creative jewish mom

Key Shaped Challah

The Ashkenazic Jewish custom of making key shaped bread, or rather challah, (called schlissel challah) for the first shabbos after Passover is something I love to do, though this year on that particular shabbos we were in the Ukraine, so no key shaped challahs.......but then again, since it is a symbolic custom rather than a Jewish Law I figured I'd bake those key shaped challahs the very first time we made challahs at home, which was last Friday. And since my camera battery charger is broken and the replacement has yet to arrive my daughter quickly took some photos to share with you. At this point you may just want to keep this in mind for next year as serving key shaped challahs this shabbos will likely result in some strange looks and/or confusion, but if that doesn't bother you, I say go right ahead and enjoy! Keep on reading for all the links to previous posts with lots of inspiration as far as exactly how to make a key shape!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We are now finally back home after an unplanned trip, followed by a planned trip, and I can't wait to start making things, which is how I always feel after a major holiday. We are now in the Jewish month of Iyar, which means that the festive holiday of Lag B'Omer is just around the corner, and while we are currently in a period of mourning on the Jewish calendar (no music, weddings, haircuts) one can certainly anticipate the upcoming holiday with some fun crafts! Additionally Spring is a wonderful time to get outdoors, and start thinking of creative activities that involve nature, whether it is gardening, or nature crafts or even sitting under a tree and drawing, ahhhh, that sounds amazing! My schedule is still packed with too many things to even allow me to get back to my painting exploration, but hoping to carve out some time soon, yes very soon, gotta do it! Speaking of "do it" take a look at the wonderful features from last week's party, and get inspired to add some creativity to your upcoming week!

Essential Tips For Creating A Family-Friendly Garden

Pride Of Madeira with its huge cones of purple flowers grows effortlessly in Northern Israel. 

Israel has a large variety of plants: the country's cities and suburbs are amass with flowers which attract all kinds of wildlife with no less than 2600 varieties and over 135 types of butterflies! In order to do our own part in preserving our amazing wealth of flora and fauna, spending time and effort in our own gardens will ensure that we embrace wildlife while also creating a beautiful environment for the family to enjoy. Whether you’d love to grow geraniums in your garden, prefer to grow your own food or would like to create a fun play area for the kids, designing a family friendly garden can benefit everyone, young and old. Here’s some ideas to help you get started, and enjoy the gardening journey for many years to come.

A Counting The Omer Collage For Lag B'Omer and Shavuos!

The Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer starts on the evening of May 22, which means we have two whole weeks to turn on the creativity and increase the excitement for this wonderful and festive holiday, and then another two weeks to get crafting for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The idea for this counting the omer collage craft came about when a reader Ilana Singer from Strasbourg, France sent me a photo of a sweet counting the omer chart she made for her kids. Since we count the omer fpr 49 days leading up to the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, I was thinking that as Lag B'Omer approaches, and then Shavuos, why not use that chart to make a nice poster to enjoy for the weeks leading up to Shavuos? Meaning bring on the flowers! I also love the idea of a craft project that evolves over time, and this is a perfect example, not to mention a great example of how to use art that kids bring home from school (generally on letter sized paper) to make something impressive and eye catching for any holiday. So dear readers, save that large piece of cardboard that was used to package a new frame or the piece of paper inside that new frame to make some fabulous art with the family! Let's get started, shall we?

Simple Quilled Paper Bonfire Craft For Lag B'Omer

Quilled paper crafts are a great way to make a unique piece of art, and the results are always quite impressive! This quilled bonfire craft for the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer is really quite simple, and perfect for kids as young as six or seven. Of course the older kids will make versions that are more skillful, but perfection is not the result, we're looking for the joy of creativity! So get out the paper and cut some strips, or buy some ready made quilling strips, and that together with some glue, a black paper background and some wooden skewers is all you'll need for this wonderful craft. This is a great project to introduce the art of paper quilling to the entire family, so enjoy and hang up those works of art to celebrate the one day of the year when large bonfires are encouraged, lit by adults of course!

Kid's Crafts For Lag B'Omer

Lag B'Omer, the Jewish holiday celebrated on the 33 Day of the Omer, which occurs in the middle of a mourning period, is coming up next week, so it is time to get everyone busy with some fun crafts to imbue this special day with great memories. It is true, those of us fortunate to live in Israel and even more fortunate to live in proximity to Meron don't need much encouragement to celebrate this special day, as there is plenty of action to keep everyone busy. For those living elsewhere, some effort may be necessary, so now is the time to get crafting to build the excitement! I've pulled some projects from the archives that can serve as inspiration to make this day special for your family, go for it!

Let's Get Crafting For Lag B'Omer!

The Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer is coming up in just another 9 days or so, so now is the time to get crafting for this festive holiday. It is true, I live in Lag Bomer central, just across the valley from Meron, the world headquarters of the holiday, so for us the holiday is truly significant as the whole world (literally) comes to us!  For those living outside of Israel I have noticed that Lag B'Omer tends to be on the relaxed side, so my suggestion is to bring the level of this very holy holiday up a notch by investing in some crafts! Unlike other holidays when we may be really busy with food preparation and getting the house ready to receive countless guests, Lag B'Omer is the time for picnics and campfires and venturing into the forest so go easy on the food preparation and invest in the creativity! Here are a few crafts from the archives to get you started, and I hope to add a few more later in the week, so stay tuned!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Spring has arrived in full force here in Israel, and if one takes a drive just about anywhere there are colorful wild flowers everywhere! The huge quantities of rain and a winter that really just ended have somehow led to blooms galore, some of which I will share with you soon. In the meantime, crochet some flower coin purses, make a fun wind chime from recycled cans, use of those old crayons or create a lovely baby blanket, just for starters! Enjoy the features from last week's party, pick a project and include some creativity in your everyday!