creative jewish mom

Loom Pot Holder Cat Rattle Using Recycled Tights!

 Yes dear readers, you can indeed make pot holders on a simple pot holder loom using loops made from recycled tights! And with winter around the corner, so I'm quite sure that many of you will have some tights that could be used for crafting as opposed to tossing them! A while back we made pot holders from t-shirt sleeves, which also works quite well, though the loops from the tights are much easier to work with.

The results are such that there's a black face and a white face, and one could certainly make a face on both sides, though we left the back blank.

You'll Need:

• recycled tights, black and white
• stuffing, one can use the top part of the tights
• needle and sturdy thread
• little bells, optional
• pot holder loops or thick yarn for the details

How To:

1. Cut the legs of your tights into loops, about 1 inch wide, though experiment to see what works the best according to the thickness of the tights you're using. Loops, meaning simply cut across the width of the tights, which results in loops, got it?
2. Weave a potholder with the loom set up according to the photo at the bottom of the post here.
3. Remove potholder from loom and add face details. I cut open some purchased pot holder loops and used a crochet hook to weave them into the potholder in the design desired. You could also use thick yarn and a needle
4. Fold pot holder in half on the diagonal and start sewing it closed, part way through, place small bells in the ears and stuff, before closing completely.
5. Give to your favorite baby or cat, or use as a fun little ornament, maybe hung at the end of a cord with beads knotted on the cord and a little bell underneath the cat?
6. Now you'll never look at a pair of tights in the same way again, and runs and holes won't be so very frustrating! Crafting really can change your outlook on life, enjoy.

And to give credit where credit is due, the idea for making a cat from a pot holder made from store bought pot holder loops came from the booklet that came with our loom, manufactured by Provo Crafts.

 

Paper Mache Dragons From Recycled Materials

Aren't these paper mache dragons from recycled materials just fabulous? And while of course this is a great craft for kids, these were actually made by student teachers at Marjon University Plymouth in the UK, which is probably why they're so good! Not that teenagers couldn't produce some creatures like this, they certainly could!

 Love the idea of hanging paper mache creatures......

 My boys would love to make a scary one like this I'm quite sure!

 I think I love this orange one most of all.......

Though this winged dragon is pretty great too! And now I'll tell you an interesting little story about how these photos came to be on my blog, are you ready?

My daughter and I were riding the train from Girona, Spain to Barcelona, Spain, and there happened to be a women sitting next to me reading a book in English. Taking note of that, I tried to speak to my daughter mostly in hebrew for a little privacy. Though I guess we fell into English as well, prompting the woman to say at one point "oh you're speaking three languages!" I smiled and told her we were only speaking two, and that was the start of a very inspiring conversation, in which I learned about Lindsay and her very interesting life of traveling half the year and running a luxury yurt resort in Cornwall, England the other half of the year! It was one of those conversations that was just meant to be and it turns out she also has a jewish friend who just got married and is starting to keep a kosher kitchen and could certainly use lots of my recipes and tips! So of the two business cards with my blog address that I had in my wallet, one went to Lindsay.

After the trip I emailed Lindsay, and while we won't be in touch for a while as she's off to some very remote places in South East Asia, (and to lend a hand to a friend that has a half-way house to help young women get off the street) she took a few minutes to share these photos with me.

And that my friends is in my opinion a lovely story of two women connecting over a love for creativity and bringing good into the world, each in her own way!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! The inspirational linky party with contributors last week from Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Jakarta, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, Canada, The United States, Guatemala, Sweden, The UK, Slovenia and Japan!  I know there are a few more places that I couldn't figure out, so if I missed you, please let me know! Pretty great I think! 

And now for the features, so many great projects last week thanks to you all!

Design megillah made these great napkins for Chanukah, and Red Ted Art made this great wrapping paper with potato prints, another great holiday idea!

Mini eco's little gift container is just adorable, and love  this bright granny square pillow and especially the back from home made at my place.

Michele made me finished her hexagon quilt top, and it's amazing, and mormors glamour made this great modern necklace with wooden beads and ribbon.

Love these knit hats from Lanas & Hilos, and this cozy crocheted scarf from estrea chikitu.

