creative jewish mom

Simple Balloon Cactus Is Perfect Anytime!

This balloon cactus party centerpiece idea is truly a keeper, and I will very likely be making many many more of these simple balloon cacti in the future. I tend to need ideas that can be made for 8 to 10 tables, on a budget, and this is perfect! I can't take credit for this idea, but I can take credit for using egg cartons to make the cactus flowers, which I just love! I made these cactus balloons for my son's birthday party this past shabbat, and since the parsha of the week was bamidbar (which means "in the dessert") well, the cactus theme was just perfect! The truth was I was in a big hurry and we happen to have lots of cactus themed items in our house, so I rounded all of them up to fill the table and dining room with festive items in keeping with the theme. Ah yes, and all the decorations had to be things that I could quickly assemble or bring into the room Friday night after everyone had left the house to go to the synagogue, as we have a custom of making the birthday a "surprise".  Phew, another festive birthday accomplished, with all the usual fixings! Okay, lets learn how to whip up these festive cactus balloon centerpieces, and with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot quickly approaching (Thursday night) this might be something to make for that as well, perfect infact!

Just one little warning, some folks will think that these are chickens, but just ignore them as they are obviously cacti! (Though I can't wait to make some chickens too.......)

Simple Cake Topper Banner In A Pinch!

Wow, what a week, five girls in my daughter's class got engaged, and our heads are spinning! (Not to worry Mom, your granddaughter isn't getting engaged anytime soon, as far as we know, but the future is approaching quickly!) When after 3 engagements, the fourth engagement was between the son and daughter of two old friends of mine, we nearly fainted, but there was no time for that, as once the announcement is made there are many preparations that need to happen for the official evening celebration. And now with the Corona restrictions folks are having what we call a "vort" (an announcement) and the actual engagement party (in Israel often done in a wedding hall with many guests, a small version of the wedding to come) on the same night, at the house of the bride. Fortunately the bride has many friends in her class and neighbors all pitch in to make the event happen, which of course includes a fancy desert bar.

Our kitchen became a bakery with sugar and flour and chocolate flying as my daughter worked at top speed to produce many beautiful deserts. Another friend ran to the store to buy some of the necessities as my daughter got to work, and I volunteered to whip up some cupcake toppers and a cake topper. I don't usually print cake toppers, but my homemade versions wouldn't be suitable for an occasion like this, so introducing my first ever printed cake topper! Of course the topper was just the topper, the little two-tiered cake was just as sweet as can be.

How To Plan A Virtual Birthday Party, Invitation And All!

As you may know, birthday parties are one of my favorite ways to show loved ones how special they are, and are a great opportunity to get those creative gears turning, especially when it comes to original decorations and simple yet festive cakes. Now that most of us are staying home and practicing social distancing, one can still throw a memorable birthday party, just with a new twist, a virtual birthday party! The party hosts could even be in a different location from the honoree, amazing! The other really nice thing about a virtual birthday party is that you can invite as many people as you like and certainly friends and family that would not normally attend because of geographical distance. So no reason to be sad, this may just be the birthday party of a lifetime! And if we are fortunate to see a speedy end to the Corona virus epidemic before the date of your planned party, the locals can always come to your house, nothing lost only gained, as this year you included loved ones from afar!

For those folks who do not have a computer in their home, or possibly do not have a computer for family use, this idea can still work! Follow all the non-virtual ideas and then connect on the phone via conference call. Ask all the party participants to take photos and send them to you, and wonderful memories will also be made! Okay, lets get started, as depending on when that upcoming birthday is, and where all your invitees live, near or far (?) time might be of the essence!

A Gorgeous Candy Topped Engagement Cake

Want to make a really stunning cake that will surely bring oohs and aahs all around? The candy and cookies topped cake trend is just the thing, especially for folks like me who do not want to spend hours on a cake! And one could surely buy an iced cake, even a high cheese cake from the grocery store and simply decorate the top. "Simply" meaning assuming you have an assortment of really great looking candy and cookies, which, if we in our somewhat remote Northern Israel location can purchase at the store, you surely can!

Before I continue, let me just say, I did not bake and decorate this cake, but my teen daughter did, with a friend, together with the friend's semi-professional cake baking sister. My daughter's school had been cancelled but we hadn't started taking the strictest measures to prevent the spread of the Corona virus, so when daughter asked to go to a friend's house to learn how to ice a fancy cake I said yes, after all my daughter loves making desserts and this was an opportunity to learn something new. And, the cake they were to make was to give to friend for her engagement party dessert table that same week. In the end the engagement party was cancelled, but my daughter delivered the cake to her friend just the same, an amazing act of kindess at a time like this.

Of course before that cake went out the door we (myself and daughter who is delving into photography a bit) took some photos to share with you! Now sure would be a great time to learn some new skills in the kitchen, whether it be fancy cake decorating (my daughter) or possibly setting up a way to make our own sprouts (me), right?

