creative jewish mom

The Rosh HaNikra Seashore

At the very northern tip of Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea and just below the border of Lebanon lies one of my very favorite spots, Rosh HaNikra. For years and years I'd only visited the mountain top area, never venturing to the shore below, until this past passover holiday week, when I suddenly realized that I needed to be close to the water, and directed my husband to make a left turn, which took us into a dirt parking lot, which happened to be right next to a path to the shore, magic! The tide was low so we enjoyed the rocky shore, the views and the fact that despite it being a holiday week, there were very few people there, the best! So friends, visit Rosh HaNikra, the mountaintop with the fenicular that goes down into the grottos, but also visit the seashore below, it is something special!

Watercolor Hyacinth Cut-Outs Look Amazing Anytime Of Year

It is true, here in the Northern Hemisphere we don't usually think about hyacinths right about now, but in Australia now is the time! And truthfully, hyacinths are such amazing flowers, whether planted (which one should start thinking about now) or forced (which could start happening around November) so why not give it a try with some watercolors? I painted these hyacinths to use in a watercolor art journal that I'm making, and I just love the results. And friends, when you cut out your watercolor florals you can of course make the stems thinner and shape the flowers!

End Of Summer Thank You Card With Hand Lettering

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, which is sometimes true, and so I'm very happy to report once again, that my daughter also loves creativity and does hand lettering effortlessly! And while this card looks like brush markers, whoops, I forgot that on the trip we only had watercolors, so this is true brush lettering, then defined with a black pen! My mother "Bubbie" was gifted this thank you card on the last day of our wonderful visit, and of course she loved it! My youngest son saw what my daughter was doing and also painted a card, which was just totally heartwarming! So friends, pray that your kids will love creativity too, and make sure that they get exposure to a range of crafts so they can find something they love and perfect it! And at the end of the day if they just aren't interested, so be it, it just isn't in everyone's genes! Maybe music?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! With a cast on my left arm, my typing is mostly hunt and peck, so enjoy the features from last week's party!

Giant Cardboard Seahorse Craft For Rosh HaShanah

You might be wondering what sea horses have to do with Rosh HaShana, and yes I might too! But lets face it, every Jewish holiday is packed with so much meaning and symbolism that using the same symbols and visual cues does seem a bit repetitive to someone like me! So while the actual seahorse may be stretching it, certainly the sea and fish make great Rosh HaShana symbols, so if some sea horses happen to be hanging out to enjoy the show, why not? Sea horses are such wonderful creatures, and at the least remind us to appreciate the amazing natural world in which we live, and appreciation and gratefulness are wonderful mindsets for the holiday, so there you have it! How about getting one of the kids to dance in as a seahorse during the meal or creating a little skit about tashlich? Either way, adding some seahorses to your holiday will certainly be memorable, I can guarantee that! And of course you should make some giant cardboard waves as well, right? Suddenly I'm visualizing seahorses with apples and pomegranates on their heads, namely one pomegranate like a crown, could be great!

Watercolor Cut-Out Sea Animals Craft For Rosh HaShana!

Did you know that the fish is actually a aymbol for Rosh HaShana? (We want to be like the head of the fish, not the tail!) With that in mind, and the fact that we say the prayer of tashlich preferably next to a body of water with fish, why not make some sea life themed crafts this year? Keep everyone on their toes since they'll be expecting apples and pomegranates! (Though I'd make some of those too!) Here is what I wrote when I shared this as a Passover craft:

Need a perfect craft idea to keep the kids, in a range of ages, busy right about now? This is it my friends, make sea creature cut outs to use as Passover decorations, and the more the better! I'll be using these for table decor on Shevii Shel Pesach, the 7th night of Passover when we celebrate the crossing of the Red Sea, but they are certainly also appropriate all holiday long. Ah yes, and if you are looking for ocean themed birthday party decor, or sea themed birthday party decor, well this is perfect as well! These cute sea animal cut outs are perfect for garlands, mobiles, cake toppers, napkin rings, gift tags, and for a fun Passover centerpiece, that I'll be sharing shortly. Okay, ready to get started, time is of the essence!

Giant Recycled Cardboard Waves Craft For Rosh HaShana

Yes of course, all things apples and pomegranates and honey make wonderful Rosh HaShana crafts and holiday decor, but this year with Rosh HaShana coming in less than a month I thought I'd start with something that brings attention to the wonderful Rosh HaShana tradition of saying Tashlich, which ideally happens next to a natural body of water, and therefore I bring you recycled cardboard waves! I love the idea of getting parents or teens to cut out lots of waves, and then letting kid paint and decorate them. They can be a fun toy for the holiday and you can then set them aside to use for Passover and the splitting of the Red Sea! Check out my metallic waves centerpiece craft for more inspiration, and think about making waves (in a good way of course) for the new year! Ah yes, and what is Tashlich, you may ask? Keep on reading........

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome back to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks for joining me here and wishing everyone a meaningful Jewiah month of Elul, the last month of the year! Basically typing with one hand, as I broke my wrist, yikes! I guess this means a lot less cooking and housework for me this month.....fortunately i can paint, with water colors, so will work on that though with a cast on my painting hand, and so it goes, enjoy the features!

Gone Fishing: Craft Schooling Sunday Will Return Aug. 20

Gone Fishing, well not literally, though possibly I guess! We are spending our precious vacation time with family so I am mostly unplugging, and hope you take this last month of summer to do more ofthe same! Looking forward to reconnecting in another 2 plus weeks or so!