creative jewish mom

How to Plan a Large Vegetable Garden

Now that the shemittah year has passed, during which we did not work the land in Israel, we can start to think about vegetable gardens again! I don't have any land, but might be able to install some raised beds on a paved area, which could also work. I dream of having a cutting garden to fill vases with home grown flowers, though vegetables would be wonderful too! Setting up a vegetable garden can be very fulfilling, and the reward is enjoying the healthy food you grow yourself, and witnessing the miracle of it all! While you might not save money on food, you will certainly have fresher produce than if you were to purchase it in a store. And of course you can choose to go organic, and then you will quite likely save money. There are some important things to consider when setting up your vegetable garden, so keep on reading, and consider adding "gardener" to your growing list of talents!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft schooling sunday, thanks for stopping by! With the week long wonderful holiday of Succot starting tomorrow night we are busy putting the final touches on our succah, so running to post this and wishing everyone who is celebrating an amazing joy filled holiday! And now, for the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Real Tree Branch With Paper Leaves Wall Art

This project, which I made 2 years ago and now graces a wall in our stair well is still looking good and something that one could make last minute, assuming you have access to some dead tree branches near by! Ah yes, and for my succah the gold painted branch was a must, but you might be able to skip that part. Get out the glue gun, and some art that does not need to be saved, cut leaves, glue, and voila! Here is my previous post, enjoy!

We are now on the third day (of seven) of the wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot, and while I am not doing any crafting, I can stop by here to share my favorite succah decoration with you! And, unlike some Succah decorations, this one is truly a work of art, and can be used year round indoors, or for a special event or to mark a new season. You decide, but if you are anything like me, you won't want to stop at just one, which I did not! After making the first version, a tree of life with gold leaves, I just had to make another colorful version with a gold trunk (previously the gold spray paint was not to be found) to fill a huge blank area in our Succah. And despite some scepticism from the peanut gallery, it turned out even more beautiful than the first one, and there is a very funny story that goes with it, which I'll share soon. The main thing is to find a really great looking dead branch with lots of character as well as bunches of tiny branches, as that variety is what truly makes this piece special. Okay, want to make one yourself? Lets learn how!

Last Minute Yet Stunning Succah Decoration: An Accordian Folded Golden Starburst

With the festive holiday of Succot starting tomorrow night, most folks have already built their succahs, but there might be some decorating left to do? Truthfully I have so many decorations from past years that making something new does not really make sense at this point, rather I'm using past projects in new ways, in some cases, and still enjoying some of the major pieces a made a few years back that still look good. That said, you might be in need of a statement piece that can be made quickly, so dusting this off from the archives to share with you now!

If I am sharing succah crafts with you right now, namely decorations that are currently hanging in my succah, that must mean the Jewish holiday of Succot is quickly approaching. And yes indeed, one of my favorite holidays, that also happens to be seven days long, starts tomorrow night, so time is of the essence! While I had thought I'd be ready days ahead, hmmm, that didn't quite happen as I was waiting for inspiration to strike with something new, and it did, PHEW, only I once again find myself crafting in the wee hours of the morning the night before the holiday, sigh! Lest I digress, if you happen to need some quick succah decorations right NOW, paper accordian folded flowers look great and are quick, plus you can make them in a variety of sizes, and voila, a whole wall of decorations is born! I'll admit, I didn't make the gold accordian folded flower/star this year, and in fact I'm not sure how many years ago this was made, the miracle was that I packed them away nicely and somehow a box full of them surfaced this year when my son combed the attic!

I do hope to share photos of the entire succah with you next week, so stay tuned for that, and keep on reading to find out how to make even just one gorgeous gold flower!

Recycling Crafts For Yom Kippur

I just dusted this off after pulling it from the archives, enjoy!

Yom Kippur starts on Tuesday night, so now is the time to honor the holiday with some simple recycling crafts! It is true, that if you are building a succah, crafting time might be more well spent on making succah decorations, but if you are among those that travel to family for Succot, then why not make some Yom Kippur crafts? And, two out of the four crafts I've presented here can also be used in the Succah, so with time of the essence, lets get crafting!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday thanks so much for joining me here! With Yom Kippur coming up on Tuesday night, that means that Succot is in just a week, yikes, so time indeed to get those creative gears spinning. I of course have more than enough already made from previous years, but I do love to add at least something new each year, hmmm to that! Last week's party was full of crocheted projects, many of which would also be great succah decorations, so is that my cue? Not sure, but it certainly means time to get crafting! First of course, take a look at the features from last weeks party, and then get off the computer!