creative jewish mom

Moroccan Painted Furniture Inspiration

Morroccan painted furniture caught my eye this week on a little visit to my favorite Moroccan store in Chatzor HaGlilit. The store is huge and packed with Morroccan items of all kinds, so one can get a bit ovewhelmed, as I did on my first few visits. This time I was completely surprised by the bold beauty of the painted furniture, so I thought I'd share it with you, as one could certainly do something similar!

Here's a close-up of a little table, a design that one could easily adapt to any side table.

And one can certainly go a little in the pastel/country direction with Moroccan, as with these mint green tables, which I just love.

Oh, and look at these little cabinets, this black one would fit into the mostly white house of my dreams....

One could also paint just the doors of a cabinet like this if the total painted look is too busy, right?

Love this intense green version with the hints of pink! Inspired? I know I certainly am, and a painted furntiure piece like one of these could be a wonderful additional to any home, especially in a child's room for those who prefer to keep the main areas of the home a bit more neutral. Do let me know if you try this yourself!

 

Shelf Lining Paper With A Simple Decorative Edge!

Got some plain shelves that could use a little decorative touch? (This is a shot of my kitchen shelves after they were thoroughly cleaned, and before the Passover dishes were placed on them.) So my crafty friends, how about lining those shelves, whether open or in a closet, with reverse-scallop- edged paper that you can quite simply make yourself? I'm so glad I took the extra time to make my kitchen look extra cute this year, as it really wasn't so difficult once I figured out the best technique. And best of all, it makes me happy while I'm in the kitchen, which will certainly be quite a bit over the course of the Passover holiday!

You'll Need:

• wrapping paper or any shelf lining paper (for longer lasting liners, this could also be done with oil cloth, or plastic table cloth material, and the edge would be cut by hand rather than punched)
• a circle punch, I used a 3" diameter one
• a tape measure (optional)
• clear tape

How To:

1. First determine how your circular punch works with the paper you'll be using. In my case, the wrapping paper was much too thin to produce nice results, and I found that I needed four layers of paper for the punch to work properly.
2. Measure your shelf width and depth, keeping in mind the depth of the shelf.
3. If using wrapping paper, cut a piece that measures twice the depth by the width.
4. Fold this piece in half vertically, such that the resulting size is the size you'll need for one shelf.
5. Fold this piece in half again horizontally (you'll now have four layers)
6. With the folded edge side facing you, roughly eyeball how many circles you'll be able to punch along the length of your paper, and space your punching accordingly.
7. Hold the circle punch upside down so that you'll see now much paper you're inserting into the punch, and insert the paper half way into the punch.
8. Using a sharp scissors, cut any joined pieces, and unfold.
9. Lay on shelf and adhere with clear tape, or on the backside with double-stick tape.
10. Enjoy!

A Five Minute DIY Decor Project: A Square Crepe Paper Flower Wreath!

If you've got some Mexican crepe paper flowers on hand, and a simple square frame.....well then you're in business! In just a few minutes you can create a fun little decorative piece to add a shot of color to your dresser top or any of those newly spick and span corners of your home. Simply wrap the wire stems of your flowers around a frame, and voila, you've got yourself a new piece of art! If you'd like to make some of these flowers, you can find my tutorial here. As you may have guessed, this little project was born due to the fact that while cleaning the house for Passover, I just couldn't bear to throw out the leftover flowers from our Mexican fiesta themed Purim! Okay, that's all for now, I'd love to stay with you here just a bit longer, but a million (or so it seems) tasks are calling my name. All the best!

DIY Paper Flower Wall Art For Spring

Use paper flowers made from scalloped circles to make some fun and fresh DIY artwork for your home. It isn't quite Spring here either, (we are fortunately getting some heavy duty rain today!) and I'm really enjoying this joyful shot of color. And best of all, you can whip this up quite quickly, especially if you have some worn vintage frames sitting around waiting for their makeover! Or if you don't have any frames sitting around, so just attach them to a large piece of cardboard, make a frame with ribbon or rickrack, and that would look great too!

You'll Need:

• paper flowers, tutorial from my post here
• a worn frame, the more beat up and stained the better (I found this one without its glass and simply pealed off the artwork, and voila, the sun and time had done a great job of making a nice frame on the backing cardboard!)
• hot glue
• wide ribbon (optional)

How To:

Line up flowers and move them around until you're happy with the arrangement. Affix with hot glue. Enjoy your breath of Spring!

 

More Freezer Paper Stenciling: A Snowflake Pillowcase!

