creative jewish mom

More Quick DIY Birthday Crowns Spread Joy!

DIY birthday crowns are so simple to make, look amazing and truly make the birthday person feel extra special! In the past I made these crowns in five minutes, and they were cute but not exactly works of art. Fast forward and I had a little extra time to actually figure out how to make a great looking birthday crown and voila, a bunch of designs were born. Now I just can't stop making them, and had to share one more with you! The latest crown was made for a woman nearing 70 or so, and she and her husband were supposed to be our guests for shabbos. Her husband had quietly told my husband that it would be his wife's birthday, knowing that I would do something for her, of course. Now, I do not know her age, nor would she necessarily want her age on a crown, so instead I made the hebrew letter shin, for Shulamit, her name. So we made a cake and a crown, but then the couple were not feeling well and couldn't come for shabbos unfortunately.

Sooooo, since they are our neighbors I sent my daughter over to their house with the birthday crown and a few salads for shabbos. My daughter reported that Shulamit loved the crown so much she was both crying and laughing at the same time! And when she called to say thanks, she reported that the crown made her so happy and served as their shabbos centerpiece. So there you have it my friends, a birthday crown can bring happiness at any age, truly! So lets find out what we'll need to make them, shall we?

Simple DIY Birthday Props For Any Age

No one is ever too old to receive some birthday love in the form of a glittery DIY birthday crown or some simple cake flags! Both of these items are so simple to make, and while those of us in DIY land may make things like this for their loved ones regularly, realistically most folks have never had such a birthday experience. So, if you happen to be having a guest with a birthday around the time of their visit, flatter them with a little surprise birthday party, and you will bring smiles all around, promise! The twenty two year old for whom I made these birthday props is a young man studying in Israel, far from home in Brooklyn, and he likes to think of us as his second family.......so of course when I heard about his birthday I just had to do something. And truthfully, the house was already decorated with birthday/hanukkah decorations, so only a tiny bit (comparatively) of effort was involved. We needed desert in any case for the all the shabbos guests, and a simple birthday cake with flags is our go-to birthday cake. After shabbat was over and the young men came to sign our guest book, I even took photos to send to the birthday boy's mom. And that dear friends is how to spread joy through crafting!

Now we've heard that some regular guests who will be coming this next shabbat also have a birthday, so another crown and cake coming up! This time I won't be using the age (as I don't know it, and not everyone likes to publicize their age) but rather an initial for the birthday woman, whose husband sweetly told my husband that she has a birthday. Ahhhh, I'm gonna make her smile too.

Simple DIY Birthday Crown With Sparkles

DIY birthday crowns add a fun touch to any birthday party, especially for young kids, or the young at heart, and now the great news is: you can whip up something special in very little time! Yes, I've done all the experimenting for you, so if you are in a rush, just go ahead and copy my designs, really it is fine. When you do have some more time, so experiment and come up with your own unique version.

Truthfully, the first version of these crowns was made in ten minutes and well, the crowns were cute but not gorgeous. So, with another few birthdays on the horizon I decided to make some crowns ahead of time, with no pressure and more room for creativity. I love the results and am so happy to now have some fun designs to use in the future if I ever find myself in a pinch. Truthfully I had so much fun making these crowns I think I'll make a bunch to have on hand for years to come......now how is that for planning ahead? Of course I will leave the numbers off as the crowns could really be used for a variety of occasions, or with little ones just because is a great reason as well! Okay, lets make some fun DIY sparkly crowns, shall we?

Super Simple Birthday Cake Flags

Above: Just pretend that the number seven sits nicely in the center of the cake, okay? Truthfully I put a raw potato in the middle of the cake to hold the skewer but there was so much white glaze in there that the potato kept rising to the top and toppling the number over a bit......alack alas, perfection was not achieved, and I really don't think anyone noticed. Longest caption in the history of CJM, a great way to start the first post of 2020?

