creative jewish mom

Crocheted Hexigon Baby Surprise Sweater: Super Simple, Super Cute!

 

Isn't this just the sweetest? And guess what, it really is super simple to make, believe me, I've already made three of them! This little sweater is made up of just two pieces that magically fold to become sweater halves, with construction inspired by the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Sweater.  (Don't worry, I didn't know who or what that was either, until now!) And making them, especially in newborn size, is addictive, since they whip up so relatively quickly and you'll feel so good giving them away!

 

And once you've made the basic body, you can choose to finish the sweater however you choose! These light weight cotton sweaters have bell sleeves, perfect for warmer weather, but you can certainly make this pattern with baby wool and give your sweater cuffs, and even a collar. I'm sure I'll be making that version soon, as well as one for boys, so I'll be happy to do the experimenting for you, you just may have to wait a few months.

And the best part of all is that I actually gave these two sweaters as gifts! I used  tiny die-cut scrapbooking tags as actual tags, and I even got to see the sweater modeled !  I was so relieved to see that the sweater actually fits this sweet 6 week old baby, and even the sleeve length works. Phew! I really don't have any baby sweater making experience to rely on!

The good news is, if you can crochet a granny square, you can crochet this sweater! And even if you don't know how to crochet a granny square, but you know how to crochet, you can also crochet this sweater! And even if you don't know how to crochet, so you can learn and then crochet this sweater! (Greatly advised.)
Stay tuned for instructions and more details tomorrow!

Today Is The 17th Of Tammuz.

Today is a solemn day on the Jewish calender, that also marks the beginning of a three week period of mourning for our Holy Temple (Soloman's Temple, in the world history books). This three week period ends on the 9th of Av, the day in which the final destruction of the Temple occurred.

Unlike many historic events recorded in history books, the loss of our Holy Temple, the Beis HaMikdash, is something we remember on a daily basis, and is an integral part of our very existence. Our goal as a people, and individually is to rebuild our Holy Temple, both physically and spiritually. Unfortunately it's not so simple, so just know, that when the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, that means major changes have occurred in the world! We await these changes with great anticipation and longing.

Today is a "minor" fast day, (sunrise to sunset) observed by most men, many women who are able, (namely those without small children, or for whom fasting would not compromise their ability to take care of their families) and boys and girls over the age of 13 and 12 respectively. During this three week period of mourning, no weddings are held, we obstain from listening to music or playing musical instruments, no hair cuts are given and we avoid doing anything that might be considered dangerous, like swimming in the ocean or rapid rivers. During the last nine days of this period, the mourning intensifies and among other things, we do not eat meat or drink wine, and there are restrictions on laundering and wearing freshly laundered clothing.

The mosaic depicting the Beis HaMikdash is not only a wonderfully creative use of mosaic as a medium, it is also happens to be a very true to life representation of where we are standing now! We are a fragmented and varied People dispersed amongst more than eighty countries around the world—a very diverse group who nonetheless has the potential to come together as a People for the benefit of the entire world. Each and every one of us can and should do our part (you'll have to figure that one out on your own!) to bring this day closer.

Rosebud Magnet Party Favors Made With Craft Foam!

I made these magnets last week very late one night because the birthday prize and treat we had planned to give each of my daughter's 2nd grade class mates suddenly looked very small! Mom to the rescue with this magnet idea, which I also used to decorate the bag. Her classmates were so excited about the magnet that they didn't notice the lack of junk food! At that same moment I was probably passed out somewhere for lack of sleep!  Hopefully in my bed. Oh now I remember, I didn't have time to pass out, as it was Friday and I needed to cook. I'll take a rain check on that one.

You'll Need:

• craft foam
• a hot glue gun
• pieces of promotional magnets cut into squares to fit on the back of flowers

How To:

1. Trace circles onto your craft foam (I used a drinking cup) and make roses according to my tutorial here
2. Cut appropriately sized circles of craft foam for the base. Fold circle gently in half and cut out small triangles from the perimeter. Unfold and you should  have a flower/leaf like shape.
3. Using hot glue, glue bud to leaf base, and attach a magnet to the back.
4. You can use these magnets to decorate goody bags or presents by tying a ribbon around the bud shape —it's not perfect, but it works! I tied my bags with a thick pink ribbon and then tied these on with a smaller blue ribbon, such that the magnet was sitting over the knot of the large ribbon.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all had a great week and are ready for some fun? I know, the projects just keep coming at an amazing speed, just try to catch a few ideas as they wizz by if you can!

