these backpacks! Want to make some yourself? Let's do it!

Quick And Adorable Crocheted Doll Sleeping Bags Make The Perfect Gift!

Crocheted sleeping bags for dolls and small stuffed animals are quick to whip up and truly just the cutest! They make a great handmade gift together with a purchased doll/animal of some kind, though purchase the doll first and then make the sleeping bag to fit! The bears shown here are actually dog toys and were about $2 each, which is certainly worth it, and I've already ordered more to make a whole dollhouse just for them, because at this point I'm obsessed with doll houses for all! These sleeping bags will be gifted together with a purchased tent meant for a guinea pig or bird, as well as a dollhouse campfire set and some lanterns, a guitar and a few crocheted baskets, ah yes and the rabbits, previously photographed withe the DIY crocheted doll pillows, linked to below in the You'll Need section.

Ah, and just by the way, this sleeping bag was inspired by contribution from this Craft Schooling Sunday linky party, and I've linked to the free pattern below. Okay, want to whip up a crocheted sleeping bag? Let's get to it!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks for joining me here! I can't believe that it is already almost the middle of July, yikes! My summer plans for getting back into art have not been realized, and I may just have to leave it at that. I have been crafting with my students and crocheting toys, so I have been creative, just not with the paint. I usually take a whole bunch of sketchbook supplies on our adventures (to the USA again this year) but I'm having second thoughts about that since it takes up room and I'm not in the habit, and I really might just opt to crochet, and even knit tiny sweaters for the little stuffed animals I'm using in my 1/8 scale dollhouses, and for the tiny stuffed animals I hope to sew! Ah yes, and I also want to do some cross stitch tiny pillows for the dollhouse, so maybe we'll just opt out of the sketchbook this year? Or maybe just a few supplies and a small sketchbook? I have two weeks to decide, hmmmm? Okay, enjoy all the amazing features from last week's party!

Bower Vine Blooms In A Northern Israel Container Garden

As a somewhat experienced container gardener, I always advise my readers, and friends to take a look around their neighborhood, see what plants are flourishing, and go for that! And of course do take note of the location, like shade, direct sun, partial sun, a protective wall etc. At it turns out, Bower Vine, Pandorea jasminoides, happens to do very well in my little corner of the world, and while my plant isn't exactly the best example as it would probably prefer a larger pot, it is blooming more than ever this year, and because it is woody, it is hardy enough to withstand our sometimes almost freezing winters. The flowers are lovely, and since other vines like clematis aren't really an option, as they are not hardy enough, this one is! So if you are looking for a climber, even to cover a trellis, this may be it! Keep on reading for some more photos, and give this minimal care beauty some consideration, I think I need another one!

Best Baby Toys For An Airplane Flight

I'll admit when my kids were babies I never considered that having some fun toys on hand to pass the hours in air might be a good idea, or maybe it was just that they were such good travelers that the toys and games idea was only necessary when they were well beyond the toddler years. This year we'll be traveling with an adorable 9 month old in our family group, and since one flight will be 14 hours long, I though it might be a good idea to research how to travel with a baby! I learned some really great tips, including bringing a bag of new toys they've never seen before, and make sure they have suctions cups to attach them to the window (a window seat is a huge plus) or at the least to the fold down tray do they don't end up on the floor all the time! Okay keep on reading for the condensed version of all the tips I learned, including the best baby toys for airplane travel!

Simple Striped Crochet Drawstring Pouch For Small Toys Pattern

I love crocheted drawstring pouches and especially using them as gift bags for children, and especially for Chanukah! This year though one of my art students quietly asked if I could crochet him something, so I ended up using up all the resulting yarn from unraveling a few never-worn scarves, to make crocheted draw string pouches. Three out of four were not like this one, but rather like the simple drawstring pouch I shared last week, though I do love the pattern that I made up for this one, and will surely use it again with different color combos, just as soon as I find my box of stash in the basement! (No buying yarn around here unless absolutely necessary, I need to use us whatever I have!) You can use this pattern to make a pouch in basically any size you like, just start with a circular base, crochet the body in rows of hdc, with a stripe in sc, a drawstring row in dc, and a picot stitch row as the trim! Got it? Not to worry, I've written up the pattern in this post, so keep on reading! Ah yes, and do invest some thought into the drawstring, (made from t-shirt yarn, ribbon, leather, etc.) it elevates this simple pouch to something fabulous!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks for joining me here! Summer is already flying by and I honestly don't know where the days go, as we seem to be in a time warp of sorts, with so many ups and downs and the nervous system is truly working overtime to help many of us deal with the stress, big sigh. I just finished painting a bunch of 30 egg egg carton flats in order to make some tissue paper collage egg carton flowers with my 4th grade boy students tomorrow, though I have yet to actually make the example, so running of to do that! Enjoy the features from last week's party and just by the way, this week I realized that with just some plyers you can take the spray nozzle off of any lovely glass perfume bottle, and then use that bottle, which I've always wanted to do. More on that another time, take care!

Giant White Phaelanopsis Grandifloris Blooms!

It just so happens that without any plan, my home has become a sanctuary for orchids that need some love, and my husband even brought me a new patient yesterday, though very happy to report that it is in great shape, just after blooming and needs the right attention for a re-bloom. Some of the orchids that arrive to my orchid sanctuary are on their last legs, and some honestly I have not been able to save, but I'm trying all the tricks, truly. Last summer I got a box full or orchids, many of whom I had no idea what color their blooms would be, and this particular plant certainly surprised us with giant blooms, nearly twice the size of regular white phaelanopsis! I had no idea there was such an orchid, but yes indeed, there is, and it is called phaelanopsis grandifloris, known for its large white blooms. Since orchid blooms hang around for 3 or so months, this one has been bringing me lots of joy!