creative jewish mom

Stand-Up Cardboard Cake For Every Occasion

Need a fun birthday or special occasion decoration that is artful and a pleasure to make? How about a cardboard stand up birthday cake that will put a smile one everyone's face? We've been enjoying this cereal box birthday cake that I made for some family birthdays in December for quite a few weeks now, and I still enjoy looking at it, as there is just something about layered cakes that is so carefree and sort of storybook sweet! This cake is on a wall mounted Ikea sideboard in our dining room, as part of a larger whimsical display, but if would look great on a shelf, or surprise someone by putting it somewhere fun on the morning of their birthday! Okay, lets make a great looking recycled cardboard cake to add some joy to 2021! Shall we?

A Fun Stand-Up Painted Owl With Wine Cork Feet!

Owl crafts are really so much fun and lend themselves to lots of creativity, as once you have the basic identifying features of an owl, namely the eyes and beak and compact body shape, you can do just about anything and it will still look like an owl! Recently I have been enjoying honing my art skills and bringing them into the world of craft by marrying the two through artful recycled packaging, birthday decor, succah decor and now a little bit of fall/winter seasonal decor that includes owls. It is true, a pink and green owl with striped pants might be most of all birthday party appropriate, but I say one does not need any excuses whatsoever to bring something colorful and creative into your home any time! This stand up owl is so simple to make and will surely bring smiles all around, so lets get started!

Super Simple Fall Centerpiece With Painted Faux Apples

If you happen to have a bunch of blank apples made for crafting, just waiting for their turn in the spotlight, as I did, paint them in your favorite colors, add some white details with a paint pen, place them in a footed glass bowl, and voila, a fun Fall, Rosh HaShana, Succot, or even Tu B'Shevat centerpiece is born! Ah yes, and this would make a fun teacher appreciation gift as well! Truthfully apples painted in your favorite colors can be used any time to bring joy into your home, so while I did make this for our series of Jewish holidays in the Fall, it would look great any time. And in case you may have noticed, the more the better! Want to make something like this for your table? Lets take a close look.......

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!

A Quick Accordian Folded Paper Flower For The Succah!

If I am sharing succah crafts with you right now, namely decorations that are currently hanging in my succah, that must mean the Jewish holiday of Succot is quickly approaching. And yes indeed, one of my favorite holidays, that also happens to be seven days long, starts tomorrow night, so time is of the essence! While I had thought I'd be ready days ahead, hmmm, that didn't quite happen as I was waiting for inspiration to strike with something new, and it did, PHEW, only I once again find myself crafting in the wee hours of the morning the night before the holiday, sigh! Lest I digress, if you happen to need some quick succah decorations right NOW, paper accordian folded flowers look great and are quick, plus you can make them in a variety of sizes, and voila, a whole wall of decorations is born! I'll admit, I didn't make the gold accordian folded flower/star this year, and in fact I'm not sure how many years ago this was made, the miracle was that I packed them away nicely and somehow a box full of them surfaced this year when my son combed the attic!

I do hope to share photos of the entire succah with you next week, so stay tuned for that, and keep on reading to find out how to make even just one gorgeous gold flower!

Apple Cake Cards For Rosh HaShana, Or Someone's Birthday, Or Both?

One of my sweet sons has a 17th birthday tomorrow, just two days shy of Rosh HaShana, and this year, unlike previous years when the men and boys travel out of town for the holiday leaving us women to bask in the freedom of just being women, ahhhh, but never mind, that is not happening this year, or so it seems, which means that for the first time in about ten years I have the chance to make a proper birthday party for my son on his actual birthday! Not all the family will have arrived back home from their various schools, but at least I can decorate!

Just in time for my birthday decor needs, my friend Amanda Evanston posted a video on her Facebook page showing how to make some artful cakes, in preparation for the opening of her private Facebook group, (to let in another batch of members, which only happens twice a year) so check out the video here, and consider treating yourself to a membership in her Insider's Group, totally amazing, and the biggest comitment you'll need to make is for a month, so given all the videos now available there, nothing lost. This is not a paid post, just spreading good news about something that could really change your art game, if you are up for it!

