creative jewish mom

Crocheted T-Shirt Yarn Flowers In Any Size

Need a bunch of sweet crocheted flowers that will make a statement and won't take a year to crochet? Try crocheting these simple one-round flowers using commercial t-shirt yarn (or super chunky regular yarn) and you'll have a whole tree full of blossoms  to celebrate the arrival of Spring, a wedding or engagement, or in our case, first a 3 years old birthday party this week, followed by the Jewish New Year for the trees, Tu B'Shevat, coming in a few weeks. Tu B'Shevat is generally the time when the first fruit tree, the almond tree, blooms, so crafts with pink blooms is perfect, and these crocheted flowers, now hanging over our dining room table are setting the stage for this lovely holiday.

When you plan ahead for your upcoming event, you can crochet some of these flowers on the go....you know, in line, in the waiting room, on the bus or train, you name it! So lets get crocheting!

Paper Silhouette Installation At The National Portrait Gallery

This past summer on our museum extravaganza in Washington DC, we had the pleasure of visiting The Portrait Gallery, which yes, is portrait after portrait after portrait, but the museum occupies an adjacent attached building to the Smithsonian Museum Of American Art, so one can stay on the same floor and view exhibits from both museums, very interesting! I really enjoyed seeing the portraits of the Presidents of the USA, the new portraits of MIchelle and Barak, and a really interesting numbered series of portraits of Native Americans, just to name a few. And there happened to be a really great exhibit about silhouettes, (which were stylish before the camera came about) that included historic silhouettes as well as present day shilhouette art, including this amazing paper installation of a Victorian maypole scene. Really fabulous, especially for a crafter/paper lover/graphic designer/wannabe artist like myself! Enjoy!

Rain Clouds Over The Mediterranean In Northern Israel

My two teenage sons, 15 and 13 are attending a sleep-away Yeshiva about an hour's drive from home, and we miss them dearly! They do come home every-other shabbat, and we try to visit now and then on weeks when they won't be coming home. This week my 15 year old really sounded like he needed us to visit, which is rare, so I re-organized my schedule in order to visit them this afternoon. I was somewhat worried about driving in stormy weather, as visibility around our mountaintop city can be very low during rain, but fortunately there was a respite from all the wet weather we've been having, and the drive, one hour each way, went smoothly.  And, as a reward for our efforts we got to witness the stormy winter Mediterranean with dark grey rain clouds overhead, so very beautiful indeed! After I finish 100 flower paintings, I'm planning on giving clouds a try, so I will surely refer to these photos as reference, though once painted no one will actually believe clouds can look like this! Enjoy my stormy sea photos taken from the pier on the Nahariya boardwalk.......

Acrylic Floral Painting With Pastels

Yes, it is true, a bit less crafting going on around CJM headquarters lately (though still more than anyone else I know) because I have been fighting a little war with acrylic paint and a paintbrush....and let me tell you, it is not so simple to try and realize those dreams of painting real paintings, you know the kind you'd want to hang proudly on your walls, or even sell! Apparently one has to paint 500 paintings to start mastering the paint, so I am working on paper to make it less precious, less expensive, more space friendly and hopefully quicker! My brother told me "real artists don't worry about these things, just stop making excuses and paint." Funny guy, not as easy as it sounds, but I'm giving it a run for my money, and if you hang around here for another year or so you may just see the results, and hopefully it'll be great. If not, then I'll start making quilts, since I've always dreamed of that as well. Or even if the painting adventure does result in some huge gorgeous semi-abstract floral paintings that I'm dreaming of, I think I'm going to need some quilts to complete the look, you know in that large stone house, or white industrial space, either one is just fine, of course a yurt would work too. Enough babble, keep on reading if you are interested in learning how this painting was made......

Hanukkah Candle Drip Art With The Leftovers!

After eight joyful nights of Hanukkah, shining light into the very darkest corners, you might just have some leftover candles? (We light our main Chanukah menorah using olive oil, but use candles for some smaller chanukiahs.) Don't toss them, spend a few moments of pressure-free creativity, and create something with the drips. This of course is only with adult supervision, or for teens, and maybe even Mom or Dad could use a little creative time after a hectic week-plus of celebrations? (Don't worry about me, I know how to take that time when possible, you should see my kitchen table right about now......) So instead of trying to save those candles for next year, or tossing them, lets bring more light into the world through creativity!

