creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Wow, last week's party was filled with so many amazing projects, and with spring on its way, and Purim injust  2 1/2 weeks, well my friends, time to get crafting just before the Passover cleaning rush! I will be making party decorations and some fun stage set decorations this week on top of everything else going on, so hope to have some fun ideas to share with you! Enjoy the features from last weeks party!

My Travels To The Ukraine

In light of all the absurd and very disturbing things happening right now in the Ukraine, and the fact that it looks like my beloved city of Kyiv is about to captured by the Russians, I thought I'd point out that I have been 3 times and have shared quite a few photos of my favorite locations which I recommend reading here. The Jewish people have a 1,000 plus year history in the Ukraine, my grandfather was from Kyiv, and we remember the tragedies of many pograms that wiped out tens of thousands even before the mass massacre of the unbelievable number of 1 million jews, just in the Ukraine. I am very sad to report that that was possible because of the the great participation and willingness by many Ukranians to help the Nazis. So it is true, there are so many mixed emotions when visiting a place that has both hugely rich Jewish history, and unfathomable tragedy. Today I send my prayers to all those in the Ukraine, because human life is precious.

In case you missed the link to my posts on the Ukraine, it is right here.

DIY Play Cupcakes With Spray Foam Are Perfect For Purim!

I use these DIY play cupcakes for party decor on a regular basis as they are just so adorable! I thought they'd also be great for Purim, as decor or as part of a costume (how great would they be on a hat?) and now it the time to get started filling the house with fun things, so I've pulled this keeper from the archives, enjoy!

Aren't these play cupcakes just the cutest? They are so simple to make, and whipping up a batch is a great craft project to do with a group. My daughter actually made these with a group of gradeschool girls, and they used them as cupcake magnets, so use your imagination and enjoy! It is true, this craft is made with a product that is for adults only, and likely full of toxic fumes, but maybe you have a can of insulation spray foam sitting around, so I'd say better to use it than toss the partly full can! Spray foam can be used to create so many amazing things for Purim as well, so give that some thought but do make sure to use the product outdoors only, wearing gloves and with caution. Even crafting sometimes needs to be done mindfully, and that is just the way of the world. Sometimes I envy quilters who only quilt, or potters who only work with clay, or knitters who only knit.........all of which involves contained and expected supplies, but then again, I'd surely get stir crazy as I love to switch it up when it comes to creativity, and if that means a little bit of toxic spray foam here and there well so be it.......just walking outside or going to the park can be equally ill advised depending on what was just sprayed on the weeds or pests. Yikes, lets just make some cupcakes and bring joy into the world!

Magazine Page Collage Vase Of Flowers!

With Purim just around the corner, now is a great time to start making fun decorations, which in my case are going to include a bunch of collages, vases of flowers, and maybe even some castles, which just occured to me as I type this!  I'll let you in on a little secret: I need to make some stage decorations for a Purim party, and I'm thinking that some large vases of flowers flanking the stage might work....okay, I'll keep you posted, of course! Using magazine pages as collage material gives any collage project so much depth and interest, and in this case I used only magazine pages, but one can certainly combine colored or painted paper with magazine paper, especially if the magazines you choose to cut up don't have any of the colors you love. Fortunately for me, one of the magazines that I am tearing up has been filled with full page ads with lots of solid color, so thanks so much to the designer who started that trend! Okay, need some tips for getting starting, lets do this!

Creative Ways to Start a Frugal Living Lifestyle

Frugal living isn't for everyone, but it does appeal to many! Whether your frugality applies to just one area of your life, like your food, your home, or your shopping habits, or the idea appeals to you but you're just not sure how to start and make is sustainable, I've got a few tips that might be helpful. I'll admit tiny houses, like the one above, really appeal to me, but would living in one be realistic? Hmmm, my family and guests would really five or so tiny houses, so maybe we'll just stay put, but start by putting into practice decluttering, which is certainly a great thing to do right now, especially as cleaning for Passover approaches, and our yearly spring cleaning gets underway!

While frugal living might be an ethical decision for some, to reduce their "footprint", others may choose the path of frugal living out of necessity or the desire to have the money to do the things of their dreams, like travel or even fund an expensive education of some kind. Of course, a lot of people are doing their research and comparing the many types of retirement accounts, ultimately preparing for the inevitable departure from the workforce. By living frugally, more money can be dedicated to these long-term savings goals.

At the core of frugal living is the managing of your finances so that at the end of the day, your hard-earned cash goes towards the things that are the most important to you! That does sound really smart, I must say, so lets take a look at seven creative ways to start a frugal living lifestyle. Let's do it.....

