creative jewish mom

Braided DIY Dog Toy Gift, Or Gift Topper, Using T-Shirt Yarn!

Growing up we always made lanyard keychains at summer camp, from the simplest to the most complex spirals, and somewhere in my crafts stash I even have a bunch of lanyard lace that I bought as an adult, to do crafts with my kids. As you may know, I also happen to love t-shirt yarn, so I almost fell off my chair when I spotted this t-shirt yarn lanyard, made as a dog toy but surely great inspiration for other items as well! Curtain tiebacks? Handles? Key chains (with fewer strands) or maybe even trim for a round pillow? Just as soon as I finish this article I'm grabbing some of the t-shirt yarn that I bought for Chanukah crafting, and I will give it a try!

I am not a dog owner, but I always love looking at the dog toys that I happen upon, and there are certainly quite a few that can be easily made, and even better, made as gifts for your dog lover friends, or why not leave one at the dog park with a little note for someone to find! If you need a nice sized gift for a dog lover, (friend, family, boss, client?) consider making a dog toy gift topper (or two) to give together with an amazing pet portrait for example.

Add a large dog bone shaped gift tag, (A simple DIY project, using brown cardboard, or maybe jeans fabric glued to cardboard) or even attach the dog toy to the large gift tag, and your presentation will be over the top! That handmade touch makes your gift extra special and memorable! Do make sure to use neutral colored or solid colored paper if your dog toy is colorful like this one! Of course wrapping paper with a dog theme could be great, and maybe you'll decide to make your dog toys based on the wrapping paper that you find first? Either way, have fun with it! Okay, lets get crafting, you can make dog toys and I'll make some keychains!

Simple DIY Broken Tile Mosaic

I love mosaics of all kinds, though the ones I've actually made have mostly been using broken ceramic tile and dishes. So this August when our airbnb's rooftop porch had lots of mosaic covered surfaces, I felt right at home! The mosaic portions are actually the top of the exterior walls of the home below, and beyond the railing (not to worry there is one!) and this crafty touch lends a really nice feeling to a vacation rental, not to mention that it pairs nicely with the artificial grass! Enjoy this look at broken tile mosaic, and think about where this might work for you?

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!

Simple Broken Tile Mosaic Mandala Craft For Summer!

Looking for the perfect summer craft to end vacation with some family creativity? My answer, (other than succah decorations) is yes, mosaics! Mosaics can be quite messy, and are thus best done outdoors, making them the perfect summer craft! Plus, intricate or larger mosaics will need to be created over a period of time, another great reason to start one to do with the family over the next two weeks or so. I saw this collection of simple yet lovely wall mosaics on the exterior walls of a health center on the Harduf Kibbutz, and just had to share them with you! I have done many mosaic crafts over the years, so if this has sparked your interest, do check out all the mosaic crafts in my archives, right here. And do take a look at the other wall mosaics in this collection, so much fun!

DIY Decoupage Votives To Remember Jerusalem Using Recycled Jars

Pulling this one from the archives, because it is a favorite. Make a bunch for every Jewish holiday and then mix and match for a very amazing display!

We love having guests with sweet babies, and are more than happy when there are baby food jars to craft with!  Even before the guests left I found the small jars that I had put aside from their last visit, and together with some new tall ones, a craft idea was born: baby food jar votives with scenes of Jerusalem. This is our first craft this year with this topic, and the timing is perfect, as we can enjoy these jars for the next three weeks, and when the lights are turned down on the evening of T'Isha B'Av they will be lovely and a good reminder of what the holiday is all about!

Decoupage is a perfect craft for all ages, and results that are both abstract as well as pictorial look great together. So gather some jars, any size of course, and some simple supplies, and make a bunch of votives to use indoors and out!

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.

Recycled Paper Towel Tube Logs!

Pulled this one out of the archives because it is a keeper!

Here's a fun recycled cardboard tube craft, in this case I used paper towel tubes, that is perfect just about any time really......though of course with the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer coming up next week, that is what I have made them for. Lag B'Omer involves bonfires, generally really huge ones in our neck of the woods, so all things log and campfire related are perfect. It is true, many Lag B'Omer bonfires are fueled by olive oil, or made from towers of crates and palettes and old furniture, but logs are just so much cuter, I'm sure you'll agree!

So lets make a bunch of cute logs, faux bois style, shall we? Oh, haven't heard of faux bois? That may just be a crafting faux pas, so lets get you up to steam. Faux bois means fake wood, namely anything with a wood grain pattern or made to look like branches, even sculpted. Are you with me? Now lets get crafting and doodling!

DIY Boho Fringed Placemats For Summer Entertaining

I have pulled this post out of the archives because it is a keeper, and I'm still enjoying my DIY boho place mats, which are great indoors or outdoors, and perfect for that little extra something this summer! Enjoy! And I just had the thought that these could also be great for the Succah, so why not plan ahead!

I love t-shirt yarn, and have been thinking about using it for macrame and embroidery, not just crocheting! Industrial-waste t-shirt yarn also supports eco-consciousness, as it is made from odds and ends of fabric left after the pieces for making clothing is cut from the yardage. What I found after making these fringed and embroidered place mats/wall hangings is that t-shirt yarn is a great way to add color to a project that might have called for rope of some kind, and it works great for fringe, tassels (see my t-shirt yarn tassels) and more. So if you're looking for a simple and stylish summer project, this is it! These place mats work great placed on round side tables or outdoor tables or anywhere to add some flare our protect a wooden surface. Ah yes, and of course you can easily make some wall hangings, which I truly am going to do as I have a bunch more of these place mats to craft with!

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!)

Simple Doodle Flowers Are Perfect For Summer!

Summer is the time to spend time drawing and painting and doodlng in a sketchbook! It is so very relaxing, and a great project to take on the go! Last summer I drew in my sketchbook for days on end, and this summer, while I'm involved in other art practices, I finally found some time to get back to my sketchbook for a little colorful doodling, and guess what, NOW it feels like summer to me! So friends, develop your art skills, keep an art journal, learn some new doodles, learn how to draw flowers......whatever it is that interests you as far as a sketchbook, do it! And to get started, how about some sweet doodle flowers that are simple to draw and look amazing! Okay, lets do this!