Hello dear readers

The green glazed ceramics came out of the kiln.   It's not the color I was expecting. I wanted vintage green and got blue-grey-green with white blots.  I am very disappointed with this color.  I intended to make these as part of my Christmas/Hanukka gifts and now There's no time left to make new ones.

Before

After: The cookies are craft foam., the fruit, (except the watermelon which was purchased online),  are  Fimo,
two cakes from ceramic clay all made by me.  The beautifully frosted cake is a gift received some years ago and I am really ashamed for not remembering who sent it. This is one cake I'm keeping for myself.

Today I  made more egg-carton flower pots and decorated them with clay leaves.
This weekend will be spent on making plants to show you next week.

Have a great weekend with blessings.

A trip to the beach

Hello dear readers,

I realize that not all of you, especially new readers who have recently become followers of this blog, know the story of Baalatova the ancient witch and her friends.  This story, in parts, is being told on or before Halloween every year almost since this blog exists.

Skella and Skelly (A gift from my granddaughter Tali)a couple of skeletons after centuries of being stiff,  long with all their might to become flexible, floating ghosts but the Ghost Academy has a long waiting list for applicants.  The Skellies,  unable to wait for more centuries, know that they need magic help.

Baalatova the witch (A precious gift from my very talented and generous friend  Sarit who created her) had a terrible accident on her way back home from a witch and sorcerers convention. Her flying broom collided with the top of a tree, she fell down, broke a leg and, worst of all, lost her magic wand.  Without the wand, Baalatova is completely helpless. She slowly limps on her way home.

The Skellies send out their cats to find the wand, hoping to befriend Baalatova. The cats, after a long search, find the wand.  Baalatova gets a new home and is very friendly with the Skellies. Once a year, on Halloween, she uses her magic wand and special efforts to turn them, for a few hours only, into ghosts letting them have a taste of how it feels to haunt.

Solly the magical flying bear, (Another precious gift from my generous and very talented friend Birgit who created him) is immediately upon his arrival adopted by the greedy Baalatova to become her beloved pet.

Kitty the cat girl, (my latest precious gift from my generous and very talented friend Tatiana who created her) was also, immediately upon her arrival, adopted by Baalatova who now is surrounded by beloved pets.

A trip to the beach

Solly and Kitty for the first time in their life, are going with Baalatova to the beach.
Baalatova is deciding what to take along with them.

Water, hat, and sunglasses for Solly, basket for carrying the water bottles and bring back collected seashells when empty, a camera, the magic wand, and flying broom.

Solly (shouting excitedly):  Look! A human male! Didn't know they existed.

Baalatova:  Of course you didn't.  Until today your relations with humans were with females only, Birgit, me, Drora, and Kitty.  Kitty is a catgirl but dressed as a human girl. A female and a male human make a couple. They produce cubs which they call children and oddly enough, keep calling them children even when they the children become adults.



Baalatova:  Look, over there is a good place to sit and chat, watch the sea and take photos to send
to Birgit and Tatiana.

Baalatova:  Just stay there while I use my magic wand to bring another seat for me.

Baalatova:  Now we are all comfortable, breathing sea air and looking around.

Solly (shouting excitedly):  Look! A human male! Didn't know they existed.

Baalatova:  Of course you didn't.  Until today your only relations with humans have been with females, Birgit, me and Drora.  Kitty, although she's dressed as a human girl, is a female kitten. Male and female humans are a couple that makes a family.  Oddly enough they produce cubs and call them children. and keep calling them so even when the children become adults.

Kitty and Solly (together):  Oh, bliss! We can lay here and stay looking at the sea forever.

Baalatova:  Sorry, we have to be back soon. The Skellies are eagerly waiting for me to transform them for a few hours tonight into ghosts and I seriously need to have some fun too.  We plan to go haunting while the cats keep you company. No, you cannot join us, you're too young.  Wait till you grow up.

Solly:  Can I photo the beach to send to my friends overseas.  There are a few swimmers in the sea and some seated in the cafes spread along the promenade. Such a lovely sunny day at the end of October.

Baalatova:  Of course dear, that's why we brought the camera with us.

Photos were taken this morning, on the Rishon-Lezion beach strip.

Evening, Solly and kitty had a great day. They are happy and content to stay home.  For the "temporary" ghosts, fun time just started.

Happy Halloween. all! Have fun!

Baalatova and friends.

Hello dear readers,

Baalatova accusing looks reminded me that Halloween is next week and who knows what's going to happen to me if I don't report news about her. It's been a long while since I last mentioned her.

Here she is queening it over her beloved Solly and Kitty and her friends the Skeletons.,
making fun plans.

Baalatova -  Solly, you have been a well behaved little angel bear and deserve a visit to the beach.  I promise you a trip very soon.

Solly -  But how shall I get there? Can I have a ride with you on your broom?

Baalatova  - Silly bearie! Don't you have wings?
Solly  -  Oh sorry, haven't used them yet.  But won't it be too warm for me there?

Baalatova - The weather is getting cooler now.  We'll postpone our trip if it's raining or too warm
                    for you.

Baalatova  -  Kitty, you can come along,  riding on the broom with me.

Skelly   -   Dear Baalatova, excuse us if we don't go. It's dangerous to be on the beach in daylight.

Baalatova   - Yes, I know.  You and Skella may well stay out. By the way, I managed, with the help of friends in high positions at the Haunting  Academy, to move you up on the enlistment waiting list.  You now have only one century to wait for your entry.

Skella and Skelly  (happily jumping up and down)  - WOW!!!

