creative jewish mom

Make A Fun Freezer Paper Stenciled Pillowcase For Pesach!

Have you discovered the joys of freezer paper stenciling? There are so many wonderful ways to use this simple technique I see lots more of it in my future! As part of the Pesach Seder, we use pillows at the table to "recline" while drinking the four cups of wine (grape juice for some) during the reading of the haggadah.
I usually use simple pastel colored pillow cases, which look lovely, but this year I decided to take that idea one step further! 

To learn more about this project, with a complete tutorial, head on over to makeandtakes.com where I'm guest posting today. And thanks so much to Marie for inviting me to share a project with her readers!

If you have your eye on the felt rosebud bouquet, a perfect project for Spring, you can find my tutorial for that simply wonderful project here.

All the best, and do take a moment to enter my giveaway at the top of the page! And if you are a fellow craft blogger, take a moment and join my Craft Schooling Sunday international party below, (until Tues) I'd love to see what you've been up to!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday! An International Blog Party!

Dear Readers, Craft Schooling Sunday is finally international, actually and really! It's so exciting to have crafters from around the world convene on my little blog, and I hope we'll continue to span the globe, inspiring one another and learning a bit about life elsewhere. A bit of blog armchair traveling if you will!

Last week there were participants from: South Africa, France, Israel, USA, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Paraguay! Isn't that amazing? I hope we'll continue to meet more bloggers from around the world, so do tell your friends, even if their blog isn't in English!

Last week ALL the entries were amazing, and it was so hard to choose which ones to feature as there was also a really great mix of kid's crafts and projects for mom as well. Here are some of my favorites:

First and foremost, I was so very excited that karenmarie from Sweden dropped by! Like really excited!  My husband couldn't understand what the big deal was, but I can't begin to explain how inspired  I was by her site even though I couldn't read it! I just love Scandanavian style everything and I love the unexpected color combinations she chose in this beautiful quilt, as well as her decorating style in this wonderful bedroom!

 

Continuing the beautiful pastel color theme, I just love this little piece from Amy at dasalinger, and the sweet cards that she made to go with it. And this vintage wall paper covered shelf by imittlunehi from Norway is so stunning it looks great empty!

Don't these felted eggs from helenclyde look gorgeous?  It just so happens that eggs play a major role in the Pesach holiday too, so how about making some for a Seder play set? And I just fell in love with this simple bookend, another project from Amy at dasalinger, there is just something so sweet about it!

Can you believe that thehillsarelivin used a bride's maid skirt to make these pillows? Love the color! And Remodelaholic made this great faux mosaic wall art from squares of paper. You can see her tutorial over at ucreate. Yes, you'll need some patience, but I think the results are fabulous! She's always got something great up her sleeve!

Masteringeverydaycrafts did a great job recovering this chair in the happy Ikea fabric, and these windsocks by childhoodmagic (shown before assembly here) made from glue batik are just too gorgeous!  The "batiking" process calls for a certain brand of elmer's glue which I don't think I can get here in Israel, so I'm planning to do some research and come up with an alternative. Can't wait!

You may remember me saying in a previous party that Kalleen from atsecondstreet was a top notch crafter, well she continues to prove me right with this ingenious dinosaur playscape in a suitcase! And I just love these hand-sewn magnetic book markers from is-five, a sweet project to satisfy that need to make something!

I wanted to share this collage from found objects by tamdoll with you because it's just so very creative! And this box made from rolled magazine pages by lifewithliane is a great recycling project for anytime! Okay, that's all for now, weren't those projects great? I can't wait to see what will surprise us this week! I love these parties, a little bit of planning, no cooking, no cleanup and pure fun! Thanks again to all of you who linked up last week!

And now, let the party begin! Please put the name of your country first, and link back to the party, with a badge or text link. Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Kid's Crafts For Pesach: Make Some Fimo Critters From The Ten Plagues!

