creative jewish mom

Summer Camp Crafts: A Graffiti Logo Sweatshirt With Splashes Of Color

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   I am so grateful that my teen daughter loves crafting, as with no school for months now due to Covid-19, she has had lots of time to delve into creative activities that she loves, the latest being grafitti sweatshirts! Her friends are begging her to make some for them, and while I was just thinking she could do a class, maybe just buying an airbrush and semi-mass producing them would be a better idea? Just to be clear, my daughter isn't wearing this sweatshirt out and about, but she certainly has fun wearing it as pajamas! The graffit sweatshirt idea all started with a Purim costume which led to a black and white graffiti sweatshirt, which then led to this colorful creation, all done by aforementioned teen daughter on the floor of her tiny Israeli sized bedroom......of course the bedroom is a cute as can be, complete with tiny lights and dreamy decor, so it is actually a nice sanctuary for creativity. This project is perfect for summer as a whole family or group of kids could make them together and even make each shirt or sweatshirt together to reflect the group as a whole, which could be a really great memento of time spent creating together. The instructions for this project are quite loose, so you'll really have to rev up the creative gears, but if you start with a word or a logo in the middle and then go from there, you really can't go wrong. And if you do, just pour some paint over the areas that weren't so successful and keep on going! Okay, lets take a look at the supplies we used for this graffiti sweatshirt......

Summer Camp Crafts: A Simple Graffiti Sweatshirt In Black And White

Summer is here, and yet this summer is not like other summers, sigh. Here at CJM central we seem be in the middle of eternal vacation, well sort of, with the future of schooling this year very uncertain. Rather than dwell on that, and whether some of my kids will actually get "summer vacation" when and if school starts, lets get busy making summer camp crafts, as there is something about messy or process oriented or outdoor type crafts that just makes many of us happy, not to mention busy and creative! Speaking of busy, this graffiti sweatshirt project could keep someone busy for hours and hours, and when my daughter disappeared into her room for long periods it dawned on me that she must be working on a graffiti sweatshirt! This graffiti sweatshirt idea was born when my teen daughter wrote all over one of her brother's old white shirts as  Purim costume (keep on reading for photo) and realized that she'd like to create a sweatshirt in the same style to wear as pajamas......and voila, a graffiti sweatshirt was born. And then another for a friend, and then another, but with color added! So, if you love to doodle, and love lettering, and/or drawing little items, this is the project for you, or your kids, so get a cheap sweatshirt, some permanent and/or fabric markers and enjoy. If some areas don't turn out wonderfully, just get some dark fabric paint and pour splatters over the areas you'd like to cover, ah yes, this is where the outdoor crafting part comes into the picture! Enjoy this one, and actually if you want to keep yourself and/or the family really busy, you could do a comforter cover, or a set of sheets using this graffiti sweatshirt as inspiration...........

Super Simple Crocheted Beaded Necklace To Complete Any Outift!

If you need a necklace to complete an outfit, and you can crochet a chain, then you can whip up a super simple yet elegant beaded crocheted necklace in about ten minutes! This necklace was born, because my 12.5 year old daughter who has recently become fashion conscious and is learning to sew (a great combo!) said "I really need a long necklace with burgundy stones here and there to go with the faux leather burgundy skirt and creme quilted shirt (that I sewed myselt!)" Hmmm said mom, and after a trip to a special jewelry sale yielded nothing, my daughter actually agreed that I could make something, but what?

Chair Back Fabric Flower Garlands Look Gorgeous Any Time

I love chair back garlands, don't you? I was in need of some quick decorations for my daughter's birthday, and I was thrilled to discover that I could make a really pretty garland by simply tying together some of the floral napkin rings that I posted about here. And voila, a beautiful and festive chair back garland was born in just minutes! Of course, if you don't have any flowers on hand, you can certainly make some, and it's so much fun!

Chair back garlands are great any time, for weddings, bat mitzvahs, birthday parties, or how about in the Succah? Maybe you can enlist some teenage kids to whip up some of these for you just in time for the holiday? 

You'll Need:

• organza or satin flowers, tutorial here
• ribbon, preferable patterned to complement the colors of your flowers
• hot glue gun 

How To:

Assemble floral napkin rings, which you can see here, and tie them together to form a garland, or simply glue your flowers to a single length of ribbon. Either way, you really can't go wrong!

 

 

Flower Girl Slippers

You can take any pair of shoes and transform them into elegant slippers with just the addition of some beautiful trim! My daughter is a flower girl in a upcoming family wedding, and while we were happy with these shoes from Target they were missing that special elegant touch. Trim applied quite simply with a glue gun, and some little bows made with the same trim transport these shoes into another realm altogether. 

This was oh-so-simple and with such great results, I can't wait for the next opportunity to turn some plain jane shoes into the belles of the ball! 

Gorgeous DIY Fabric Flower Table Decor For Every Occasion!

These elegant and artful stacked organza fabric flowers, (made by melting polyester organza or chiffon fabric circles with a flame), and which I posted about with a tutorial here, will make your table look just amazing! I had originally planned to use them as napkin rings, but after I found this coordinating wired floral ribbon in my stash, I decided to simply wrap the ribbon around the salad plate. Our seder table looked so beautiful with this simple addition, which I'll be sure to use again and again! I'm sure these flowers will be used as actual napkin rings at some point, and at the moment I've got them hanging out tied around one of my empty Moroccan frames, where they also happen to look lovely

One note, the fabric I used is a polyester satin organza, though one can and should try using chiffon which is slightly sheer and looks really great using this technique. And I have to say, the fact that my table was adorned with flowers all slightly different, looked much more interesting than if they were all the same, so have fun making a bunch of varieties.....wouldn't these be wonderful for a DIY wedding or sheva brachas? Get together a group, teach them how to make these flowers, and enlist their help. Sounds like a great time to me!

