creative jewish mom

Abstract Floral Gift Boxes From Recycled Packaging Are A Gift In Themselves

This year's crafts for chanukah are all about bright colors and abstract shapes that look oh so artful and festive! Practicing some painting techniques on gift bags, cereal boxes or even smaller recycled cardboard food boxes is a great way to make some art that isn't precious and has a use, and if it doesn't turn out so well......recycle it, which is where is was going in the first place (hopefully.) I actually made this painted gift box from an etrog box left over from Succot, which is a great way to take the energy from one Jewish holiday into the next. Not of course that Chanukah is about gifts, as tradtionally it is certainly not, but in our house I use it as an opportunity to give some fun, practical, and warm presents as an added touch. After all, Chanukah is 8 nights, as to keep it festive one has to do something a bit out of the ordinary. For many that may be whipping up lots of treats, including doughnuts, for me I'd rather spend the time getting creative with little gifts and wrapping them just so. And I will let you in on a little secret, I definately re-use the hand painted gift boxes this year throughout the holiday, as well as the home made wrapping paper, so make sure to let the recipients know not to destroy the art! Want to spend a little bit of time making some of your own gift boxes that in themselves are works of art, let's do it!

Q-Tip Painted Brown Paper Bags For Gift Giving

Whether you want to use up or re-use some simple brown paper lunch bags, or even better, recycle larger brown paper. bags, you can create festive gift wrap or gift bags with the addition of some festive Q-tip painted patterns! I had planned to create a whole Q-tip painting primer with patterns and ideas, but since that has yet to happen, I now present you with Q-tip flowers and polka dots which is fun to create and looks amazing. One of the great things about painting with Q-tips is it is great for little hands as well, and really so much fun. Beware, you may want to Q-tip paint the whole house, though that could be great too! For starters lets hone our Q-tip painting skills with these fun gift bags!

7 Ways To Make DIY Gift Wrap: Fun For All Ages!

 

With Chanukah on the distant horizon, as well as gift giving season for many, it is nonetheless quickly approaching, so now is a great time to get those creative gears spinning with some fun projects to save for the future: DIY wrapping paper! The fun part about creating your own wrapping paper is that it is fun for all ages, and seeing little ones light up later on when their creations have been used to wrap gifts is just too precious to miss! DIY gift wrap is also a great way to practice some painting skills, or become familiar with all the fun ways one can print shapes, namely with potatos, sponges, kitchen tools, leaves, you name it! Ah yes, and then there is doodling and exploring the wide variety of art supplies with which to make  DIY wrapping paper, whether it be watercolor paint, acrylic paint, simple kid's craft paint, stamp pads, or markers! Lets take a look at the seven ways we've made DIY gift wrap over the past ten years or so, and enjoy. After your wrapping paper had dried, roll it up, put it in a safe place and use as needed!

Lovely DIY Wrapping Paper From A Painting Exercise!

With gift giving season approaching quickly, now is a great time to make some DIY wrapping paper, and even better, to practice your painting skills in the process! I have at long last set aside some time to follow my dreams of painting, and while the jury is still out regarding whether this is something that I'll truly want to devote my time to, I now have some great looking wrapping paper that is so fun to look at! Painting loosely, which is the direction I'd like to take, since that is the style that speaks to me (fortunately) isn't nearly as easy as it looks, and so practicing on large sheets of butcher paper is the perfect way to loosen up with no pressure. And this year our Chanukkah gifts are going to look amazing, yippee!

And speaking of yippee, my old virtual friend Amanda Evanston (who used to run the blog Aunt Peaches) has graciously gifted me her online painting classes to review, and let me tell you, the first class that I'm working on now "The Secret Garden" is truly amazing. I can't promise you overnight success unless you are an artistic genius, but I can promise you at the very least that you'll see painting in a whole new light. If that means delving in deeper, like me, or deciding to support artists, like Amanda, already creating amazing work, either way the results are well worth the investment. And yes, you can do the class with kids, in fact the techniques are perfect for all ages. No, Amanda won't teach you exactly how to copy gorgeous paintings like hers, that you'll have to work for, so I'm running off to do just that!