Aren't these critters just the cutest? My 7 1/2 year old daughter made these as a part of our Ten Plagues Seder kit! I'm actually planning to make 10 little packages from clear plastic that will contain each of the  plagues. During the reading of the Hagaddah we'll pass the little packages around the table for all to see. Ideally one could make a kit of ten little packages for each child, but one set will have to suffice for us this year!

In this photo I've got three of the plague so far

1. The second plague: frogs
2. The fourth plague: wild animals, like snakes!
3. The fifth plague: pestilence, causing death of livestock. So we've got this poor little sheep here!

So only seven to go. Anyone know how to make a locust?

Some Notes On Fimo:

Fimo is a brand of colored modeling clay that is baked in the oven. It's great for small projects of all kinds
and is available in Israel for about 10 shekels for a block. If kashrus is a concern, here's what my local kashrus posek told me, though you certainly might want to check for yourself!

• As far as Pesach is concerned there is no problem with Fimo. (Though I'll be enclosing mine in plastic)
• As far as baking the Fimo in your oven, you should kasher the oven afterwards. I used a small toaster oven and then left it on high for 40  minutes after removing the fimo. So definitely wait until you have a big batch before baking, unless you have a small toaster over that could be dedicated to the Fimo altogether.

Have fun and how about making some ten plagues jewelry from fimo? I'd love a little frog pin wouldn't you?

Kid's Crafts For Pesach: Krias Yam Suf (The Splitting Of The Red Sea) Diorama!!

Yippee! The Red Sea has split and were going through! Phew, that was a close call with those Egyptians right on our tails! But who can think about that now, this is amazing!

We're so happy, what a miracle! We're on our way to freedom from slavery in Egypt, that's one of the reasons we're smiling, the other is that we're thrilled to be here on creativejewishmom.com! And though we don't need to know how to swim to cross the Red Sea, it just might help that we're made from wine corks!

Where do we go now? Oh right, we almost forgot, we need to get ready to receive the Torah on Har Sinai in 43 days! Can't wait, maybe we'll see you there? It's gonna be great, we're the luckiest corks in the world if you ask me!

You'll Need:

• recycled white cardboard
• recycled regular cardboard
• tissue paper in water like colors (two shades of blue, or blue and green etc.)
• wine  corks
• bottle caps
• felt and yarn
• permanent marker
• glue gun
• white glue/water mixture or modgepodge
• glitter glue, beads, plastic gems etc. (not shown here)

How To:

1. Make a tissue paper collage on a large piece of white cardboard. Use a brush to apply glue solution to cardboard, working on small areas at a time. Lay torn pieces of tissue onto glue and then carefully smooth with fingers or brush.
2. Cut a piece of regular box cardboard for the base.
3. Cut wave shapes from your dry tissue paper collage, you'll need at least 6 waves, but more is good too, as well as a variety of sizes.
4. Cut slits in the base cardboard where you'd like to position your waves, and cut horizontal slits in the bottom of the waves, a fixed distance from the bottom. Insert wave into slit on base and affix with hot glue on the underside of the base. This results in an elevated base and a neater appearance since the glue is on the underside, but you can certainly choose to do this another way!
5. Now for your people! Affix bottle cap hats and yarn hair with hot glue. Cut small pieces of felt for clothing, and draw on a simple face with a permanent marker.
6. Though my version is plain, you can certainly add sparkle (and how about some fish?) to the water with glitter glue, and some "jewels" on the shore! Tell your kids the story of the splitting of the Red Sea and let them come up with some more things to add!
7. If you just can't get your hands on any wine corks, so try making little people from just about anything— pipecleaners, toilet paper rolls, hmmm got any other ideas?
8. Send me photos of your creations, and have a great Pesach!

A Modgepodge Matzo Wreath: Some Crafty Ideas For Pesach From A Loyal Reader!

Not to make any of you feel guilty, but I'm so happy to say that I do have a following of readers who come to the blog and actually leave me comments now and again. I can't tell you what a great feeling this is! Very often the readers that leave comments are those with blogs of their own, and they know how important the comments are! But I do have a few readers with no blogs of their own that keep in touch on a regular basis! One of those readers is Lynn, from Chicago, and recently she has left me some very long comments with all sort of ideas for Pesach! I was just so thrilled so I'm going to share some of them with you!

