creative jewish mom

Wishing You A Sweet New Year!

Rosh Hashanah, The Jewish New Year, starts on Sunday night! Wishing everyone a shana tovah, a new year filled with good things: good health, success in all your endeavours and blessings all around! May we have unlimited opportunity in the new year to engage in acts of kindness towards others and make our own personal contribution to the world, because these are the things that really count. 

Looking forward to another year sharing my creative endeavours and travels with all of you, my beloved readers, so thanks for joining me here!

May we all merit to be sealed in the book of life, and have a chatima tovah! 

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Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! On Sunday night we usher in the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, a holiday full of prayers and wishes for the new year, for ourselves, our families, the Jewish People, and the entire world. One of the most important mitzvot of Rosh HaShana is to hear the shofar, and even those who can not make it to a synagogue arrange to hear the shofar blown for them in their home, or at the home of a neighbor or somewhere in the community. I will be unplugged for the two days of the holiday, while of course this party goes on, as does the blog. We will spend many hours in prayer and many hours also celebrating the opportunity we have to help direct the new year with good thoughts and good words. We of course celebrate with festive meals and symbolic food, and try our best to remember the importance of the holiday! So dear readers, wishing you all an amazing new year, filled with good health, success, appreciation for all that you have (and don't have) and the time to realize your creative dreams! With that, enjoy the features from last week's party, and see you again next week in the new year!

Moroccan Carrot and Moroccan Beet Salad For Your Rosh HaShana Table!

I posted this idea for incorporating some simple Moroccan dishes into your Rosh HaShana meal plan years and years ago, so I thought I'd give it the light of day once again, as they are tasty and beautiful!

Carrots and beets are traditional foods that we eat each Rosh HaShana, so why not try something a little bit exotic this year? These recipes are classic Moroccan salads that are traditionally served as a salad appetizer course for any festive meal. Moroccans are famous for their salads, so these are just two of many types of salads that appear even on my own table! And don't you just love these small Moroccan covered dishes? They'll make any table look like it's set for a King, perfect for ushering in the New Year!

Apple Themed Crafts For Rosh HaShana, With Recycled Materials!

Speaking of my packed archives, I have also taken this round-up of apple themed crafts from the archives for your enjoyment right now in 2019, as we prepare for the Jewish Holiday of Rosh HaShana, with less than a week to go. Certainly you could fit in an apple napkin ring, or even one of my fabric apples made with a tin can? Go for it and end the year with some creativity!

Hey guess what dear readers, my archives are packed to the gills with great projects that really should see the light of day once in a while, so today I'm sharing with you 10 fun apple recycling crafts that are perfect to do right now! Whether you are in need of some simple crafts using recycled materials to usher in the fall season or celebrate Rosh HaShana, these certainly fit the bill. And best of all you'll likely have most everything you need to get started now!

Doodle Bees For Rosh HaShana!

Rosh HaShana is just around the corner, so in a pinch I realized that my folk art doodle bees didn't need to become a wall hanging but rather would look great just taped on the wall. Yes, of course the parthership of my doodle bees and this Swedish apple poster by fine little day are what make the simplicity of taping the bees to the wall successful, then again, I think they'd look great as is as well. So dear readers, do spend the time to create some fun decorations for Rosh HaShana, but don't get too stressed out about how to display them, simply tape them on the wall, with masking tape of course. If you have an empty frame you could fill a frame with them too, which could be simple and great looking, the main thing is, again, just display the results of your efforts for all to enjoy, even if it is on the fridge, I do that too!

Wishing everyone joyful preparations for Rosh HaShana during this last week of the year! Keep on reading for a few more photos......

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! The Jewish holiday of Rosh HaShana is in just one week, so now is the time to get crafting and cooking for this festive yet serious two day holiday that ushers in the "high holidays." I am thinking about  Succah decor and the projects I had hoped to already have completed but so be it. Once again it will be a bit of a mad rush, sigh. Though I did purchase some cotton yarn today with the hopes of crocheting some trim for the lampshades I made last year......and since I'm going out of town, this will hopefully be the perfect travel project. Now if I can just find the box with the lampshades in them so I can measure the circumference that would be a great start. Whether or not you are planning on crafting for the upcoming Jewish holidays, Fall is a great time to get those creative gears moving, so lets get to it and soak up some inspiration from last week's party via the features, shall we?

