creative jewish mom

Recycling Craft With Milk Cartons: Draw On Them!

I am in the middle of cleaning out my studio at long last, so expect to see lots of little projects that are the result of trying to finish works in progress or use up various items, such as milk cartons that were painted when we made our painted milk carton houses with gardens craft, but never quite reached the finish line. So I know present you with the idea of drawing on milk cartons, which is really so much fun and a great way to spark your creativity! Why is that you may ask? Well, when you take any skill out of context, namely drawing on a 3D object as opposed to paper, you are essentially working outside the box, which is a very creative place to be! And of course after you use the milk cartons as a drawing surface, you can turn them into recycled milk carton planters, or fill them with sand or kosher salt and use them as paper weights or book ends! Those are just a few ideas, I'm sure you can think of more, ah yes, you can also make fun milk carton boats, and come to think of it cars as well. So have fun with this one and let the creativity lead the way!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With Passover in just under three weeks, the clock is ticking and spring cleaning and trying to escape from the slavery of our possesions (in my personal case) will be happening in full force this coming week. I'm sure you can understand why I'd want to hang onto a bag of milk cartons I've been collecting and plastic ice cream container tops, among many other recyclables, right? Thanks, because no one in my immediate family sees the virture of these items and so I have to wage a personal battle in the name of hopefully using those items in the near future with some kids who could really use a creative boost. Very fortunately I do have a basement space in which to store these items in numbered boxes, and I'm thinking that maybe I'll make a goal of using up all these stored supplies in the next year, that could be great! Then again maybe I should just donate it all to a school and spend the time painting, hmmm. While I ponder that thought and you ponder your thoughts about spring cleaning, lets take a look at the features from last week's party:

Spring In Northern Israel On A Hike To Mount Tabor

Hello to Spring in Northern Israel. A cool and rainy Spring, but Spring nonetheless, as the wildflowers are out and the hills are green green green! I sprained my ankle quite badly just as the almond trees started to bloom, along with other wild flowers, and so this year I was unable to walk anywhere to take photos of this wonderful and glorious sight. Fortunately one of my adventurous nephews showed up for a visit along with some very lovely photos of a hike he'd taken to Mount Tabor just the day before. And so, with his permission, I just had to share some of the beauty of Northern Israel with you via his photos. I know, you thought Israel was just dessert and crumbling walls, but guess what it is not! And while I won't be getting out to enjoy the nature for the next few weeks, I think we will have the chance to enjoy the great outdoors during the week of Passover, can't wait!

DIY Queen Esther Costume Uses Upcycled And New Elements

Isn't our little Queen Esther just the sweetest? And honestly what I love about this DIY Queen costume (fit for a princess too) is not only the rich theatrical combination of colors, but the fact that my now 16 year old daughter wore that same "dress" as a part of a Queen Esther costume I made for her around 13 years ago! Now I'll have to say, this version is much much nicer due to the use of a sewing machine and having a bit of practice under my belt.

Truthfully, sometimes being a pack rat pays off, at least in the costume department. (I'm now currently paying big time for the rest of my pack rat tendencies as I start to clean for Passover.) So dear readers, if you have an attic or an organized garage or a basement or all of these, certainly do save the very best pieces of clothing of all kinds to be used as costumes. I just put aside a fun skirt with huge red roses that my daughter never wore, and am dreaming of a Queen of the Roses costume, with the waist of the skirt forming the top of the dress, just as I've done here, with the addition of some ribbon straps. Got it? Okay, lets make a list of all the items you'll need for this costume, thrifted and created, and hopefully this will inspire you to make your own amazing costumes!

DIY Simple Costume Cloak With Fur Trim

This year for Purim one of my favorite acheivements was designing and whippping up this fur trimmed DIY costume cloak for a toddler, well three to be exact. I'll admit my daughter actually saved the day by commenting that my original design (before I made the front really short) was just way too much fabric for a three year old, and she was sooooo right. This cloak turned out perfectly and apparently was comfortable to wear, as little Queen Esther did not take it off all Purim, which means we got to enjoy seeing her dressed like a queen for hours on end! While I did sew this cloak on a sewing machine, one could glue the seams or even make the cloak from fleece or any fabric like thick jersey (sweatshirt material) that doesn't unravel, and use only one layer. Of course, part of the beauty of this cloak is the purple lining, but maybe your costume will be just fine with a cloak in one color. Go for simple I say, and add accessories, so that no one element of the costume has to be such a masterpiece, but rather the total look is fun and creative. Okay, shall we learn how to make this simple DIY cloak? (I know, I want one for myself too, so will just have to make one next year to wear over the Moroccan robe I wore this year!)

