creative jewish mom

Castle Themed Birthday Cupcakes In A Pinch!

When you need to decorate 30 cupcakes for a class birthday party in a pinch, it is always good to have a past project to inspire you, in my case my castle themed loch ness monster cake! So introducing my castle themed birthday cupcakes, acknowledging the summer birthday boys in the class who are turning both ten and twelve. (My 10 year old is on the young side, and the twelve year olds were kept back a year.....) Fortunately when my son met me at the school gate to receive the tray he smiled widely, so mission accomplished!

And, if you plan ahead even a bit more than I did, I would certainly play with the idea of two levels of cupcakes, as it makes the presentation that much more impressive. And do make those castles in the middle quite a bit larger than the other castles, shields and crowns.

You'll Need:

• colored card stock
• toothpicks
• wooden skewers
• tape
• black marker

How To: Sketch your castles, shields and crowns on colored paper and cut them out. Tape them to toothpicks and the larger ones to skewers. With colored tape make little flags at the top of the skewers, and on toothpicks. Use same tape on some of the shapes (I used it on the crowns) to tie the whole look together.

Enjoy!

 

In Bloom In My Container Garden, Late June.......

Above Left: Canna, a tropical large leaved annual (here) that grows back every year and divides itself, cant beat that in a pot, at least!in Above Right: Lochroma, a woody bush with stunning little bell shaped flowers that looses its leaves here in the winter.

It just wouldn't be summer without some flowers in the garden right? In my case that garden happens to be a container garden, so while the greenery isn't nearly as lush as one would find in a little plot of earth, it still gives me joy on a daily basis, and since I can't imagine life without plants, this does the job!

This bougainvillea was barely blooming last year, and now, after being transplanted to a smaller pot (before the shemittah year), moved to a new location, it seems to be quite happy, and hopefully will have some new growth as well.

My hoya vine which lives outdoors under a roof, like a houseplant, most of the year has given me five clusters of blooms this year! Purple heart is a great plant for some unusual color, propogates from cuttings and has these sweet little pink flowers. All those spots on the plant are a result of a tough winter, and some major dust storms recently.

Okay, I know, this isn't really a flower, but I just couldn't resist!

Pink climbing roses, some small shoots from the base of the vine, are so sweet, and my pink geraniums, which are about 3 feet high barely blinked an eye when the brand new drip watering system malfunctioned while we were away, sigh. As soon as this Jewish year is over, I will be cutting these geraniums and making more plants. That is it for a little glimpse into my container garden, hope I've inspired you to enjoy the wonders of nature!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, and thanks so much to all those who contributed last week! I hope this inspiration helps you put just a bit more creativity into your daily life, go for it! And now for the features:

Love these tips for growing gorgeous peonies from grandparents plus, (USA) and these fun crocheted mini granny pillows from chris in de haak (The Netherlands.)

 

The sweetest little crocheted purse that I must make immediately, from hip met haaken (The Netherlands.)

The knit NYC yellow cab pattern from Ginx craft, (The United Kingdom) and a fun crocheted beaded cuff from little treasures (Macedonia.)

 

Fun chocolate craft from the crafty blog stalker (USA) and a great birthday card from Jennifer Preist (USA.)

A fun embroidery for a baby's room from howling at the moon (The Netherlands) and a hot air balloon from a round recycled water bottle from as the bunny hops (USA.)

Fire cracker paper plate pop up from crafty journal (USA) and a crocheted tunisian tapestry placemats from olives and okra (USA.)

 Adorable crocheted cacti (gotta try it myself!) from Sofie (Belgium) and a lacy crocheted garland from vrolijk by leen (The Netherlands.)

 A rustic copper ring from jewelry making journal (USA) and puzzle earrings from artistic endeavors (USA)

 Grilled parmesan asparagus from day by day in our world, (USA) and parmesan popcorn also from day by day in our world. (USA)

Minion cupcakes from as the bunny hops (USA) and layered bisquit cake from Winnie (Israel.) That is it for the features, what have you been up to?

The Unisphere In Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York!

I love New York City history, and anything with designated landmark status, so when we found ourselves staying in Kew Gardens Hills In Queens, New York last month, I just had to take a walk on over to the Unisphere located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. And it turns out that the Unisphere is right next to the Queens Museum which I believe has a science museum for kids and other exhibits that look interesting. There are also peddle boats and bike rentals in the park if that interests you, though I'd recommend visiting during the week to avoid the crowds, as I'm sure this park is a popular destination for many of the city dwellers who live in the borough.

A Crocheted Mandala Stool Cover That Adds A Fun Touch!

Of all the items that I have crocheted over the years, there is nothing quite like a crocheted stool cover to add a fun touch of handmade to your home decor, without spending days or months! This crocheted mandala stool cover started as something else altogether, but I'm so happy that it ended up on one of my stools, as I just love looking at it!

A Crocheted Mandala Basket That Became A Stool Cover!

