creative jewish mom

DIY Paper Flower Wall Art For Spring

Use paper flowers made from scalloped circles to make some fun and fresh DIY artwork for your home. It isn't quite Spring here either, (we are fortunately getting some heavy duty rain today!) and I'm really enjoying this joyful shot of color. And best of all, you can whip this up quite quickly, especially if you have some worn vintage frames sitting around waiting for their makeover! Or if you don't have any frames sitting around, so just attach them to a large piece of cardboard, make a frame with ribbon or rickrack, and that would look great too!

You'll Need:

• paper flowers, tutorial from my post here
• a worn frame, the more beat up and stained the better (I found this one without its glass and simply pealed off the artwork, and voila, the sun and time had done a great job of making a nice frame on the backing cardboard!)
• hot glue
• wide ribbon (optional)

How To:

Line up flowers and move them around until you're happy with the arrangement. Affix with hot glue. Enjoy your breath of Spring!

 

More Freezer Paper Stenciling: A Snowflake Pillowcase!

A freezer paper stenciled snowflake pillowcase. A perfect addition to your winter decor! And so easy, even for the inexperienced crafter. In fact, taking a half decent photo of this pillow was ten times harder than making it. (Maybe because I decided to take a little nap in the Mediterranean sunshine in the middle of the shoot? Sorry, not trying to make those of you who are snow bound jealous....we're expecting rain tomorrow.....) Now I know why the un-made bed look is popular in photos these days—by default!  Come to think of it, the professionals probably don't even use real mattresses under those smooth wrinkle free sheets. Okay, sorry, back to crafting!

Now, as I was saying, freezer paper stenciled pillowcases are a great way to add a little cheerful color to any room, and can even be the finishing touch (or starting point) you were looking for! I really think that a few of these pillowcases could turn a cute room into something beyond adorable. And of course, you don't have to make snowflakes, how about letters, or spelling out a message with a few pillows? Little birds on one pillow, a birdhouse on another? And guess what, here's the tip of a lifetime that I almost forgot about myself— you can run freezer paper through your printer, oh my! (Just make sure that the printing happens on the non-shiny side.) And then all you need to do is cut the design out with your craft knife. Are you swooning? I am.

For complete instructions on how to freezer paper stencil to your heart's desire, see my post yesterday. And let me know how it goes, I'm compiling a reader roundup of projects inspired by CJM posts, so do join in on the fun and send me your links or photos.

The Doily As Art: Make Them Or Buy Them!

Just in case I caught you by surprise, I should tell you that in today's crafting/upcycling world at large, doilies are finally being given the recognition that they deserve! Maybe you thought doilies were just for grandma, but it's simply no longer the case! Crafters are using them in many inventive ways, and I actually crocheted this one yesterday to use for a project that I'll certainly share if it's a success. But when I spread it out to take this photo I almost wanted to forget about that project and just glue this to an orange canvas to hang as art.

Stenciling On Color Washed Walls Or Canvases: A Great Look For Summer!

  

About six months or so ago I introduced you to another creative Jewish mom by the name of Roberta Rose, and her beautifully color washed walls here. The walls in this photo however, are the work of Roberta's mentor, Therese Parnes, herself a decorative painter, and very creative soul! 

I wanted to share this project with you, as I think this technique employing stenciling over color glazed walls would be super done on huge canvases or pieces of fabric—to hang in a summer rental or even decorate an outdoor space this season! (Or how about panels for your Succah?) Of course if you're brave enough, so go ahead and do it on your walls, but take my advice and practice on something else first!

Learn how to colorwash here. And read about stenciling here, and keep in mind that you could use this same technique in neutral colors for a more subtle statement, but for fun summer artwork, go bold!

Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Wreath!

I hope you've been saving those toilet paper rolls because this project is fantastic! But I can't take credit for the brilliant idea, that goes to my friend Tali the architect here, though this design is my own. I've had this one on my agenda for ages and I've been diligently saving those rolls, and now I've got something special hanging in my kitchen. Yippee!

And I'm slowly chipping away at the list of recycled materials that I suggested you save. And toilet paper rolls can be stored collapsed and bound together with a rubber band if you're short on space!

This is a great project for all ages, and for those of you who'd like to get a head start on Succah decorations this would be perfect!

My project is still in it's "natural" state, but I'm considering spray painting it gold and placing it with a large tree wall decal. Then I have a feeling no one will guess it's humble origins!

You'll Need:

• recycled toilet paper tubes, or paper towel tubes, lots of them!
• white glue or a hot glue gun
• lots of paper clips, if you're using white glue

How To:

1. Cut tubes into evenly sized rings. You do want the rings to be the same depth, so do take the extra time to measure! If you want to be a perfectionist, cut with a craft knife and a metal ruler.
2. Start gluing tubes together. I used hot glue since it's quicker, but I'd recommend using the white glue and paper clips method for kids. Use the paper clips to hold the pieces together as they dry flat on a table.
3. I really didn't have a plan so I decided to assemble flowers, and figure out what to do with them afterwards! You might want to actually design something first for more certain results. You could even plan your design on the computer!
4. Run to the neighbors to see if they have some extra tubes, when you run out!
5. Finish assembling your entire design and paint if desired. Hang and enjoy!