Modeling clay leaves from ten little lucky, and a window catcher from Red Ted Art are both great fall crafts.

A fabulous idea from the cardboard collective: Did you know that you can use corrugated cardboard like a felt board by using little shapes also from corrugated cardboard that interlock with the base? And a really great idea that's right up the same alley, is the fantastic gourd faces project using your child's features from craftiments. That's all for now, what's been going on at your place this week? 

Antoni Gaudi's Casa Mila, Part 2....Period Apartment Tour

I really truly fell in love with the interiors of Antoni Gaudi's Casa Mila in Barcelona, completed in 1912. And I was having an interesting deja vu of sorts that was a cross between memories of my paternal grandmother (who had fabulous taste and loved antiques) and my pre-war apartment on the Upper West side in Manhattan, pre-life in Israel! Oh and that artwork wasn't a period poster when this apartment was designed, that's how women dressed then! Love that double chair designed by Gaudi, and the custom carved door trim.

The back hall, has wonderful light, and was one of my favorite areas of the apartment that's open for a look around, when you pay the entrance fee to the building.

And from that back hall one can experience the roof garden, at least on the higher floors.

 Love the patchwork marble floors and all that custom design.

The dining room, which by today's standard is a bit small for such an elegant apartment, guess they didn't entertain much!

Looking into the dining room from the sitting room.......

.......and the view looking over the elegant avenue of  Passeig De Gracia from the sitting room.

When we entered the kitchen, which is relatively plain compared to the rest of the apartment, we suddenly realized how very old this apartment actually is!

 Look at those tiny taps, and they didn't have paper plates then!

 A view into the child's room.......

 ......the maid's room nearby........

....and the sewing room, where there was quite a lot of work to be done maintaining the home's linens and the mistress of the house's elaborate clothing! That's it for my little tour of Casa Mila, do visit yourself if you have the chance!

You can see the roof garden and other areas of Casa Mila in my previous post here. Lots more Barcelona photos to come, over the next several weeks, so stay tuned!

Antoni Gaudi's Casa Mila, Part 1....The Entrance and Amazing Roof Garden

On my trip to Barcelona, on the very last day, just hours before we needed to be at airport, my daughter and I hopped on the metro and went to spend our last moments in Barcelona at Casa Mila, designed as a luxury apartment building that's one of architect Antoni Gaudi's masterpieces, finished in 1912. I'll admit, from the outside the building looks interesting, but a little drab, so we almost didn't take the time to visit......fortunately we had second thoughts and boy am I glad......it's an amazing work of art, definately worth the visit, and one of the highlights of our trip!

I don't know what this mezzanine space was originally, but now it's a very unique cafe....called La Pedrera Cafe.  No, I didn't eat there, just popped my head in to check it out, on a previous day when we were walking by. Casa Mila actually has two names, the second one being La Pedrera.

The stunning entry doors......a design sensibility that looks like something you might see newly constructed today.

 An entrance to an apartment in the courtyard.....check out that banister!

 The interior courtyard which allows all the apartments to have light and air from two sides.

The stunning and very sculptural roof garden, not to be missed! Originally there were no fences, which is a scary thought, guess the residents didn't take their kids up there!

 The sculptures on the roof aren't randomly placed, they actually mark the stair wells, and smoke stacks.

 If we had payed the admission fee to only visit the roof, it would have been worth it.....

....... a truly special experience......

.........and a great view of Barcelona! That's the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya on Mont Juic hill in the distance, and do you see Santiago Calatrava's communications tower? That is a part of the Olympic Village from the 1992 summer olympics.

Looking in the opposite direction one sees the green hills of Barcelona.......home to Park Guell, another amazing Gaudi masterpiece that I'll be sharing with you too!

And looking towards the ocean and the new part of town, there's architect Jean Nouvel's Agbar Tower, completed in 2005, and marking the gateway to the technological district of the city.

That's it for now, stay tuned for part two, coming soon!

