creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was just a bit smaller, but that doesn't mean we didn't have great projects and crafters from around the world. You know, places like Australia, South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, France, Great Britain, Macedonia, Italy, The United States, Singapore, and Israel! Love typing out that list and feeling like I'm traveling around the world by connecting with you all! And now for the wonderfully creative features:

Lilla A. is right on with these cabbage printed dish towels, and Craft and Creativity wrapped boxes with yarn and together with some matching paper made these really wonderfully joyful boxes.

And now for the two crafters who regularly contribute to the party and who both deserve the title "classy crafters" since really all of their projects are just that, beautiful and elegant. First off Rita from Design Megillah made some wonderful tzedaka boxes for giving charity on Purim (and year round), and Carolyn over at Carolyn's Homework made these great little stands from capiz plates from the dollar store.

Bon bon's for your doll's tea party? So sweet from pysselbolaget. And speaking of sweet, like double sweet, Jen over at the crumb factory came up with this super simple idea for balloon cupcakes! 

Linda from mermaid's creations made some great Estonian Independance Day cards with her daughter, and those blue corn flowers are made with a carrot stamp! Love this crocheted granny beanie, and Revlie over at revving it up, has a wonderful step by step tutorial, so all you need is the yarn!

Kathy over at nurture store made these really crafty garden tiles with a group of kids, and the ever creative Michele over at mich in L.A. just can't stop making jewelry from the most unexpected things.... this time a pacifier!

Sandy over at Sandy's Place made this amazing paper charms bracelet, and Tali over at matzo soup did this celephane and dish soap stained glass window, which I think could be great for Purim!

That's all for now, hope you're inspired to have a crafty creative week! And now for the next installment of Craft Schooling Sunday, come one come all!

 

Signs Of Spring In The Upper Galilee

When the wild red poppies start covering the fields in the Galil, you know that Spring is here. There really is nothing quite as lovely and inspiring as taking a walk and suddenly coming upon a field of gorgeous wild flowers. Especially when you're not expecting it! 

This week I took my son to the dentist in the little town of Rosh Pina, and fortunately brought my camera along!

Ah, an orchard of olive trees and the lush green rolling hills of Northern Israel. Looks like Northern California, right? While you're pondering that thought, brace yourself for the next photo, which I'm quite sure will totally change your perception of what Israel looks like!

What? A snow covered mountain? Yes, my friends, this is Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in Israel, who also happens to bridge the border between Israel and Syria. We can't see this mountain from our home, so when it came into site on the way to the dentist, our jaws just dropped.

Now really, where in the world do you think this might be? Colorado? Utah? Montana? 

So now I can say that I have witnessed two of my favorite things together, red poppies and snow covered mountains. Simply gorgeous. I've been carrying this awesome picture in my mind all week as I've been busy with all kinds of things other than crafting!  There's really only one word to describe it....wow.

Shoe Box Dollhouse Craft For Kids

As you know from yesterday's post, we've been busy making some shoebox dollhouse rooms, and I'm so happy to say this project was a huge success. My kids are even talking about building their own multi-story house from the shoe box rooms they'll make. And, if one lets the child really do as much as they can on their own, this can be a truly creative project!

You'll Need:

• 1 shoe box, without the cover
• colored paper
• foam scraps, for the bed and pillow
• small round mirrors in a few sizes
• a paper doily makes a great rug
• little medicine boxes (turn them inside out and paint them) for furniture
• a crocheted blanket that you asked mom to make

How To: Glue colored paper to the inside of the box and make the room of your dreams using all kinds of little bits and pieces of craft supplies and recyclables. Do it all in one sitting or work on it over the course of a week or so. Enjoy, I know we certainly did! Whoops almost forgot there's one more room to show:

The light is made from a soap bottle nozzle, pretty great right? And that rug, well it's just so lovely I'm trying to figure out how to make one life sized. And by the way, I forgot to mention that these two rooms were made by my 9 1/2 year old daughter, and I have a feeling these are just the first in a series of many!

 

Shoe Box Dollhouse For An Exhibition!

