creative jewish mom

Fall In My Container Garden In Northern Israel

Yes, Fall is truly here at long last my kids have started wearing sweaters to school! Since the weather here is still quite mild, my container garden is looking nice and green, and in some cases even better than it did when subject to the intense summer heat. Above, my oribe gorge succulent gives me so much joy each year with its brilliant orange blooms! On account of some breakage as well as intentional propogation, I now have two pots full of this gorgeous plant, and I might add, two pots that can easily be brought into the house if the temperatures get any where near freezing!

This bougainvillea which took months to come back after last year's huge snow storm, is healthy and blooming in large clumps, and my 11 year old says it is his favorite plant, and I have to agree, can't get enough of bougainvillea! It does loose its leaves here in the winter, but come spring it starts blooming non- stop.

My faithful lemon tree now has around ten lemons which I will use to make organic Moroccan quick pickled lemons!

A new face in the container garden, Gaura, which was actually meant to be planted in garden project I've been working on in the neighborhood, but since that didn't happen before Rosh HaShana and the start of shemitta year in which all planting is forbidden here is Israel, I had no problem making a spot for this little beauty in my container garden.

After a very heavy pruning before Rosh HaShana, the white roses are looking lovely, and perfect for filling a vase for Shabbat!

My xmas cactus which bloomed so beautifully last December spent the summer outdoors in a shady spot, and I'm now anticipating some buds which will hopefully start forming soon, at which point I will move the plant indoors. If buds don't start forming in another few weeks, I'll bring the plant indoors and place it in a spot where it gets the long dark nights it needs in order to bloom.

And what is this? Well, while I was making purchases for a garden project nearby in September I couldn't resist adding this bougainvillea tree (dwarf as opposed to vine) to my collection. He looks a little lopsided at the moment on account of some breakage of limbs bringing him home, but all will hopefully be corrected come spring and new growth, and hopefully tons of blooms!

Bookworm Costume To Whip Up In One Night!

Last Purim my now eleven year old son agreed to dress up in a homemade bookworm costume, which is perfect for him as he truly eats books. We even have to limit his reading time if you can believe that! While I found very little good inspiration on the internet, I was fortunately able to come up with my own version which was super cute and relatively easy!

A Canary Costume With Crocheted Hat And Cape

Here it is dear readers, an original canary costume consisting of my crocheted canary beanie, my crocheted lacy cape and a sleeveless dress with felt scallops that was party sewn and partly hot glued! I made this costume for my daughter last Purim, and truthfully, harnassing that fall/winter need to crochet and using it to make a Purim costume seems like a great idea! (Of course that would not likely happen in our house as our inspiration always seems to be better under pressure, sigh.)

Of course a white feather boa and lace gloves were great accessories, and yes I was inspired by all those owl costumes out there, but my husband absolutely did not want his daughter dressing up like a bird of prey, so the canary costume idea was born!

Now the canary hat and cape are neatly packed away, waiting perhaps for the time when my daughter will have her own children to dress for Purim. And by that time I can guarantee you that she'll be able to whip up a much better dress than I did. The question is whether she'll be daring enough to cut up an old scalloped edged tablecloth as I did?

Crocheted Lacy Cape For Girls For A Costume Or Special Outfit!

A lacy crocheted cape could be the greatest gift for a little girl in your life, or possibly even part of a fun costume for someone near and dear, which is how this little cape was born! Last Purim as we brainstormed over costume ideas we came up with the idea of canary, creativejewishmom style of course. Meaning with lots of color and handmade details and some stretching of our abilities as well!

Crocheted Canary Beanie, For A Costume Or Just Because!

A crocheted beanie can be decorated in so many fun ways to use as part of a costume or to make cold weather dressing a little bit fun. Last Purim I crocheted a canary costume for my daughter and somehow did not have time to share it with you, not to mention that the timing just wasn't quite right. So I now introduce my crocheted canary beanie!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, a wonderful creative get together which spans the globe, thanks to all the wonderful crafters and bakers that contribute every week! Fall is certainly here, which means it truly is a wonderful time to get crafting, and in this case, crocheting! The following features from last week's party are sure to inspire, with something for everyone:

 A gorgeous knit village post office from ginx crafts, and a fun crocheted flower brooch from haak en maak.

