creative jewish mom

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!

Drinking Straw Starbursts Make Perfect Birthday Centerpieces

Here it is, the simplest birthday centerpiece with the greatest WOW value, drinking straw starbursts! And best of all, they aren't just for birthdays, I just realized if you have gold or silver straws you could actually make some drinking straw starbursts worthy of a wedding, an anniversary or any event that requires a touch of elegance, really! This is a quick project that makes zero mess, could be done on the site of the party, and saved in a a big box for another use. (And yes, please don't toss them, they are not environmentally friendly.) I could see these starburst straw decorations being hung in a stairwell vertically, or even being scattered over a lawn to add some fun color. I just realized that one could likely make a huge version of this with some pool noodles, which could be amazing! With just a few important tips for making these straw starbursts I have a feeling party decorations are going to take on a whole new meaning in your life! Let's get started.......

How To Make Simple Paper Pinwheels While Cleaning For Passover

At this point most folks have done the bulk of the necessary cleaning for Passover, (or maybe they are closing up their homes and heading to family or on vacation) and if not they are certainly not taking time to peek at my blog, as Passover starts on Friday night and there is soooo much to do for this 7 day (8 days outside Israel) holiday. So if you are reading this, either you don't celebrate Passover, or you are ready to do some quick crafting before the holiday, so lets do it! While of course pinwheels aren't exactly traditional Passover symbols, why not? The spinning of the pinwheel represents the cycle of life and the 4 seasons, both themes which relate to Passover, namely the notion of passing down our traditions from generation to generation, and the fact that Passover always occurs in the Spring, which is why, despite having a lunar calendar, we also have a leap year to keep Passover as a Spring holiday, phew! Okay, lets make some pinwheels to add some fun to your home this Spring/Passover!

Drinking Straw Pyramids Passover Craft

Looking for a simple craft to add a creative touch to your home this Passover? Look no further, drinking straw pyramids are perfect and right on trend as well. Make them in lovely pastel colors, or get some metallic straws and make elegant versions that would look amazing on your Passover Seder table. Of course you can also use spray paint, I personally try to avoid that whenever possible.

Geometric shapes made with straws look amazing in general, and when you add the pyramid shape to the mix, well hello Passover! There are many many video tutorials out there for making geometric shapes with straws, and I just love the contemporary versions of Himmeli, which are Scandanavian mobiles originally made with real straw. In any case, start with the simple pyramid and take it from there!

Drinking Straw Star Ornament Craft

There is something about colorful jumbo drinking straws that I find simply irresistable, so a few months back on a trip to my favorite Swedish store, I just had to pick up some more straws in a new pastel color range. Fast forward to Hanukkah crafting, and those straws jumped out at me and said "make some drinking straw star ornaments please", and so there you have it! This is a quick craft (once you get the hang of it) with adorable results so make a bunch of these for that Hanukkah party, or hang them around the house! While you are at it, check out my drinking straw hanukkah garland from last year, as well as my drinking star star bursts, and stay tuned for more drinking star crafts! In the meantime, I've got a few helpful tips that I learned while making this craft, so keep on reading.....

Quick Drinking Straw Starburst Ornaments, Perfect For So Many Occassions!

When I spotted these large drinking straws in fabulous colors at my favorite Swedish retalier, (yes we have Ikea in Israel and the food in the restuarant is kosher!) I just had to buy quite a few bags as I knew they'd be great for crafting. I have actually started making chanukah decorations using these straws, and while I can't share them with you just yet, I was doing research to see what other crafters had made using straws and I came across this great project from Aunt Peaches, and then realized that I had even featured it on craft schooling Sunday a few years back.

So of course, I had to give it a try and this is the result! Pretty darn cute, I must say, and would look great for just about any occasion or even hung in a child's room from the ceiling. Gotta try that one!

You'll Need:

• colorful drinking straws, or just one metallic or solid color if you prefer
• zip ties

How To: This is so simple you're not gonna believe it, but you may need assistance from someone with lots of strength in their hands! All you do is take 25 or 30 straws, and gather them together in a bunch. Wrap a zip tie around the middle of the bunch and then pull as hard as you can so that the zip tie closes as much as possible.

The large starburst seen here was made with straws as-is, while the small size was made by cutting each straw in half. After closing the zip tie as tightly as you can, go back again and try to pull it even tighter. Trim if desired. And now go make a bunch more!