creative jewish mom

DIY Faux Parchment Paper —The Summer Craft For Pirates!

Every summer crafting experience should include making some faux parchment paper, don't you think? And we're here to help you! We, meaning me, the photographer, and my almost 11 year old daughter, the crafter!

See this roll of parchment paper,that may very well contain the map directing us to the buried treasure? Well, guess what, my daughter actually made this paper all by herself, with just a few simple supplies. And let me tell you the results are truly stunning and its hard to believe that it's not the real thing! 

While we have yet to do anything with our faux parchment, I keep imagining beautiful stencils, or if I could draw, then gorgeous illustrations in white or pastel colors. For kids, well one could certainly make maps and secret messages, or how about cutting letters out of magazines, painting them with some tea to age them, and pasting them on to the paper to make a mysterious letter of some kind? I do think you could keep the kids busy for hours with this one. And while they're at it, it might be wise to make a whole bunch to have on hand, you never know when you're going to need to write a top secret letter that needs to look like it's been around for years and years!

You'll Need:

• letter sized white laser printer paper
• powdered coffee, or crushed granulated coffee if that's what you have on hand
• water 
• a paint brush or cotton balls

Step 1: Crunch your letter sized laser printer paper into a little ball, and then smooth out flat on your working surface.

Step 2: Using a paint brush or cotton balls, apply water to the paper, being careful not to over-saturate the paper. 

Step 3: Lightly sprinkle powdered coffee over the entire surface, and don't worry if the distribution is not equal, the more inconsistent the better.

Step 4: Your paper should look something like this. 

Step 5: Apply water to the paper using either a paint brush or a cotton ball. 

Step 6: Continue painting with water until your entire page is covered in splotchy coffee "paint."

Step 7: Put in the sun to dry.

Step 8: Repeat steps 2 through 6 on opposite side.

Step 9: Do a good job of covering the second side, and don't panic if it looks too dark, it will lighten up considerably in the sun, and this will be outside of the parment paper letter, which should look darker!

Step 10: Place in the sun to dry, for a second time, and ta-da, faux parchment paper is born!

Note: There's one important step that we forgot to do this time, which does help it look even more authentic, that is to tear the edges. You can do this in step 2 when the paper is slightly wet. Enjoy!

 

Teaching Kids About Design With Homemade Birthday Cards

Homemade birthday cards are a family tradition that I grew up with, and am happily continuing with my kids. I have to say, the cards my kids were making were sweet, and included lots of wonderful sentiments, but the visuals were generally lacking. So, now that they're just a bit older, I decided to use the birthday card making as a little design lesson, by starting with a short discussion about birthday cards in general, and then a discussion about using the blank page as a canvas.

Here are some of the questions I asked:

• What makes a great birthday card, and what are the components of a birthday card?
• What should the cover of a card communicate versus the inside? 
• Using a letter sized piece of paper, how many different ways can we fold the paper to make a card?
• Should we plan our drawing before we start in order to achieve results we'll be happy with?
• Does how we choose to fill the space with our drawing make a difference?

After this discussion, the kid decided to make slim horizontal cards (for their brother), and I think they did a great job of using the space— my son pushed the limits of the space with his eight-shaped chicks in birthday hats, and my daughter centered her adorable Ed Emberly inspired design in the middle of the card. The top card is more successful color-wise, so next time we'll have to have to focus on the idea of using color to enhance a design. There are so many things to teach our children when it comes to design, some people are naturals, others can learn!

After this design exercise I was thinking that one could certainly use adorable kid's artwork to make printed invitations or even stationary and blank notecards to give as gifts. Don't get nervous, this doesn't have to be time consuming or costly, check out these great deals on Vista Print products, and get started! Upload a scan of the artwork, and in a few simple steps make gorgeous printed pieces from the heart. 

Note: There are two ways to go in terms of using your kid's artwork to make printed cards. If the drawings are made on white paper, to be printed on white, you'll have to remove the background, even though it's white, using a setting on your scanner (possibly?) or using a photo editing program. Alternatively, bring the scan of your photo into any program and add a colored border around the illustration so that removing the background won't be necessary. Don't have a scanner? You can have the drawings scanned for you at digital photo store, or printer, and if you just don't have time to leave the house, so taking a photo of the drawing in bright daylight (on a white surface) isn't quite as polished but could work too. Have fun, your kids will love seeing their efforts in print!

Shoebox Carnival Toss Craft For Kids

I'll admit, I made this shoebox carnival toss craft for my eight year old, but kids just a bit older can certainly make one themselves, with help from an adult in the last step — cutting out the holes.

It's apricot season which means that it's "go-go" season at school, meaning boys of all ages scramble around with huge collections of apricot pits which they use to play all kinds of games in the hope of adding more to their mounting collection. From what it sounds like, the playground at my son's school is tranformed into a mini apricot pit carnival come recess time, so I helped him out with this shoebox toss, and will hear how it went when he comes home. The idea of the shoebox toss isn't mine, just taking it one step in the cute direction (as opposed to just holes with numbers) is. 

