creative jewish mom

Crocheted Wire Hanger Cover

A crocheted cover for a wire hanger looks great and is the perfect project for those of us who don't have easy access to vintage style wooden hangers. Of course if you can get your hands on some wooden hangers, the two look great together, and you can follow my pattern here! Truthfully, if you feel like getting a little creative, covering the wire hanger actually presents itself with many more possibilities as far as embellishments and filling in the void with crocheted lovliness if you so desire! You could certainly make some great wall decorations by simply using a hanger as the frame for your ideas!

So there you have it my friends, two very cheerful ways to fill your closet with a little color this summer! Though I must be honest, the wooden wire hanger cover took about a third of the time, so if you'll be making both, plan to make a lot more of those! And if you don't know how to crochet, well I guess this is some more encouragement, go for it! A set of hangers would make a super gift as well, so how about whipping up a bunch now for holiday gift giving?

Crocheted Wire Hanger Cover Pattern

Using the yarn and hook of your choice, single crochet around the entire perimeter of the hanger, and join to the first stitch with a slip stitch. Starting at the neck of the hanger, slip stitch down the entire side until you reach the bottom corner. The slip stitch makes a beautiful finished edge. Slip stitch down the other side of the hanger as well. For the shell stitch edging, simply crochet along the bottom following this stitch sequence: Skip first stitch, *5 double crochet in next stitch, skip stitch, single crochet in next stitch, skip stitch, and repeat from *.

Make two simple crocheted flowers, according to my quick crocheted flower pattern, and sew them together to cover the neck portion of the hanger.

You can certainly have lots of fun by exploring a bunch of crocheted trim options, and again, you can find my pattern for the wooden hanger here.

Quick Five MInute Crocheted Flower

Everyone needs a quick crocheted flower to add to their repetoire— you know the kind of little crocheted flower that you can whip up in say five minutes if you need just one, or devote a few hours here and there and make a bunch! Little flowers like this are of course great to make with spare minutes here and there, waiting for an appointment, or waiting for a bus, or waiting for just about anything!

And with the Jewish holiday of Shavuous just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking flowers! These little flowers would make great napkin rings, or hung mobile style over an entry way, or from an embroidery hoop. Truthfully, I needed a little flower for a project I'm going to share with you tomorrow, and when I couldn't find one that was just right, I made this one up myself using what I'd learned making three or so other versions that weren't quite right!

Five Minute Six Petal Crocheted Flower Pattern:

Using a 5mm hook and worsted weight yarn (or the yarn and hook of your choice):

Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch.

Round 1: Chain one, make 11 single crochet stitches into the ring, and join to first single crochet with a slip stitch.

Round 2: Chain 3, double crochet into same stitch, chain 3, slip stitch into same stitch. *Chain 3, double crochet into next stitch and chain three and slip stitch into same stitch. Slip stitch into next stitch, and continue around from * to make six petals total. Cut yarn and pull through last stitch. Weave in ends and voila, you did it in five minutes! 

A Very Interesting Short Movie About Israeli Culture and Technology

A cousin just sent me a link to a movie about Israel, a movie which explores the foundations of Israel and comes to some very interesting conclusions which explain why Israel is so very successful in so many areas. I myself didn't know that after the United States and China, Israel is number three on the list of countries with the most companies on the stock exchange in New York! Now that is pretty impressive I must say, for such a tiny country. And of course many things in the movie are things that I know living here, but it's great to hear it again, and stated in such a concise, thoughtful way.

So, if you have an extra 38 or so minutes to spare and you'd like to learn more about Israel, or you'd like to have a really good feeling about living in Israel, or supporting it in some way, do take a look at this movie. The very end of the movie is of course my favorite, as it's about how Israelis are particularly interested in helping the world, which is what I hope I'm doing here with this little blog!

The movie will only be available online until May 18th. You can find the link here. Enjoy!

Crocheted Shell Stitch Hanger Cover

Yippee, at long last I tried my hand at crocheting a hanger cover! Not just any cover of course, but a wonderful shell stitch cover that fits over a vintage wooden hanger that was really a breeze to whip up! I'm in love with this pattern, the only problem is I only have one other hanger like this, and have no idea where to find more here in Israel. So for now I'll just have to be happy that I can finally cross this one off my list, though I sure would love to fill a closet with them. or even hang them all over the walls in the guest room! I used a pattern from dottie angel here, though her stitch count didn't work for my yarn and hook, so I simply started by making a chain that was the length of my hanger, and then I took it from there.

Now, since my photo of one lonely hanger just doesn't do this idea justice, I figured I'd show you some photos of my favorites from around the web:

A gorgeous pattern for sale, here. And the dottie angel pattern that I used, looks great in numbers!

