creative jewish mom

Crocheted Granny Hexagon Join As You Go Blanket

Once upon a time I shared with you a crocheted hexagon blanket in progress, and somehow never got around to photographing the finished item. So now, three years later, and just in time for your holiday and winter crochet project planning, I present to you the Crccheted Granny Hexagon Join As You Go blanket. This fits a twin bed, but a smaller (and quicker) version would make a fantastic baby blanket. You can do the hexagons as solids, or go for a polka dot look, or both as I've done. One disclaimer: the only reason that I ended up making solid hexagons around the border of the blanket is that I ran out of cream yarn, and since the yarn was from a purchase made in the USA, i decided to just wing it. I'll admit that while I'm happy with the blanket, after all that work, I'm still on the fence regarding the results which is why I very likely never quite got around to photographing it, silly me!

SIMPLE CROCHETED GIFT POUCHES

Crocheted gift pouches are the perfect little something to whip up during the holiday season, so I've pulled some of my projects from the archives to give you some inspiration. I have been known to crochet little projects like this in the car to give upon arrival, so you certainly can too, especially if you have a few good hours!

Gather up some odds and ends from your stash and some hooks in a few sizes too, and with my patterns to boot, you're all set. And even if you don't complete the little pouches on the way, little ones especially would delight in seeing you whip something up just for them once you get there! Crocheting and spending time with friends and family are a great combo as you can crochet and catch up at the same time, right?

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

 

 Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! It is hard to believe that we are already almost halfway through November, and time is just whizzing by, which means it is time to think about how we'll spend our crafting time this Fall and Winter, and for me that means getting a head start on Chanukah gifts and decorations to avoid the holiday rush! The projects contributed last week were full of great crochet inspiration, which we haven't had for awhile, as well as so many other fabulous DIY ideas to keep everyone busy!

Thanks so much for joining me here, it is truly such a pleasure to connect with so many of you, from all the corners of the earth! And now for the features from last week's party:

 Crocheted VW bus music toy from vrolijk by leen, and a wonderful crocheted green shawl from happy in red.

 A crocheted baby poncho from chris in de haak, and fun crochet car applique from my crochet projects.

A Visit To CN Tower, Toronto, With Kids

I am slowly but surely sharing with you photos from our month long trip to Canada and the USA this past August, and now I thought I'd share with you our visit to Toronto's CN Tower. I'll admit, I tend to steer clear of tourist attractions, (faving you know, inspiration from architecture and city life) but with kids in tow, I do realize that these famous spots are the ones they'll most likely remember, so up we go!

Make This Year A DIY Chanukah!

Fall is here and that means it is time to get crafting for Chanukah! And the good news is that the holiday starts on the night of December 24th (talk about great timing this year for those who might not otherwise acknowledge the holiday!) so we have plenty of time (well, six weeks actually which are going to speed by....) to get crafting and make this year truly special. This week at the dinner table I overheard my eleven year old son saying to his siblings "remember how fun Chanukah is?" And I have to say, my heart leapt just a little, because creating great memories and sharing our love with friends and family is what it is all about, and certainly the more you put into it, the more you get out of it!

So lets bring light into the world this Chanukah by revving up those creative gears, are you ready?

Watercolor Fruit Art: Paint The Seven Species

Small works of art using just simply watercolors are so fun to make, and a great project to do in one sitting. In the past I enjoyed painting watercolor fruit with my daughter, and then I realized that if I was going to paint fruit, then certainly I should paint a series of the seven species, hashevat haminim,  to give some added meaning to my little project. Not to mention that anything depicting the seven holy species of fruit (plus 2 grains) can be used as a succah decoration, as a decoration for the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, or of course anytime!

It is true, succos is already past, and Tu B'Shevat isn't for another few months, but hey guys time flies and there is no greater relief than pulling out some ready made decorations when that holiday rolls around sooner than you expected! And yes, out there in blog land everyone is always planning for the next holiday, and posting about it six weeks ahead of time, but this is real life which should be about finding small windows for creative expression, right?

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

Hi There, Thanks so much for joining me here for this international linky party that just keeps getting better and better thanks to all of you!

We are now in the Jewish month of Cheshvan, which is the only month on the Jewish calender that has no holidays of any kind, and so it is referred to as a bitter month, namely "mar cheshvan." I say with all the great inspiration right here in the features from last week's party, we all have the ability to turn this month into something truly special! So wishing you all a very joyful and creative month of Cheshvan, and happy crafting!

And just by the way, please do remember that this is a Jewish blog, so try to keep contributions pertaining to xmas non denominational and without trees, please. Thanks so much, and now for the features from last week's party:

I just adore this map cross stitch on mesh from the scrap shoppe blog,  DIY denim storage box (an iKEA Pingla hack) from pillar box blue.

 Jewish embroidery hoop art from sew jewish, and a DIY poncho that is simple to sew from lolly jane.

A Visit To Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a classic and world famous tourist destination, though on account of its location I had never been there until this past August. My kids really wanted to go, but I'll admit I was a bit sceptical as to whether indeed it would be interesting to a seasoned traveler like myself. Not that I had much choice as Niagara Falls is certainly a lot closer to Toronto than to anywhere else we've visited, so it was time to take the proverbial tourist plunge, knowing also that a location such as this would certainly be more memorable for my kids than meny of the locations that excite me!

And guess what, surprise, I wish we had planned to stay there overnight, or at least spend a whole day there, such that we could have visited the falls at least twice and taken advantage of some of the more obscure attractions! Now, put on your rain poncho and put away your water sensitive electonic devices, and join me for a little introduction to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada!

DIY Ceramic Hanging Planter With A Herringbone Pattern

This herringbone pattern hanging planter is one of the things that i've made and just haven't had the time to share it with you......until today. I made this a good six months ago, but didn't actually hang it until a about a month ago, and I have to say, I'm actually really pleased wtih the results and how nicely it fits with the modern Moroccan scheme I've got going in the living room. My ceramics teacher wanted me to go bold and bright, but while I would have loved the outcome possibly, it never would have worked in my gold, black, and white (plus creme as well) scheme. Actually it is a gold, black and white and green scheme on account of the mini jungle of houseplants, this ittle guy included. I

I actually made a series of three of these hanging planters, each with a different herringbone pattern application and of different heights. Maybe someday they'll all hang together as I had planned, but in the meantime, we are enjoying this one being used as intended, and the other two are sitting in the middle of my round coffee table. Wondering how I made it? Read on.......

DIY Star String Lights Using Egg Cartons!

I just love recycling crafts and especially recycling crafts with egg cartons! This simple star LED string lights craft is so simple and with such fantastic results you're gonna love it! Use your egg cartons as is for a natural look, or paint or decorate them, you decide! And the great thing about these lights is that while of course you can use them for chanukah, they'll look great any time of year.

Oh and just by the way, I used LED string lights that are battery operated so you can hang them just about anywhere, how fun is that? Okay, Lets get started!