creative jewish mom

Giant Origami Apples Rosh HaShana Craft

I am reposting this giant origami apples tutorial because it is just to wonderful not to share again. Make apples to enjoy for Rosh HaShana and use as succah decorations as well! So simple and while you are at it, make a whole giant bushel full!

Origami apples are so simple to make and are the perfect craft to whip up right now! Fill a basket with them to use as a centerpiece, use them as place cards, hang them mobile style or make a bunch and scatter them around the house. (Or save this idea and gift a whole basket full to your teacher!) The best part is they look great everywhere and any where, and would make cute little Rosh HaShana gifts as well. Attach a tag that is a card and you'll surely warm the hearts of all your recipients! I used these very apples as apple centerpieces for a Rosh Chodesh party, and then a neighbor borrowed them as centerpieces for a Brit, and depending on the colors you choose they can look elegant or playful, or both. So take my advice and get crafting dear friends, the Jewish New year is in less than 3 weeks, with Succos to follow so a barrel of origami apples will serve you well, promise! And yes, you can of course make these in a smaller size and in a variety of colors to represent a wide range of fruit, as I've done here with my origami fruit, cute as can be!

Watercolor Hyacinth Cut-Outs Look Amazing Anytime Of Year

It is true, here in the Northern Hemisphere we don't usually think about hyacinths right about now, but in Australia now is the time! And truthfully, hyacinths are such amazing flowers, whether planted (which one should start thinking about now) or forced (which could start happening around November) so why not give it a try with some watercolors? I painted these hyacinths to use in a watercolor art journal that I'm making, and I just love the results. And friends, when you cut out your watercolor florals you can of course make the stems thinner and shape the flowers!

Watercolor Iris Cutouts With Stems

 

After creating some pink watercolor flowers on gold wire stems, I just loved the results too much not to give it a try with another kind of flower, and irises came to mind. I'd like to give it another try while actually looking at some reference, but this initial attempt was just fine and resulted in a lovely mason jar full of paper blooms for the Jewish holiday of shavuos! What can I say, there is just something about cut out watercolor flowers that are truly irresistable, and even if the flowers are a little wonky, it still looks great. Okay, shall we make some?

Watercolor Flowers With Wire Stems For Shavuos Crafting

I have been enjoying painting watercolor flowers lately, which means that there are successes as well as pieces that might have some successes and some failures on the same page. But actually that is a good thing because then you can cut out those lovely flowers from the rest of the not so great page, hot glue some lovely gold wire to the back and voila, fun flowers to stick into a vase, or use in any number of ways, especially for the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, coming up on Thursday night, for which we try to fill our homes with flowers and greenery! So friends, right about now is a perfect time to spend an hour or two painting a bunch of watercolor flowers to cut out and use for holiday crafting! Plus it is just so enjoyable you won't want to stop, take it from me!

DIY Loose-Leaf Watercolor Art Journal With Lettering, For Counting The Omer

I'm sharing this a bit on the late side to actually be inspired this year, that is to use my idea and make a loose-leaf watercolor counting the Omer art journal, but you could certainly make the journal anytime and save it for next year, or use it as a gift or for some other purpose. We are so blessed to have a new bride in the family, as one of my sons got engaged, and I was just thinking that an art journal like this one would be a great "count down to the wedding" gift, maybe for the last two months or so......So friends, check out my idea, and keep it in mind, whether for counting the Omer, or counting down to a big day, or even as a gift to a loved one to use as a journal.

And my biggest piece of advice? Keep it simple! The only reason that I actually have succeeded with this project is that I only allowed myself to use watercolors, and collage with watercolor painted elements, and then pens and paint pens for the lettering, that is it! Ah yes, and one more thing, the success of this project is also partially due to all the amazing instruction and inspiration that I soaked up from Wendy Solganik aka @willa.wanders via her huge hand lettering for art journaling course, called Love Your (Imperfect) Letters, which has just been so very perfect for this art journal. Of course I do need to go back and learn some more styles, but this journal was a great start and really the first time ever that I've been so lettering focused and so happy with the results! Want to see how I made this journal? Keep on reading!

