creative jewish mom

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! We are now in the middle of the wonderful holiday of Succot, but I did take a little break from the festivities and major cooking and hosting in the succah to keep this party going! I've had a succah full of guests this shabbos, and then Sunday we somewhat sadly say goodbye to the succah. Though in case you think that means the festivities are over, not even close, there is another major holiday called Smchat Torah, which starts Sunday night, and everywhere outside of Israel there are two more days of holiday, with Simchat Torah actually celebrated on Monday night and Tuesday. Soooooo, lets get this party started, and hope you'll be as inspired as I am with all the amazing contributions from last week's party:

Amazing Art By Aboriginal Women, A Show At The Phillips Collection

Carlene West  Tjitjiti (2015)

This past August my daughter and I were blessed with a whole week of going to art museums in Washington DC, just the two of us, which was just beyond amazing! I have been to many an art museum in my day, and the museums in Washington DC are fantastic, so do go and dedicate a nice chunk of time if you can! Now on to a bit about this fabulous contemporary Aboriginal Art show we had the great luck of seeing at The Phillps Collection. I will say that my original purpose for visiting the Phillips Collections was to see Renoir's famed painting, Luncheon Of The Boating Party, and that this Aboriginal Art exhibit, Marking The Infinite, totally caught me by surprise as it turned out to be so fresh and amazing.

According to the Phillips Collection website "In the late 1980s women artists took the reins of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement in Australia. After years of working in the shadows, assisting their fathers and husbands, they burst onto the scene, giving it a new vitality and dynamism. Women artists redrew the boundaries of Aboriginal art, and continue to be among its most daring innovators. Though cultural activity has always been central to the secular and sacred lives of women, art making in recent decades has offered a key means for women to also maintain their social and economic independence."

Wow, right? So If you want more info about this exhibit, which is now closed, just visit The Phillips Collection site here. In the mean time check out my photos of some of my favorite pieces in the show, and enjoy!

Oribe Gorge Succulent In Bloom Once Again!

One of my favorite plants, and one of the many succulents that you'll find growing in my container garden is now in bloom! And it is quite exciting for me as the two pots containing this succulent native to South Africa's Oribe Gorge did not bloom at all last year. I was thinking that possibly I babied them too much by bringing them indoors for part of the winter, or that they preferred the hotter location that they once occupied. In any case, I now know that they have acclimated to their newish spot on the little Romeo and Juliet style balcony in my kitchen, and for some reason decided to bloom much earlier than usual, so go figure!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to craft schooling Sunday, and thanks so much for joining me here! While my blog isn't exactly packed with crafts for succos, which starts Sunday night, rest assured I'm packing the creativity in, just don't have much to photograph at the moment, as it will all come together hopefully in the wee hours on Saturday night, phew. Think Moroccan aqua couch, huge pink floral fabric from Finland, Moroccan striped tablecloths, ink brush paintings by yours truly depicting the seven species, t-shirt yarn feathers and t-shirt yarn fringe lamp shades, just for starters. I of course have tons of decorations from previous years if the going gets too rough, though thinking that with all that pattern and color, going easy on the decorations just might be the way to go, and that is likely what time will allow in any case. Soooooo, I'll be celebrating the wonderful holiday of succot for the next 7 days, and may pop in to share photos from my recent trip and maybe some glimpses of the succah......in the mean time, enjoy the feautures from last week's party:

T-Shirt Yarn Is Perfect For Last Minute Succah Decorations

I love t-shirt yarn, and guess what, here in my littlish town in Northern Israel a whole huge skein is the same price as a small ball of cotton rope, so I'm going for color this year in the succah! T-shirt yarn is a great way to make large pom poms and tassels or even wall hangings, lamp shades, crocheted doilies, you name it! In case you are wondering what exactly these mop like creations are, well they aren't finished but interesting nonetheless! They are actually macrame feathers, make in the same way as the macrame leaf I shared previously, but because the t-shirt yarn is quite flimsy I'm contemplating stiffening them.....stay tuned for that one!

Simple Macrame Leaf To Make In Any Size

I have been dreaming of stepping into the world of macrame for a good year now, and at long last here I am, sharing with you my very first macrame project, a simple macrame leaf, or depending on how you trim it, a macrame feather! I actually whipped this one up on Friday as I was cooking, as I just couldn't wait to give it a try!

