creative jewish mom

Folk Art Doodle Apple Cards Or Gift Tags

Now is the time of year for all things apple related, because Rosh HaShana is approaching and the apple is one of the symbols for the Jewish New Year, not to mention Fall of course. It might be hard to believe that once upon a time apples were seasonal fruit, but yes indeed, and therefore they were given a great deal more respect I might add. So lets shower those apples with some attention and cover them with folk art doodles! This idea popped into my head, and while the original thought was a painting, using markers is much quicker (for most of us) and a great way to whip up a bunch of apple gift tags, cards for Rosh HaShana, or to use on a festive garland — in the house for Rosh HaShana, and then in the succah! Because of the doodles you'll need to draw to fill in these apples, this becomes truly addictive, I have to say, but then again, who can't use a relaxing activity that also has a use? I say bring on the folk art apples, at least a bushel!

Giant And Elegant Origami Apples Are Perfect For Any Fall Occasion

Origami apples are so simple to make and are the perfect craft to whip up right now! Fill a basket with them to use as a centerpiece, use them as place cards, hang them mobile style or make a bunch and scatter them around the house. (Or save this idea and gift a whole basket full to your teacher!) The best part is they look great everywhere and any where, and would make cute little Rosh HaShana gifts as well. Attach a tag that is a card and you'll surely warm the hearts of all your recipients! I used these very apples as apple centerpieces for a Rosh Chodesh party, and then a neighbor borrowed them as centerpieces for a Brit, and depending on the colors you choose they can look elegant or playful, or both. So take my advice and get crafting dear friends, the Jewish New year is in less than 3 weeks, with Succos to follow so a barrel of origami apples will serve you well, promise! And yes, you can of course make these in a smaller size and in a variety of colors to represent a wide range of fruit, as I've done here with my origami fruit, cute as can be!

Welcome Back To Craft Schooling Sunday!

After a nice summer break, Craft Schooling Sunday is back, and it is great to reconnect with you all! Thanks so much for joining me here. September, which this year coincides with the Jewsih month of Elul is a month full of possibilities, and after an amazing summer vacation, with so much inspiration and of course lots of photos to share, I am dreaming of crafty succah decorations and handmade Rosh HaShana presents and cards for the neighbors. Just hoping there will be time for it all, as any moment the pace is going to pick up and then, hold on folks! With that in mind I have decided against that momentary whim of hand printing some new fabric panels for the Succah, instead I will embelish the light fixtures I made last year and go with my original plan which is to make a bunch of sunburst mirror decorations from all the plastic techina containers I've been collecting all year! That together with everything else we already have will hopefully do the trick.......?

I did not end up painting as much as I'd hoped on my vacation, so I've got that creative itch that just needs to be satisfied, and the features from the last party in July, which I'm posting here now are so much fun. I nearly ordered a soap mold and supplies to make some hexigon bee soaps for Rosh HaShana but then I realized that most folks may not even use them, so better to save the $$ and paint some nice cards. Okay, enough of my babble, lets get this party started!

Purple Cone flowers Bloom In Sweden

With Fall just around the corner, you may not be thinking about your garden, unless of course you live in Australia or the Southern Hemispere, or Florida or Southern California, then again, if you love gardening anytime is a good time to plan the blooms you'd like to grow! So, dear readers, most of us know about cone flowers, or Echinacea, but sometimes a reminder is a great thing, so let me remind you, these flowers look amazing, especially a whole bunch of them, and they are drought resistant and just all around great. They do seem to attract a lot of bees though, so keep that in mind.

I took these photos on our recent trip to Sweden (lots and lots more about that to come) at one of the cottages we rented, and there was a nice bed of cone flowers encircling a tall flag pole in the middle of a huge lawn. The scale of the cone flowers (they are largish) was perfect and the splash of color was just lovely. So do give it some thought, and I will as well! Many years ago I did add some cone flower seeds to my container garden with little success, so maybe next time I need to start them in flats, I have a good feeling next year is the time, can't wait! And now, enjoy the rest of my photos, which are great inspiration for some floral paintings as well, note to self!