I took this quote of of Amanda's site and I just love it:

"A painting teacher once told me, "To introduce someone to the artists that lives inside them is a great honor." - This is a privilege I take very seriously, and I spent years developing a teaching method that is inclusive of students of all ages and skill levels. I would love to have you as a student. 

So thanks Amanda, I'm really hoping to get to know my own inner artist, and time will tell! Now, lets paint some wrapping paper, ready?

DIY Wrapping Paper From Brush Lettering Practice Sheets!

Dear readers, now that I have shown you how to make adorable wrapping paper, there really is no excuse not to invest a little bit of time in learning brush lettering, and in this case actually brush lettering using Crayola markers, which is called crayoligraphy, or something like that.

Brush lettering is all the rage, with tutorials everywhere, including Skillshare (ad is in upper right hand corner of my blog) so if calligraphy is an interest, go for something fun and contemporary, and try brush lettering. And maybe must maybe, you'll also come up with a nice use for all the practice pages you'll surely generate once you get started!

Hanukkah Craft: Make Gorgeous Potato Print Wrapping Paper

I have a little secret for you, traditional potato print wrapping paper just moved up a notch with a new technique which I used to make this olive branch wrapping paper for Hanukkah! Check out my post right here on Houzz.com for complete instructions.

I have to say, I just love it, and while I have already cut it to use for the next step in this project, I had thought of hanging it on the wall as is.

Why olive branches for Hanukkah you may ask?, Why yes, of course, to remind us of the miracle of Hanukkah which is all about olive oil. And the holiday of Hanukkah is all about publicizing this miracle, so what better way to do it than with olive branch wrapping paper?

So if you are still reading, I'll mention it again,  check out my post right here on Houzz.com for complete instructions. And believe me, you'll want to make enough to last for years, it is so much fun with fantastic results!

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Stamped Polka Dot Wrapping Paper For A Ping Pong Birthday Party

Homemade wrapping paper using blank newsprint paper and simple bright green children's paint was the perfect compliment to the ping pong themed birthday party that I made for my 11 year old son just before Rosh HaShana.

And while we are not big on birthday gifts in our home, I thought I'd surprise the birthday boy with 11 numbered gifts, the last one, numbered 11 being a gold trophy of sorts that I came upon at a local discount store, lucky me!

Potato Print And Sponge Stamped Wrapping Paper

Isn't this festive piece of kid printed wrapping paper just too fun to actually use? And it even looks like a geometric tree, don't you think? A perfect fall craft with some rich earthy colors, or not!

After making doodle wrapping paper, we decided to re-visit an old favorite, namely potato printed wrapping paper, which also morphed into dense sponge printed wrapping paper, so much fun, I can't wait to do more. And the kids also enjoyed it as it's fairly effortless with quick results, a great little perk especially if you'd like them to produce a bunch of sheets to use to wrap holiday gifts!

Of course I have no doubt that you'll just have to join in on the fun, as I did here above.

Doodle Wrapping Paper Craft For Chanukah...For The Whole Family!

Get started with chanukah crafting by spending a little time making doodle wrapping paper! Last week I shared with you my idea for some all purpose doodled message wrapping paper, though truthfully that was an after thought after I created this DIY chanukah wrapping paper craft with my kids. You see we have a ton of blank newsprint paper hanging out at our house, so buying wrapping paper certainly seems like a huge waste, and for me just getting out some markers and doodling on a huge sheet of paper was very relaxing. I can't exactly say my kids felt the same way, for them the huge size was honestly a little tedious, but every child loves different things, so do give it a try.

Concentric circles are a great way to practice hand/arm control for drawing large things, and most kids will find this one a bit too challenging, but give it a try yourself!

The two kids (mine) that I could convince to partake in this craft both choose to draw centric dreidels, the results of which you can see here above, and below. So glad I have photos of their creations, as this paper will be used and tossed come Chanukah, yippee!

Next on the list, a little re-visit to our printed and stamped wrapping paper, (that we did four years ago!) and hopefully a step in the direction of getting serious about preparing for the upcoming holiday!

 

 

Simple DIY Wrapping Paper With A Doodle Yarn Message!

It's time to start thinking about holiday season, with Chanukah just one month away, yikes! So why not start with some simple DIY wrapping paper that is all about doodling.....a great way to relax before you start stressing out about all the holiday preparations (in my case, not yours of course!)