I have to say, this up-cycled sweater bag is just one of the most amazing projects I've ever seen. And those flowers are just perfect! Stop by the inadvertant farmer for a complete tutorial. And since we're talking about sweaters, well this one is just the sweetest, I just might have to give it a try myself here, don't know if I can resist!

I just love this colorful and simple bow-tie from Kojo Designs! And we have a new party goer, maggie muggins with this oh so cute and creative porcupine made from microfiber cleaning mitts she found at the dollar store! Isn't she creative?

And if you know how to sew, or even just a bit, this backpack that turns into a hooded beach towel is great! Hop on over to the train to crazy for the tutorial. And these tiered dessert stands from Joy's hope are so much fun—all you need is some spray paint, candlesticks and platters from the dollar store! (And of course the right glue.) I love those colors, don't you?

Uh oh, look at these adorable baby booties from through the loops, I think I'm in trouble! And serving pink lemonade painted these sweet wooden dolls as a travel toy for her daughter. And apparently there's a house to come!

Sumi of just me sumi is coming to the party all the way from India! And she made this decorative teapot with some spray paint and a hand painted quote, love it! Isn't this fabric yo-yo necklace just the cutest? Find out how to make it over at hand made spark.

And now, without further delays, let the party begin! © 2009-2010 Inlinkz.com |

Inspiration: Bamboo!

I thought I knew what bamboo looked like. Boy was I off the mark! Look at this! Is it possible that someone went around the whole Chai Park Zoo in Haifa and colored green stripes on the bamboo? That's what it sure looked like to me!

I'm showing you this photo to make an important point. All you have to do is look around you for wonderful inspiration! In this case I'm suddenly really inspired to do some bamboo paintings with my kids, using the amazing striped and segmented design of the trunks, but applying lots of color to it. Or how about taking a cue from yesterday's post and painting regular sticks to look like bamboo?

It's great to be inspired by craft blogs, (and I'm so happy to have you!) but after a while you can start to get dizzy, and looking too much at other people's work can stifle your own creativity, don't you think? So take my advice, get ideas here, but don't forget to look around you— you'll find some amazing ideas for creating something connected to your world!

Summer Crafting: Painted Stick Snakes. SSSSSSSSS!

Here it is, the perfect summer craft for the snake lovers in your life! Isn't this great? I can say that since I didn't make it. All you need is some acrylic craft paint and a good eye for finding perfect sticks! The sticks you'll need should just be sling-shot shaped— you can break or saw off the branches to form the right sized mouth.

Wouldn't you just love a whole basket full of these snakes next to your couch? I think they'd make great conversation pieces and instant entertainment for little visitors. Or at the least, a nice decorative folk art touch!

This wonderful project comes from another creative Jewish mom living in Israel by the name of Osnat. And when I say creative, I mean really creative! I hope to be sharing lots of her work with you here in the coming months. We both love recycling fabrics and plastic bags, crocheting and lots of color, and I know you'll enjoy her work as much as I do!

Osnat makes some gorgeous fabric flower accessories (among many other things) which you can purchase at her etsy store here.

Weave Fun Summer Placemats With T-Shirt Yarn!

Isn't this just the cutest? This is the weaving my daughter has been working on using the scraps left over after I used a bunch of t-shirts to make some yarn. Now I'm no weaving expert, but this little project has definitely sparked an interest in weaving, so I have a feeling there's more in store! I honestly didn't really know what I was doing when I made a little loom out of cardboard and string, and realized after the project was under way that I really didn't know how to finish it exactly! I'm relieved to say that the little knotted fringe is just so sweet, and this is a great project for kids! Though I have to admit I want to make one too!

You'll Need:

• T-shirt yarn (how-to here) or 3/4" strips of t-shirt fabric cut across the width of the t-shirt. Stretch strips of t-shirt between 2 hands so they curl.
• Cotton string
• A piece of cardboard (I used the side of a box) sized according to what you'd like to make

How To:

Step 1: Make Your Loom

1. I used a piece of cardboard 14"wide and 19" long, and marked lines 3/4" apart, running vertically on the whole length.
2. Cut 2" slits on those lines at both the top and bottom of your cardboard, and using one long piece of string, lace your loom by simply winding the string vertically around the cardboard using the slits to hold the string in place. Make sure that you have an even number of strings. Secure the ends of the string with tape to the back of the loom.

