creative jewish mom

The Best Of DIY Painted And Embroidered Lampshades

Lampshades are the perfect place to sharpen your DIY skills, and a DIY painted or embroidered lampshade is the perfect place to start. I've gathered some great inspiration for you as far as the shade goes. And if you're in the market for a new lamp that could really be a great base for your crafty lampshade ventures, I think that some wooden lighting namely wooden lamps using blonde wood could look really great, especially since one of the hot decorating trends for 2016 is the Scandinavian style white and black interior with wood accents. And of course, you don't need to stop with your wood based lamp, you could also get some really cool wooden pendant lights to complete the look. Okay, now on to the inspiration!

This painted peacock feather lamp shade by Alisa Burke over at i love to create is just fantastic, as is this painted cross stitch lampshade that just makes me so very happy! There is a problem with this link loading for some reason, so if necessary just copy it here and paste into your browser: http://www.crafts.tutsplus.com/tutorials/give-a-boring-lampshade-a-brand-new-look--craft-2458

How About Trying An Embroidery Kit This Winter? (And Get A Good Deal!)

I don't know about you, but I've been thinking a lot about embroidery lately, and so when I saw these cute embroidery kits at blitsy.com (a craft supply clearing house of sorts loaded with lots of great deals!) I thought I'd share them with you, and in the process I might just earn a bit for myself to satisfy my desire for some of the goodies I saw on their site, can you blame me? All the kits are under the category "needlepoint & cross stitch" I like this embroidery kit above from blitsy.com as it has a enough embroidery work involved, but not too much that it will take you forever, and would look great framed somewhere.

I love the one on the left, and making an adorable bib as a new baby gift would also be a great way to get your feet wet!

If the chunkier and more rustic look of crewel embroidery is more to your liking, I spotted these two kits as well! Can't decide, maybe just get them all, you can always give the kits as gifts, right?

And for those of you, who like me, probably wouldn't order a kit (and probably won't get around to designing your own either, sigh) there are some good deals on DMC floss, and the thing that got me the most inspired were these napkin blanks, which you can find under the category "blank textiles" onto which you could embroider your own design, or even crochet my new edging design, which would look fantastic.

So check out blitsy.com, sign up before you forget, and lets get crafting!

Embroidery On Patterned Fabric Can Add That Something Special!

As I was about to use some of this blue fabric that a neighbor once gave me for a little chanukah crafting I looked at the leaves and berries and realized that they certainly could be olive branches, which would be oh so perfect for chanukah. (On account of the miracle with the olive oil.) So, in order to turn some of those berries into olives, a little embroidery seemed like a great solution!

As it turned out, the gold thread was quite difficult to work with, and I'm really not sure if it will truly enhance my project, but as you know, the creative process always leads us somewhere, even if not where we expected to end up. I'll keep you posted!

Embroidery With Simple Stitches Is So Much Fun!

The little embroidery that I started on my vintage wool blanket has evolved into something different altogether and now I'm dreaming of all kinds of embroidery projects using simple stitches. French knots, lazy daisey, satin stitch, chain stitch and straight stitch are all simple embroidery stitches that anyone can learn and then use to create embroidered masterpieces! I just need to add stem stitch to my repetoire and maybe another trick or two, and all set. Well sort of, then one really needs to decide whether to do embroidery on the proper fabric, in this case with wool crewel thread that would be linen, or just do as I've done here and not worry about that so much?

I did this crewel embroidery by simply drawing with a felt pen on the blanket, but now maybe I should really plan my next design on the computer so that I could make a file for others to use as well? So that means I need an iron on transfer pencil? Or should I run some very lightweight fabric fused with freezer paper through that printer I don't have? Or use a laser printed sheet the way one would use like an iron on pattern, which apparently works on some fabrics? Sigh, life was so simple when I just decided to embroider this blanket on a whim! Enjoy!

A French Knot And Lazy Daisy Embroidered Sampler (Of Sorts.....)

Did you know that quite simply embroidering a whole bunch of lazy daisies together with quite a few french knots produces a very pleasing field of embroidery that could look great adorning just about anything? Last week I simply could not stand looking at all those amazing photos I've been collecting of embroidery and not giving it a try myself, and so this little corner of a sampler was born, and I am already moving on with the exploration of some more stitches, so stay tuned!

And in case embroidery is new to you, the french knot and the lazy daisy stitch are two very basic stitches that one can easily learn, and there are video on you tube so that you can get it the first time!

One of the really great things about this little embroidery is that I actually did it on the piece of vintage wool blanket that I use to cover the top of my pot of hamin (shabbat stew) as it cooks overnight on shabbat on our electric food warmer. Silly me, while I had seen a blanket used on pots on shabbat, it wasn't until recently that I realized tha this is actually the true secret to delicious hamin! So now, I get to enjoy this little embroidery from Friday night at sundown until we eat our pot of hamin, sometime around noon on Saturday!

Note: Hamin (for Sephardic Jews) and cholent (for Ashkenazic Jews) is the bean and meat stew that is traditionally eaten for lunch on Saturday, and since one who observes shabbat does not light fire on that day, these pots of stew while once kept warm in the embers of the oven at the local bakery, are today kept warm at home either by using a crock pot, an electric food warmer or blech, a plate of metal that is placed over a gas stove, with one burner left burning

Embroidery Details Inspired By Blogging Friendships!

