creative jewish mom

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!

DIY Magic Wand Birthday Cake (In A Pinch!)

Simple and cute birthday cakes are my trademark, and truly the only kind of birthday cake that fits into my schedule, and suits my cake decorating abilities! I prefer to spend time on decorations that we can enjoy long after the birthday celebration rather than on a cake that looks great on the table, but of course gets eaten! For my daughter's 19th birthday, I had thought of making a watermelon cake, but realized at the last minute, that although she is 19, she still wants the same feeling of Mommy making her a birthday cake, even if she doesn't eat any of it! So while Mommy has largely exited the realm of baking, she did whip up the family classic quick and great tasting chocolate cake, while her daughter was sleeping, and then hid he cake in her office to decorate later, with a combo of decorations she already had on hand (par for the course!) I used my floral sketch cake toppers, my paper cloud gouche illustration cake toppers and the mini origami stars, that have been sitting in a jar waiting to be enjoyed! The magic wand idea was a last minute thought, and I think was a nice element, not to mention new!

DIY Botanical Doodle Cake Toppers For Birthdays And Anniversaries!

Last summer I spent many hours creating in my sketchbooks, including many hours of drawing botanicals, which then resulted in using those botanicals in many ways. For starters I did create a floral monogram which you can see here, and I also used my botanical sketches to create a frame in my sketchbook, here. After that, my daughter's birthday came along, and I created an 18 in the same style as the numbers you see here. I loved the results so much, that I then created one for each of my teen sons for their birthdays, in September 2020 and June 2021, which is what I've photographed here. While these botanical doodle cake toppers look complicated, they really are quite simple, and if you have time, you can create other items in this same style, like cupcake toppers, napkin rings, gift toppers, you name it! Okay, lets take a closer look!

DIY Cake Toppers From Flower Sketches

Last summer I spent quite a few days honing my flower sketching skills by looking at free tutorials from a wide variety of sources, check out my previous posts here, and then I added watercolor to them here, just for starters! You can check out all the posts that show what I've been up to in my sketchbooks here. So, when my daughter's birthday came around, it was only natural to make some sketched peonie paper cake toppers that I ended up using in some fun birthday centerpieces (more on that later.....) I drew these from a tutorial that I saw on Pinterest, and it is truly addictive, because the flowers end up looking so well, perfect? Not that perfect is ever the goal, but with cut out sketched flowers for a cake topper or even to add to a plant or bouquet, that somewhat perfect look just plain works! And best of all, this is also a recycling craft, so keep on reading for the simple supplies, and why not spend a lazy summer day sketching some flowers to use who knows when? I am keeping my collection of these kinds of crafts in a box, to pull out when needed for birthdays, anniversaries, you name it!

Pine Cone Pineapples Are The Perfect Summer Craft!

 

I have taken this craft out of the archives and dusted it off as it is a great partner to my pine cone animals post. Plus it truly is one of the cutest nature crafts ever, right? And pineapples can be any color, not just yellow as long as you have a few yellow ones in the bunch. Best of all, you'll hopefully have to take a nature walk to collect the pinecones, so enjoy!

I have been wanting to make pinecone pineapples for a few months now, and even painted the pinecones yellow before Passover, and finally found the time to give this fantastic summer craft, that would be a perfect summer camp craft a try. And wow, the results are so adorable you'll want to make a whole bunch, I know I do! You can use your pineapple pinecones as decorations for part of a tropical party, or as whiimsical decorations any time. Line up a few on a shelf and you'll smile every time you see them, or hang some mobile style. And of course if you want to be a little bit different, how about hanging some pineapple pinecones in your succah? Succot is among other things, a fall harvest festival, and in Israel that means pomegranites and dates, but it could certainly mean pineapples as well, right?

Regardless of whether you have a plan for your pinecone pineapples, gather some pinecones and get crafting, I'm sure a great idea will come to you. If not simply display them on a little shelf which is where mine are sitting right now, looking as cute as ever! Best of all, once you get the hang of how to make these, you really could whip up quite a few, even as fun Bar or Bat Mitzvah, birthday or wedding centerpieces, so lets get crafting! (Note: If you do plan on making a large quantity, I would paint them by dipping them into a large container of paint, so much easier!)