creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I am rushing to finish cooking and cleaning for Shabbat, with just a small table of guests, but those same guests are also house guests, which means a great excuse to clean and organize  more than I might be inclined to do! What can I say, I personally need the incentive of guests to get things looking the way I like them, and for that I can put the blame on my mother, as that was how we were raised! I wonder what this will look like in the next generation? I just hope they'll make lots of mess with their kids doings crafts! Speaking of which, lets take a look at the features from last week's party, enjoy and please take care!

6 Gifts For The Dad That Has Everything

Need to get a gift for Dad, and yikes, he really already has everything he might want or need? Not to worry, with just a little bit of creativity you can find a gift for Dad that will show that you care, and that you care enough to invest some brain power and just a bit of effort. After all the whole point does not have to be the gift, but truly the thought, so make sure your thoughts are sincere, and well thought out! I've put together 6 great solutions to that nagging question of what to get for Dad, that are bound to help you any time you want to show your dad just how much you love him and appreciate him, special occasion or not!

Okay, lets get started!

Simple Geometric Color Swatch Art

Looking for an interesting way to learn about color combinations with results that are just so satisfying? Looking for a fun art project for all ages? This just might be the one! These bars of color are so simple to create, either in a sketchbook, or on paper, or even canvas, you just have to give it a try! You can use oil pastel, acrylic paint, colored pencils, watercolor or a mixed media combination. Do thick bars with acrylic paint and then go back and fill the bars with doodles or marks, note to self! Or choose to do squares or any combo of geometric shapes. Choose a set palette of 5 or 6 colors, plus white, and then have fun placing one color next to another. How did I get those bars of color to be so crisp? Keep on reading, I even took a process photo, imagine that!

Watercolor Blue And White Vases With Flowers

Summer is the perfect time to delve into something new, and if you can take it with you, all the better! So friends, consider starting a sketchbook, keeping in mind that it is about creative growth not perfection, and I can promise you, it is a very very worthwhile journey, and so very satisfying, trust me! This watercolor paper sketchbook of mine was started two years ago on a vacation in Sweden, and I have been slowly adding art to the pages, most recently, art created with watercolors, ahhhhh. And guess what friends, if you don't like the results, so paint an acrylic paint painting over it, and voila, that watercolor painting gone wrong is old news. The main thing is to use your sketchbook to tell the tale of your creative journey, which can be so many things! If you'd like to start but not sure where, how about some sweet blue and white vessels filled with flowers, or not? This is a perfect subject for beginners, because wonky vases and flowers with interesting shapes might be that much more interesting! Okay, lets get started!

DIY Cardboard Playhouse With An Upcycled Box!

Looking for a fun project to keep the little ones busy this summer? Collect some huge appliance or furniture boxes, collapse them and set aside for that window of time when a great project is just what is needed to keep the little ones excited and engaged! Who doesn't love a playhouse, especially one you can decorate yourself, and in fact spend days decorating, best of all! While the example here is shown in a closet, this idea can also be done in a wide doorway, or even in a corner, just make sure the keep safety and adult accessibility in mind! One can even make this freestanding by attaching the house to something on the back, which will enable it to safely stand up, like two empty bleach bottles filled with water and tightly sealed, or carboard boxes. One can also make walls, but that gets a bit more complicated and the likely hood of everything staying upright is on the slim side! So take my advice make just the facade of the house this time and enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Phew, no more festive holidays to prepare for until Rosh HaShana, so now is a great time to delve into creative pursuits to satisfy your heart, like crocheting, nature crafts, tie-dying and for me, painting, as I'm on a mission to really develop my skills an an artist. And as we all know, if you want to be good at something you need to do a lot of it, so lots of art it will hopefully be for, and lots of ? for you! Of course there are limits as my daily life includes graphic design work, as well as of course taking care of my family, and my extensive container garden and welcoming guests to our shabbos table. I am thankful for a full and meaningful life, and the energy to do it all.....just wish there were more time in the day! Ahh yes, if I did everything more quickly there would be more time? Hmmm, okay, so lets get to those features from last week's party, and once again, do think about filling your summer with creativity!