Lynne said:

Yes, I moved from mishloach manot frenzy directly to Pesach cleaning madness. I just took down my usual front door wreath -- which is festooned with Bedouin strings of cloves and beads which I got in Beer Sheva YEARS ago and still smells wonderful; the smaller chamsas from my collection; a bruchim habaim (welcome) tile which I bought in the Old City, Jerusalem decades ago and used to hang in my succah; small tiles I've made, etc. -- and replaced it with my Pesach wreath (which needs a couple of hits with the glue gun every other year or so but otherwise survives our unpredictable Chicago weather). It features plastic garlic and green onions, a couple of frogs, and .....the whole point of my second post of the day....modpodged pieces of matzah. I do not practice restraint when it comes to modpodged matzah -- I even have earrings  . Just thought I'd mention this early on, so readers will have plenty of time to enter the wonderful world of modpodged matzah.

Don't her wreaths sound great? Wouldn't it just be too funny to make a modgepodged matzo wreath for your front door? If anyone does it, please share your results!

And here's another great idea from Lynn. (For those unfamiliar with the Pesach Seder, while drinking the four cups of wine, we recline very often using pillows, so while in some homes some have the custom to sit on couches pulled up to the table, most people sit in regular chairs with pillows.)

Now I'm going to share my T-shirt seder pillows. These are especially fabulous when you use Judaic-themed T-shirts and your guests walk in and see them waiting on their chairs. If your house is anything like mine, your closets and drawers are overflowing with shirts from camp, Walk with Israel, Sar-El (idf volunteers), souvenirs from trips to Israel, etc. (Obviously if you already live in the Land, it's even easier to find shirts with Hebrew and Jewish topics. Another reason to make aliyah.) Here are the eight easy-peasy steps: 1. Turn a favorite T-shirt inside out. 2. Sew the neck shut. 3. Sew the sleeves shut at the underarm seam. 4. Turn the shirt right-side out. 5. Stuff with fiberfill. 6. Sew the bottom shut. 7. Place on chair at seder table. 8. Recline. It takes me 10 minutes per shirt. You can do this while watching tv, talking on the phone, etc. They work up even faster if you close the openings with rubber bands, instead of sewing!

I hope you enjoyed these great ideas from Lynne, and if you have some to share please leave a comment!
ps: there was one other great idea from Lynne but I'm hoping to do that one and share actual photos!

Make An Etched Glass Platter For Pesach!

Yesterday I introduced to you a nice glass painting project, so I thought it was perfect to follow that with this  etched glass project from Rivky Koenig's Crafting Jewish. (Which one lucky winner will receive, don't forget to enter the giveaway!) I know some of you are waiting for some more kid's crafts projects to keep the little ones busy next week, don't worry they're coming starting tomorrow!

Wouldn't it be great to make a bunch of serving pieces using this technique? And while you're at it, how about some plates for decoration? You could do a series with words, like the family rules themes, or single words, or your kid's names, or just about anything! And etching on colored glass looks great too, so pick up some plates from your local thrift store and make some works of art! And once you've got the hang of this technique, you can even etch windows in your home, or glass cabinet doors! Thanks Rivky for this great project!

You'll Need:

• A large round or square glass plate/platter
• contact paper, printer sticker paper, or die-cut sticker letters
• permanent marker
• scissors
• disposable gloves
• etching cream, such as Armour Etch (I have seen this exact product in Israel at the hardware store)
• 1" wide foam paintbrush
• paper towels

How To:

1. Assemble your design, using either pre-cut sticker letters and shapes you'll cut from contact paper, or make your own letters on the computer and print onto sticker paper.
2. carefully cut out the letters and the design so that the edges are smooth, and arrange them on the front of the plate. When you are satisfied with the placement, peel off backing and rub the pieces onto your plate so that they are well adhered. Smooth out any air bubbles with your fingers.
3. Put on disposable gloves, and following instructions on the bottle of the etching cream, bush a thick coat of etching cream onto the entire surface of the plate, covering the letters and design completely. Let set for five minutes or according to the instructions for your etching product.
4. While still wearing the gloves, wash the plate under running water to remove the etching cream, and peel off all the stickers. Make sure every trace of etching cream has been removed! And leave gloves on for washing of brush as well.
5. Dry and enjoy! Note: Etched glass should be hand washed only.

