creative jewish mom

Styrofoam Tray Recycling Craft: Embroidered String Stars

I have been saving these little square styrofoam trays as I had a feeling that would be great for a fun recycled craft project! And the a few days ago the idea came to me, embroider them! For starters I gave my geometric string stars a try, and I just love the results, don't you? You can use these little works of art as is hung on the wall (or in the succah!) or make some shapes to hang form the bottom of the piece, dream catcher style! So gather soem styrofoam trays, or even a piece or cardboard or foam core, and lets get started.

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, a little international get together happening right here every week that is filled to the brim with amazing inspiration. Last week's party was full of amazing creativity, and something for everyone. How about making a fun textures weaving or a macrame plant hanger? Or maybe a DIY teepee or a fun flannel quilt? Some tiny knit creatures are cuter than ever as is a pizza necklace made from perler beads!

So thanks to all those who contributed, and hope you are inspired too! Now for the features from last week's party:

Sweet pastel candlesticks with cute sleeping faces from a pretty fix, and a fun appliqued mason jar pillow from flamingo toes.

 A fun weaving tutorial for adding texture to your weavings again from a pretty fix, and a simply wonderful macrame plant holder from a new contributor, green bird.

An adorable knit fox and hare from Ginx Craft, and a lovely little knit shawl for a child from simply summer street.

Just the sweetest photo, and the sweetest project to do on blank nesting dolls from nap time creations.

 

Book page flowers from busy being Jennifer, and a lovely crocheted shawl from simply summer street (actually contributed last week, but after I'd already done the feautures.)

 

Lovely traditional embroidery from India from Anu Rainydrops, and a fun DIY magnetic test tube vase project from busy being Jennifer.

How to make tassels (for a bean bag chair, two of those in this party!) from just JP, and how to make your own mixed succulent planter from the perfect storm.

An acorn valley flannel quilt from flamingo toes, and a fabulous DIY teepee from Libby's lifestyle.

 

Fun little bags to hold kid's collections from the scrap shoppe blog, and a pizza perler bead necklace from living la vida holoka.

Striped planters with liquid gold leaf from sparkle living, and a periodic table BeEr stein from simply darrling

Fun lunch time printables from the real coake, and a kid's neck pillow from tea and a sewing machine.

The "easiest every bean bag tutorial" from Libby's Lifestyle, and a DIY wooden crate night stand from you guessed it, pillar box blue!

 

 Just JP has got us covered for the main course: albondigas Mexican meatball soup from just JP, cowboy ranch beans from Just JP, and moscato strawberry salad from just JP.

 

And for those who think fruit salad is a main course, rather than dessert, well here are some ideas that look great, both from homemade interest! Check out these fantastic rose petal tarts made with peach slices from homemade interest, and no bake lemon meringue dip from homemade interest.

And that my friend is it for the features, hope you enjoyed them as much as I did! I'm dreaming of making a teepee, my daughter wants to make a bean bag chair. More likely we'll get around to a macrame plant holder as the supplies are on hand, as well as some book page flowers! What have you been up to?

An InLinkz Link-up

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Fragrant Stephanoitis Vine in Bloom!

Are you aquainted with a lovely fragrant vine called Stephanoitis? Well let me tell you, vines are wonderful, and flowering vines are wonderful, and flowering fragrant vines are the very best of all. Stephanoitis is often used in wedding bouquets on account of its sturdy and fragrant clusters of little blooms, and it can also be grown as a house plant! It is true, I have killed two large Stephanoitis vines in my container garden, as it really doesn't do well in cold weather, and so now I have learned my lesson, and even this little vine will be coming indoors come winter!

Ceramic Fish Plates: A Perfect Sushi Set And Great For Rosh HaShana Too!

A ceramic fish plate and some little ceramic fish that could be used as chop stick rests are really truly adorable, and so festive, don't you think? My twelve year old son made this set, which was originally supposed to be a mobile of sorts, but I love them too much as if to think about stringing them together somehow! And with Rosh HaShana a little more than two months aways, thinking about crafts for the Jewish new year is a great thing to do right about now! And whether or not you have access to a ceramics studio and a kiln, you can still make something similar, so lets get started.

Ceramic Mid-Century Style Wall Clock Craft For Kids!

If you are following along on our creative adventures then you already know that my 12 year old son and I go to a ceramics studio once a week, together, for some quality mother and son time, and because of all the creative activities I could do with him, the one thing he really likes is something we can't really do at home: kiln baked ceramics! I'm not complaining though, and I am really treasuring this time that we have together, and I know we are building memories as well. You know, like really tangible ones that he'll even be able to hang on the wall in his own home one day!