Add Artificial Flowers To Sheer Curtains: Wow!

Isn't this lovely? The only part I can take credit for is being wise enough to share this great idea with you!

You may or may not remember my friend Roberta, whom I wrote about here. Well, it turns out that one of the major factors in her creative journey was direct inspiration from a friend of hers, Terese Parnes, another amazingly creative Jewish mom. Roberta sent over a few photos that I'll be sharing over the next few days, as they're just perfect for the upcoming holiday of Shavuos. In preparation for the holiday we try to create a garden-like setting in our homes to remember the beautiful lush surroundings on Mt. Sinai where the Torah was given. So I think this curtain idea is perfect, and with the right supplies on hand could be a really quick project with stunning results!

And, I was thinking that one could certainly do this with magnetic flowers that could be easily removed!

You'll Need:

• sheer curtains, or a piece of sheer fabric to hang in a doorway etc. Or try this idea with a table cloth and apply flowers around the edges, could be gorgeous!
• inexpensive artificial flowers, or a bunch of fabric scrap flowers you've made (?) You can mix flower type and stay within the same color range, or use one type of flower in a few colors.
• magnets (optional) strong enough to connect to one another with a piece of sheer fabric sandwiched between them
• hot glue gun

How To:

1. Remove flowers from plastic stems, and depending on the type of flowers and the result you'd like, you may want to separate some of the layers to use separately for a flatter flower. If your flowers come with leaves you may want to use those as well.
2. Decide on whether you'd like the flowers to be lined up (as Terese did to fit within the panes of glass) or randomly scattered. Of course if you'll be doing this with mangets you can move the flowers around until you like the result! If you'll be gluing the flowers it would be best to lie the curtain on the floor and arrange before gluing.
3. Either glue magnets to flowers with hot glue, or glue flowers directly to sheer curtain with hot glue. Terese glued flowers back to back since her curtains are viewed from two sides, but you may be able to get away with one side.
4. Enjoy and do let me know if you try this! And while you're at it, why not glue magnets to lots of flowers and decorate all the magnetic surfaces in your home? Or at the least the fridge!

Make A Recycled Book Page Sunburst Mirror!

Now I can finally cross recycled book page projects off my to-do list! There's just one problem this project was so quick and fun, I think I may just have to make some more! It took me a total of two hours, including taking photos for the tutorial and a few other distractions, so all things considered, I think that's pretty good for a masterpiece like this!

As you may or may not know, book page projects (mostly wreaths) have been all the rage amongst a certain crafty blogging circle, and my main problem was finding a book, if you can believe that! I finally found this old hebrew grammer book that someone was throwing away, and even as I tore it apart I was thinking, "hey I could have used this" Oh well, I'm really glad I made the mirror instead!

You'll Need:

• An old book you don't mind tearing up
• A base of some kind, and a small round mirror
• Glass pebbles and mosaic pieces (mine are from the local dollar store)
• A hot glue gun

How To:

Step 1: Attach your mirror to the base. Mine was ready-made, as you see it, a crafting discard from a friend. Can't wait to show her what I did with it! This is a piece of mdf, but you could certainly use a heavy piece of cardboard.

Step 2: Roll pages into cones. Figure out a method that works for you and try to make the cones as similar as possible. I made mine by place each page in front of me horizontally, folding up the bottom portion to form an icecream cone shape, and creasing to help form the beginning of the cone. I then pulled this piece up into a cone shape and started rolling. Secure at the end with hot glue.

Step 3: Secure your cones to the base, placing pieces at corners and mid-points of circle, and then start filling in the empty spaces around the mirror.

 

Step 4: Keep gluing until you've filled the entire diameter of the circle. Here's what mine looked like from the front and from the back. (Those colored patches are from my friend's art project that never made it into the world.) Check to make sure that all your cones are the same length, and replace those that are either too short (in my case) or too long.

Step 5: Place glass mosaic pieces on top of your work, and move them around until you arrive at a design that  pleases you. I must say those elliptical pieces really made me happy! Secure glass pieces with hot glue.

Step 6: I made a hanger by gluing a piece string to the base and securing with lots of hot glue and circles cut from cereal boxes.

That's it. Really so simple! I could definitely see an entire wall filled with theses in all sizes! Great for decorating a plain event space for a special occasion, or adding a crafty touch to just about anywhere! Or you can even sandwich two together back to back, for a gorgeous hanging decoration in a stair well or corner of any room. Have some other book page projects you'd like to share, send me photos! All the best, and happy crafting. And by the way, the etherial quality of this project seems just right for Shavous!

 

Make A Fun DIY Stenciled Coat Rack (For Kids?)

   

Why not encourage your kids to hang up their stuff by providing them with a fun coat rack hung at their level! You may even have the supplies for this project hanging around collecting dust, like I did! And in case you're wondering, I really am not all that handy, it's just that I couldn't find anything to buy (at a reasonable price) that would look great in this cute little yellow toy/catch-all room just off the kitchen!