Stunning Swedish Summer Sunset In The Stockholm Archipelagos

I have been dreaming of Swedish summers and Swedish cottages with floral wallpaper for years, as well as long long evenings, and I am happy to say, this dream did not disappoint. Sweden is fantastic, and I can't wait to visit again, maybe heading further north next time, and certainly enjoying more of that endless water......maybe on a remote island in the Baltic Sea? It really is special to enjoy nights that stay light until 10:30 or so, and the pink sunsets? Yes indeed. The one I had the chance to photograph here was more intense than other more pastel hued sunsets, and oh so dramatic. We just happened to be on our way home, and stopped to view the sunset from a marina, perfect! Enjoy these photos and take an extra close look at the silhouettes formed by the trees, love it!

A Visit To Sandhamn Island In The Stockholm Archipelagos

During our stay in Ramsdalen in the archipelagos of Stockholm, we of course wanted to experience the kind of Swedish summer island life that means taking a ferry to the island, so we chose to visit the island of Sandhamn via a ferry from the port of Stavnas. As it turns out there are no cars on the island, and people meet visitors at the ferry with carts to carry the luggage!! Sandhamn is a bustling island in the summer, when the population grows from 9o to two or three thousand.

One of the most important natural ports in the archipelago with easy access to the Swedish capital, Sandhamn has been popular for boating since the late 19th century. It is known for its tavern, its clubhouse, and its harbour. Sandhamn actually means "sand harbour" in Swedish, and the island is full of sandy paths and hills so yes, Sandhamn it is!

There are pubs and restaurants and even a grocery store, so this is not remote island life, but island life together with a bunch of other folks who have either come for the day, are sleeping on their boat, or staying in a summer house or cottage. The island was indeed charming, and I'm so glad we had the chance to visit. I recommend considering staying a night or so to really experience the island, and to take the 10km hike out the lighthouse, which requires a bit of time! If you are looking for a true back to nature experience, maybe consider renting a cottage on a neighboring island and coming the Sandhamn for a visit. Either way, enjoy my little tour and do consider visiting this special spot in our great big world!

Folk Art Doodle Bee Napkin Ring And Placecard

Bees are a fun theme for so many occasions, like birthdays, baby showers, you name it, and of course for Rosh HaShana as a reference to the honey that plays an important part on our holiday table! So add a little joy to your table with some sweet folk art doodle bee napkin rings and tiny placecards, and you will set the tone for a buzzing occasion. Plus, if you are the hostess with the mostess, or host with the most, then you owe yourself a bit of creative time, right? And whipping up some of these folk art doodle bees is just the thing. You may end up inviting even more guests in order to use up all those bees you've created, or better yet, hang them mobile style over the table or use them as gift tags or cards. Or put a few in a frame and gift it as art for a baby's room, so cute! Okay, time is precious, with Rosh HaShana coming in just over a week, so lets get crafting!

Folk Art Doodle Bee Gift Cards Or Tags

After drawing a whole barrel of folk art doodle apples last week, I just had to give the same technique a try with some bees, and I'm happy as can bee with the results! Okay, truthfully it did take me a whole sheet of bees to get it right, (and I almost gave up, yikes!) as I just couldn't find the right combination of florals and stripes, but in the end, I found a formula that works, and am so happy that I stuck with the idea in my head! And in any case, stripes and florals always go together, so why not with some fun folk art bee cards or gift tags?

With the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, coming up a week from Sunday, now would be the time to get crafting......cards, decorations, something special for the table, a surprise for the kids in your life, a fun little something for a friend or neighbor? These doodle bees can be used for so many of the items I've listed, and are truly a relaxing craft to dive into, so go for it! Keep on reading to see some other versions, and then decide for yourself if you prefer black and white or black and white and festive color!