creative jewish mom

DIY Giant Paper Flowers Make The Perfect Fall Centerpiece

Looking for a great idea for a DIY centerpiece or a quick way to make a statement in your home this Fall? Look no further! No pumpkins (though admittedly the little white ones would look lovely here), no fall leaves, no burlap, no apples, instead how about some giant paper poppies in neutral Fall colors? These oversized flowers made from large sheets of ultra heavy paper come together quickly, and whether you choose to make just one or a whole bunch, I know you won't regret it.......in fact you may even find yourself dancing with joy. Really!

Rustic Wire And Fabric Flower Craft

I saw this idea for making a rustic wire and fabric flower sculpture with a wine cork base on our travels just a few weeks ago, and I just had to share it with you! The idea of stitching fabric scraps onto a wire shape can be used in so many ways, to make flat ornaments for a wall hanging or mobile or to get a bit adventurous and go for something with dimension. I love the looseness of the results, and a flower sculpture like this one is not only a perfect summer craft, but also would be great moving into fall.

As far as taking this idea as a project for kids, I think it would be a fabulous way to introduce the idea of abstract sculpture. Give kids some easily bendable wire, and at least four wine corks, and have them make a three dimensional wire doodle.......sounds great to me! To add color glue or sew little scraps of fabric or colored paper to some of the resulting shapes.

Sorry, lest I digress, back to the specifics of this sweet little flower.......

Square Wreath With Felt Flowers Is Sweet Anytime!

The Jewish holiday of Shavuout starts tonight, and our door is decorated with this sweet little square wreath adorned with felt flowers! (A little disclaimer: door wreaths are decidedly un-Jewish if you delve into their origin, and I generally try not to use the word wreath, but for the sake of folks finding this post, well I just couldn't think of another word that would suffice.) Round floral wreaths are a symbol of military funerals and memorial day, so I went with a fun variation of a square wreath which actually reminds me of a trellis, perfect!

This project came about as I had a bunch of felt chrysanthemum flowers left over from my felt flower napkin ring project, and I have to say, I just love it! Change out the little banner (which reads chag sa-may-ach, with a gutteral ch that is, translated happy holiday) and this project could be perfect for so many occasions, or just as sweet as can be in a baby's room. Ready to whip up one of these square wreaths, using supplies that you likely have on hand (assuming you have a big bag of felt that needs using up, like I did, did, being the operative word, yippee!) let's get started.

A DIY Paper Plant That Is Simply Lovely: Agave!

Paper plants are all the rage, and understandably so as they are so simple to make and look amazing. Not to mention great for those who don't have time to take care of the real thing! i happen to have a virtual jungle both indoors and out, but I still appreciate the paper plant idea for its whimsy. There are a lot of folk out there making paper cactuses, but I think I'm the first to make a paper agave. Though many (mostly Australians, where agaves grow in droves) have success growing them in water indoors, the agave is really an outdoor plant, so a paper one certainly is a good idea!

I whipped this one up in literally ten minutes, and now you can too, with my simple directions!

Crepe Paper Flowers With Pom Pom Centers (Perfect For Shavous!)

Here is a fun crepe paper flower craft that is done in two steps, and produces great results. Make these flowers in a bunch of sizes, and affix them to a large board, or hot glue a string to the back for hanging. Or how about some on your front door? Whatever you decide to do with them, they'll add a splash of color to your home, and make your kids very proud of their efforts, which is certainly a good way to encourage future crafting, right?

Birthday Letter Banner With Rolled Paper Roses (With Simple Supplies!)

A birthday banner decorated with an initial letter covered in rolled paper roses will be sure to please the birthday girl (or woman) and you can whip it up with the simplest of supplies! Last week when we arrived at a lovely dairy farm in Sullivan County, New York for a family get together, I was informed that we would be celebrating my youngest niece's birthday a tad on the early side. Yikes!

Painting Flowers On Cardboard Scraps, Fun For BOYS!

Sometimes the simplest of art projects can have some of the greatest results — like these wonderful flowers that my group of boys painted at Crafting A Future as a part of a project for the holiday of Shavuot. Truthfully, I had so many kid crafted flowers to share, that I decide to hang on to this one for a later date, which happens to be today!

 One might expect that when given the task of painting flowers, some boys might balk a bit, but not a negative comment came out of the mouths of these sweet artists.....as usual they simply got to work, and I just love the results.

It was so interesting to see that some of the boys whose drawing skills aren't so great, actually excelled at the painting.

 So do get out the paints and paint on anything. Just the idea of plates full of bright color and large brushes are enough to get most kids excited (hopefully) and if they're not excited, well, turn up the heat and get them excited, or at least try to?

After these wonderful flowers were dry, I cut them out and we then used them for a collage project, which turned out to be one of the more fabulous things to come out of our two or so hours of crafting every Sunday evening. I will most certainly get out those paints on a regular basis.....even my non-crafting ten year old was inspired to paint a few tulips when he saw all the great things his friends were painting!

 

Newsprint Paper Flowers With Crepe Paper Center Tutorial

Festive, budget friendly and simple to make are how I'd describe these newsprint paper flowers that I whipped up the other day as last minute centerpieces. And since newsprint is used rather than tissue paper or crepe paper, the bottom layers of the flower retain their petal shapes and make a nice sturdy base, enabling one to simply attach the flower to a plate or pedestal of any kind.

Recycled Soda Bottle Flowers For Shavuot!

This week at Crafting A Future, my !st and 2nd grade girls made these gorgeous recycled soda bottle flowers that sure do look like blown glass, don't they? We'll be using these flowers for a shavuot wall hanging that the girls have been working on, but I think they'd look great as is strung together with fishline or glued to a backing of some kind.

Wondering how we got such vivid colors for our recycled soda bottle flowers? Why tissue paper of course!And the other secret is to work on the inside of the flower, such that when you turn the work over the shiny plastic enhances the colors.

They really are so much fun, and so simple to make that you can whip up a bunch. Keep reading for the how-to.......

Simple Paper Rosebud Tutorial For All Ages!

Paper rosebuds are so very sweet and so simple to make for all ages. The examples made in these photos were made by 11 year old girls in my Crafting A Future class, though slightly younger children can certainly make them as well with a bit of help. It's also great practice for kids to try drawing an even spiral, which is difficult for some, and certainly those who don't draw enough!