Shoe box dollhouses are so much fun to make, for boys and girls alike! I've been wanting to do something like this with my kids for ages, but it took the Shoebox Dollhouse Exhibition over at Lilla A. Design to get us moving. And I'm so glad that we decided to participate, because my two kids who chose to make rooms both loved it so much they want to make more. In fact my daughter is working on her second room right now!

The idea for the exhibition is that the kids should do the project with very little help from their parents, so I can honestly say that was the case here. I sat my 6 1/2 year old down with an Ed Emberley's Make A World, and suggested that he might like to draw some of the furniture for the book. He fortunately had his own idea and decided to make a room for a policeman! (Yes, that's really a pilot, but he'll do for now.....) I cut the foam for the pillow and the piece of felt for the bedspread, but that's it. 

My son's main concern at the moment is whether anyone will be making a kitchen for the dollhouse? We may just have to give it a go ourselves, we'll see what transpires after school today, and stay tuned for more photos tomorrow! Oh, and by the way, entries will be accepted until Feb. 21 (tomorrow) so there's still a bit of time to get your kids involved in this fun project!

Lastest Breaking News: Our friends over at the great site Se7en have informed us that they are making a kitchen, so we're off the hook, phew!

Foraging For Edible Wild Greens

Above, left to right: Milk thistle and wild Mallow, both edible plants.

Dear Readers, I have a little surprise for you! Today's post is going to introduce a topic which I know nothing about, but which certainly falls in the category of creative living. Just the other day it came to my attention that Ronit Peskin was knowledgable about foraging for wild edible plants, so I asked her to write a little guest post since it certainly does sound interesting! And the short list of edible plants that she gave me includes many that I already recognize from our nature walks, so exiting! Of course I'm not so sure I'll be harvesting any Milk Thistle anytime soon, due to those huge thorns, but you never know. Enjoy!

The following guest post was written by Ronit Peskin, a mother of 3, who lives in the Jerusalem area, and loves foraging for wild edibles, as well as writing about the topic of frugal living in general.

It's no secret — food prices are going up dramatically around the globe. For those of us with growing families and an income that is, unfortunately, not growing, it is getting harder and harder to feed our families good, wholesome meals without breaking the bank. Imagine being able to pick your own nutritious, organic veggies that you could use to supplement your family's diet while lowering your grocery costs...

Living on a farm and growing my own food is a dream of mine, but unfortunately not reality while I'm living in an apartment with no yard... Even for those with a yard, gardening might seem a bit too daunting, getting the seeds to not only sprout correctly but overcome pests and bad weather... and in Israel, with the high price of water, gardening may not turn out to be so cost efficient.

The solution? Foraging for wild edibles! In Israel, I've heard that 90% of the plants that grow are edible. Now I don't know if that's exactly true, but it certainly seems that way; nearly all the plants I've been able to identify have turned out to be edible (with only a few exceptions). I've become obsessed with wild edibles lately. People have asked me when I forage and I respond that the better question is when I don't forage. You see, knowing just how many plants are edible means that when I see a plant somewhere, whether its on a walk to the library, at the playground, or going to the store, I can't help but pick some to eat. (Provided, of course, that the plants are in a place that I'm permitted to pick and its not stealing.) I've started bringing shopping bags with me any time I leave my house, after too many times that I was caught with a huge amount of plants I wanted to pick but no way to carry them home.

Above, left to right: Wild Mustard and Chickweed, both edible plants.

I'm a self taught forager. I picked up a few books here and there about wild edibles in Israel, but most of them have been of terrible quality and very limited in the plants they cover. In addition to those books, I scour the internet for information about plants I come across to ascertain whether or not they're edible, and then if I discover that they are, add them to the already long list of plants that I pick and eat.

Because I love foraging, I love to share my knowledge of all these amazing wild edibles with anyone who'd like to learn. This Tuesday, Feb 21st, I'm leading a wild edibles walk in Gan Sacher in Jerusalem where I can pass on my love of plants to you, so that you too can discover all the delicious and nutritious food growing right beneath your nose. If you'd like to join us, you can find me on Facebook on the Gan Sacher Wild Edibles page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gan-Sakker-Wild-Edibles-Walk/133084346809802, email me at rmpeskin@gmail.com or call me at 052-396-5577 to reserve a spot for yourself.

