creative jewish mom

Artists Who Painted The View From Their Window

If you are an art history buff, or have followed museum exhibitions and/or careers of famous painters, you may or may not be aware, that many of them were inspired to paint the view from their studio window, or maybe the view from their lodging window. To most of us, this of course makes total sense, but I don't think that artists before say 1850, or so, would have dreamed of painting something so "mundane" gasp! And if they did, it certainly would not have included the not so attractive roof scene that Van Gogh dared to capture, for example! Van Gogh did it, Cezanne did it, Matisse did it, Pissarro did it, Diebenkorn did it, just for starters, so I think that is more than enough proof that those of us interested in developing our art should also do it!

Why am I writing about this now? Because friends, I have started a challenge on Instagram called #sketchfrommywindow which got me thinking about all the artists who did just that! Of course, I'm sharing here paintings, not loose sketches, but I'm hoping, at least in my case, that the sketches I'm working hard to create at least several days a week (and that are not all that loose at the moment) will indeed lead to paintings! So lets take a look at just a few of famous artists whose work is truly a great inspiration, shall we? And if you are not on instagram, but would like to join the challenge, just write to me (studio8@013net.net) and I could start posting contributions right here on the blog!

How To Paint An Artful Watercolor Strawberry

Friends, this painted watercolor strawberry tutorial is from way back in 2015, but since I just used the strawberries for the last time (since I wrote my son's name and age on them) 7 years later and they still look great, I thought I'd revisit this fun craft. Make a bushel of strawberries, cut them out and use them as garlands or cake or cupcake toppers, gift tags, you name it! And best of all, they keep really well, you know in that box of little pieces of art that you can use in a pinch for party decor! Here is the text from the original post:

Isn't this watercolor strawberry portrait just the greatest? While I though at the time that she wasn't really putting her mind to this little painting session, in the end her unstudied strawberry turned out to be the best of all. Isn't it great when your kids out-do you?

DIY Painted Paper Gerbera Centerpiece

There is nothing quite as lovely as painted paper flowers used as holiday decor, or really anytime! I am so thrilled to have these flowers on my sideboard right now!  They are so cheerful and never fade, and can be easily saved in a box to pull out for any occassion! And I had to laugh, that the wires that I've saved from real gerbera flowers (that honestly as so annoying as they don't last very long...) are perfect for this craft. And that I actually knew where they were, a small miracle! If you have not saved the wires from the gerbera (who would do that?) so just use some green floral wire or tape skewers to the back for support. Or if you use very heavy watercolor paper you may not need any extra support. I also happened to have these 3 narrow and tall glass vases on hand, which were perfect for this, so do play around with a variety of vessels, to see what works. Okay, keep on reading for a few more tips.

DIY Painted Paper Daisy Cut Outs For Holiday Decor!

The festive holiday of Shavuot starts Saturday night, so now is the time to get busy filling our homes with greenery and flowers, and I say go for paper! Whether you have time for a whole set or even just one sweet flower, give it a try, I'm sure you will love it. This post just shows how to create the flowers, in my other post, coming shortly, I'll share with you  one idea how to use them. Okay time is of the essence, lets get started! And of course, you can choose to do any flower, though keep in mind that Gerbera really works because it has a long stem without leaves in nature.

DIY Paper Vase Makes A Great Centerpiece!

I originally posted this just before Passover two years ago, and am sharing it again, because it will be moved from my kitchen to the dining room for use as decor for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot! A vase like this can of course be stored flat and is wonderful to have on hand, so give it a try, even if you use colored card stock, with our without a bit of collage! Here is what I wrote back then.....

When it comes to making a DIY paper vase, there are literally so many ways to go, though for me, the idea of using not successful artwork is a lightbulb moment that happened one evening. I was going to use an abstract pattern to create a vase, and in the same pile as that absract pattern was this sweet landscape that I liked, but didn't love. As a vase however, it is fabulous! And friends, when you are in the groove of making lots of art, a way to use up anything you wouldn't want to see on someone else's wall is like gold! Even when painting on paper the pile starts to get out of control, so pick the ones you aren't loving and then make a wonderful artful vase! While I wouldn't want to give someone my mediocre painting, i would give them my mediocre painting turned into a vase, because it is just so charming! Okay, want to see the painting before I cut it up? Keep on reading......

Watercolor Flowers Cut-Out Centerpiece For Shavuot!

