creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is in full swing, and the perfect time to get crafting, so don't let the months pass you by, get those creative gears turning! i have been too busy to take my own advice, but shortly am leaving for our yearly summer adventures (photos of which for 2018 I still have not shared entirely.....hopefully soon) which will at the least include a sketchbook practice and hopefully painting of some kind, likely with gouche and watercolor. I love you all but looking forward to unplugging and enjoying nature, and feeling really fortunate for the chance to see new things and get together with family on another continent. So dear readers, don't forget to be gratefull for all the good things, take some time for yourself to satisfy that creative voice, and consider including more acts of kindness in your everyday. And now, for the inspiring features from last week's party, enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, and thanks so much for joining me here! July is here, which means there are only 2 more months to make the most of those long summer days and add some creativity to the mix! Now is the time to get outdoors, take a creative project with you, and plan some take along projects for summer traveling! My picks are sketchbooking, crocheting and embroidery (though I have yet to actually fulfill that one) and I need to take some of my own advice as far as planning some take along projects, hmmm. Last week's party was filled with fun crochet projects, so that is a perfect place to start, and if you don't crochet, I recommend learning! Okay, time is of the essence, so lets get started with the features from last week, and cant wait to see what you've been up to!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is a wonderful time to get creative whether indoors or out, whether with painting, photography, weaving, knitting, crocheting, macrame, sketching, embroidery, and the list goes on and on and on. Ah yes, and punch needle embroidery is now popular, so maybe I should revisit that? So many possibilities and just not enough hours in the day to satisfy my creative voice, and just hoping this is one voice that keeps on chit chatting, even if I can't always give it the attention it deserves! So for now, I'll just enjoy presenting to you the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is here and for many that means more family time, so I vote for family craft projects, making sukkah decorations when there is time (and packing them up carefully for a few months) and exploring the idea of creating out doors, creating with things found on nature walks, and even painting and sketching out doors! Ah yes, and for those traveling, take-along craft projects like spool knitting, crocheting, weaving, needlepoint and embroidery are all wonderful ways to pass the time. So make the most of summer and include creativity as a part of your summer plans, I know I will, and I'm chomping at the bit to do some work in another sketchbook.

On another note with no joyful major Jewish holidays on the horizon, (in late July there is the 17th of Tammuz, a minor fast day followed 9 days later by the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, Tisha B'Av.) we can concetrate on learning new techniques and skills to use for Rosh HaShana and Succot, though honestly I think I just want to create with no holiday in mind. That said, I have been collecting a certain techina container for months to make some sukkah decorations, so I would recommend something like that at the very least! Okay dear readers, enjoy the features from last week's party and looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Whoops, my plans for the auto post described below didn't work for some reason, so now am posting this party a week later, thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, today is the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, and this party was on a timer to post automatically, because when you read this we will be starting our joyful holiday, which means no computer, no phone, etc, lovely unplugged family time! This year Shavous (or rather Shavuot) is back to back with shabbos, which means 2 unplugged days in a row for those of us in Israel, and 3 unplugged days in a row elsewhere. While we do not cook in any way on shabbos, we can cook on Yom Tov, the day(s) of the holiday, (there are specific laws pertaining to this) but I think most people prefer to have all the food cooked and ready with small exceptions. Serving 6 multi course meals to large families is quite a bit of cooking, and even 4 in my case, so gotta run and finish up the holiday preparations! I had hoped to decorate the house with paper leaf garlands, but it looks like that isn't going to happen as first cooking and everything else, sigh. And it just occurred to me how to make a quick lovely centerpiece with skinny tall vases and some faux flower sprigs that are stuffed in a closet!  In any case our home is packed with green plants which satisfies the idea of filling our homes with greenery! Wishing everyone a wonderful and meaningful Shavuous holiday, after the fact that is! And now for the features of last week's party, enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, and wishing you all a very happy summer! On the Jewish calendar, summer begins after the holiday of Shavuot, which is next Saturday night, so we still have a week to go. Shavuos is the holiday in which we celebrate the giving and receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, and together with eating cheese cake and other dairy foods, we also adorn our homes and synagogues with flowers and greenery. My house is very green year round, as I have become that plant lady, but hoping to add some fun flowers to the mix, if I have time. My daughter is the family baker, so I'll let her dabble in all things cheesecake, while I continue to wonder when I'll have time to pick up the paintbrush again! Hopefully very soon, and wishing everyone lots of time to explore their creativity. Lets get started with a look at the features from last week's party:

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With Lag B'Omer and extremely hot weather behind us, it is now time to start thinking about the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, in which we celebrate the giving of the Torah. The great news is that the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai which was lush and filled with flowers, so anything flower or plant related is fair game. I have a flower garland in mind, but maybe it means it is time to get back into my flower paintings and just paint some huge flowers for the holiday, Yes, I like that idea, now lets see if I can make it happen. I'll keep you posted on that one, though I do have a large canvas and some new paints that I bought %50 off from a friend's husband who is giving up his painting career, so no excuses regarding supplies, it is a matter of prioritizing the rest of my full schedule, which of course is the case with anyone who desires to add creativity to their life. Here's to finding the time for it all, and now, for the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! This week we are still in mourning on the Jewish calendar, but Wednesday night we usher in the very joyful holiday of Lag B'Omer, which, depending on your custom, either ends the mourning period, or is a break in the mourning period, and either way is a day when 3 year olds boys have a celebratory first hair cut, bonfires are lit, and music is played. We live in Lag B'Omer central, as this day is also the day in which the great Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai left this world, and so on this day we celebrate his contribution to the world. And believe it or not, more than 1/2 a million visitors now come to Meron (across the valley from our home) on this day, and it is quite a way to celebrate the holiday! Of course roads are closed, there are many logistics involved and one can only arrive to Meron on buses, and those buses don't stop arriving all night long! If you ever decide to come and want to book lodgings in the area, be sure to do it months ahead. Whether or not you will be celebrating Lag B'Omer with a trip to Meron, you can certainly make lots of fun crafts, right? Check out the carousel of posts at the top of my blog, and get inspired! And speaking of inspiration, lets take a look at the features from last week's party:

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We are now finally back home after an unplanned trip, followed by a planned trip, and I can't wait to start making things, which is how I always feel after a major holiday. We are now in the Jewish month of Iyar, which means that the festive holiday of Lag B'Omer is just around the corner, and while we are currently in a period of mourning on the Jewish calendar (no music, weddings, haircuts) one can certainly anticipate the upcoming holiday with some fun crafts! Additionally Spring is a wonderful time to get outdoors, and start thinking of creative activities that involve nature, whether it is gardening, or nature crafts or even sitting under a tree and drawing, ahhhh, that sounds amazing! My schedule is still packed with too many things to even allow me to get back to my painting exploration, but hoping to carve out some time soon, yes very soon, gotta do it! Speaking of "do it" take a look at the wonderful features from last week's party, and get inspired to add some creativity to your upcoming week!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Spring has arrived in full force here in Israel, and if one takes a drive just about anywhere there are colorful wild flowers everywhere! The huge quantities of rain and a winter that really just ended have somehow led to blooms galore, some of which I will share with you soon. In the meantime, crochet some flower coin purses, make a fun wind chime from recycled cans, use of those old crayons or create a lovely baby blanket, just for starters! Enjoy the features from last week's party, pick a project and include some creativity in your everyday!