creative jewish mom

DIY Rustic Wooden Wedding Sign

When my dear nephew Rafi asked me to make a rustic welcome sign for his wedding in Israel (because the bride was dreaming of one) my first reaction was, hmmm, never done that maybe I'll just do it on the computer and make a mounted print? Except given the rustic wedding venue that might totally flop, yikes. Then I thought why not do a computer created decal and apply it to wood? A good option but ordering that decal, not so simple in my location, and potentially costly. Okay, then how about DIY decal sheets to print at home? An option but also needs to planned way ahead to account for shipping of those sheets. In the end, silly me I realized that designing the sign on the computer, and then transferring the design onto a piece of wood, and then painting it truly would be the best solution. And so, presenting to you my first ever DIY rustic welcome sign, with the artist's easel that I also happened to have, and which needed its own makeover as well.

Want to make one too, let's do it!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! We are now in the Jewish month of Cheshvan, which is considered to be a somewhat sad month as it is the only month of the year in which there are no Jewish holidays or fast days! So now is perfect time to bring some light into the month of Cheshvan by getting creative!

And of course, since spending too much time poking around on the internet never really leads to actually creating, there is more than enough inspiration right here on CJM and on Craft Schooling Sunday to get you started! And now for the features from last week's party, enjoy:

 

Love these soap pumpkins that could also be apples from clean and scentsible, and adore these denim wrapped wire stars, this is a keeper, from pillar box blue.

A sweet crocheted leaf wall hanging from my world of crochet, and just love these colored tumbleweeds for some wild west fall decorating, from penny's treasures.

Rustic Yet Modern Vacation House Decor Starts With Words, Lots Of Them!

Fun signs with a painted vintage look, or even fun signs that use a modern font yet still have that aged look are all the rage, and while you might not want to look at them all the time, they certainly make great simple decor for a vacation home, a basement hideout, a shed, or a camper.  Then again, the laundry room, the bathroom, a stairwell, or even a hall can be a great place to hang a fun sign. If you own a craft cutter (I don't) signs like these are simple to whip up by creating your own vinyl stencils, if not, one can also print out the words and transfer the outlines of the letters to the piece of wood and simply paint by hand, a nice relaxing project to delve into!

Speaking of relaxing, those of you (myself included) who do not own vacation homes, might want to consider how to bring that feeling of vacation into our everyday homes. For me, one of the things I love about going on vacation is not having to deal with all my stuff, you know the piles of it, so maybe getting really organized and keeping drawers and closets that are used everyday as empty as possible will give me that "free" vacation feeling? I"ll let you know, as I'm about to do that with my office/art studio that has become a storeroom for the last few years, namely with my husband's help I am clearing out the whole thing, painting, and then only bringing back in the barest minimum of supplies. I fortunately have a large attic as well as a really rough basement space that will store all of my mess, fingers crossed, and wish me luck!

Ah yes, but back to these fun signs, which I believe are a bit of a 70's throwback, as are so many trends today, I noticed that the homes we stayed in that were owned by really loving family oriented people had signs that expressed these feelings! So dear readers, share your love, your sense of humor, your faith, your goals, and your dreams on a sign, it can only be good.

Simple DIY Wooden Letter Wall Art

I just love this rustic wooden "heart" wall art that was hanging over a bed in one of our vacation rentals in the Adirondacks a few weeks ago. This would be lovely in a baby's room, as part of the decor at a DIY country style wedding, or sheva brachas, or for any event really, customized of course! So, while I didn't make this, I can certainly see how it was made, and it is great inspiration to use in so many ways. Spell out a child's name, a favorite place, or even another word like hope, smile, dream, enjoy.........or even a funny word that refers to a family joke. All you need are some letters and a low wooden box or square tray, and you're good to go! I actually have been saving some chess boards that look just like this, and now I know what to do with them......now where exactly are those chess boards, hmmm. (This week I am hard at work cleaning out my craft room, so I'm sure they'll show up soon!)

Little Ladders Party Decor (Or Fun Sculptural Installation!)

My son's bar mitzvah last night was thankfullly a smashing success, and now I can hopefully find some time here and there to share with you some of the crafty details. And yes, there were many which represented hours and hours of work but I have no regrets, only that I didn't have time to do more! The best news of all is that most of the things I made for the bar mitzvah can now be used in the succah, which couldn't be better timing as the holiday of Succot starts on Sunday night! And with Yom Kippur tomorrow night, well, time is certainly on the tight side.

Okay, now a few words about these little ladders! I actually made these to use as a base for tall centerpieces at the bar mitzvah, and this is the before picture. Namely before they were painted light blue.....I do love them like this, but that surely would not have worked for a bar mitzvah, right? When I lined them up on the wall I couldn't help but think to myself that they looked like a modern sculpture! As it turns out, ladders are not only a great symbol for a bar mitzvah, but also represent Yaakov's ladder, which also works for my son, as his name is Yisrael, which was Yaakov's original name. I  made a bunch of paper stars and medallions which I tied to the ladders, and each ladder was placed into a small pot and held in place by filling the container wtih kosher salt!

Adirondack Style Twig Sign Craft: Perfect For Summer Camp Or Staycation!