Skelly  -  Please Baalatova, will you still go haunting with us on Halloween eve?  It was less fun without you last year.

Baalatova   -  I'll be happy to, but please send over Leona and the other cats to babysit Kitty and Solly.

Kitty and Solly (together) -  But we too want to go haunting with you.

Baalatova -  Impossible! You are too young.  You'll have fun with the nice cats and we'll bring you back sweet treats.

What's left to see, dear readers is if Baalatova keeps her promise of a trip to the beach.  Solly and Kitty are already impatient with expectation.

Happy Halloween!

Have a fun creative week with blessings

Mutshell winter scenes and a working candle tutorial

Hello dear readers,

I'm out of walnuts shells.  From the last ones at hand, I made some nativity and winter scenes.
I'll continue with the fairy-tales scenes when I get the new, fresh nuts.



All three have a snowman on one half and a little house with snow-covered trees on 
another half.

The pine trees are cut and trimmed green shades pipe-cleaners.

Made the easiest, most simple, working miniature candles today. Used a leftover birthday candle. Dipped a cutter in hot water in order not to crumble the delicate candle and cut it into 6 or more pieces. By rolling when cutting the wicker is left undamaged. Used a red nail polish to paint one piece and got me a Christmas candle.

I always admire the incredible miniature crochet works on the blogs and cherish all the mini crochet treasures I received as gifts.  It's wonderful to see what can be achieved by using threads, a hook and talented fingers.

You will probably be as awed as I am by Stephanie Pokorny's works. She is a crochet artist who made nine Halloween costumes for her kids. If you want to see more Here WOW!

I wish you all happy crafting with blessings.

Neve-Shalom village

Hello dear readers,

Today is the second day of our 2-days religious New Year Holidays. We enjoy nice weather and serene leisure.
Yesterday I had a great time visiting our daughter Nilly who lives in Neve-Shalom, a small village inhibiting an equal number of  Muslim and Christian Israeli Palestinians families and Jewish Israeli families.
Nilly and her husband were accepted by the local community and allowed to build their own house
in the village.  They recently moved to live there.  Nilly has her pottery studio on the first floor.
Here, just if you are interested, you can learn more about these peace-seeking people living side by side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neve_Shalom. Adi and her family,  (Nilly's daughter, and our granddaughter) also have a house in Neve-Shalom.  They, for the time being, are away, living in London but will be back at the end of next year. Adi is a lawyer and fighter for human rights.

I brought along some ceramic miniatures to be painted, glazed and fired.

I couldn't stay long enough for the ice-cream-green paint to dry before glazing.  Nilly will glaze and then put them in the kiln to be fired.

Here let me show you the latest of Nilly's work.

Next visit I'll take photos of this beautiful village to show you.

I wish all my Jewish followers, here and abroad A Happy New Year!
A wonderful creative rest of the week to all my readers with blessings!!

miniatures in a display glass cabinet

Hello dear readers,

There is a lot of interest and it's only one miniature cabinet with four shelves.  I wanted it to be in my husband's ward for the medics, nurses,  take carers and patients' families to enjoy.   There is very little
space for it in this ward but, I insisted.

The moment my daughter unpacked the items, people gathered around us, very curious to see the items, wanting to know what they were made of.  Some thought the walnuts shells were plastic. Some wanted to know how long it takes to make a certain item.  The questions were and still are endless but fun to answer.  I, myself never know how long an item takes to make. I had to explain that for me crafting is occupational therapy. Some of the items are from recycled materials and yes, I can't deny it, I am a hoarder.  Whenever I throw something away I get to regret it.  I hoard wooden boxes, old tiny designed cotton materials, packaging materials, etc.  Looking at stalls, it was hard for them to believe that my only carpeting tools are a knife, a miter box, and a small hand saw.

I get inexpensive wood from boxes.  Saves me sawing efforts.

Back in 2011, I made a step by step photo tutorial for a simple very easy to make market stall.
If anyone is interested here.

There is always a  gathering near the display cabinet which makes it almost impossible to take pictures.

Wonderful surprise gifts arrived, sent to me by my granddaughter Tali who for the time being lives with her family in Utrecht, Holland on account of her husband's job.  Tali loves browsing in second-hand book stores. She found two vintage dollhouse books for my collection which made me enormously happy.

This hard covered, very heavy book is a l975 edition.

This hard covered, very heavy book is a 1976 edition.

I wish you all a wonderful sunny weekend with blessings.

A small exhibition

Hello dear readers

The staff at the nursing home where my husband is being cared for asked me to exhibit some of my work, offering me a small glass cabinet for the display.  Our New Year happens at the end of
this month, the exhibition must be as soon as possible. It will last from Sunday next week till the end of October. It's going to be one of the New Year and other October holidays attractions.

This kept me fully occupied for the last two weeks, making and stocking 3 new market straw stands.

All the hats were already in my stash.  The rest I had to create from a roll of string, raffia, jute,
 paper, etc. And, most important Glue. The best, fast holding glue I can get here is white wood glue.

Also made a few more nutshells, which were originally intended as holiday gifts. (I'll now have to
make more for gifts.)  Another lucky find was two old wooden boxes to display the nuts in. These will be on the top shelf.

Had to clean this old purses and bags stall to make it eligible for the show.

The glass cabinet has 4 shelves, each about 40 cms square.  Since it will not be easy to
see the bottom one, I intend to just display either the mini houses or the bags stall on it.

Wish you all a lovely creative rest of the week, with blessings.