creative jewish mom

Modern Architecture In Toronto

If you are a fan of modern architecture, as I am, you will surely enjoy taking a look around Toronto, as there are many examples of daring and not so daring modern architecture that will surely delight! The photo above is the architect Dahiel Libeskind's extension of the Royal Ontario Museum called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, completed in 2007. This project was so controversial tha tit was built such that the new extension could be disassembled if need be, namely it does not touch the old building in any destructive way.

Cross Stitch Apple Embroidery Recycling Craft

Here's a fun apple cross stitch craft that is fun for all ages, and is a recycling craft to boot! And with Rosh HaShana in less than a week, well a few of these cross stitch apples, that can be whipped up quite quickly would be a great way to welcome the new year! Not to mention of course that apple themed crafts are always perfect for teacher appreciation gifts and Fall. So gather your supplies, and if you don't have a recycled styrofoam tray on hand you could even use a piece of cardstock, a piece of foam core, or even a paper plate! Time is of the essence, so lets get crafting!

Egg Carton Flowers That Look Like Porcelain!

I have started crafting for my son'e upcoming Bar Mitzvah, and as usual have a bunch of ideas that I'm not sure how to bring together, so the best thing to do in that case is simply get started! The first of hopefully many great surprises is that one can quite simply make lovely modern egg carton flowers that look like porcelain, or glazed ceramic of some kind. The effect is lovely and artful, and I'm so very happy with this first step.

Egg carton flowers are a bit on the time consuming side as far as cutting them out. but it is the kind of thing one can do in a few moments here and there, or get the whole family involved! My husband was surprised when i asked him to start cutting the egg carton flats into strips, but he couldn't say no, as he was waiting for me in any case. Then in the hour drive to our destination I actually succeeded in cutting out quite a few flowers! I know, maybe weilding scissors in the car isn't the safest thing to do, so make sure to cut in you lap, no near your face. It is certainly safer than running with scissors right?

Ah yes, but how did I make them? (I'll give you a hint, I used supplies that I had right in my very own attic!) Keep reading for the light bulb moment that I'm sure will help you when you find yourself in a situation like mine: a million little things to paint and not enough time!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, great to meet up with you here each week! Speaking of weeks, this past one has been so very busy that while I am preparing for a crafting (and baking) marathon for my son's upcoming bar mitzvah, I haven't actually done any crafting that I can share just yet. But not to worry, I'm going to craft till I drop for this one, and will certainly share the journey.

In the mean time we have also been baking up a storm for the dessert bar and for the kiddush which takes place after my son reads from the Torah (HafTorah actually for those who understand what that means) this shabbat. Phew! Fortunately some friends have also volunteered to make cake as well as we need enough for around three hundred people! Fortunately another wonderful neighbor volunteers her time to cut up all the cake and arrange it very nicely on platters on shabbat morning so that the bar mitzvah mother can sit and enjoy.

Speaking of enjoy, last week's party was packed with amazing projects, as you'll see in the features, enjoy!

 

 Love this DIY oven mit tutorial from tea and a sewing machine and these crocheted leaves are perfect right now from butterflies and baubles

I am totally in love with hutch and its floral paper backing from lolly jane, not to mention these gorgeous chalk paint chairs, the link to which is in the post about the hutch, as well as some other great projects.

 Blue china pattern painted pumpkins from craftberry bush, and paper pieced quilt block patterns from sorry can't find which post this came from, please help!

Rosh HaShana Cards To Make Now!

Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year is in less than two weeks, so now is a great time to get out some simple art supplies and start making cards! Wishing our family, friends, and neighbors a sweet new year with cards is a tradition that in the modern world may have gotten a bit lost, so lets bring it back shall we? Today many people think that one should give a little gift of something sweet, but truly a handmade card would be just as appreciated, and hopefully even more so!

I've compiled my favorite Rosh HaShana card crafts from the past to give you a head start, so lets get crafting, and wishing you all a sweet and creative new year!

Fruit Carving 101: Carved Cantelope Fish

Isn't my carved cantelope fish just the cutest? I have to admit, when we were about to carve this little fish in my fruit carving class a few weeks ago I was really quite sceptical, but once I saw the results, well, I just want to make some more! My son's bar mitzvah is just a week after Rosh HaShana, and he was born 2 days before the New Year, so I'm hoping he'll agree to some carved fish on the buffet table! The only thing is that I'll have to carve my fish from pumpkin, as there won't be any centelope in sight......could be great too, and I'm even going to experiment carving the fish a few weeks ahead and freezing them! Really hoping that works as I certainly can't see myself carving a bunch of fish and trying to get everything else done, well on teh other hand that would be just like me, but I'm trying to change my sleep deprived ways. Okay, enough babble, on to the instructions for carving this little fish!

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, so great to meet up with you all here! Last week's party was full of great projects as always, There isn't a whole lot of Fall happening around here in Northern Israel, and certainly no American style pumpkins, but once the Jewish holidays start in two weeks, we'll be filling our homes with apple and pomegranate themed everything!

In the midst of it all I am planning my son's bar mitzvah celebration, and will be sharing with you all the fun craftiness that is taking place soon, until then, enjoy the inspiration brought to you by all my crafty blogging friends from around the world, enjoy! And now for the features from last week's party:

 A fabulous nightside table from chatfield court, and a quilted handbag from tea and a sewing machine.

 Felt cupcake car freshener from living lavida holoka, and a fun wooden hello sign from lolly jane.

Don't Give Up On Your Orchid!

This post is for all of you out there that have possibly thought of simply throwing your not so great looking orchid in the garbage, or at least in the organic recyclables bin. Take a deep breath, realize that just like us, orchids go through phases and may not always be looking their best. With just a little patience, your orchid, given the right care, can certainly grow new leaves and flower again! When the blooms have faded and the plant is not in all its glory, do put in an interesting container, and then follow some of my simple advice, ready?

A Visit To Allan Gardens In Toronto

On our visit to Toronto last month one of the things that caught my eye as I was researching sites to visit was the Victorian era conservatory Allan Gardens. We got lost trying to find it, but once we did it I was truly happy that we made the effort to visit this very special spot a bit off the beaten track. And to my great surprise, my kids actually enjoyed the visit as well!

Many of the plants that we saw growing in the conservatory can actually be found in our own container garden here in Israel, so that was fun for my kids and I think made the whole experience just a bit familiar.  And now, would you like to go inside and see for yourself? Lets go!

10 Apple Themed Recycling Crafts To Make Now!

Hey guess what dear readers, my archives are packed to the gills with great projects that really should see the light of day once in a while, so today I'm sharing with you 10 fun apple recycling crafts that are perfect to do right now! Whether you are in need of some simple crafts using recycled materials to usher in the fall season or celebrate Rosh HaShana, these certainly fit the bill. And best of all you'll likely have most everything you need to get started now!