creative jewish mom

Four Stranded Braids Made With Plastic Bags

Braiding with plastic bags is a great way to make trim for some of your recycled crafting projects, and a great way to keep those plastic bags out of the trash! At least when you braid them, if they do end up in the trash, they'll do a lot less damage as they're already broken down somewhat. And if you ever find yourself on that island of plastic bottles and bags located somewhere out in the Pacific ocean, well, you'll be able to keep yourself busy. Sadly enough.

I am in the middle of making some fun recycled crafts using plastic bottles and plarn (plastic bag yarn) and I needed some trim, so after a few attempts that were way too time consuming, here is my suggestion for making flat trim from plastic bags! You can use this braided trim as handles for baskets, as ties to close something, just to name a few possibilities. Maybe kids could make them as summer camp bracelets as well? Enough brainstorming, first things first, lets learn how to make them!

How To Braid With Four Strands

I am in the middle of creating a tutorial that uses a trim made with a four strand braid, but funny enough, I couldn't find a diagram that shows how to braid with four strands the way I do it! As it turns our there are several ways to braid with four, but the way that I'm going to show you is also the way to create a flat braid with an infinate number of strands, so it is good to know. You can use a four stranded braid to create craft trim, to braid challahs, and to create the latest hairstyles. Did you know that braided hairstyles are all the rage? My crafty 13 year old daughter has actually gotten so professional at several kinds of head wrapping french braids that everyone assumes I did it!

Anyway, lest I digress, lets get back to learning how to make this simple braid with four strands.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Thanks so much for joining me here for this weekly linky party with contributors from around the world.

Spring is here and that means it is time to get working in the container garden and start thinking about preparations for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is in just another month.  So much to do on the crafting front, and on the Spring cleaning front in preparation for Passover, which is in just two months. That used to seem like a long time, but now I realize that two months just flies by, so gotta run! I have high hopes for seriously organizing my crafting space this year, wish me luck, sigh.

Thanks for joining me here, and all the best with your Spring (or late winter, or Fall, depending on where you reside!) preparations.

Love these crocheted flowers from little woolie (New Zealand) and this sweet crocheted baby blanket from little things blogged (Greece.)

A patchwork pillow using upcycled jeans so that the pocket can be used for placing a music device while reclining, so much fun, from pillar box blue (United Kingdom) and a crocheted clover scarf from repeat crafter me (United States.)

Moroccan Matbucha Cooked Tomato Salad

Matbucha, said with a gutteral "ch" is a cooked tomato relish, that is cooked for many hours over a low flame, and whose recipe differs greatly depending on whom you ask!  Here in Israel it is called a "salad" and is a universal dish eaten with challah at the shabbat table, together with an array of other salads (many other salads if you are Moroccan) that precede the fish course on Friday night.

Since matbucha is actually of Moroccan origin, I'm going to go out on a limb and tell you that the recipe I use is the real thing, and truly the most delicious. My recipe didn't actually come from my husband's family but rather from a Moroccan woman who told me "this is the real way" and after trying it myself and making it for many years, I have to agree. The only thing at all difficult about this salad is that you need to cook it for quite a few hours, and to watch the pot, but I was thinking that it could certainly be made in crock pot for those of you who dare!

This salad is so popular in our family, that if it were absent from the shabbat table I can almost be certain that there would be actual crying, Between you and me, I would miss it too so I'm planning on testing my theory!

Almond Trees In Bloom In The Holy City Of Tsfat

The blooming period of our local almond trees is coming to an end, and I was fortunate to get out yesterday on a beautiful spring day, to not only witness some of this seasonal beauty, but also from a part of town that I visit quite infrequently. From this adjacent hilltop in a neighborhood called Canaan, the views of Mount Meron are stunning, I hope you enjoy this little snapshot of the views I enjoyed on my walk home.