Ever crocheted something with one thing in mind, and it became something else? That is what happened to me just now, as this crocheted mandala basket in need of stiffening instead became a fantastic crocheted mandala stool cover! Now I don't have to get out a pot and experiment with sugar as a stiffener for crocheted items. Better anyway to try it with something much smaller anyway for the first time, and now my bare stool has a festive cover that is perfect for summer.

And dear readers, the story gets even better because when I started this crocheted mandala during out trip to the US (still can't believe we were gone for a whole month and I only crocheted this, guess the lake view was too enchanting!) I had even another project in mind! When the mandala/doily started to curl as I hadn't increased enough, the idea of a basket to hang on the wall came about, but apparently even that wasn't meant to be!

I hope to share some photos with you of my new stool cover soon, and no I do not have a pattern for this as I made it up as I went along, and you really don't need my pattern in any case as there are certainly many mandala patterns out there that you can use as inspiration for coming up with your own design, go for it!

ps; I used a 3.5mm hook and 4 ply mercerized cotton yarn that is 50g/125m, which produces a somewhat delicate result without having to go really tiny.

Rubber Band Fishtail Jewelry Crafts Are Perfect Summer Take Alongs!

Summer is here, and it is time to get crafting, us included! Things have been lacking in the creativity department around here, I'll admit, so it is time to get back to doing the things we love, like basic crafts with recycled materials, drawing, painting and other simple yet so satisfying creative endeavors!

My ten year old, who is one of our resident crafters, was also apparently feeling the lack of creativity and decided to secretly busy himself with making some simple jewelry with silicone rubber bands, you know the rainbow loom type of rubber bands, only you only need two fingers for this one! And we all had to laugh when he showed up at dinner the other night dressed up as a mafia type figure, wearing a track suit, dress shoes, his hair slicked back and the jewelry, too too funny!

So, whether your kids want to make some of this jewelry for play acting or even to wear, its a great little craft as the supplies fit in their pockets, or in your purse.  And perfect for car or airplane trips!

How To Make A Rubber Band Fishtail Bracelet, or Necklace:

Instructions: You will need small rubberbands and c clips or plastic jump rings

1. Place a rubber band around your two fingers. (My son actually uses three fingers.) Twist rubber band in the center to make a figure 8 around the fingers, such that rubber band crosses in the center.
2. Place a second rubber band over your two fingers. Do not twist.
3. Place a third rubber band over your two fingers. Again, do not twist.
4. From your first finger, lift the bottom band over the other two rubber bands, and over your finger, as if to take it off. Repeat this step on the second finger.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until desired length.
6. When you are finished, add two more rubber bands to the length. Slip the bracelet off your fingers and remove those two bands, this will leave loops for you to thread onto the jump ring.

Now as far as that ring, the make the "diamond" my son just described to me how he added extra rubber bands, but I'll have to get back to you on that one, enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to craft schooling Sunday! Last weeks party was another winner, packed with crafts and cooking, so there is truly something for everyone! Looking forward to seeing what all of my creative friends from around the world have been up to! Last week we had contributors from the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, The United Kingdom. (And of course not to forget our other regulars from Israel, India, Mozambique, Slovakia, Macedonia and Australia.) Thanks for joining me here!

 A super simple yet great looking headboard makeover using contact paper from bisozozo (Greece) and a lovely knit summer top from Lanas de Ana (Guatemala.)

A fabulous knit NYC taxi from Ginx crafts (United Kingdom) and a fun ombre tall boy from divine lifestyle (USA.)

A great tutorial for a cute sew it yourself duffle from sew can do (USA)  and a cute DIY crate lemonade stand from divine lifestyle (USA.)

Love this hand stamped apron made using a t-shirt, from maker mama (USA) and Mich in L.A. (USA) does it again with this fantastic idea for making necklace holders from soda bottles!

 A fun little crocheted clutch from hip met haken (the Netherlands) and a granny mandala from my world of crochet (Germany.)

A very interesting idea for making plant molds/stamps from silicone from artistic endeavors, and summery starfish napkin rings also from artistic endeavors (USA)

And interestingly enough two bloggers shared crafts with wire: wire word cards from howling at the moon (the Netherlands) and a fun wire lightbulb from my home is my castle (Sweden.)

Raspberry ruffle cupcakes from divine lifestyle (USA) and refreshing citrus infused water from simply stacie (Canada.)

Blueberry granola parfait from the rebel chick and gorgeous red white and blue fruit "pizza" from homemade interest (USA.) That is it for the features, what have you been up to?

Gorgeous Flowering Bushes In Connecticut!

One of the amazing things about out recent visit to New Hartford, Connecticut, was the fact that Spring came a bit late this year, and many of the flowering bushes either had just opened or actually opened during our week there! What can I tell you, it was truly a treat for me to arrive at our vacation rental and see buds on bushes that then became colorful globes of vibrant pink flowers within days!

Whip Up A Crocheted Basket With Handles, With T-Shirt Yarn!

Crocheting with t-shirt yarn is so much fun, and it happens to be perfect for whipping up some fun and practical baskets, of which one can never have too many!