creative jewish mom

Pineapple Pinecone Craft Is My New Favorite!

I have been wanting to make pinecone pineapples for a few months now, and even painted the pinecones yellow before Passover, and finally found the time to give this fantastic summer craft, that would be a perfect summer camp craft a try. And wow, the results are so adorable you'll want to make a whole bunch, I know I do! You can use your pineapple pinecones as decorations for part of a tropical party, or as whiimsical decorations any time. Line up a few on a shelf and you'll smile every time you see them, or hang some mobile style. And of course if you want to be a little bit different, how about hanging some pineapple pinecones in your succah? Succot is among other things, a fall harvest festival, and in Israel that means pomegranites and dates, but it could certainly mean pineapples as well, right?

Regardless of whether you have a plan for your pinecone pineapples, gather some pinecones and get crafting, I'm sure a great idea will come to you. If not simply display them on a little shelf which is where mine are sitting right now, looking as cute as ever! Best of all, once you get the hang of how to make these, you really could whip up quite a few, even as fun Bar or Bat Mitzvah, birthday or wedding centerpieces, so lets get crafting! (Note: If you do plan on making a large quantity, I would paint them by dipping them into a large container of paint, so much easier!)

Classic Loom Potholders, Buy The Loops Or Make Your Own!

A few days ago my twelve year old son was looking for something to do, and to my surprise asked me to take down the potholder loom that he spied on a very high shelf! As it turns out there was already a potholder in progress (the black and white one) on the loom that was made with loops from up-cycled clothing, so I finished that one off, and my son proceeded to make a potholder with the last of the store bought potholder loops that came with the loom. Of course, the store bought loops do result in a dense and crisp pot holder, though I do love the idea of using up-cycled clothing to make loops, and have done it with several items of clothing. And pot holder crafts are really the perfect little craft activity to take with you this summer, as they can be done in the car or at your destination, with no mess and no clean up!

Keep reading to find out which items of clothing I have used to make loops, as well as a link to a fun baby rattle project I made using a loomed potholder!

Paper Giraffes Birthday Photo Wall

As one of the elements in the giraffe themed birthday party I threw for my son last week, the giraffe paper dolls photo wall was so simple to make and with great results. If I had known that I was going to tape those giraffes to the wall I would have made more, but fortunately there were just enough to pull off my little last minute idea! While of course the giraffes, and one little elephant worked for our party, traditional paper dolls or any thing that works in silhouette form would be perfect, and a quick way to add decorative touches in keeping with your theme.

This craft is pretty much self explanatory, but I'll be happy to elaborate on what I did, so keep on reading!

Craft Schooling Sunday Is Taking A Break For the Important Jewish Holiday Of Shavuot

Dear Readers, as you read this I am very likely in the middle of celebrating the beautiful Jewish holiday of Shavuot with family and friends. Since on shabbat and all major Jewish holidays I am 100% unplugged, it just doesn't seem right to be holding a virtual party during that time. So rather than delay the party for a few days i figured we'll just take a break altogether and reconvene next week.

See you then!

Paper Leaves On Real Branches For Shavuot Or Any Time!

Paper leaves on real branches is a super quick craft that results in some fun decorations that can be used for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot or really anytime! I actually made these branches as part of the giraffe birthday party that I'm still in the middle of sharing with you all, though I did have in mind that they would be also be great for Shavuot, in which we decorate our homes with greenery to celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, which was  very green and lush.

With shavuot staring Saturday night, right after shabbat ends, many of us are now preparing for two days of holidays, so I'm sure glad to already have made these fun branches which are currently hanging from the chandelier over the dining room table. (Those who observe shabbat outside of israel are now preparing for a three day holiday, as Shavuot is two days outside of Israel, and I'm sure those of you to whom this applies wish you had some of these branches already to go, right?

What I'm really trying to say is that a super quick craft like this one is the perfect thing to tackle right now, so lets get to it!

Giraffe Birthday Cake In A Pinch That Is Simple And Adorable!