What Does The Ramban Say About Emotional Happiness And Physical Health?

Since we have just celebrated the Jewish holiday of Shavuot in which we receive the Torah anew, each year, now is a great time to talk about how the wisdom from the Oral Torah is just as relevant today as it was when it was first received. To understand the Oral Torah, one can refer to the writings of the Rambam (Maimonides), whose commentary on health and emotional well being is just as relevant today, if not more so, than when it was written.

Today while researchers work on cures for terrible diseases and viruses that afflict the human race, they have also begun searching for a fundamental truth regarding our daily existence, through experiments and medical studies. The most basic human needs are being pondered and studied, in order to understand how the human psyche works, and how basic needs fit into that equation. Why does one need sleep? Why does one need water? Why are we in need of physical activity? How does food affect our physical and emotional states?

Lets start by looking at the seemingly basic cycle of food-water-sleep-physical activity. This cycle, as well as each of the entities, affects your household’s heart and soul, your physical and mental balance, and your ability to bring you and your children to an optimum level of emotional happiness and physical health. When you realize that by carefully considering the basic needs of every human and how they work together, you can truly have a major impact on the lives of your family, in a way that you never considered to be possible!

It turns out that by looking to the wisdom of the Torah as well as modern day applications of that same wisdom, we can easily ensure our family is functioning at the highest level possible. Lets take a look at what the ancients sources and today's modern medicine have to say about the same issues, shall we?

Simple Flowers And Leaves Decorated Challah

I am rushing to post this as there is still cooking to be done for the holiday of Shavuot, which we are welcoming tonight! Round braided challahs decorated with simple flowers and leaves really do make your holiday table special, so if you have a few extra minutes, give it a try, even for just one challah! This design is quite simple to make, and if you follow the instructions, I do think you'll be happy with the results! Trust me, I've been doing this for years, with varied results, and this design actually looks good after baking as well, which many just do not. So make some round braided challahs using my 4 strand round challah tutorial, set aside a grapefruit sized piece for the decorations, and keep on reading!

Flower Covered Challah For Shavuot!

We are welcoming the beautiful Jewish holiday of Shavuot tonight, and I decided last night that it was time to make some decorated challahs to embrace the holiday, in which we bring flowers and greenery into our homes to remember the lush surroundings on Mt. Sinai. Yes indeed, I did take note of the relative luxury of this act while many of my fellow Israelis were in bomb shelters, and I am grateful to live in a location that is generally not a target, and we have never used the bomb shelter room in our home as such, though I am relieved that we have one! Okay, back to challahs and the upcoming holiday! I love to make round challahs, and they are especially lovely to distinguish a Yom Tov from shabbat.....and a four braided challah looks amazing and is so simple to do once you get the hang of it. Check out my four strand round challah, and become a pro, you can do it! Incase you missed it the link is HERE. Regarding the simple flowers that top this challah, keep on reading......

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With all the very intense and very sad things going on here in Israel we are more than ready to receive the Torah on Sunday night, on the Jewish holiday of Shavout. My house is always very green, so decorating with greenery, check, but of course I do have a few last minute things to do, especially since we'll be welcoming some guests with young children, and for them I just have to add some special items to the table. Of course after all the years of crafting I do have some tricks up my sleeve, and some egg carton flowers painted and ready, phew! There might be some special challahs for the holiday, and my daughter will be taking care of the cheesecake department, so maybe I'll get to take a nap, as this is one of the holidays where despite my night owl tendencies I will get up at the crack of dawn to go to the synagogue. I really can't complain it is right next door! Wishing everyone a meaningful and lovely Shavous holiday, and keep on crafting, summer is a great time to take the creativity outdoors!