creative jewish mom

A Painted Dove In A Starry Sky For Chanukah

Chanukah is coming in about 2 weeks, so it is surely time to get crafting for this light filled holiday! And guess what folks, this year I realized that the dove is totally a fantastic symbol for Chanukah, and it is time to claim it as a decorative item to go along with dreidels and chanukiahs, yes indeed! And why is that you may ask? Well first of all, the traditional dove (who was sent from the ark by Noah) carries an olive branch in his beak, which of course relates to Chanukah, but lo and behold it goes way beyond that, are you ready for this?

I was so excited and happy to learn that there is a Jewish tradition that Noah (we call him Noach) squeezed the oil from the very olive brought by the dove, gave the vial to his son Shem who entrusted it to Avraham. From Avraham it was passed it along throughout the generations until King David hid it in the Beis HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, waiting until the time for which it was destined.This vial was  the miracle vial of oil the Maccabees used to light the Menorah and rededicate the Temple. This is the vial of pure olive oil that transcended the laws of nature and miraculously burned for eight days.

Amazing right? Okay, now go and paint some doves for Chanukah folks! Whether you choose to paint a dove with some ethnic folk art details like mine, or even something very simple, fill your sky with stars and include a chanukiah that lights up the night.

How To Paint A Simple Dove With A Vintage Vibe

Wondering what to paint in your sketchbook? Wondering if you can use paint in your sketchbook? You have come to the right place! First of all the sketchbook that you see here is not heavy weight watercolor or even mixed media paper, it is a sketchbook for drawing, yet I do paint in it, all the time! The main thing is to realize that the pages will first of all buckle (I was thinking of trying to iron them) and that you will want to use paint that is not runny or watery. Basically, acrylic paint is plastic, so as long as you avoid too much water moisture you can paint on any kind of paper with acrylic paint, whereas painting with water colors or even using markers on the same paper will lead to bleading through to the other side in a major way. Also, once you have one layer of paint covering the page, that acts as a protectant/barrier, so you can keep on adding more layers of paint. It is true, the sketchbook pages will not lie flat, but hey, this is a book filled with a creative journey and not a printed manefesto, so a little bit of sloppiness adds charm. Okay, now that we've covered that, the second question namely what to paint in your sketchbook is simple as can be: doves! Doves are a wonderful symbol of hope, perfect for the end of 2020, so lets get started!

Painted Knit MItten Winter Greeting Card Craft

Continuing with my fun artufl and a bit painterly winter clothing themed greeting cards that can also be mini works of art, presenting the kaleidoscope knit winter mitten! After painting an ugly Chanukah sweater, and a graffiti knit cap, mittens were certainly in order! First I painted a gift box with pom pom mittens, but then I saw a tiny bit of clip art in an ad, which lead to drawing mittens and hats with cables and a bit of knit detail in my sketchbook, here, and that led to this kaleidoscope knit mitten greeting card! Now you can't say I haven't been letting you in on what goes on around here, well sort of! Ah yes, and maybe I should also reveal that some of my clothes now have little bits of paint on them and are designated "painting clothes", sigh, par for the course! Okay, so put on some old clothes and lets get painting!

Graffiti Mittens Recycled Gift Box Craft

Ready to practice your painting and drawing skills and make the funnest winter themed gift box ever? What can I tell you, this one is a winner, not just the color combo, but the fun artful style, and the fact that it looks much more complicated than it really is! This winter clothes theme came about because I painted an ugly sweater for Chanukah, and then a graffiti ski cap, so mittens were a natural fit for my theme, and mittens with pom poms, is there anything cuter? So whether you follow my technique or not, do think about packaging your gifts this year in recycled containers that you've repurposed, or painted or made yourself, it makes gift giving that much more meaningful! Okay, lets get started!

A Mixed Media Stand Up Owl Is Perfect For Your Woodland Decorating Theme?

Owl themed crafts are so much fun, and can be done in so many ways, depending on how much time you have to spend and just how many owls you want to make! I am trying to increase my painting skills, so another painted owl, this time a bit more woodsy than my stand up owl with wine cork feet, is what came to be. The only thing I actually planned was that it would be a cut out stand up owl, so I painted it on the back of a piece of cereal box cardboard, and while I am very critical of my own work, I actually really love this gal, she looks to me like a children's book illustration. I do need to paint some big mushrooms to complete the scene, but for now presenting my mixed media cereal box owl! Ah yes, and just by the way, an owl like this could be great for a woodland themed baby shower, birthday party or any fall/winter occasion, plus he is easy to store and enjoy for years to come!

A Fun Stand-Up Painted Owl With Wine Cork Feet!

