creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is a wonderful time to get creative whether indoors or out, whether with painting, photography, weaving, knitting, crocheting, macrame, sketching, embroidery, and the list goes on and on and on. Ah yes, and punch needle embroidery is now popular, so maybe I should revisit that? So many possibilities and just not enough hours in the day to satisfy my creative voice, and just hoping this is one voice that keeps on chit chatting, even if I can't always give it the attention it deserves! So for now, I'll just enjoy presenting to you the features from last week's party, enjoy!

Pen Friends: Penpalling as a Fun Hobby for Your Child

Did you know that the term “pen pal” was actually preceded by the phrase “pen friend” which was used back in the early 1900’s? With the advent of digital communication which is quick and easy, handwritten letters have become increasingly scarce, which is truly unfortunate! Whether you call is pen friends or penpalling, communication through “snail mail” provide benefits and creative opportunities that online communication just can’t match. Penpalling is an excellent opportunity for every child to learn to express themselves through writing, connect with others from around the world, and practice composition skills in a non-threatening way.

A Safe Hobby

Penpalling is both a fun and educational experience for all ages, though when it comes to children, it’s natural to be extra careful when selecting a friend with whom they can exchange letters. This is where the digital aspect of our modern world comes into play. Many organizations recognize the benefits of letter-writing and the importance of safety, and have created dedicated websites specifically geared towards creating a safe space for children, as well as to help parents navigate the process. Technology also offers conveniences that simplify snail mail; for instance, learning to print stamps online is remarkably easy. You can even schedule letter or package pickups at your convenience in some instances.

DIY Cake Flowers From Plastic Straws

If you ever find yourself trying to decorate a cake in say ten minutes, you have come to the right place, as this is my quickest (and maybe even cutest) cake decoration idea yet! All you need are some plastic (or possibly paper) straws and some scissors and a few minutes, and voila, cute cake flowers can transform a simple cake into something gorgeous. I'm not sure how I came up wth this idea as I was literally sweating to get the cake decorated, but I think I must have been inspired by those little vintage style plastic flowers used to hold birthday candles! Now, as you may notice, I am photographing this cake after it was half was eaten, namely a full day after the party, so I put the flowers on the side of the cake for the sake of the photographs, when in actuality the flowers were on top of the cake, which looked a bit more sophisticated than this idea, so keep that in mind! Okay, lets make some plastic cake flowers that one could also use to decorate a fruit platter, or even cupcakes of course!

How To Make A Quick Plastic Straw Cake Banner

Introducing the cutest cake banner ever made in about 5 minutes, literally! I had to whip up some decorations as a surprise for my son's birthday, and with shabbos quickly approaching I literally had no time, and yet the results all in all where some of my best yet, go figure! Truthfully sticking with just one type of material, in this case plastic straws in specific colors gave a really nice consistency to the party table, and while it could have looked very childish, I actually pulled it off for a fourteen year old, phew! I love cake banners, and have made sweet paper and washi tape ones in the past, but this one is just a little bit unexpected and when paired with the drinking straw cake flowers, it is a winner! Ah yes, and of course make a bunch of drinking straw starbursts for the table to complete the look, and you'll be stocking up on straws for future parties, I have no doubt. This cake banner is pretty self explanatory, but I'll spell it out for you in case you are so short of time that you just need that extra push.......lets do it!

Drinking Straw Starbursts Make Perfect Birthday Centerpieces

Here it is, the simplest birthday centerpiece with the greatest WOW value, drinking straw starbursts! And best of all, they aren't just for birthdays, I just realized if you have gold or silver straws you could actually make some drinking straw starbursts worthy of a wedding, an anniversary or any event that requires a touch of elegance, really! This is a quick project that makes zero mess, could be done on the site of the party, and saved in a a big box for another use. (And yes, please don't toss them, they are not environmentally friendly.) I could see these starburst straw decorations being hung in a stairwell vertically, or even being scattered over a lawn to add some fun color. I just realized that one could likely make a huge version of this with some pool noodles, which could be amazing! With just a few important tips for making these straw starbursts I have a feeling party decorations are going to take on a whole new meaning in your life! Let's get started.......