Okay, back to Rosh HaShana apple cake and birthday cake, which could in fact be one and the same as Rosh HaShana is the world's birthday, at least on the Jewish calendar, but available for all to celebrate, so feel free to join in! There will be honey cake and apples dipped in honey and dates and pomegranites and carrots and beets and pumpkin and leek and maybe even a fish head if you are lucky. (I just mentioned the symbolic foods we eat on the holiday.....we also eat several course festive meals and everyone listens to the blowing of the shofar, this year on Sunday only.)

Once again, I am going off on a tangent and you might like to paint some festive apples or a birthday cake, right? Okay, let's do it........

Happiness Is A Jar Full Of Tiny Origami Paper Stars

I truly wish it were that simple, don't you? Truthfully, it really can be, and for starters it is all about putting things in perspective, being happy with your lot, and recognizing the need to be grateful for all the good you do have, not to mention for every moment and every morning that you wake up, as nothing is certain! On the other hand making tiny paper stars might come easily to some of us, while to others making a jar full of these would be torture. And that my friends is sort of like happiness: easy to come by for some and really difficult to achieve for others, sadly enough. And in case you are wondering, I do mean a deep sense of fulfillment as well as joyful moments, and hopefully some exhilarating ones as well, as true happiness is a combination of all of the above, and then some.

So, while it may sound a bit cliche, happiness can truly be a jar of origami stars, that put a smile on your face every time you look at them, that add that just perfect cute factor to your day, that brought together your family in an activity, or that became a sweet baby mobile for a new mommy. Right now that jar of stars that has been sitting on our dining room table for a few weeks now is just exactly what it is, a jar of paper stars that I made one at a time, and I love it! The combination of colors, the joyfulness of it, and the fact that it is not trying to be anything other than what it is.

Ah yes, so maybe that is another key to happiness, being true to who we are? In my case I am being true to who I am by writing this post in the first place, and by actually displaying this jar of stars front and center in my home. Do I need others to understand anything about this jar? No, loud and clear, no, on the other hand if you are reading this you likely do understand, and our mutual understanding across the seas creates global happiness, which is quite a significant thing to think about. I am rambling, so please don't think about it too much, just get yourself some quilling paper and make yourself a little jar of happiness, and then spread it!

Tiny Origami Stars Made From Paper Strips

Introducing my latest crafting obsession: tiny origami stars, also known as lucky stars. I think they are lucky stars because anyone who makes them just wants to make more and more, and that kind of craft obsession is truly a gift, generally speaking, especially if you are on a long car trip or an airplane or stuck waiting somewhere or in quarantine, or any number of situations wherein a little injection of joy is truly welcome! I'll admit, despite my love for origami these stars somehow passed under my radar and it wasn't until I was ordering some stationary supplies that I glimpsed some quilling paper strips photographed together with these stars and had a huge ah hah moment. Wow, I thought, I can order that rainbow colored hank of little strips that I've used in the past for quilling, but instead make a bunch of too adorable for words stars? And the fact that the paper was only 9 shekels ($2.50) sealed the deal. My only regret now is that I didn't order more paper, though truthfully I do have a bunch more in the box with my quilling supplies in the basement, so I may just have to raid that, because my friends these little stars are just one of the best things ever, and I can't wait to use them to make garlands and mobiles and cake decorations and who knows what else, for the coming Jewish holiday season! Okay, let's get some more details about how you can make these stars a part of your life.......

A DIY Birthday Crown For Every Age

In our home a birthday just isn't a birthday without a birthday crown! Well, except for my birthday, as I have yet to make one for myself! As it turns out, these colorful and very simply birthday crowns, that can truly be made in around ten minutes if need be, are great photo props, and of course you can always take a few photos after the party at some point, just as long as the birthday girl/boy/man/woman agrees to wear the crown! If you really want to go all out, you can also make crowns for everyone, with the birthday crown being just a big bigger and maybe more decorated, and by putting the crowns at every place setting at the table the party decor is also greatly enhanced. Plus, once everyone puts on their crown it really does feel like a party! I did this once with toilet paper tube crowns, and of course that was quite silly and lots of fun, so do give the idea of crowns all around a try, regardless of which crowns you choose. Okay, lets make a simple DIY birthday crown, shall we?

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.....