Purim play set with felt hamantashen

There is a spirit of liveliness and fun on Purim that is unparalleled on the Jewish calendar. If there were ever a day to “let loose” and just be Jewish, this is it!
It is also customary for children (and adults, if they desire) to dress up in costumes.
A traditional Purim food is hamantaschen (or oznay Haman), three-cornered pastries bursting with poppy seeds or another sweet filling. On the day before Purim (or on the Thursday before, when Purim is on Sunday), it is customary to fast, commemorating Esther’s fasting and praying to G‑d that He save His people.

Purim play set

Giving kids a part of the holiday to incorporate into their everyday pretend play is such an amazing way to help them feel it.
Kids can help make this Purim toy (with adult help) but it’s also a great toy for parents to make for kids. It is a bit of work, but if you enjoy crafting, it’s all fun!!
And it’s so much cheaper than buying a dedicated Purim toy.
These are the parts of the DIY Purim toy:
A couple of megillah cases with a printed text to slip into it so kids can pretend to read the megillah on their own!
A felt pretend noisemaker. Well, it actually doesn't rattle a lot but it’s designed to mimic the style of the classic ratchet that’s used on Purim.
Felt Hamantashen created much like regular ones are made...but they’re made of felt…
A mask, obviuosly!

The Purim Surprise 

Decorative handmade trees for Tu b'Shevat

The celebration of Tu B'Shevat  is the New Year of Trees which is one of the four New Years referenced in the Mishnah or Mishna. This is a minor Jewish Holiday in modern times serving as a tree planting festival and celebration. The holiday is believed to have originated as an agricultural festival indicating the onset of Spring and the fiscal new year of agriculture.
The Hebrew spelling of Tu B'Shevat is ט״ו בשבט‎. This holiday occurs each year in the month of Shevat on the 15th day. Tu B'Shevat is known as the New Year of Trees, Rosh HaShanah La'llanot (ראש השנה לאילנות). Each year on Tu B'Shevat Israelis and Jews across the globe plant trees to celebrate, along with commemorate and honor loved ones on this Jewish Arbor Day.
Decor your home with handmade trees.

Decorative trees

 

Tu B'shevat - Coloring Book For Adults - Jewish 'New Year for Trees' Festival: Tu B'Shevat Colouring Collection For Teenagers & Grown ups

Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shevat Anthology

Felt birds tribute for Shabbath Shirah

The Shabbat on which the Parsha of Beshalach is read is called Shabbat Shira, because it contains the song sung by Israel after the splitting of the Red Sea.
Tradition teaches that there are only ten true Songs (Shirot, the plural of Shirah) in the history of the world. These true Songs are not mere melodies; they are expressions of the harmony of creation and mark monumental transitions in history. Another of these Songs appears on the haftarah portion for the week (Judges 4:4-5:31): the Song of Deborah. The Song of Songs is, of course, one of the Ten Songs. Interestingly, the Tenth Song has not yet been sung: it is the Song of the coming of the Mashiach, which will be sung at the End of Days (see Isaiah 26:1).

To celebrate Shabbat Shirah, the Rabbis suggested, in addition to the customs connected with the synagogue Torah reading, a home-based ritual: on Shabbat Shirah we feed the birds. Some have suggested that we do so to acknowledge the birds’ singing in praise of G.d and his great miracle at the sea. Others have linked feeding birds with their role in the biblical story of the double portion of manna that miraculously appeared on Friday so that the Israelites would not have to gather manna on Shabbat. A midrash tells us that two trouble-makers, Dathan and Aviram, put out manna Friday evening so that the people would discover it on the morning of Shabbat and Moshè and G.d would be discredited. But the birds gobbled up all the manna before the people awoke, preserving the miracle of the double portion of manna on Friday and its absence on Shabbat and, thus, confirming the leadership of Moshè. 

Tribute to the birds

 Homemade garland with handmade felt birds decoration for Shabbath Shirah.

