creative jewish mom

How To Doodle A Sun Using A Pen And Some Paint

Passover is right around the corner, so how about starting by doodling a few elements that can be used to set the stage for the Passover story? Lets start with that oh so hot desert sun that the Jewish people certainly experienced in Egypt! There are so many ways to draw the sun, and one can and should spend a little time working on a few ideas to make your own version of this sun doodle. These were actually my second attempt, and I used the best ideas from my first try, which produced some which were more like stars!

Doodling on a ground of color, in this case circles that I painted with yellow gouache is so much fun, and the results immediately look like little works of art! I cut these suns out after I painted them, and will use them as part of a little assemblage project that I'm doing for Passover. i think they'd also make great gift tags, or elements for a garland or collage of any kind. So go to town with little doodle suns in a variety of sizes and you can't go wrong!

Hand Lettering With Gouache For Journaling And So Much More!

Isn't that just the way it goes, that when I have a long list of things to do that creative voice in my head insists on venting some energy? So there you have it folks, at one of the busiest times of year I suddenly find myself experimenting with gouache and for the first time ever, some fun hand lettering with really bright and decorative letter forms! Okay, at least I picked a phrase that goes with the theme of Passover (quickly approaching, yikes) and this little sign now looks just as cute as can be hanging in my kitchen. And now I think I need to do one that is a bit more positive, like "be free" or "choose freedom", don't you think?

I will say, this little project didn't go so quickly as controlling a tiny brush for the details isn't one of my greatest skills just yet, and I did make quite a few mistakes that had to be painted over, but all in all, I love the not so perfect results and would love to get much better at this. Suddenly all those amazing creative journal pages I've saved on Pinterest seem like something that is right up my alley at the moment, now where did I put all those journals?

Ten Fun Coloring Book Pages Crafts, Ah Yes And Those Doodling Pages Too!

Coloring books are all the rage, and filling pages with doodles is a great way to relax as well, the big question is, NOW WHAT? Meaning should you just let those coloring books hang around until you toss them in a few years, or should you put them to good use by crafting with them? Of course you all know my answer, and I do think it is a good one, as beautiful colored pages can also be transformed into great looking crafts that you can enjoy!

 Now, as an added creative activity, before you click "keep reading", try to come up with some of your own ideas, I'll give you a hint, I actually came up with more than ten, so I'm sure you can too!

Remembering Jerusalem Doodle Craft For The Three Weeks

We are now at the beginning of the mourning period on the Jewish calendar known as "The Three Weeks" and of course since many are on summer vacation, doing some crafting that is relevant to the time period is a must! it is true, there are all kinds of laws whose observance helps us not to forget, but the greatest reminder is to quite simply to get busy thinking about Jerusalem, and I'm here to help you with that! There is something about doodling that is just perfect for summer, and anyone can do it, so I thought that coming up with doodle patterns that depict Jerusalem would be perfect right about now. I've chosen to use Jerusalem domed houses and buildings, cypress trees and the stones of the Kotel as my doodling elements, though I'm sure you can some up with some more. So doodle a bunch of pages, and then color them, and/or set them aside to use for crafting. What crafting you may ask? Stay tuned for that one my dear readers!

Recycled Cardboard Tube Logs, A Fun Craft For Lag B'Omer!

Here's a fun recycled cardboard tube craft, in this case I used paper towel tubes, that is perfect just about any time really......though of course with the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer coming up, that is what I have made them for. Lag B'Omer involves bonfires, generally really huge ones in our neck of the woods, so all things log and campfire related are perfect. It is true, many Lag B'Omer bonfires are fueled by olive oil, or made from towers of crates and palettes and old furniture, but logs are just so much cuter, I'm sure you'll agree!

So lets make a bunch of cute logs, faux bois style, shall we? Oh, haven't heard of faux bois? That may just be a crafting faux pas, so lets get you up to steam. Faux bois means fake wood, namely anything with a wood grain pattern or made to look like branches, even sculpted. Are you with me? Now lets get crafting and doodling!

Toilet Paper Tube Butterfly Craft Plus Doodling Equals Fabulous!

Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it turns out that the butterfly is actually a symbol used in Holocaust Education (check out my previous post, here) and a yellow one turns out to be even more timely.......and so you see the craft that I was thinking was just too cheerful to post yesterday is actually right on time! Speaking of right on time, I'm so happy to present to you this toilet paper tube butterfly that is just so darn cute and makes a great project for all ages........make it a true work of art, or stick to patterns really seen on butterfly wings, you decide! Either way, no one will confuse your results with something made in nursery school with pipe cleaner antennae, not that I'm knocking that, just giving the toilet paper tube butterfly a higher ranking in the crafting world!

This guy has been sitting on my picture ledge in our kitchen table gallery, and he is just so much fun I hope to make some more, and maybe even a much larger one using a paper towel tube! Ready to get started? Okay, lets fly with this one........

Fish Shaped Gift Tags Are Fun To Make And To Use!

Need a tiny project to fulfill that need for a little bit of creativity? Why not make some of these fun fish shaped gift tags that are perfect for Purim, or any time really! And if you don't need any gift tags, so use them as ornaments or make a mobile or even combine them with the stuffed paper fish I shared with you last week.

This is a fun project for all ages, and especially great for those who love to doodle but never really do anything with those doodles!  And this is also a great opportunity to discuss what makes a fish kosher, namely scales and fins, and how to incorporate these into a doodle design.

You'll Need:

• cereal box cardboard
• colored card stock
• black markers, a thick one and a thin one
• double stick tape or a glue stick
• a hole punch and string

How To: Draw a very basic outline of a fish on a piece of thin cardboard, and cut out leaving a large margin around the outline. Doodle your design on the fish. Cover the back of the fish with double sided tape, or the adhesive of your choice, and affix to a piece of colored paper of some kind. Cut out fish once again, this time cutting a bit closer to the outline. Punch a hole in the fish's mouth, thread with a piece of string or ribbon and you've made a fantastic gift tag!

 

Doodling On Paper Plates Craft For Anytime!

Doodling on paper plates is just about one of the simplest craft ideas I've every come up with, and yet it is really so much fun! So put out some plates and even something as simple as ball point pens, and watch as everyone gets to work decorating their plates! I actually did this drawing activity with my kids a full year ago when we were visiting my mother in Oakland, California, and the results were so cute I fortunately saved them!

Craft activities like this one that involve no set up, and create no mess are especially perfect to pull out on vacation or when visiting relatives and the kids need something to do, I'm sure you've been there!

Fortunately I had the forethought to write on the back of each plate who did what, as I almost got confused between my daughter's doodles and mine. Mine is the mandala shape above, hers is the doodle done with the blue pen, truly art!

The main idea to be learned here is that drawing can and should be done on things other than flat paper (and the walls, of course) to make the whole idea more interesting. Enjoy!

Dancing Numbers Birthday Card Craft For Kids

Here's another cute and simple homemade birthday card (the ONLY way to go!) craft idea for kids — dancing numbers! I came up with this one last week for my very unenthused (sigh) when it comes to crafting 10 year old, and he ended up taking the paper with him to make the card in school. That together with the number nine I drew for him to use as a stencil to trace around, as his doubts about actually making the numbers almost kept him from making this adorable card!

Watercolor Flower Paintings And A Happy Birthday To Bubby!

To honor my dear mother on her birthday, and at least post a photo of a birthday card that was made on time, my daughter and I sat down for a little introduction to painting backgrounds with water color. And we quickly realized that painting with water colors to produce those lovely etherial paintings that we love is really quite difficult! Nonetheless, the point here was to make a birthday card for Bubby, and now we know that some actual lessons in using watercolors would be a great idea! (I've always dreamt of making tiny beautiful landscape watercolor paintings, on travels near and far. Sigh.)

First we made a background of circles with watercolor paints and lots of water, and then we drew flowers over the circular splotches with a permanent marker. (Do find a finer permanent marker than the one we used for best results.) The nicest one was the one in which my daughter left space for stems, and so she chose that one to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBY!

While we generally try to think of our own ideas, sometimes you just gotta copy that great idea someone else has put out there! That said, this craft was directly inspired by a post that I saw on Bloesem Kids.