creative jewish mom

Recycled TP Tube Designer Vases Craft

I have to say, when I came up with this recycling craft idea for making artful vases from tp tubes I wasn't expecting the results to be this wonderful! I have started crafting with small groups of boys twice a week, which means coming up with projects that will satisfy them, and the idea here was to create a present for their mothers in addition to coaching from me for saying "thank you for everything." So it turns out, that with tp tube/rolls and some glossy recycled cardboard in a bright color, one can really create something fun and unexpected! I will share the boy's projects in another post, and heads up that for younger kids these handles are too difficult to cut, at least from cardboard. You can also make mini magazine page flowers, or insert small shot glasses and fill the vases with some cuttings! Have you been saving tp tubes? Lets make some sweet vases!

Mini Magazine Page Flowers Craft

Mini recycled magazine page chrysanthemums are just the sweetest and great anytime or for a special occasion! I could have sworn that i made larger versions of these a good ten years ago, but the only thing I found on my blog is a felt version of these, also wonderful! I had totally forgotten about my felt flower stint, hmmmm, maybe time to revisit that, but in the mean time, lets make some magazine page flowers, in this case mini versions that I think I'm going to use as napkin decor for my daughter's birthday party this Shabbat (shhhh, its a surprise!) Magazine pages can be a great source of colorful and patterned paper, so before you recycled any lightweight paper items, check them out to see if indeed there are pages that are mostly one color, or a combination of pleasing colors that could be used for crafting! I save these pages in a shoe box or in a nice pile, as there are many many craft projects that call for recycled magazine pages, and the look that is achieved is unmatched with solid colored paper of any kind. Of course, there is nothing quite like real flowers, so why not buy some flowers online Sydney to enjoy as well. Okay, lets get started.....

Toilet Paper Roll Birdy Gift Topper

Last week I shared with you my toilet paper tube birdy gift tag, and now I'm sharing a few photos to show you how I used it! Truthfully, while I am not a fan of cellophane, that is the gift wrap of choice here in Israel, so sometimes you just gotta go with the flow......of course I'd prefer a lovely cardboard box with a clear window, but finding that, and buying it, well that is just not my normal course, as I'm all about recycling. Ah yes, though maybe I need to make my own take-out boxes from cornflakes boxes, now that is an idea, maybe next year? This year I used a lovely metallic gold paper plate, and on that I placed a mini-kugel, two oblong spelt rolls and two container of salad, like hummous and eggplant cubes with lemon, or pickled veggie sticks. The little bird made the whole thing sweet and a bit more personal, and so overall I was happy with the presentation. Now I just need to save some more tp rolls to make some little birdies to use as gift toppers or maybe even try making some fish with the same technique! If it goes well, you'll be the first to know, after all some fish could work for Passover and the crossing of the Red Sea inspired table decor? Okay, lets take a closer look at my toilet paper roll birdy mishloach manot gift tag!

Toilet Paper Tube Birdy Gift Tags Or Party Decor

With Purim coming up on Saturday night, I started making really fun egg carton portrait gift tags, only the later ones came out so well I really can't give them away, so I was looking for something super cute but just a bit less precious, and these toilet paper roll birdies fit the bill! I'll be attaching them to the top of a cellophane wrapped plate of goodies with a ribbon or piece of string attached to the head I think, and then folks can use them as holiday decor on their table, or if they end up in the garbage, gasp it isn't the end of the world. I made 20 of these and they are now all sitting on my piano looking cute as can be, and waiting to fly off to new homes on Sunday morning. This is relatively quick, and if you choose to leave the background the cardboard and just add details, even quicker, so lets make some!

Plastic Bottle Gift Basket With Plastic Bag Yarn!

I have to say, this is truly a fabulous craft, whether you use plastic bag yarn, or regular yarn, with results that are perfect for Purim gift giving or anytime. I think I need to make some! I am reposting this from a few good years back, enjoy!

