creative jewish mom

The Farmer's Market In Uman, Ukraine

On our trip to the Ukraine this past Passover, we were based in Uman, and one of the things I wish I had been able to do more thoroughly was really truly spend time exploring the entire market, which is part farmer's market and part household goods and clothing market. Ah yes, not to mention that of course you can also purchase small animals as well to stock your backyard! The market is I believe three times a week, and since some of those days fell on holidays there was only one day that we actually had time to go to the market......and we got there on the late side and without sufficient funds to actually buy much. I felt a bit self conscious taking photos, so you'll just have to imagine for yourself the vendors selling dried fish, home grown produce and carefully weighed very often by folks with a smile full of gold fillings.

I saw lots of home canned goods as well as dried apples (which explains the 6 or so models of dehydrators in the local home goods store), and the one thing I did buy was a few hand made wooden cutting boards for around $2 each, and a really big and gorgeous hand made rolling pin for around $4, which is truly a nice souvenir, if I can just figure out where to keep it! Okay, shall we enter the market? Lets go, come it will be fun! Oh and by the way, if you brush up on your Ukranian or Russian you'll be much better off as almost no one speaks English. They do however show you the price on their calculator, which works just fine!

A Visit To The Odessa Ferris Wheel And A View Of The Black Sea

If you find yourself in Odessa, with kids in tow, or maybe those who prefer amusement parks to museums, why not pop on over to the little amusement park and take a rid on the ferris wheel? I of course did check it out before allowing my loved ones to consider climbing aboard, and it is relatively new, and so hopefully safe and sound. And for those of you, who like me, really don't like amusement park rides, this one is bareable, so join your family and squeal just a bit. Ah yes, and with any ferris wheel ride there is a view, so make sure to enjoy the view of the Black Sea! In the mean time, come along with me for a little ride, won't you?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is here, with hot days and breezy nights in our mountaintop city, and that means it is time to start thinking about summer vacation, yippee! This year I'm thinking it is time to get serious with journaling and journal sketching, meaning my daughter and I, so lets see where this train of thought takes me?

In the mean time, I'm dreaming of crocheting the cutest little owl, or making some watermelon star skewers, both of which you can find right here, so without further delay, here are the features from last week's party:

Stunning 19th Century Architecture In Odessa, And Tourist Information!

If you love architecture, and especially historic architecture, a visit to Odessa, Ukraine should certainly be on your bucket list if you are ever in that part of the world! On our Passover trip to the Ukraine we took a day trip to Odessa, and I can't wait to go back, next time with a guide book and some idea of where to go! This time I did not prepare at all, and did not have internet to do research, so we just sort of improvised and fortunately did see some of the important sites, phew. I have more photos to share of this interesting city on the Black Sea, though for now how about taking a little walk with me in the Primorsky Boulevard neighborhood, shall we?

DIY Logo Cupcake Sleeve

If you are making cupcakes, why not make some DIY cupcake sleeves to honor your special occasion or that special someone? Cupcake sleeves basically cover the cupcake paper and make them look really fantastic, even if your icing isn't all that great. And best of all you can customize your cupcake sleeves to your occasion, which I did here for my son's bar mitzvah. Or once you get the hang of making cupcake sleeves, you can always make some using that great paper you happen to have on hand, sky is the limit!

Okay, let's get started!

DIY Logo Cupcake Toppers For Every Occasion

If you have been following my blog you may know that my son became Bar Mitzvah last week, and so of course part of the celebration included lots of baking (for my daughter) and lots of graphics and centerpieces for me. The theme for the Bar Mitzvah graphics was a hebrew letter logo that I designed using my son's initials and the theme of the holiday of Shavuot which occurs just five days after my son's birthday. For these cupcake toppers I simply removed the central symbol and replaced it with the number 13, since that is the age we are celebrating!

If you would like a custome hebrew letter logo, just shoot me an email and hopefully we can work together! As far as making some of these really simply cupcake toppers for any occasionion, keep on reading......

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Today is the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, in which we celebrate the receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, and so I am most certainly not on the computer, and this post was written before the holiday and posted automatically by my blog at a time when I am unplugged. Now, throwing a virtual party on a Jewish holiday isn't exactly the best thing to do, but in order not to inconvenience all those who stop by expecting a party I decided that this time I'd just let the party go on as usual, though of course I'll be in another place entirely. What will I be doing? Well depending on when you stop by, I may either be getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the synagogue, or enjoying a huge spread of cheesecakes baked by my daughter. Then we'll be taking a much deserved nap (the men will have stayed up all night learning, which some women choose to do as well......I choose to go to bed and get up very early generally) and having a meal late in the afternoon.

I have invited a single mom with five kids (who is about to marry off her eldest daughter) to join us for the holiday as quite simply I knew she could use a break! And after all, what better way to celebrate the Torah than to practice acts of human kindness?

And now, for the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Quick Shavuos Craft For Kids With Adorable Results!

Shavuos starts Saturday night, and with shabbos coming first, now would be the time to whip up some last minute crafts......you know, the kind that aren't too messy and that the kids can do on their own so that the adults can concentrate on all the tasks that need to be accomplished in preparation for the holiday. Ah yes, and a craft that is fun for all ages is certainly in order as well, so I now present to you my tissue paper stand-up Har Sinai, which is a perfect decoration for Shavuot and quick to make. Little ones can certainly crumple up paper and dip it in glue, while older kids can make patterns with their little tissue paper balls, which could be great. Hmmmm, maybe next time?

Okay, time is of the essence, so lets get started!

Sefer Torah Candy For Shavous Or A Bar Mitzvah!

LIttle sefer Torah candy party favors are so very cute and perfect not only for bar mitzvahs but also for Shavuos and Simchas Torah. Yes, it is true I am not a fan of candy so the fact that I made 150 of these for my son's bar mitzvah was a shock to some of my friends, but hey, sometimes you just gotta join the crowd and forget that candy isn't something anyone should eat? While I had hoped that my daughter would volunteer to make 150 chocolate tefillins to put in our little party favor boxes, (she did not take on that task given that she made all the desserts for the bar and had more than enough to do) that idea didn't come to fruition, so these little candy sefer torahs, personalized with my son's hebrew letter logo and date of the celebration, were placed in the bar mitzvah favor boxes together with a few other little treats.

Whether you want to use a personalized label, or even just a sheet of colored paper with washi tape details, these little candy sefer torahs will put a smile on everyone's face, promise! If you would like to invest in a custom hebrew letter logo and custom stickers for your bar mitzvah or other celebration, lets work together! Drop me a line at [email protected]

Party Favor Boxes With Custom Hebrew Letter Logo

 
We love the idea of treating our guests to a sweet little party favor, and so for my son's bar mitzvah celebration last night each guest received a small favor box on their plate. These little boxes are quite simple to assemble once you have the contents, the boxes and the custom label and really add a nice touch to any celebration.

I am now going to start offering my services to the world at large, so if any of you would like a custom hebrew letter logo (like the one seen here on the box labels) to be used for a bar mitzvah, wedding, anniversary, or new baby related celebration (or because you'd like a lovely piece of custom art), please drop me a line at [email protected]. I'm also happy to use that logo as part of an invitation, frame worthy art, labels, and more, let's work together!

This logo was designed using the letters yud and nun, and keeping in mind that the bar mitzvah was just before shavuous, which explains the tablets in the center and the colors.