creative jewish mom

Crayola Calligraphy Is A Great Way To Learn About Brush Lettering

As it turns out there are no brush markers to be found in our neck of the woods, so while we await a visit from my nephew in a few weeks (and the brush lettering pens that I had sent to him in New York) we are making do with supplies that we do have on hand. I don't know where we've been, but it turns out the crayola calligraphy is a thing, and a really great thing I must say! Because of the shape of the crayola marker, and the fact that it is water soluble, one can not only draw brush lettering style calligraphy, one can also use the pens to do a number of really fun artsy effects.

While mom is taking the more pragmatic approach of practicing my calligraphy strokes using the crayola markers, my daughter just jumped right in and created these two cute phrases, among others of course. I am one proud mama and so happy that we find joy in the same things! Oh, and while you can find info about crayola calligraphy all around the web, we were introduced to it in our new favorite go-to spot for inspiration, which would be Skillshare, and THIS VIDEO . If you love to get inspired by folks who are doing something you'd like to do, this is the place for you......download all the videos you have space for and watch them on that car or plane trip, or at the off the grid location! It is so inspiring I really don't want you to miss out! You can sign up now and get a few months for free, and cancel anytime, so really the only way you'll loose is by not taking my advice.

And I can't wait to take my own advice about bringing along some of the videos on our next vacation, as there are quite a few that teach you how to do travel journaling, something I've always wanted to try, but just haven't figured out how to do. I think skillshare is going to make it a reality on our next trip, can't wait!

My Teenage Daughter's Cookie Decorating Adventure

This post contains affiliate links.

It sure is wonderful to have a teenage daughter who enjoys creative pursuits, and lately we have been bonding over baking and brush lettering. The baking is her department though, I'm just a spectator of sorts! When I saw this really cute class for online cookie decorating on brit and co. I knew my daughter would love it, and so I purchased it for her as Hanukkah gift. And yes, indeed she was thrilled, as who wouldn't want to make the most adorable cookies ever? Now, as it turns out, making those adorable royal icing cookies is something one has to work at, which I knew, having attempted it myself once, so I do think that getting expert advice from someone who really knows the ins and outs of this particular baking experience is well worth it. No need to make mistake after mistake when you could be using that time just practicing your icing making and icing skills!

These cookies are my daughter's first attempt, and are somewhat on the simple side as we quite honestly ran out of time. We wrapped each cookie in cellophane tied on each end with a silver ribbon and placed one on each plate last shabbos, when our table was packed with guests for Hanukkah. The table looked amazing and some of the guests where already eating their cookie before the main course was served! We really weren't sure whether the cookies were more for decoration as opposed to being actually good tasting (especially since we couldn't use butter as the cookies would be eaten after a meat meal) but the guests all raved about the cookies and we even had to bring out some more as one guest ate his cookie as well as someone elses!

10 Tips For The Beginner Interested In Learning Brush Lettering

This post contains affiliate links.

Before we get started with this post, I just wanted to make it very very clear that this lettering is not mine, but rather the work of my 15 year old daughter! While she has not been exposed to all the brush lettering one might see living in the USA, or frequenting places like instagram and pinterest, my daughter has seen enough examples of brush lettering to know that it is something she is interested in learning, and I'm happy to say we've gotten a nice head start this Hanukkah vacation, yippee. Now if I can just find a bit of time to catch up with her everyone will be happy!

How did she go from zero to creating the brush lettering examples you see here within just a few days? Well, I'm going to share with you everything we've learned in the last three days, but first I'll just mention that a large part of our continuing efforts to learn brush lettering involves consulting the myriad of brush lettering and calligraphy videos that you can find on Skillshare, my all new go-to source for inspiration and amazing instruction.

Click here for 2 FREE MONTHS, no obligations, just canel anytime. And you can download the videos to view offline, amazing amazing amazing, right? Perfect for watching while doing some travelign this holiday season, or anytime, anywhere.

DIY Paper Top Is The Perfect Hanukkah Craft!

 This evening we lit the 7th cup of oil on our Hanukkah menorah, and that means that there are still two full days of Hanukkah, and certainly time to squeeze in one last activity that everyone is sure to enjoy: DIY spinning tops made from strips of paper and toothpicks! These tops might be little, but they sure do spin, and if made correctly, they can spin for quite a long time. And whether of not they spin well, they sure are great looking! So get out the simple supplies and have a little crafting fest to end Hanukkah on a creative note! Ready, let's get spinning!