A macrame leaf, or feather if you make it longer, is the perfect introduction to macrame as you work with short strands so there aren't all those potentially tangled strings to worry about, and if you make a bunch you can use them in so many ways. I have already made a three  more, but this time much shaggier and so not really leaf like, but nonetheless interesting. I'm going to hang my shaggy macrame leaves in the succah. Where exactly? Hopefully I'll know sooner than later as Succot is Sunday night!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We are now in a 10 day period on the Jewish calendar leading up to Yom Kippur, and then just 4 days to Succot, so now is truly the time to reflect on the importance of this period, and at the same time start planning that succah so that it can be truly fabulous! I always have all kinds of plans that don't seem to materialize, but this year I have started making some modern paintings of pomegranites, figs, olives and dates, and am sincirely hoping to change out our usual Moroccan light fixtures for some macrame shades, in fact that is the first thing I'm going to start working on. Beyond that our turquoise Moroccan couch is going to make its debut in the succah, and that with a backdrop of bright pink huge floral fabric from Finland will honestly be more than enough. Ah yes, maybe a bunch of macrame feathers and lots of pom poms and tassels will complete the look? Of course I love to go all out, so time, which is quickly marching forward will tell! In the mean time, lets get inspired by all the wonderful contributions from last week's party, here we go!

Simple IKEA Hack: Ekby Valter Bracket Wall Sconce!

Hey there, the whole world has fun coming up with creative IKEA hacks, so I'm now joining the club. This first one I'm sharing is not my idea, so only taking credit for seeing the idea and actually following through, yippee! This idea is for those of us who would like a modern playful light on the wall but don't have wiring in that spot, ta da, you do need an outlet though, hopefully not too far away. This Ikea hack uses one thing from Ikea, the Ekby Valter shelf bracket in the larger size, together with a simple bulb and cord that I bought at an Israeli lighting store. One can get a bit more complicated with this is you are so inclined by actually threading the cord through the hole, but for now I just wrapped mine around for the simplest solution. Want to make one yourself, keep on reading for some important tips!

Yom Kippur Craft Using Last Year's Calendar!

I am reposting this from last year, as it is just too great to pass by, and as a reminder to myself to make another with my 2018 calender!

I'll be the first to admit, crafts for Yom Kippur are rarely something I've had time for, as the holiday occurs just four days before Succot, for which I am crafting up a storm. That said, this year I am mending my ways and trying to post at least a few simple ideas for the holiday, as after all, every holiday deserves crafts right? This year I decided to try out some simple recycling craft techniques by creating a few things for Yom Kippur, and I'll be using those same techniques for Succah decorations as well. That is the plan anyway, but I just never know how things will go, as you know once the creative gears get turning, well there is no stopping them!

We are now at the beginning of the new Jewish year, so that means that recycling last year's calendar is not only perfect because well, obviously that calendar is no longer of use, but also because we are now in the period in which we making amends for all the things that didn't go so well last year, as well as giving thanks for all the things that did go well. The completion of a year, and the beginning of new one certainly means that using that old calendar for any recycling craft is meaninful and practical!

Ready to get started? Here we go:

Shanah Tovah: Wishing You A Happy Sweet New Year!

Dear Readers, After two wonderful days of Jewish New Year celebrations and wiping the slate clean, now we are slowly getting back into everyday life, keeping in mind that Yom Kippur is on the horizon! We are now in the period called the "ten days of repentence" so while school is back in session tomorrow, we are very much concerned with spiritual preparations for Yom Kippur. Of course, crafting for the holiday is always a great idea, and at the same time it is wise to get started with decorations for the succah, as the holiday of succot comes quickly on the heels of Yom Kippur, yikes! Do take a look in my archives for lots of inspiration and since this year may finally be the year that I put out a craft book, or least get seriously ready to do so, I may not have any new crafts to share with you as I need some unseen material for the book project that has been too many years in coming! (Okay, now that I've said it, I guess I've just got to do it!)

Wishing you a new year in which you accomplish even your wildest dreams, together with good health and peace to all!