creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, so great to reconnect with all the regulars and welcome a few new party goers as well! The first party of 2020 was filled with great projects, especially if you love to crochet, and/or knit as I do. While the holiday of Tu B'Shevat is the next Jewish holiday is happening in another 3 weeks or so, I haven't quite gotten over Chanukah, and the decorations are all still up, which is fine as they are wintery and glitery and so much fun. While we follow the lunar Jewish calendar, the new year on the Gregorian calendar does provide another push to think about new beginnings and the speedy passage of time! I am really really hoping that this will be the year in which I can at long last get at least one book out there into the world, though truthfully I have so much material (both old and new) a series of books is what needs to happen. So now as I write this, I'm thinking that at a certain point very soon the only way to actually do that is to put the book first which means possibly having to turn down other work. I do like to think that I can do it all, but reality is there are only so many hours in the day! So wishing everyone the brain power to make the right choices with how to spend our time, and then making the most of it! That said, a few minutes checking out the features from last week's party is time well spent, so enjoy!

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome back to Craft Schooling Sunday, great to reconnect with everyone and looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to! There are no features to feature, so sorry about that, lets just dive head first into the first party of 2020 and get inspired to have a very creative year! Okay, keep on reading for the link up.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With Hanukkah approaching in about 3 weeks, it is time to get crafting, and I hope to share some of the fun I've been up to, just still not up and running with the old computer which now looks like it may have seen its final days, sigh. Sooooo, in the mean time I've been using a little laptop but avoiding uploading my photos to that until now by reposting old material, which by the way is very abundant in my archives, so do check that out! 

As is the custom here at the party each year I will be taking a break for the month of December in order to avoid all the messiness that comes with trying to figure out which crafts I can post on a Jewish blog when those crafts pertain to other non-jewish holidays.......not as simple as it may seem, so I choose to reconnect with you all in the new year, and wishing you a wonderful holiday season. Of course the blog itself will keep on huffing and puffing so do drop by! And now for 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 winter approaching now is a perfect time to get out those knitting needles and crochet hooks, and why not make some handmade gifts to warm up loved ones or even better, strangers without homes or newborns in need of hats. There are so many ways to spread joy with our handmade creations, so do give that some thought. I can't say I've been crocheting much as instead I've been making a truckload of Chanukah decorations, some of which I'll be happy to share with you just as soon as my computer arrives safely back home, hopefully very soon. Of course the absence of said computer is what has allowed me to indulge in that truckload of crafts, and it has been wonderful! Now I am back to realizing that I need to once again share my love for creativity not just virtually, but also with my local community, even if it means at my dining room table for the time being. Okay, I just took a deep breath as this means adding more to my already busy schedule, but again, there is no greater feeling than giving back to the world, right? 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! My dear old computer is still in the infirmary, a hour's drive from home so I have now had another week of full speed ahead crafting, which has led me back to the realization of how much I love crafts, and especially recycling crafts! The fact that I have yet to publish a book after all these years is downright embarrassing given how much existing material I could share and how much thought I've given it! Okay, I know this is not the first time I've mentioned this "book idea", but maybe this time I'll have to get serious. A year plus ago I was helping a friend with her book, and I compiled photos and ideas for my own book, only to realise that I really need to do a series, thus complicating things further, sigh. Okay, no more excuses, each of us was given talents in order to give back to the world, so I guess I'd better start on that book, well just as soon as my computer comes back home, and/or I get a new one, which is anyway a must. Okay, enough babble, enjoy the features from last weeks party and don't delay in giving back to the world using your gifts!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome back to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! My computer is still not up and running, but by using a bit of free online software and the capabilities of my blog platform, I have managed to pull together the features from the last party, and phew, the party is back on, so thanks so much for joining me here! Fall has arrived in Northern Israel and I feel like crocheting, and in fact I whipped up a few potholders after posting about my Swedish kitchen adventures, and now, well I just want to make some more. So, the fact is my list of creative desires is way too long but the longer evenings are conducive to creativity for me, so gotta run! And now for the features from the party two weeks ago, enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We are now in the middle of the glorious Jewish holiday of Succot, which means 7 days in the succah (eight outside Israel) and lots of time spent with family and friends. A storm and huge gusts of wind toppled many succahs on the second day of the holiday, forcing us to go into our homes for part of the holiday, but now with just 3 days left the sun is out and all is dry! We do not craft or create during the holiday, so while there is yet another holiday, Simchat Torah, coming up immediately after Succot, (we literally just move the dining room table inside and start the holiday) I can't really do anything for it at the moment, which is actually a relief, as guests are coming and there is so much to do as always! So with that, wishing everyone a wonderful succot, and enjoy the inspiration from last week's party:

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Fall is here, which means a whole new crafting direction, but the most exciting thing on the radar is that the 7/8 day Jewish holiday of Succot starts Sunday night, and that is something to truly celebrate! It is a special holiday indeed, filled with lots of family time, and gathering in the succah, and in general is just an amazingly lovely holiday. I'll admit, here in Northern Israel the succos celebration really couldn't get much better. In my little neighborhood we are all blessed with at least one large porch on which to build our succahs, and many folks, especially those with large families are able to build 2 succahs, one for sleeping and one for eating! As I write this, there are still many things to do for Shabbos, not to mention succos, but fortunately the succah is basically built, just waiting for my final touches. This year we couldn't find the boxes with the new decorations I'd made last year, but not to worry, no shortage of decorations from previous years, as you can well imagine! I am hoping to make a bunch of vertical "vines" consisting of accordian folded paper leaves and paper medallions, to hang on top of my brightly colored striped Moroccan tablecloth wall coverings, but that will have to happen Saturday night, right now the kitchen is calling! Wishing everyone an amazing and meaningful Sukkot! And now for the gorgeous features from last week's party:

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I am back from Rosh HaShana travels which I will share with you as soon as I finish sharing my summer travels, with so many more photos to go over and edit in that area, no complaints! We are now in the period on the Jewish calendar called the "Ten Days of Repentence" which leads up to the holiday of Yom Kippur, so this is a serious period for lots of introspection and righting our wrongs, as well as preparing for Yom Kippur, but mostly the 7/8 day holiday of Succot. I'm assuming that most folks that include creativity in their lives are multi-taskers, so this would be a great time to get those multi-tasking gears working to have a meaningful and creative week! I am going to start serious preparations for my succah on Sunday, in an attempt to avoid the last minute stress of creating under pressure! So, wishing everyone a wonderful new Jewish month of Tishrei, and lets add some inspiration to the mix, from last week's party features!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! On Sunday night we usher in the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, a holiday full of prayers and wishes for the new year, for ourselves, our families, the Jewish People, and the entire world. One of the most important mitzvot of Rosh HaShana is to hear the shofar, and even those who can not make it to a synagogue arrange to hear the shofar blown for them in their home, or at the home of a neighbor or somewhere in the community. I will be unplugged for the two days of the holiday, while of course this party goes on, as does the blog. We will spend many hours in prayer and many hours also celebrating the opportunity we have to help direct the new year with good thoughts and good words. We of course celebrate with festive meals and symbolic food, and try our best to remember the importance of the holiday! So dear readers, wishing you all an amazing new year, filled with good health, success, appreciation for all that you have (and don't have) and the time to realize your creative dreams! With that, enjoy the features from last week's party, and see you again next week in the new year!