creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! It's wonderful to see you all as usual! Last week's party was just busting with inspiration, and it really was a challenge to pick just ten projects to feature. I'm quite sure you'll enjoy them as much as I did!

Wow. Lilla A. Design knocked me out again with her adorable kid's room and this great painted newspaper flag bunting banner, up there at the top. And mini eco made this amazing paper strips garland by just running them through the sewing machine!

Se7en comes up with super craft projects for the seven plus that she's homeschooling, and I just love the results of these fabric people collages. In Estonia, where Linda of mermaid's creations is from (she now lives in the UK) there is a tradition to bring bread and salt to a new home, and so she came up with this porcupine to make some friends smile! I don't know whether to encourage crafting with matches, but just couldn't resist sharing it with you!

I just love this no-sew snake made with just one tie from homemade mamas. And this fabric mailbox, adorable! Check out the full tutorial over at giver's log, and make a wonderful gift or a super family message center!

This plaster casting project from my mommy makes it really intrigues me, and I just love the results and combining it with a beautiful ribbon. These simply great paper globes from Elise Blaha could hang out at your house any time of year, and certainly look great in these fall colors. 

We don't grow orange American style pumpkins here in Israel, so I have a certain nostalgic fondness for them, especially gorgeous ones like this little crocheted one. Find out how to make it at Julie K. I haven't really gotten in to making jewelry lately, but these earing are egging me on! Simple and gorgeous with a tutorial over at tea rose home.

And now, let's see what else we can add to our lists of "to do" projects! I know the list just keeps growing, but it's always much better to have too much you'd like to do than not enough, right?

A Simple And Delicious Whole Wheat Apple Cake......

This apple cake recipe is one of those recipes that guests will ask for. And if you have house guests, so bake the cake while they're there to tantalize them with the delicious smell of the cake baking! This is a great cake to serve with brunch, afternoon tea, or dessert, and it's really quite simple.

I bake this in a round silicon tart pan that is just a tad on the small side, so the cake rises above the pan a bit and then falls, creating the cracked look which I love. All the apples stay at the bottom of the cake, so you can also serve this as an upside down cake if you like.

As for the powdered sugar decoration, it can't be much simpler! Cut or punch a shape out of paper (an apple would be adorable!) place it on top of the cake, and sift powdered sugar over the cake. You can do this a few hours ahead of time, but not too far in advance, and make sure to do it on a perfectly cooled cake!

You can find the recipe here, I'd recommend making two and freezing one, or having the second on hand to serve when the first gets gobbled up! (That's what I should have done...it went fast!)

Now Is The Time For Flannel!

I just saw this sweet collection of flannel fabrics (this is just a tiny example....) on sale now at the Oktoberfest week at Fabric.com wouldn't you love to whip up some pajamas for all the little ones on your gift list? Or how about baby blankets for the tiny ones on your gift list? Or how about some drawstring pajama bags to help little ones keep organized? Hmmmm, I'm sure there are many more ways to use flannel....patchwork pillowcases? Sounds good to me!

And with free shipping on orders over $35, and an amazing selection of fabrics and craft supplies, and sewing supplies, you really can't go wrong. Yes, I am an affiliate advertiser for Fabric.com, but I myself make purchases from them every year, and with great satisfaction. I just love checking out the new items in the clearance section every week.....and shhhh! I even spotted some Anna Maria Horner for $5 a yard.

A Pom Pom Mobile Kids Can Make!

Last week while mom was busy making the pom pom arrangements that I shared with you here, my eight year old daughter just couldn't resist joining in on the fun! So while I was busy with my own project, she whipped up this sweet mobile all by herself!

You'll Need:

• yarn,
• a Clover Extra Small Pom-Pom Maker (3/4'' x 1''), 2/pkgfor $4.50, worth it I'd say..... My daughter enjoyed using it, and my five year old was begging for a turn to wrap the yarn!
• a straight stick
• glue to attach the pom poms to the ends of the stic
• a place to hang the results, ours was hanging from the dining room chandelier until I took it down to photograph......!

Quick Moroccan Pickled Lemons!

We now interupt the crafting to bring you this important culinary tip!