I am so excited to share with you this recycled craft that is made entirely of recycled materials, with the exception of hot glue! Let me introduce a fun craft project for all ages: woven plastic bottle baskets using plastic bags. These little baskets are perfect for Purim or any of your spring celebrations, and so much fun to make! I used 1.5 liter soda bottles as that is what we have on hand, but certainly one can make much larger baskets using much larger bottles. So gather up those plastic bags, and those recycled bottles and lets get started! Oh, and just by the way, I also made some 'grass" by cutting up plastic bags into tiny pieces!

Apple Card Rosh HaShana Jewish New Year's Cards

Reposting this from 3 years ago and silly me, just realized that of course my son's birthday is coming up again so time to make him a card, like right now! You on the other hand may have a few days?

One of my sweet sons has a 17th birthday tomorrow, just two days shy of Rosh HaShana, and this year, unlike previous years when the men and boys travel out of town for the holiday leaving us women to bask in the freedom of just being women, ahhhh, but never mind, that is not happening this year, or so it seems, which means that for the first time in about ten years I have the chance to make a proper birthday party for my son on his actual birthday! Not all the family will have arrived back home from their various schools, but at least I can decorate!

Just in time for my birthday decor needs, my friend Amanda Evanston posted a video on her Facebook page showing how to make some artful cakes, in preparation for the opening of her private Facebook group, (to let in another batch of members, which only happens twice a year) so check out the video here, and consider treating yourself to a membership in her Insider's Group, totally amazing, and the biggest comitment you'll need to make is for a month, so given all the videos now available there, nothing lost. This is not a paid post, just spreading good news about something that could really change your art game, if you are up for it!

Okay, back to Rosh HaShana apple cake and birthday cake, which could in fact be one and the same as Rosh HaShana is the world's birthday, at least on the Jewish calendar, but available for all to celebrate, so feel free to join in! There will be honey cake and apples dipped in honey and dates and pomegranites and carrots and beets and pumpkin and leek and maybe even a fish head if you are lucky. (I just mentioned the symbolic foods we eat on the holiday.....we also eat several course festive meals and everyone listens to the blowing of the shofar, this year on Sunday only.)

Once again, I am going off on a tangent and you might like to paint some festive apples or a birthday cake, right? Okay, let's do it........

A Recycled Wine Bottle Carrying Box Becomes A No-Pressure Canvas

A few weeks ago a shabbat guest brought us a bottle of wine, as many do, though rather than in a gift box, the bottle was in a carrying box made for two bottles. We have lots of guests, so I save lots of wine bags and even nice boxes, but this was the first box of its kind to find its way to me, and I just knew i had to paint it! After a few weeks painting on only paper I was just itching to do something lower pressure and just for fun, using left over paint from other paintings of course. And for a moment I thought I'd be tossing the box, in the end it all worked out and I actually love this litte painting on a wine box! Of course it did have many steps and sections got repainted entirely, but the lesson here is patience! And truthfully, just like watercolor paper, a box like this could sure take quite a few coats of paint, so if the first try fails, paint over it and start again! I'm not sure if I'll be using this as a gift box or not, (still need to finish the other side) but if I do I think I'll seal it with a coat of varnish. Then again, I think I need to hang onto it, as when the painted milk cartons come out again in the winter, I do believe this vase of flowers would be a nice addition!

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!

Watercolor Cut-Out Poppies Centerpiece For Passover!

I have pulled this one out of the archives, because there is no time like the present to get crafting for Passover, and this one is a keeper! And since the red native anemones are now in bloom in our meadows, this is timely! I know I've referred to them as poppies, as that is what most people know, and we do have red poppies as well, just in another month or so after the anemones finish their show!  One of the things I love about this craft is that 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 originally shared this for shavuos, but covered the shelves in my kitchen with paintings of these guys, so it feels like Passover to me, nonetheless, here is what I wrote then:
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?