creative jewish mom

Paper Boat Party Decorations

Paper boats make great decorations! And they're really so sweet that they'd be great on any table, whether it be a special occasion or not. I made these boats for a birthday celebration that I'll share with you soon, and I'm looking forward to making some more sometime for a summer-time celebration.

How To: Fold paper boats according to the tutorial here. Insert a wooden skewer through the point of the boat, and use that as your mast to attach two sails. One sail is folded around the skewer, while the second is attached onto the mast at the top and bottom. Add a little flag and you're done. Cut the skewer if your boats will be placed on a table, or leave it full length if that suits your needs. Have fun, and why not try a few out in the pool?

 

Flower Girl Slippers

You can take any pair of shoes and transform them into elegant slippers with just the addition of some beautiful trim! My daughter is a flower girl in a upcoming family wedding, and while we were happy with these shoes from Target they were missing that special elegant touch. Trim applied quite simply with a glue gun, and some little bows made with the same trim transport these shoes into another realm altogether. 

This was oh-so-simple and with such great results, I can't wait for the next opportunity to turn some plain jane shoes into the belles of the ball! 

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Here we are again, back for another week of crafty inspiration, with some great projects this week, especially for the sewers out there! And for those of us who don't really sew, well we can practice making hearts out of ketchup, also a worthy pursuit, don't you think? Thanks so much for stopping by!

I just love love love this "book worm" skirt by living with punks, and this heart themed breakfast from cute food for kids would be great any time of year, don't you think? Check out the mini tutorial on how to make hearts with ketchup!

Can't stop making things is back with this amazing and inventive charm necklace, and you can make some gorgeous ranunculus paper flowers with this great tutorial from DIY or don't, and I'm sure you'll agree that we're choosing to DIY!

Just another hang up made these adorable bunting cosmetic bags, and these kimono baby shoes by nifty thrifty things, well, they are just beyond cute!

And now for a little water related crafting: I just adore this artsy boat project by Ann Wood, and these mermaid crowns by, right, you guessed it, the very crafty Aunt Peaches.

Isn't this puppet stage just the greatest? Head on over to Se7en to see how to make one. And did you know that you can make a kaleidoscope from a Pringles can? Not that I'm encouraging you to buy or eat Pringles, but hey if you know someone who does, why not snag some of their cans and make one of these kaleidoscopes from the chocolate muffin tree.

 

Teaching Children About Architecture In Berkeley, CA

I love architecture, and had a wonderful time sharing this interest of mine with my kids last month in Berkeley, California. Berkeley has some amazing, even jaw-dropping, examples of architecture, from Victorian to Modern with lots of style in between. So if you happen to be somewhere where good design abounds, do take advantage of the opportunity to talk to your kids about architecture, and all that is involved in the process of planning and construction! (And if you have no idea yourself, well, just wing it!)

Here are two examples of wonderful architectural styles which are numerous amongst the homes in the North Berkeley hills: French Normandy inspired fairy tale type homes from the 1920's (love the little turrets!) and California Mission Style, very elegant stucco homes, with Spanish/Mediterranean inspired details. And hey, look at that tree, it's actually a humongous Yucca, (from the Agave family) we have some in pots at our house!

There are so many little details that may be obvious to us, but really need to be pointed out and talked about in order for children to appreciate them. 

Post and beam wooden construction is quite common in Berkeley, having originated in this area in the late 50's, and seen in this Japanese inspired home probably built in the late  70's or so. Don't forget to talk about how things are built, like this fun red gate for example also inspired by Japanese garden design and quite simply constructed using 2x4s.

I love this stream-lined mid-century modern home with its flat roof, set amongst the trees, and of course we just had to talk about this nicely preserved Volkswagen bus, since my kids had never seen one!

On the UC Berkeley campus there are some amazing examples of architecture, including the Hearst Mining Circle Building designed by the architect Julia Morgan, and Bowles Hall (I think?), a dormitory that looks like it was lifted right out of an English boarding school!

And of course, the Campanile on the UC Berkeley campus is a wonderful site to behold on a clear day, and especially since its chimes are real bells that play a concert every 1/2 hour! What exactly is the purpose of the Campanile? Well that's something else worthy of discussion, right? Ask your  kids to think of three reasons why, for example, someone would build a tower like this one.

Start talking to your kids about everything and don't stop, they'll benefit immensely! And in fact, in many cases children would much rather have conversations with you than do craft projects, alack alas, so do rise the occasion and help build your children's future by encouraging creative thinking. I'm with you, I'm going to try just a little bit harder too!

Giant Paper Flower Bouquet Centerpiece

Giant paper flower bouquets are perfect for every occasion and so simple to make! I gave you a sneek peek of these giant paper flowers the other day here, and now I'm back to give you a few more important details to help you make a gorgeous paper flower centerpiece yourself. And take my advice, don't just add this one to your list of "want to makes", make them now!

