creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for stopping by! Winter weather has arrived to Northern Israel with lots of rain as well, which means that the almond trees are waiting just a bit longer for their winter bloom, which marks the beginning of the cycle for all fruit trees in Israel. This year happens to be leap year on the Jewish calender, which because our calender is lunar, means that we add an entire month to the year, and that month is always an extra month of Adar, such that this year we have Adar Aleph and Adar Bet. The holiday of Purim is celebrated in Adar Bet, though it still means double the joy, which we can certainly use right about now. It also means more time to get a head start on both Passover cleaning and fun gifts for Purim........I hope to do both! Okay, lets take a look at the features from last week's party, lots of great ideas for everyone!

Cute And Simple DIY Fruit Themed Party Garland

Todah is Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for fruit bearing trees, so what better time than to whip up an adorable and simple fruity garland that you can use year round? The key is to keep the fruit quite tiny, so that no matter what the age, as long as the shape is recognizable, the rest really doesn't matter. I used markers and watercolor paper and then simply taped a piece of cotton yarn to the back, and voila, cute as can be! And truly, fruit is a great theme for so many occasions as it is fun, colorful and so much better for you than anything else sweet! While you are at it, make some fruity cupcake and cake toppers, gift tags, place cards, you name it!

Giant Origami Apples For Your Fruit Themed Party!

I am reposting this giant origami apples tutorial because today is Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for fruit bearing trees, it is just to wonderful not to share again. Make apples to enjoy anytime, really! So simple and while you are at it, make a whole giant bushel full!

Origami apples are so simple to make and are the perfect craft to whip up right now! Fill a basket with them to use as a centerpiece, use them as place cards, hang them mobile style or make a bunch and scatter them around the house. (Or save this idea and gift a whole basket full to your teacher!) The best part is they look great everywhere and any where, and would make cute little Rosh HaShana gifts as well. Attach a tag that is a card and you'll surely warm the hearts of all your recipients! I used these very apples as apple centerpieces for a Rosh Chodesh party, and then a neighbor borrowed them as centerpieces for a Brit, and depending on the colors you choose they can look elegant or playful, or both. So take my advice and get crafting dear friends, the Jewish New year is in less than 3 weeks, with Succos to follow so a barrel of origami apples will serve you well, promise! And yes, you can of course make these in a smaller size and in a variety of colors to represent a wide range of fruit, as I've done here with my origami fruit, cute as can be!

Turn Plastic Bag Pompoms Into Fruit For Tu B'Shevat Craft

Dusting this off from last year, as I have not had the time for Tu B'Shevat crafting this year, and with no one home and no party in sight, I think i'll just phase from Chanukah decor to Purim decor, and so it goes. You on the other hand might just need to make some great Tu B'Shevat decorations, and this one is a keeper, enjoy!

I've been wanting to make fruit from plastic bag pom poms for a few good years now, and it finally happened, and I just love them. Now if only I had plastic bags in orange and yellow, well things would be even more festive. Plastic bag pom pom fruit can be great hung as a mobile in a child's room, used as party decor for a fruit themed party, or of course made to celebreate Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish new year for fruit bearing trees, which is why I made these! Right now I have plastic bag pom poms hanging over my dining room table, and while I had planned to add these to the mix it was looking a little bit too much like a child's room, so I've been displaying them elsewhere. That said they truly are adorable, and certainly something one can keep on hand to pull out in a pinch, I think they'd make great cake toppers as well. And come to think of it, how about making an adorable DIY baby mobile and gift it together with any number of popular baby items. Okay, lets make some plastic bag pom pom fruit, because truly the posibilties are endless!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! This week we will be celebrating the wonderful Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, which celebrates fruit bearing trees, and is often referred to as "the new year of the trees." On the holiday we enjoy a huge variety of fruits and nuts and olive of course, and some even choose to make a Tu B'Shevat seder which also involves red and white wine. In my case, it is time to do some fruit themed crafts, and take out all the fruit origami I made last year! This year on the Jewish calender it is a leap year, so there is an extra month before Purim, meaning even more time for crafting for that as well! Okay, lets take a look at the features from last week's party.......

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Thanks so much for stopping by, looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!

Craft Schooling Sunday Returns Sunday Jan 14th

Hi Friends, thanks so much for stopping by! I am going to take one more week before resuming Craft Schooling Sunday and looking forward to reconnecting next week. Hope all is well and take advantage of the long winter nights, here in the Northern Hemisphere, to get crafting!

Try A Potted Cyclamen Rather Than Cut Flowers!

Yes indeed my friends, here in Israel is it officially cyclamen season! And truthfully we especially love this stunning winter flowering plant because it is also a beloved native plant to Israel, and a part of childhood songs that teach about the seasons. I have to admit it was quite a surprise the first time I saw them growing in the wild, though the native cyclamen are generally white and light pinkish, not bright magenta as far as I know. Check out my wild cyclamen in the Golan Heights post, to see the real deal!

While I am enjoying this cyclamen that my kids bought for me, indoors at the moment, as soon as the flowering period is over, the plant will live in the shade somewhere outdoors, and I'll try to coax it into blooming again next year. If you decide to purchase a cyclamen, go for the larger plants that are grown from bulbs, as those will last, as opposed to the smaller plants grown sometimes from seeds, which are more problematic, I've found. In any case, purchasing a cyclamen or several to add some cheerful color in the winter is a great idea, regardless of what you decide to do with the plants afterwards, and much more budget friendly than cut flowers! Keep on reading for some valuable tips.......