creative jewish mom

DIY Orange and Cloves Pomanders

It has been twelve years (gasp) since I actually made these great looking orange and cloves pomanders, but they are still looking good, so I figured I'd dust off this project and share it with you again. i have come to realize that bringing things out of the archives to see the light of day isn't such a bad idea, especially since most people don't go fishing around in there!

You do have time to actually make some of these pomanders before ushering in the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat and I have come up with a great way to make these so that even those who aren't so crafty can succeed.....and of course the fragrance that goes with this activity is just lovely, so go for it!

Carved Carrot Leaves!

Dusting this one off for the upcoming Jewish Holiday of Tu B'Shevat, coming January 16th!

At long last I have found a really good reason to continue exploring the world of fruit and vegetable carving: the holiday of Tu B'Shevat is coming up this Friday night, and since we'll be celebrating with loading the table with as many kinds of fruit (and nuts) as possible, carved fruit and veggie platters seem just perfect. So introducing another instalment of Vegetable Carving 101, this time it is Simple Carved Carrot leaves! The great part about carrot leaves is that they can be made way ahead, like now for example, and will keep perfectly in the fridge in a container of water. The little leaves you see here are just my first attempt, and did it just before I was about to prepare dinner, so that all the little scraps were not wasted, but rather thrown into a chicken stir fry!

Tips For Finding Creative and Eco-Friendly Gifts For The Holidays

The holiday season is here, and regardless of what holiday you celebrate, that might mean some last-minute shopping for those who didn't already celebrate Chanukah! (Your boss, coworkers, neighbors, teachers, the mail person, household help, the sweet child that lives upstairs?) Buying gifts in a hurry that end up in the trash or clutter our houses for years only to be tossed out later, takes its toll on the planet. In fact, in every holiday season, Australians produce 30 percent more waste that includes food, unwanted presents, decorations, and single-use plastics for gift wrapping. Owing to this alarming rate of waste generation, lets consider switching to sustainable gifting that is useful and poses minimal threat to the environment!

If you are looking for gift ideas that help you make planet-friendly choices while reducing stress and saving money, you've come to the right place. Okay, time is of the essence, so lets get started!

Dried Orange Slice Pendant Craft For Kids

Dried orange slices are great for crafting, and at long last I stuck some in my oven (back in 2012, gasp) to make some things for Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for fruit bearing trees, which my friends is on the night of January 16th. So plenty of time to give this a try, right? Rather than create a dried orange slice garland or another ornament, I came up with this fun idea which could also be a great little activity for a Tu B'Shevat party. Yup, that's right, dried orange slice pendants! And on little kids these pendants are well, quite large, making them all the more fun and festive. And when the party is over, you can simply hang your pendants somewhere for decoration. While I was about to tell you about using cinnamon bark and star spices, never mind, why make this complicated, it is truly great as is! Enjoy!

Fruit Orchard Kid's Craft With Pine Cones

This pine cone fruit tree orchard craft (hanging out in my archives with so many other great projects) is just as cute as can be and perfect for Tu B'shebat, coming up on the evening of Sunday Jan 16, so there is plenty of time to get into this fun craft, and enjoy!

Collecting pine cones on a nature walk is always a fun activity to do with the little ones, but what to use them for afterwards? Here's a good one for you: make a pine cone orange orchard! This idea is so simple yet with great results and fun for a variety of ages. And maybe they'll even take the time to make a popsicle stick shed for their orchard, and some little crates to fill up with oranges. That would be a good start to encourage creative activities rather than anything with batteries or that plugs into a wall, right? And of course if you want to get particularly crafty, how about making a plan to build an entire farm, or little town with all the usual amenities, just from simple supplies like these?

From Dreidel to Bingo: Fun Family Activities for a Cold Winter’s Day

With winter on our doorstep, families will start to spend more time indoors. Even when families are generally close-knit, being cooped up indoors can soon lead to boredom and frustration. This is particularly true when siblings are prone to annoy one another when required to spend too much time together. Thankfully, there are a number of fun-filled activities the entire family can engage in to help pass the time, and planning ahead is certainly a great idea! Partaking in fun activities and games, can also help strengthen the family bond and create memories! Here are a few ideas to consider when planning to have some fun with your family this winter.

Cutest Fruit Themed Party Favor Boxes Ever!

Looking for a great looking and festive something for your Tu B'Shevat table? How about creating your own fruit themed boxes from my printable, available on my creativejewishmom/Etsy, and then stacking them up for the greatest looking centerpiece ever? Honestly these boxes look so great I enjoy looking at them stacked up casually, and I don't think I could part with any at the moment! But maybe by the time Tu B'Shevat rolls around in a few days, I'll be ready to fill them with dried fruits and nuts to give as little gifts to friends and neighbors to celebrate the Jewish New Year for the fruit bearing trees!

What can I tell you about these little boxes? Well, you do need to be handy with a craft knife to cut them out once printed on heavy paper, but the assembly is simple and once they become little boxes they are simply adorable! And of course you don't have to use them as boxes at all, seal up all the sides and display them as fruity cubes, hanging mobile style or stacked like blocks. And if you're not into assembling the boxes, so use the square panels to make a glorious paneled wall hanging by stringing a whole bunch together like a coat of armor, if you know what I mean?

Milk Carton Tree Craft For Tu B'Shevat!

The wonderful Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, the New Year for fruit bearing trees, is next up on the calendar, coming on the night of Sunday January 16th, so now is a great time to get crafting! There are so many wonderful ways to honor and celebrate Tu B'shevat, and my archives are busting at the seams, but for now I thought I'd share a fun craft from just last year, milk carton trees!

Best of all, whimical paintings of trees in bloom gracing milk cartons is something one can certainly enjoy for a good few months? I just love painting on milk cartons because the results are ready to display and honestly it is just so darn cute, and unexpected, a great combination! While I originally started I started painting whimsical almond trees in bloom on paper, check it out here, and I then started to explore the topic further on milk cartons, and let me tell you it is truly so much fun! Okay, lets take a look at how to go about painting blooming fruit trees on milk cartons!

5 Tips to Prepare for Baby’s First Winter

A baby’s first winter is all about fun, festivities and plenty of snuggling! To make the most of the season, parents should focus on keeping their little ones cozy. These tips will help you prepare your home and baby supplies for this coming winter. A few extra items and useful strategies will help keep your infant safe in cold weather. Beyond what clothes and bedding to buy there are also things to consider like what temperature to keep the baby's room, weatherproofing your home and even practicing winter car safety. So keep on reading for some important knowledge so you can enjoy this winter with your precious little one!

The Story Of A Very Special Chanukah Menorah

While this story actually happened in 2016, I started to tell it here in 2019, but it has taken me until 2021 to actually do it! I guess I wrote this story in my head so many times that I was convinced I had posted it, but apparently not, as it is no where to be found! And since this is such a special story that we tell every Chanukah since 2016, now is a great time to share it with you my dear readers on Zot Chanukah, the 8th and finaly day of chanukah, with the most light!. Chanukah is about publicizing miracles, so while this does not qualify as a miracle it is pretty amazing, I think, so here goes!