This mid-century style ceramic clock that my son made is his second clock, as we just love making clocks. There are so many possibilities, and I love the fact that you hang them on the wall as opposed to needing shelf space for them somewhere. And in house like ours that has only a kitchen clock at the moment, well, clocks are actually a really fun and practical thing to make! And the good news is that for those who don't have access to a ceramics studio, there are so many other ways to make clocks! So keep reading for a few suggestions......

Baby Food Jar Votive Craft For The Three Weeks

We love having guests with sweet babies, and are more than happy when there are baby food jars to craft with!  Even before the guests left I found the small jars that I had put aside from their last visit, and together with some new tall ones, a craft idea was born: baby food jar votives with scenes of Jerusalem. This is our first craft this year with this topic, and the timing is perfect, as we can enjoy these jars for the next three weeks, and when the lights are turned down on the evening of T'Isha B'Av they will be lovely and a good reminder of what the holiday is all about!

Decoupage is a perfect craft for all ages, and results that are both abstract as well as pictorial look great together. So gather some jars, any size of course, and some simple supplies, and make a bunch of votives to use indoors and out!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here for this weekly get together of crafters from around the world/ Yesterday was actually the 17th of Tammuz, a solemn day on the Jewish calendar that marks the beginning of a three week mourning period leading up to the holiday of T'Isha B'Av. The 17 of Tammuz is a minor fast day (sun up to sun down, as opposed to sun down to sun down like T'Isha B'Av and Yom Kippur) and since minor fast days can never occur on Shabbat, today, Sunday is the designated fast day for the 17th of Tammuz, so wishing an easy fast day to all those fasting.

Last week's party was packed with great inspiration, and it is always a challenge choosing the features, a challenge that I honestly love, thanks to all the talent that joins me here every week.

So. instead of rambling on about how wonderful it is to fill your life with creativity, I think I'll just let the features sell the idea of creativity, here goes!

 

 

A gorgeous crocheted bag from howling at the moon, and some nice wall art made from a small weaving by a pretty fix.

Fun  pillows to sew for your American Dolls (or for the kids to use otherwise) from the real coake, and a fun daschund pillow from the real coake.

Pomegranates Ripening In Northern Israel

Yesterday evening when I was walking to my vegetable carving class, just a ten or so minute walk from my house, I suddenly came upon a few huge rambilng pomegranate trees full of not quite full size fruit, but getting there. Such an amazing sight that I had to stop and take a few photos to share with you! It is truly special to witness up close and in person the cycle of the fruit baring trees and vines that grow in our neighborhood, like pomegranates, grapes, olives, and of course almonds!  

An Introduction To The Art Of Vegetable Carving!

Ever since a woman walked into my friend's engagement party, a good twelve or thirteen years ago, with a butternut squash vase filled with red pepper flowers I have been dreaming of making something similar. Not to mention that I'd much rather spend time making a gorgeous spread of fruits and vegetables than decorating cakes and making little chocolates (which is now my daugher's territory, phew.) So at long last a young woman who has taken many lessons from the two expert fruit and vegetable carvers whose ads I had seen all these years, is teaching just a ten minute walk from my house, and perfect timing, (and a good lesson in "everything in its time!")

Why you ask? Well we have a Bar Mitzvah party right after Rosh HaShana, and since everyone (including my son, who matters the most of course) expects something really over the top from me, I thought I'd learn a little bit about vegetable and fruit carving and do something spectacular for the dessert table. You know spectacular but hopefully with lots of bang for the buck, namely those red pepper flowers I saw so many years ago will be perfect as they are quite large and rather quick to make so I have recently learned!

The arrangement seen above is something that we made in class last night, a sampler of different carved vegetable flowers, though missing the pieces that didn't quite turn out on account of well, cutting too deep and everything falling apart! All of these photos were taken right after class at my teacher's house, so they may not be the greatest quality, but I couldn't wait until the light of day as you can imagine......

Crocheted Vase Using T-Shirt Yarn

A quick crocheted vase using some scraps of t-shirt yarn (to make it super quick!) and either a glass or plastic bottle with a wide mouth is the perfect summer project! Fill your crocheted vase with cuttings from plants, like heart shaped philodendron and pathos that can grow in water, or gather some wild flowers and enjoy. The rustic feeling of the large stitch makes it perfect for use indoors and out, not to mention that this project is a great stash buster, so go ahead and use up all those odds and ends! Come winter a crocheted vase like this is pastel colors looks great filled with branches, but if you feel like packing it away until next year, simply slip the sleeve off the bottle and store flat. And while you are at it, why not make a bunch to use when gifting a bouquet of flowers during the year, now that is a great gift!