Super Simple Birthday Balloons In A Pinch

When I say simple birthday balloons, I mean really simple, and when I mean in a pinch, I mean when time is really really precious, like the guests are about to knock on the door! This week I'm finally going to share with you all the super quick birthday decorations I whipped up for a shabbat birthday celebration for my 14 year old son earlier this month.  It was a surprise to boot, which means had I only had about 20 minutes or less to hang up any decorations that needed hanging between the time I literally pushed my son out of the house until the official beginning of shabbat, at which time things like taping and tying are not permitted. Soooooo, lets start off with a super simple and inexpensive way to add fun birthday balloons to the mix without having to spend more than necessary. It is true, I love big helium filled number balloons, but when there are double digits involved we're talking about $22 for said balloons that will only last one day, and in my book that is a bit of a waste for a small family party. Usually I make big paper numbers to hang somewhere, but the decorations here were a bit more sophisticated and those drawn numbers would not have really enhanced the look, so introducing quick birthday balloons with numbers, perfect!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Summer is here and for many that means more family time, so I vote for family craft projects, making sukkah decorations when there is time (and packing them up carefully for a few months) and exploring the idea of creating out doors, creating with things found on nature walks, and even painting and sketching out doors! Ah yes, and for those traveling, take-along craft projects like spool knitting, crocheting, weaving, needlepoint and embroidery are all wonderful ways to pass the time. So make the most of summer and include creativity as a part of your summer plans, I know I will, and I'm chomping at the bit to do some work in another sketchbook.

On another note with no joyful major Jewish holidays on the horizon, (in late July there is the 17th of Tammuz, a minor fast day followed 9 days later by the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, Tisha B'Av.) we can concetrate on learning new techniques and skills to use for Rosh HaShana and Succot, though honestly I think I just want to create with no holiday in mind. That said, I have been collecting a certain techina container for months to make some sukkah decorations, so I would recommend something like that at the very least! Okay dear readers, enjoy the features from last week's party and looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!

A DIY Stenciled Coat Rack For Kids From Odds And Ends

Sometimes blog posts come about in the most interesting ways, and this one is no exception! I just posted an article about summer decorating tips, and then I saw that one of our Craft Schooling Sunday regulars had a linky party with stencilling as the theme. I certainly have some stencilling projects in my archive, I thought to myself, totally forgetting about this little stencilled coat rack, which I then came across and just had to share again, as it is stlll cute as can be! My photography 9 years ago certainly leaves something to be desired, but the project, love it! I made this coat rack for my kids to hang their coats and backpacks, so it is also a bit nostalgic since those little ones are now teens with different needs, where do the years go?

That said when making a coat rack for kids it might just be wise to use scraps of formica covered wood, or drawer ends (which I believe these were) and an odd assortment of hooks, as sooner or later you'll be replacing that coat rack with something else, as we have! Keep on reading for this fun tutorial, and enjoy!

Simple Summer Decorating Tips For Every Budget

Summer is here and that means more daylight hours, more time to spend outdoors, and maybe more house guests and entertaining? If you are thinking about giving your home a summer facelift but aren't sure where to start, I've compiled some great decorating tips that will make your home look better than ever. Even if you are not a major DIY enthusiast home design doesn't have to be complicated or even difficult. Your place can look great with the help of some simple decorating tips, and without breaking the bank. Sounds good to me, lets get started!

Mini Cardboard T-Shirt Memory Game Is Perfect For Your Family Get Together!

Making mini cardboard t-shirts is so much fun, I realized that if one makes say 24, 36, or 48 or any even number for that matter, you can easily whip up your own custom memory game! And making a memory game for a special occasion, especially if there will be kids (or grown ups who like to play games) on hand is such a fun way to make the get together even more fun and memorable. If you really want to go all out, you could even make custom memory games as party favors! (Or possibly just make one set? I was thinking this would also make a great gift for an eight year old boy who loves memory games.) Cover your mini t-shirts with family birthdays, little drawings, sayings everyone loves or go simple and draw flowers, plants and other patterns, like I have. And to add an activity to your party, you can even have guests create pairs of matching shirts when they arrive, which would also be fun! Are you ready? Lets make our own matching game with symbols and words that have extra special meaning for us!