I have pulled this one out of the archives, because there is no time like the present to get crafting for Shavuot, and this one is a keeper! Plus you can simply disassemble the centerpiece when the holiday is over, and store the flowers, flat, for future use, they are always great to have on hand in a pinch! Enjoy!

I am totally in love with the watercolor poppies in a pot centerpiece, well one-sided centerpiece really, and I have already made two more! This idea, is something that you can play around with depending on your own needs, and there are so many ways to go! I actually made a small one using a small round plastic peanut butter tub, which would make an adorable teacher appreciation gift or a token of appreciaion for a neighbor, for example. Then again, making larger pots of poppies really doesn't take that much more time, so go for it, as this burst of festive and artful color is a joyful addition anywhere or anytime! The Jewish holiday of Shavuos is on Thursday night, so we'll be enjoying all the watercolor poppies as we celebrate the giving of the Torah, and then they will likely be used as centerpieces for any number of occassions. I'll admit, I can't wait to try this idea out with other flowers, but with the holiday approaching, together with houseguests, that will just have to wait. Okay, lets make some of these pots of blooming flowers, shall we?

DIY Counting The Omer Art Journal

With all the preparations for Passover, it is generally quite difficult to think about counting the Omer art projects ahead of time, but this year I actually succeeded in making a DIY art journal for daily creating according to the Omer, ahead of time! I'll admit, it was really quite a fluke, and happened 3 weeks before Passover, when there was still room for creative activities. And let me tell you, I couldn't be more pleased with the results, and the fact that, just as soon as Passover ends I have the energy after Passover ends, I'll be ready to go! Hoping the energy returns soon, as we are already on Day 10 of 49, so time is of the essence! What will I be creating on these pages? Well it is true that there are already many accidental abstract landscapes waiting to be realized, so that may be the direction, but I will decide when the time comes, which means hopefully tomorrow? Lets take a closer look, shall we?

DIY Snake Fold Art Journal From One Sheet Of Paper!

With all the preparations for Passover, it is generally quite difficult to think about counting the Omer art projects ahead of time, but this year I actually succeeded in making a DIY art journal for daily creating according to the Omer! I'll admit, it was really quite a fluke, and happened 2 weeks ago, when there was still room for creative activities. And let me tell you, I couldn't be more pleased with the results, and the fact that, just as soon as Passover ends, (we don't create during the week long holiday) I'll be ready to go.

I had heard of making a journal from one piece of paper, (I today I learned that it is referred to as  snake book, rightly so) but the how of it never quite sunk in until now, and friends, it is so simple and so much fun, and one can choose to make a journal in any size, even a tiny one. It is true, that the pages end up being double the thickness, and there is no binding, but one can choose to glue together the insides of the folded pages, and bind as well, whatever suits you! Interested in making an art journal from one large sheet of paper that you've prepared with an artful background of some kind? Love the fact that it looks like a snake of sorts before you fold it? Lets do it!

Ocean Themed Party Centerpiece

Can you imagine a crossing the Red Sea centerpiece running down the length of your table? My stand up waves, that you can place in one line, or two, with little figures in between the 2 rows, are super simple to whip up, and even better, you can certainly save them for at least a few years! The first time I made these stand up waves they were quite simply silver, and I only realized that I could add some sea creatures to them last year, which I just love, especially since it makes it more festive and fun for the kids! Of course if you'd rather not have waves running down your table for Passover, this is certainly a great idea for an ocean themed birthday party, or any party for that matter. You could add just about anything to the waves, like numbers or letters or surfers, or water skiers, or ? So have fun with this one, and if you don't quite have time for it this Passover, keep it in mind for next year! Then again, send someone to the art supply store to get you some corragated silver craft cardboard, or even just heavy weight silver cardstock in large sheets, and truly you can cut out the waves in 15 minutes, and then next year you can add the sea creatures! Okay, lets do this!

Watercolor Sea Creature Cut Outs Craft

Need a perfect craft idea to keep the kids, in a range of ages, busy right about now? This is it my friends, make sea creature cut outs to use as Passover decorations, and the more the better! I'll be using these for table decor on Shevii Shel Pesach, the 7th night of Passover when we celebrate the crossing of the Red Sea, but they are certainly also appropriate all holiday long. Ah yes, and if you are looking for ocean themed birthday party decor, or sea themed birthday party decor, well this is perfect as well! These cute sea animal cut outs are perfect for garlands, mobiles, cake toppers, napkin rings, gift tags, and for a fun Passover centerpiece, that I'll be sharing shortly. Okay, ready to get started, time is of the essence!