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.

Watercolor Pomegranates Card Craft

We are ushering in the wonderful holiday of Sukkot tomorrow night, and I am still crafting (of course) so you may also be in need of a sweet way to make some holiday cards or placecards? My daughter made this for me as a Rosh HaShana card, and it is just so sweet I had to share it with you! A branch of apples and pomegranates could work for Succot, or even Tu B'Shevat, the new year for fruit bearing trees, so if you don't have time for it now, keep it in mind! I love the little touch of gold leaf, right?

Okay, lets get started on this, time is of the essence!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With an amazing Yom Kippur now under out belts, building and decorating the succah is the next task at hand as well as cooking for shabbat with guests, and cooking for 7 days of Succot and 1 day of Simchat Torah, phew! Fortunately, I already cooked most of the main dishes for many meals and there are a bunch of Moroccan salads, also frozen, and ready to go, because Sunday will be Succah decoration day, something that is really really near and dear to my heart, so I don't want to miss out on that! I am recycling most of the decor from last year, which included some new statement pieces, so just need a few new touches, hopefully with something hopefully made from the dried pomegranates on branches that I shared here. Okay, writing this on Friday and running to get some pots on the stove and prepare for shabbat! And now for the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Golden Fig Leaf Garland

Golden fig leaf garlands, or golden leaf garlands of any kind of leaf are simple to whip up and look amazing. I choose to use fig and olive leaves for this garland to represent 2 of the 7 holy species, but you can of course do what works for you! Golden monstera leaves would look amazing as home decor, or party decor or in a child's room, right? But right now, of course we need to think about the succah and this is a relatively quick craft with great results, so get some heavy weight gold paper, or light weight gold cardboard, or some cereal box cardboard that you'll paint, and get to work! That empty wall in your succah could use a few of these garlands, and voila, you'll be so happy you spent the extra effort! Okay, lets do this! (Please excuse the grainy photos, this craft is from way back in 2013, when my photograph skills were less developed!)

Upcycled Calender Starburst Wall Decor, For the Succah?

I just fingered last year's calender and thought I'd save it as scrap paper. What is happening to me? Scrap paper, no, craft paper! Hmmm, I guess that is what happens when you start to focus on art rather than craft, but not to worry, I've straightened myself out and am now thinking origami with the old calender, phew. So, I am reposting this because it is a goodie!

I'll be the first to admit, crafts for Yom Kippur are rarely something I've had time for, as the holiday occurs just four days before Succot, for which I am crafting up a storm. That said, this year I am mending my ways and trying to post at least a few simple ideas for the holiday, as after all, every holiday deserves crafts right? This year I decided to try out some simple recycling craft techniques by creating a few things for Yom Kippur, and I'll be using those same techniques for Succah decorations as well. That is the plan anyway, but I just never know how things will go, as you know once the creative gears get turning, well there is no stopping them!

We are now at the beginning of the new Jewish year, so that means that recycling last year's calendar is not only perfect because well, obviously that calendar is no longer of use, but also because we are now in the period in which we making amends for all the things that didn't go so well last year, as well as giving thanks for all the things that did go well. The completion of a year, and the beginning of new one certainly means that using that old calendar for any recycling craft is meaninful and practical!

Ready to get started? Here we go:

A Round Up Of Recycling Crafts For Yom Kippur

I just dusted this off after pulling it from the archives, enjoy!

Yom Kippur starts on Wednesday night, so now is the time to honor the holiday with some simple recycling crafts! It is true, that if you are building a succah, crafting time might be more well spent on making succah decorations, but if you are among those that travel to family for Succot, then why not make some Yom Kippur crafts? And, two out of the four crafts I've presented here can also be used in the Succah, so with time of the essence, lets get crafting!

Nature Crafts For The Succah!

The wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot is on our doorstep, and quickly sneaking up on us, so there is no time like the present to delve into Succah decorations! I very fortunately came across these dried pomegranite branches a few weeks ago in Meron, and to husband's chagrin filled the trunk with them! Of course they look gorgeous as is, but the leaves make a huge mess, and my succah is Moroccan style elegantish, so I'll be doing something with these branches, like painting them gold and leaving the pomegranites as is. Hmmm, but how exactly will they become succah wall art? Your guess is a good as mine, but offering you these photos as inspiration for your own succah decor adventures. It is true, I am no stranger to collecting sticks and branches and making things from them, so I've decided that this week we'll delve into nature crafts for the succah! In the mean time, keep on reading for some links to previous succah crafts using branches and twigs and even some leaves! Take a deep breath and let's get started! (Yes, I know, so much to do, but it will all get done, promise!)

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to craft schooling Sunday, and wishing you a shanah tovah and a healthy, productive, creative year full of blessings! I am rushing to finish this with still lots of preparation for shabbat calling my name, so lets just say that it looks like picking up a crochet hook right about now sure would be a great idea, look at all the amazing projects from last week's party! Okay, gotta run, thakns so much for joining me here!

Embracing The New Year By Moving on From Loss

I wrote this before Rosh HaShana, but did not have time to post it with all the holiday preparations, so I'm posting it now, post holiday, at a time that seems more appropriate for the topic as well.

 

Tonight we usher in the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, so while there is still so much to do, I'm taking this time to reflect on the past year, together with you. Phew, another year under our belts, a difficult year for the world, and a personally difficult year for most. Who would have ever imagined something like the pandemic in this modern age? And yet that is where we find ourselves, and so there is really no choice except to choose life and to choose to live our best lives. I am very very grateful to not have lost any family, loved ones, friends, or even community members to COVID, and yet that is not the case in most Jewish communities, especially in large communities like New York, where there were many many losses. Sigh. In the Jewish religion we grieve with a 7 day period called Shiva, and then either a 3 month or one year period of extended mourning, (depending on your relationship to the deceased) but that is only for direct family members and it does leave everyone else with less of a framework for grief. It is true, that visiting the Shiva house for the seven days of mourning greatly helps those who attend, though what else can we do? Ending the year with a sad post may seem like a strange way to wish you all a happy new year, but on the other hand by talking about it, by addressing it and even acknowledging losses and disappointments from the past year that did not involve death, we are able to welcome the new year with a clean slate and renewed energy! Okay, time is of the essence, lets move on......with some important information about how to overcome loss and grief.

 

An Amazing Succulent: Rock Purslane

I love gardens and all things botanical and I am always on the lookout for interesting plants and great garden design, where ever our travels take us! The love for all things drought tolerant is particularly strong in California, by necessity, but also because so many of the drought tolerant species are just downright wonderful. I thought I was somewhat well versed regarding succulents, but apparently not, as an amazing succulent called Rock Purslane, somehow flew under my radar, has now come to my attention and wow, wow, wow! Look at those amazing vibrant pink flowers on tall stalks! I'm sold, of course we are now in the shemittah year here in Israel, meaning no new additions to my garden anytime soon, but I can dream! The really really amazing thing is that the leaves of the Rock Purslane look almost identical to the leaves of the Oribe Gorge succulent that is a part of my container garden, check it out here.

The Pacifica Pier At Sunset

Our week in Pacifica, California this past summer was truly a delight, and I still can't believe I was never there! We simply passed it by so so many times on our way to somewhere further away!

I have shared with you the Mori Point Hike, The Sharp Park Beach, and the the Sharp Park Beach birds, and now drum roll, the Pacifica pier! While there are two sides of Pacifica, the decidedly less fancy and more layed back side is the side where the pier is located, and we were just a 5 or so minute walk from it. The pier was mostly packed with folks fishing for sea life of some kind, and the views of Pacifica from the pier, especially at sunset, were really stunning! Come lets take a little walk down the pier, shall we?