creative jewish mom

A Visit To Mount Meron And The Seasonal Rain Pool

This past Passover we had the very great pleasure of at long last visiting the top of Mount Meron, the very mountain that comprises our stunning view. We driven past the turn off to the Mount Meron National Park countless times, as it is on the way from our home to Nahariya, where 2 of my boys have been in Yeshiva for the past 4 years between the two of them. But you know how life is, the wonders of nature that are closest to home somehow don't get the attention they deserve! And boy were we surprised, not only because we didn't even know that this amazing rain pool existed, but because it was truly one of the most special places I've had the great honor to visit. Something about the mountaintop location, the red soil, the fact that we were alone, well mostly (more on that later) and that it was a total surprise to boot. WOW, WOW, WOW. I can't wait to go back next winter when it will be fuller, or even this fall to see how it looks before the rain fall. In any case, if you have a chance, do visit this amazing spot and if you need help in advance finding it (because I have not seen it documented anywhere, even on the National Parks website) just ask, happy to help! For most of you, enjoy the photos, and it is my great pleasure to share with you our beloved land.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! As seems to be par for the course lately I'm rushing to get the party underway, so enjoy the amazing features from last week's party and then go invest in your own creativity. Summer is a great time to try something new, to craft on the road, to do nature crafts and things that one might no want to do indoors, like mosaic! Get a sketchbook and start a sketchbook practice, or decide to create daily on an index card or index card size, as I've been doing. Whatever your heart is telling you to try, please don't wait, because the time is now! Enjoy the features!

Top Tips When Dealing With A Mouse Infestation Inside Your Home

It is estimated there are 20 billion mice in the world, although no one knows the exact figure. For the most part, these mice go about their business and stay out of the way of humans. However, that doesn’t mean they are not present in your home or a possible threat. You only have to look at the current mouse issue in Australia to see how dangerous mice can be.
In general, mice don’t bite humans. But, they are known to carry an array of diseases that can be passed on when one touches their urine or feces. Unfortunately, you won’t always realize you have done this. It is important to realize that mice live in colonies, so if you see one in your house there is a good chance there are plenty more. In fact, seeing one mouse is a good enough reason to call the exterminators and get the problem dealt with.

A pest control company will assist you with a mouse infestation in your home. They have the expertise and the tools to locate the mice and get rid of them. At the same time, they will help you to take measures to prevent them from returning. This is just as important as eradicating the issue. Don’t forget mice are very good at gnawing almost anything, including electrical wires. A colony in your house will increase the risk of electric shocks and even electrical fires. Lets take a look at some precautionary measures one can take......

DIY Botanical Doodle Cake Toppers For Birthdays And Anniversaries!

Last summer I spent many hours creating in my sketchbooks, including many hours of drawing botanicals, which then resulted in using those botanicals in many ways. For starters I did create a floral monogram which you can see here, and I also used my botanical sketches to create a frame in my sketchbook, here. After that, my daughter's birthday came along, and I created an 18 in the same style as the numbers you see here. I loved the results so much, that I then created one for each of my teen sons for their birthdays, in September 2020 and June 2021, which is what I've photographed here. While these botanical doodle cake toppers look complicated, they really are quite simple, and if you have time, you can create other items in this same style, like cupcake toppers, napkin rings, gift toppers, you name it! Okay, lets take a closer look!

DIY Cake Toppers From Flower Sketches

Last summer I spent quite a few days honing my flower sketching skills by looking at free tutorials from a wide variety of sources, check out my previous posts here, and then I added watercolor to them here, just for starters! You can check out all the posts that show what I've been up to in my sketchbooks here. So, when my daughter's birthday came around, it was only natural to make some sketched peonie paper cake toppers that I ended up using in some fun birthday centerpieces (more on that later.....) I drew these from a tutorial that I saw on Pinterest, and it is truly addictive, because the flowers end up looking so well, perfect? Not that perfect is ever the goal, but with cut out sketched flowers for a cake topper or even to add to a plant or bouquet, that somewhat perfect look just plain works! And best of all, this is also a recycling craft, so keep on reading for the simple supplies, and why not spend a lazy summer day sketching some flowers to use who knows when? I am keeping my collection of these kinds of crafts in a box, to pull out when needed for birthdays, anniversaries, you name it!