Fabulous Crocheted Corset Style Vest For Girls

Photos courtesy of Alla Koval at mylittlecitygirl.com

A little over a year ago I crocheted this fabulous corset style vest for my daughter, only my version in pink. I never got around to photographing it and sharing it with you, and now it's too small on her!  So when I came across the pattern once again today, I figured I'd share it with you, using the original photos from the pattern's designer.

Out & About In The Galil, Israel

Before I start posting some more photos of my recent adventures in Barcelona, I though I'd give you a little slice of life here in Northern Israel. For those of you who imagine Israel to be a desert country, filled with sand and camels, well there are places like that, but where I live, not far from the Lebanese border (a scary thought, so lets not dwell on that....)  the typography is somewhat similar to Northern California, where I grew up! I love the mountains and rolling hills, and the golden hued fields in the Fall. 

I've always loved dusty farm roads, like this one......where are my cowboy boots, anyway?

 Whoops, the wind sheild sure is dirty, though can't get enough of the gorgeous vistas like this one.

Beautiful, right? It could very well be middle America, but it's not, it's a little country called Israel that despite it's size seems to attract a whole lot of attention! When I got back in the car after taking this shot, my husband asked me "what do you see that I don't see?"

 I love driving on this section of highway not far from the town of Carmiel.......

......out and about, even with a dirty wind shield is a wonderful thing.

Canvas Embroidery Is Great For Boys!

Simple embroidery on canvas is a great little project to have on hand to work on here and there for kids of all ages, and I'm especially loving that my boys ages 7 and 9 each have a little canvas in progress. I'll be honest, it makes me so very happy to see them sitting on the couch listening to a CD and embroidering away. Projects like these while not exactly creative are a great exercise in patience and persistence and the joys of crossing the finishing line!

My seven year old, just has the background to complete, while my nine year old (who is usually not interested in crafting, but was inspired by his brother) just started his. As the weather starts to get colder and darkness descends quite early, I'm fairly certain that these little embroidered works will actually get finished, and then framed to hang in their room. 

And yes, of course, one could certainly buy canvas and draw your own design with permanent markers, (which I'd love to do of course) but sometimes a craft kit is the wiser way to go, right? Life is about doing not thinking about doing, which means sometimes taking the short cut is the way to go! Gotta run, busy busy busy!

Funny or Frightening Purim Costume Idea For Long Hair!

If you have a daughter with long hair, that's thinking of cutting her hair, as is my daughter, then you may just want to suggest that she hold out until after Purim! This spooky/funny/altogether head-turning costume idea of course only works with quite long hair, the only question is, what is the costume? Not sure myself.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was packed with amazing craftiness from bloggers from around the world, you know places like these: Australia, The UK, Hungary, Romania, Jakarta, Canada, The United States, Slovenia, The Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Guatemala and maybe more that I missed? So many amazing projects that I just couldn't limit myself to my self imposed limit of ten, sure is good to be the boss around here! And now for those features:

 

Love these marbled envelopes that minieco made using marbling paint, a product I'd love to try. And mich in L.A. made this fabulous pendant also using a product I'd like to try, glass paint that you bake in the oven!

Love these upcycling crafts: beautiful sweater sleeve pot cosy from family chic, and a cheerful t-shirt yarn rug from impatiently crafting.

My boys sure would love a crocheted web like this one from estrea chikitu, and love these simple paper spiders from Alessia.

I was just thinking I should make some bean bags for my kids for Chanukah, and here they are from crafiments. And speaking of sewing love these reversible capes from serving pink lemonade.

This adorable snowman cap from repeat crafter me is a keeper, and she share the pattern too! And after the kids come in from the cold, why not let them play hop skotch on the living room floor, from crumbfactory.

Love these fingerless crocheted gloves (with pattern) from hannicraft, and lanas and hilos now has me completely inspired to get back into some knitting, with these sweet knit baby hats.

An accordian book with craft foam covers from The Crafty Crow is a perfect project for a large group, and love these glow in the dark rock eyes from red ted art. Gotta get some of that glow in the dark paint, my kids will love this. 

And now, you may just be getting a little hungry after all those amazing features, so here's a little something for your sweet tooth: an adorable owl cupcake from life at the zoo, and an elegant pastry wrapped pear from familylovehome.

That's all for now, looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!