Giant felt dreidels

Dreidel is Yiddish for "spinning top." A dreidel is a pointed, four-sided top which can be made to spin on its pointed base. Dreidels are normally made of plastic or wood, though there are silver or glass "designer dreidels" available on the market, usually intended for display purposes. It is customary to play dreidel games on the holiday of Chanukah.
It is told that the dreidel, known in Hebrew as a sevivon, dates back to the time of the Greek-Syrian rule over the Holy Land—which set off the Maccabean revolt that culminated in the Chanukah miracle. Learning Torah was outlawed by the enemy, a "crime" punishable by death. The Jewish children resorted to hiding in caves in order to study. If a Greek patrol would approach, the children would pull out their tops and pretend to be playing a game. Read the Chanukah story here.
By playing dreidel during Chanukah we are reminded of the courage of those brave children.

Giant felt hanging dreidels

Dreidel

Dreidel Game: Who will play with me? 

The Dreidel that Wouldn't Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah

The Parakeet Named Dreidel

 

 

 

Book of Ruth - Needle felted case

The Book of Ruth is found in the third main division of the Tanach, Ketuvim (Writings). The book has been preserved on parchment and thus came to be known by its Hebrew name of Megillat Ruth, the Scroll of Ruth.
This scroll concerns itself with the Ikvot Meshicha (Ikveta diMeshicha - Aramaic), the approaching footsteps of Mashiach. It concerns itself with the time immediately preceeding the coming of the Mashiach. This is related in the parasha of the “heel”: Eikev
This scroll centers around Ruth, a Moabite widowed princess who spends most of her life alone, without a husband, family, and kinsmen. Her life is filled with hardship as she gleans grain in order to have enough to eat. She has no other way to live. Why does she choose to leave her father’s palace in Moab to become a pauper in a foreign land? We will explore the answer to this question later in our study.
Why read Ruth on Shavuot?
There are seven reasons why we read the Megillah of Ruth on Shavuot:
1. The events occurred during the harvest season. Shavuot is the Harvest Festival.
2. Ruth was a convert to Judaism. Conversion is an individual "Kabbalat HaTorah".
3. Ruth the Moabite was permitted to marry Boaz, based on a drasha of the verse, "A Moabite may not marry into the Congregation of HaShem" (Devarim 23:4). This hints at the unity between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
4. King David was born on Shavuot. The Megillah of Ruth concludes with David's lineage.
5. To teach the greatness of Gemillut Chassadim, acts of loving-kindness.
6. To teach that the Torah is acquired only through affliction and poverty.
7, The name "Ruth" has the numerical value of 606. At Har Sinai the Jewish People accepted 606 mitzvot, in addition to the 7 Noachide Laws. 

NEEDLE FELTED CASE FOR AN ILLUSTARTED MEGHILLAT

 

Download the illustration for the Book of Ruth

Read the Book of Ruth 

 

The Book of Ruth  Jaromir Vogel - Jewish Style Melodies: Traditional Folk 

 

 Ruth -  Katharine Doob Sakenfeld

Felt flowers for Shavuot 2

Handmade layered felt flower button wool pink, silver grey, white
Set of handmade felt & button embellishments flower for Shavuot decoration, made with quality felt in pink, silver grey and  white and centered with an hand stitched button. 
Each set contains x3 gorgeous felt flowers. These are perfect for brooches, clippies, embellishments, hair pieces, bunting, card making ,Shavuot uses are really endless... Buttons may vary and their measure is approx. 1.5" each.

Need some buttons? Find them:

Felt flowers for Shavuot 1

In honor of the giving of the Torah, G-d miraculously adorned Mt. Sinai, which was situated in middle of the Sinai Desert, with greenery and vegetation. For this reason, G-d had to tell Moses, "No one shall ascend with you, neither shall anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain, neither shall the sheep and the cattle graze facing that mountain" (Exodus 34:3).
After all, what would the ladies say if the Torah was given on a barren mountain, without blooming blossoms in the background...?
To commemorate this special miracle, we decorate our synagogues and homes with flowers and plants on the holiday of Shavuot.