Give The Gift Of Creativity That Is Life Changing! (No Shipping, 2 months FREE)

Yes, this is a sponsored post, but I am here to tell you that Skillshare is in my opinion an amazing way to give the gift of creativity, to yourself, a loved one or even a an aquaintance whose life you'd like to change. For a mere $8 a month, if you opt for a year long subscription you will have access to 18,000 classes! I can't wait to delve into calligraphy, illustration, photography, pattern design, and I probably should take a look at all the ways to help improve this little blog as well. Take a look yourself, you won't regret it. Not to mention that holiday time is the perfect time to learn something new, especially together with friends and family.

For those who don't let their kids have free access to the internet, and certainly not to You Tube, Skillshare is an amazing tool, as you can download the videos for viewing offline. And to top it off, you can sign up for 2 FREE MONTHS AND CANCEL ANYTIME, so there is really truly nothing to loose.

Give it a try, I certainly will be doing the same and sharing with you all the new things I've learned! Ah yes, and my teenage daughter is going to be along with me for the ride, as this is a perfect way for her to hone her creative skills without overloading her already busy schedule!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

DIY Corrugated Craft Cardboard Gift Boxes

Here's a super simple DIY gift box using corrugated craft cardboard that you can use to hold little prizes and treats (as I did for Hanukkah) or a gift of any size. Make a bunch of these little boxes to use as party favor boxes for weddings, bat or bar mitzvahs, or birthdays, and add your own special touch. I added strips of colored paper punched on a craft punch, you can add a fun gift tag, ribbon or even little pom poms. This is a great DIY gift wrap idea to have up your sleeve anytime! Let's do it......

House Shaped Gift Box With Quilling

 
A house shaped gift box is so simple to make using a recycled packing box, and looks great for so many occassions! Who wouldn't wan't to make a gift box that is also a really great looking decoration, and if you like forget about the gift and just use the box to make this fun house shaped box with quilled medallion. I made this as part of a quilled Hanukkah craft series, but I could easily see it working for a baby shower, a bat mitzvah, wedding decor or how about a house warming gift?

I happen to love house shaped everything, so I can't wait to make some more of these in the future, plus it so soooooo simple! 

Quilled Hanukkah Dreidel Craft

As you can see, I really had a great time creating a series of quilled Hanukkah crafts this year......and our house is looking more festive than ever! I'm expecting a huge crowd at our table this Shabbos, so I'm really happy to say that my house looks ready to party! Of course, I have many more decorations than you see here, but these guys did set the stage for everything else, and I can't wait to make more. Ahh yes, I did actually make more, in fact I made a large piece of quilled art for my husband's birthday, the first night of Chanukah, and it is already hanging in his office and getting rave reviews.....no one believes it is just paper! One guy even took it off the wall and took it home to show his wife (next door)....so I guess this quilling venture is going to be around for a while!

Quilled Paper Menorah Hanukkah Craft

Hanukkah is eight glorious days long, which means one can still find some time to get crafting, right? This year I tried quilled paper for the first time, and I just love the results, especially when one uses colored paper, so bright and fun. Quilling doesn't have to be super time consuming if you choose to do something simple without filling in the background, and in any case, the results are truly worth the effort.

Quilling, the art of rolling little strips of paper has been around for hundreds of years, and may even date back to Egypt! There is something about taking little strips of paper and rolling them that is pure enjoyment, so give it a try yourself!

Clothespin Hanukkah Menorah Craft Perfect For Last Minute

Hanukkah starts tomorrow night, so now is the time to get cracking with the last minute preparations, and as you can well imagine there are many on my end. I have seen Hanukkah clothespin menorahs around the web for a few years, but never quite had the chance to try it myself. Fortuntately, I picked up some wooden clothes pins to hang my felt Hanukkah wall hanging, and so this year seemed like the time to give cute this idea a try. Funny enough, some of those who have made this craft before me didn't even take advantage of the cutest detail of all, that little ones can "light" the menorah each night by simply opening the clothespin and inserting a flame, so wonderful!

You can make your clothespin Menorah very minimal if that is your preference, or have kids decorate the base, if that suits you, or go ahead and just make one like mine that has a bit more substance with the inclusion of the arch and old stones, which refer to the Holy Temple (in ruins) where the Hanukkah miracle took place. Okay, ready to do this? We're off.......