creative jewish mom

Crochet T-Shirt Yarn Pears Are Perfect For Tu B'Shevat!

What better time than Tu B'shevat to indulge in a little fun crocheting some large pear? This is really not a difficult project and will surely bring smiles to whomever gets to enjoy them. So gather up that industrial scraps t-shirt yarn and get to it! Yes, I am reposting this from last year as a nasty respiratory bug has seriously interferred with my creativity. Of course I do have to decorate the house for Tu B'shebat, so hopefully I'll be able to share that with you sooner rather than later. 

I have been wanting to crochet a pear for ages, partly to go with my daughter's pirum parum poster, and partly because who can resist a crocheted pear? And who can resist a crocheted pear that is big enough to be a pillow or couch prop, certainly not me, and I am truly in love with the results of taking a regular crocheted pear pattern and using t-shirt yarn to make it something different altogether, yippee! So, as you can see, once you start crocheting pears from t-shirt yarn you really have to crochet at least three, as they look just so amazing together, right? I was crocheting that black pear on a car trip with my husband and he had no idea what I was up to, and only saw the results when I gave it to him as a chanukah present......of course he didn't appreciate my efforts, but that is okay, I didn't really crochet it for him, but rather as some fun decor for our bedroom or any little spot in the house in need of some giant fruit! Okay friends, lets get crocheting......

Puffy Crocheted Flower Wall Hanging Is Perfect For Early Spring

If this looks familiar, it is! I am reposting this from the archives as it really is such a sweet project and perfect right about now. So get out those odds and ends of yarn and make a wall hanging!

Now you too can make a gorgeous crocheted flower wall hanging that is a breeze to whip up and is truly unique. I love the pastel colors for early spring, or baby's room, or you can go with brights or neutrals to make something that looks amazing in your special spot. Come to think of it this could also be great inspiration for a DIY wedding backdrop, right? Of course you'll need a bit of time to crochet all those flowers, but it would be amazing!

A full year ago I shared some fun crocheted flower pillows, that would be nice partners for this wall hanging, but first lets get started!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Thanks so much for joining me here on Craft Schooling Sunday, the party is picking up speed after the December break, and I hope you crochet, as the crochet projects stole the show this week, as you can see from the collage above. If you don't crochet, give it a try, and with some time and patience you can do it, it is much easier than knitting! Winter has hit Northern Israel, with more rain than ever, meaning the level of Lake Tiberius is approaching normal, (after many year of being dangerously low) at last! I even took some of my succulents inside (especially my beloved Oribe Gorge, a species from South Africa) as temperatures are approaching freezing!

Truthfully I feel like painting, as it has been a year since I put down my paint brush.....the paintings continue to be on display in the kitchen, and now I must get back to it. Ah yes, but I said I was doing a book this year, and that has not progressed at all, sigh. Hoping I can find time to paint and work on the book and keep this blog going in addition to all the other things going on. (You know like graphic design work, a creative workshop here and there, hosting truckfuls of guests each shabbat, taking care of my family, and dare I mention my container garden and all the plants inside......ah yes and the centerpieces and the birthdays and the Jewish holidays, and hopefully some exercise in there and I really want to start making my own sprouts! How is that for a rambling sentence that ended with sprouts, hmmm guess that is what I need to do! Okay, lots of deep breaths and a little bit of patience! And now, for the features from last week's party, enjoy!

DIY Hacks for Kids Crafts With A Cricut (And Should You Invest In One?)

If you are a crafter, which if you are reading this you likely are, then of course you are familiar with cutting machines like the Cricut. I personally live outside the United States, where craft cutting machines and the supplies to use with them are either not available, would have to be shipped to me, or are costly. So a cutting machine is not in the cards at the moment for my family, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't consider one, because I have to say, one can do so many amazing things with them!

One reason you might consider investing in a Cricut machine, or a Cricut Maker bundle, is to give your kids more options for crafting projects, and the ability to plan projects ahead of time that they can do on their own, which in itself is a great thing. In this article, you'll find a list of ideas for the busy parent who wants to quickly supply their child with the necessary elements for a successful project. These ideas are great to have up your sleeve when weather or circumstances require a child to be inside and when screen time is just not the most beneficial activity.  And if you are a night owl like me, you can put together a great project in the wee hours of the morning, when of course no craft supply stores are open!

