creative jewish mom

Tassel Keychain With T-Shirt Yarn

I just love t-shirt yarn, and never to waste even a tiny bit, I realized that I could whip up some fun tassel and braided keychains using the scraps. These examples are just my first attempt, and I'm sure with the addition of a little sparkle or a wooden bead or two things could get even cuter, right? I'll admit, I was dreaming of macrame keychains, but quickly realized that would be a time investment at a time when there's no time to invest, so this is the closest we are going to get for now. And, I also realized that t-shirt yarn is stretchy and maybe not the easiest thing to macrame with, at least on a small scale, so do keep that in mind. Ready to make a fun new keychain, likely with a few ideas of your own? Lets get started......

Rosh HaShana Apple, Pomegranite And Carrot Yarn Craft For All Ages

There is something about gluing yarn onto recycled cardboard shapes that is just so much fun, and with great results. So with Rosh Hashana just around the corner, time is of the essence, and this is one craft that is great for all ages, and teh results can then be hung in the succah as well. Okay, you may not want to hang a carrot in your succah, but apples and pomegranites certainly work for both Rosh HaShana and succot, and you can then add some grapes and olives and figs later if you so desire.

You very likely don't recognize this project, as I posted it a whole seven years ago, wow, so I thought I'd dig it up and show it to the world once again. Ah yes, and of course this project is perfect for those of us who have tons of little bits and bobs of yarn, and is great for all ages! I wish i had a spare hour or so to make some too......

Recycling Yarn By Simply Unraveling Old And Tired Knits!

About ten or so years ago I knit a chunky afghan using four strands of yarn to match our couch. I was happy with the results and it was a present for my husband's birthday, the only problem was that after around a $40 dollar investment using cheap acrylic yarn and a lack of time to make the blanket bigger, I stopped knitting and called it a day. My husband always made jokes about the fact that the blanket was too short, so for subsequent crocheted blankets, as well as a quilted fleece blanket, I made sure that they were amply sized!

To make a not so interesting story shorter, this blanket was used on the couch until I changed the colors in the living room, and until it started to look, well a bit like a rag of sorts and got stuffed into a closet. Fast forward to operation Passover cleaning 2017, and when I spied the knit afghan in my son's closet, well I knew that rather than give it away to someone who wouldn't really love it anyway, I should simply unravel it and get a huge amount of yarn to use next fall for winter booties, hand warmers etc. for the whole family, maybe even for the whole neighborhood!

Plastic Canvas Snowflake Mandala Ornaments

What can I tell you today? I'll admit I don't always love the things I make, but I am totally in love with these plastic canvas snowflake medallions, or maybe they are really more aptly called plastic canvas mandalas, I'm not qui9te sure! Something about them reminds me of the lovely small details in Fair Isle sweaters (that I do not plan to knit in this lifetime) or maybe the 70's style embroidered appliques I've had my eye on, either way I really enjoyed making these three versions and hoping to have time to make some more. They do look very sweet with my plastic canvas chanukah menorah, as well as part of a whole plastic canvas chanukah look that I'm in the middle of crafting. I'm not exactly sure how it will all come together, but very likely as some fun garlands to hang this year and for years to come.

If you are familiar with plastic canvas, then you already know the secret to make these beauties, but if not, so do keep on reading for some helpful hints so you can get started making some of your own.

Plastic Canvas Chanukah Craft: A Needlepoint Menorah Ornament

I just love embroidery and needlework of all kinds, but with my generally hectic crafting endeavors there usually isn't time for small detailed work. But this year my friends we have an entire month until Chanukah, and with a huge roll of plastic canvas sitting in the corner of my studio and as you can imagine, no shortage of yarn, well I just had to indulge myself in a little bit of chanukah needlepoint of sorts, yippee! Yes it is true, plastic canvas isn't what I'd call refined needlework, but it sure is great for making fun decorations, perfect for kids and well, there really are so many creative things one can do with it, right? And a great excuse to use up some of those bits and pieces of yarn you've got hanging around, at least in my case!

One of the great things about plastic canvas is that one doesn't have to stick with small stitches, so filling the canvas with colorful strokes of yarn can be done relatively quickly. Here I choose to fill the ground of the piece with the traditional needlepoint stitch, but tomorrow I'll be sharing with you another plastic canvas chanukah craft where I did just the opposite, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here's how I made this sweet little menorah......