DIY Origami Crane Mobile To Welcome Spring

After sharing with you my photos of cranes migrating over Northern Israel I realized that origami cranes are a perfect craft right now, so I've dusted off my origami crane mobile from 8 years ago to present to you once again! While most of the origami I've done lately has been giant origami to use as wall decor for Purim (giant origami clowns here, giant origami birds here), or table decor for a birthday party, (giant origami stand up giraffes, here) making origami cranes using actual origami paper is just so very satisfying, and the results are truly delightful. Add an extra dose of cuteness by including some pom poms and voila, an amazing mobile or wall hanging is born!

With so many folks finding themselves unexpectedly at home, together with the kids, due to the Corona virus, learning a new skill that takes time and patience is a great way to pass the time, rather than listening to too much news and just zoning out in a state of worry. So why not fold as many paper cranes as possible, string them together and make a cheerful mobile? Okay, lets do it!

Giant Origami Pheasant Party Decor Or Stage Set!

If you are creating a giant origami stage set, or perhaps a wall filled with origami party decorations, you may like this giant origami pheasant, with a crown, as he makes a great friend for the giant origami partridge or even the paper peacock! I grew up making origami as a child, and as a mother needing party decorations for my kids realized that origami could also work using the largest paper I could find, generally wrapping paper! And the creative part about origami is that you create an environment for your origami, or add pattern to the origami pieces themselves. Either way, give it a try, plus it is great for your brain to try and figure out the instructions!

Giant DIY Accordian Fold Paper Flowers

If you ever need some great looking paper wall decorations, and you are just not sure what to make, give this giant accordian fold flower a try, and you'll want to make enough to fill the entire wall. It is true, one can buy manufactured accordian fold flowers that are similar, but there is nothing quite like the look of something handmade, right? Plus you'll be able to customize yours in so many ways depending on the paper you choose! And if you really want to get creative, how about taping together a bunch of magazine or catalog pages and using those? Or even paint or stamp patterns onto your paper before you create the giant flower. Okay, lets learn how to make this beauty, shall we?

How To Cut Simple Floral Shapes From Paper To Make A Party Garland In MInutes!

While I don't love creating under pressure, it is true that some of my best work has come to light in just that way. I now introduce to you a new idea on the roster that we'll call Matisse inspired cut paper shapes party garland! You can whip this paper party garland up in mere minutes, assuming you've got scissors and the right paper on hand! Picture this: with the party guests arriving in less than fiveteen minutes I still had an empty stretch of string running between two columns and in the center of the room.  Yikes! This was exactly the scene on Sunday night just before our community women's Purim party..... The giant paper peacocks and origami birds were up, with just this last area still bare, hmmm.

I am in charge of the decorations and I have accustomed the crowd to a creative effort each time, sooooooo, what to do? And then the idea struck, cut paper shapes to suggest flowers and leaves! The original theme that I had in mind was "colorful garden" and the other strings running overhead held paper lanterns, so this was an idea worth pulling off. Fortunately a friend was helping — I cut the shapes and she put them up, and the results were great! So happy to have another super quick party decor idea to pull out of  my sleeve, and I suggest you give this one a try, maybe in a relaxed fashion? Okay, lets get started, Purim is just around the corner, and these make fun Purim decorations to hang just about anywhere!

Simple Giant Paper Peacock Party Decor

A big huge PHEW — my late night efforts to assemble some decorations for our women's Purim party were mostly a success, and now I have a few things to share! While I had a colorful "gan eden" garden theme in mind, I actually only got as far as the birds for the garden, together with a few huge flowers. Fortunately that turned out to be enough as my original idea would have taken days to make and more time than I had to assemble, not to mention quite likely overkill. So first of all I'll share with you my giant paper peacock, which is just as cute as can be, can certainly stand alone, or be a part of a themed party, and most of all is so simple to make! This peacock was a part of a scene of sorts covering some room divider panels placed on either side of a stage space to hide the actors and the audio equipment. I'll be sharing all the elements with you over the next day or so, so stay tuned for that, but in the mean time, lets make a paper peacock!

Simple DIY Crepe Paper Flowers To Make Now!

I was just thinking that I should make some tissue paper flowers like those that used to grace our Purim table years ago, but it turns out so much time has passed that I actually just realized that the most successful flowers were made from crepe paper! Yes, tissue paper is wonderful too, and I have used it numerous times for flowers, but there is something about the crepe paper and its texture that just makes the whole project that much lovelier. I mean really, look at the photo, who isn't running to the store to buy some basic crepe paper? Confession: this photo was taken 9 (gasp) years ago, and that blue table was a little kiddie table that is long gone, it took me a moment to figure out what that was exactly!

Ah yes, and the crepe paper is reminiscent of Mexican paper flowers, so all the better is you need a food theme for your festive occasion, go with tacos? Boy, I sure am happy I didn't buy those two packs of tissue paper that were in my cart today at the art supply store the $8.50 seemed a bit too steep considering I was already buying large sheets of watercolor paper and other supplies for my latest painting adventures.....Lest I digress, i will go back and buy some crepe paper, and revisit this project, but in the mean time, lets learn how to make them! And do read the instructions very carefully please or your flowers may be a flop literally, got it?