creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! We are now in the period on the Jewish calendar called "the 9 days" which is a period of great mourning (no music, no festivities, no eating meat or drinking wine, no haircuts or buying new clothes, no decorating your house......) leading up to the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, the 9th of Av, the day in which both Holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. Sooooooo, we can certainly get together for this blog "party" but I'll keep it low key......And now for the features from last week's party, for the first time ever I suddenly would love to make some faux stained glass! Enjoy, well know you, whatever feels appropriate!

6 Outside The Box Party Ideas For Your Kid's Birthday

Birthday parties are a great time to get family and friends together to celebrate your child turning one year older, and to celebrate your child in a way that shows them how truly proud you are of them. When throwing a birthday party for your kids, there are two ways to go. Either you decide that every year you'll do a classic birthday party at home, inviting their friends over for the afternoon, playing games and eating cake, or, maybe you'll decide to go the route of making it as memorable as possible, or somewhere in between (my choice.) Birthdays are an opportunity to create lasting loving memories for your child, so do make an effort! Today there are countless unique ways that you can celebrate your child’s birthday, and a memorable birthday party does not have to mean a big budget, you just need to think outside the box!

Let’s take a look at some “outside of the box” birthday party ideas for your child’s next birthday.

DIY Fruity Birthday Number Centerpiece

Mazel tov to my wonderful daughter, whose birthday is today! A big phew, because tonight we enter the somber period of the 9 days, on the Jewish calender, and if she had been born just one day later I would not have been able to make her festive birthday parties until 10 days later! For the past four years or so I have been making birthday numbers, which I use in a vase either on the table, or on the sideboard, though they'd be great anywhere. Sometimes I've made numbers in black and white, and then I've reused them for her younger brothers, though this year, since she loves fruit, I'm going colorful and fruity. And I just realized that she'd really enjoy a bunch of fruit themed life advice quotes, so I'll be making a bunch of those somehow as birthday decor at well. Ah yes, and then there's the chandelier to decorate, and bake the cake, or at least prepare the cake toppers, she is the baker, hmmm. Okay, I'm in a huge rush, with sleepover guests arriving unexpectedly, along with everything else, so lets get to it!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Take advantage of all things summer to delve into some crafts, whether old favorites or trying something new! Think of projects to take along on summer trips or outings, things that you can do in the car, at the cabin, or even as guests in someone's home, or a hotel room. Life is so much fuller when you add creativity to the mix! Enjoy the features from last week's party!

Canna Blooms In My Container Garden

In the middle of July, both red leafed and green leafed Canna blooms in my container garden in Northern Israel! Okay, not a dense collection of blooms, but rather just a few, but I'll take it! And I'm really loving the height of the red leafed Canna this year, fabulous! I have noticed that Canna is a favorite around the world as a container plant for planters within a city, because the leaves are so large it makes a great "thriller" meaning dramatic and tall element in a planter with other types of plants that are "fillers" and "spillers" and it is also easy to propogate meaning for all that bang, it is likely not so expensive and so cities can buy huge quantities to fill all kinds of planters and park beds. I always wonder whether the tubers are dug up and saved to make more plants, or just tossed? In my neck of the woods, the Canna does die back in the winter, but comes back each spring with beautiful new leaves and eventually flowers, either bright red, or yellow, as you can see here. So do consider adding some Canna to your life, after all who can't use some thrillers in the form of lovely plants?

DIY Decoupage Votives To Remember Jerusalem Using Recycled Jars

Pulling this one from the archives, because it is a favorite. Make a bunch for every Jewish holiday and then mix and match for a very amazing display!

We love having guests with sweet babies, and are more than happy when there are baby food jars to craft with!  Even before the guests left I found the small jars that I had put aside from their last visit, and together with some new tall ones, a craft idea was born: baby food jar votives with scenes of Jerusalem. This is our first craft this year with this topic, and the timing is perfect, as we can enjoy these jars for the next three weeks, and when the lights are turned down on the evening of T'Isha B'Av they will be lovely and a good reminder of what the holiday is all about!

Decoupage is a perfect craft for all ages, and results that are both abstract as well as pictorial look great together. So gather some jars, any size of course, and some simple supplies, and make a bunch of votives to use indoors and out!

Paint The Stones Of The Kotel Craft For The 17th of Tammuz

I have pulled this post from the archives, as it is truly a perfect one for the somber day of the 17th of Tammuz, which is today.

Today is the 17th of Tammuz, a solemn fast day on the Jewish calender which marks the beginning of a three week period of mourning for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, (The Holy Temple/King Soloman's Temple.) So with the boys home from school early, and my daughter just starting her summer vacation, there is no time like the present to try and get back into our crafting groove which I have missed greatly! So today I pulled out the watercolors, and grabbed a white corrugated cardboard box, and we all spent some time painting the stones of the kotel, and I just love the results!

Yes, my boys smirked when I told them to use bright and beautiful colors for the stones that they know as beige, but I explained to them that we were painting the stories that the stones had surely witnessed, and all the beautiful prayers whispered in front of these stones every day by countless individuals from both near and far.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Tonight we usher in a very sad day on the Jewish calendar, the 17th of Tammuz, which is the beginning of a 3 week mourning period, leading up to the day which marks the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The 17th of Tammuz is a minor fast day, meaning more lenient than Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av, and starts from sun up. Nonetheless, it is a serious day for introspection and working on ourselves, which can in turn make the world a better place. And of course as I always say, doing acts of kindness through creativity is always an amazing way to give back, so take a look at the features from last week's party and think about what you might do with someone who could use a project to work on right about now!

Things To Consider When Welcoming a Foster Child

 

Ever considered welcoming a foster child or children into your home? It can be truly such an amazing thing to do, though of course one has to be 100% prepared in every way. Deciding to care for a foster child and welcoming them as a new family member is a very emotional and significant life event primarily for the child, but for you as well of course. You must first ensure that you can welcome the child into a warm environment, so they will feel valued and loved from the very beginning. 

As seemingly simple as it might seem to some, just think about how scary it might for the child to leave their life behind and start over with new carers who are strangers. That said, you can make things easier for everyone, and ease the adjustment period by planning ahead. Here is a list of effective tips that will help you start your journey as a foster parent on the right foot.

Summer Tools For Busy Moms

 

School’s out for summer and while this may be great news for your children, as an already-busy mom, you may find yourself with even less time on your hands to check all the items on your to-do list than ever before. While 84% of moms who work full-time believe they are doing what is best for them and their families according to data released by Pew Research Center, they can certainly benefit from a toolkit to help them save time and stay on top of their responsibilities. Thanks to the technological advancements made in recent years, there are more useful tools at your disposal than ever before. Here are just a few nifty apps to add to your toolkit to help you make this summer better than ever, with just the right amount of family time and no stress please!