creative jewish mom

Crocheted Rag Rug From Sheets In Progress!

At long last we're back into the crafting, and a crocheted rag rug is in the works! I always find that after a creativity/craft free hiatus, the first thing I always grab is a crochet hook, (in this case a 9mm hook) especially a chunky one that will help me make something fast! So those balls of sheet yarn that I made before Passover and posted about here, have finally come to use. Now the problem is I need some more sheets to continue this rug, as these rugs require really quite a few sheets. This one now measures 75 cm acrosss, and I've already gone through about six twin sheets and two pillowcase! Yes my friends, those last three purple rows (just inside of the two blue rows) used up one entire twin fitted sheet! I guess I'm gonna go see what else I can find in my linen closet......since I'm planning on a rug that measures about 100cm or even 120cm across. If you ever come across king sized comforter covers, those are the perfect size for making yarn and using towards the end of your rug to get at least a few good rows in one color!

Now I should add, that with the exception of the row of solid orange, all the sheets used here were very thin polyester (or something) sheets so this rug is quite a bit lighter than the last one I made with cotton sheets. One word of caution when using a variety of sheets, make sure to rip (or cut) the thicker sheets into much thinner yarn, or it becomes way too difficult to crochet with using the same size hook as with the thinner sheets. This happened to me and I had to tear out part of my work. Not to worry, it was only part of a row.

That's all for now, I'll let you know when the rug is finished, though once it starts to get on the big side it one row around takes forever, so no promises on when I'll make it to the end. Not to discourage you, crocheting rag rugs is a great way to up-cycle old sheets and make a fun machine washable rug for any room!

For some more inspiration take a look at the crocheted rag rug I posted about here, and start telling your friends to save you their old sheets!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week we had contributors from Spain, Portugal, The United States, Macedonia, Singapore, Guatemala, South Africa, The United Kingdom, Hungary, Australia, The Netherlands, Israel, Romania and maybe more! As always it is such a pleasure to connect with you all! I still haven't quite gotten back into the crafting mode after the Passover holiday, so I'm so very grateful to all of you for sending this wonderful inspiration my way as well! And now for the features from last week's party:

Family chic lined her wire planter with a burlap coffee sack, a great alternative to purchasing the coconut fiber versions that may not even fit your planter, and repeat crafter me crocheted this adorable birthday hat and bunting banner, as props for the photos, and it was as you can see a big success!

This paper mache earth from mama's little muse is wonderful, as are these Japanese paper doll book marks from Sandy's Space, complete with a downloadable template, I could see using these in so many ways, can't you?

This star burst mirror by creative mind made from baby formula spoons is fabulous, and I just love this little felt counting book, once again by repeat crafter me!

Mich in L.A. has apparently started sewing, and watch out, she made this fun lariat bracelet from tennis racket grip! And this little house keychain from Arriba En El Desvan is just too cute!

Painted can planters are a great project anytime, from Bark's blog, and don't miss this great post from Se7en about getting kids in the craftying/creative groove, and take it from me, she's an expert!

And last of all, a little roundup up of some super cute crafting ideas using walnut shells, from little lucky. that's all for now, have a great week and looking forward to seeing what you've been up to. I hope to get back to some crafting soon!

Schlissel Challah, Key Shaped Bread Baked After Passover

There is a custom amongst Ashkenazi Jews to make challahs in the shape of keys the first Shabbat after Passover. You can read more about this custom in my previous posts here. Now, while I had planned to do this in preparations for the first Shabbat after Passover, I just couldn't find my mixer, though I'll admit I didn't really look all that hard. You see my husband was away and I was making a very simple Shabbat for just me and three little ones......you got the picture right? So, now that the husband is back and I have located the mixer, I figured I'd make key shaped challah for this shabbat, after all I'm only a week late, and better a bit late than never I figure! 

This time rather than make a huge key, I made three smaller key shaped loaves together with three six-stranded braided challahs from 2 kilos of flour. Lucky for you now that Shabbat doesn't start until 7pm, I have much more time to spoil you all with photos of what's going on around here even on a Friday!

In just a bit I will brush on some raw egg and maybe sprinkle some sesame seeds, well at least on the braided loaves, and into the oven they go. I think I will be taking a little nap just as they come out of the oven, so no promises for an after photo, we'll just have to see!

Note: If you want to make key shaped rolls that will really hold their shape, so make them from something that rises much less than white challah, you know like whole wheat challah, or half whole wheat and half spelt......great looking, delicious and certainly the most healthy version. Shabbat shalom!

Latest breaking news: Here are the challahs baked and ready to be eaten. They were delicious!