My father in law, of blessed memory, didn't usually meddle in the affairs of the kitchen, but one of my fond memories is watching him make a large batch of Moroccan pickled lemons in my kitchen. Lemons, kosher salt, large jars, and a technique passed down through the generations......I just adore the idea of large jars of pickled anything, but my success with pickled lemons has been only mediocre, and I really don't love the mushy taste of them after they'd been around for awhile.

So, when I saw this quick recipe courtesy of Mark Bittman of the New York Times, I practically squeeled with joy, knowing I could whip this up as a surprise for my husband. And you should have seen the smile on his face when he spied the jar on the counter Friday night! So now that I've tried the recipe, and more importantly my Moroccan-born husband has tried the recipe, we give it the thumbs up. So very simple, and in my humble opinion, even more delicious than the real thing!

Ingredients:

• 4 lemons, preferably organic, but if not, blanched in boiling hot water
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar

Preparation:

Remove seeds from lemons. Chop lemons into small pieces, rind and all, the smaller the better for those not so familiar with this pickle. Add salt and sugar, mix, and set aside at room temperature for three hours. That's it! Store refrigerated for up to a week. (Though honestly I wouldn't know what happens to it after a day or so, since my husband eats this by the spoonful!)

Enjoy with fish, mixed into a vegetable salad, as a side wtih middle eastern/Israeli salads, or even chicken! I especially enjoyed it in small quantities eaten together with techina on my whole wheat pitas....delicious!

Felt Rosebud Bouquets For Boys? Why Not?

    As you may have noticed, I've been into the felt flower thing this past week. And really into the fact that I'm using up my stash of acrylic craft felt, all the while bringing joy to friends and neighbors who have been the recipients of my crafty doings! 

Yesterday I shared with you the pom pom flower arrangements here, that I made to adorn tables at a recent baby naming/bris celebration, though I didn't mention that I actually made some other things too! You see, I just didn't think that pom pom flowers would be so appropriate sitting on the head table in front of some very honorable guests. And in any case, high arrangements really aren't appropriate on such a table. Sooooo, out came the felt and some boy-appropriate colors, and baby boy rose bud arrangments were born!

I was working very quickly and also intentionally tried to make large flowers that weren't too perfect looking, so do keep that in mind if you check out the tutorials. For a complete tutorial on how to make a felt rosebud bouquet, see my post from last year here. For a tutorial on how to make large loopy roses, see my post here. And make sure to have enough felt on hand so you don't end up with too many green ones at the bottom, as I did....c'est la vie when you're using what you have on hand, and working quickly!

Wouldn't this be so cute with a little train track running around it, you know to play up the boy factor just a bit? Or with a cute little flag or cupcake topper poking out of the top ? Convinced?

Make An Adorable Bouquet With Pom Poms!

Aren't these sweet? There's even a story and it goes like this: I had just finished making some yellow pom poms to satisfy my desire for those little yellow ball flowers that floral designers have been mixing with succulents and using in boutineers for wedding flowers.........then, the phone rang. It was a dear sweet friend and neighbor who said that she and her husband were wondering if I could show them how to set beautiful tables for the meal after their newborn son's Bris on Shabbos— a meal for just the immediate family, oh around 100 people!

Now, first of all, one should never turn down the request of any mother after birth, and certainly not one after the birth of her 7th, who sounds like she has more energy than you do on any given day!
So while they didn't exactly ask for centerpieces, that is my speciality, and so I promised to come up with something from whatever I could find around the house, which isn't exactly slim pickings, if you know what I mean......I gathered together the yellow pom poms, aqua yarn, sticks, my stash of interesting recycled bottles, (I thought I might paint them, but they looked great as is, saving me valuable time) and the arrangements were born. The results were so very joyful and yet simple. My favorite combination!