Monet's Water Lilies At The National Gallery, Washington DC

I have enjoyed Monet's Water Lilies at MOMA in NYC countless times, a HUGE tryptich, if memory serves me that occupies an entire wall, and most of a room. There is a bench allowing one to sit and enjoy. Lest I digress, I love the French Impressionist Monet, and appreciate his art even more now that I am on a little painting journey myself. This time around at the National Gallery in Washington DC I has the pleasure of seeing another of Monet's Water Lilies paintings, this one much smaller and less abstract, and all in all just beautiful. Come, lets take a moment for a little art break, shall we?

Mary Cassat's Girl In The Blue Chair

Rather than share a whole bunch of great paintings from one museum in one post, I decided to share some of the highlights of my museum extravaganza (this past August in Washington DC and NYC) in shorter posts in order to really give credit where credit is due, and to enable us to focus in on several works at a time. Introducing this fabulous painting by American impressionist Mary Cassat (1844-1926) Girl in A Blue Armchair, 1878. Really truly a special painting, and just love the juxtaposition of the girl's tight rendering versus the loose brushstrokes on the armchair and blanket. Truly stunning, hope you are inspired to take a chance with creativity, Mary Cassat certainly did! Enjoy!

American Impressionist Painter: Childe Hassam 1859-1935

I have to be honest, I have a minor's degree in Art History, and I really don't recall learning about the amazing painter Childe Hassam. I have a feeling we just skipped over American Impressionism, and that sure is sad, because on my Washington DC museum extravaganza this past August I saw a few Childe Hassam paintings that were just truly captivating. You know the kind of paintings that make someone like me actually stop and take a closer look when I'm speed walking through the museum in order to see it all! It turns out Childe Hassam was quite prolific, so there are many many of his works that one can see online. Better yet, get to a museum that has some of his originals and take a look, truly lovely. And now, I'll share with you the three paintings that made me stop and take a closer look.........

Luncheon Of The Boating Party, Seeing The Real Deal In Washington DC

This Chanukah has been so packed I haven't even had a moment to wish all my dear readers a wonderful light-filled Chanukah! Now, on this eighth night of Chanukah, called Zot Chanukah, I have realized that it is high time I start sharing photos from our summer adventures, and boy do I have a lot to share! Having written an article about the Hamptons this week, and given that the Hamptons was home to several well known Impressionists, I thought I'd start by sharing with you some of the really great Impressionist art I had the pleasure of seeing in Washington DC this past August. And, since Impressionist painters were all about capturing the light, Chanukah is the perfect time to share their work!

I thought I'd start by sharing with you one of the most famous Impressionist paintings of all times, Renoir's Luncheon Of The Boating Party! This painting was actually a favorite of mine way back when, though not sure when exactly! I'm sure you know how that goes, but when I saw a museum by the name of The Phillips Collection on the list of museums in Washington DC it sure did sound familiar, and sure enough it sounded familiar because that is the home of Luncheon Of The Boating Party.

I have to say, one can certainly enjoy art by looking at prints, but there is nothing like seeing the real deal, and I certainly never would have noticed all the amazing details just looking at the print of Luncheon Of The Boating Party. As you can see here, I made sure to take a few close ups to share with you! And honestly I'm still pinching myself!

Ten Things To Do In The Hamptons With Kids

It is true, beach season isn't for another six months, but I encourage you to start thinking about your summer vacation plans now, when most properties have not yet been booked! Yes indeed, now is time to find the vacation rental that suits you perfectly rather than having to choose from what is available by the time you actually get around to planning that vacation. (I've certainly been there.) And if you have a special occasion you'd like to celebrate or a family get together is long overdue, all the more reason to start planning early.

I love vacation destinations that include the ocean, and I also jump at every opportunity to visit art museums and galleries. Guess what? As it turns out, the The Hamptons isn't just a summer play ground for the Upper East Side, it also has a very large art scene, and a really interesting history as a home to many famous artists. Any place that artists have chosen to call home will always be up my alley, as it means inspiration, beautiful nature or gritty city, great light, you know, all the things that help artists produce their best work. Now I'm dreaming about  Hamptons rentals for our yearly family get together, and I thought I'd do a little research about the area to figure out just where in the Hamptons would be our ideal spot, and what exactly we will do with all the cousins during our stay.

The Hamptons, namely part of the East End of Long Island, New York comprise a group of villages and hamlets in the towns of South Hampton and East Hampton, which together form the South Fork of Long Island. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of the historical summer colonies of the Northeastern United States. Because of its proximity to Connecticut and Rhode Island, much of the older architecture and aesthetics of the villages in the Hamptons resemble New England. New England charm, an art scene, lots of trails for hiking, dramatic sand dunes, great sunsets? I'll see you there! But first lets delve just a bit into some of the places I'd like to visit, with kids in tow. Introducing Ten Things To Do In The Hamptons With Kids.