creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, so happy to have you here! Last week's party was another huge one, gonna have to get more refreshments! Thanks so much for linking up your creativity here, just please do remember that this is a Jewish blog, so please no pork, shellfish or combos of milk and meat in those food contributions. Looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to, and now for the features from last week's party:

Fun crocheted napkins from estrea chikitu, (The Netherlands) and a gorgeous fall table from a pretty life in the suburbs (USA.)

 

 A pumpkin baby onsie from sparkling footsteps and another amazing fall table from Ella Claire (USA.)

Snowflake embroidery hoop art from suburble (USA), and adorable acorn hats from Julie is coco and cocoa (USA.)

 

Crocheted baby hoodie hat from school of scrap (Italy) and crocheted granny rattles from my crochet projects (Germany.)

No sew burlap gift bags from my peaceful planet (USA) and flocked beads with sharpie illustrations from mich in LA (USA.)

Upcycled globe from simply darrling (USA) with a message from and a refurbished desk from suburbie (USA.)

 

A fun satin fabric drawstring bag from threading my way, (Australia) and an arrow marquis craft from jessica priest (USA).

 A pumpkin chalkboard craft from living la vida holuka and a knit Dutch house clutch from Ginx craft.

Knit leg warmers with a sweet row of buttons from howling at the moon (The Netherlands), and a fabulous felted barn owl from time to craft (United Kingdom.)

Fall book page cards from Jessica Priest (USA) and glittered indian corn place cards from oh my creative (USA.)

Hanukkah Craft: Make Gorgeous Potato Print Wrapping Paper

I have a little secret for you, traditional potato print wrapping paper just moved up a notch with a new technique which I used to make this olive branch wrapping paper for Hanukkah! Check out my post right here on Houzz.com for complete instructions.

I have to say, I just love it, and while I have already cut it to use for the next step in this project, I had thought of hanging it on the wall as is.

Why olive branches for Hanukkah you may ask?, Why yes, of course, to remind us of the miracle of Hanukkah which is all about olive oil. And the holiday of Hanukkah is all about publicizing this miracle, so what better way to do it than with olive branch wrapping paper?

So if you are still reading, I'll mention it again,  check out my post right here on Houzz.com for complete instructions. And believe me, you'll want to make enough to last for years, it is so much fun with fantastic results!

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Crocheted Lampshade: Simple Crocheted Trim Transforms A Basic Lamp

A simple white lamp shade is transformed into an adorable decorative accent with the addition of some simple mini granny square crocheted trim! This crocheted lampshade trim project is the perfect way to add some color to any room, and to have fun crocheting with color combinations that you love. Not to mention that it is a great way to use up left overs, and would make a great holiday gift that has a touch of handmade that can be made in an evening.

My First Ever Patchwork Quilt (Baby) In Progress!

Drum roll please, after years and years and years of wanting to make some quilts and of course even purchasing fabric, I have a long last made progress with this little dream: introducing my first ever baby quilt in the making! The only problem at the moment is finding time to finish the next steps, wish me luck, hopefully it won't be another ten years!

So here it is, using fabric that I bought ten years ago for this very purpose, almost can't believe it! So stay tuned as I learn how to quilt and then bind, forntunately I'm starting small, so hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult. Of course first I'll need some batting, but I even know where to buy that in our little town, so no excuses here.

I can't say that I'm yet sold on the idea of making huge quilts for the whole family, which is my dream, but maybe if I start with quilts with bigger squares it could go quickly, which is key for me. Okay gotta run, the hanukkah crafts are waiting!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday and thanks so much for joining me here for this creative get together with contributors from around the world. For years I dreamed of having a big party, and then all of a sudden, boom, it happened! A bigger party means lots of people linking up that haven't quite realized that this is a Jewish blog and what that means. Each year the party takes a break for the month of December in order to avoid all the confusion as to what is indeed appropriate to link up. (General holiday crafts are fine, but anything that shows an xmas tree, santa, a creche etc. should be saved for another party, thanks!) I have a sneeking suspicion that I'm going to have to take that break quite a bit sooner, but will play it by ear. Thanks so much for joining me here, and now for the features:

An upcycled jewelry box from fynes designs and fun duct tape boats from julie is coco and cocoa.

 Simple fall tree art from julie is coco and cocoa, and a hardware store necklace from lemon thistle.

A snowy day quilt for charity from flamingo toes, and  a lovely repurposed headboard coat rack from my repurposed life

A fun little crocheted African violet from my world of crochet  and a crochet market bag from happy in red.