For Your Safety: Follow all precautions on your bottle of etching cream, and always wear gloves and protect your clothing with an old shirt or apron. Be sure to work in a well ventilated area, outside is best, and please please be very sure to store the etching cream away from small children!

Welcome To Creative Jewish Mom's Exciting Giveaway!

 I'm so very happy to announce this great opportunity to win a copy of Pesach: Anything's Possible by Tamar Ansh, Crafting Jewish by Rivky Koenig, and a really nice Pesach scrapbooking kit from Crafting Jewish Style! To register for the giveaway, please leave a comment in this post or send me an email at crafts@creativejewishmom.com! I will be reviewing these wonderful books as well as the scrap-booking kit over the next few days, and will post some projects and recipes that the authors have agreed to share with us here on creativejewishmom.com! So do drop by for a visit and have a wonderful Pesach!

Fit For Royalty: Use Glass Paint To Create Stunning Wine Glasses For Pesach!

Wine glasses play an important role in our Pesach Seder, as during the course of the reading of the Haggadah, we drink four glasses of wine (or grapejuice, but this year the wine sounds pretty good to me!) So it sure makes sense to set your table with something festive and royal and at the same time not too precious! Hand painted wine glasses are simple to make, and after you've applied basic color, you can take the project one step further with beads, ribbons, charms and anything you can think of!

And after the seder (s) you can enjoy using your gorgeous creations as tea-light holders or vases! And this project is easy enough for children over the age of about eight as well as adults who aren't so craft savy! So take a break from the cleaning and help make this Pesach extra special!

Here are the basic styles I created. Glasses that will be used for drinking should not be painted at the rim, so I"ll be using those for decoration!

You'll Need:

• Plain clear wine glasses
• Imitation crystal wine glasses
• Glass paint : Air-drying acrylic glass paint is the ideal choice for kids, though I imagine that the oil based paints may be more beautiful! And there is a glass paint that you can bake on in the oven, I just don't know how available that is. So check out the options yourself and choose the product that works for you!
• A paint pen specially made for glass: This is perfect for drawing simple sketches, names, or small designs, and would be great paired with the techniques shown here. I didn't use one since they're not widely available in Israel, but those of you with access to large craft stores can certainly find this product!
• Beads and wire for stringing
• Beautiful ribbon or sheer fabric
• Assorted trims and charms
• Electrical tape
• A piece of dense sponge, such as a make-up sponge

How To:
Follow one or both of the simple techniques described here for applying color to your wine glasses.

Painting On Glass:
Glass paint tends to be runny and may be difficult to control, but when applied to sections of imitation crystal glassware, the results are stunning! Apply a small amount of paint to one section and allow the paint to spread to the edges of that section as you gently brush paint into the corners. Painting large areas is not recommended especially on a curved surface, (such as these wine glasses!) because the paint will most definitely drip or run. After applying color to each small area, lay the glass on a towel, with the painted side facing up, until the paint dries. Then you can turn the glass and decorate another part.

Sponging On Glass:
Using a dense sponge is the best way I’ve found to easily cover large areas of color with no drips! Pour a small amount of paint into a small dish, dip the sponge in the dish and apply paint to glass with a repetitive dabbing motion. Continue adding color to the sponge and then dabbing to achieve an even coverage of color. For stripes use electric tape to cover the portions of the glass you’d like to stay clear before applying color. For drinking glasses, make sure to put tape on the rim of the glass before painting.


Notes:

• If you will be making drinking glasses as opposed to vases, make sure to leave the top portion of the glass unpainted. Paint isn’t dangerous, but we wouldn’t want to eat it!
• Unless you use special glass paint that is baked on in an oven, the areas that you paint with regular glass paint will be very delicate. Wash and handle with extreme care so as not to remove the color.