Tips For A Stress-Free And Fun Family Road Trip

It’s no surprise that Israel has already seen a record number of nearly two million tourists since the beginning of 2019. With breathtaking national parks, stunning beaches, archaeological sites, city and rural delights, there’s something for everyone vacationing in the Jewish state. With the Jewish holiday season coming up, now might just be the time to think about hitting the road in the Holy Land! Of course plenty of planning is required for a trip to Israel, though you'll be richly rewarded with a unique bonding experience as a family unit. With everything from making the decision whether to travel for example, to Rosh HaNikra at the Lebanese Border or to Tel Aviv, and managing to keep the peace while traveling, here’s some essential advice to help you get the maximum benefits of your trip while sparing the headaches.

White Gouache Illustration On Watercolor Wash

As you can see, I am just loving the idea of illustrating with gouache, and so I have one more simple technique that produces great results. Ready? One of the benefits of gouache, as opposed to watercolor paint, is that is is opaque, meaning you can layer one color over another, yes indeed! So, one simple way to take advantage of this attribute is to make a beautiful background with either watercolor paint or gouache, though or course something rich, like my blue backgroud, and then paint lovely details on top of this background with white gouache. And if you want to take it one step further, add some ink details, and voila, you've created something wonderful! Need a bit more information to make this happen? Let do it........

Simple Gouache Illustrations With Ink Details

Yesterday I shared with you some simple botanical illustrations using gouache, and today I am sharing some more results in my little gouache painting series. Introducing gouache and ink floral illustrations! I painted these in New York a few weeks ago having just spent two plus glorious weeks in Sweden. And now I can see that all those fields of tiny wild flowers certainly did make on impression on me, as these suddenly look like Swedish summer, or at least my version of it! What I learned here is that very simple gouache shapes or a simple painting that doesn't quite hit the mark can be transformed by adding black ink via a fine-lined permanent marker. So go ahead, paint a bunch of wonky flowers and then transform them with some inkm shall we?

Simple Botanical Illustrations With Gouache

I packed a journal as well as gouache and watercolor paints in my suitcase as we headed off for our summer adventures, with great hopes of painting and sketching. As it turned out the travel adventures were so captivating that I used up my creative energy simply drinking it all in, especially during our 2 1/2 amazing weeks in Sweden! I did paint a bit, though not nearly as much as I had planned, but of course I have plenty of photos to use as inspiration should the need start bubbling up from within now that we are home. I will share my few journal paintings soon, but first I'd like to show you what I did finally have time for once we founds ourselves with family in the USA for 5 days: a little introduction to painting with gouache and watercolor. Gouache is chalky and opaque, yet can also be used like water color paint, so it is very versatile, and no surprise the paint traditionally used by pattern designers to create artwork for textile design. Gouache is also pigment dense and comes in small tubes, so perfect for  travel as well. To give credit where credit is due, my paintings are the result of a lovely 30 day online workshop by Carolyn Gavin on creative bug. Lets take a closer look!

Goodbye Summer, Hello The Month Of Elul!

Hello Dear Friends, after five glorious weeks of being mostly unplugged or at least not working on the blog or any other computer work, I am back, and with so much to share I'm not sure where to start. With the exception of some photos taken from the plane, this Cape Cod sunset is the last photo I took on my summer vacation that took place across two continents, so I thought I'd start here, at the end! This year, since it is Jewish leap year, the Jewish calender and the gregorian calender are exactly in sync, with the first day of Elul coinciding with the first day of September, which only happens rarely. So here in Israel, those whose school schedule follows the Jewish calender (my boys) have gone back to school on the same day as those (my daughter, generally) whose school follows the gregorian calendar, a truly happy thing for all actually. And I can just imagine how happy so many busy moms must be to have everyone back in school so that we can now concentrate on the fact that it is also the month of Elul. So wishing everyone a smooth summer's end and a chodesh Elul tov, a happy new month! Keep on reading to hear some thoughs on Elul and catch another glimpse of that sunset......

Craft Schooling Sunday Will Resume Next Week

Hi Friends, I am back from a five weeks of family time and adventures both in Europe and The United States, and am looking forward to sharing it all with you! I was hoping to have time to get Craft Schooling Sunday going this week, but since it is also Labor Day weekend in the USA, I figured I'd might as well continue the vacation one more week, so hoping to see everyone again on September 8th.