creative jewish mom

Origami Horse Cake Toppers Are Cute As Can Be!

Ever seen a cake topper that is a horse dressed up as a unicorn? Me neither but it just seemed perfect for a four year old!

Right now I'm in the process of using up all the flour in the house as we prepare for Passover, and the first step for me is to bake challahs and a few deserts, and freeze everything we'll need for the next 2 shabbats, or more or less anyway, we can always, gasp, buy any challah we need for the shabbat before Passover! Since cake is the topic in my kitchen right now, I thought I'd share wtih you these fun origami horse cake toppers that I used for a birthday cake this past shabbat, and together with sprinkles, and large white gumdrops, a fun cake was born! Ah yes, and around the bottom of the cake I took colorful cupcake liners, folded them in half and placed them like petals, which gave the bundt cake a lovely finished look, phew! So friends, as I always say, cute cake decorations can be easily made with paper and some glue, and this is one more example. You can of course use these horses as part of a dessert scene, or a merry-go-round or even place them around the bottom of the cake, get creative! Okay, shall we make some?

Origami Butterfly Party Decor

 

 

Purim is coming up next week which means it is time to invest in some joyful decorations, right? I'll admit, you don't need to spend hours and hours making hundreds of origami butterflies as I did, even just 30 or so, made in an hour (once you get the hang of it) would look fantastic taped to a wall somewhere, or to your dining room light fixture? I've got plastic bag pom poms hanging from mine right now, but would hang some butterflies too possibly, maybe for another holiday? Why butterflies for Purim you may ask? Well, not sure really, but in Hebrew butterfly is parpar, so you can say its a parpar Purim, or parpurim, just to explain it to those who can't understand why you'd want a huge number of fun butterflies! Ah yes, and this photo was taken in the school cafeteria where I decorated the space for butterflies, and still wondering why I didn't take a moment to straighten that chair, but so it goes!

DIY Plastic Bag Pom Pom Cake Toppers

Looking for a festive cake topper idea in a pinch? How about plastic bag pom pom cake toppers? I'll admit, this was truly a last minute idea as I had made the pom poms to hang from our dining room table chandelier but hadn't quite gotten around to it, so I quickly stuck skewers into the pom poms and voila a festive cake was born. I'll admit that these toppers would be more successful on a high cake rather than my chocolate chip cookie cake, but with the cake placed on a cake stand, and some red rose petals on the table to add more color, it worked. After the birthday party I removed the skewers and got one of my teen sons to hang the pom poms where they added a festive touch for the week of chanukah together with some golden wire dreidels. While I've been doing the more sophisticated look in our dining room lately, loving the return of some fun color via a great recycling craft, so the pom poms may just stay for Tu B'Shevat and then Purim!

DIY Fruity Birthday Number Centerpiece

Mazel tov to my wonderful daughter, whose birthday is today! A big phew, because tonight we enter the somber period of the 9 days, on the Jewish calender, and if she had been born just one day later I would not have been able to make her festive birthday parties until 10 days later! For the past four years or so I have been making birthday numbers, which I use in a vase either on the table, or on the sideboard, though they'd be great anywhere. Sometimes I've made numbers in black and white, and then I've reused them for her younger brothers, though this year, since she loves fruit, I'm going colorful and fruity. And I just realized that she'd really enjoy a bunch of fruit themed life advice quotes, so I'll be making a bunch of those somehow as birthday decor at well. Ah yes, and then there's the chandelier to decorate, and bake the cake, or at least prepare the cake toppers, she is the baker, hmmm. Okay, I'm in a huge rush, with sleepover guests arriving unexpectedly, along with everything else, so lets get to it!

DIY Painted Paper Gerbera Centerpiece

There is nothing quite as lovely as painted paper flowers used as holiday decor, or really anytime! I am so thrilled to have these flowers on my sideboard right now!  They are so cheerful and never fade, and can be easily saved in a box to pull out for any occassion! And I had to laugh, that the wires that I've saved from real gerbera flowers (that honestly as so annoying as they don't last very long...) are perfect for this craft. And that I actually knew where they were, a small miracle! If you have not saved the wires from the gerbera (who would do that?) so just use some green floral wire or tape skewers to the back for support. Or if you use very heavy watercolor paper you may not need any extra support. I also happened to have these 3 narrow and tall glass vases on hand, which were perfect for this, so do play around with a variety of vessels, to see what works. Okay, keep on reading for a few more tips.

