creative jewish mom

Ten Plagues Passover Seder Craft

I made these ten plagues placards for my kids for our seder eight whole years ago, and since they are still looking good (in the photos that is) I thought I'd pull them out of the archives to share them with you, as truly this a craft that will make memories for the kids (and fun loving adults) at your Passover seder table! Truthfully, while I love these ten plagues placards, they are on the large size and so I did a smaller version of this craft with some of the neighborhood boys, using skewers instead of dowels, and you can take a look at that craft here. Regardless of what size works for your family, do take the time to make some of these ten plagues placards, you won't regret it, promise!

In the photo above, from left to right I have depicted the first four plagues: Blood, Frogs, Lice, and Wild Animals. Keep on reading to see most of the other plagues.......

Passover Paper Craft For Kids: Four Cups Of Wine Paper Dolls!

With Passover coming up on Friday night, now is the time to keep the kids busy with fun crafts to celebrate Passover, or maybe even make some yourself? This Passover paper dolls craft in which the dolls are actually the four cups of wine was done by a group of boys during a weekly crafting session, and I just love the results, even five years later! So yes, this is a craft I've pulled from the archives as honestly I am just way too busy to do any crafting right now! I have set aside some paper and a vintage book with guides for making animals, which I hope to do later in the week, but for now we are still very much in cleaning mode, so enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here. With Passover in less than a week (starts Friday night) the pressure is on to get the house and most importantly, the kitchen, truly clean! The fridge is scoured as are any cabinets and counters that will be used for Passover and all food items not "kosher for Passover" are locked up or eaten before the holiday, and if that food is crackers or bread or anything containing flour, that item most likely will be eaten outside starting on Sunday in order to avoid pieces or crumbs in the house. While Jewish law requires considerably less cleaning than many of us do, we really wouldn't have it any other way as it just wouldn't feel like coming out of slavery if we didn't work to make our homes orderly and shining as well as free of leavened products! There is no feeling like sitting down at the seder on the first night of Passover with everything sparkling clean physically and spiritually and all the work getting there is part of the journey. With that in mind, gotta run, so enjoy the features and happy Passover preparations!

Crocheted Newborn Baby Bear Hat And Booties

Looking for a quick crocheted gift for a new baby? Look no further, this is it, simple and adorable and the kind of crochet project to whip up in numbers! These quick crocheted booties can be customized to your liking (I added the picot trim and later and ankle tie so they'll stay on) and the hat is adorable as is, but go to town if you so desire! Crochet this newborn hat and booties set in any color, and the results will warm the hearts of the new parents, guaranteed! So lets get crocheting, as little handmade gifts like these are always great to have on hand, even if there is no newborn on the horizon. Charity gifts for newborns are also a great way to add joy to the world, so give that a thought as well.

Crocheted Newborn Quick Baby Booties

Crocheted booties are the perfect little gift to show your love when a new baby graces your family, circle of friends, or community. (This would be a great charity pattern as well!) And once you've got the pattern down, you can surely crochet these in the car on the way to visit the newborn, or in my case, on the way to the brit! Well not these exact booties, but I have been know to crochet an entire sweater in the car, mind you I had a few hours. Crocheted booties are a fun little gift, a great way to add a homemade touch to a large gift, and something one can make to use up little odds and ends of yarn as they take very little! After I took these photos I did add a crocheted tie, which I threaded through the ankle, very useful so the booties will stay on baby's foot, and not get lost. Happy crocheting and mazel tov!

Crocheted Newborn Baby Bear Hat

Sometimes crocheting a gift for a newborn baby just seems like the best way to show your love, and this newborn baby bear hat is the perfect little baby hat as it is quick and adorable! I fortunately had a project in progress that I unraveled in order to make this hat in the perfect blush pink color, and I just love the results. This hat is of course a winter hat, though one can use chunky cotton for a summer version that would be equally adorable. Once you make this newborn hat, you'll want to make them in sizes for all the little ones in your family. So let's share the love and crochet some newborn baby hats shall we?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday and wishing everyone a chodesh tov, a happy new month, as it is now the Jewish month of Nissan! Nissan means Spring, and it also means the pressure is on, with Passover in just two short weeks and soooooo much to do. Not one but TWO close neighbors are marrying daughters this week, and we have to go to both weddings which are several hours away, so my daughter and I are going to take a mini vacation and just stay overnight in the Tel Aviv/Ramat Gan area, meaning the pressure is on even more to finish all of our huge tasks. At the moment I really need to finish totally clearing out my office/craft room that became a storage room, yikes! That is truly an act of experienceing coming out of slavery, so just before Passover is a perfect time for such a thing. So happy everything and wishing everyone joyful Passover preparations! The features from last week's party are amazing and inspiring, so enjoy!

How To Make Origami Pinwheels While Spring Cleaning

Origami pinwheels, also referred to as origami windmills, are simple to make and a great way to make some spring decorations while also using up bits of scrapbooking or other paper you have hanging around collecting dust! I love making origami from wrapping paper, so that is game as well, as are recycled magazine pages and just about anything thin enough to fold. I came across this two sheets of A4 sized bubble wrap printed paper that I made a good twelve years ago, and instead of tossing it I decided to make some origami pinwheels, and I just love how cheerful they are. You can use these pinwheels to make a garland, or use a thumbtack or paper fastener to attach them to a straw or wooden stick, and they can actually spn. You can also plump them up a bit if you like, or keep them flat. Origami pinwheels are also a great way to introduce kids to the art of origami, so lets get started!

Take Control Of Your Family's Finances

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Adopting An Organized Approach To Your Family’s Household Budget

Did you know that 35% of married Israeli couples aged between 25 and 60 are splurging more cash then they earn, according to research from Kyrill Shraberman? Similarly, 39% of unmarried individuals in the same age bracket are spending more than their monthly earnings. If you and/or your family have a mindset that leads to spending your cash on designer clothing, fine meals in upscale restaurants and even exploring the stunning sites of the world, it can leave a dent in your finances. It’s, therefore, crucial to adopt an organizational mindset to stay on top of your spending.

Account For Every Shekel Of Your Cash

Israelis are increasingly finding it difficult to cover the cost of home maintenance charges and education costs. As a result, they are turning to credit card companies to cover these costs. However, before getting yourself into debt, it’s wise to carry out an in-depth review of your finances. Sit down and determine where every single shekelt of your cash is going. This will allow you to easily identify where money is being wasted, (such as on a whole closet of brand new craft supplies rather than recycled ones.) Once you know where your money is going each month, you can put a plan of action into place to ensure that your essential and non-essential expenses are covered.