A simple free pattern from spud and chloe, and some fun hangers for sale here, that look like they were made by simply crocheting two panels of lark's foot stitch, right?

P.S: Thanks to my wonderful thoughtful mother for having the nerve to ask our cousin Peggy if we could have this wooden hanger that was hanging in her closet on Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Dear Peggy didn't blink an eye over this request for her old wooden hanger, and now it not only has a new life, but will hopefully inspire you to add some cheer to your closet!

And I don't know about you, but I still need some incentive to hang up my clothes, so there will be some more hanger ideas on the way shortly using standard wire hangers! See you soon.

Moroccan Style Pickled Salad

Today I spent the time I might have used for crafting doing an act of kindness. The good news is that the results are something that I can share with you— a delicious Moroccan-style pickled salad. Just in time for summer entertaining I might add!  Truthfully, I made a huge quantity for a Bar Mitzvah meal for sixty or so, and it was so delicious that I decided to make something similar for our dinner as well. So I have two versions of a Moroccan style pickled salad to share with you! Pickled salads do sometimes involve heating up vinegar, but it's really not necessary if you like a crunchy salad and if you'll be making this a few hours ahead of serving.

Ingrediants:

• kohlrabi
• carrots
• red pepper
• celery (optional)
• fennel (optional)
• fresh coriander or parsley (if you prefer)
• olive oil
• vinegar or lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Peel carrots and kohlrabi. Cut carrots in thin slices, kohlrabi in julienned strips, red pepper in small thin slices, and chop the celery. To cut fresh fennel, remove outer layer, cut fennel in half and then in slices. Separate the pieces. Chop coriander, and add seasoning according to taste, though go heavy on the vinegar or lemon juice such that the salad will sit in the dressing. Stir salad periodically before serving. If the salad will be sitting for a day or two in the fridge you'll need less seasoning, as it will have time to soak up the dressing.

Salad Version 1: Carrots, red pepper, kohlrabi, celery, vinegar + other seasonings listed. Admittedly using the vinegar makes a more delicious salad, but I'm avoiding vinegar myself, so I made version 2 below for our family, also incorporating one fennel bulb and celery leaves which some may appreciate as much as we do.

Salad Version 2: Carrots, red pepper, kohlrabi, celery including some celery leaves, fennel bulb, coriander (a bit less than in version 1) lemon juice + other seasonings listed

The great thing about this salad is that you can basically use veggies that you have on hand, or adjust the quantities of each ingredient to make it budget friendly if you need to make a large quantity. Right now carrots are quite inexpensive but peppers are not, so I used lots of carrots and only a few peppers. 

This is the kind of salad that keeps well for days in the fridge, and thus can be prepared ahead of time. But do hide it, otherwise it just might disappear, or at least that's what would happen in my house! Oh and by the way, if you want to serve your salad Moroccan style, serve it in small dishes with an assortment of other salads, which you can certainly find on my blog here. Enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was full of fun crafts thanks to you all, and as always it's such a pleasure to be inspired by such a fine group of crafters from around the world. Gotta run, the crafting bug has finally caught up with me and well, there's some serious crafting that needs to get done for Shavuos!

Love these quilled daisy topiaries from Suzy's Sitcom, and this beautiful tissue paper hydrangea from Aunt Peaches. Both great ideas for Shavuos, right?

Love this monogram wall art made with drinking straws by Pysselbolaget, and Helen Clyde made a bowl by melting hama (perler) beads in the oven, a fun project to try anytime.

Crafty mischief shared a great sock monkey tutorial, and sew can do contributed this great sculptable icing tutorial, which looks like so much fun.

I just love this tool caddy book holder from mod podge rocks, with decoupaged children's book pages, and this hand silhouette embroidery, from the gingerbread house, which is too sweet not to do!

This plate arrangement is fabulous, and serving pink lemonade shows us how to do it step by step! Design megillah is up to her wonderful crafty ways again, this time with a large stick ball made with a blow up beach ball as her mold! That's all for now, what have you been up, to? Don't be shy, show us!

 

Super Cute Forest Cake In Five Minutes (For Lag B'Omer?)

I love cake decor that is simple and cute, and as quick as humanly possible while still looking great. This little mushroom forest cake satisfies all of the above, and so I just had to share it with you!  Last Shabbat we had some special guests— my neighbor, a mother of 6, who just donated one of her kidneys to her youngest son, came with three of her children. Her son was completing his two week stay in the hospital, so she came home for a little respite while her husband stayed in the hospital with their son. The transplant was a success, ( and we were all so relieved ) so I wanted to make a festive meal, which of course requires a decorated cake of some kind, right? Now I should add, that this particular neighbor, who grew up in France is actually quite a cake baker herself, so I went with my most basic tried and true chocolate cake recipe, and she even asked me for the recipe! Truthfully she said it reminded her of brownies, I think that may have been on account of the fact that I burned it a bit, but it was still delicious. Now that's a good cake recipe!

