creative jewish mom

Paper Mosaic With Rose Petal Tinted Paper

 

What is paper mosaic with rose petal tinted paper you ask? Well, of course, the paper mosaic part is clear, but what is rose petal tinted paper? I really couldn't think of any other name for paper that is tinted by coloring with rose petals! How do you color with rose petals? You quite simply drag a small stack of them across the paper while applying pressure in order to transfer their pigment to the paper. And the green squares? Why of course, those were made by "coloring" with rose leaves. I did try some other flowers, but none resulted in the deep color that the red rose leaves on the paper. And the other surprise was, that after I cut my paper into little squares I realized that it actually resembles glass mosaic tile, a fun coincidence.

And so now my friends, I don't know about you, but I will never throw a tired red rose in the garbage until I've transferred it's pigment to some paper! Make sure to "color" with the top side of the petal touching the paper and have fun. 

Vacation Crafts- Nature Crafts With Rosebuds

Here's another super simple vacation or any time craft, courtesy of my eight year old daughter! I'll have to admit, I was eyeing the plate of rose petals that my mother had put aside to add to her "organic" recycling bin, as they were just so lovely. And sure enough, when I got up the next morning, my daughter had already figured out that with just a stapler and some rose petals and leaves, one can make some beautiful artful roses! So my friends, add a stapler and some staples to your traveling craft kit and let the kids go to town stapling leaves and petals, either to paper or just to themselves, and sit back and watch what they come up with! And on the afternoon just before the holiday of Shavuos when many children love to decorate the house with leaves and flowers collected in nearby fields (if you are fortunate to have some....) well, a stapler might just come in handy this year!

Vacation Crafts: Paper Lunch Bag Bird's Nests

Lunch bag bird's nests with modeling clay eggs are really fantastic and a great project to do on the road, since there's minimal mess and the supplies are certainly simple. I was so inspired by this original idea by Camilla over at family chic that I sat down with my kids just as soon as I spied some brown lunch bags taking up cabinet space at my mother's house. To make the project just a bit more interesting for the kids, I came up with the idea of making modeling clay eggs for our paper bag bird's nests and I just love the results.

My five year old had a great time filling his paper bag nest to the brim with eggs, while my eight year old daughter added a sweet modeling clay chic to her lunch bag nest. Gotta love the little worm she added too!

 
While I recommend following the link above for the tutorial, do note that for modeling clay eggs, which are probably much smaller than the plastic ones used in the tutorial, you should cut the bag down at a point just above the bottom crease, or your nests will be too big. And, do save the part of the bag that you cut off, because tomorrow I'll be posting a project that will use those leftovers!

Make A Migrating Birds Mobile!

This shabbat we had the great joy of witnessing flocks of migrating cranes flying over our house in Northern Israel. It is a sight that is so exciting and exhilarating, because the cranes fly fairly low and meander on their way, giving one time to observe them. We all ran to the window and the kids ran outside to get a closer look. These cranes are migrating from their winter in Africa, to their homes in Northern Europe where they'll build nests and lay eggs once they arrive. Wow!

I remembered the mobile I took a photo of at the Hula Lake Preserve, (which is a resting point for these birds on their trip home) and I thought it was such a wonderful idea to share with you— a migrating birds mobile! It could be a beautiful made from cut paper silhouettes, or done as a sweet children's craft project.

I'm sorry, but I won't be making one any time soon as I've got about 50 people coming for a Purim meal on Sunday, (with countless more dropping by for the festivities) kid's costumes to finish, mishloach manot to make for teachers and neighbors, challah rolls and whole wheat pitas to bake, a few baby sweaters to finish, non-blog crafting work, and a major role in planning an upcoming family engagement party and wedding. I'm grateful to have my plate (actually serving platter) overflowing with wonderful things. And now I must go tackle some of those things on my list, so enjoy your week and take it one step at a time!

Colorful Eggs From Paper Pulp For Spring Crafting!

Spring is just around the corner, so now is a perfect time to make eggs and bird's nests! You're right, I didn't make a nest, since these eggs look so lovely in the glass bowl, but maybe you'd like to? And honestly, we're in the middle of some Purim projects that we really need to finish so that I can clean off the dining room table! (I'll give you a hint, it involves paper mache.....) Then again, if the weather dries up a bit I may just take the kids on a nature walk and collect some little sticks to make nests. Sounds like a great activity to me, though I think we may just have to make some birds too! (And I've been wanting to make birds for months so maybe the Purim crafting can wait?)

You'll Need:

• styrofoam or plastic eggs
• paper pulp made from your crafting scraps
• instructions, from my previous paper pulp project, found here
• or, simply decoupage the eggs with small bits of torn paper for a simpler project that would be more suited to younger children

And by the way, if you can find the plastic eggs that open up to hold treats, wouldn't it be great to fill an egg carton with a bunch of those for Purim? And how about getting the kids to dress up as chickens? And you could be the farmer's wife? Your family will definitely be the life of the party, don't you think?

Rock Painting Craft That's Actually Doodling On Rocks. Fun!

Here's a rock "painting" craft that doesn't involve painting. It's really just doodling on rocks. And as you can see, I had a great time doing this craft with my five year old. Though as it turned out, I loved it more than he did as you can see by comparing the quantity of rocks that were produced by each of us! But hey, moms need some impromptu creative time too! And looking at these rocks just makes me happy.