You'll Need:

• pom poms, I made mine with a Clover Extra Small Pom-Pom Maker (3/4'' x 1''), 2/pkgworth the $4.50 (for two sizes) investment in if you plan to make a bunch of pom poms, which you will if you have a pom pom maker!
• sticks, you know from the park, your back yard, the vacant lot......
• vases, or recycled bottles in a variety of shapes and sizes
• hot glue

How To:

Pretty self explanatory, right? Make the pom poms, trim them so they're nice and fluffy, and glue them to the end of the sticks. The pom poms look best in small groups, though do take note that the arrangements made with two recycled bottles are quite delicate. One would look nice sitting in the middle of a tiny table for two, but a large dining table would need at least three arrangements. For one larger centerpiece, consider tying together four bottles.

Note: I always give credit where credit is due, so while I don't know who inspired me exactly, I did see some photos of gorgeous crafts made with pom poms at JoAnnes a few years ago, and also at some point saw this lovely post from 2008 about making Alium flowers from pom poms by Kristen at domestifluff.com

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Hi friends, it's that special time of week again, you know the day when our jaws drop and we get just a wee bit jealous inspired from all the amazing projects featured from last week's party? Yup that's right, but there's no need to break out in a cold sweat if you haven't found time for creativity, nor if your projects don't measure up to these......most of us have full plates and if the most creative thing you'll do this week is look at these pictures, well that's good too! Just try not to spend to much time looking at the pictures when you could really be crafting! (We've all been there a million times......)

I'm totally infatuated with this free owl printable from mini eco, what an adorable mobile! And look at these wire and fabric daffodils from bird from a wire, so special and different from all the flowers we've been seeing lately, these are art! Magnify the photo and you can see how she made them, more or less...

 

Don't you just love the cool colors in this photo? And Amy over at modge podge rocks did a great job of re-vamping this little table with fabric (yes!) and paint. Isn't this Pez collection artwork great? House To Your Home, finally came up with at least one solution of what to do with her daughter's collections!

Pam of Gingerbread and Snowflakes made matroyshka doll ornaments from gourds, how amazing is that? And I just love this simple no-sew book sling from  I Can Teach My Child, cute and functional.

 The fabulous recycling Queen, Michele Made Me certainly doesn't dissappoint us this week with her plastic bottle spiders, a great project even for those of us who don't celebrate Halloween, my little boys would love some, maybe on a broom stick with an elastic cord? And to complete your project, how about making some simple cut paper (snowflake style) spider webs from Cynthia over at make paper crafts. Great right?

I've only seen play stove tops from cardboard boxes, so I was really impressed by this adorable idea here. And honestly I've never seen little rosettes made from straws either, such a cute little craft for the kids, and you could use them in so many ways.....thanks to Maya from the little treasures for sharing this with us! Okay, I certainly could go on and feature some more of the great projects from last week, but in the spirit of not overwhelming you, I'm trying to limit my picks to 10 projects....so that's all for now, lets get the party started!

 

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Container Gardening: Tropical Canna, Wow!

Wow, right? And no, they are not felt, this is the real thing, but thanks for the idea! Last Friday afternoon I ran outside for a moment, and there in my container garden was this amazing gift! A little cry from my green friends: "Hello, where are you? We miss you! " Or something like that..... It has been a bit of a rough year for the container garden: a drought, lots of very hot weather, and a caretaker who has been concentrating on crafting rather than gardening, alack alas.  But I feel a little change coming on, and the need to reconvene with my green friends before many of them go to sleep for the winter......

So while Fall isn't the time that one normally talks about plants and gardens, I'm just reporting life as it is, and the fact that I'm starting to miss tending to my little garden. Mind you, the plants have more or less weathered this difficult period, with only a few losses, and all will be well in the Spring. That said, I just wanted to rave a little bit about Canna!

Who could resist leaves like this? Canna does great in pots, and in my region (tropical 7) it dies back in the in winter. If you live in Florida, Southern California, Texas, Australia, Israel etc, Canna is for you, as a perenial, otherwise you may be able to grow it as an annual, or move the pots indoors for the winter, but you'll have to do the research on that one!

Canna is a tuberous plant and thus multiplies quickly.....if you'd like to you can keep making more and more pots of Canna by cutting apart the contents of the pot each year when it dies back. Isn't that great?  Maintenence wise, if you want the plant to look lovely you do have to cut off dried/dead leaves now and again, but all and all, given the gorgeous blooms, and it's dramatic height, it's worth it! And to top if off, this sun lover is very forgiving— the man in the nursery told me to let the pots dry out completely before watering, which is certainly what happenend this year!