Canvas Embroidery Is Great For Boys!

Simple embroidery on canvas is a great little project to have on hand to work on here and there for kids of all ages, and I'm especially loving that my boys ages 7 and 9 each have a little canvas in progress. I'll be honest, it makes me so very happy to see them sitting on the couch listening to a CD and embroidering away. Projects like these while not exactly creative are a great exercise in patience and persistence and the joys of crossing the finishing line!

My seven year old, just has the background to complete, while my nine year old (who is usually not interested in crafting, but was inspired by his brother) just started his. As the weather starts to get colder and darkness descends quite early, I'm fairly certain that these little embroidered works will actually get finished, and then framed to hang in their room. 

And yes, of course, one could certainly buy canvas and draw your own design with permanent markers, (which I'd love to do of course) but sometimes a craft kit is the wiser way to go, right? Life is about doing not thinking about doing, which means sometimes taking the short cut is the way to go! Gotta run, busy busy busy!

Dutch Canal Houses Embroidered Table Runner, For Chanukah?

I just love the idea of capturing the charm of Dutch canal house architecture with embroidery, don't you? This fabulous idea, shown in progress, is brought to you by Pam over at gingerbread snowflakes, and I can't wait to see the finished project! And thanks so much for Pam for not only contacting me, but contacting me at just the right moment when I was really in need of a crafting post to break up all the travel posts, and this couldn't be more perfect!

Interestingly enough, a blogging friend of Pam's, who lives in Haarlem, saw my post here, about our recent visit to the gorgeous city, and emailed Pam to tell her about it. And as it turns out, Pam and I are actually acquainted with one another from the blogging world. Small little crafty world, right?

And the blue and white theme would make this just perfect for Chanukah, don't you think? You could even embroider some Chanukah menorahs in some of the windows! 

Come to think of it, I just love the idea of preserving some memories from travels in the form of embroidery! Maybe I'll just have to find some great images from some of my recent photos and get to work! Thanks so much for the inspiration Pam, and once again, here's the link to the post on her fabulous blog, gingerbread and snowflakes!

I sure would love to start an embroidery project, how about you?

Spring Gift Baskets From Embroidered Styrofoam Bowls

Aren't these embroidered styrofoam bowls great? With Purim coming up and Spring on our doorstep, now is the time to make little baskets, right? And really, embroidering on styrofoam is just too much fun! How about washing out a large coffee cup from your last coffee run (try a little bleach to get rid of the coffee stain?) or trying this idea out on some take out containers if bowls like these don't happen to be on hand. And do take a look at my post, embroidering on styrofoam trays for some more inspiration.

A few months back I caved in and bought my kids an unhealthy dinner treat, namely instant Chinese noodles, as I was going out for the evening. When I returned, the bowls were just screaming "save me, save me" so I did, and am happy to have found a fun use for them! So if you're gonna eat something not so healthy, as least do something great with the container!

You'll Need:

• recycled styrofoam bowls, these were from instant noodle soup
• a flat piece of styrofoam from a recycled tray or take-out box
• yarn 
• a large yarn needle, the large ones are quite dull, or use a plastic yarn needle for kids
• paper or felt 
• high tack craft glue (not hot glue, it will melt your project!)

How To:

1. Embroider simple designs on your bowl, either by planning ahead or doing something random. If you plan ahead, so make holes in your bowl with the needle to guide the embroidery. The star bursts were done randomly and are quick and look great....I'd recommend those if you're making a bunch.
2. To make the cover, trace the rim of your bowl on a flat piece of styrofoam, adding a little pull tab to your circle. Cut out and trim to desired size, and embroider. 
3. Cut a handle from paper or felt and glue to inside of bowl. If you'd like to cover the inside to finish off your basket nicely, cut a piece of paper to wrap around the inside, and affix with glue.
4. Make a few and enjoy! 

And, to give credit where credit is due: the inspiration for this project came from a recent Craft Schooling Sunday contributor from Sweden, Pysselbolaget. I took the general idea of embroidering on recycled containers and came up with something related of course, you know like cousins or something. Where will the inspiration you've gotten from my project take you?

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Embroidery On Recycled Styrofoam Trays

Embroidery on recycled styrofoam trays is just too much fun, and I'm already envisioning a whole series of mini embroidered pictures. Embroidering on styrofoam trays is a great way to introduce the art of sewing to young kids or take a little time out for yourself to make a small whimsical embroidered picture.

You'll Need:

• recycled styrofoam trays, cleaned well and sanitized with soap and hot water if they held meat or fish
• yarn
• a large yarn needle, or even a plastic yarn needle for kids

How To:

Figure out your design before you start embroidering, mark lightly with a pencil on the back of the tray. I of course did it on the front, silly me, totally not necessary! Make holes with your needle along the lines of your drawing. Make sure holes are not too close together. Thread your needle, tie a knot in the end of the yarn and go to town!

Of course, if you'd like to do something just a bit more sophisticated (and time consuming), by all means, why not use a regular sized embroidery needle and embroidery thread and practice some more complicated stitches? 

Stay tuned for a fun way to use embroidery on styrofoam for your Purim gifts (can you guess?) coming up tomorrow!

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