Our stones were collected on the beach nearly a year ago, and I came across them in my daughter's stash while actually looking for something else! And thus this project was born. If the weather isn't exactly conducive to rock collecting in your area, so rocks like these can usually be purchased at home center type places or gardening stores. All you need are some paint pens, (I used Sharpie brand) rocks, and some acrylic varnish, spray or brush on if you'd like to preserve your art or use these outdoors. Wouldn't they make super cute place cards which the guests could take home, or a nice birthday party activity?

And just by the way, if you know my crafting style at all, you know I would never send you to the store to buy something unless of course it's absolutely great. And let me tell you, these paint pens are great. Can't wait to doodle on something else! Oh and yes, the pens are permanent ink, but it's worth taking the chance for kids who are old enough to draw, just protect clothing and work surfaces and do the craft together.

Sprouting Sunflower Seeds Plus A Fun Scarecrow Craft!

Here's a fun indoor gardening project for the kids. Ever tried growing your own sprouts? And to make it even more interesting, you can craft your own scarecrows, fences, or sprout your sprouts in a recycled container that the kids have decorated. How about half a milk carton?

The sprouting method we used here doesn't necessarily produce the highest yield, when compared to other techniques, but it's simple and the kids can take care of it themselves.

You'll Need:

• raw sunflower seeds (in their shell) or anything else that sprouts, like whole dried beans
• a little bit of dirt, enough to cover your "garden" with about 1/4" deep of soil
• a container to hold the above
• or if you live in Israel you can buy a kit at Shufersol in the veggies section!

How To:

Spread soil in container. Pour enough water over soil such that it is very moist but not muddy. Spread seeds or beans over the soil. Keep moist and wait. Ours took a week to start sprouting. But it was worth the wait, and with our scarecrow (made by my 8 year old daughter) watching over the crop, well it's just too adorable!

And by the way, you could also do something similar with grass seed for a longer lasting, non-edible project!

Buttons & Pearls Elegant Cherry Blossom Tree Centerpiece

 

A cherry blossom tree centerpiece ...ahhh.....an elegant and simple DIY centerpiece that would be beautiful any time of year, but looks particularly good right now! I'll be using this on our festive fruit filled table tonight as a reference to our almond trees which also have delicate pink blooms, and usually bloom right around Tu B'Shevat (the Jewish arbor day).

And it's so easy to make—from a real branch (or in my case the dead miniature bougainvillea bush that I saved—gotta be on your toes with this stuff at all times!) and pastel hued buttons and pearls. You can go elegant or cute with this, depending on the container you choose. For a baby's room this would be great in a pastel colored ceramic pot, tied with a bow, and one can even do some long branches and place them in a tall glass vase, for a modern and spare version.

Who would have thought that some buttons hot-glued to a branch would look so good? And actually, I think this would look great with the addition of something a little bit shiny too —silver glitter, or even a bit of silver thread tied around the branches here and there, which is what I'm going to do as soon as I find that thread! Okay, gotta go pack away those Chanukah decorations, tonight is Tu B'Shevat my friends. And if you'd like some last minute decorations for your table, how about cutting out giant leaves from anything, newspaper, fabric, paper? Place them on the table as a runner, or even glue them to some sticks. Hang more bunting style, and voila, you're ready!

Simple Nature Craft For Kids: Making Pictures With Leaves

Here's a fun nature craft with leaves, and hopefully a creative one that will help your little ones think "out of the box" just a bit? And even my kids (who have become very selective crafters...boo hoo, guess they're a little burned out?) enjoyed doing this one! And just in time for Tu B'Shevat, which is tomorrow night!

You'll Need:

• thick leaves, we used olive tree leaves
• Sharpie Paint markers (thanks to my friend Tali, who is on the Sharpie Team!)
• hot glue or any thick sticky glue (if leaves are very flat, white glue will work also)
• colored card stock
• imagination!

How To: Glue leaves to paper and start drawing. The Sharpie paint markers work particularly well on the leaves, but if you don't have any, you can certainly use regular markers around the leaves and a small paintbrush to apply paint to the leaves where desired. And of course, you really don't need to paint the leaves at all, but I think this was part of what made the craft interesting for my children. Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

Toilet Paper Tube Craft: Bird Feeders!

You can make a toilet paper roll bird feeder in just a few minutes. And this is a simple bird feeder kid's craft too. Just set them up with the supplies and let them have fun!  I made these just now while tending to some stir frying onions and a few other pots! We'll be putting these out for the birds this afternoon before Shabbat, as we have the custom of feeding the birds on this Shabbat, Shabbat Shira. (If you want to know why, so do look it up, I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment, as this project was well, quite last minute!)

You'll Need:

• toilet paper tubes
• double stick tape or glue
• colorful paper, or crepe or tissue paper
• some string for hanging
• peanut butter
• birdseed

How To:
Decorate bottom rim of tube first. I used double stick tape to attach the crepe paper since there's no mess and no drying time. Punch holes in top and insert string. Use a knife to smear peanut butter around the middle of the tube, and then sprinkle bird seed over the tube, with a plate underneath to catch the excess. Hang and hopefully feed some birds! Note: l really don't know what type of birds can eat from a hanging feeder with no perch, so if you're uncertain, hang these near branches where larger birds can sit and eat!