A freezer paper stenciled snowflake pillowcase. A perfect addition to your winter decor! And so easy, even for the inexperienced crafter. In fact, taking a half decent photo of this pillow was ten times harder than making it. (Maybe because I decided to take a little nap in the Mediterranean sunshine in the middle of the shoot? Sorry, not trying to make those of you who are snow bound jealous....we're expecting rain tomorrow.....) Now I know why the un-made bed look is popular in photos these days—by default!  Come to think of it, the professionals probably don't even use real mattresses under those smooth wrinkle free sheets. Okay, sorry, back to crafting!

Now, as I was saying, freezer paper stenciled pillowcases are a great way to add a little cheerful color to any room, and can even be the finishing touch (or starting point) you were looking for! I really think that a few of these pillowcases could turn a cute room into something beyond adorable. And of course, you don't have to make snowflakes, how about letters, or spelling out a message with a few pillows? Little birds on one pillow, a birdhouse on another? And guess what, here's the tip of a lifetime that I almost forgot about myself— you can run freezer paper through your printer, oh my! (Just make sure that the printing happens on the non-shiny side.) And then all you need to do is cut the design out with your craft knife. Are you swooning? I am.

For complete instructions on how to freezer paper stencil to your heart's desire, see my post yesterday. And let me know how it goes, I'm compiling a reader roundup of projects inspired by CJM posts, so do join in on the fun and send me your links or photos.

The Doily As Art: Make Them Or Buy Them!

Just in case I caught you by surprise, I should tell you that in today's crafting/upcycling world at large, doilies are finally being given the recognition that they deserve! Maybe you thought doilies were just for grandma, but it's simply no longer the case! Crafters are using them in many inventive ways, and I actually crocheted this one yesterday to use for a project that I'll certainly share if it's a success. But when I spread it out to take this photo I almost wanted to forget about that project and just glue this to an orange canvas to hang as art.

So my friends, if you see some doilies hanging around at the thrift store, or you happen to have some, why not glue them to brightly painted canvases of different sizes and make yourself something great. And if you're like me, with no doilies in sight hanging out at the thrift store, so you can crochet some yourself! I found the pattern for this simple spider web doily here, and used baby weight cotton, not the thin string one usually uses for doilies, in light blue and beige, and you'll get a much bigger doily for all your efforts. (Note: my doily was very very wavy, and I probably should have used a large needle size, but after pressing with a hot steam iron, I was able to flatten it out, as you can see in the photo.)

So give it a try, either way! And by the way, they would look great appliqued to a pillow, or if made in fun colors, well you could even use them as doilies, imagine that!

 

Stenciling On Color Washed Walls Or Canvases: A Great Look For Summer!

  

About six months or so ago I introduced you to another creative Jewish mom by the name of Roberta Rose, and her beautifully color washed walls here. The walls in this photo however, are the work of Roberta's mentor, Therese Parnes, herself a decorative painter, and very creative soul! 

I wanted to share this project with you, as I think this technique employing stenciling over color glazed walls would be super done on huge canvases or pieces of fabric—to hang in a summer rental or even decorate an outdoor space this season! (Or how about panels for your Succah?) Of course if you're brave enough, so go ahead and do it on your walls, but take my advice and practice on something else first!

Learn how to colorwash here. And read about stenciling here, and keep in mind that you could use this same technique in neutral colors for a more subtle statement, but for fun summer artwork, go bold!

Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Wreath!

I hope you've been saving those toilet paper rolls because this project is fantastic! But I can't take credit for the brilliant idea, that goes to my friend Tali the architect here, though this design is my own. I've had this one on my agenda for ages and I've been diligently saving those rolls, and now I've got something special hanging in my kitchen. Yippee!

And I'm slowly chipping away at the list of recycled materials that I suggested you save. And toilet paper rolls can be stored collapsed and bound together with a rubber band if you're short on space!

This is a great project for all ages, and for those of you who'd like to get a head start on Succah decorations this would be perfect!

My project is still in it's "natural" state, but I'm considering spray painting it gold. Then I have a feeling no one will guess it's humble origins!

You'll Need:

• recycled toilet paper tubes, or paper towel tubes, lots of them!
• white glue or a hot glue gun
• lots of paper clips, if you're using white glue

How To:

1. Cut tubes into evenly sized rings. You do want the rings to be the same depth, so do take the extra time to measure! If you want to be a perfectionist, cut with a craft knife and a metal ruler.
2. Start gluing tubes together. I used hot glue since it's quicker, but I'd recommend using the white glue and paper clips method for kids. Use the paper clips to hold the pieces together as they dry flat on a table.
3. I really didn't have a plan so I decided to assemble flowers, and figure out what to do with them afterwards! You might want to actually design something first for more certain results. You could even plan your design on the computer!
4. Run to the neighbors to see if they have some extra tubes, when you run out!
5. Finish assembling your entire design and paint if desired. Hang and enjoy!