Painted Watercolor Feather Cut-Outs For Crafting

Watercolor feathers are so fun to paint and make great decorations for any occasion or to use as part of craft project truly any time! It is true I painted these for the Jewish holiday of L'Ag B'Omer because one of the symbols of the holiday is the bow and arrow, and arrows include feathers often, soooooo, maybe a bit of a stretch but fun nonetheless! I was planning to make a wall hanging by hanging the feathers, staggered, from a branch, but ran out of time, so maybe I'll have to do is for Succot, as the feather is also a symbol to use in the Succah. So paint yourself some feathers in any size you please, they could also make great gift tags, place holders, and more! Experiment with different combinations of colors, and do get large paper and make some large ones, which are truly so great looking! Are you sold? Lets do it......

Make A Quilled Paper Bonfire For Lag B'Omer!

I have pulled this one out of the archives, once again because it is truly simple with great results, and right about NOW would be the time to make one, or a few!

Call it a quilled paper campfire, or call it a quilled paper bonfire, either way it is a fun craft for all ages and requires only very simple supplies. The wonderful Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer is coming up on the night of May 2nd, so now is the time to start thinking about some simple crafts to celebrate. The bonfire is one of the major symbols of the holiday (and kids in my neighborhood are now hoarding wood of all kinds to contribute to bonfires around town) and as it turns out quilling with orange and yellow paper is a great way to depict fire! So whether you will be celebrating Lag B'Omer or are looking for an artful summer craft, this quilled paper campfire or bonfire is perfect.

Ready to get rolling? (Got it, a quilling joke....) Let's do it.......

DIY Snake Fold Journal For Counting The Omer!

I'm re-posting this from last year because it really is a great one, and now that Passover is over it is time to get serious about counting the Omer with art! Okay, yikes, I thought I spotted this journal as I was cleaning for Passover, but now it is not where I thought I saw it, hmmm. Wish me luck, because I'm supposed be setting the example and I've yet to make even one piece of art for the omer! Here is what I wrote last year:

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!

Ten Plagues Craft For The Passover Seder

A reader just asked me about this craft, and I revisited it, and i see that it has actually been five years since I've shared it and almost 12 or 13 years since I actually made it. Wow, it must be time to make it again! Okay, maybe next year, in the mean time, there are plenty of days before Passover to get crafting, or keep the family busy with crafts, and this one is a keeper. Here is what I wrote in 2018:

I made these ten plagues placards for my kids for our seder eight whole years ago, and since they are still looking good (in the photos that is) I thought I'd pull them out of the archives to share them with you, as truly this a craft that will make memories for the kids (and fun loving adults) at your Passover seder table! Truthfully, while I love these ten plagues placards, they are on the large size and so I did a smaller version of this craft with some of the neighborhood boys, using skewers instead of dowels, and you can take a look at that craft here. Regardless of what size works for your family, do take the time to make some of these ten plagues placards, you won't regret it, promise!

In the photo above, from left to right I have depicted the first four plagues: Blood, Frogs, Lice, and Wild Animals. Keep on reading to see most of the other plagues.......

Origami Horse Cake Toppers Are Cute As Can Be!

Ever seen a cake topper that is a horse dressed up as a unicorn? Me neither but it just seemed perfect for a four year old!

Right now I'm in the process of using up all the flour in the house as we prepare for Passover, and the first step for me is to bake challahs and a few deserts, and freeze everything we'll need for the next 2 shabbats, or more or less anyway, we can always, gasp, buy any challah we need for the shabbat before Passover! Since cake is the topic in my kitchen right now, I thought I'd share wtih you these fun origami horse cake toppers that I used for a birthday cake this past shabbat, and together with sprinkles, and large white gumdrops, a fun cake was born! Ah yes, and around the bottom of the cake I took colorful cupcake liners, folded them in half and placed them like petals, which gave the bundt cake a lovely finished look, phew! So friends, as I always say, cute cake decorations can be easily made with paper and some glue, and this is one more example. You can of course use these horses as part of a dessert scene, or a merry-go-round or even place them around the bottom of the cake, get creative! Okay, shall we make some?