This is the very top loaf from the photo of the unbaked challah, and the next photo shows the other two slightly smaller ones:

And by the way, if you'd like to make some delicious white challah too, here's my recipe, and while you're at it, check out this previous post about decorating your challahs!

Yeast Free Spelt Rolls

Eating spelt instead of wheat and avoiding yeast altogether has helped many people with digestive problems as well as a myriad of other health problems. "You are what you eat", so hopefully all is well, but if you do decide to try some changes in your diet or need to suit the needs of a visitor, a few yeast-free, wheat free recipes are always great to have on on hand! And these little yeast-free spelt rolls are sure to please, since the yeast free spelt bread you'll find in the health food store is a dense little loaf that's pricey, and  honestly isn't all that delicious! And while I do plan to get into baking yeast free sour dough bread, that takes quite a bit of effort, so this little recipe which I came up with myself is doing the trick for the moment, until further notice!

These little rolls that look like muffins will please just about anybody who likes whole grain bread, and they are especially delicious toasted. Yesterday I had a nice little lunch which consisted of making open face sandwiches with some slices of goat cheese and delicious summer tomatoes. It was truly divine!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic spelt flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 apple, pureed in the blender, or 1/4 cup sugar free applesauce
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 1 envelope of Israeli baking powder, or 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (do not use more to get bigger rolls, they will taste terrible!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix, slowly adding water. The exact amount of water necessary varies depending on the flour you're using, but the end result should be something like a very thick pancake batter. Spoon batter into a silicone muffin tray or use cupcake liners in a metal muffin tray. Bake at 200 C for about 1/2 hour, or until lightly browned. Makes 12 rolls.

Dreaming Of A Cutting Garden......

Nothing can compare to the beauty of fresh flowers, and in my mind, nothing compares to the wonderful idea of casually fillings vases and bottles with flowers from your own garden. If I do have a little garden patch to call my own, I do think that I will dedicate the space to growing flowers for enjoying indoors. Rose bushes, well of course, but what I'm really talking about is that idea which is referred to as a cutting garden.

I really don't know too much about it, but from what I've seen the garden itself isn't necessarily gorgeous, it consists of a raised bed or area in the garden dedicated to growing flowers for cutting. Sounds great to me, what about you?

Oh, and the roses in this photo? My friend Batya, who also happens to be our local ceramicist and teacher, gave these to me from a climbing rose bush in her garden. Which got me thinking and dreaming once again. And as I write this I remind myself that I certainly don't have to wait for a cutting garden to enjoy flowers, I've got a container garden that's beckoning me to add some annuals to the mix. So however you can, do bring flowers into your life, they are one of life's very simplest pleasures!

Today We Remember Our Fallen Soldiers

Soldiers pray at the Western Wall, source here.

Today is Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day for our fallen soldiers. At every cemetary in the country families and friends and communities at large gather to mourn and to remember their children who gave their lives in the protection of our tiny country. A tiny country surrounded unfortunately by enemies and constantly at the center of world politics. A country who has no desire to conquer the world— a country that quite simply just wants to exist in peace not war. 

War and army enlistment and the very unfortunate reality of loosing loved ones in their army duty is a part of life here in Israel. While every family who has lost a son or daughter certainly mourns their loss every day, today this mourning and remembering will be done in a public way, with a national siren for two minutes of silence that is impossible to ignore, and in a way that hopefully we, together as a people, can help lift the burden of each family's loss. Today we try to fill this emptiness with gratitude and love, and a sincere desire for peace. Is it too much to hope that not even one more mother will have to bear the burden of sending her precious child off to war?

Note: In the United States, the reality is, that Memorial Day means a three day weekend and a "let the summer begin" attitude, with barbeques and relaxation for most of the population, who really have no connection to war and loosing loved ones. Unfortunate, but understandable, that's how I grew up. Most people, except those who do have a military background or family members who served recently, really never give the idea of the holiday much thought. Here in Israel where life is quite different, the day is a somber day of mourning.  

Klil HaChoresh (Judas Tree) In Bloom!

This spring due possibly to the large amount of rain we had this winter, the blooming trees have been particularly spectacular, and one in particular kept catching my eye during our week of outings during the Passover holiday. And since it was so particularly beautiful, I was very curious to know what kind of tree it was exactly. Now, I knew it couldn't be an almond tree, since almond blossums are white, and it didn't seem like a fruit tree either. All I knew is that I just couldn't stop oohing and ahhing over this gorgeous tree that seemed to pop up all over the place this year. "Look kids, look at the gorgeous pink flowers!"

 

Look how amazing this little wild tree looks amidst the forrest greenery!

Oh wow, and look at those blooms growing right out of the trunk, stunning!

