creative jewish mom

DIY Waldorf Style Table Puppets With Hair

This past summer we rented a wonderful home on Kibbut Harduf (learn about it here) that was filled with homemade Waldorf-style toys and crafts, so of course I just had to photograph them to share with you, especially since they are mostly not the kind of crafts that I generally do, but would love to! In the case of the felt dolls, I even found the book with the instructions next to the craft table, so you can actually make this wonderful felt doll from the post here. My previous post about making the simpler (bald) king, is a great place to start before tackling things like wool roving hair which is simply sewn to the head, starting along the forehead, though of course glue would work as well. Felt Waldorf-style dolls make wonderful creative gifts this holiday season, so why not give it a try?

DIY Waldorf Style Stand Up Doll

This past summer we rented a wonderful home on kibbut harduf (learn about it here) that was filled with homemade Waldorf-style toys and crafts, so I just had to photograph them to share with you. In the case of the felt dolls, I even found the book with the instructions next to the craft table, so you can actually make this wonderful felt king from this post. I think I'd love to make some too! Felt Waldorf-style dolls make wonderful creative gifts this holiday season, so why not give it a try?

A Vacation Rental Under The Grape Vine In Kibbutz Harduf

This past summer we has the great pleasure of, once again, enjoying another successful airbnb vacation rental. I will say that I really do my homework before reserving, and this really pays off. Renting someone's personal home is always a bit of a risk, and can be strange, but in this case the home was clean, the bathrooms and kitchens spotless, and we loved the overall feel. You can check out this rental on Kibbutz Harduf here,

My goal was to explore something new, and really feel like we had stepped into another world, while only an hour or so from home, and this rental did just that! Not to mention that the house was full of waldorf style crafts, which I will be sharing with you, and that the kibbutz itself has stunning views, is wonderful for walking and the people were very friendly! Okay, lets take a closer look!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Rain and cooler weather and even a touch of fall color in the neighborhood means winter is coming and so too the desire to craft cozy items. I would love to make this fun crocheted llama, maybe it will happen? With a family wedding in Jerusalem and a shabbat together before the wedding, I'm rushing to get it all done, so lets take a look at the features from last week's party!

A Visit To Kibbutz Harduf, In The Lower Western Galil, Israel

This past summer in place of traveling to the USA we stayed put in Israel, so I tried to find some vacation destinations that would feel like a totally new experience, though only an hour's drive away from our home! We totally lucked out with our first location, Kibbutz Harduf, which is not far from Kiryat Ata, which is north of Haifa. While the kibbutz no longer operates as it once did, this kibbutz happens to be quite dedicated to their communal mission which includes providing loving communal living for disabled adults as well as foster children. The market on the kibbutz is organic, and the folks I believe are mostly vegetarian if not vegan. The view from our rental was stunning, and I enjoyed walking the loop around the kibbutz and taking it all in. I have already shared a visit to the Tzippori River promenade, here, flowers of Harduf, here, the stunning variegated bougainvillia, here, lovely coral vine in Harduf, here, the views of Harduf here, and some wonderful mosaics in Harduf, here. Now, for a wider view! Won't you come along?

A Touch Of Fall Color In Northern Israel!

Fall has certainly arrived here in Northern Israel, and I'm grateful for even one little tree proudly displaying its fall color! So sweet really, as it can be seen from afar, which is why I ended up taking a walk with camera in hand to begin with! Of course there are many bare trees and lots of patches of earth normally covered with greenery, and the meadows seem to be slowly drifting off to sleep, but there is nothing like orange hued leaves to shout out, hey, winter is coming! So enjoy the photos I took yesterday on my neighborhood fire trail, and how about making a sketch from one of them, great idea!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With Fall in full swing and cooler weather, I'll admit I've started a new knitting project that requires small needles and is quite tedious, especially since I'm trying to figure out the pattern myself, nonetheless it feels great to have yarn and needles of some kind between my fingers! I hope you try something new this season or return to a cozy craft of some kind! Take a look at the features and get inspired, there is always time for creativity!

Stunning Views From Kibbutz Harduf In The Galil

This past August we had the great pleasure of a 3 night stay on a kibbutz in the southwestern Galil, by the name of Kibbutz Harduf. I chose it because, well we'd never been to that area, and I was craving mountain views, something new, and within an hour's drive from our house. The vacation rental was on the edge of the kibbutz, meaning it felt like we were in the middle of nature. Here are just a few photos of the views from the rental and on the dirt road just below the rental. The view is looking West towards Haifa unless otherwise indicated. Enjoy, and consider exploring parts of Israel that you've never heard of, there are so many delights!

Stunning Coral Vine With Tiny Pink Blooms In Harduf, Israel

This past summer we has the great pleasure of a three night stay on Kibbutz Harduf, (more about that soon) in the Southwestern corner of the Galil, and I saw a lovely vine with tiny flowers that I did not recognize. Fast forward, today I finally had to chance to do a bit of research to find out just what this charming plant is, and yes, it is called Coral Vine! It is not native to Israel, but rather Mexico, and it clearly loves the climate in Harduf.

Coral vines have beautiful heart shaped leaves and delicate flowers, and they are often used grown along a trellis, arbor or stone wall as their growth habit easily covers them with vines. And when in bloom they attract pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees! It is a tropical plant, so don't know if I can give it a try, (we have winters that get down to freezing) but I just might have to if I find it at the nursery.

Before you fall in love with this plant, it is important to note that the vine spreads very easily by wind, water, and through dispersal of animal fecal matter. Coral vine patches are known to pop up far and wide, and their growth pattern can smother other plant species. This explains why they are considered in category 2 as an invasive exotic species by Florida's Pest Plant Council. So keep this in mind and lets learn more!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here. This week has been full of conversations about knitting and a plan to go with a friend of mine to learn how to knit a traditional Jewish knit kippa from a woman (who is the great grandmother to some of my friend's grandchildren, so she has a family connection, and will do a better job of writing down the pattern in Hebrew!) Now, this plan involves a 2 hour bus ride each way, and multiple visits so here's to hoping it really does happen as I've been needing to do this for years! On top of that, my 20 year old daughter came home for shabbat and suddenly announced that she wants to learn to knit and crochet, and my heart nearly exploded! Later she said "I guess I really am becoming you....." and it sure seems that way, so maybe she'll be able to take over this blog someday, here's hoping! In the meantime of course, I will continue to sail the ship happily. Let's take a look at last week's features, shall we?