Posted at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
Dear Readers, I love this blog, and it's a labor of the heart, but it's time to start making some income from it if possible! I would never think of trying to sell garbage, or entice you into buying something you definitely don't need, so with that in mind I've decided to become a saleswoman for one of my personal favorite places to buy fabric and notions, fabric.com. Over the past four years I have made numerous purchases from fabric.com, and always with great success and good customer service. And they have amazing deals on fabric with new patterns all the time and lots of sales and promotions.
Yesterday I went to look at their 50% clearance section and just couldn't believe the selection of great stuff, the first thing that caught my eye were Amy Butler Nigella Heavy Weight (for decorating as opposed to quilts) for only $7.99, a bargain! And if you buy over $35 worth, you get free shipping, plus there are additional coupons for more off, so don't walk run, before the stock disappears!
Here's my favorite patterns on sale now, with some photos of projects made with these patterns, to show you the scale (not the color) of all of the fabrics. Gotta love those floor pillows!
Nice isn't it? I've got some relatives coming to Israel soon, I think I have just enough time to order some myself and have them bring it for me. You can click here to find out more! Fabric.com
Posted at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that Purim costumes area a major deal around my house! We talk about it for months before the holiday and I do my very best to make sure that my kids are not only happy with their costumes, but appreciate wearing something "mommy made." I keep a whole box of interesting thrift clothing finds from past years in the attic, and as Purim approaches we usually take out the box and see what we might be able to work with this year. Women's skirts can easily become high waisted dresses for girls, women's sleeveless shells make great tunics for boys and look great belted. One year I made a very nice cape from an apron. So take a good look around your house and I'll bet you too can come up with some great original costumes from just a little of this and that!
As for this photo, well, two years ago preparations for Purim were easier than usual as my daughter wore a store bought dress from a neighbor (gasp!) and this son decided he wanted to be a pirate, for which we already had a few accessories on hand. This women's embroidered blouse was the perfect pirate shirt, and gluing a little bird on his shoulder completed the outfit!
I can't say I'll be getting off so easy this year, now that my crafting abilities have moved up a notch and I have a working sewing machine. And even the older boys have decided they want crocheted hats just like the one I've already made for my 4 1/2 year old! And what mother can refuse a request like that? Okay gotta go pick up the crochet hook, I'm officially crocheting four purple beanies with crocheted grape leaves and one red beanie that will hopefully look like a cherry when I'm done! Wish me luck!
Posted at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
Doesn't he look like he just stepped off of Broadway? I must say this was one of our more successful costumes, and I still find it a wonder how it all came together! When we lived in Jerusalem there was a monthly 1 shekel (25cents) sale at our local thrift store, so we would go two weeks before Purim to find pieces of interesting clothing to make costumes. I don't remember at what point my son decided he wanted to be an African King, but we sure had some good luck in finding these interesting pieces of clothing. And the zebra fur collar as a hat? That was his brilliant idea!
I stayed up quite late the night before the school Purim parade, making the scepter for him, and thanks to the make-up expertise of a neighbor, well I think he won first prize!
So the message here is, don't ever let your young kids near all those stores selling un-original costumes and you may just be able to convince them that homemade is the best! And when they're a bit older, you'll have no problem convincing them, as long as you invest just a bit of time and creativity into the whole process!
I've been making costumes from thrift store clothing for years, with absolutely no sewing knowledge, and for that matter, no sewing! Since the clothing you'll be using is certainly not anything precious, so a trusty pair of good scissors, a glue gun and some safety pins here and there will most likely do the trick!
In some cases, so a few store bought accessories are necessary to make the costume look its best (a sword, a shield, gloves etc.) but creative re-use is the funnest for everyone! And assuming your kids aren't shy, so they'll just love all the compliments and attention lavished upon them. Go for it!
For this African King Costume I Used:
Posted at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
Need a little something handmade to show you care? Want to practice crocheting and have something to show for your efforts? Looking for a little project that will fulfill an immediate need to craft? (That was me, by the way, which is how this came about!) When the idea struck, I quickly crocheted this square from 100% wool yarn while trying to feed my kids dinner Saturday night. I wanted to finish the square in time to throw it in the laundry with the day's load of darks, in order to felt it a bit. Sounds like fun? It is!
Today I pressed the square with my hot steam iron, photographed it flat and then sewed it up into the little envelope that you see here! How's that for a behind the scenes description of my creative adventures?
You'll Need:
How To:
Posted at 07:00 AM in Crochet Crafts, Great Gifts To Make | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
Hi Friends, can you believe it's Sunday already? I wish time would slow down just a bit, but I do look forward to this day of the week, when I can let you, the amazing crafters from around the world, be the teachers and share with us your latest creations!
So far our party is a rather small gathering, but I'm so proud to say that all those who posted last week linked to really nice projects, and I'm so honored to be able to feature some of them! So here they are, and please continue on below to link up to something you'd like to share this week!
Introducing children to embroidery and sewing is a popular topic this winter, and here are two really nice projects, that I'd like to do with my kids. On the left, from an American family living in Italy, a nice free form embroidery project on felt which mom then made into cute decorations, and on the right felt hearts are sewn into mice!
As most of you know, I have a soft spot for recycling crafts, so this bottle cap hot plate really caught my eye. Now I regret throwing out that collection of bottle caps that I just couldn't save anymore for lack of a project!
On the right, another embroidery project that's popular right now, making an embroidery of your child's drawing. Such a sweet idea, and Kami did a really nice job with this one!
