creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Thanks so much for joining me here. School has now started for most kids here in Israel, and tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of the Jewish month of Elul, a serious month spent preparing for Rosh HaShana by working on ourselves and by building exciting for the holidays with kids through crafting and creativity. The little boys with whom I've been crafting are anxious to get back to work and even knocked on my door to ask when we will be meeting again, so sweet! What can I say, with so much evil in the world the only answer is to bring joy to others where possible, and of course get crafting! Enjoy the features from last week's party!

Introduction to Drawing Hand Skeletons: A Beginner’s Guide

One of the most difficult things to draw when drawing people is the hands, and truthfully I always used to hide the hands somehow! Of course a much better idea is to really understand the structure of the hand, which will make drawing hands so much simpler. What is the structure, well the skeleton of course, but not studied in a spooky way, but rather in an anatomical way. Drawing skeleton hands might seem daunting, especially considering that each hand has 27 bones, which you must draw to be symmetrical and proportional.  However, even with little to no training, you can easily learn how to master this technique by following this simple beginner-friendly guide! And it just so happens that some children might not be interested in drawing typical subjects, but just might be very interested in learning to draw a skeleton hand, which is a win win, as working on drawing skills is a huge plus for any age. Okay, shall we learn some hand anatomy?

Recycle Plastic Bags and Make Yarn For Crafting!

Aren't these imperfect balls of "plarn" aka plastic bag yarn just the sweetest? They were made by a group of 8 to 9 year old boys, and truly it was a great activity for them, and nicely filled an hour plus crafting lesson. We secured the balls with a rubber band and each one added a tiny note with their name on it so as not to confuse them. Plastic bags are unfortunately used plentifully around here, as honestly we have more important issues as the moment, so at the very least I am trying to educate kids about re-use and not to just throw them away as they make great yarn for crafting!

I have often started a ball and added to it as the plastic bags came into our home, which is a great idea and satisfying to boot. Plus then no one can call me a bag lady, or accuse me of hoarding when all those bags are cut up and made into balls? Plastic bag yarn is a great activity for kids as young as even 6 or 7, with a bit of help, so make some today or use the tutorial to make yarn from loops of pantyhose or tights! Let's do it!

Recycled Icecream Cone Box Birthday Garland!

I hope you will never throw out another food box with photos on it again, as cut-outs make the most adorable garlands, especially when the kids cut out the items and decorate them! This ice cream cone birthday garland for a beloved five year old was made together with him, though admittedly I did most of the work, but he did a great job making some abstract cherries and cutting out the cones! The black and white striped t-shirt yarn adds to the whole look, though of course black and white polka dot ribbon would also be great. So friends, recycle those food boxes with photos on them and make fun crafts. Boxes of cereal with collage of pom poms  and sequins could be great, hmmm, gotta do that! Get creative with this one and enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks for joining me here! Fall is coming which means so is the Jewish holiday season, so time to get crafting before the rush begins! Because of the crafting classes I started for boys, I actually already made a nice number of succah decorations, though I have some very crafty dreams for this year's succah, something completely different but quite a bit of work, so I need to get started! The thing is now is summer vacation and I just want to do the things I'd usually do this time of year when on vacation in the USA. So if my stay cation means not making those Succah decorations but instead painting, so be it! Okay, let's take a look at the features from last week's party!

How To Prune A Yucca And Encourage New Growth

Drum roll please......the Yucca tree that I pruned roughly 11 months ago, right before Succot, has finally finally sprouted some tiny new growth on the pruned stump. The piece that we cut off that was too tall for our Succah and taller than the one we left, has long since rooted and is a nice sized Yucca plant in itself. I was expecting that the stump would produce babies in the spring, at the latest, and yet nothing happened. I started to doubt the success of the idea and thought that maybe I left the stump too high and it should really be shorter and closer to the soil for success, which might be the case, but for now I'll watch the tiny new babies grow and keep track of just how long it takes. Can't wait for this to fill out and for this lovely Yucca in our courtyard to really look amazing. As far as the uncut stalk, it may have to be pruned in the future as well. This Yucca started as a tiny baby 23 years ago, and my look how it has grown! Totally recommend Yucca, just keep them groomed so that you see the stalk, please! Keep on reading to see the tiny new shoots!

Cross Stitch on Cardboard Apple Craft

Pulling this one out of the archives from a mere two years ago, and now it is making me want to embroider, help!

I followed my own advice about making some cross stitch apple crafts (check out my first cross stitch apple craft here) for Rosh Hashana, and last night in the wee hours of the morning I made my son a birthday card featuring a slightly different cross stitch apple, and this time on cereal box cardboard. I'm happy with the results and wish I had time to do some more icons for Rosh HaShana, hmmm, maybe I do have the time? You'll be the first to see the results if I do, but in the mean time, think about how you can take this idea and use it for your upcoming celebration, whether it be a Fall birthday, a teacher appreciation gift, or, Rosh HaShana of course, coming up this Sunday night! Ah yes, and traditionally, the Jewish new year is the time to give cards, so if you need a special one, this could be perfect! Okay, time is of the essence, lets learn how I made this!

Fun Cardboard and Paper Collage Cut-Outs For Rosh HaShana

We are in the heart of our short summer vacation here in Israel, and with war and so much heartache looming over our heads, crafting and preparing for upcoming holidays and happy occassions is a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Get the whole family together or even take time for yourself, creativity is my solution to managing stress and it truly works! Now, if I could just bury my head in the art supplies around the clock! In the past I created lovely doodle apples and doodle bees, which still look great a few years down the road, but yesterday I decided to make a more younger child friendly version using cereal box cardboard, some colored paper and a glue stick! Of course my version does look a bit too perfect maybe, so can't wait to see the charm that the little crafters I'm working with will bring to this project. But in the mean time, get to work and start preparing for Rosh HaShana, it is quickly approaching and apples and pomegranites and honey and bees and fish all make great subjects for crafting, right?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Here in Israel we are now in the official three week period between Tisha B'Av and the start of the month of Elul which is the summer vacation period. This year is very different for most families unfortunately, as due to security issues and that the North of the country usually the vacation destination is either off limits or not exactly desirable due to the proximity to Lebanon. So, while my mountain town would usually be bustling with visitors, it is eerily quiet, and most folks wouldn't feel safe here, I feel the safest here and worry about traveling elsewhere, sigh. So, this summer we are devoting time to crafting and making decorations for the succah, among other things, and just trying to stay positive and creative some sort of feeling of vacation for the kids that have been working really hard in school all year and really need it. Okay, lets take a look at the features from last week's party!

DIY Macrame Plant Hanger Inspiration

While I do like macrame, macrame plant hangers never really inspired me until I saw this photo showing a grouping of macrame hangers hung from a large branch, and wow, I just LOVE it! And friends, macrame plant hangers are really quite simple and you can easily find a nice selection of DIY plant hanger instructions online, just make sure to have the right string/rope on hand! Macrame plant hangers would also be a great project to do with a group of kids or adults, and the simplest of patterns can be done in just an hour or even less. So give it some thought, and take a look at a few of the other photos I've gathered to inspire you, and myself as well!