creative jewish mom

Artists Who Painted The View From Their Window

If you are an art history buff, or have followed museum exhibitions and/or careers of famous painters, you may or may not be aware, that many of them were inspired to paint the view from their studio window, or maybe the view from their lodging window. To most of us, this of course makes total sense, but I don't think that artists before say 1850, or so, would have dreamed of painting something so "mundane" gasp! And if they did, it certainly would not have included the not so attractive roof scene that Van Gogh dared to capture, for example! Van Gogh did it, Cezanne did it, Matisse did it, Pissarro did it, Diebenkorn did it, just for starters, so I think that is more than enough proof that those of us interested in developing our art should also do it!

Why am I writing about this now? Because friends, I have started a challenge on Instagram called #sketchfrommywindow which got me thinking about all the artists who did just that! Of course, I'm sharing here paintings, not loose sketches, but I'm hoping, at least in my case, that the sketches I'm working hard to create at least several days a week (and that are not all that loose at the moment) will indeed lead to paintings! So lets take a look at just a few of famous artists whose work is truly a great inspiration, shall we? And if you are not on instagram, but would like to join the challenge, just write to me (studio8@013net.net) and I could start posting contributions right here on the blog!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I'm writing this on Friday morning and rushing to finish a pile of dishes in the sink and all the fridge parts that I disassembled to really clean, because, husband and I are going away for shabbat! This happens infrequently due to kids and guests, but yes, that nearby agricultural village is calling us. I hope to take lots of photos to share the gorgeous hilly location right near the border of Lebanon, but mostly I'm packing my sketchbook and supplies to sketch the view! Enjoy the features from last week's party!

Simple Strawberry Cake Topper In A Pinch!

When your sweet 17 year old son isn't home for his actual birthday, but arrives home a few weeks later, for shabbat, then you certainly need to surprise him with a cake and some quick birthday decor, right? And of course you need to put up the decorations secretly, and then get the guests to sing happy birthday, right? It is true, I did know I needed to get some decorations together, but was in the middle of quite a few things, and really left it to the last minute. Fortunately, I do of course have lots of decorations on hand, and the water color strawberries that I made back in 2015, and that I'd used multiple times, seemed perfect to dedicate to this particular birthday, by adding some lettering to them, and phew, one giant strawberry made a cute cake topper! Sometimes something as simple as a watercolor strawberry can truly save the day, so keep this idea in mind, or better yet, paint some strawberries to have on hand, because you never know when you might need one! Keep on reading for complete instructions!

How To Paint An Artful Watercolor Strawberry

Friends, this painted watercolor strawberry tutorial is from way back in 2015, but since I just used the strawberries for the last time (since I wrote my son's name and age on them) 7 years later and they still look great, I thought I'd revisit this fun craft. Make a bushel of strawberries, cut them out and use them as garlands or cake or cupcake toppers, gift tags, you name it! And best of all, they keep really well, you know in that box of little pieces of art that you can use in a pinch for party decor! Here is the text from the original post:

Isn't this watercolor strawberry portrait just the greatest? While I though at the time that she wasn't really putting her mind to this little painting session, in the end her unstudied strawberry turned out to be the best of all. Isn't it great when your kids out-do you?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We had a wonderful Shavuot holiday, and now, summer is under way, which means, yes of course, time to take those creative activities up a notch, right? Get outdoors, collect items from nature, do something messy, like mosaic, or even learn something new. Think about craft activities for travel, for in the car or on the plane, or just start drawing, plain and simple! Spending time off the screen doing something creative is the best vacation of all, so go for it! And now for the features from the party 2 weeks ago, enjoy!

Craft Schooling Sunday Resumes Next Week: Today Is The Jewish Holiday Of Shavuot!

Thanks so much for stopping by, we are now in the middle of celebrating the festive Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which starts Saturday night and ends Sunday night in Israel, and Monday night elsewhere, so Craft Schooling Sunday will take a holiday break and resume next week.

DIY Painted Paper Gerbera Centerpiece

There is nothing quite as lovely as painted paper flowers used as holiday decor, or really anytime! I am so thrilled to have these flowers on my sideboard right now!  They are so cheerful and never fade, and can be easily saved in a box to pull out for any occassion! And I had to laugh, that the wires that I've saved from real gerbera flowers (that honestly as so annoying as they don't last very long...) are perfect for this craft. And that I actually knew where they were, a small miracle! If you have not saved the wires from the gerbera (who would do that?) so just use some green floral wire or tape skewers to the back for support. Or if you use very heavy watercolor paper you may not need any extra support. I also happened to have these 3 narrow and tall glass vases on hand, which were perfect for this, so do play around with a variety of vessels, to see what works. Okay, keep on reading for a few more tips.

DIY Painted Paper Daisy Cut Outs For Holiday Decor!

The festive holiday of Shavuot starts Saturday night, so now is the time to get busy filling our homes with greenery and flowers, and I say go for paper! Whether you have time for a whole set or even just one sweet flower, give it a try, I'm sure you will love it. This post just shows how to create the flowers, in my other post, coming shortly, I'll share with you  one idea how to use them. Okay time is of the essence, lets get started! And of course, you can choose to do any flower, though keep in mind that Gerbera really works because it has a long stem without leaves in nature.

DIY Cardboard Cactus With Blooms!

With the Jewish holiday of Shavuot coming this Saturday night, now is the time to decorate the house with flowers and greenery, so why not make some cardboard or paper versions that you can then use again, or that keep looking great? My cardboard cactus with blooms is quite quick to make, and of course while I made just a few branches of zygocactus, you can opt to make a much larger plant. If you have a small plant of any kind, namely a real one, sticking your cardboard plant into that pot can look quite good, as the real plant fills out the background. Okay, time is of the essence, lets get started!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! As the holiday of Shavuot approaches there there are at least a few days to spend making festive floral crafts to decorate the house, not to mention special challahs as well, right? I've been doing lots of floral illustrations, so those are my holiday decor this year, (and my house is in anycase filled to the brim with greenery due to all the houseplants, and even some flowering orchids) though I will be making some special challahs, without a doubt. Some folks love to make challahs that look like the luchot habrit but I think I'll stick with challahs adorned with flowers! Our eggs came in cartons with a very purple tinge, so I was thinking I ought to make some egg carton flowers, but hmmm, it is all about time! Okay, posting this on the very late side, so lets get this party started!