painted jars for Shavuot

Flowers painted jars

Glass jars painted using spray paint and clovers to stamp floral decorations on the jars. Can be used as Shavot decorations or filled with soil and then add grass and flowers seeds that will grow in time for Shavuot

Parashah Behar

G‑d commands Moshè regarding the Sh'mitah (Sabbatical) and Jubilee years. Every seventh year is a Sabbatical year, when it is forbidden to work the land (in the Land of Israel).

THE SH'MITAH

The sh'mitah represented in a flower pot.  
Six years of sowing and harvest and the seventh of rest in miniature...

Yom HaAtzmaut this year miscellanous

Yom HaAtzmaut kit

 bottle caps brooches

 tissue bows

paper pinwheels

parashah Emor

The second part of Emor lists the annual Callings of Holiness,the festivals of the Jewish calendar: the weekly Shabbat; the bringing of the Passover offering on 14 Nissan; the seven-day Passover festival beginning on 15 Nissan.
The bringing of the Omer offering from the first barley harvest on the second day of Passover, and the commencement, on that day, of the 49-day Counting of the Omer, culminating in the festival of Shavuot on the fiftieth day. 

Omer Counter

 

Counting the omer with a counter made of beads of wheat past. Beads are natural or painted with tempera, green and pink. Lag b'Omer is painted red.

Pesach decoration

Frame crochet hanging medallion

Afikomen bag

Handmade Afikomen bag

Traditionally, the afikomen (a piece of matzah broken in half), is placed in a cloth bag and hidden somewhere in the house for the kids to find ...
The smaller piece is returned to the Seder table and the larger piece is set aside in a napkin or bag. This larger piece is called the "afikomen".

Pesach bulletin board

How to make a Matzah bullettin board

images from Chinuch.org

Pesach matzot hanging decoration

Matzot hanging decoration

parashah Acharei Mot

Following the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, G‑d warns against unauthorized entry “into the holy.” Only one person, the kohen gadol (“high priest”), may, but once a year, on Yom Kippur, enter the innermost chamber in the Sanctuary to offer the sacred ketoret to G‑d.
Another feature of the Day of Atonement service is the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which should be offered to G‑d and which should be dispatched to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness.

Painting...two goats  

....we continue our project and idea of painting Vayikrà with children 

 

Blue Cave Goat"MUD PAINTING"  - BlackGoatFolkArt

 

Marc Chagall Composition with goat

Shabbath HaGadol

The Shabbath which precedes Passover is called Shabbat haGadol, the Great Sabbath, for many and varied reasons, as we shall explain below.
There are also many special customs associated with this Shabbat. It was in Egypt that Israel celebrated the very first Shabbat Ha-Gadol on the tenth of Nissan, five days before their redemption. On that day, the Children of Israel were given their first commandment which applied only to that Shabbat, but not to future generations: On the tenth day of this month [Nissan]... each man should take a lamb for the household, a lamb for each home...

A WOOL AND PAPER LAMB BED DECORATION

 

inspired by: Spoonfull of crafts

Matzah booklet

Matzah recipes and teachings booklet cover

Here's How:
Oven: Put the oven through a full self-cleaning cycle to make it kosher for Passover.
Ingredients needed: 1) cold water from the faucet 2) special flour called kemach shel matzah shamura (flour watched from the moment of harvest to the moment of packing to make sure it has not come into contact with any moisture).
Utensils needed: 1) measuring cups 2) large bowl for dough 4) roll of paper 4) rolling pin 5) tool for making holes in the dough 6) tiles for lining oven shelf 7) peel - flat metal plate with a handle for taking the matza out of the oven. All utensils should be kosher for Passover.
Prepare the oven by lining the oven shelf with floor tiles. Leave some space between the tiles and the sides of the oven.
Set oven on highest temperature setting.
Place clean paper on work surface and prepare utensils.
At this point, the clock starts to tick. There must be no more than 18 minutes from the time the water is mixed with the flour until the time the matzah has been completely baked in the oven.
Depending on how many matzot you want, measure 1 part water and 3 parts flour.
Quickly mix and knead into a firm ball of 1-2 inches.
Roll out dough as thin as possible.
Poke holes in the dough.
Check to make sure no more than 15 minutes passed since the flour and water were mixed. Put matzah onto the tiles in the hot oven.
Bake on tiles for 2-3 minutes until done.
Remove using the peel.
Put clean paper on the work surface, and repeat steps 7-1 
source

Pesach decoration

Golden kiddush cups hanging decoration for Pesach

Use gold cardboard for the cups, then decorate with glitter and marking pen
cups are inspired by Creative jewish mom

parashah metzorah

Painting cedar trees and  hyssop plant

The Torah reading begins with a description of the purification procedure for a person who contracted tzara'at. After the priest determines that the tzara'at has been healed, a ceremony involving two birds, a cedar plank, hyssop, a scarlet thread and water from a live stream, is used for the initial stage of the purification. 

 

Cedar Circle -  New mini painting from Mish Mash

Birkat Ha ilanot

                     BIRKAT HA ILANOT COLLAGE
ברוך אתה ה' אלהינו מלך העולם שלא חסר בעולמו כלום וברא בו בריות טובות ואילנות טובים להנות בהם בני אדם

Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam shelo chiseir ba-olamo k'lum uvara vo briyot tovot v'ilanot tovim l'hanot bahem b'nei Adam

source Chinuch.org

Chodesh Tov!!!

ROSH CHODESH NISSAN

A special mitzvah, which can be fulfilled only once a year, is to recite the berachah made upon seeing a fruit tree in bloom: Blessed are you G-d our G-d, king of the universe, who left nothing lacking in His world, and created within it good creatures and good trees with which He gives pleasure to people. 
Today is the first opportunity to make this blessing, but it can be done anytime during the month of Nissan (referred to by the Torah as "the month of spring" ). Many visit botanical gardens during this time, so as to avail themselves of an opportunity to observe this beautiful mitzvah.
Chodesh Tov to all of you!