Simple Hamsa Cut Out Craft

Craft projects don't always go as planned, and neither do drawings or paintings even when created by someone experienced! Before tossing something that wasn't successful in the garbage, do consider if you can reuse it or upcycle it in some way! Paintings done on canvas or paper can generally be painted over, drawings done on light weight paper can be used for origami or any number of paper crafts, and in this case, a painted umbrella and an oil pastel hamsa, both done on watercolor paper but not successful on their respective backgrounds were cut out to use in the future! The wonderful thing about creativity and a mindset of creative re-use, is that it can lead one down an unexpected path that is much more exciting than the one you started down to begin with! For starters I think I'll paint some black and white winter accessories to go with this umbrella, since rain is not a summer thing for us, and the hamsa, which is really a chamsa? Hmmm, I'll fix the oil pastel and maybe use it as a gift tag!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is a great time to try a new craft or pick up one you've been neglecting, which for me is most certainly crochet! This blog is stuffed with crochet projects, but this year have only crocheted some doll clothes, yikes, and promised to crocheted some summer clothes for that doll who must be boiling hot at this point! So, grab a crochet hook and some yarn and get inspired by most of the features from last week's party, that are yes, crocheted!

Pine Cone Pineapples Are The Perfect Summer Craft!

 

I have taken this craft out of the archives and dusted it off as it is a great partner to my pine cone animals post. Plus it truly is one of the cutest nature crafts ever, right? And pineapples can be any color, not just yellow as long as you have a few yellow ones in the bunch. Best of all, you'll hopefully have to take a nature walk to collect the pinecones, so enjoy!

I have been wanting to make pinecone pineapples for a few months now, and even painted the pinecones yellow before Passover, and finally found the time to give this fantastic summer craft, that would be a perfect summer camp craft a try. And wow, the results are so adorable you'll want to make a whole bunch, I know I do! You can use your pineapple pinecones as decorations for part of a tropical party, or as whiimsical decorations any time. Line up a few on a shelf and you'll smile every time you see them, or hang some mobile style. And of course if you want to be a little bit different, how about hanging some pineapple pinecones in your succah? Succot is among other things, a fall harvest festival, and in Israel that means pomegranites and dates, but it could certainly mean pineapples as well, right?

Regardless of whether you have a plan for your pinecone pineapples, gather some pinecones and get crafting, I'm sure a great idea will come to you. If not simply display them on a little shelf which is where mine are sitting right now, looking as cute as ever! Best of all, once you get the hang of how to make these, you really could whip up quite a few, even as fun Bar or Bat Mitzvah, birthday or wedding centerpieces, so lets get crafting! (Note: If you do plan on making a large quantity, I would paint them by dipping them into a large container of paint, so much easier!)

Sketchbook Brushstroke Daisies Are So Much Fun!

Summer is a great time to start a sketchbook, and fill it up! The more you create in a sketchbook the more you'll want to create in a sketchbook, promise! A year ago I dedicated days on end to sketchbook drawing and later painting, and it was only through that process that I learned that I can make mistakes in my sketchbook and it is okay! During that time I also learned how to cover mistakes that bother me, and today, I have progressed to even leaving unsuccessful pages as is! And friends, my sketchbook is a regular drawing sketchbook, nothing fancy and not made for painting, and yet it works just fine with acrylic paint, and even a composition notebook with lined pages can be used as a simple sketchbook. The main thing is to start a sketchbook, with whatever you have and start the journey! If you feel like painting, so you can try painted circles with flower doodles seen here, or you can try these layered brushstroke daisies, though it does take practice. Okay, lets take a closer look and think about some helpful tips!

7 Essential Pieces Of Equipment You Need In Your Home Gym

When setting up your home gym, the first question that comes to mind is what equipment to buy to fulfill your workout needs? It can become overwhelming to select the right equipment as there is such a wide variety of workout machines and accessories available for home use. Whatever gym equipment you choose, make sure it aligns with your fitness objectives and, most importantly, fits your home gym! You can find a variety of high-quality home gym equipment at Northern Fitness. They are experts in providing you with the best gym equipment and can even help you design your ideal home gym with customized fitness equipment.

Before you start thinking about design and actual purchases, or even how to build a home gym in phases, lets take a look at a list of essential pieces of equipment that you'll find in every gym. Having these items will ensure great workouts and hopefully help you stay fit and healthy. Okay, ready? Lets get started, that fitness lifestyle awaits!