Add Artificial Flowers To Sheer Curtains: Wow!

Isn't this lovely? The only part I can take credit for is being wise enough to share this great idea with you!

You may or may not remember my friend Roberta, whom I wrote about here. Well, it turns out that one of the major factors in her creative journey was direct inspiration from a friend of hers, Terese Parnes, another amazingly creative Jewish mom. Roberta sent over a few photos that I'll be sharing over the next few days, as they're just perfect for the upcoming holiday of Shavuos. In preparation for the holiday we try to create a garden-like setting in our homes to remember the beautiful lush surroundings on Mt. Sinai where the Torah was given. So I think this curtain idea is perfect, and with the right supplies on hand could be a really quick project with stunning results!

And, I was thinking that one could certainly do this with magnetic flowers that could be easily removed!

You'll Need:

• sheer curtains, or a piece of sheer fabric to hang in a doorway etc. Or try this idea with a table cloth and apply flowers around the edges, could be gorgeous!
• inexpensive artificial flowers, or a bunch of fabric scrap flowers you've made (?) You can mix flower type and stay within the same color range, or use one type of flower in a few colors.
• magnets (optional) strong enough to connect to one another with a piece of sheer fabric sandwiched between them
• hot glue gun

How To:

1. Remove flowers from plastic stems, and depending on the type of flowers and the result you'd like, you may want to separate some of the layers to use separately for a flatter flower. If your flowers come with leaves you may want to use those as well.
2. Decide on whether you'd like the flowers to be lined up (as Terese did to fit within the panes of glass) or randomly scattered. Of course if you'll be doing this with mangets you can move the flowers around until you like the result! If you'll be gluing the flowers it would be best to lie the curtain on the floor and arrange before gluing.
3. Either glue magnets to flowers with hot glue, or glue flowers directly to sheer curtain with hot glue. Terese glued flowers back to back since her curtains are viewed from two sides, but you may be able to get away with one side.
4. Enjoy and do let me know if you try this! And while you're at it, why not glue magnets to lots of flowers and decorate all the magnetic surfaces in your home? Or at the least the fridge!

Make A Recycled Book Page Sunburst Mirror!

Now I can finally cross recycled book page projects off my to-do list! There's just one problem this project was so quick and fun, I think I may just have to make some more! It took me a total of two hours, including taking photos for the tutorial and a few other distractions, so all things considered, I think that's pretty good for a masterpiece like this!

As you may or may not know, book page projects (mostly wreaths) have been all the rage amongst a certain crafty blogging circle, and my main problem was finding a book, if you can believe that! I finally found this old hebrew grammer book that someone was throwing away, and even as I tore it apart I was thinking, "hey I could have used this" Oh well, I'm really glad I made the mirror instead!

You'll Need:

• An old book you don't mind tearing up
• A base of some kind, and a small round mirror
• Glass pebbles and mosaic pieces (mine are from the local dollar store)
• A hot glue gun

How To:

Step 1: Attach your mirror to the base. Mine was ready-made, as you see it, a crafting discard from a friend. Can't wait to show her what I did with it! This is a piece of mdf, but you could certainly use a heavy piece of cardboard.

Step 2: Roll pages into cones. Figure out a method that works for you and try to make the cones as similar as possible. I made mine by place each page in front of me horizontally, folding up the bottom portion to form an icecream cone shape, and creasing to help form the beginning of the cone. I then pulled this piece up into a cone shape and started rolling. Secure at the end with hot glue.

Step 3: Secure your cones to the base, placing pieces at corners and mid-points of circle, and then start filling in the empty spaces around the mirror.

Step 4: Keep gluing until you've filled the entire diameter of the circle. Here's what mine looked like from the front and from the back. (Those colored patches are from my friend's art project that never made it into the world.) Check to make sure that all your cones are the same length, and replace those that are either too short (in my case) or too long.

Step 5: Place glass mosaic pieces on top of your work, and move them around until you arrive at a design that  pleases you. I must say those elliptical pieces really made me happy! Secure glass pieces with hot glue.

Step 6: I made a hanger by gluing a piece string to the base and securing with lots of hot glue and circles cut from cereal boxes.

That's it. Really so simple! I could definitely see an entire wall filled with theses in all sizes! Great for decorating a plain event space for a special occasion, or adding a crafty touch to just about anywhere! Or you can even sandwich two together back to back, for a gorgeous hanging decoration in a stair well or corner of any room. Have some other book page projects you'd like to share, send me photos! All the best, and happy crafting. And by the way, the etherial quality of this project seems just right for Shavous!