A fun little tissue pouch from my world of crochet, and granny square rattles from my crochet projects

 

Fun crocheted gingerbread men from homemade at my place, and little colorful play potion bottles from our peaceful planet.

A fun purple tunic from time to craft, and a fun pumpkin from the scrap shoppe blog.

 

A give thanks washi tape frame from bombshell bling, and ombre glitter pumpkins from lemon thistle.

Two great printables: thankful for you from creating really awesome free things, and a sweet little turkey from creating really awesome free things.

How to cut burlap from decor by the seashore, and a nice printable from simply darrling.

Moroccan Style Halibut Cooked Without What?

The big joke in our house is that the one thing my husband and I disagree on is what kind of fish to serve on Shabbat. You may find this hard to believe, but my Moroccan husband actually requests gefilte fish (which most Moroccans wouldn't even consider touching....) while I much prefer to serve delicious Moroccan fish made using either Nile Perch, Musht (Talipia) or Halibut. (Namely prefer to serve on account of my children's preference and what I think guests will enjoy, I'm personally on a mostly vegan journey, so no fish for me for the time being.)

Truthfully the fish looks so beautiful before cooking that I just had to snap a little photo, and also let you in on a little secret regarding cooking Halibut on the stovetop. Are you ready? DO NOT ADD WATER. Yes, really! Halibut is such a moist, fatty fish, that all of the liquid that it releases when cooked on a low flame is more than enough.

So do follow my Moroccan fish recipe, just skip the water, and of course make sure to keep an eye on that fish so that it doesn't burn or dry out. That is it!

Rooting Cuttings In Water: Purple Heart

After an intense week of Hanukkah crafting, (and nothing to share with you just yet as I have to wait until my client posts the projects on their site) and a house that looks like it was burglarized or possibly hit by a hurricane, it is time to clean up!

And what does this have to do with rooting purple heart cuttings you may ask? Well the first place we always start our big clean up is in the living room,as that is the easiest place to tackle and the room you first see when you enter our house. And as it turns out, there were more than a couple of glasses and cans hanging around holding cuttings that I was rooting in water, and a great way to clear away that clutter was to, yes, at long last plant them in dirt!

So yes indeed, after a year long hiatus in the planting department on account of the shemittah year in Israel, it is back to business in the garden. And so when I took the cuttings out of the water and saw how large the roots had become, I just had to share it with you, as there is something so truly wonderful about making more plants from cuttings, especially when the cuttings are so cooperative!

That is all for now, back to finding the table under the huge mound of craft supplies, sigh.

A Drinking Straw Star Ornament That Is Perfect Anytime

For years I have wanted to make something similar to the real straw star ornaments (from Scandanavia) that I remember from my childhood, and now at last I've come up with something reminiscent that whips up quickly and doesn' require a needle and thread! Introducing my plastic drinking straw star ornament that is perfect just about any time!

As you can see, I made these drinking straw star ornaments to go with my drinking straw dreidels for a fun Hanukkah garland, but they would look sweet hung individually as ornaments, on cakes or cupcakes, or even as fun gift toppers.

So lets get started!

You'll Need:

• plastic drinking stars
• yarn

 Directions:

Step 1: Take 4 straws. Cut each straw in half, and then gently fold four pieces in half. Make a crease at the fold by squeezing it between your fingers. The straws will not hold the v-shape, but this creasing makes the straws easier to work with.

Take a piece of yarn about 12” long and tie it tightly around the middle of the four straws, using a double knot. This may take two pairs of hands. Tie tightly enough so your result matches the photo above.

Step 2: Fold two more straw pieces in half, and tie those to the middle of the star using a double knot. Then add the last two pieces and tie securely. Do not cut the tail of yarn, it is needed to attach the star to the hanging string.

That is it! To make single ornaments, use fishline and needle to make a loop for hanging. Enjoy.

Hanukkah Craft For Kids: Festive Driedel Garlands Using Drinking Straws

On a recent trip to Ikea, I just couldn't resist buying quite a few packages of jumbo drinking straws in fabulous colors. At the time I thought I'd use them to make succah decorations, but fortunately that didn't happen, as now we're using them to make lots of Hanukkah crafts, starting with this drinking straw hanukkah dreidel garland. This craft comes together quite quickly and the results are fantastic.

So why not fill a whole wall with fun hanukkah decorations that also pack away nicely for next year!