I just love these germ-fighting placemats that mom wraps around her son's food container and secures with an elastic loop and cute button. And she decorated them with fabric paint and the backs each have a different cute patterned fabric! Paola, from South Africa, posted two very cute packaging projects that would also be great for Purim. I was thinking that a large version of the chinese takeout, template here, would be a great box if you wanted to make those placemats as a gift, and the little treat box, template here, would be a great birthday party favor as well.
And now, let the party begin! For those of you who are new, you'll have to click on "get your free Mcklinky" to register on their website first.
Here's the rules:
Posted at 11:37 PM in Blog Party: Craft Schooling Sunday | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
For those of you unfamiliar with this traditional Jewish cookie, well let me tell you, it has a serious history!
Haman was one of the evil persecuters of the Jews, whose actions are described in the Book of Esther. Taschen means pocket in Yiddish. So what do these have to do with Purim? Well the whole actual historic event that took place (around 358 BC) was very much hidden, and occurred over a number of years which isn't readily apparent if one reads the Book of Esther at face value. In fact, the name Esther means hidden. And these cookies have an inside that is hidden, well at the least the photo on the right does!
So this cookie not only tastes good, it's also a parable for the idea that hidden within the evil there is good!
And despite Haman's attempts to wipe out the Jewish people there was indeed a sweet ending in the merit of Queen Esther, and I'm here today to tell you about it! And as for the noise maker I've placed next to the cookie, well, we shake that at every mention of Haman's name during the reading of the Book of Esther on Purim. Why? To remember that evil in the world can be overcome! So go ahead and bake a big batch of Hamantaschen and think about how the flip side of bad is good!
Hamantaschen (thanks to my friends over at gourmetkoshercooking.com for the recipe)
These three cornered cookies are traditionally filled with prune, poppy or fruit fillings (see recipes below) but can be filled with any preserve or filling of your choice. Be creative; try homemade applesauce with cinnamon for the apple pie lover!
Ingredients:
Posted at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
Once upon a Purim a few years back I decided to make some designer purses from plastic plates! They're perfect for little girls to give to their friends on Purim, and they'd be great for birthday party favor bags!
Of course you could make the same thing from large plates, and your creations would then be large enough to hold a respectable gift. A miniature bottle of wine or grape juice together with some other packaged foods that are flat (how about a nice sandwich?) would make a nice presentation. And the truth is, with my experience most people would much rather receive something fun like this, than a huge basket!
Hopefully you can basically figure out the construction of the "bags" from the photos, and come up with some of your own designs as well. Pretend you're a handbag designer and have some fun!
I used hot glue to glue together the plates and planned ahead with straps and fringe, placing them between the plates before gluing. A regular hole punch works for the holes, and some Tulip fabric paint (in an applicator bottle) was used for the gold dots. All of these versions actually close with a ribbon tie, which of course is optional. Other than that, I think you'll get the hang of it in no time. And why not make some designer labels to go with your creations while you're at it!
I'd love to see what you come up with, so do take photos to share with us here on the blog! Happy creating!
Posted at 07:00 AM in Birthdays: Cakes + Decorations, Crafts: Recycling, Holiday: Purim! | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
When I figured out this earth friendly packaging trick a few years ago, I was so excited! The shiny bottle makes the hand printed paper inside look amazing, and as you may already know, I just love projects that involve recycling. I've used this idea several times for giving treats on Purim, but you can certainly pull this one out of your hat any time you need a packaging idea for home baked goods or even a small present!
I would recommend printing or stamping your own paper for a completely unique presentation, but if you just don't have the time or the inclination, so you could certainly use some gorgeous scrap-booking paper. For some ideas on how to go about creating your own patterned paper, I've described stamping with large foam stamps (bottom photo) here, printing with objects from the kitchen (top photo) here, making your own stamps here, and making prints with styro-foam trays here. And of course you could also pull out the potatoes and do some potato prints as well. So get a head start on this project and print your paper now!
You'll Need:
How To:
Posted at 08:24 AM in Crafts: Recycling, Holiday: Purim! | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
When there are babies, there is very often baby formula! Hopefully not in place of nursing, which we all know is the best for any baby, but every mother has to make decisions about how to raise her family that are for the good of everyone! That said, Materna (baby formula) is quite popular here in Israel, and so there are lots of cans floating around begging to be used for craft projects!These metal cans have wonderfully strong lids which make them ideal candidates for recycling as gift containers for any occasion!
It's true, you can't pack too much into one of these, but I think everyone appreciates a beautiful container that they can use again more than an abundance of treats which they really don't need! So ask your neighbors to save their Materna cans if you don't have any, and for those of you in the rest of the world, well I'm sure you can find a nice substitute. Just make sure the cans you choose have smooth sides, and choose a color scheme that works with the color of the lid!
You'll Need:
How To:
Posted at 11:53 AM in Crafts: Recycling, Holiday: Purim! | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |
Looking for an earth-friendly and gorgeous solution for mishloach manot (gifts of food for the Jewish holiday of Purim) packaging this year? Here's your answer: cereal boxes! Or for that matter any type of box with a non-printed side, and that can be easily opened and reassembled inside out. Start looking around and I'm sure you'll find lots of options in your very own kitchen.
You'll Need:
How To:
Posted at 09:09 AM in Crafts: Recycling, Holiday: Purim! | Permalink | Comments (31) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog | | Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |






