creative jewish mom

Simple Quilled Leaves Using A Comb

Quilling is all the rage, and it is no wonder! With just the simplest of supplies, and tools you can eve find around the house, you can create stunning quilled elements to use however you please. These little leaves looks more complicated than they are, and might be something to try after you've made basic quilled shapes like the ones I used for my quilled Hanukkah projects.

And the fun part about quilling is that you can use tiny pre-cut strips or cut the strips yourself to make your project larger. If you love delicate work, so working small won't bother you, just take your time and the results will be the reward. If you prefer something a bit quicker, consider working larger and see how it goes....

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I am back after a wonderful two weeks in the Ukraine for Passover, and as you can see I have already started to share some of the photos with you. We are now in the period on the Jewish calendar called The Omer, which is both a time of mourning and a time of personal refinement as we prepare for 49 days until the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, celebrated on the holiday of Shavous.

So, with the holiday of Lag B'Omer, coming up and Shavous after that, and my son's bar mitzvah just before shavous, things are going to get very very busy around here. Not to mention that I need to make an extra guest bedroom in my house from a small mostly unused room for arriving bar mitzvah guests......rather than dwell on all the things that need to get done, lets get this party started, enjoy!

Today Is The Day To Bake Schlissel Challah!

According to a custom observed by many Jews of Ashkenazic (Eastern European) descent, key shaped challahs are baked the first shabbos after Passover as a symbol of the desire to bring blessings into the home. After the holiday, and the Jewish people's deliverance from slavery, is the time for new beginnings, so it is only fitting that one would want to grace their home with good things, and what can be better than freshly baked challah?

Now, one doesn't have to actually bake challahs shaped like keys, one can also simply place a key (wrapped in aluminum foil) in the bottom of the pan, or under the braided loaf, but in our house the key shaped challahs are certainly more interesting. I have baked large challah keys, medium sized keys and even small keys, and even whole wheat challah keys, and speaking from experience and the desire for the key to stay intact, I'd say a medium sized key like this one is the way to go.

The Old Soliterman Family Mill In Bratslav, Ukraine

 

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to revisit the town of Bratslav (Breslev) Ukraine, and while my last visit a good 18 or so years ago was during the summer, this time we arrived as winter was just departing so the trees were bare and the landscape brown and I thoroughly enjoyed this special site just as much as I did the first time around. While the reason for our road trip from Uman to Bratslav (about 2 hours drive)  was to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz (more on that next week) I couldn't help but soak in the gorgeous surroundings which includes this very large and dramatic stone building. It was apparent to me, given its location on the river that this was a mill, but no one seemed to know more than that.The building is located just adjacent to the area where one parks at the bottom of the old Jewish cemetary, next to the river. You can't miss it!

Today as I was doing research for some posts about the effects of the Holocaust in this very area, I came across information about this very building, and to my great surprise it was owned by a Jewish family by the name of Soliterman, and there is even a dramatic story to tell!

Mass Holocaust Gravesites In Bratslav, Ukraine

 

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom HaShoah, so I thought I'd mention some of the tragedies of the Holocaust that occurred in one of my very favorite spots, Bratslav, Ukraine. Our family was very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the Passover holidays in Uman, Ukraine this year (my first time ever not at home) and despite quite cold winter weather and main roads in the countryside that are full of deep potholes, we rented a van and a driver and made the trek to Bratslav (one of those places in the world where time seems to have mostly just stood still) with the primary intention of visiting the gravesite of the very great Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz (referred to as "Reb Nosson" or "Rebbi Natan" ) the primary student of Rebbi Nachman of Breslev.

If one takes a moment to consider Jewish History, and in this case Eastern European Jewish history, where there were Jews there was ongoing fear, tragedy and senseless murder in great numbers even long before the Holocaust. I'll admit that I didn't even know about the presence of the Nazis in Bratslav until I started doing some research to add extra meaning to my photos, and now I feel downright foolish for having been there just last week, without even giving it a thought. Sigh.

Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial In Kiev, Ukraine

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah. Every year I try to post something relevant to this very sad day, and this year I am sharing photos that I took just two days ago on my first visit to the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial site in Kiev, Ukraine. As always, there are no words to express the horrors of the injustices inflicted upon the Jews in Europe. Standing at the very site of the greatest mass killing of its time, on a hilltop within the city of Kiev, one can barely imagine how roughly 33,000 Jews were brutally murdered over the course of just two days. And yet, it did happen and there were even a few who survived and where able to climb out of the mass grave to tell their tales.

On this day it is our job to make sure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten, and to share the tales with our children in the hopes that the world will wake up and erradicate evil.

Craft Schooling Sunday Is Taking A Week Off.....

Thanks so much for dropping by to join the weekly linky party! I am not able to post the features this week, due to some adventures I hope to share with you soon, so the party will be postponed until next week.

I hope everyone had an amazing and meaningful Passover holiday!

One Proud Mama Bear: My Daughter's Pencil Drawing Success

Isn't this pencil drawing of a mama bear and her cub just fabulous? I am that proud mama bear as this drawing was done by my 15 year old daughter. Now if I can just get her to draw all the animals I have in mind for a special project, that would be amazing. First though she needs to build her confidence as this drawing while done entirely by her was done under the watchful eye of her drawing teacher, who as I have mentioned previously was trained in Russia and thus has very goal oriented techniques for teaching art. This drawing was made using those techniques for shading with pencil, and I certainly can't bawk, as the results speak for themselves.

Now sadly enough, this teacher, like all my daughter's previous art teachers is moving away and we need to search for yet another teacher. Hopefully it won't take us five years like it did last time!  As we say here in Israel "chaval al hazman." Meaning in this case it sure would be a waste for her not to build her skills now.

Geranium Cuttings Will Bloom When Grown In Water!

While I do realize that this photograph is a bit vague, I took it quickly to share with you the amazing discovery that geranium cuttings grown in water produce flowers. Amazing, right? This cutting is actually a pillar geranium so it has a not only a very long stem, but its flowers form on long stems as well, which is truly lovely. So, if you travel a lot or tind that watering plants just doesn't suit you, consider growing some plants in water, and add geraniums to that list.

What other plants can one grow in water?

PLEASE NOTE: I just realized that I wrote hydrangea instead of geranium on the photo, my mistake, sorry for any confusion!

Ceramic Flowers In Relief Wall Plaque

 
As I mentioned yesterday, I spent a good nine months going to a ceramics studio weekly with my son, and there are so many projects now in our home that i just have not had the time to share them all with you! And honestly quite a few are packed up in a box, so they won't be seen by the world just yet.......This dimensional floral ceramic plaque however sits on the modern sideboard next to my dining room table, and while no one has actually asked about it, I really do enjoy looking at it.

While I don't really have time to delve into ceramics further, and painting (and designing are calling my name), making a series of plaques to go with this one would be something I would consider doing......