 Note: While this spacing of loom strings is good for small children, I'd recommend putting them more like 3/8" apart for better construction. In our loom the strings kept migrating towards the center, though I'm really not sure why, but maybe spacing them closer together will alleviate this problem.

Step 2: Weaving

1. If you'd like to make something that looks like our example, so weave according to the photo above, making sure to weave an even number of rows.
2. If you'd like to make a flat piece without having to finish the edges you'll have to weave by starting each piece somewhere in the middle, and achieving exact stripes will be more difficult. Weaving with this method requires a tightly woven piece and strings close together. You weave the first piece such that the end is actually woven into the loom above the first row, and the last row such that the end is woven in below the last row. Got it?

Step 3: Finishing

1. Keep in mind that because t-shirt fabric is stretchy, your finished product will most likely shrink in width once you take it off the loom!
2. To finish your weaving like we (actually I, Mom) did, tie double knots between each pair of strips. It would be wise to mark the border with a piece of tape running vertically so you'll know just where to tie the knot. Otherwise your weaving will most likely be lopsided! (Learn from my mistakes!)
3. After tying knots on both sides, trim fringe to desired length.
4. Cut vertical strings and tie those together in pairs, and trim close to the knot.
5. Instead of tying the knots you could sew the ends together by hand, or tie loose knots and then run the edges of the weaving, just inside the knots, through a sewing machine. Then you can cut the knots off and have a flat fringe, a great option!

Enjoy this fun project! My 8 year old daughter made this weaving in two sittings, but you can certainly use this method to make something a bit smaller, like potholders. I of course envision using this to make larger items like rugs and table runners, which would be great adult sized projects, and wonderful additions to your summer decor!

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You Can Crochet With Sheets!

I don't know about you, but this is my perfect vision of summer! Well of course I'd like to be sitting next to a beautiful lake with an iced coffee, but for now I'm quite happy sitting next to our largish wading pool with a gorgeous mountain view beyond. You see, when you need to watch your kids in the pool, there's nothing better than a little (or a lot in my case) crocheting! In fact I'm probably the only mother begging her kids to get into the pool, so that I can have an excuse to relax with my current favorite craft!

If you're wondering what ever happened to the crocheting with t-shirt yarn, well suffice it to say I ran out of yarn, and my little rug turned out to be so lopsided that I had to tear about 1/3 of it out. Not to worry, you'll see the results sometime. Now back to the sheets! There are several way to crochet with sheets, and I've chosen the easiest method for my first project, namely not worrying about hiding the rough edges.The look is very shabby chic/vintage and perfect for summer. And as you can see I'm crocheting with a very large hollow plastic crochet hook, which is why my crocheting has so many holes.....I should probably use a hook just a bit smaller, but I don't have one, or make my strips thicker, so there you have it! In any case, if this becomes a rug, I think the holes will be great for helping the rug not to retain as much dust and dirt.

Now before you start dreaming of crocheted rugs everywhere, I should tell you that you'll need quite a few sheets! This little pillow front/rug? measures only 16" (40cm) across and was made with 1 twin fitted sheet. The ball that's attached to the work was made with the matching pillow case. While crocheting with sheets is novel, it definitely doesn't flow like crocheting with yarn, and it's even a bit of hard work at times! Not to discourage you, just do realize that making a rug will be a nice summer project to do over the course of several weeks, unless you are obsessed like me, and then you can probably do one in a couple of days, depending on what other demands you have!

You'll Need:

• lots of sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers (the best, actually)
• a giant sized crochet hook
• some free time
• a refreshing summer drink, and someone to refill your drink

How To:

You can prepare your "yarn" ahead of time, or take turns preparing and crocheting which is my preference.

1. Remove all elastic from fitted sheets and cut corner seem so you'll have  a flat piece. Sheets should be torn into roughly 3/4" strips, make small cuts in top of sheet and tear! Kids love doing this, so enlist their help!
2. Join strips by cutting small slits in each end and then joining with slip knot. (Pull strip A through strip B just a bit, and then pull the long end of strip A through itself. To attach a prepared ball to work in progress you'll need to make a slit big enough to slip the whole ball through, but this gets lost in the crocheting, so don't worry.
3. To make strips from pillowcases and duvet covers, I just thought of a really great time saver! Use the same technique for preparing t-shirt yarn here, it's great! Just be sure to cut off the closed end of the pillow case and duvet cover such that you have a tube. If the duvet cover has a side opening, so work with it lengthwise, even better!

