creative jewish mom

Graffiti Mittens Recycled Gift Box Craft

Ready to practice your painting and drawing skills and make the funnest winter themed gift box ever? What can I tell you, this one is a winner, not just the color combo, but the fun artful style, and the fact that it looks much more complicated than it really is! This winter clothes theme came about because I painted an ugly sweater for Chanukah, and then a graffiti ski cap, so mittens were a natural fit for my theme, and mittens with pom poms, is there anything cuter? So whether you follow my technique or not, do think about packaging your gifts this year in recycled containers that you've repurposed, or painted or made yourself, it makes gift giving that much more meaningful! Okay, lets get started!

A Mixed Media Stand Up Owl Is Perfect For Your Woodland Decorating Theme?

Owl themed crafts are so much fun, and can be done in so many ways, depending on how much time you have to spend and just how many owls you want to make! I am trying to increase my painting skills, so another painted owl, this time a bit more woodsy than my stand up owl with wine cork feet, is what came to be. The only thing I actually planned was that it would be a cut out stand up owl, so I painted it on the back of a piece of cereal box cardboard, and while I am very critical of my own work, I actually really love this gal, she looks to me like a children's book illustration. I do need to paint some big mushrooms to complete the scene, but for now presenting my mixed media cereal box owl! Ah yes, and just by the way, an owl like this could be great for a woodland themed baby shower, birthday party or any fall/winter occasion, plus he is easy to store and enjoy for years to come!

DIY Tree Branch With Colorful Leaves Wall Art

We are now on the third day (of seven) of the wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot, and while I am not doing any crafting, I can stop by here to share my favorite succah decoration with you! And, unlike some Succah decorations, this one is truly a work of art, and can be used year round indoors, or for a special event or to mark a new season. You decide, but if you are anything like me, you won't want to stop at just one, which I did not! After making the first version, a tree of life with gold leaves, I just had to make another colorful version with a gold trunk (previously the gold spray paint was not to be found) to fill a huge blank area in our Succah. And despite some scepticism from the peanut gallery, it turned out even more beautiful than the first one, and there is a very funny story that goes with it, which I'll share soon. The main thing is to find a really great looking dead branch with lots of character as well as bunches of tiny branches, as that variety is what truly makes this piece special. Okay, want to make one yourself? Lets learn how!

Simple DIY Polka Dot Balloons

Looking for a super simple way to transform inexpensive helium balloons in to something special for a party? Polka dot balloons are so simple to make and can be made with a wide variety of materials, so keep this in mind next time you are thinking about how to enhance the party decor you've just whipped up for a special someone! I made these pastel polka dot balloons for my daughter's 18th birthday a few weeks ago and they really did look amazing, especially given the minimal time investment. And just by the way, a few helium balloons tied to a base of some kind can make a wonderful and very cost conscious centerpiece for a wide variety of occassions, especially for example bar mitzvah centerpieces, bat mitzvah centerpieces, family reunion centerpieces, brit milah centerpieces and more of course. I was looking for an airy bright look so I choose white balloons, but you can certainly go with a dark colored balloon and white or metallic polka dots, which could look festive and sophisticated and downright amazing! Okay, lets delve into polka dot balloons just a bit deeper.....

Simple Cloud Cake Toppers Are Cute For Any Occasion!

I am rushing to post this cloud cake topper DIY as tonight is the beginning of the 9 day mournign period on the Jewish calendar, and we certainly won't be throwing any parties.That said I wanted to post this now as a message to all those who might be trying their hand at illustration or painting: save anything you do on heavy paper, you can cut it up and use it in a pinch! As I was trying to pull together a whole display of fun party decor for my daughter's 18th birthday, I spied a small pile of illustrations I'd made two plus years ago, and realized that the little gouche cloud illustration would be perfect to cut up and use on her cake, and phew, it came together really quickly with sweet as can be results. I also used some watercolor strawberry paintings we'd done together years ago, so really, save those art projects, they don't take up much space, and who knows, maybe you, like me, will be pressed for time and needing something to cut up and transformi into a cake topper! Actually come to think of it, if I hadn't already cut up the watercolor strawberry and used it in a centerpiece, that would have been a really adorable cake topper too! I think I may just repost that tutorial next. Okay, lets take a closer look at these cute cloud cake toppers that would be perfect for just about any occasion that warrants a cake and a message!

And I just realized that this could also be a post about how to make a quick cake stand, like the one you see here, so keep on reading for that!

5 Minute Paper Cake Toppers Using Your Old Art

Today is my daughter's 18th birthday, and so after 18 years of raising her and throwing birthday parties with lots of homemade decorations and cute DIY cakes I got it together rather at the last minute and pulled off a really cute birthday surprise complete with lots of recycling crafts that I can't wait to share. The thing is, tonight is the beginning of a very sad 9 day mourning period on the Jewish calendar, so while I'm posting the DIY birthday cake decorations today, I think the rest will have to wait until after T'isha B'av so that my blog reflects what is actually going on in our minds and hearts during this time. My daughter was fortunate to have been born on the last day of the month of Tammuz, when throwing a birthday party (without music) is still allowed, so phew for her!

Now, lets get down to business! I have always made paper cake toppers using illustrations and cut paper with skewers or toothpicks, so why stop now? My daughter is now the baker in the house, and while she thought of baking her own cake, she didn't have time, so I sent my son up to the bakery to buy one, so that I could spend my time on the decorations! Things were a bit pressed for time, and when I had completed everything, whoops, what about the cake? I almost thought of not decorating the cake, but banished that thought and instead whipped up some five minute cloud cake decorations using a gouche cloud illustration I had on hand from two years ago!

The lesson here is, don't throw away all those art experiments or practice sheets, you can always cut them up to make cake decorations! And boy was I happy at the moment I realized I could just cut out some of the painted clouds, write a few words on them and voila, a cute cake topper was born! Okay, lets take a look at the gouche art I used (or something similar, actually) and get to work!

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!