And look at this row of trees planted on this gorgeous property on the Yishuv of Mitzpe Amouka (a must see if you're ever on the way to Amouka, the most gorgeous yishuv we've seen.)

Fortunately for me I did manage to take a closer look at this tree, noticing both heart shaped leaves and pods, which enabled me to identify it courtesy of Google as Klil HaChoresh or Judas tree. Yippee, I will certainly plant of few of these in my garden should I ever be blessed with some earth of my own.

For more info about this tree, and what it's called in the United States, keep on reading!

Garden Mosaic Art

I've got two more fabulous garden mosaic's to share with you dear readers, which is a good thing since I've been too busy with some design projects to actually do any crafting! You may remember the interesting garden mosaics that I posted photos of a few months ago here? Take a look again! Well truthfully I've been enjoying some more similar pieces of mosaic art just a few minutes from my home, and it wasn't until today that I finally passed by with camera in hand. And just a few months ago the front door of the home bearing the mosaics was open and a woman was in the door, so I asked her about the mosaics and she invited me in to see all of her work! And it was totally and perfectly the natural thing to do, after all we really are just one big family here in Israel. 

Isn't this amazing? This is really the first time I got a good look at it, having only gotten permission to enter the garden and take a closer look just a month ago when I met the owner. It turns out, that the artist took a ceramics class, and instead of making vases and containers like the teacher really wanted her to, she made flat pieces to use in her mosaic pieces, which are really quite creative and unique!   

This mosaic suddenly appeared near the artist's front door not long ago, and I am charmed every time I pass by. I'm thinking that maybe this is a direction that I should try with my ceramics explorations, though of course one I gather does have to have a bit of a vision in the first place.

I think one of the things I particularly love about these mosaics is their seemingly effortless composition, and the fact that they're not trying to be anything. Both were done on simple pieces of plywood and hung with nails. Creativity at it's best, without too much worrying about how or what, just do it!

Oh, and it turns out that the two women who have brought cheer to their little spots with mosaic, and live across town from one another are actually sister's in law! 

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last weeks's party was just packed with great projects from bloggers from places like Macedonia, Sweden, The United Kingdom, Singapore, India, The Netherlands, Japan, The United States, Australia, Hungary, and Guatamala! Of course I hope that some of you from other countries not yet represented will step forward and help us span the globe, and make my job of choosing the features even more difficult! This week I'm way over my limit, but I just couldn't omit any of these great projects! That's all for now, here are the features:

Love this little floral crown by domestic goddesque inspired by the Swedish midsummer festivities, and it  looks great paired with a project actually from Sweden, these sweet felt ball hot plates by pysellbolaget.

 This free form machine embroidered quilt square from Plum and June, was done by a nine year old! Isn't that amazing? And I just love these mod podged recycled  nut cans from Amy over at mod podge rocks.

Carolyn's homework took the idea of newpaper seed starter pots one step further, and this Norwegian yeast cake with cardamon spiced dough from Aisling Beatha looks and sounds amazing. While you're at it make a few and freeze the extras before they get gobbled up!

Can't stop making things is always creative and ingenious, and this hippo magnetic picture holder is no exception! Time to Craft shares this simply great idea of embellishing the back of an appliqued t-shirt with animal foot prints, love the quilt too!

Maya over at the little treasures has a great DIY for embroidering wine cork slices, and Pinterest project shared this wonderful idea for making mini stamps with pencil erasers.

Deceptively educational shared another great project, a plastic canvas and button planet map! And this idea for using marker caps to make a jump rope, from mama's little muse is of course one of my favorites!

And last of all, a little crochet to get you inspired: this sweet baby hat from hannicraft, and a simply adorable granny vase cover from Haakensmaak, who was also kind enough to translate the pattern from Dutch into English. That's all for now, what have you been up to?

Shlissel Challah Reminder!

Key shaped shlissel challah, photo sources here and here.

Dear readers, I hope you all had a wonderful Passover holiday! While I haven't quite gotten back into the crafting yet, creativity takes place in our home in so many ways, and so I did want to remind you that this week is the week that we make shlissel challah, the key shaped challah that is traditionally baked by Ashkenazi Jews the first Shabbat after Passover. I have yet to bake mine, and by the time that I do, and have a moment to post the photos, it may be too late for you to do the same, so I thought I'd just pass on the idea while there's still time to make it happen!

I'm happy to say that this will hopefully be my second year making actual challah in the shape of a key, as opposed to sticking a key under the challah (which it turns out could be very unhealthy due to lead in the keys.) You can see the results of my first effort last year here, and read a little more about this wonderful tradition.