creative jewish mom

My Travels To The Ukraine

In light of all the absurd and very disturbing things happening right now in the Ukraine, and the fact that it looks like my beloved city of Kyiv is about to captured by the Russians, I thought I'd point out that I have been 3 times and have shared quite a few photos of my favorite locations which I recommend reading here. The Jewish people have a 1,000 plus year history in the Ukraine, my grandfather was from Kyiv, and we remember the tragedies of many pograms that wiped out tens of thousands even before the mass massacre of the unbelievable number of 1 million jews, just in the Ukraine. I am very sad to report that that was possible because of the the great participation and willingness by many Ukranians to help the Nazis. So it is true, there are so many mixed emotions when visiting a place that has both hugely rich Jewish history, and unfathomable tragedy. Today I send my prayers to all those in the Ukraine, because human life is precious.

In case you missed the link to my posts on the Ukraine, it is right here.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With summer in full swing, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, now is a great time to get creative, whether indoors or out, with family, friends, or as a break for yourself? Try something new that you can take along on a trip like embroidery or a sketchbook practice and encourage others to do the same! And as I always say, summer is the perfect time to make succah decorations, or holiday gifts! Okay, lets take a look at the features from last week's party!

Great Gift Ideas For New Parents

Mazal Tov, its a new baby! Every birth is a miracle and such a joyful time for everyone, though of course bringing a tiny new baby home, and then caring for that baby, can be a very great challenge, especially with the first born, when the whole process is brand new. Family and friends will run to buy gifts for the baby, or even ask what they can contribute, so in most cases the needs of the baby are covered. I propose focusing your attention on the new parents and anything that they might need to help them transition into the joy of parenting a new addition to the family. There are so many things the new parents could use, from actual help, to gifts or gift certificates you can send from afar. If you have a close and trusting relationship with the new parents, ask them if they need any help regarding financial advice, filing taxes or government forms, or moves they might want to make to financially protect their child meaning even considering life insurance. (Do wait until the parents are not totally sleep deprived to have this kind of discussion!) Okay, there really are so many ways to help new parents, lets take a closer look!

How To Plan a Family-Friendly Vacation in San Diego

The sunny California coast is truly an amazing destination for a family vacation. With a gorgeous climate, beautiful beaches, exciting, kid-friendly attractions, and a laid-back and relaxed vibe, California really has it all. Whlle I was born and raised in Northern Calfiornia, so I'm admittedly partial to that part of the state, if I had to venture south, San Diego would be one of my top choices.

And of course, for those seeking attractions that are family-friendly, San Diego delivers. The practically perfect weather all year round, combined with tourist experiences, summer events and festivals galore that cater directly to little ones, make it a great choice for a family-friendly vacation.

So if you are planning a cruise from California and want to pack in a few great kid-friendly experiences first, or if you are looking for a destination for your summer vacation with the family, here are some of the best family-friendly options that San Diego has to offer. 

A Visit To Kerem Ben Zimra, Northern Israel

Last shabbat my husband and I had the chance to go away, just the two of us, and at long last we spent Shabbat in Kerem Ben Zimra, just a 20 or so minute drive from our home, but a special place indeed, with gorgeous sweeping views of the surrounding hills and mountains, and the real feeling of peace and quiet! My priority of course was to rent a place that had a great view for me to sketch, together with a quiet spot to enjoy the view outdoors, and I found it! All the photos I'm sharing here are from the yard of the vacation rental, and it was such a pleasure to just gaze at the gorgeous orchards, and watch the fabulous sunset. My heart longs for more, so we will certainly visit again!

Artists Who Painted The View From Their Window

If you are an art history buff, or have followed museum exhibitions and/or careers of famous painters, you may or may not be aware, that many of them were inspired to paint the view from their studio window, or maybe the view from their lodging window. To most of us, this of course makes total sense, but I don't think that artists before say 1850, or so, would have dreamed of painting something so "mundane" gasp! And if they did, it certainly would not have included the not so attractive roof scene that Van Gogh dared to capture, for example! Van Gogh did it, Cezanne did it, Matisse did it, Pissarro did it, Diebenkorn did it, just for starters, so I think that is more than enough proof that those of us interested in developing our art should also do it!

Why am I writing about this now? Because friends, I have started a challenge on Instagram called #sketchfrommywindow which got me thinking about all the artists who did just that! Of course, I'm sharing here paintings, not loose sketches, but I'm hoping, at least in my case, that the sketches I'm working hard to create at least several days a week (and that are not all that loose at the moment) will indeed lead to paintings! So lets take a look at just a few of famous artists whose work is truly a great inspiration, shall we? And if you are not on instagram, but would like to join the challenge, just write to me (studio8@013net.net) and I could start posting contributions right here on the blog!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I'm writing this on Friday morning and rushing to finish a pile of dishes in the sink and all the fridge parts that I disassembled to really clean, because, husband and I are going away for shabbat! This happens infrequently due to kids and guests, but yes, that nearby agricultural village is calling us. I hope to take lots of photos to share the gorgeous hilly location right near the border of Lebanon, but mostly I'm packing my sketchbook and supplies to sketch the view! Enjoy the features from last week's party!

Simple Strawberry Cake Topper In A Pinch!

When your sweet 17 year old son isn't home for his actual birthday, but arrives home a few weeks later, for shabbat, then you certainly need to surprise him with a cake and some quick birthday decor, right? And of course you need to put up the decorations secretly, and then get the guests to sing happy birthday, right? It is true, I did know I needed to get some decorations together, but was in the middle of quite a few things, and really left it to the last minute. Fortunately, I do of course have lots of decorations on hand, and the water color strawberries that I made back in 2015, and that I'd used multiple times, seemed perfect to dedicate to this particular birthday, by adding some lettering to them, and phew, one giant strawberry made a cute cake topper! Sometimes something as simple as a watercolor strawberry can truly save the day, so keep this idea in mind, or better yet, paint some strawberries to have on hand, because you never know when you might need one! Keep on reading for complete instructions!

How To Paint An Artful Watercolor Strawberry

Friends, this painted watercolor strawberry tutorial is from way back in 2015, but since I just used the strawberries for the last time (since I wrote my son's name and age on them) 7 years later and they still look great, I thought I'd revisit this fun craft. Make a bushel of strawberries, cut them out and use them as garlands or cake or cupcake toppers, gift tags, you name it! And best of all, they keep really well, you know in that box of little pieces of art that you can use in a pinch for party decor! Here is the text from the original post:

Isn't this watercolor strawberry portrait just the greatest? While I though at the time that she wasn't really putting her mind to this little painting session, in the end her unstudied strawberry turned out to be the best of all. Isn't it great when your kids out-do you?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We had a wonderful Shavuot holiday, and now, summer is under way, which means, yes of course, time to take those creative activities up a notch, right? Get outdoors, collect items from nature, do something messy, like mosaic, or even learn something new. Think about craft activities for travel, for in the car or on the plane, or just start drawing, plain and simple! Spending time off the screen doing something creative is the best vacation of all, so go for it! And now for the features from the party 2 weeks ago, enjoy!

Craft Schooling Sunday Resumes Next Week: Today Is The Jewish Holiday Of Shavuot!

Thanks so much for stopping by, we are now in the middle of celebrating the festive Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which starts Saturday night and ends Sunday night in Israel, and Monday night elsewhere, so Craft Schooling Sunday will take a holiday break and resume next week.