Rolled Rag Flowers and Fabric Ribbons: Last Minute Centerpieces!

Ever made these rolled flowers from fabric scraps that seem to be everywhere? Me neither, but there's always  a first time! And there's a story here I thought I'd share with you. If you decide to let the world know (and even your neighbors who have never seen your website) about your crafty tendencies, just realize that you will get phone calls like the one I got yesterday at 4pm on a dark rainy afternoon:

Hi Sara?
Yes, Hi Miri, how are you?
Great, thanks. Did your husband tell you the we've been looking for you all day? You see we're about to set the tables for the Sheva Brachas and Rachel said we should just buy simple dinner ware and have you add your amazing touch. It will really make the evening something special...you know we just can't do it without you.
Oh, I see. But you know I need something to work with. And when will the guests be arriving? 7:30? Okay. How many tables? 16? What colors are the dishes and tablecloth? White and gold? Okay.......hmmmm.....so let's use the glass vases and I'll come up with something to decorate them. I have to take a look around and see what I have.
Okay, thanks so much Sara!

So I took a look around. Gold ribbon, yes. Some gold flowers ready made. Yes. But really how about something just a bit nicer, after all, even though this is last minute and not exactly what I had planned for the rest of the day, it is indeed a mitzvah to make the bride and groom happy at one of the festive meals after the wedding. And then I thought, hey maybe now's the time to try those rolled flowers. And I have that bag of fabric scraps that my neighbor the seamstress almost threw out.....and thus this project was born!

In case you're wondering how to make these, well its quite simple. You take a strip of fabric, say about 2" wide, fold the fabric in half width-wise, tie a knot in one end (the center of the flower) and start rolling, twisting the fabric as you go, and gluing with hot glue where needed. Messy is good, raw edges are good, and with heavier fabric you can make a more folded look, which is nice too. Just try to make them look not too controlled, which mine are....gotten loosen up a bit for this one! I added some corduroy leaves cut with pinking sheers, and some pearls in the center, together with a single gold sequin. And, as it turns out, when you tear polyester satin fabric, it nicely curls at the edges, and you have some great ready made ribbon- not perfect, but just fine for a last minute creation. Who would have thought?

I should note, though these flowers are quick to make, it's not that quick if you need to make multiples. I made what I had time for, and filled in with the ready made gold flowers, and the whole simple idea still took about 3 1/2 hours. (Just tying each bow around the vase and attaching the flowers with a straight pin takes time!)  At 7:30 after arriving home with the little ones, who came along for the adventure, I was happy to hear that my husband made it back into town in time to go to the party himself. Phew, now at least I don't have to try and whip up that dinner that didn't get made on account of those centerpieces made on a dime!

 

Zipper Flowers At Last!

I can now finally breathe a sigh of relief. Phew. My daughter is on her way to having a drawer full of fashionable hair accessories! What took me so long you ask? Well, life just somehow got in the way of me and the very popular zipper flower. No reasonable explanation really, especially since these flowers are totally up my alley—quick, inexpensive and hopefully great looking!

Now I have to say, not every zipper flower is beautiful in my eyes, as I steer away from chunky and bold, so I'm quite happy with my first attempt here, using very fine plastic zippers that don't shout zipper! Okay, the center of the flowers does shout zipper, but just enough, if you know what I mean!

I did some research and didn't find anything to copy, (since many of the big zipper flowers use 24"-36" long zippers, which mine are not) so I'm happy to say that I came up with these two versions myself.  Aren't you proud mom?

You'll Need:

• plastic fine tooth zippers (like for a skirt zipper) about 30cm (16.5") long
• a chunky plastic zipper, about 40 cm long (20")
• knit headbands or the headband of your choice
• a hot glue gun (I got out my mini one, which was perfect.)

How To:

For Blue 8-Petaled Flower: Made from 8 Separate Petals

1. Cut zipper pull off of zipper to separate zipper into two pieces
2. Cut eight 3" lengths, and glue ends of each piece together to form individual petals
3. Glue petals together to form a flower as seen in photo
4. for center of flower, take a small piece of chunky zipper and wrap it around on itself once, securing with hot glue. fold fabric portion of zipper up, and secure with hot glue so that flower center won't be too high. (not sure if that's clear, if not, let me know!)
5. Glue center to flower and then glue entire flower to headband.
6. Have daughter try on and photograph her for your blog or to send to me!

For Beige 6-Petaled Flower: Made from two 3-petaled pieces

1. Cut zipper pull portion off to separate zipper into two pieces
2. Fold zipper to form the first petal and adhere with glue, continue folding the second petal in a figure eight fashion, but instead of folding the second petal opposite the first, fold it to the left or right of the first petal, such that you can then work a third petal on the other side, creating a triangle. (I know, a bit hard to understand, but play around a bit and you'll either get it or come up with your own version!)
3. Make two identical (well, as similar as possible would be good) 3-petaled pieces, and then glue one on top of the other.
4. Make the center by wrapping a piece of chunky zipper in a coil-like fashion, tightly at first and then loosely, securing with hot glue as you go. Glue center to flower, reducing height of center by folding fabric portion of zipper under a bit.
5. Glue flower to headband. See step #6 above.
6. Consider making these as gifts for all the girls, young and not so young, in your life!