DIY King Of The Dragons Costume

When a sweet six year old requests a dragon costume, you can sort of make up a costume that vaguely represents a dragon without having to create claws and fire and anything scary, and believe me, the results will be even better than you imagined. You know, like a sweet dragon, or king of the dragons, and in our case, we called him a mitzvah dragon, namely not an evil dragon, but a dragon who does good deeds! I had thought about horns and spikes and fire, but instead just started creating and kept the whole costume on the simple side. And, as you'll see if you keep on reading, the costume was a success, and I was even able to get some good photos, yippee!

I love costumes that combine thrifted or hand-me-down clothing with some new items as they tend to look much more theatrical and original than a costume made from entirely new elements. Plus it is great to get kids used to creativity when it comes to costumes, I'm not against buying a few items like gloves, hats, masks, etc. but other than that DIY is the way to go, right?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! With all the joyful celebration that comes with Purim, as well as the costumes and food gifts for friends and neighbors, and the hosting of large quantities of people now under our belts, we can relax for a moment........and then it is time to get to work preparing for Passover, which is exactly in four weeks! This year my craft room absolutely has to get cleaned out and organized as we need the space as an extra bedroom.....I think I'll spare you the before and after photos, but truthfully really excited about the prospect of having to stay clean and organized in the room that is my "office." And maybe just maybe, my prize will be a space dedicated just for painting and making a mess somewhere not in the house, and hopefully not in our basement space with no light or air either. Of course that would mean I'd have to actually use that dedicated painting space, so we'll just have to see what develops! And now for the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Wishing You A Purim Sameach!

We celebrated Purim here in Northern Israel yesterday, but in Jerusalem Purim is being celebrated right now, so I thought I'd wish everyone a Purim Sameach, and may we all merit to witness miracles and to know the difference between good and evil! Today is the day called Shushan Purim, and today Shushan Purim is celebrated in just 2 cities in the world that are still technically walled cities, Jerusalem and a city in Turkey, whose name I have forgotten, sorry about that. Since whatever happens in Jerusalem certainly filters out into the whole world, we can certainly wish one another a Purim Sameach! Details regarding this toddler Queen Esther costume coming up next week, because now I must go finish preparations for shabbos!

DIY No-Sew Dragon Cape

When I was requested to make a dragon costume for Purim, I knew it would be very loosely a "dragon costume" and in the end, on account of the king masquerade mask, the recipient deemed it "king of the dragons" meaning a very nice king who encourages good things! The most important part of the costume is of course the cape, which suggests dragon wings and makes the costume dramatic and fun. Little elastic wrist bands sewn to the inside at the end of each wing means that when the child raises his hands he has wings! And while you can't see it in this photo, the inside is the orange color you see peaking through, which made the whole thing fun and lively. I'm so glad I didn't go with black or grey as I had originally envisioned, phew! This cape is quite easy to make, and you can choose to sew it or glue it.

I took this photo before I lost my daylight, and before I decided to sew everything together as I did not know where my iron on adhesive was. I have made a few other costume capes, like an eagle and a peacock, and those were glued as that was pre-buying a sewing machine for the daughter! In any case if you need to make a cape for a loved one, I hope this idea will be a hit! Ah yes, and in case you examined the photo, I made the dark green pieces with felt I had on hand, which explains why there are multiple pieces. And then a funny thing happened, because of using those multiple pieces there ended up being pockets, which I had promised to put on the inside! This small change in the design was well received fortunately, and the costume was a hit, yippee!

A Kippa For Purim, To Go With That Costume.......

Once I decorated a kippa with yarn spaghetti and meatballs for my son's Purim costume, and this year I decorated a kippa with scales as part of a King of Dragons costume, which I'll be sharing with you shortly. This decorated kippa pairs nicely with the king masquerade mask, so make them both! Truthfully, a kippa covered with scales could be perfect for any lizard, fish or bird (feathers and scales could look similar) costume, and is simple to make while making a fun statement. And of course, one could cover a kippa with a variety of shapes in the same way to make something equally exciting, right? Okay, Purim is coming so lets get started!