creative jewish mom

Shanah Tovah, Happy New Year!

Simple Plastic Bottle Flower Ornaments

Plastic bottle flowers are simple to make and so much fun! They make sweet ornaments hanging singly as I've shown here, though the possibilities are endless. Bouquets, wreaths, centerpieces, chandeliers.....these are just a few of the things that you could make with plastic bottle flowers!

I can't decide if I like the visible bottle nozzle or not, but if it bothers you, you could certainly make some leaves from fabric or paper and use those as a cover up, or you could take the small flower made from the bottom of the bottle and glue that over the nozzle. Have fun, and by the way, these would be great Succah ornaments, especially for those of you who live in areas where it often rains. 

You'll Need:

• plastic bottles
• how to cut plastic bottle flowers tutorial, posted yesterday
• spray paint
• fishing line

How To: Cut flowers, spray paint on the back side of the flower. You can choose to just lightly mist your flowers with paint to give them just a bit of definition, or cover completely as I've done here. Make a hole in a petal with a thick needle and hang with fishing line.

Note: The large flower at the bottom of the top photo was made using the top of the bottle plus the majority of the height of the bottle, unlike the other flower which was made according to the instructions for cutting the bottle. If you do decide to make some large flowers I'd recommend cutting no more than five petals, as my version with six petals produces a rather sickly looking flower! I'm quite sure I'll be making lots of big flowers to fill up my Succah walls!

Plastic Bottle Flower How To

 

This year I'm finally going to attempt to make a ton of plastic bottle flowers to use in my Succah, and there are so many creative uses for these flowers I can't wait to see what the outcome will be! I'm imagining a plastic bottle flower garden of sorts, but of course time will tell! I have a hard time getting inspired to make decorations until the Succah is actually assembled, but the Succah of my dreams certainly can't be made in a night, so for my sake and yours, lets get started! Or at the least don't forget to save the plastic bottles from your Rosh HaShana festivities, and while you're at it, ask a few neighbors to save some bottles too, you can't have too many!

How To:

Cut your bottle into thirds, according to the photo here. Save the middle section for future projects, or to make really large flowers, omit the middle section all together and just cut off the bottom. Make flowers from the top and bottom sections according to the lines I've drawn on the bottles. Don't draw lines yourself, this is just for instructional purposes!

And if by any chance you become obsessed with the idea of making for example a curtain from plastic bottle flowers, rest assured the bottoms stack very nicely! And whether you ever actually get around to making that curtain since the reality is, it just doesn't really match your decor, and it's a huge project, you'll have lots of little flowers on hand for other occassions! Flowers like these can be painted with spray paint and strung vertically or horizontally with fish line, just for starters that is, there are so many ways one could use these, right?

And I'll be posting a simple plastic bottle flower ornament tomorrow, so do stop by!

Plastic Bottle Rag Windsock

A plastic bottle windsock seems perfect right about now blowing in the fall breeze! This project didn't come out as beautifully as I'd hoped, and I almost didn't share it with you, but then I figured you could probably figure out how to make my rag windsocks a touch more lovely. In any case, it's fun idea and a great way to dress up an outdoor area with something that won't get ruined if it rains.

You'll Need:

• plastic soda bottles
• a hole punch
• rags
• fishing line

How To:

Cut the tops and bottoms off a plastic bottle, according to the diagram here. Cut a slice of the middle section, about 2 inches high. With a metal hole punch, punch holes around the middle of the bottle. Wrip rags (like old sheets) into 1 inch strips and tie the strips onto the bottles by inserting a loop into a hole and pulling the ends through the loop. Hang with fish line and enjoy!

I think my version has too many rag streamers, use the rags more sparingly for more beautiful results. And let me know how it goes, I'd love to see your version!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was so packed with great ideas I had to share just a few more than my normal self imposed limit of ten. And once again we had crafters joining us from around the world, from places like India, The Netherlands, Germany, Macedonia, Italy, Canada, The UK, South Africa and the United States. I just love that aspect of this crafty get together!

First up, this little crocheted flower from Anne Marie really caught my eye, simple and sweet! Looking for a fun little gift? Make a crafty needle book like this one from Sandy's space.

I love these little yarn ball lights from red ted art, a great idea for the succah don't you think? Though I noticed in the directions that they didn't mention coating your balloon in vaseline before wrapping the string, which is highly recommended! And check out this great chandelier re-do from project possessed, courtesy of a can of frosted glass spray paint!

Carolyn's homework has a lovely idea for a fall twig frame, and aren't these tissue paper flowers great? I just couldn't resist sharing another project from Sandy's Space, as she posted some amazing projects this week.

I just love this felt leaves garland that while she naps made for her succah! And I just love the rustic simplicity of this crocheted cape from Alessia

These newspaper wrapped treats are simple to make and look great from family chic. And over at nurture store, they're having a great time experimenting with water colors with gorgeous results!

Over at that artist woman, (an amazing site for kid's art ideas) you can learn a bunch of great techniques that went into making this collage of mini art work for fall. Ever thought to make a bee's honey comb from toilet paper tubes, well deceptively educational did and just in time for Rosh HaShanah! Get your little ones to be busy as bees with this one while you're preparing for the holiday! Add some glue and a little glitter and a few bees, and voila a fun piece of art for the New Year! That's all for now, let get the party started!

Plastic Bottle Apple For The Teacher

This morning I sent my kids off to school with these cute plastic bottle apples for the teacher, together with a wish for a happy new year, written by each child.

I filled the bottom of the bottle with a circle of round tissue paper, and left the top portion empty to view the red colored treats.

 

For complete instructions, see my tutorial here. This is a simple project that's great as a teacher appreciation gift any time!