The Cricut machine has so many options for nurturing creativity, so if you have the time, the space and the desire for making a wide range of custom projects, maybe a Cricut is for you! Okay, lets learn about some of the fun possibilities......

Crocheted Flowers Garland For Spring

Somehow I wrote this post last year on Tu B'shevat but in the end did not post is, possibly because I was not happy with the photos? A year later, yes, the photos do not do justice to the project, which looks so much better in person, but as I'm too busy right now to photograph the crafts I have been making, crocheted t-shirt yarn flowers it is. Hmmm, wonder where those flower are now, they would look great hanging with all the white pom poms now hanging from that light! So here is the post I wrote last year:

It is still the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat in many parts of the world, so wishing you all a very joyful Tu B'Shevat holiday! A few weeks ago I shared my crocheted t-shirt yarn flowers, and guess what, I actually put them to use as birthday party decor that phased nicely into Tu B'Shevat decorations! So for the past few weeks pink crocheted garlands have been hanging over our dining room table, and some of the numerous guests have commented how lovely it looks, not realizing that it was actually a seasonal decoration. Truthfully most of the numerous guests did compliment me on the delicious food but somehow didn't notice these pink flowers floating overhead, or maybe just the idea is so foreign they didn't quite get it? Or maybe because most of the numerous guests happen to be young men, and wellllllll, not to generalize but they tend to notice less about interior decor. They do tend to notice the cow skin on the floor, but not too much else. In any case, once you crochet the flowers, assembling this spring blossom garland is oh so simple, and I just realized this would also be a perfect baby mobile.......another item that is somewhat "seasonal" as how long will that baby that baby stay a baby? And infact these crocheted glower garlands could make a nice wedding photo backdrop, look lovely hanging from a tree or really just about anywhere. Get a huge bunch of friends together, get lots of skeins of t-shirt yarn, and you can have yourself a great party backdrop that can then be repurposed into baby mobiles for the whole world, or floral lampshades, or one could even sew these flowers onto a blanket. Okay, enough babbling, lets whip up some crocheted flower garlands!

Try Skillshare, It Is Truly Amazing, Promise!

I am re-posting this lovely leaves tutorial for 2 reasons, the Jewish holiday of Tu B'shebat is coming, and my favorite site, Skillshare is hosting a 2 months free deal that truly you should not pass up. I learned how to paint these leaves on Skillshare, I have learned photography tips on squishier, and while my time is limited I'm about to delve into digital illustration with Procreate, and my daughter and I are learning that on Skillshare as well. Truly truly is is the bargain of the century given the very wide range of classes available and some of them are truly amazing. Not to mention all kinds of classes on business and graphic design, interior design and more. So really, give yourself the gift of Skillshare here, and you won't regret it, promise.

Okay, now about these watercolor leaves!

Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the New Year for the trees starts in about 2 weeks, and if you have 30 minutes or so you can whip up some gorgeous watercolor leaf paintings and learn about practicing your brush strokes a win win crafting experience! While I have yet to actually put in the time I'd like, I'm in the process of honing/learning some illustration skills, starting with watercolor painting. It turns out that the first step is learning brush control, using a round brush, and leaves like the ones used in my fern illustrations are created with just one stroke. Pretty great I must admit, and so relaxing to paint. A friend was over the other day and she thought I had stamped all these little leaves! Of course there are so many designs one can make once you master the one stroke leaf, so give it a try and enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, so great to reconnect with all the regulars and welcome a few new party goers as well! The first party of 2020 was filled with great projects, especially if you love to crochet, and/or knit as I do. While the holiday of Tu B'Shevat is the next Jewish holiday is happening in another 3 weeks or so, I haven't quite gotten over Chanukah, and the decorations are all still up, which is fine as they are wintery and glitery and so much fun. While we follow the lunar Jewish calendar, the new year on the Gregorian calendar does provide another push to think about new beginnings and the speedy passage of time! I am really really hoping that this will be the year in which I can at long last get at least one book out there into the world, though truthfully I have so much material (both old and new) a series of books is what needs to happen. So now as I write this, I'm thinking that at a certain point very soon the only way to actually do that is to put the book first which means possibly having to turn down other work. I do like to think that I can do it all, but reality is there are only so many hours in the day! So wishing everyone the brain power to make the right choices with how to spend our time, and then making the most of it! That said, a few minutes checking out the features from last week's party is time well spent, so enjoy!

