creative jewish mom

How To Draw A Botanical Border For A New Baby Card

A new baby means a new baby card, and all that sketching or rather doodling in my sketchbook means it is time to put that practice to work in the form of a handmade card! And, why not do the artwork on a separate piece of paper, in this case notebook paper, and simply glue that on to the card? No pressure and great results, gotta love it! And while I don't really favor the look of markers these days, I love how this simple card turned out, and the recipients didn't even realize at first that it was hand made! So dear friends, learn how to make some simple flower and leaf doodles, practice a bit of simple lettering, and you are good to go, nothing fancy needed, just some sweet sentiments from the heart, made by you! Okay, lets find out how to make this card exactly, shall we?

Simple Watercolor Poppy Wall Art

After sharing a few posts last week showing the watercolor poppies I used to make holiday decorations I decided to hold off and publish this watercolor poppy wall art separately so that it wouldn't get lost in all the gorgeousness of the watercolor poppy cut outs and the watercolor poppies centerpiece! After making those watercolor poppy cut-outs with straight stems, I realized that I could paint a panorama (two sheets of large watercolor paper used horizontally) of curved stem poppies to fill the width of my kitchen picture ledge for some more lovely decor! And yes indeed, simply painting a long row of poppies with no added background looks quite good, and can be done fairly quickly. Best of all, flat art like this is certainly simple to store until you need to add a festive touch once again. Of course these poppies are so great looking you'll likely leave them up for a while! I have 3 picture ledges in my kitchen that are used to display art generally, and I love to change them up, so these poppies have been a nice addition, and quite a bit more calming than my flower paintings hung clothesline style! The great thing about watercolor paper is that I was able to simply stand the sheets on the shelf, and with just a bit of masking tape to secure them, voila, lovely art was born. Okay, I did have to paint the poppies first, but that was pure joy! Want to make some painted poppies to decorate a spot in your home? Let's do it!

Blooming Watercolor Poppies Centerpiece Is Festive And Very Budget Friendly!

I am totally in love with the watercolor poppies in a pot centerpiece, well one-sided centerpiece really, and I have already made two more! This idea, is something that you can play around with depending on your own needs, and there are so many ways to go! I actually made a small one using a small round plastic peanut butter tub, which would make an adorable teacher appreciation gift or a token of appreciaion for a neighbor, for example. Then again, making larger pots of poppies really doesn't take that much more time, so go for it, as this burst of festive and artful color is a joyful addition anywhere or anytime! The Jewish holiday of Shavuos is on Thursday night, so we'll be enjoying all the watercolor poppies as we celebrate the giving of the Torah, and then they will likely be used as centerpieces for any number of occassions. I'll admit, I can't wait to try this idea out with other flowers, but with the holiday approaching, together with houseguests, that will just have to wait. Okay, lets make some of these pots of blooming flowers, shall we?

Watercolor Poppy Cutouts To Make NOW!

Please take my word for it, these watercolor poppy cutouts are one of the best things I've made in a long time, as there is just something about them that looks AMAZING! And that is even though my illustrations and the paint job were a bit lacking.......So get out the biggest watercolor paper you can find and start making some watercolor poppy cutouts, you won't regret it, and in fact you'll be jumping for joy and planning all the ways you can use these beauties! I have this idea of a diorama of sorts with watercolor poppies, so with that in mind I drew my poppies with straight stems so that I can tape a skewer to the back (which I did in this photo) but you can also draw them as shown inside this post, and then figure out how to use them afterwards! I'd say just hanging them anywhere could look amazing, or use them as a gift topper, or make a bouquet, of any number of other ideas I have yet to think of! The Jewish holiday of Shavuot is coming up this Thursday night, and since it is the holiday of greenery and flowers to remember the lush Mt. Sinai, where the Torah was given, these poppies are just perfect! (Never mind the fact that the poppies usually bloom for Passover in Israel, we really don't need to be so literal, we just need to be joyful!) Okay, lets get to it!

Simple Balloon Cactus Is Perfect Anytime!

This balloon cactus party centerpiece idea is truly a keeper, and I will very likely be making many many more of these simple balloon cacti in the future. I tend to need ideas that can be made for 8 to 10 tables, on a budget, and this is perfect! I can't take credit for this idea, but I can take credit for using egg cartons to make the cactus flowers, which I just love! I made these cactus balloons for my son's birthday party this past shabbat, and since the parsha of the week was bamidbar (which means "in the dessert") well, the cactus theme was just perfect! The truth was I was in a big hurry and we happen to have lots of cactus themed items in our house, so I rounded all of them up to fill the table and dining room with festive items in keeping with the theme. Ah yes, and all the decorations had to be things that I could quickly assemble or bring into the room Friday night after everyone had left the house to go to the synagogue, as we have a custom of making the birthday a "surprise".  Phew, another festive birthday accomplished, with all the usual fixings! Okay, lets learn how to whip up these festive cactus balloon centerpieces, and with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot quickly approaching (Thursday night) this might be something to make for that as well, perfect infact!

