creative jewish mom

Rosh HaShana Card Craft For Kids Using Paper And Staples!

One of the things I love about doing crafts with kids is that once in a while a fresh idea comes to light via the innocence of a child. The idea of using only staples and paper to create something, in this case a card for Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, is truly a fabulous one, and maybe even one that is born of necessity. And of course there is a great lesson to be learned: don't let lack of a range of supplies inhibit your creativity, it can in fact help your creativity flourish!

I am at long last cleaning out my office (which sadly became more like a disorganized storage space as opposed to a working space) which means coming across all kinds of unfinished projects and little bits and bobs like this one. The card is written to the teacher, and wasn't actually part of the craft that we did together, but rather an after thought made while cleaning up all the scraps of paper......creativity at its best!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Thanks so much for joining me here! Getting down to business, I have a big fat confession to make. I very nearly cancelled this lovely party temporarily or not temporarily, I wasn't quite sure! Yes really truly, and it was actually quite heart wrenching after all these years. Life without Craft Schooling Sunday? Here is the story:

You see, I do truly love connecting with you all, but sometimes I have to wonder if it is really worth all the time it takes to visit the links, to grab photos for features, to edit those photos and improve them in many cases using photoshop, and then to pair them up and post them in an order that is visually pleasing. Honestly this is hours of work that could be spent say, creating and photographing content! So when on account of a new internet filter that I had to install in order to protect my kids (of course they would never touch my computer, but the school can't rely on that) didn't seem to be letting me visit any blogs, well, I almost threw in the towel. But that wasn't meant to be as one night for a few hours I suddenly saw that I could have full internet access courtesy of a neighbor's device of some kind, so I quickly visited everyone and pulled enough photos for the features, figuring that at least I'd have this week covered.

Fast forward, that neighbor's device has not shown up again in my list of networks, but I was actually able to get those in charge to change my filter, since there is no problem with all of your lovely blogs generally, so now I do believe that I will in most cases be able to visit everyone, and so no need to cancel the party after all. (At least not this week......) Phew! So Craft Schooling Sunday is still on until further notice, and lets enjoy it! Here are the features from last week's party:

 

Love this decoupaged and painted briefcase by pillar box blue, and these fabric and lace stuffed pumpkins from flamingo toes.

Jean seams are used to make fun succulent pots by pillar box blue, and love this patio picnic from bird's party.

Hook Mountain At Rockland Lake State Park, New York

Above: The Hudson River, looking North-East from the top of Hook Mountain

If you ever find yourself in Rockland County, New York (about an hour's bus ride North-West from Manhattan) and would like to take the family or yourself on a little hike, I truly recommend that you visit Rockland Lake State Park and take a little hike up Hook Mountain to enjoy an amazing view of the Hudson River. It is true, the hike up the mountain, while not long would be difficult for young children or anyone who isn't a bit nimble, though not to worry, there is lovely stroll down the hill to the river, that I'll share with you in a moment.

And not only is there some great nature to enjoy, there is history as well, as Rockland Lake used to supply New York City with ice, before refrigerators that is! Blocks of ice were taken from the lake and sent down the river to the big apple, imagine that? As far as crowds, yes, the lake itself was packed, but we only saw a few folks on our hike up the mountain, and down it as well, and this was on a Sunday, so you can count on pretty much having this lovely spot all to yourself.

Rustic Yet Modern Vacation House Decor Starts With Words, Lots Of Them!

Fun signs with a painted vintage look, or even fun signs that use a modern font yet still have that aged look are all the rage, and while you might not want to look at them all the time, they certainly make great simple decor for a vacation home, a basement hideout, a shed, or a camper.  Then again, the laundry room, the bathroom, a stairwell, or even a hall can be a great place to hang a fun sign. If you own a craft cutter (I don't) signs like these are simple to whip up by creating your own vinyl stencils, if not, one can also print out the words and transfer the outlines of the letters to the piece of wood and simply paint by hand, a nice relaxing project to delve into!

Speaking of relaxing, those of you (myself included) who do not own vacation homes, might want to consider how to bring that feeling of vacation into our everyday homes. For me, one of the things I love about going on vacation is not having to deal with all my stuff, you know the piles of it, so maybe getting really organized and keeping drawers and closets that are used everyday as empty as possible will give me that "free" vacation feeling? I"ll let you know, as I'm about to do that with my office/art studio that has become a storeroom for the last few years, namely with my husband's help I am clearing out the whole thing, painting, and then only bringing back in the barest minimum of supplies. I fortunately have a large attic as well as a really rough basement space that will store all of my mess, fingers crossed, and wish me luck!

Ah yes, but back to these fun signs, which I believe are a bit of a 70's throwback, as are so many trends today, I noticed that the homes we stayed in that were owned by really loving family oriented people had signs that expressed these feelings! So dear readers, share your love, your sense of humor, your faith, your goals, and your dreams on a sign, it can only be good.

Simple DIY Wooden Letter Wall Art

I just love this rustic wooden "heart" wall art that was hanging over a bed in one of our vacation rentals in the Adirondacks a few weeks ago. This would be lovely in a baby's room, as part of the decor at a DIY country style wedding, or sheva brachas, or for any event really, customized of course! So, while I didn't make this, I can certainly see how it was made, and it is great inspiration to use in so many ways. Spell out a child's name, a favorite place, or even another word like hope, smile, dream, enjoy.........or even a funny word that refers to a family joke. All you need are some letters and a low wooden box or square tray, and you're good to go! I actually have been saving some chess boards that look just like this, and now I know what to do with them......now where exactly are those chess boards, hmmm. (This week I am hard at work cleaning out my craft room, so I'm sure they'll show up soon!)

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

 

 

 

Welcome back to Craft Schooling Sunday! I hope you all had an amazing summer. Our summer adventures were great, and I'll hopefully be sharing lots of photos with you soon.  I will  say that taking a break from the blog has resulted in the desire to really get crafting, which is great timing since the next four months or so are the busiest time in blog land. Yippee!

It has been quite a while since the last party, though it is never too late to share great creativity, so here are the features, and looking forward to reconnecting with you all! What have you been up to?

 

Cross stitch heart on a scarf looks amazing, from happy in red, and love this painted flat globe from consumer crafts.

Moroccan style outdoor entertaining from style safari, and a fabulous shibori dyed cushions from pillar blox blue.