Felt Flowers are Easy and Very Enjoyable to Make

Felt flowers are usually made by one of four basic techniques, some use a combination of them.The effect of creating a particular flower (rose, mums, peony, daisy, etc) is achieved by shaping or cutting the top of the felt petals in different ways.
Flat technique: This technique involves cutting felt flower shapes in several sizes and then stacking them in order largest on the bottom, smallest on the top. They are sewn or glued together usually through the center.
Types of Felt
What are the Different Types of Felt?
There are four basic types of felt for this type of project - wool, wool blend, acrylic and "eco" felt.
Wool felt is 100% wool. It's the most luxurious and rich to the touch and in appearance of the felts. It is possible to make your own wool felt material for these projects. You can upcycle wool garments or felt a knitted or crocheted piece.
Wool Blend Felt
Wool is also the most expensive felt to use, and an alternative is a wool blend. For these flower craft projects, we are talking about felt that is available in squares or by the yard. A wool blend is usually less expensive and still quite luxurious.
Acrylic and Eco Felt
What is Acrylic Felt and Eco-Felt? Acrylic and eco-felts are made from plastic. The difference between the two being that eco felt is made from recycled plastic (bottles, for example). As a felt material for flowers, though, they are less expensive
A Simlpe Way to Make Your Own Felt
This is a guide to an easy way of felting knitted, crocheted or upcycled wool garments. This type of felt will work for making flowers, although it is thicker than store-bought felt, but worth experimenting with. I always thought it could be a nice way to re-use favourite children`s sweaters or blankets (so hard to say goodbye to!).

Felt Omer counter

According to the Torah, we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavuot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. This grain offering was referred to as the Omer. Every night, from the second night of Passover to the night before Shavuot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the omer in both weeks and days. 
So on the 23th day, you would say "Today is 23 days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer.

Pesach Lamb Needle Felting kit for beginner

The Shabbat 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 (Exodus 12:3).
This mitzvah of preparing a lamb for the Passover offering four days before it was to be brought, applied only to that first Passover in Egypt, and the Torah does not tell us that we must continue to do so before every future Passover. Nevertheless, the people continued to do this to make sure that their lambs had no blemishes which would preclude their being sacrificed.

Sheep Needle Felting Kit (Easy Beginner)

A simple do it yourself needle felt starter kit for anyone new to wool felting.

Craft your own fun and fuzzy sheep décor with this diy needle felting kit! No previous wool felting, sewing, knitting, or crocheting experience/skills are necessary to create this sweet little sheep, making this needle felt kit ideal for crafting beginners. This delightful diy craft kit allows you to make one cute ‘n’ curly white sheep. Your finished sheep will measure approximately 4×4 inches, depending on how firmly it is felted, and the project will take around three hours to complete if you are a felting newbie.
The wool for this adorable needle felted sheep is collected from specialty bred sheep raised on Alps farm.
All our needle felting kits are packaged in a  resealable plastic bags making them the perfect gift for any Passover crafter enthusiast! Why not create your own Jacob's flock of these endearing sheep to add a touch of country charm to your home?
The beginner sheep craft kit goes with  :
white wool
white curly wool
black wool for the mouth and eyes
two felting needles
felting cushion

Felting needles, beginner or expert.

Little Moshè Felting kit for beginner

When the Book of Exodus begins, the Jews were living in Egypt and after time Moshè came to life...
"Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman,  and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.  But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.  His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him."

Little Moshè Felting Kit (Easy Beginner)

A simple do it yourself needle felt starter kit for anyone new to wool felting. 

Craft your own fun and fuzzy lottleMoshè décor with this diy  felting kit! No previous wool felting, sewing, knitting, or crocheting experience/skills are necessary to create this sweet little Moshè, making this felt kit ideal for crafting beginners. This delightful diy craft kit allows you to make two different colour cute littlwe Moshè. 
The wool for this adorable felted Moshè is collected from specialty bred sheep raised on Alps farm.
All our  felting kits are packaged in a  resealable plastic bags making them the perfect gift for any Passover crafter enthusiast! Why not create your own many coloured Moshè  to add a touch of warm charm to your home?
The beginner Little Moshè craft kit goes with :

light blue/green wool felt
two felted wool ball curly wool
brow/beige wool felt for cradles
two  needles
sewing thread

You can buy felt pieces

Felt trees panel - Happy trees

3D trees panel made with felt , wood and true sticks.

Tu B'Shevat tree decoration

Why do trees celebrate their New Year so much later than ours? It has to do with the rainy season in Israel, which commences with the festival of Sukkot. It takes four months for the rains to saturate the soil, nurture the trees and coax them into producing fruit. This is important to know if you are planning to give your tithes of fruits, as is done in the Land of Israel, because the required tithes vary from year to year. It’s also important if you are a tree and looking for something to celebrate.