How To Braid With Four Strands

I am in the middle of creating a tutorial that uses a trim made with a four strand braid, but funny enough, I couldn't find a diagram that shows how to braid with four strands the way I do it! As it turns our there are several ways to braid with four, but the way that I'm going to show you is also the way to create a flat braid with an infinate number of strands, so it is good to know. You can use a four stranded braid to create craft trim, to braid challahs, and to create the latest hairstyles. Did you know that braided hairstyles are all the rage? My crafty 13 year old daughter has actually gotten so professional at several kinds of head wrapping french braids that everyone assumes I did it!

Anyway, lest I digress, lets get back to learning how to make this simple braid with four strands.

Geometric String Star Holiday Napkin Rings

Wishing for a fun craft for all ages that can also make your holiday table look amazing? Look no further, these string stars are so much fun to make and work really well as medallions for DIY napkin rings! So cut out some cardboard circles from cereal box cardboard, grab some metallic crochet thread and get started!Wishing for a fun craft for all ages that can also make your holiday table look amazing? Look no further, these string stars are so much fun to make and work really well as medallions for DIY napkin rings! So cut out some cardboard circles from cereal box cardboard, grab some metallic crochet thread and get started!

Wishing for a fun craft for all ages that can also make your holiday table look amazing? Look no further, these string stars are so much fun to make and work really well as medallions for DIY napkin rings! So cut out some cardboard circles from cereal box cardboard, grab some metallic crochet thread and get started!

Giant Tassels Wall Decor, Great Yarn Buster!

While I have yet to show you photos of this year's succah, (and I may never, as there just wan't time to take proper photos......sigh) I did want to share with you one of the crafts I made while pulling an all-nighter before the holiday started: giant stash buster tassels! I have to say, I was quite relieved when I actually loved the results, as I made quite a few of these, and together with some dcorative red apples on vines, they ended up decorating an entire wall!

Of course that wall is also covered with some very ethnic Moroccan metal frames, and the tassels fit right in!

You'll Need:

• yarn from your stash, thick or thin or whatever you happen to have! (the dark blue is Red Heart Super saver)
• a large coffee table sized book
• patience and or course scissors

How To:

1. Wrap yarn around the height of a large coffee table book until it is about 1 inch wide and about 1/2' high.
2. Slip a piece of yarn under the middle of the clump and tie a double knot before removing hank from book.
3. Remove hank from book, fold in half (so that the piece you used to tie the hank becomes the hanger for the tassel)
4. Now tie a piece of yarn in a contrasting color around the neck of the tassel and wind it around at least 4 or more times. Tie off.
5. A tassel is born! Now experiment with making some multi colored ones which are truly gorgeous!

Make Mini Decorative Yarn Balls To Use Instead Of Pom Poms!

I am on a missions to make quick decorations for our succah (less than one week to go and not many free days, yikes!) that will also diminish my odds and ends of yarn. For starters instead of laboring over pom poms, I'm making tons of small decorative yarn balls which look great, and I'm also finally using up all the tiny little foam balls that I have on hand from the ping pong birthday party I threw a year ago, yippee!

I'm going to be stringing these vertically to use as a decorative chandelier of sorts (at least that is the plan)  but I think they could also look fantastic as a centerpiece for your coffee table, the perfect way to enjoy combinations of colors that you love, or to add some seasonal color!
 

You'll Need:

• yarn, hopefully those little odds and ends you don't know what to do with
• small foam balls, mine are about the size of a ping pong ball
• hot glue

How To: Dab some hot glue on the foam ball (sparingly as hot glue melts styrofoam) place the end in the hot glue and start wrapping the ball. Add more dots of hot glue here and there, but be careful not to overdue it as you don't want to see any hot glue! Keep wrapping the ball in all directions making sure that the resulting ball of yarn looks mostly round. That is it, so simple and so wonderful to have on hand for some many crafting adventures!

Stay tuned for more stash busting yarn ideas, and have a wonderful week!

Make A Scrappy Yarn Ball After You Finish Weaving In Those Pesky Ends!

This week is turning out to be a week about resourcefulness here on the blog, which makes sense as upcycling and recycling is certainly up my alley. So here goes......