 A perfect little drawstring crocheted pouch from Anna Simple crochet, and a simpy elegant pattern for a crocheted jar cover from Anne Marie.

A beautiful crocheted scarf using variegated yarn from lizzie bella, and  fabulous crocheted acorns from Anne Marie.

A crochet monster hat from domestic evolution, and fantastic tapestry crochet jar covers (tutoria) from pomenco.

 

A simple yet sweet crocheted collar from mara haakt, and basic crocheted beanie patterns in every size from eye love knots.

A rustic fall wreath with burlap from artistic endeavors, and a crocheted star pillow from howling at the moon.

Fun rock trolls from theres just one mommy, and how to bend and shape pvc pipe by family home and life. That is is for the features, what have you been up to?

Raised Garden Beds With Corrugated Metal Siding On The Sunshine Coast, BC

One of the highlights of our four night beach get-away on The Sunshine Coast, British Columbia (Canada) in a little cottage not far from Gibsons this past August, was walking by these glorious corrugated metal raised beds on our way to the beach!

The raised beds were the perfect solutuion for a backyard garden on a hill, and the effect is truly charming together with a classic yellow house. Truthfully raised beds certainl don't have to be this high, but this height sure does save one's back, and allows one to show off the beauty of plants that might not otherwise be appreciated viewed from the top!

 A mini green house and that pink wheel barrow also had me drooling a bit, and I promised myself to never forget this lovely idea just incase I ever have the opportunity to build some raised beds somewhere!

And the fact that the neighbors on the other side of the path also landscaped their yard with huge boulders and gorgeous landscaping certainly does make the whole picture quite idyllic! And yes, corrugated metal siding may not appeal to everyone, but I love how it spans industrial, vintage, farmhouse and modern styles quite nicely!

Crochet Yo-Yo Coverlet To Use Up Yarn Scraps!

When my mother gave me a bag filled with tiny balls of yarn scraps left over from my childhood crafting (gasp!) I instantly knew just the little crochet project that I would turn to to use up this bag of preciousness— the crochet yo you coverlet pattern, courtesy of Sarah London. And now that I have at long last woven in the ends of the tiny coverlet I have produced, I can share it with you. (Just please ignore the no so great photo quality, my good camera has been sent away for repairs.....) A little crocheted yo-yo coverlet like this one could be a wonderful little doll blanket, or a sweet wall hanging, or even a pillow cover! At the moment I'm enjoying it hanging from my little shelves filled with Matroyshka dolls!

Fabulous Public Sculpture In Vancouver, BC, and Jewish Wedding Rings!

Welcome to my mini tour of some of the fabulous works of public art that I enjoyed viewing while walking around the waterfront areas of Vancouver, BC. The "digital orca" sculpture above was created by the Canadian artist and designer Douglas Coupland was designed to commemorate the workers in and around Burrard Inlet and Coal Harbour. The stunning backdrop of the harbour and Rocky Mountains is a perfect contrast to this modern piece which truly took my breath away!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! I hope you all are well, and looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to! Here are the features from last week's little get together:

A fantastic knit "village shop" from Ginx craft, and a wonderful collection of free fall crochet patterns from Anne Marie.

A fun headphone chord cover from silicone rubber bands from Joy Jonne, and a crocheted granny tote from homemade at my place.

 Rainbow loom bracelets and a super cute chick from Ginx craft.

A simple crocheted camera strap that looks fabulous from Lanas De Anna, and some chunky crocheted hats from Mara Maakt.

And two crafting techniques that could be used in so many ways! Cut paper silhouette from art club, and amazing raised details with hot glue from artistic endeavors.

That is it for the features, what have you been up to?