creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Thanks so much for joining me here on Craft Schooling Sunday! Now that Fall is truly here, time to get crafting cozy gifts and all things that one can do indoors! I'll admit I bought 5 huge skeins of t-shirt yarn, since they were just 5 for 100 shekels, which at $6 a skein for 600-700 gram is quite a good price, hmmm, maybe I need more? I think I'll be doing some fun pouches for Chanukah and maybe a bit of embroidery on round placemats, time will tell! And you my crafty friends, get crafting, but first a quick look at the features might just be a great idea, enjoy!

Bird On A Branch Mosaic Craft

One of the highlights of our summer travels within Israel was spotting creative mosaics in just about every new location! While i have not done any mosaics in years, spotting them sure does warm my heart, and I do of course plan to do some again some day, as yes, I do have some boxes of broken dishes somewhere, they just need to scream louder to get my attention! This little bird mosaic is just as cute as can be, and would be great outdoors, or indoors as wall art. Of course, cutting or breaking your tiles or dishes into tiny pieces does make quite a mess, so I recommend doing that part at least outdoors, but one can certainly do the glueing/adhering indoors, unless of course your mosaic is for an outdoor wall! Then again, some folks assemble a mosaic on a piece of plastic netting or canvas indoors, and then affix that to the wall outdoors and then grout. So many ways to go, and really just sharing this to inspire you!

8 Fun Ways To Recycle Old Clothes For DIY Projects

If you have been reading this blog for a number of years you'll of course know that one of my favorite things to do is to make DIY crafts from items that would otherwise end up in the recycling bin or trash can. And since it is never clear where even items placed in sorted recycling actually go in the end, the best thing is to use whatever you can! This is especially true of fabric and clothing, and friends, there are so many great things one can do old clothes and bedding, so keep on reading and take a look at my top tips for recycling old clothing as supplies for DIY craft projects. You will never look at your old clothing in the same way, promise!

Don't let your old clothes end up in a landfill somewhere - there are so many ways to recycle and re-purpose them. So lets get creative, have some fun, and do our part to help the environment! Are you ready? Keep on reading!

Crochet A Cat Cave Or Cat Bed With A Free Pattern!

Is there a cat lover on your gift list that you'd like to treat with a fantastic DIY crocheted cat cave or bed? I'd say it is a great idea, as even if the cat doesn't quite end up liking it, it can always be used as a basket of sorts! (Especially the acorn shaped one I'm eyeing!) And some of these crocheted cat beds are so quick to make, you may just want to include it as part of a larger gift, like a custom pet portrait for example, which can be anything from an original painting, in either acrylic or watercolor, (there are many artists on Etsy that offer custom pet portraits, though plan ahead) or something that could be quite large, such as a printed photo portrait. I recently became aware of some really unique pet portraits that involve making the pet look like he is wearing a uniform or period costume, and truly this makes an epic gift. But getting back to crocheting that amazing cat cave, lets take a look at some of the free patterns I've gathered here, to send you on your way! Ah yes, and there are so many new chunky yarns out there, so take your pick and enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Thanks so much for joining me here. The weather here in Northern Israel is starting to cool down, and I'm thinking that it just might be time to once again pick up the crochet hook, and some of the projects from last week's party are certainly inspiring me to do just that! At the least a project for some upcoming car trips, or maybe to have ready for December gift giving! So friends, get inspired and go make something!

DIY Ladybug Mosaic Craft

There is just something about mosaics in general that is so very charming, or if ancient, inspiring! Here in Israel we have quite a few ancient mosaic that have been excavated, the most famous being from the floor of a synagogue, I believe, though, yikes, I have not been there.....yet! Sorry, lest I digress, I just really wanted to share with you this ladybug mosaic that I saw during our summer visit to Gita, Israel. It was on a wall outside a home, and of course caught my eye because it is quite simple to do, and yet so very sweet. So dear readers, before the weather gets cold, do think about trying out a mosaic, as they are best done outside due to the mess of for example, clipping your ceramic scraps into shapes! If you are interested in mosaic crafts in general, including pots and plaques, check out my entire mosaic crafts category right here.

DIY Tree Of Life Wall Decor, For The Succah Or The Home!

today is Hoshana Raba, a very important and spiritual day during the Jewish holiday of succot, and for those of us in Israel, the last day in the Succah. So while I really want to be in the Succah right now, soaking it all up in all its glory, I'm popping in to share with you once again one of my favorite Succah decorations, and one in fact that lives year round on a wall in my kitchen, except during Succot! I made this from a real dead olive branch that I found on a walk in the meadows nearby, I painted it with a fine coat of white, added some gold leaves made from succah decorations from previous years, and voila! I then went on to make a larger version, with a complete tutorial that you can find here.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Hoshana Raba, and wonderful Simchat Torah, which we celebrate in our homes, in Israel starting tonight, and elsewhere starting Monday night.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, the Succot addition, thanks so much for joining me here! With Sunday being the last day of Succot here in Israel (it is one day longer outside of Israel) I will be sad to say goodbye to the Succah as it is truly as very very special time! And because this was leap year with an extra month added to our calendar last spring, the weather is nice and cool, which makes it even more enjoyable! While there is no creating (meaning art, craft etc.) during the holiday, it is permissable for me to get on the computer and make this party happen, so enjoy the features from last weeks party, and friends, it is surely time to get started with holiday gifts, so what will you be making?

The Gravesite Of Rebbi Matya Ben Charash

I wish  I could tell you that all the holy gravesites of our great sages were wonderfully taken care of and a visual delight, but sigh, that is not always the case, and more often than not I am just grateful that the location still exists and we have access to it, amidst all the challenges our tiny country faces!  And in this case, that sage happens to be buried in a location that years later became an Arab village by the name of Eilabun, so while fenced off and somewhat well known, it is not exactly a hot spot for visitors. Fortunately unlike some instances one does not have to enter the village, rather the gravesite is actually across the highway and above an aquaduct, which explains all the fencing, just in case someone might think it is a great place to swim.....it is not. But this gravesite is a great place to pray for miracles, so of course we put our aesthetic needs aside and got to work! (When we found ourselves in the Lower Galilee not so far away, we decided to have a little adventure! ) As it turns out, there was another family there as well, so together we perched on the side of the hill on the hot summer day, and some of us lit candle after candle as is customary to do. If you are interested in that, just look it up! Okay, lets take a look!

DIY Seven Species Garland

As you can well guess I have so many Succah decorations from previous years that I still love, so spending time making new ones is certainly not a priority! Of course when one of my sons requested that I create the "seven species" as part of my Daily Object series (read about that here) in order to hang them in the succah, well of course I could not resist, because while we try to hang actual versions of the 7 species in the succah, artistic representations of them haven't been created for some time, and my previous version is in a box lost in the attic somewhere! So while of course now is not the time to be making succah decorations, you can save this idea for next year, or after the holiday get to work on your own version to enjoy for the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, when we eat the 7 species! What are the 7 species you ask? Keep on reading!