creative jewish mom

Simple DIY Party Decorations With Drinking Straws

Summer is the perfect time for fun and colorful party decorations, and quick party decorations take the prize, right? I shared my plastic straw themed birthday party decorations with you a few weeks ago, and now I'm sharing them with you as a total party theme, with links to each individual project. The star burst straw centerpieces are so simple to make, and could be great for just about any event, made in the colors to match your theme. Really truly, the simplest most festive decorations ever. So enjoy these ideas and give them a try, you might even decide to make your Succah decorations from plastic straws, which is great for making sure the Succah won't melt if it rains, a stronger possibility this year as Succot falls a bit later in the year!

And just a note regarding the fact that using plastic straws may not be eco-conscious: yes it is true plastic straws are not eco-friendly, and I am the first one to go the extra mile to recycle, but as I see it, these decorations are the kind of thing you'll use over and over again, as opposed to something that likely will go in the trash, so that in itself is eco-conscious? And if you have no use for these amazing plastic straw decorations after the party, donate them!

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.......

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! 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!

How To Make Origami Pinwheels While Spring Cleaning

Origami pinwheels, also referred to as origami windmills, are simple to make and a great way to make some spring decorations while also using up bits of scrapbooking or other paper you have hanging around collecting dust! I love making origami from wrapping paper, so that is game as well, as are recycled magazine pages and just about anything thin enough to fold. I came across this two sheets of A4 sized bubble wrap printed paper that I made a good twelve years ago, and instead of tossing it I decided to make some origami pinwheels, and I just love how cheerful they are. You can use these pinwheels to make a garland, or use a thumbtack or paper fastener to attach them to a straw or wooden stick, and they can actually spn. You can also plump them up a bit if you like, or keep them flat. Origami pinwheels are also a great way to introduce kids to the art of origami, so lets get started!

Toilet Paper Tube Castle Craft

We are on a roll with the recycling crafts for Purim, and I couldn't be more pleased, especially since we still have a week to keep on crafting for the festive holiday! Introducing toilet paper tube castle craft, which you can make to use as a centerpiece, a scene on a sideboard, or even as a simple toy. I generally save toilet paper tubes for crafting, but this time only had five on hand, so may castle is considerably smaller than I would have preferred. I'd love to see a castle that is a few stories high, and maybe with some little rooves and flags, but with the lack of supplies on hand I went for something very basic, which is also good! What do castles have to do with Purim? Well truthfully European castles do not have anything to do with Purim, since the Purim story took place in Shushan, Iran, but certainly there was a palace where our hero Queen Esther resided, so you know anything loosely castle/palace is relevant to Purim. Now that we have clarified that, lets get crafting!

Cardboard Fish Centerpiece For Purim, Or Just For Fun!

The cardboard fish centerpieces I made for our community Purim party were a hit, and now I get to use them to decorate our house for Purim, coming up quickly next week. I don't think I'll use all ten of them, then again, a school of fish swimming down my Purim table could be lots of fun, right? I'll get out the blue tablecloths and take it from there.....maybe I'll make some milk carton boats or use some plastic ones and do a whole ocean themed table.......I guess it all depends on how quickly the costumes go this year, and how many guests we'll be having. At this moment I'm so happy to have some new decorations and a theme to work with, and Purim  isn't for another nine days or so (next Wednesday night, with the festive meal happening on Thursday.) And so for once the holiday may just come in without having to loose any sleep, yippee! Want to make some quick cardboard fish centerpieces? Lets get started......

Recycled Cardboard Fish Are The Perfect Purim Craft!

I'm loving crafting with recycled cardboard boxes lately, there is something truly satisfying about creating something new from a cardboard box (hopefully) bound for the recycling pile. And to top it off, there is just something about black and white paint together with the cardboard box color that looks amazing. Enough said, introducing my recycled cardboard fish, just in time for Purim, and the Jewish month of Adar, which is the sign of the fish! You can use these fun cardboard fish in so many ways, and this can be a craft for all ages if one makes fish shapes for everyone to paint and/or decorate. Even a collage of findings on a fish shape could be amazing, or a fish shaped welcome sign for your Purim party! I actually made these fish to use as centerpieces for a Purim party tonight, and I'll be sharing the tutorial for making stand up fish centerpieces with you shortly. In the mean time, get inspired by my fun recycled cardboard fish, and enjoy!

Giant Paper Flower Centerpiece

A really giant centerpiece on a budget can be simple to whip up if you have the right materials and a few tips from yours truly, who specialized in making budget centerpieces on a dime. Yes, and infact I have a batch in progress for next week's Women's Purim party in our community, and it involves cardboard fish, but you'll just have to wait to see that one! In the mean time, a huge vase of flowers can instantly transform any table or room into a party, so these are perfect for Purim, especially when there are so many other things to make, at least in our house.Now I have to add, for some reason these flowers were very hard to photograph, and they actually look much better in person than in these photos, so take my word for it, and don't spend precious time on more difficult versions until you try these! And best of all, these flowers really can be make from just about any light weight paper, including recycled maps, newspaper, you name it, so get those creative gears turning!

Crocheted Flower Mobile Is Perfect For Every Occasion

A few months ago I shared my crocheted t-shirt yarn flowers, and guess what, I actually put them to use as birthday party mobile that phased nicely into Tu B'Shevat decorations, that are now phasing into Purim decorations! So for the past few months a pink crocheted flower mobile has been hanging over our dining room table, and some of the numerous guests have commented how lovely it looks, not realizing that it was actually a seasonal decoration. The great thing about this crocheted mobile is that you can hang the strands from a light fixture, as I have done, or simply attach them to a hoop. And once you crochet the flowers, assembling this spring blossom mobile is oh so simple, gotta love that! This would also be a perfect baby mobile.......wedding photo backdrop, bat mitzvah backdrop, you name it! And the individual crocheted glower garlands would look lovely hanging from a tree or really just about anywhere, just a few or a huge amount, you decide. Get a huge bunch of friends together, get lots of skeins of t-shirt yarn, and you can have yourself a great party backdrop that can then be repurposed into baby mobiles for the whole world, or floral lampshades, or one could even sew these flowers onto a blanket. Okay, enough babbling, lets whip up a crocheted flower mobile!