Note: I intentionally didn't make it too professional looking such that other kids wouldn't be green with envy not having a crafty mom like me at home.....I do think this version is do-able for just about anyone?

You'll Need:

• 1 shoe box
• contact paper, I used wood grain
• white paper and markers
• glue or double stick tape
• a good craft knife

How To:

Draw a series of sketches that are related to one another or not, on white paper. Where possible  draw holes in different shapes and sizes. According to the size of the hole, assign a number which denotes the reward given if the player's pit lands on the hole, or goes in it. Cover your shoebox with contact paper, and affix your sketch to the top of the box and cut out the holes carefully. 

Rules: From what I understand, for all the games played on the playground, there is one set distance from which the player tosses. Tossed pits that do not result in a reward go to the owner of the shoebox. Other games with pits are played similar to marbles, and there is also a simple can toss.

Gotta love basic games, they're the best! Of course you may have to buy your kids a basket full of apricots, so maybe get into the canning business! Some kids around here literally have thousands of these pits in their stash! Enjoy!

Fingernail Polish & Glass Pebble Jewelry For Your Summer Wardrobe!

After our craft failure with the fingernail polish marbelizing craft we had hoped to enjoy, I fortunately had some glass pebbles on hand for this fun fingernail polish and glass pebble craft! I think these would be a great addition to your summer/vacation wardrobe don't you? 

If you're not up for making your own baubles, but looking for some inexpensive jewelry to add a fun touch to any outfit, you might like to check out these Dorothy Perkins offer codes. Okay, sorry about that, on to the DIY!

My daughter had so much fun painting these little pebbles, which I recommend doing outdoors on account of those toxic fumes! Using several colors, make simple little works of art on the backs of the glass pebbles, and set aside to dry......

Turn them over, and wow! These little glass pebbles are great for so many crafts, making jewelry from them being the simplest by simply gluing them onto ring blanks or pendant blanks, though one can certainly use them for mosaic projects and or course as magnets or glued to a blank napkin ring for example.

You'll Need:

• clear glass pebbles, we used the small size
• finger nail polish, solid colors
• a well ventilated area, preferably outdoors
• jewelry blanks (optional)
• epoxy or appropriate glue

How To: Paint patterns on pebbles, in one or two layers. One of my favorites is the polka dots, was done in two layers. Set aside to dry, painted side up, away from little fingers. Allow for significant drying time, like at least overnight if there are globs of fingernail polish! Enjoy your little creations as is, or use to make some fun jewelry or decorative items.

I was inspired to make this craft by a video I saw on You Tube, using sparkly fingernail polish, here. 

Building Models With Kids, A Success At Long Last!

Building models with kids is a great activity that involves thinking in three dimensions, following instructions, and patience! All wonderful things to develop. Plus the end results might look great on a shelf in your child's room, as a reminder of his/her accomplishment!

Our story goes like this: my nine year old, who tends not be very interested in crafting, picked up a canvas embroidery project this morning as he is home from school with a fever. Hmmm, I thought, how interesting that unprompted he actually wanted to do a little crafting, all be it constrained, but nonetheless, crafting!

Well the embroidery lasted all of ten minutes, so I then decided to sit down with him and once again try to tackle a wooden model, the same kind that I've already purchased several times, but I think prematurely as the kids were too young to get it and even I had trouble wrapping my brain around it! Because you see, with wooden models of this sort, there are no directions, just a diagram of the pieces with little numbers everywhere that one matches up in order to know which pieces go together. Not really so difficult, but one needs a little concentration to figure it out, at first that is....I'd love to do some more myself!

This time with just a bit of patience, we built the model together, though honestly I did most of the work, in order, of course to encourage him and show him that engaging in activities of this kind are challenging and satisfying. I'm not sure who's happier about the results, me or him, and now I'm hoping he'll have the confidence to try doing one mostly himself with just a bit of input.

And the good news is we have two more to practice our skills on, and at such an inexpensive price, less than a dollar each, these are a great find, available at dollar stores, and in Israel at Max Stock. Of course you could also challenge yourself with the building and give your efforts to a younger child to paint, also a great little project!

Enjoy, and if you see these puzzles, do pick up a few to have on hand.....they'd make great little projects to take along for summer trips as well!

Note: I have now convinced my son that the next model will be done with only partial assistance from me, and the third one he will then be able to do all by himself. After all the wows we got today from this bull, he may just step up to the plate and make the effort, and I'm rooting for him! 

Drawing Crafts For Kids: Recycled Cardboard Flowers

Helping kids develop their drawing skills through crafting (rather than just drawing on a piece of paper) makes the whole endeavor so much more interesting, and hopefully more attractive to the child whose drawing skills could use a little attention! With just a few simple ideas up your sleeve, you can spend a little pocket of time with your kids encouraging them to draw and create!

With almost no crafting going on around here lately on behalf of mommy's busy schedule, I finally had an "enough is enough" moment and got my seven year old to sit down for a little drawing session before running outside to his bike. And the results are just too sweet, and just in time for Shavous, when we decorate the house with plants and flowers.

