creative jewish mom

Best Gifts for Your Father on His Birthday

Above: In our family Dad's birthday is celebrate together with a young family member, which makes it especially memorable, and DIY birthday crowns are always a part of the party!

My husband's birthday is coming up, on the first night of Chanukah, and fortunately for my kids I take care of all the planning as special birthday parties are something I love to do for my family. I don't think they quite realize how fortunate they are to have me at the helm devoting many hours to festive decorations, thoughtful gifts and in this case, an evening dedicated not just to Chanukah but also to two family birthdays! As with many aspects of life, when my kids have their own homes, and have to plan birthdays for their families, then they'll realize that honoring a loved one on a special day takes time and effort, and planning ahead.

Is your father's birthday coming up, and you realize now is the time to work on a plan of action? Not to worry, I've put together some ideas that will help you figure it all out, with your father's likes and dislikes in mind. Hopefully your father has been in your life, and a great source of love and support, in which case no present or party can ever repay him for all the sacrifices he has made for you, so the main thing is to express your appreciation by honoring him on his birthday, in a way that shows you've given the occasion thought and careful consideration. If unfortunately your father did not raise you or you've been through some rough patches in your relationship, a birthday is a great excuse to put aside hurt feelings and honor him in the same way you would if things had been more ideal, after all without him you wouldn't be here! Life is short, and truthfully we can never honor our parents enough. Whatever you choose, the main thing is to make your father feel loved and appreciated. So lets get to work and plan something special for Dad!

Three Ways To Propogate A ZZ Plant

If you are at all familiar with houseplant trends then you may know that one of the most popular houseplants is the plant affectionately referred to as ZZ. Because its name Zamioculcas zamiifolia is neither pronouncable nor memorable, and the plant is really too new on the houseplant scene to have earned itself a name like peace lily, wandering jew, mother in law's tongue, lucky bamboo, etc. so ZZ it is, and truthfully, ZZ is just fine for this wonderful and easy to care for plant, so lets just leave it at that!

So I am writing this article about the three ways to propogate a ZZ plant, because in repotting some of mine, surprise surprise, I also ended up doing some propogating, which means more ZZ plants in my little jungle, can't wait! While the ZZ plant is known to tolerate low light situations, my ZZ plant in a somewhat low light location started to fail, and I just couldn't believe that I, the houseplant enthusiast with a mini jungle in my living room was having trouble with one of the easiest plants to grow, or rather hardest plants to kill! After loosing most of its stalks, my ZZ plant was clearly suffering, so my last ditch effort, was to move it to a bright location, and guess what, within a few days the plant already had new sprouts, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. In my delight I decided to combine my very small ZZ plant, which has been doing fine, with this larger one, whose pot was looking quite empty, and while repotting I discovered a huge rhizome clump underneath the clump that was supporting the stalks of the plant, whaddaya know? That may have been why the plant wasn't doing well, or maybe because it wasn't doing well it cloned itself? We will never quite know, I'm just happy to have hopefully resolved the mystery of the failing ZZ plant, and now the next time I treat myself to a plant, ZZ it will be! Okay, lets get propogating!

DIY Rope Or Twine Wrapped Plant Pot

Since I've been talking about gardening this week I thought I'd share a super simple way to turn a basic plant pot, even a plastic one straight from the nursery, into a show stopper! If you are like me and you love houseplants, keeping them all in nice pots can be costly not to mention downright inconvenient, especially when you start getting interested in propogating, which results in even more plants! So regardless of your budget, this simple DIY twine wrapped pot is a great little trick to pull out of your sleeve when you want to make rustic centerpieces, give a plant gift, (to someone who may plant it outdoors) or spread the joy with all the baby plants you've created from cuttings! There are so many ways to go when it comes to making your plant collection look great, and sometimes that means adding a pot or two that are quite different from the rest. So, lets learn how to transform a simple pot into an ethnic/rustic/boho inspired one!

9 Easy DIY Snacks That Will Attract Birds to Your Garden​​​​​​​

With all the stress and uncertainty in the world right now cultivating simple activities that bring joy is a really great idea. Feeding birds and learning about the bird species that are local to your area is a great activity and exciting for kids as well as adults. Learning about what food will attract specific birds is also interesting, especially the first time you spot a new bird species feeding on food you've put out for him! And best of all, you really don't need a garden to feed birds, you just need a place to hang a bird feeder, or a DIY bird snack, preferably near a window so you can witness your little visitors. Birds have to look for food every day regardless of the season, so you can quite easily attract them to your garden by offering them a little something! With the right DIY snack in your bird feeder; you can attract a wide range of colorful and interesting birds to your garden, so lets learn how to prepare a variety of delicious bird snacks to feed the birds in your neck of the woods, it may just become your favorite hobby!