Woodworking Projects You Can Do At Home

Above: Order wooden doll making parts from a woodworking supplier, and make the cutest wooden toys ever. And if you've never seen all the supplies available, enjoy!

Looking for some woodworking projects that you can do from home, in order to inject individual style and comfort into your space in the new year? Harness all that "new year" energy and delve into some simple projects that you can easily do from your own home workshop. The project ideas I'll share with you here involve a few power tools and would likely be done in a garage space. If you don't have a place where you can truly make a mess with wood dust and noisy tools, not to worry I don't either, though I'll admit I do dream of that sometimes.......and it is fun to learn about projects that I might theoretically do! Okay, lets get started!

Simple Wall Shelf Or Set Of Shelves

Creating a simple wall shelf, or a set of shelves, is quite simple, and it can change the entire ambience of the room. It takes little to no effort to style a wall shelf, and it can easily change the mood in the room depending on which direction you choose. You can arrange photos to create a montage with multiple shelves, or use a single shelf to display a stunning art piece. The options are endless, and not time consuming. Be sure to select the finish of your choice in order to make sure the shelf works with your decorating scheme. Honestly, the lengthiest part of this project would be cutting the boards to the exact size necessary for your project.

You'll likely want to use a table saw for this project, and if you don't already own one, it is a great investment for anyone that loves to DIY (and has the space for the saw.) There are many table saws out there, and detailed reviews of these options might assist in educating you about your decision. If you're looking to complete more than a few woodworking projects around the house, investing in a table saw might be just the thing to make sure you actually complete those projects of your dreams!

More Quick DIY Birthday Crowns Spread Joy!

DIY birthday crowns are so simple to make, look amazing and truly make the birthday person feel extra special! In the past I made these crowns in five minutes, and they were cute but not exactly works of art. Fast forward and I had a little extra time to actually figure out how to make a great looking birthday crown and voila, a bunch of designs were born. Now I just can't stop making them, and had to share one more with you! The latest crown was made for a woman nearing 70 or so, and she and her husband were supposed to be our guests for shabbos. Her husband had quietly told my husband that it would be his wife's birthday, knowing that I would do something for her, of course. Now, I do not know her age, nor would she necessarily want her age on a crown, so instead I made the hebrew letter shin, for Shulamit, her name. So we made a cake and a crown, but then the couple were not feeling well and couldn't come for shabbos unfortunately.

Sooooo, since they are our neighbors I sent my daughter over to their house with the birthday crown and a few salads for shabbos. My daughter reported that Shulamit loved the crown so much she was both crying and laughing at the same time! And when she called to say thanks, she reported that the crown made her so happy and served as their shabbos centerpiece. So there you have it my friends, a birthday crown can bring happiness at any age, truly! So lets find out what we'll need to make them, shall we?

Simple DIY Anniversary Cake That Is Great For Engagement Parties Or Newlyweds Too!

It is always a great idea to have a really simple decorated cake idea up your sleeve to whip out when needed, right? And these sparkly cake flags have been a winner lately, having appeared at two birthdays, and now they have made an appearance to honor a newly married couple who joined us for a shabbat meal last week. I took the photos before shabbat, which meant that I was running late, (as time is precious before sundown on short winter Fridays) but it was worth it, as showing the cake flags on the cake surely beats previous photos of just the flags. While I made this cake for newlyweds, it is of course perfect as an engagement party cake, an anniversary party cake, or a sheva brachas cake. And of course with just one letter it can be a birthday cake as well, or a congratulations cake, or a just because cake? The crowns over the letters and the diamonds on the flag poles certainly work with any royal theme, and so this could be a fun cake for Purim as well!

Once you realize how simple it is to make folks happy with a cake like this, I think you'll start doing it often. And if baking isn't up your alley, so buy a cake, or better yet cut a watermelon into a cake shape and add the decorations! (We only have watermelons in the summer here, so have yet to try this, not to mention that my family certainly prefers the sugar filled cake.) Okay, lets have a look at some more photos of this cake, and a list of supplies and tips.