Before I sign off, and give all the limelight to the Canna, I should say that I see signs of communication from a few other friends as well.

My Spiny Yucca (from the Agave family) is finally sprouting some babies from its tuberous exposed roots. I'll have to decide whether to leave them intact or cut them off and fill some more pots.....And are those lemons? What do you say? One of them even looks ready...I think his destiny may be as a Moroccan pickled lemon!  More on that another time, all the best!

How To Make Felt Flowers For A Mixed Bouquet: Tutorial!

Fabric flowers are everywhere these days, and for good reason! They're so simple to make, and you almost can't go wrong if you've got a few simple tricks up your sleeve. And on top of that, if you use felt, (even inexpensive acrylic craft felt like I've used here), it's so easy to cut and holds it shape well, which makes you look good too! I'm not saying this is quick, yes it will take a few good hours, but it's time well spent, and if you make two or more at a time, it's time really well spent!

General How-To:

You'll Need:

• a 6" diameter styrofoam ball, or even 1/2 a styrofoam ball depending on your container.
• four types of felt flowers, in four complimentary colors, instructions below
• hot glue gun
• a suitable pot whose mouth is just slightly smaller than the diameter of your ball

How To:

Either make flowers as you go, or better yet start out by making at least 6 or 7 of each type. Starting at the top of the ball, attach largest flowers first, staggering them around the ball. Fill in with other flower types and try to maintain an even height all around such that the bouquet follows the shape of the ball. You can always trim flowers that stick out too much after they are in place. Attach foam ball to pot with hot glue, or insert a dowel into the bottom of the ball, and affix that to another piece of styrofoam that you've wedged into the pot. (This way you'll be able to use the pot for something else in the future without having to worry about removing the hot glue, and you can easily transfer your arrangement to another pot if the desire arises.)

I used four flower types for this bouquet, (and a fifth that wasn't go great, so I won't bother with that one!)

Here's a simple tutorial on how to make them:

1. The Pink Cherry Blossom

 Cut strips that look like the photo above left. As you can see they needn't be exact or perfect! Roll and adhere with dots of hot glue as you go. Shape flower by pulling down on outer petals. That's it! You can make tiny blossums or big ones, depending on what works for the scale of your project.

2. Orange Generic Flower (anyone got a better name?)

Start by cutting three flowers, two smaller and one larger. The larger flower should have more petals than the smaller ones. Put a small dot of hot glue in the center of one of the smaller flowers, fold it in half, and affix to the center of the second smaller flower. Take these two flowers and affix to the center of the third flower, pinching the blooms at the bottom if desired before affixing. That's it! This flower looks great tucked between the others, such that it's petals stand up a bit.

3. The Rose Bud

I think many of  you already know how to make this oh so popular flower, but if not, so see my post from last year here on how to make a rose bud bouquet. Also a nice project!

4. The Loopy Rose

I came up with this one, since due to time constraints I really needed some bigger flowers that would fill the space nicely. I think the results are worth the extra step, take my advice! You can make bigger sloppier versions of the rose bud, which I just did today for another project, but the results aren't nearly as nice.

Sorry I don't have a photo for this yet but this is what you'll need:

• 1 Completed rose bud (see number 3.) made from  a 3" to 4" circle
• 1 not assembled rose bud made from a 6" circle, and with a spiral cut just a bit thicker than the rose bud. After you've cut the spiral, go back and cut the outside edges in a wave like pattern. and you won't need the little circle in the center, so cut that off.
• 1 felt circle (the base of the flower) about 3-4" in diameter

After you have the above, affix the rose bud to the center of the felt circle base with hot glue. Attach the larger spiral to the circular base, working in a spiral fashion, and starting at the edge of the bud center. You can even apply dots of hot glue in a spiral pattern and simply lay the felt edge into the glue. Watch out for glue gun burns! If your base turns out to be wider than your flower, so you can trim it, and if the outer petals need some help, so go ahead and give them some shape. It's that simple!

I hope you'll give this project a try, and I'd love to see your results!