7 DIY Projects That Will Upgrade Your Garden This Fall

Fall is here and the cold season is approaching (well in some parts of the world anyway), it doesn’t mean that you have to ignore your garden entirely. The plants may be sleeping, or heading in that direction, and this time of the year, when temperatures are generally perfect for working outdoors, can be used to add some new and interesting touches to your outdoor areas. Winter passes quickly for most of us, and spring will be here sooner than you think, so why not start garden upgrades now, to enjoy once the weather warms up again? The garden is truly the best place to relax and have fun come spring, (or even year round, if you live in temperate zones) so spend some time nurturing the space that gives you so much joy, and consider an upgrade and get inspired by taking a look at the following 7 DIY projects to upgrade your garden this fall . Okay, lets get started!

Fun Activities to Do at Home During Quarantine

Covid-19 has played a significant role in how people interact, with businesses at a standstill, country borders closed and even no flights traversing the skies. Hugs and handshakes are no longer the norm, with government directives to avoid physical contact and stay at home. With schools closed, it can be quite a challenge keeping children holed up indoors, and for those used to busy schedules, running here and there It can get quite boring, especially with kids who seek more. As everyone has already learned, there have been many benefits to staying at home, including getting to really know our loved ones and bonding as a family, so let's try to make memories during this difficult time by keeping spirits high with fun ways to keep everyone engaged at home during the quarantine. I've compiled some ideas that might just be the answer to "what are we doing today?" So let's get started!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Fall is in full gear, whether or not the weather indicates that here in Northern Israel, but we are changing our clocks tonight, so the shorter days will certainly make it feel more like fall, which means more crafts, gearing up for Chanukah and gift giving season and maybe even a little crocheting, or possibly some sewing? But first, note to self, now is our time to really enjoy nature before the hopefully rainy season arrives, and I would really like to get outdoors with my sketchbook, something also not so comfortable in the summer! So wish me luck on that as I continue all my other crafty and painterly endeavors, and I do hope you are taking time to include creativity in your every day. Need a bit of inspiration? Look no further, the features from last week's party are full of great ideas to get you started, lets take a look!

10 Trendy DIY Craft Projects That Use A Vinyl Cutting Machine

If you love crafts and DIY projects of all kinds, as I do, then if you don't own an electronic cutting machine of some kind, like a Cricut or a Sillhouette, you've likely thought about it? I'll admit, I prefer creativity over cookie cutter projects, but the thing is, with an electronic cutting machine you can cut using SVG files created by others, or yourself, so rather than limiting creativity, a cutting machine can actually give you a sky is the limit kind of feeling, hmmm. This does sound amazing to me, not to mention that cutting machines can generally cut not just paper, but also cardboard, stencil plastic, vinyl, and felt, and in the case of specific high level cutting machines, wood and  metal as well. Additionally, when you pair a printer with an electronic cutting machine, and supplies catered to t-shirt designs or window decals, for example, your possibilities are beyond sky is the limit! One of the most popular materials used with cutting machines is vinyl, which is available in adhesive and heat transfer form, in solid colors or as printable sheets. The thing I'd do first if I had an electronic cutting machine is to design a line of custom vinyl wall stickers, or maybe some fun tote bags, or maybe a medallion for the middle of a tablecloth, or maybe a wall hanging or.........

Lets get better acquainted with how an electronic cutting machine can be a really useful part of your hobby or business by taking a look at 10 trendy DIY Craft Projects That Use A Vinyl Cutting Machine. And while we are at it, lets look into which vinyl cutter might be the best fit for our needs. Okay, buckle your seat belts folks and lets get started.......

DIY Ugly Holiday Sweater Cards To Make Now!

When I shared with you the splattered paint paper that I made to use for holiday crafting projects, I had no idea that I would be making an ugly holiday sweater card from my favorite piece! And that is one of the best parts of letting the art tell you what it wants to be, and the results of having a pile of abstract patterned paper to work with. I have been wanting to make an ugly chanukah sweater craft for a few years now, and last year while my holiday sweaters weren't ugly, they were HUGE, made from cardboard and pom poms and strung on a clothesline! So this year, since I am into the painting, the sweaters will hopefully be like this one, only quite a bit larger, and of course I'll let you in on all the fun that happens trying to make this idea reality!

In the mean time, with Chanukah roughly seven weeks away, now is a great time to make cards to send in the snail mail, as who wouldn't appreciate a little whimsical work of art to brighten their days right about now? So get out the paint and some heavy weight paper, or light weight cardboard, and lets make some fun and creative holiday sweater cards. Ready?

DIY Paint Splatter Paper For Holiday Crafting!

With Chanukah and gift giving season quickly approaching, now is a great time to have some fun making your own decorative paper for crafting! And while you are covering blank sheets of watercolor paper or mixed media paper with layers of colorful and messy drops, splatters and patterns, you may just learn a thing or two about abstract painting, and how colors work with one another, not to mention that putting paint to paper without a plan can be just downright relaxing and enjoyable! There are so many ways to use artful and vibrant painted paper like the sheets I've made here, and the main thing is not to get too hung up on how you'll use the paper, just make it and then based on the results the inspiration will come, hopefully. If not, you can always consult me for tips, and of course project ideas, which I'll be posting here, now that the topic is at hand. I already have one little project idea with the colorful square piece, now underway, which I'll share with you next, assuming it is shareable! Okay, lets get into the supplies you'll need and some tips for avoiding a huge mess!