You'll Need:

• A chocolate cake, baked in a bundt pan, my  favorite recipe here
• Chocolate mocha glaze, recipe here, (using Dutch cocoa of course)
• Vanilla sandwich cookies with chocolate filling (mine were, no surprise, "Dutch style")
• Decorative mushrooms on wires, a few sizes (I used three) if possible,  (And you won't be surprised at the third Dutch connection— I got these mushrooms in Amsterdam at Action, a discount store in DePijp, do look for craft supplies on your travels!)

How To:

Bake your cake. When it cools, make glaze and pour over cake using a large spoon such that it drips down the sides nicely. Crush a few sandwich cookies into little chunks and sprinkle over the top of the cake. Place your mushrooms in a sort of random order around the top of the cake, and voila! Now if you don't have any mushrooms, you could certainly use some little animals. And since tonight is Lag B'Omer, how about making a smaller version of these arrows and sticking those in the cake, that could be lots of fun!

 

Lag B'Omer Arrows Craft For Kids (Or Mom......)

This fun arrow craft for kids is an example of a spur of the moment craft that happened at our house today with my six and eight year olds, just in time— just in time for Lag B'Omer that is, phew! Tomorrow night starts the Jewish holiday that celebrates one of our great sages, Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and since the bow and arrow happen to be one of the symbols of the holiday, this little idea is just perfect in so many ways, and a great craft for boys who may not always be so keen on crafts! 

I think I'm actually going to make a few more tonight to add to the bunch, as these arrows also happen to look great in a vase, which could be a great centerpiece for your Lag B'Omer picnic, or to simply enjoy in your home on and around the holiday. 

And who needs a bow anyway, these arrows are just fantastic as is.....

You'll Need:

• wooden dowels
• colored paper
• colored tape, washi tape if you're lucky to have some, or even colored electrical tape
• hot glue gun or high tack craft glue

How To:

Make stripes on the dowels with tape or by affixing narrow strips of paper with glue. Cut feathers, from a folded sheet of paper so they'll be symmetrical, three per arrow. Affix feathers with hot glue or high tack glue. Make a tip using black electrical tape, or come up with a better way to do it....and please let me in on the secret. Honestly I ran out of time as the sun was going down and I wanted to share this with you now!

Make a bunch, they're just so much fun! For more Lag B'Omer crafts and information about the joyful holiday which involves bonfires and lots of outdoor festivities, see my previous posts in the Lag B'Omer archives.

Chinese Jewelry Pouch Bunting Banner!

A Chinese jewelry pouch bunting banner, for decoration or even as a fun way to keep your jewelry safe but at hand. I came across these little pouches that I'd collected as a girl in a bag of goodies from my mother, and they just shouted out to me bunting banner! And dear readers, you can't get much simpler than that, since you just string them on a nice ribbon and hang!

These little pouches are available at any Chinese import store and are generally quite inexpensive, so have fun with this idea, I think it's perfect for a little girl's room, or even as a birthday party decoration. You could then hand out the little pouches as party favors at the end, maybe with a sweet little ring inside. Or, hey, you could add numbers to the pouches, or names, and use your banner as a place to leave little messages or treats for family members or count down to an important day.

Chunky Crocheted Rag Bag From Sheets

Crocheting with sheets is just so much fun, that while I'm actually in the middle of crocheting a rag rug I just couldn't resist going off on a little tangent and crocheting my first ever crocheted tote bag from sheets and pillowcases. I have to say, I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and for now it's going to stay right on that hook so that I can enjoy looking at it next to our kitchen table!

For this bag I used thicker strips, 1/1/2 to 2", and a much larger hook, a size US Q/15.75mm, than I've been using with my rug. The large hook was perfect for a small project like this, as you can't really use your usual crocheting technique when you start to go huge, you have to reinvent yourself a bit, which does make it all the more interesting! 

I should note also that this bag is really a bit too heavy to use for carrying around things for a prolonged time.....great for taking some things to the beach or a picnic not far from the car, but don't envision yourself lugging it around at the farmer's market, for that you'll need to use a smaller hook and thinner sheet yarn for a lighter version.

As far as a pattern for this bag, no promises, I still owe many patient readers a pattern for my doily rug, so that comes first, and we'll see what else is going on. Of course if I could figure out this pattern myself, you certainly can too! That's all for now, back to that rug, and my diminishing linen closet!