Giant Lonestar Quilt Using Fleece

Ta da, here is the first quilt I have ever made, a giant lonestar quilt using fleece. Which really means a quilt made of just two giant lonestar quilt blocks with a deep border to make the blanket twin bed appropriate. I made this fleece quilt using fleece scraps and some fleece throws that were sitting around collecting dust, and I just love the results. Okay, I can't say that actually quilting together the front and back went smoothly, nor is the quilt flat as it should be, but for a first try, I'm going to give myself a break!

Ever seen those gorgeous quilting blogs that hang their quilts in their lovely backyards on a picket fence amidst green grass, or in some other picturesque location? Well my friends, things just generally don't look like that here in the middle east, so I've photographed my quilt on my porch and am thankful for that gorgeous blue sky which certainly compliments my quilt nicely!

Giant Lonestar Quilt Block Using Fleece

When you've been wanting to make quilts for years, and finally take a few baby steps forward with that dream, starting with very simple quilt projects is certainly a good idea, so when I saw a pattern for a giant lonestar baby quilt, wherein the whole blanket is just one traditional quilt panel, I just had to give it a try. And since I was in need of a present for my husband's birthday, I figured I'd make a few panels and make a twin sized quilted fleece blanket! And surprise surprise, I did actually finish the project, so do take a look at my giant lonestar quilt using fleece.

I decided to use fleece because I wanted to make something cozy, and I just love the results! Plus, in keeping with my desire to use up all the fabric and art supplies in my house before buying more (ha, ha), I used fleece scraps and a few old fleece baby blankets that were no longer in use, so much fun! Now at least that box marked "fleece" has been reduced to almost nothing and we have a fun blanket that everyone loves to use on the couch.

Giant Party Hats

Giant cardboard party hats are the perfect thing to make when you want to make a statement with festive decorations for a birthday party, or in our case the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, but you don't have a huge amount of time to invest. Make them in a few sizes, and place them in the middle of the table as a fun centerpiece. Next time I think I'll go with solid colors and huge white polka dots and a yarn or plastic bag pom pom on top. I'll let you in on a littel secret though, I have actually used these hats as Purim party decorations for our community party for the last three or four years, gasp, can you believe that? During the year they have been hanging out in the attic, and once that phone call comes requesting decorations, well, out come the hats! Of course I always do some new decorations too, but it is great to have something to fall back on, especially at a time when I'm already super busy with Purim costumes and all things Purim!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to craft schooling Sunday, so wonderful to have you here! As you'll see from the features, last week's party was really full of great inspiration, and a very well-rounded selection of projects, I must add. From crochet, to upcycling to simple woodworking, to fun concoctions, and even some little itty bitty dollhouse cakes from felt!

As part of trying to make this party a personal place to connect with other crafters from around the world, I have started to not only specify country of origin, but for the USA contributors to specify actual state of residence, which is really so much fun! This week we have features from Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, Iowa, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee (plus an unconfirmed Colorado and Florida)! Pretty great right? So please help me out and specify your state when you link up, okay? That will sure save me loads of time that I've spent on detective work on your blog!

Thanks again for joining me here and please join the party, we'd love to have you!

A fun vintage style giant rose cross stitch shelf from flamingo toes (USA), and festive glitter dipper feathers, perfect for Purim, from pink heels pink truck (Texas.)

 DIY simple leather catch all trays from the logbook (Iowa, USA) and a fun shell plus plastic animal jewelry tray from pillar box blue (United Kingdom.)

Crochet Mini Mandala Stash Buster Pattern

Crocheted mini mandalas are the perfect stash buster and especially if you happen to have some cheerful spring colors that need a purpose! Of course, then you may just find yourself in my predicament, which is now what? Namely, not quite sure how to use these little guys, since at 16.5 cm in diameter they are too big to be coasters. I was thinking about a wall hanging, or maybe even using them as appliques on pillow cases for the Passover seder. Maybe I just need to take my own advice and consult my list of how to use crocheted mandalas!