Cost of the class is 25 shekel for adults, 5 shekel for children between the ages of 5 and 17, and includes a print out with information to help you identify the plants even after you go home. If you can't make this class, we'll be having another class on Monday, February 27th at 10:30 am.

Looking forward to spreading the wild edibles love!

Above, left to right: Nettle and Wild Fennel, both edible plants.

Thanks so much to Ronit for wetting our appetites on this interesting topic! Maybe we'll have to have her back with some recipes! In the mean time, you can find tons of information on the web, and just please do be careful to only eat plants that you are absolutely sure are edible. We certainly don't want anyone to get sick! Oh, and that list of edible plants that grow in my area is: wild mustard, wild fennel, chickweed, sow thistle, milk thistle, plantain, mallow, nettle, and many more! 

I think foraging may just be a great reason to get out there and enjoy nature!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was packed with amazing projects, thanks to all of you amazing crafters from around the world. And now, without further ado or a list of all the countries that participated (my favorite!) here's the features from last week:

Love this poetic wood scrap house project from that artist woman, and am completely blown away by this brilliant wine cork and champagne cork makeover by Alessia, though you'll need to review your Italian to understand her instructions......doesn't that make it that much more interesting?

I love the decoupage job that Aisling Beatha did on her Marmite jar, and these upcycled garden markers from spoons are great, kuddos to domestic goddesque!

Here's two treat ideas that would be perfect for Purim: monster candy boxes from a creative cookie, and heart shaped rice crispie treat pops from nurture store.

I just love this bag and Kindle cover from happy in red, and Sandy from Sandy's Space made a bunch of these great crowns for a tea party!

Maggy over at red ted art made these great paper bag wild things masks, and this felt pirate hat from tales of the scotts would be perfect for Purim too!

That's all for now, do step up and join the party, won't you? And, you don't have to have a blog to participate, you can also link to photos from a flickr account, just please add a description to your photo.

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Crocheted Curls For Purim!

I know, these probably look more like crocheted rose buds to you, but no my friends, for Purim this year they are most definitely crocheted curls! With Purim a little less than three weeks off, and a packed schedule on top of that, I figured I'd better get started on the costumes a bit early this year. Maybe I can finally be ready early and avoid that all-nighter making the costumes?

Old habits die hard, and funny enough, a few days ago when my eight year old saw me furiously crocheting another project for Purim, he got a little anxious thinking Purim must be right around the corner. When I informed him that Purim was in three weeks, he got a strange look on his face and said "so why are you doing this so early?" Sweet boy, even craft obsessed, sleep deprived, creative moms can change their ways, right?

So in case you're wondering, I am crocheting these aqua curls as I'm in the process of making this adorable crocheted wig for my daughter. (I have to tell you though, I first tried following the pattern, but since my gauge must have been off the whole thing was a disaster and I ended up ripping it out and simply making my own pattern for the base.) 

While most of you will most likely not be making this same wig for yourself or your darling daughter, you could use the idea of crocheted curls in other ways— sew a bunch onto a little baby hat for a cute little head of curls hat, or don't you think they look a bit like a little lamb's wool.....wouldn't a little lamb costume be just adorable? I'm sure you'll figure it out, just let me know when you do! Okay, gotta run still got 40 more curls to crochet.

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Spring Gift Baskets From Embroidered Styrofoam Bowls

Aren't these embroidered styrofoam bowls great? With Purim coming up and Spring on our doorstep, now is the time to make little baskets, right? And really, embroidering on styrofoam is just too much fun! How about washing out a large coffee cup from your last coffee run (try a little bleach to get rid of the coffee stain?) or trying this idea out on some take out containers if bowls like these don't happen to be on hand. And do take a look at my post, embroidering on styrofoam trays for some more inspiration.

A few months back I caved in and bought my kids an unhealthy dinner treat, namely instant Chinese noodles, as I was going out for the evening. When I returned, the bowls were just screaming "save me, save me" so I did, and am happy to have found a fun use for them! So if you're gonna eat something not so healthy, as least do something great with the container!