The wool-wrapped copper branches and felt leaves on the textured wooden bases of our delicate saplings evoke foliage with colors in burgundy, brown, and dark honey and grey. Bendable copper  in branches and leaves allows for graceful shaping of natural forms. Available in two heights. Mounted on solid wood blocks.

Tu B'Shevat Customs .

Felt Menorah

 

Things I like about this project:
It is relatively quick and you can use virtually any scraps you have around the house.
You don't need to sew (W felt and glue)
I see this as the kind of decoration that's timeless and warm, year after year.
Materials
One large square of canvas or solid colored quilt weight fabric .
Four large squares of different grades of blue or contrasting blue felt .
One square of white felt
One small square of orange and red felt (for flames)
Glue and glue gun
Metallic thread, scissors, pencil

Needle felt Menorah

Needle felting is the process of felting/tangling one piece of wool to another using barbed needles. The needles take the wool fibers from one piece and drag them through the other piece where they tangle and attach the two pieces. There are two types of needle felting:
Applique felting: attaching wool yarn, wool felt or wool roving to a flat piece of wool fabric or felt. Sculptural felting: creating a three dimensional piece of felt from wool roving.

This panel is made with the applique felt technique, showing a window on a snowing night with the menorah in centre of it.

Almost every mother has heard her child sing with gusto "Banu 'Hochekh' Légarèch, Béyadénou O Vaèch" we came to hunt the dark, we light and fire. The favorite part of the song is the refrain "Soura 'Hochekh' Halea Ch'hor" expel the darkness, the darkness goes away!

Felt apples decorations for Rosh haShanà

The custom of the eating of the apple dipped into the honey on the night of Rosh Hashana does have a special traditional significance over and above the ready availability of the fruit at this season of the year. And it is this special significance of memory that enhances the beauty and even the sweetness of the custom.

Fruit of Affection

One of the fruits to which the Jewish people are compared to in Solomon's Song of Songs is the apple. "As the apple is rare and unique among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved ,Israel,amongst the maidens (nations) of the world."

Felt beehive for wood bees

Rosh HaShanah (ראש השנה) is the Jewish New Year. Over the centuries it has become associated with many food customs, for instance, eating sweet food to symbolize our hopes for a "Sweet New Year."
Biblical texts often mention "honey" as the sweetener of choice though some historians believe that the honey referenced in the Bible was actually a sort of fruit paste. Real honey was, of course, available but much more difficult to acquire! Honey represented good living and wealth. The Land of Israel is often called the land of "milk and honey" in the Bible.

Rosh haShanà felt decoration for a sweet new year

Honey Cake

A tad bit fishy for Rosh ha shanà

The Jewish New Year should be about spirituality, about Jews’ aspirations to be better people than they were the year before, about their hopes to find and stick to the righteous path. But like most other Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah is really about a little bit of theology and a whole lot of food. On this holiday there’s a custom to serve up a dish that sounds more than a tad bit fishy: fish heads.
The practice comes from a combination of a pun and the desire for a good omen, pointing to a passage in Deuteronomy that reads, “G.d shall place you as a head and not as a tail.”
Since ‘Rosh Hashanah’ translates literally as ‘Head of the Year,’ eating a fish head on the holiday became a little joke about the verse. You should start out your year as the head ,or leader,and not the tail or follower.” The head’s presence on the table serves as both a reminder to be in the lead and a sign that the ensuing 365 days will be filled with good fortune.
While the very idea of a good luck charm might leave some less than superstitious Jews with bad tastes in their mouths ,even before they’ve bitten into the fish head, that is that being a head and not a tail is simply a maxim that Jews “should strive to internalize in order to shape the rest of the year.
Additional rationales for dishing up fish heads include the fact that fish are symbols of fertility and that the New Year is a great time to remind Jews to be fruitful and multiply. And since fish never close their eyes, their stalwart eyelid-lacking presences can ward off the evil eye.

HANDMADE CLAY FISH PLATES FOR ROSH HASHANA' TABLE

 WHISHING WELL FELT FISHES