Crocheted Plastic Bag Doily Clock

Yes, I crocheted a doily from plastic grocery bags and then I realized that it made a really cute clock! Yesterday I shared with the you the 5 minute paper plate clock, so while this one does take just a bit more effort it's certainly worth it! Wouldn't these make great holiday gifts? Once you get the hang of crocheting with plastic bags you can whip up a doily like this in under an hour (or so) and attaching the clock movement is a piece of cake!

You'll Need:

• plastic grocery bags which you'll make into yarn, called plarn, instructions here
• a crochet hook, I used a J, but you can go just a bit larger too
• a clock movement— you can buy a quartz movement and other craft supplies at Factory Direct Craft.
• a doily pattern, this one coming soon 

How To:

Make  ball of plarn, I'd say you'll need roughly four or five large bags. Crochet according to the pattern. If you like the look of the cupped petals, which really happened by accident, switch to a smaller hook for the last round and crochet in the front loop of the previous row. 

Insert the shaft of the clock mechanism into the hole, attach the arms and voila, an adorable clock is born!

 

Paper Plate Clock In 5 Minutes

Here is it my friends, the five minute DIY clock using a paper plate! It really can't get much simpler than this, and you could change the plate as often as you like for a little fresh hit of color or design! I also think that a paper plate clock would make a great gift, or fill a whole wall with them! Clock mechanisms are quite inexpensive, you can get a cheap one for around $2 (8 shekels), so this could be a really fun project that you could take in so many directions! Have fun with it!

You'll Need:

• a paper plate, dinner sized
• a clock movement kit

How To:

Find the exact center of the plate, measure if necessary. Make a hole in the center with a metal skewer or a nail. Insert the shaft of the clock mechanism through the hole and attach the hands. You may need to secure the clock mechanism to the back of the plate with hot glue or double stick tape. 

And in case you hadn't noticed, a clock project is very timely today, as tonight we enter the final week before Rosh HaShanah! And this my friends is a very important week, because in this week we have the opportunity to make amends for things that didn't go quite as we would have wished during the whole year. Don't go crazy, just try to do your best in all the areas where you may have slipped a bit. Speaking of time, I gotta run, and really don't have the brain power at the moment to explain in greater extent what I just said above, so if any of you want further clarification, do drop me a line!

 

How To Braid A Round Challah For Rosh HaShana

Here it is dear readers at long last, a tutorial on how to braid gorgeous round challah loaves, just in time for Rosh HaShana! We have the custom to eat round loaves on Rosh HaShana to symbolize the continuity of life, and on Rosh HaShana we dip the challah in honey (rather than salt) to symbolize our hopes for a sweet new year.  Many continue eating round challahs until the end of Succos, a tradition that I love especially now that I know how to make gorgeous round challahs, thanks to Tamar Ansh and her book A Taste of Challah.

This braiding method works equally well with large (three or four loaves per 2 kilos of flour) or small loaves, which make lovely gifts. Start by making your dough using your favorite recipe, or my favorite challah recipe, and once the dough has risen and been punched down and is ready for braiding, follow the steps below. Once you get the hang of it, it's really quite simple!

Step 1 and 2: Roll four balls of equally sized dough into long thin strips. I roll a strip like this by holding my hands chest height and rolling the ball between my hands to form a uniform strip.

Step 3: Arrange strips according to photo

Step 4: Working clockwise, cross A over B, C over D, E over F and G over H

Step 5: Now working in the opposite direction, cross B over G, H over E, F over C (Whoops, I made a mistake in my braiding, F should be over C) and D over A

Step 6: Now working clockwise once again, cross G over D, A over F, C over H and E over B. If you have more dough left to braid, repeat step 5.

Step 7: Pinch the ends together and bring up the four sets of ends to the center of the challah. Pinch those together. Yes, really!

Step 8: And now for the magic, flip your whole loaf over and ta da! A perfectly braided round loaf, yippee!

Step 9: Let the loaves rise, but watch them so they don't over rise and ruin your beautiful work! Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake. Serve at your holiday table and have a happy sweet new year!

PS: When trying a new braiding technique I highly recommend doing it at a time when you're not under pressure! Think about making your challah a few days ahead and then freezing your loaves, this way you'll be able to concentrate on my instructions and you'll most certainly succeed. 

And thanks to Lynne from Chicago for gently urging me to get this tutorial posted! I'm so happy to cross this one off my list of things to accomplish before the end of the year!

Paper Bag Apple Tree

Here's a super simple and very artsy fall apple tree project to do with the little ones, or have fun making some yourself!  The fun thing about this project is that the more imperfect the better! I think a bunch of these paper bag fall trees would look great lined up down the center of a table or on a display shelf. And you can certainly fill your tree with colorful leaves or something more abstract like pieces of tissue paper.

I can't take credit for this project, I was inspired to make it from a feature on Craft Schooling Sunday! When I saw this brilliant paper bag fall tree from Crafts By Amanda I knew it was a project that I would make. Of course I changed it just a bit and fortunately I have a stack of paper bags that I brought back from the US  and that together with some red paper and a little glue is all you need!

You'll Need:

• 2 paper lunch bags
• red paper 
• glue 
• scissors

How To:

On one bag, cut 3/4" strips vertically from the opening down about half way, or just a bit more. Open the bag such that the bottom serves as a base. At this point I'd suggest putting some weights in the bag, like a rock or two. Twist the whole mid section of the bag to for the trunk and then twist together three strips to form the branches. I wanted a few more branches for my tree, so I took the second bag, cut off the bottom and cut more strips which I then twisted together. Insert the additional branches into the middle of the bag. 

If desired, draw apples on red paper and cut them out and glue. If you're feeling like adding to the project, take the bottom of the bag that you cut off, and pretend it's an apple crate. Fill it with something like crumpled newspaper and then cover that with lots of apples. Enjoy!