creative jewish mom

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!)

Cutest Ever Clown Cake Or Cupcake Topper Craft!

DIY clown cake toppers that could also be adorable cupcake toppers are not only perfect for a circus theme birthday, but also Purim, coming up this week! And these were actually made from stuffed paper hearts, left over from another occasion, so it is also a recycling craft! Lets face it, presentation is everything, so if you need a cake, don't worry about spending hours on icing, make something you know is delicious and then top it with simple icing and the cutest clown cake toppers ever, and you've got a winner!

I have actually pulled this craft out of the archives to share with you, as this Purim is looking a little bit different this year, and since my house looks like Purim year round, there isn't too much pressure to decorate. Okay, I will whip up some new things of course, but not until later this week, when there may not be time to share them. Okay, lets learn how to make these adorable cake toppers!

A Giant Origami Clown Dressed Up As A Bird, For Purim!

I am reposting this because it is one of my all time favorites, and really festive. Plus you can use wrapping paper that you have hanging around, and it is the perfect size to put on your front door. Enjoy, and excuse me while I go figure out what decorations to make this year? Truthfully, the house is already decorated with lots of plastic bag pom poms and all my winter crafting, so it already looks like Purim, but there are a few things I'd like to fit in, on the other hand the art is calling!

A giant origami clown makes a great decoration for the front door especially for the Jewish month of Adar and the holiday of Purim, and also of course anytime you're expecting guests for a festive occassion of any kind! And just in case you were wondering, my clown also happens to either be a bird dressed like a clown, or a clown dressed like a bird, you decide! Or maybe I could just eliminate the beak and it would be a giant origami clown angel? And can you guess what those ready-made wings were made from? Keep reading for the answer!

Whimsical Bear Portraits Make Perfect Party Decor!

As you may realize, I have been delving into drawing and painting and sketchbooking and art journaling more than actual crafts this past year, but that does not mean that our house is suddenly lacking festive decorations, infact just the opposite. Because dear friends, brightly colored or whimsical paintings, whether on paper or in my case milk cartons and boxes make really wonderful party decor, come on by and take a look! These fun bear portraits are now part of my kitchen gallery shelves display, and I even taped a few to boxes so they can stand up. They would make amazing gift tags (they work up quickly, and the quicker the better!) or adorable greating cards, or once you get the hang of it, why not a huge portrait on your front door for Purim? Yes, Purim is coming up in a week, yikes, and a painting session to create some whimsical bears is certainly in order! Give your bears some added accessories, like the ones I've shown or maybe even a crown, or a birthday cake or a little bird? To give credit where credit is due, this idea is from Cottonwood Artistry, on instagram here, who actually posted an amazing how-to video on a private Facebook group, and I'm hoping she'll share it with the world, in which case I'll let you know! Okay, lets take a closer look......

Simple Painted Treat Boxes From The Recycling Bin!

We are about to apparently welcome some snow so I'll make this quick as I need to go cover my succulents and bring others indoors! I have quite a collection of little food and medicine boxes that I hope to use someday for a big installation of some kind, not to mention match boxes, but in the mean time, there is nothing quite as sweet as little painted treat boxes. (Or just make some artufl painted matchboxes for shabbat, a fun gift!) Purim is a great time to get creative with fun and artful packaging, so why not gather as many boxes as you can find, get out the paint and have fun creating something unique! Even if you don't use them for gift giving, they also make great decor, any time! You can hot glue a bunch together, or tie them together with a beautiful ribbon, or use your creative packaging as part of a larger gift basket. The main thing is, get those creative gears turning, don't worry about what someone might think of your painted toothpaste box! The box I've shared with you here is soooo simple, you won't believe it, keep on reading!

Quick Meringue Hearts In A Pinch

I'll make this quick, because after all, who really has time to spend making desserts for a dessert bar, especially when it is last minute? I'll admit, desserts are my daughter's thing, and she assembled these adorable hearts for a friend's engagement party dessert bar. Dessert bars need quite a few items to look great, so something like this, which simply requires filling some store bought meringue hearts with whipped cream, a cookie and a candy or two, can truly be a life saver. Who eats the desserts anyway? Maybe the little kids with the sticky hands that reach up onto that table? So I say, make something that is quick and looks great, with as little time investment as possible, and if you are like my daughter, invest in the beautiful cake that you leave in your newly married friend's fridge for the day after the wedding! Okay, need a shopping list to assemble these beauties? Lets do it!