Slice of Life: Purple Thistle Balls Blooming Everywhere

I have a little story to share with you all. Once upon a time I was gathering props for a fashion photo shoot in Manhattan and purchased a bunch of dried thistle balls in a lovely shade of purple. I was totally enamoured by these thistle balls and the photos which included them were gorgeous. Fast forward to late June a few years later when I found myself on a bus in Israel heading to the North of the country to the very city I now call home. I looked out the window and was stunned to see the hills covered with the very same purple thistle balls I had purchased in Manhattan! Little purple balls dancing amongst the dry, golden hills, a truly amazing sight. 

Every year I think about trying to harvest some of these little purple balls to fill some vases, and to attempt drying them, but it's just a bit on the dangerous side due to all those prickles. Maybe this year I'll be brave enough to capture some memories?

 

Giant Paper Flowers Sneak Peek

I've been wanting to try my hand at making some giant paper flowers, ever since I saw the gorgeous giant paper poppies, here. Fortunately for me, we are in the midst of preparing for a family wedding, and a chance to satisfy some of my crafting desires! I thought I'd share a little sneak peek at some of the very large paper flowers I've been working on, and my eight year old was gracious enough to put on her flower girl dress to give the photos just a bit of wedding flavor. I should add, my flowers are just a bit different from the ones that inspired me, and I hope to provide a tutorial for you in the next few days, or at the very least a photo of the templates I used with some size guides. 

In the mean time, collect your supplies, namely very large sheets of paper, some wooden dowels and some green paper for stem details. To make two large flowers and two smaller flowers I used four sheets of Canson art paper— you know the size that has to be rolled up to take home.....or maybe like me you have some paper hanging out waiting for the perfect project? If so, take my word for it, this is the perfect project!

I've just posted a tutorial for this project, take a look here.

I'm sharing this project over at Carolyn's Homework with her new linky party here.

Painting With Modeling Clay - Creative Craft For Kids

Doesn't this sweet work of modeling clay art, created by my 8 year old daughter, look like an oil painting of sorts? Well, I can assure you that it is not, rather it was made using a technique which I've told you about previously here, and here, namely sculpting pictures with modeling clay. The modeling clay is smeared with the fingers onto a piece of bristol board (namely a piece of cardboard that isn't totally smooth) and layers are built. Once the picture is finished, a coating of white glue is brushed over the top of the picture to preserve it.

Explore the links above to learn about some more ways to use this technique for kids who might need something a little more structured for their first experience, or for toddlers who might enjoy smearing the modeling clay onto a picture of some kind.

This is a great way to combine painting and sculpting, and with modeling clay one can apply layers of bright color quite easily. One can draw a picture and then apply the modeling clay to the picture, but the most creative use of this crafting technique would be to simply create a picture without employing any traditional drawing tools— let the little fingers work with the modeling clay and enjoy!

 

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Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, and another opportunity to get inspired for some great summer crafting! There's a really great range of projects in the features from last week, something for everyone. And since I realize that with so much information available to us all, there can be a tendency to just enjoy looking at projects rather than doing them, so let's all make a concerted effort to spend more time actually crafting and less time looking around! Okay, spend a few minutes looking at the projects below, but then get to work!

First off, I am absolutely in love with these colorful tea towels from colorful senses, a simple applique project for even those with no sewing experience, and Se7en is back with this super creative woven fish project, just love seeing what each of her many children create!

And speaking of woven, love this woven package topper from mini eco and this dyed rice art from wayward girls crafts is just too much fun!

Isn't this leaning tower of Pizza project from make the best of everything just the cutest? And I sure was lucky since these gorgeous pie pops were contributed by a blogger from Italy, il dolcelo portoio, who has some amazing food shots, and you can practice your Italian too!

 

Maya over at the little treasures made these simple yet elegant crocheted head band, and I just love this simple leather hide purse from between the lines, gotta love that flower too, right?

A paper plate portrait from the chocolate muffin tree is a great craft activity any time, and how about making some whacky wigs for a fun summer activity? Take a look at jelly fish jelly, and I'm sure your kids will love you for it!

Slice of Life: Stunning Lunar Eclipse Seen From Israel

Last night we had a major treat, of the astronomical kind, quite literally. Here from our little spot on the earth in Israel we had a wonderful view of a total lunar eclipse which peaked around midnight I believe. I read that we could expect to see an orange moon due to volcanic ash in the atmosphere from the eruption in Etruria not long ago, and that indeed was the case! My camera was not capable of capturing the beauty of it all, so I grabbed a few photos from space.com and some other unknown sources to share with you all.

And from now on, should I ever paint a picture with a moon in it, or more likely make a collage with a moon in it, I will feel absolutely justified in making my moon orange, one of my favorite colors!