 

And no, it doesn't usually look like this, but the mess was obscuring the beauty of the project, so I had to dispose of it (throw it in a corner behind me, namely) as you can well imagine! And yes, the bags made from woven plastic strips are great, I got them in Seattle years ago!

You'll  Need:

• a piece of plywood, wood or even laminated partical board of some kind that's the right size for your needs, or even old drawer fronts would be great for this project!
• formica edging tape, for a very finished look if using plywood
• paint suitable for wood, I used enamel semi-gloss
• a paint brush or mini roller
• hooks, any assortment is fun, or all the same if you prefer
• a stencil
• craft paint for your stencil, and a stencil brush or piece of dense foam to apply paint to stencil
• varnish, either spray or brush-on for a top coat to protect your stenciled pattern
• an electric drill for attaching hooks to boards, (you could use a regular screwdriver if working with solid wood that's not too hard) and a handy neighbor to attach the racks to the wall!

How To:

1. Paint your base pieces, and set aside to dry overnight. If you are using something that is already covered in a laminate of some kind, you'll need to use special paint suited to formica, which is available as a base coat in white.
2. Apply your stenciled pattern (see my other posts about stenciling here) and set aside to dry
3. Apply a coat of varnish, acrylic or oil based, spray or paint-on, whichever suits you, or whichever you happen to have on hand
4. Apply formica strips to edges if applicable, using manufacturers instructions. The brand I used was pre-glued and I applied it with heat, namely an iron!
5. Carefully mark holes for placement of hooks (measure!) and attach hooks with a screwdriver or screwdriver attachment on your power drill
6. Attach coat racks to wall at the right level for your needs, and enjoy!
7. Take photos and share them with us here, it would make us so proud!

A Spring Counting Calendar That's Also A Work Of Art! (For Sefirat HaOmer!)

Ever started to make something not knowing what the final result would be? Well, that's what happened this week and I just love the results! I knew that I wanted to make a counting calender of some sort (we are now in a 49 day period on the Jewish calender, where each day is counted in a special way) with scalloped circles but I really wasn't sure what I do with the circles! I even got my kids busy scribbling and coloring on recycled paper to make some of the inner circles without much of a plan!

Then it occurred to me that they'd look great, all 49 of them simply lined up on a grid, and lucky for me this frame that I had sitting around was just the right size and I even re-used the bristol board already inside the frame! I don't know whether we'll actually use this for counting because I love it just as it is! But my idea was to write the number for the day on the glass with markers. (Yes regular markers wipe easily off of glass!)

And in case you are wondering, when I recently hung this wrought iron rack, my family thought it was for hanging their stuff, I of course envisioned it as a great way to hang a picture, or have a revolving art wall of sorts!

You'll Need:

• a 2" scalloped circle punch
• a 3" scalloped circle punch
• colored card stock in five colors
• recycled non-glossy paper from phone books etc, old lined notebook paper etc.
• markers
• a glue stick
• a frame with an inside measurement of at least 59cm x 75cm, and a piece of bristol board that fits the frame

How To:

Step 1: Get your kids to scribble and doodle with markers on  old lined paper and non-glossy printed paper like phone book pages. If there aren't any kids around for this step, so have fun yourself!

Step 2: Cut out scalloped circles with the 2" punch if you want to duplicate my results. BUT if you want to make a more functional counting calender, so cut out the doodled artwork with the 3" punch such that all the centers will be made from solid paper.

Step 3: Cut out scalloped circles from your solid paper in both sizes.

Step 4: Using a glue gun, adhere smaller circles to larger ones.

Step 5: Arrange circles on board, and when you are happy with the placement (you'll need to play around a bit to make sure the various colors are evenly distributed) adhere them with the glue stick. Use a T-square or a long ruler to make sure your rows lineup as you are working.

Step 6: To use as a calender, insert into frame with glass (plastic might work too with a marker for dry-erase boards, give it try!) and write on the glass with a marker. When you've finished your countdown, wipe off the numbers and enjoy as a beautiful piece of artwork!

Make Your Own Wall Decals From Fabric!

Today I am not at the computer, I am celebrating and observing the first day of Pesach! Of course that doesn't mean that I'll be abandoning the blog, I've got a whole series of posts lined up that will automatically post even though I'm enjoying the holiday!

This is not my project (You'll forgive me right? I'm a little pressed for time preparing for Pesach!) though I'm going to try it out the first chance I get. Just arranging the photos to make a pretty collage was fun! This project was actually posted on my Craft Schooling Sunday blog party last week, but it is so brilliant I just had to give it its' own post so that my readers wouldn't miss it.

I'm sure you're familiar with the very popular vinyl wall decals, that can look great but can be expensive and a little flat looking for some. Here's a really great option that I think could be even cuter and easy to make yourself. Using fabric and double-sided fusible web you can make decals like these that will not damage the walls! For a complete tutorial, please visit sewingforscarlet. And do thank her for giving me permission to post this on my blog!

Enjoy and let me know if you try this out, I'd love to hear about your successes or any other results! Wishing everyone a wonderful Pesach. Seven (or eight) days of matzo is a great thing!