Oh, and of course part of this little project is also encouraging kids to develop their dexterity with scissors, also an important skill to develop!

You'll Need:

• markers
• recycled cardboard food boxes
• something round, we used soda bottle tops and the top from a container of techina

How To: Using the bottle top, trace around it to form the center of the flower. This step gives kids confidence as they have a starting point that looks good....especially helpful for those lacking confidence with their drawing! Make little scallops around the perimeter of the circle and continue making row upon row to form a flower. Make as many as you can, they're so cute!

You can use your flowers to make:

• a garland
• napkin rings: Glue to tp tubes cut to size, or cut slits in the center of the flower and thread a ribbon through the slits
• a mobile: Glue flowers onto a piece of colored card stock, and cut out leaving a small border. Pierce small holes in the tops of the flowers and hang from an embroidery hoop with thread.

Recycled Bottle Bee Craft....Buzz Buzz Buzz!

How about making some bees from recycled plastic bottles? This would be a great project for a classroom or homeschooling unit about bees! I haven't done this project myself, but rather photographed it on our recent visit to a bee farm, here. And of course I'm always excited to see others crafting with recycled materials!

And only after taking a closer look at this photo of a plastic bottle bee and a plastic bottle flower did I realize that the sign says that one can learn more about how to make bees from recycled bottles on their website! So here is the photo provided by the website found here, though I think you can probably take a few shortcuts and maybe improve a bit on head?

The instructions say: Cut on the black lines and fold according to red lines. The bottom portion with the v-shaped arrow is actually indicating to link the two sides together such that the bee's tail is narrower than the body. Also, the recycled bottle bees in the very top photo have clear wings, so in that case the bottle was painted after the cuts were made. Enjoy and let me know if you give this one a try!

 

Passover Craft: Wine Goblet Decorations From Recycled Plastic!

These fun wine goblet ornaments for Passover were not made from just any plastic, but rather from extra plastic lids that I found floating around while cleaning out my cabinets for Passover! And I'll be honest, I actually blogged about using plastic lids for making crafting shapes two years ago, though never got around to sharing the results of my little crafting endeavor! As I was attempting to start cleaning out my studio, I came across these ornaments that I hung on our dining room table chandelier two years ago, and of course had to share them with you! 

Yes, dear readers, Passover isn't just about matzo, it also happens to be about wine (grape juice), as we drink four cups during the seder at specific points in the telling of the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt. So decorations depicting the four cups of wine is perfect!

You'll Need:

• plastic food container lids, like from ice cream for example, which are usually blank on the under side
• good sharp scissors
• puff paint or bead paint, in applicator bottles (tulip)

How To:

Draw your shape on a piece of cardboard, cut it out and trace around it to transfer your design to the plastic. Apply designs with puff paint, and add additional decorative elements such as sequins and beads if desired. Do be aware that plastic is not necessarily the greatest base for making long lasting items with kid safe glue, as things tend not to stick so well, but that's okay, just handle with care, and enjoy!

Recycled Light Bulb Craft For Kids: Funny Light Bulb Heads!

A few months ago I sat down with my seven year old and showed him how to make some funny light bulb heads with a few burned out lights bulbs that seemed just perfect for the job! The two light bulbs above were the kind that are shaped like a candle flame, so wrapping their tips with yarn to create the look of winter hats seemed just perfect!

For awhile I displayed these little creations standing up in egg cups filled with salt, but then we needed to use the egg cups and so the little lightbulb heads were relegated to the back of the shelf......until today that is when I re-discovered them on account of some thorough cleaning in preparation for Passover!

They are fun aren't they? So next time, before tossing your burnt out bulbs, give them to the kids to craft with first! Of course kids that are old enough to handle something really breakable!

You'll Need:

• burnt out light bulbs
• permanent marker
• yarn
• scraps of fabric
• glue

How To: Use colorful yarn to make hair and winter hats, and use the marker to draw features on your bulbs. I'd recommend practicing drawing faces on a sheet of paper before actually going ahead and drawing on the light bulbs, which is great for developing drawing skills a bit, and will help ensure the success of this project! Have fun!

Finger Knitting With Pot Holder Loops Made From Tights!

Yes, one can finger knit with loops made from up-cycled clothing, in this case tights! And I have to tell you, it's so much fun even I couldn't resist popping some loops on my fingers. We have used loops made from tights on our pot holder loom to make pot holders, and even a potholder cat, but finger knitting with loops was new to us.

The results are a very thick rope which could be used to make a rug, or maybe even a basket? I won't be getting around to trying that any time soon, but while I'm busy with the spring cleaning I am setting aside lots more tights to craft with. Come to think of it, cutting the loops from the tights is quite simple, so I may have them make some more ropes now while I'm busy scouring the house!

I'll be back again with photos of just how to finger knit with loops when some of my little models arrive home from school. In the mean time, collect your materials!

Oh, and by the way, you may want to save some old t-shirts to make t-shirt pot holder loops, or to make some fabulous woven t-shirt yarn placemats! So sorry if that reduces the pile of things you'll be tossing, but hey, gotta think of the little darlings first!