Just one little warning, some folks will think that these are chickens, but just ignore them as they are obviously cacti! (Though I can't wait to make some chickens too.......)

DIY Origami Crane Mobile To Welcome Spring

After sharing with you my photos of cranes migrating over Northern Israel I realized that origami cranes are a perfect craft right now, so I've dusted off my origami crane mobile from 8 years ago to present to you once again! While most of the origami I've done lately has been giant origami to use as wall decor for Purim (giant origami clowns here, giant origami birds here), or table decor for a birthday party, (giant origami stand up giraffes, here) making origami cranes using actual origami paper is just so very satisfying, and the results are truly delightful. Add an extra dose of cuteness by including some pom poms and voila, an amazing mobile or wall hanging is born!

With so many folks finding themselves unexpectedly at home, together with the kids, due to the Corona virus, learning a new skill that takes time and patience is a great way to pass the time, rather than listening to too much news and just zoning out in a state of worry. So why not fold as many paper cranes as possible, string them together and make a cheerful mobile? Okay, lets do it!

Bird Themed Paper Decorations For A Play, A Party Or Just Because!

The Jewish holiday of Purim starts tonight for most of the world, while in Jerusalem it starts on Tuesday night. Most of us are likely too busy with preparing food and gifts for the holiday, but the folks in Jerusalem might still have time to decorate an entire wall with a fun bird themed installation? I actually still need to figure out how to hang the origami birds in my own home, having created these decorations for a community party last week, and gotta do it before we set up the long banquet table for our 32 (invited, many will drop by) guests! So dear friends, I am rushing to get started on the preparations, but after sharing with you the paper peacock, the accordian fold flower, the origami pheasant and the origami partridge, I figured it was time to show you how all the elements were hung! I'll admit, I did this without an actual plan but am happy with how it all came together. Just enough elements to make it work, and varying the color background also brings lots of interest, so make sure to do that! Okay, here is the big reveal.......Ah yes, this was created to cover large partitions that stood on either side of a makeshift stage, to hide the sound system and actors changing, so a stage set of sorts!

Giant Origami Pheasant Party Decor Or Stage Set!

If you are creating a giant origami stage set, or perhaps a wall filled with origami party decorations, you may like this giant origami pheasant, with a crown, as he makes a great friend for the giant origami partridge or even the paper peacock! I grew up making origami as a child, and as a mother needing party decorations for my kids realized that origami could also work using the largest paper I could find, generally wrapping paper! And the creative part about origami is that you create an environment for your origami, or add pattern to the origami pieces themselves. Either way, give it a try, plus it is great for your brain to try and figure out the instructions!

Giant DIY Accordian Fold Paper Flowers

If you ever need some great looking paper wall decorations, and you are just not sure what to make, give this giant accordian fold flower a try, and you'll want to make enough to fill the entire wall. It is true, one can buy manufactured accordian fold flowers that are similar, but there is nothing quite like the look of something handmade, right? Plus you'll be able to customize yours in so many ways depending on the paper you choose! And if you really want to get creative, how about taping together a bunch of magazine or catalog pages and using those? Or even paint or stamp patterns onto your paper before you create the giant flower. Okay, lets learn how to make this beauty, shall we?

How To Cut Simple Floral Shapes From Paper To Make A Party Garland In MInutes!

While I don't love creating under pressure, it is true that some of my best work has come to light in just that way. I now introduce to you a new idea on the roster that we'll call Matisse inspired cut paper shapes party garland! You can whip this paper party garland up in mere minutes, assuming you've got scissors and the right paper on hand! Picture this: with the party guests arriving in less than fiveteen minutes I still had an empty stretch of string running between two columns and in the center of the room.  Yikes! This was exactly the scene on Sunday night just before our community women's Purim party..... The giant paper peacocks and origami birds were up, with just this last area still bare, hmmm.

I am in charge of the decorations and I have accustomed the crowd to a creative effort each time, sooooooo, what to do? And then the idea struck, cut paper shapes to suggest flowers and leaves! The original theme that I had in mind was "colorful garden" and the other strings running overhead held paper lanterns, so this was an idea worth pulling off. Fortunately a friend was helping — I cut the shapes and she put them up, and the results were great! So happy to have another super quick party decor idea to pull out of  my sleeve, and I suggest you give this one a try, maybe in a relaxed fashion? Okay, lets get started, Purim is just around the corner, and these make fun Purim decorations to hang just about anywhere!