Isn't this handmade Adirondack-style twig sign fantastic? I can't take credit for it, other than having the nerve to wander over to the neighbor's yard one afternoon while on our Connecticut lake vacation! And don't go imagining that I climbed over any stone walls or anything, I just wandered across the lawn knowing that they were on their way to Florida, and discovered this twig sign, as well as some great views and perennial beds to photograph.

If you want to make a sign like this one, simply plan your sign first, actual size, on a large piece of paper, and then use that as a template to cut the sticks exactly the right size. You can use nails or even wood glue to join all the pieces, and then add some fun details with willow branches, or any branches that can bend without breaking. I'd love to have another opportunity for enough time on the lake to make a sign like this myself, but in the meantime maybe one of you will give it a try? Enjoy!

Melted Crayon On Wood Craft

Here's a great little craft activity for the whole family (excluding toddlers) — drawing with crayons on hot wood! While this craft does require caution due to the very hot wood, it is just so completely satisfying to draw with crayons that melt as you apply them to your hot surface. I got this idea from the wonderful website The Artful Parent here, and I can't wait to try it out with my kids!

You'll Need:

• wood or mdf items
• an oven
• crayons

How To:

Set the oven to say 350F or 200C,  place your wood items in the oven until they're good and hot. Mdf will not burn quickly, but wood will (I speak from experience, whoops!) so do watch your pieces. Remove from oven and place on towel or a metal tray. Without touching the wood item draw with your crayons. You can layer colors, but once it's drawn that's it, so you may want to experiment on a scrap piece. I would also recommend experimenting with the crayons to see which colors, and even brands produce the best results. 

And by the way, I made this mdf chamsa one night around midnight, and I have to say, my husband was quite purplexed as he walked in the door to find the oven on and me drawing with crayons. "But what is it supposed to be?" he asked. I just had to laugh as I blurted out "art!" So don't hesistate to try this project yourself late at night, but if you get caught in action, make sure you have a good explanation!

Moroccan Painted Furniture Inspiration

Morroccan painted furniture caught my eye this week on a little visit to my favorite Moroccan store in Chatzor HaGlilit. The store is huge and packed with Morroccan items of all kinds, so one can get a bit ovewhelmed, as I did on my first few visits. This time I was completely surprised by the bold beauty of the painted furniture, so I thought I'd share it with you, as one could certainly do something similar!

Here's a close-up of a little table, a design that one could easily adapt to any side table.

And one can certainly go a little in the pastel/country direction with Moroccan, as with these mint green tables, which I just love.

Oh, and look at these little cabinets, this black one would fit into the mostly white house of my dreams....

One could also paint just the doors of a cabinet like this if the total painted look is too busy, right?

Love this intense green version with the hints of pink! Inspired? I know I certainly am, and a painted furntiure piece like one of these could be a wonderful additional to any home, especially in a child's room for those who prefer to keep the main areas of the home a bit more neutral. Do let me know if you try this yourself!

 

Wooden Tulips

We are in the midst of the busiest time of summer vacation, so though I have some crafts to show you I don't have the time to photograph them! So instead I'll share with you some inspiration from my outings with friends and family. Yesterday we came upon the sweetest little store in Rosh Pina, called Pashoot V'Yaffe, Simple and Beautiful. Filled with lovely colorful things from Europe and a collection of simple decorative wooden items made in Israel, like these wooden tulips. Love their not too literal shape and the washed looking paint colors. I am so very inspired to try crafting with wood! One does need a jig saw and some wood and a bit of knowledge, but it really does seem within reach.

Simple little sail boats, wooden animals on wheels, simple wooden boxes with tiny painted details, all very much in keeping with the Scandanavian look I've been loving lately........and my kids were enchanted too!

I thought I'd show you the front of the store to just give an example of how with some color and a few wooden details (the awning and the windows) one can transform even the most basic structure. Not too long ago this was a black and silver hair salon! That's all for now, I'll be back soon with some gorgeous details from my favorite Moroccan store!

DIY Baby Blocks — Fun For Any Age

DIY baby blocks aren't just for babies, especially when they're covered with interesting illustrations or even messages that you can easily apply with decoupage. I made these DIY baby blocks with recycled scrap-pile wood pieces and covered them with a few layers of paper mache before adding the paper napkin images using decoupage. Truthfully, these crafty baby blocks would look cute sitting on a shelf anywhere, not just in the nursery!

You'll Need:

• wooden scraps or wooden blocks
• a white glue or white flour paste for paper mache
• paper mache tutorial
• white acrylic craft paint
• mod podge or any decoupage medium for decoupage
• napkins or other images for decoupage, and napkin decoupage tutorial

How To:

If using rough and not perfectly shaped blocks (as I did) cover them with a few layers of paper mache, and paint them white. Apply images using decoupage. If using napkins, use only the top layer with the image printed on it (napkins are usually three or four layers) and work very slowly to avoid tearing the napkin. Napkin decoupage will generally not produce a very perfectly smooth surface since it's almost impossible to apply the very thin napkin images with no creases. Use your imagination and make lots of fun blocks for play or even as a way of displaying some of your favorite images.