Yes, in the future I will try preparing yarn with ragged edges hidden (there are a few ways) but for now I'm enjoying the almost instant satisfaction of crocheting with the strips as is! Stay tuned for the finished project, and wishing you a wonderful crafty summer!

Make Gorgeous Waterproof Vases Using Your Favorite Fabric!

You're right, this isn't my favorite fabric, but now that I've done the test, you can feel free to use yours! A fellow creative Jewish mom living in Israel is a distributer for Paverpol fabric hardener (available here), and she sent me some to try out. I've always wanted to use fabric for a myriad of projects, so I was quite excited to give this product a try and happy to help a family make parnassa (a living) in the Holy Land, in itself not a simple thing! So this little vase made from a drinking glass is the first of hopefully many projects to come using Paverpol! And the best part is you can make things with Paverpol for your table and actually wash them! And you can make things for your garden that will be weather proof with the addition of their varnish product! Mushrooms anyone? Fairies?

Paverpol, a product of Holland, has mostly been used for sculptures using fabric on a wire base, but since that's not really my area of interest, I'm going to try and use it in other ways. The most obvious way is to transform basic glass pieces by applying light weight fabric that has been saturated with Paverpol. But we'll see what else I come up with! Paverpol is non-toxic and cleans up with water, also making it an ideal medium for crafting with children.

You'll Need:

• A plain drinking glass
• Light weight fabric
• Gold embroidery cord
• Paverpol transparent (fabric hardener)

How To:

1. Cover area of glass that you will not be decorating with tape.
2. Cut strips of fabric, either dip them in Paverpol and remove excess, or apply Paverpol to glass, and lay fabric over Paverpol and smooth with fingers. (The second option is much less messy! ) Brush an additional layer of Paverpol over fabric to make sure it is saturated.
3. Apply gold cord details, making sure cord is covered with Paverpol.
4. Set aside to dry for 24 hours before carefully removing tape.
5. If you somehow managed to get Paverpol on the inside of the glass as I did, fill the glass with water and let it sit until the Paverpol is easily removed.

As you can see here in the close up, I made small loops at the bottom with the gold thread, and the design was constructed with the triangles as separate pieces. Are the gears in your creative head turning? And just for the record, I found these flowering etrog branches on the ground, aren't they lovely?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Hope you're ready for some more inspiration! This week's projects are a little more simple than some I've shared in previous weeks, so I hope you'll be inspired to actually do some of them, or how about even one of them? Interestingly enough, this week's color theme seems to be green! Enjoy!

I'm so inspired by this creative little herb garden from bystephanielynn. So sweet, and I just love the colors she chose for the mugs, which she painted! A great idea, though either use very tiny plants or try to find some extra large mugs, like soup bowls with handles, to give your plants a bit of growing room and so they won't dry out too quickly. This idea would also look great with just grass, and then you don't have to worry about the size! Oh and look at those sweet little markers she made from wooden clothes pins!

This apple collage from Kiree (in Spain?) is ingenious, using recycled bags and paper scraps, so simple yet stunning! And I just love the simplicity of these old wooden crate plate racks from 4sweetpeasinapod. And yes, I know apples and crates reminds us of Fall, but we've got a ways to go yet!

Isn't this little frame re-make from momundecided, just the cutest? Now it's a vanity tray! And these summer dresses from Kojodesigns are great, no wonder those little girls are so happy, I would be too!

Thanks to Amanda for sharing this super cute and simple baseball cap transformation, I'd love to see a whole family wearing these! With ribbet t-shirts to match? And this felt playscape by servingpinklemonade is made just the right size to use on the airplane food tray! And if you don't sew, don't despair, you could easily create this with fabric glue or iron-on adhesive. Infact they even make felt all ready with the adhesive backing, so really there's no excuse! Imagine the possibilities! You could even make a set of these, with different themes. Never mind, one would be a great start!

Carina Gardener has a downloadable pdf for creating this gorgeous fabric flower, and i just love this little felt girl from artmind, I can really see so many possibilities for her as a craft project with the kids! Get wooden beads in different sizes and make a whole family, plus they'd be so cute hanging as a mobile, maybe give them some wings!

Wasn't that fun? Hope you like green! And now, I'd love to see what you've been up to! Please remember to link back to the party with a badge or text link, and tell your friends!

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