Paper Doll Chain Party Decorations In A Pinch!

Sometimes you just need a great idea for party decorations in a pinch, and maybe even a ton of them, and this my friends is a keeper! Paper doll chains can be made in any length or size, the only limit is the size of your paper! I just love the idea of hanging them on a line, with clothespins, whether suspended, as mine were, or on a wall, and this preserves the paper dolls for use in the future, or maybe you'd like to take them down and let the guests clothe them? Now how is that for party decor meets party craft? Okay, our big party of the year, Purim is coming tomorrow night, so lets get this show on the road!

DIY Recycled Cardboard Castle Wall Decor!

Phew, I did it, and the crowd loved the women's Purim party decor.....they said it was better than ever! Truthfully I also felt like I moved up a rung, as the look was much cleaner and in a way, simpler, than previous years when my creations may have been a bit more all over the place. And yes, thanks to that huge white cardboard box I've been saving for months (that held our new dining table light fixture) a few white cardboard castles were born, of course together with many other items as well, which I'll be sharing with you in the next few days. But first, the castle in the clouds, which is totally do-able in time for Purim, and really makes such a huge statement! I'm about to re-install the castles in my dining room, to enjoy this shabbat, and to not have to figure out where to put them!  Okay, lets get started!

Simple Cake Decorating Ideas To Impress Your Guests

If you have been reading my blog for more than a few years, you may remember that I just love surprising my family and friends with simple and creative cakes to celebrate any number of occasions. It is true, in the past I have mostly relied on paper cut outs, mini bunting, flags of all kinds and even origami to make fun cake toppers, but now, thanks so my teen daughter who is quite the baker, I have come to realize that there are many simply gorgeous ways to decorate cakes without having to get out the colored paper! It is true, you may need a few simple supplies that requires planning ahead, but most of the ideas I've compiled here are really quite simple and can be assembled in a pinch.

So whether you are a beginner and might purchase a plain cake to decorate yourself, or an experienced baker, these ideas will help you take your cake decorating skills to the next level! I can't wait to hear all the oohs and aahs, so lets get started!

DIY Birthday Centerpiece With Pink Apples!

For my daughter's 19th birthday on the last day of the Jewish month of Tammuz (fortunately just before the 9 day of mourning, during which time I could not throw a festive party no matter how simple.) I needed to make something new to shower her with a bit of love, and the painted apples that I made back in September 2020 for Rosh HaShana, are still looking just as cute as can be and make great party decor. Check out my tutorial here. Plus I made quite a large quantity in a few colors and just the pink ones alone filled this glass footed bowl, and of course looked right on he mark with the pink botanical birthday number centerpiece. But how to make the bowl of apples birthday specific? Ah yes, a little brush lettering sign, of course. So I got out my brush marker, and having practiced brush lettering a bit, I just winged it, and a perfect little birthday message appeared on the painted background, phew! Want to make something like this too? I highly recommend it, because once you've got festive apples, the whole mood is just downright happy!

IKEA Hack Birthday Centerpiece With Botanical Doodle

One of my greastest pleasures is DIY birthday decorations, and depending on how much time I happen to have, the decorations might be something altogether new, or possibly a mix of new and repurposed from previous birthdays or holidays. And of course, since IKEA is my personal go to for props, these birthday displays may very well include something from my favorite big box Swedish store, since we have one just an hour from our home in Northen Israel. I try not to go there unless absolutely necessary, as I end up buying a whole bunch of things that I just "need" and you know how that goes! I'm shopping deprived, and I love it, but can make the trip to IKEA a bit difficult. Lest I digress, back the the birthday decor!

My daughter's birthday which in on the last day of the Jewish month of Tammuz is during summer vacation, and we have often celebrated away from home.....2 years it was just my husband and daughter and I n a little cabin on the shores of Lake Siljan, with a wild flower bouquet that was beyond! I was scampering around the garden trying to cut flowers without her noticing! You can check out that wildflower birthday bouquet here. This year despite being incredibly busy I knew I had to put in a few hours at least to make something from the heart, so I figured I'd add a black and white botanical doodle number like the ones here, to the growing collection. But then I made a big smudge on one of the numbers and realized I had no choice but to try something new, like adding color! I do love the festive results, and am grateful for that smudge! (Keep reading, I documented it!) Want to try one too, keep on reading, you can do it!