creative jewish mom

Butterfly Tree Wall Decor For Every Occasion!

Purim starts tonight everywhere in the world except Jerusalem, so wishing everyone a Purim Sameach! There is still time for a bit of crafting, and when you make hundreds of origami butterflies for a community Purim party, you have to use at least some of them to add festive touches to your own home right? So what better place than on the olive branch succah decoration that hangs in my kitchen, except during Succos, when it is is the succah! I love the combo of the metallic leaves with the pastel blue and lavender origami butterflies and this would be a great DIY project for just about any occassion, and then you can use it as wall decor, in your kitchen, or maybe in a child's room? So next time you see a dead tree branch that is a nice shape, or even looks like a tree in itself, don't pass it up, as it can be a wonderful and relatively quick DIY project that might just be the star of the party!

DIY Tree Of Life Wall Decor, For The Succah Or The Home!

today is Hoshana Raba, a very important and spiritual day during the Jewish holiday of succot, and for those of us in Israel, the last day in the Succah. So while I really want to be in the Succah right now, soaking it all up in all its glory, I'm popping in to share with you once again one of my favorite Succah decorations, and one in fact that lives year round on a wall in my kitchen, except during Succot! I made this from a real dead olive branch that I found on a walk in the meadows nearby, I painted it with a fine coat of white, added some gold leaves made from succah decorations from previous years, and voila! I then went on to make a larger version, with a complete tutorial that you can find here.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Hoshana Raba, and wonderful Simchat Torah, which we celebrate in our homes, in Israel starting tonight, and elsewhere starting Monday night.

Real Tree Branch With Paper Leaves Wall Art

This project, which I made 2 years ago and now graces a wall in our stair well is still looking good and something that one could make last minute, assuming you have access to some dead tree branches near by! Ah yes, and for my succah the gold painted branch was a must, but you might be able to skip that part. Get out the glue gun, and some art that does not need to be saved, cut leaves, glue, and voila! Here is my previous post, enjoy!

We are now on the third day (of seven) of the wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot, and while I am not doing any crafting, I can stop by here to share my favorite succah decoration with you! And, unlike some Succah decorations, this one is truly a work of art, and can be used year round indoors, or for a special event or to mark a new season. You decide, but if you are anything like me, you won't want to stop at just one, which I did not! After making the first version, a tree of life with gold leaves, I just had to make another colorful version with a gold trunk (previously the gold spray paint was not to be found) to fill a huge blank area in our Succah. And despite some scepticism from the peanut gallery, it turned out even more beautiful than the first one, and there is a very funny story that goes with it, which I'll share soon. The main thing is to find a really great looking dead branch with lots of character as well as bunches of tiny branches, as that variety is what truly makes this piece special. Okay, want to make one yourself? Lets learn how!

Wood Scrap Doodle Craft Is Perfect For The End Of Summer!

We are now in the last week of our summer vacation, so for me that means the pressure is on to do as much sketching on location as possible, but in previous years I certainly would have enjoyed getting out the paint pens and dooling on a scrap of wood, a piece of bark, or anything found on a nature walk! I found this example at an airbnb rental in Hararit, Israel, so I can't take credit for it, but thought it was the perfect thing to share right about now! If you are at the beach, so collect some driftwood to decorate with paint pen or sharpie doodles, or if you are in the forest, how about some large dried leaves? If you are at home, so find some recycled cardboard and doodle on some fun shapes! These items can then be used to make mobiles or even Jewish holiday decor so enjoy!

Fruit Orchard Kid's Craft With Pine Cones

This pine cone fruit tree orchard craft (hanging out in my archives with so many other great projects) is just as cute as can be and perfect for Tu B'shebat, coming up on the evening of Sunday Jan 16, so there is plenty of time to get into this fun craft, and enjoy!

Collecting pine cones on a nature walk is always a fun activity to do with the little ones, but what to use them for afterwards? Here's a good one for you: make a pine cone orange orchard! This idea is so simple yet with great results and fun for a variety of ages. And maybe they'll even take the time to make a popsicle stick shed for their orchard, and some little crates to fill up with oranges. That would be a good start to encourage creative activities rather than anything with batteries or that plugs into a wall, right? And of course if you want to get particularly crafty, how about making a plan to build an entire farm, or little town with all the usual amenities, just from simple supplies like these?

Golden Fig Leaf Garland

Golden fig leaf garlands, or golden leaf garlands of any kind of leaf are simple to whip up and look amazing. I choose to use fig and olive leaves for this garland to represent 2 of the 7 holy species, but you can of course do what works for you! Golden monstera leaves would look amazing as home decor, or party decor or in a child's room, right? But right now, of course we need to think about the succah and this is a relatively quick craft with great results, so get some heavy weight gold paper, or light weight gold cardboard, or some cereal box cardboard that you'll paint, and get to work! That empty wall in your succah could use a few of these garlands, and voila, you'll be so happy you spent the extra effort! Okay, lets do this! (Please excuse the grainy photos, this craft is from way back in 2013, when my photograph skills were less developed!)

Nature Crafts For The Succah!

The wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot is on our doorstep, and quickly sneaking up on us, so there is no time like the present to delve into Succah decorations! I very fortunately came across these dried pomegranite branches a few weeks ago in Meron, and to husband's chagrin filled the trunk with them! Of course they look gorgeous as is, but the leaves make a huge mess, and my succah is Moroccan style elegantish, so I'll be doing something with these branches, like painting them gold and leaving the pomegranites as is. Hmmm, but how exactly will they become succah wall art? Your guess is a good as mine, but offering you these photos as inspiration for your own succah decor adventures. It is true, I am no stranger to collecting sticks and branches and making things from them, so I've decided that this week we'll delve into nature crafts for the succah! In the mean time, keep on reading for some links to previous succah crafts using branches and twigs and even some leaves! Take a deep breath and let's get started! (Yes, I know, so much to do, but it will all get done, promise!)

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!)

Paper Leaves On Real Branches Looks Amazing!

I came up with this simple idea six years ago for my son's birthday just before Shavuot, and I still love it, so I'm dusting it off to share with you as a fabulous last minute craft that includes a nature walk to collect the sticks! Enjoy. Here is what I wrote back then, this year Shavuot is on Sunday night.

Paper leaves on real branches is a super quick craft that results in some fun decorations that can be used for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot or really anytime! I actually made these branches as part of the giraffe birthday party that I'm still in the middle of sharing with you all, though I did have in mind that they would be also be great for Shavuot, in which we decorate our homes with greenery to celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, which was  very green and lush.

With shavuot staring Saturday night, right after shabbat ends, many of us are now preparing for two days of holidays, so I'm sure glad to already have made these fun branches which are currently hanging from the chandelier over the dining room table. (Those who observe shabbat outside of israel are now preparing for a three day holiday, as Shavuot is two days outside of Israel, and I'm sure those of you to whom this applies wish you had some of these branches already to go, right?

What I'm really trying to say is that a super quick craft like this one is the perfect thing to tackle right now, so lets get to it!

Origami Fruit For Tu B'Shevat!

Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for fruit bearing trees is next Wednesday night, so now is a great time to get crafting with a fruit theme in mind! I've dusted off these origami fruit from the archives, as this is a favorite that I revisit year round, not just for Tu B'Shevat, but also for Rosh HaShana and Succot, in the form of apples! Of course, a cute centerpiece like this one, with origami fruit in a variety of festive colors will be just the theme to set a festive tone for this really special holiday, and of course if you'd prefer a mobile would be amazing as well. And then of course there's the idea of making giant origami fruit, which I have also done many times! So time is of the essence, so lets get started!