Need an idea for a quick birthday cake that looks great and will even prompt some wows? Then maybe my golden giraffe topped birthday cake with dancing paper elephants and washi tape flags is perfect for you! This giraffe cake which was for the giraffe themed birthday party I made for my eleven year old is also perfect for people like me who really don't have the time or patience to figure out how to make a perfect tall cake, as those elephants hide all the imperfections! And of course, in my opinion, since the cake is going to get eaten anyway, don't stress, just cover the mistakes, and maybe slice the cake out of sight from the guests. I am now laughing having actually typed that, since behind those elephants is a globby chocolate coated mess that really did look quite terrible until I remembered the little trick of the decorative paper sleeve around the cake, phew! And of course, since I had to take that idea one step further with a sleeve that is actually a chain of elephants, that I happened to have on hand as I had made a bunch of giraffe and elephant chains to use as party decor.

Still with me? Okay, lets gather together those simple supplies and decorate a cake, ready?

Golden Giraffe Cake Topper Is Simple And Looks Amazing!

If you need a fun cake topper in a pinch and you happen to have some spray paint (toxic stuff that it is......) and some plastic animals hanging around somewhere, you are in luck, because this golden giraffe cake topper (or the animal of your choice of course) is so simple to make and looks amazing! For my son's eleventh birthday i decided to make a giraffe themed birthday party, maybe because he is now in that skinny gangly stage some boys go through, or maybe because I thought that the two from legs of a giraffe are like the number eleven. (And then I discovered that giraffe themed birthdays are actually really common for the 1st birthday for some reason, so the 11th birthday makes sense then too!)

In any case, the giraffe theme was a good choice as there are so many fun things to do with giraffes, even with simple supplies you may have around the house, as I fortunately did, as the weather was suddenly way too hot to thing about going out shopping! And that my friends is how this idea came to fruition......I've seen plently of plastic animals spray painted and glued to the tops of jars, but can't say I've seen any cake toppers! Come to think of it, had I had more time I should have actually made one of those animal topped jar to hold some birthday treats......maybe next time!

Keep reading for the super simple instructions......

Giraffe Birthday Party Napkin Rings

Yesterday I made a giraffe themed birthday party for my now eleven year old son, and was in need of some super quick and super cute ideas to make the party complete. Fortunately I had some yellow craft foam on hand, as well as a giraffe stencil, and thus these cute and oh so simple giraffe napkin rings were born! Of course this is just the first of a few more fun giraffe birthday crafts that I was able to pull off, so stay tuned. In the mean time, keep reading for complete instructions.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Thanks so much for joining me here for this weekly get together which unites crafty bloggers from around the world and hopefully inspires all those who stop by for a visit. I have to say, this last week's party was full of some amazing inspiration, and I'm so happy to share it with you here. So, since I am writing this at 1am on Thursday night while simultaneously watching pots on the stove and veggies roasting in the oven, in preparation for shabbat, lets get on with the features from last week's party!

Love this baby nursery with a wood paneled wall from lynzy and co, and these fantastic marimekko wall papered stair risers from pillar box blue.

 A fun telephone table remake from flamingo toes, and a lovely frame craft from the real coake.

When Life Is Like A Painting, So Why Not Paint?

I am very blessed to live in an ancient city, one of the four holy citys in Israel, that is packed with inspiration, natural beauty, and loads of really important history, loads and loads. My town also happened to become one of the well known artist colonies after israel became a country in 1948, and it is no wonder, with the fresh mountain air and great light! After living here for almost ten years, with another five year stint before I was married, I have at long last come to the conclusion that simply photographing all this beauty is not enough. I have become inspired to paint! So I'm gathering up all my experience as an interior architect and designer, as a knits designer, as an art director in advertising, together with my varied education in the fields previously stated, and my last ten years or so of serious crafting, and I'm entering the world of fine art. Because if you know me, I'm always up for a challenge, and I guess I was in need of one, a great big one!