On the first night of Chanukah we celebrate two family birthdays, and this year due to my computer falling very ill I was able to spend a huge chunk of time crafting for this special party and for Chanukah in general, and it was so wonderful, truly. I hope to have a chance to photograph the decorations, and share some of them of them with you, and in the mean time, I thought I'd share my super simple cake flags, which are a breeze to make and truthfully look great. I have neither the skills nor the hours for time consuming cakes, (as you may know if you've been following this blog over the years) but rather opt for a simply delicious chocolate cake with a glaze and cute as can be decorations that don't take too much time to make. 

Despite having a whole month to prepare for this birthday party I was running late with the cake, and so when my three beloved nieces arrived from afar for the party I actually had them put together the sparkling cake flags. Fortunately it is simple enough even for the inexperienced crafter, so take note and be sure to remember this one when you need a simple cake decorating solution, you know the kind you can do in ten minutes or so!

Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sprinkles For Chanukah Or Any Festivity!

Wishing everyone a lovely light-filled Chanukah on this fourth night of Chanukah. It is pouring cats and dogs here in Northern Israel creating a very dramatic setting for the glowing flames of the holiday. My kids are all snugly tucked in bed with a book so I’m taking a moment to share these fun cookies with you. Courtesy of my teen daughter I might add, who does all the baking......and who baked some more goodies today as we have a small army of guests coming for meals this special upcoming Shabbat!

This idea is pretty self explanatory but keep on reading for a few tips......

Q-Tip Painted Brown Paper Bags For Gift Giving

Whether you want to use up or re-use some simple brown paper lunch bags, or even better, recycle larger brown paper. bags, you can create festive gift wrap or gift bags with the addition of some festive Q-tip painted patterns! I had planned to create a whole Q-tip painting primer with patterns and ideas, but since that has yet to happen, I now present you with Q-tip flowers and polka dots which is fun to create and looks amazing. One of the great things about painting with Q-tips is it is great for little hands as well, and really so much fun. Beware, you may want to Q-tip paint the whole house, though that could be great too! For starters lets hone our Q-tip painting skills with these fun gift bags!

Drinking Straw Starburst Ornament

Let's recycle all those plastic straws that we may be using (if not recycling, use what you may have on hand or buy paper ones, please!) and make some wonderful and festive decorations! I'll be using straws to make a whole bunch of Hanukkah ornaments for a wall hanging, but of course this idea could be used for decorations for so many occasions. Best of all the drinking straw ornaments I've made for this Hanukkah are two sided, so in the future I can use them to hang in a doorway or as a mobile. You can find the link to the tutorial for making the drinking straw dreidel ornaments here.

Crafts made with plastic straws will last virtually forever (which is why we need to recycle them!) so decorations packed away nicely in a flat box can be used for years to come. I know, bright plastic straw DIY crafts may not be exactly suited to every area in your home, but I'm sure you can find a spot. I've hung the completed wall hanging in my kitchen on the side of a tall floor to ceiling cabinet, and it looks festive and fun. Okay, lets make a drinking star starburst ornament!

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!

DIY Cake Flowers From Plastic Straws

If you ever find yourself trying to decorate a cake in say ten minutes, you have come to the right place, as this is my quickest (and maybe even cutest) cake decoration idea yet! All you need are some plastic (or possibly paper) straws and some scissors and a few minutes, and voila, cute cake flowers can transform a simple cake into something gorgeous. I'm not sure how I came up wth this idea as I was literally sweating to get the cake decorated, but I think I must have been inspired by those little vintage style plastic flowers used to hold birthday candles! Now, as you may notice, I am photographing this cake after it was half was eaten, namely a full day after the party, so I put the flowers on the side of the cake for the sake of the photographs, when in actuality the flowers were on top of the cake, which looked a bit more sophisticated than this idea, so keep that in mind! Okay, lets make some plastic cake flowers that one could also use to decorate a fruit platter, or even cupcakes of course!

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!