Have a wonderful Pesach, and if you can find a goblet sized wine glass, so why not paint one for Eliyahu as well! Now, does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning and blog management at the same time?

Pom Pom Critters For Pesach Or Anytime!

In case you are wondering what frogs and caterpillars have to do with Pesach, well let me tell you! A caterpillar actually has nothing to do with Pesach unless you decide he's really a locust or a wild beast, but frogs actually have an important role in the Pesach Seder, as the perpetrators in the second of the ten plagues that were inflicted upon the Egyptians prior to the Jewish exodus.

One of the very important purposes of the Seder, (one night in Israel, two nights everywhere else) is to teach our children about this very important period in Jewish history. In order to keep the kids interested, many parents give treats along the way or have some fun tricks up their sleeves. I think these little frogs would be great at any table, especially if they start hopping all over the place! So whip some up after the kids are asleep as a surprise, or let older children make them for the whole family. And while you're at it, keep a bag of white pom-poms on hand to re-enact the plague of hail! 

You'll Need:

• craft pom-poms
• pipe cleaners (green and red for the frogs, multicolors for the caterpillar)
• green felt
• googly eyes
• a hot glue gun or high tack craft glue

How To: Frog

1. Make frog's legs as follows: Use one pipe cleaner for the back legs which are shaped roughly like the letter V. Use a second pipe cleaner for the front legs which are shaped roughly like the letter C.
2. Cut a tiny piece of red pipe cleaner for the tongue, and using hot glue, attach the legs, eyes and tongue to the pom-pom.
3. Cut a circle from green felt and glue to bottom of pom-pom to create a nice-looking underside.

How To: Caterpillar

1. Make the caterpillers's legs (two legs are one continuous piece) by bending a pipe cleaner into a shape similar to the letter M. Make five pieces that are the same size.
2. Glue the body pom-poms together and attach the head at a slightly higher level.
3. Glue on eyes, antennae, tongue and legs, and introduce him to your frogs!

Hope you enjoyed this first Pesach craft project, stay tuned for more! And I'm about to announce my first ever give-away, so drop by again soon!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Thanks so much for dropping by creativejewishmom.com! In case you are new, Sundays are devoted to an international blog linking party in which readers share craft and DIY projects from their own sites. I look forward to seeing all the creativity from around the world each week, and hope that those of you with blogs will take a few moments to share something creative (even a recipe)!

Once again, last week's party included some really great projects that I'm so excited to share with you here:

I just love the simplicity of this polka dot garland by between the lines, and it looks so similar to something I might make that I have to remind myself it's not my project! One of the brilliant aspects of this garland is that she used a different color thread for the bobbin and the top thread, so the result looks like the oh-so- popular kitchen twine! Love it! On the right, I'm so happy that this very busy mom from fullhouse found a moment to drop by, to share these homemade party blowers! Just too sweet, and if she can find the time to make something like this given her house is full with a set of twins and a set of triplets, well enough said!

These quilted coasters from a pretty cool life are just too cute, and a great gift to make from your scraps. Speaking of scraps, look what the talented little dear tracks made from her scraps, these adorable owls!

And look at this faux argyle shirt by a hoot and a holler that's made from appliqued squares! Clash and Contradiction just couldn't part with her son's outgrown pajamas so she made these super cute pillows!

Two readers linked to nice family photo projects, stories by me shared with us this amazing box, and a little moore did something contemporary with this cute family monogram. Both amazing ideas for those of you who honor Mother's Day in the US!

This clothespin wreath to display your tea collection is just adorable, and so great for houseguests, thanks to the creative sisters over at kojo designs. And for another clothes pin project, how about these leaf fairies from puppy loves preschool, a fun project with so many possibilities!

Thanks to all of you who posted projects last week, I appreciate each and every one of you!

For those of you who are participating this week, thank you! Please grab a button or use a text link to link back to this party, and put the name of your country of origin at the beginning of your title. Let the party begin!