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, so amazing to reconnect with you all, and thanks so much for joining me here! Spring is coming and I did spot a few almond trees in bloom in the neighborhood, as well as some red anemones popping up here and there, so I hope to get out with camera in hand to capture this wonderful time of year as things begin to come alive! As you may know, I've been spending most of my creative time painting and drawing and not a craft in sight, but the need to do some is stirring in me too, and even more so after seeing all the contributions from last week's party and putting together the fabulous features! Enjoy, and I hope those creative gears are starting to turn for you too!

9 Crafty Ideas To Customize Your Clothes

Thinking that maybe your wardrobe could use a little injection of creativity? Or maybe you need something costume-like to wear to a fun party or event? Or maybe you can wear funky or crafty clothes as a part of your everyday? Or are you budget conscious, and love to change things up often and experiment with new looks, whether it be for yourself or even your kids?

The good new is, you can customize your clothes to your liking, and make a statement that is uniquely yours by starting with the clothes that you already own! Just a little creativity my lead to a new wardrobe and some extra change to spend on accessories, or art supplies or a new piece of jewelry? Okay, lets get started with some ideas to customize your clothes.

Policy Change For Extended Family Members Of UK-Based EU Citizens

This content is neither creative nor crafty nor food, nor gardening, nor travel, but it may be useful to some of my readers in the UK, so why not? Keep on reading if it applies to you, otherwise, since you are already here, have a look around, there is a huge wealth of information for injecting your life with creativity starting with milk cartons, or some other recyclable!

On December 31, 2020, the UK's EU free movement law expired. According to this, the settled EU nations can join either EU or non-EU family members. People already in the UK will be allowed to stay where they are. Those EU family members who will come after December 31 will have to apply to settle or for pre-settlement status before June 31, 2021, to live lawfully in the UK. For more details on the effect of this policy change, you can contact the best immigration lawyers to fast track spouse visa.

Make A Row Of Milk Carton Houses Craft!

I've just pulled this one from the archives, and it was not dusty as I made these last January. They really are sweet, and a perfect craft to usher in Spring, and put smiles on everyone's faces for Jewish month of Adar, when we get really silly for the holiday of Purim. Fun fact: on the Jewish calendar which is lunar we don't have a leap day, we have a leap month! This year we have 2 months of Adar, and right now we are in the first month of Adar. Theoretically this means we have a whole extra month to start getting ready for Passover, but I'm spending it painting so there you have it! Enjoy, and if your family starts to complain about the stash of milk/juice cartons, just tell them I made you do it! Here is the original post:

I really can't count the times I've planned to make milk carton houses, nor how many milk cartons I have packed away in the basement for those dream projects, but I can report to have taken one tiny step forward with these milk carton heart graffiti wall houses! I realize it sounds like I've never made milk carton houses, silly me, I certainly have, twice, milk carton house planter, and doodled millk carton houses. I've been all about hearts lately, and while the hearts I've been painting haven't exactly been graffiti hearts, lets just pretend they are, and certainly when painted on a milk carton house they can be! And of course there are many leaves shaped like hearts, so cover a milk carton with green hearts and you've got a wall of ivy or a garden. Add a few small house details and a whole row of houses is born! This is such a fun project for any age, and I recommend painting a bunch of milk cartons to have on hand, as in general painting on 3D objects is great for developing a creative eye, and for adding something fresh to your crafting or creative practice!  Ah yes, and with the Jewish new year for the trees coming next week, include a few almond blooms, or a blooming fruit tree and include this in your holiday decor. Either way, it feels like Spring, so it works for Tu B'Shevat! Okay, lets get started, shall we? I almost forgot, check out all of my milk carton crafts for lots more inspiration, and to plan ahead, meaning batch prepare some milk cartons for future crafts!

Practice Painting Florals On A Milk Carton!

Want to make some fun art that stands up by itself and will always call attention to itself? Paint on a milk carton! If you've been hanging out here for a while, then you certainly know that I've had fun painting milk cartons in the past, here and here, and that I'm always keen on repeating a successful project when the need arises. "Need" in this case being that I'm spending the month painting flowers of all kinds, and slathering the left over paint on a milk carton is a great way to make a canvas that isn't precious! And that lovely green box hanging out with the milk carton, well that would be a tea box landscape, painted using only one color plus white! Around my house the craft project like to socialize with one another, so the painted apples came to play as well. And that friends is the fun of always having a creative project to display on your sideboard, and especially during the festive Jewish month of Adar, when we want to be smiling, as we get ready for Purim! Okay, back to that milk carton idea, keep on reading for a few tips, I would say I'm approaching expert status?