You'll Need:

• recycled styrofoam bowls, these were from instant noodle soup
• a flat piece of styrofoam from a recycled tray or take-out box
• yarn 
• a large yarn needle, the large ones are quite dull, or use a plastic yarn needle for kids
• paper or felt 
• high tack craft glue (not hot glue, it will melt your project!)

How To:

1. Embroider simple designs on your bowl, either by planning ahead or doing something random. If you plan ahead, so make holes in your bowl with the needle to guide the embroidery. The star bursts were done randomly and are quick and look great....I'd recommend those if you're making a bunch.
2. To make the cover, trace the rim of your bowl on a flat piece of styrofoam, adding a little pull tab to your circle. Cut out and trim to desired size, and embroider. 
3. Cut a handle from paper or felt and glue to inside of bowl. If you'd like to cover the inside to finish off your basket nicely, cut a piece of paper to wrap around the inside, and affix with glue.
4. Make a few and enjoy! 

And, to give credit where credit is due: the inspiration for this project came from a recent Craft Schooling Sunday contributor from Sweden, Pysselbolaget. I took the general idea of embroidering on recycled containers and came up with something related of course, you know like cousins or something. Where will the inspiration you've gotten from my project take you?

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Embroidery On Recycled Styrofoam Trays

Embroidery on recycled styrofoam trays is just too much fun, and I'm already envisioning a whole series of mini embroidered pictures. Embroidering on styrofoam trays is a great way to introduce the art of sewing to young kids or take a little time out for yourself to make a small whimsical embroidered picture.

You'll Need:

• recycled styrofoam trays, cleaned well and sanitized with soap and hot water if they held meat or fish
• yarn
• a large yarn needle, or even a plastic yarn needle for kids

How To:

Figure out your design before you start embroidering, mark lightly with a pencil on the back of the tray. I of course did it on the front, silly me, totally not necessary! Make holes with your needle along the lines of your drawing. Make sure holes are not too close together. Thread your needle, tie a knot in the end of the yarn and go to town!

Of course, if you'd like to do something just a bit more sophisticated (and time consuming), by all means, why not use a regular sized embroidery needle and embroidery thread and practice some more complicated stitches? 

Stay tuned for a fun way to use embroidery on styrofoam for your Purim gifts (can you guess?) coming up tomorrow!

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Crepe Paper Flower Bouquet

Crepe paper flowers are simple to whip up, and make a perfect little gift when a little something hand-crafted from the heart in called for. Quicker than running to the store for real flowers, much quicker in my case, and oh so sweet. And my daughter was more than happy to deliver the gift, so I caught her with my camera on her way out, promising not to show her face on my blog. Well at least not more than a tiny glimpse!

Mazal Tov! Congratulations to our neighbor whose oldest son just got engaged. All the siblings were so excited and I knew that I must send them something, but what? I'm just not the type to whip up a cake, but  something quick and crafted is of course right up my alley! So on an already very busy Friday afternoon I made some crepe paper flowers using neon colored crepe paper that I purchased a while back. And the vase, well it's time to start passing along those white vases I made last year, and now my closet has one less. 

You'll Need:

• brightly colored crepe paper or tissue paper
• floral wire, I used pre-cut flower stems
• scissors
• embellished wine bottle vase
• a tag, ours made with a scalloped circle punch and a hole punch

How To:

1. See my crepe paper flower tutorial, as well as another example of a beautiful crepe paper bouquet. 
2. See my post about embellishing wine bottles
3. Take note that with these flowers I used pink and coral colored crepe paper together in one flower, and for the yellow flower I turned some of the pieces of crepe paper over as the two sides were not the same hue. 
4. Looking back at my tutorial, I realize now that I used fewer layers of crepe paper which is why these flowers aren't quite as full and gorgeous. But that's okay, they did the job!

And by the way, crepe paper flowers are perfect for Purim and for ushering in Spring! Also, do take a look at how I decorated with crepe paper flowers last Purim, and go to town. I guess crepe paper flowers are in my blood this time of year! And why not, quick to make and perfect in so many ways.

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