Owl crafts are really so much fun and lend themselves to lots of creativity, as once you have the basic identifying features of an owl, namely the eyes and beak and compact body shape, you can do just about anything and it will still look like an owl! Recently I have been enjoying honing my art skills and bringing them into the world of craft by marrying the two through artful recycled packaging, birthday decor, succah decor and now a little bit of fall/winter seasonal decor that includes owls. It is true, a pink and green owl with striped pants might be most of all birthday party appropriate, but I say one does not need any excuses whatsoever to bring something colorful and creative into your home any time! This stand up owl is so simple to make and will surely bring smiles all around, so lets get started!

A Peek In My Sketchbook: Mixed Media Owls

This week on the blog is all about owls! Why you may ask?Well owls lend themselves particularly well to all kinds of crafts, and they do work particularly well with all things Fall and Winter, meaning seasonal or holiday decorations! And as you may know, I am all about decorating the house for holidays, and celebrating the seasons through creativity and crafts, so hello owls! Owls can be cute or interesting or both, so hold on tight as there is an owl craft for everyone! I started my owl adventures with two mixed media paintings in my sketchbook, so I'm sharing that with you first. Owls can be abstract and painterly, are particularly easy to doodle and lend themselves to all kinds of fun applications, so lets get started!

A Fun Graffiti Ski Hat Holiday Craft Idea

After creating my DIY ugly holiday sweater gift card craft, I realized that I ought to try creating some other cozy winter wardrobe items using the same technique, and since my experiment was a success, I now present you with my DIY Graffiti Ski Hat holiday gift card that can certainly double as holiday decor, a gift tag, or a fun craft project to do with the whole family! I have to admit I just love how this graffiti ski hat turned out, and am quite surprised myself. Even the pom pom looks like I know what I'm doing illustration wise, and well, now I know how to paint a pom pom with success, but this was a first. I also realized that I just love the combination of pink, green and aqua, with white accents, and so looking at this graffiti ski hat just makes me happy! So dear readers, create some whimsical holiday cards this year, or top your presents with whimsical and artful gift tags, or paint some pieces of winter clothing because you feel like it and it makes you happy!

I will let you in on a little secret, I've actually already tried mittens using this same technique and color scheme, and they are as cute as can be, so I'm sold, Okay lets get crafty shall we?

A Whimsical Cow Wearing A Crocheted Bobble Sweater Painting

Meet my colorful mixed media cow in a crocheted bobble stitch sweater, she has surely put a smile on your face? Cow portraits have been popular for quite a few years I believe, and I can understand it, there is just something about cows that well, makes you feel connected to the farm and nature, and maybe even childhood? While this is the first mixed media cow portrait I've even painted I have to say, I think there are more in my future, as surprise surprise I'm actually happy with how she turned out, and happy that my rooster painting now has a barnyard friend! I will admit however that this small 19.5 x 19.5 CM painting (8"x8") did not come to be without quite a bit of indecision, and changing the background color a few times as well as the size of the boy, but phew it all worked out. The flowers, which are usually a struggle happened easily, I guess since this is not a flower painting, and after drawing all those flowers in my sketchbook this summer I do have a much better idea in my mind's eye what flowers should look like, yippee! While I can not share with you the actual process I used to paint this cow, as I learned it in Amanda Evanston's Insider's Group, which is by subscription, it was done in a similar manner to the ugly holiday sweater, namely negative shape painting, my favorite! Okay, lets take a closer look!

Abstract Floral Gift Boxes From Recycled Packaging Are A Gift In Themselves

This year's crafts for chanukah are all about bright colors and abstract shapes that look oh so artful and festive! Practicing some painting techniques on gift bags, cereal boxes or even smaller recycled cardboard food boxes is a great way to make some art that isn't precious and has a use, and if it doesn't turn out so well......recycle it, which is where is was going in the first place (hopefully.) I actually made this painted gift box from an etrog box left over from Succot, which is a great way to take the energy from one Jewish holiday into the next. Not of course that Chanukah is about gifts, as tradtionally it is certainly not, but in our house I use it as an opportunity to give some fun, practical, and warm presents as an added touch. After all, Chanukah is 8 nights, as to keep it festive one has to do something a bit out of the ordinary. For many that may be whipping up lots of treats, including doughnuts, for me I'd rather spend the time getting creative with little gifts and wrapping them just so. And I will let you in on a little secret, I definately re-use the hand painted gift boxes this year throughout the holiday, as well as the home made wrapping paper, so make sure to let the recipients know not to destroy the art! Want to spend a little bit of time making some of your own gift boxes that in themselves are works of art, let's do it!