creative jewish mom

Little Crocheted Flower Bookmarks Are Perfect Hostess Gifts This Summer!

Aren't these little crocheted flower bookmarks made using zip ties just the sweetest? And they are so simple to make that I'm whipping up a huge bunch to give as gifts when we visit with family and friends during our summer travels. A bouquet of them would be fantastic, as one can never have too many bookmarks, and of course one can make bookmarks like this with other little crocheted items too, you name it!

Ready to make some of these cuties to enjoy this summer? Let's get started.......

Fleece Scraps Pouch For Kids Is Perfect For Holding Magnifying Glasses!

Last week just before my favorite little four year old was to arrive for a visit, I quickly whipped up a pouch to hold the magnifying glass I had promised him on his last visit. And of course since I love giving the kind of gifts that are truly exciting and will be used, I made a pouch with a strap so that it could be worn across the body, and added straps to the magnifying glasses so they could be worn around the neck, for convenience and because the largest magnifying glass is actually glass, and keeping it safely around the neck does seem like the best way to keep it intact!

The good news? The gift was so well received that it was worn constantly for a few days, yippee!  Ah yes, and for those of you who have been following me since Chanukah 2015, well, yes I actually made this pouch back then, and called it quick and cute fleece gift pouch.

And I will say, I was so thankful to come across this lone pouch that was for some reason hanging around with no tie, as I was able to refashion it for this project with minimal time committment, which was the only way to go just before receiving house guests! Want to make one or several to give to the little explorers in your life? Let's get started!

Chunky And Quick Crocheted Slipper Sock Pattern

Chunky  crocheted slipper socks or maybe you'd call them super thick crocheted booties are so much fun to crochet, work up quickly, are a great way to use up odds and ends of yarn, and make a great gift. What more can you ask for? Oh and of course they'll keep your feet warm! Our home gets quite cold during the winter months and we often go to bed wearing socks just like these. I did previously crocheted some crocheted slipper socks for my husband for a birthday/chanukah gift a few years back, and those are still great, and super warm, and much more sturdy, but I love this pattern for the fact that you can whip up a bunch of pairs, and not worry too much about the beauty of the yarn!

And just by the way, this pattern is perfect for a beginner, so grab those little balls of yarn and lets get started!

Super Simple Havdalah Spice Pouch Is Perfect For The Holidays!

 

This simple havdalah spice pouch project is perfect to give as a little party favor this holiday season, and fun to whip up as well. For those who aren't familiar with havdalah, it is the ceremony that is performed Saturday night to usher out the 25 hour period we call shabbat or shabbos. In the havdalah ceremony three blessings are made on material things, one on wine, one on fire, and one on spices. After the blessing is made on the spices all of those where are present sniff the spices, which might be in the form of fresh herbs (in our home we generally use cuttings from my lemon verbena plant) dried spices, or a fragrant natural oil of some kind. The most popular and convenient option is to use dried spices, so these little bags are certainly sweet and useful! 

And of course, one could also use this idea to make little lavender sachets to put in drawers, how about that?

This project is brought to you by sewjewish.com, so I'll stop talking and present you with this fun DIY havdalah spice pouch craft:

A DIY Teacup Pin Cushion Is Adorable And Truly Useful!

 When a neighbor's child showed up at my door just before Passover with all of the things they didn't want, but thought I might, this little tea cup was tucked in there, and I immediately thought, ah yes, pin cushion or candle? And now you know the answer: tea cup pincushion! It really is just as cute as can be, and useful to boot! You can glue the cup to the plate, or better yet, don', as the plate becomes a useful catchall when you are in the middle of a sewing project. Want to make one? It is really so very simple, love that!

DIY Paper Plant: Flowering Bromeliad

A DIY paper plant can be the perfect solution if you need an inexpensive and festive party centerpiece (especially if you need a bunch) and best of all they can be made in any size that works for you. Not all the paper plants that i've seen in blogland have been quick to make, so I've come up with one that truly is.....ta da, introducing the paper flowering bromeliad. And I have to say, I haven't seen any flowering paper plants, with the exception of a cactus, so I'm happy to present you with an idea that is quick, budget friendly and can be made to suit your color scheme! Oh, and did I mention that this is a great craft for kids as well? Bingo!

Regardless of your thumb color you can now fill your home with greenery, so lets get crafting!

Plastic Canvas Nesting Heart Baskets

In my book one can never have too many little baskets to decorate a table or sideboard, or to leave on a dresser top for safekeeping of jewelry and small items. These heart shaped plastic canvas baskets are also nesting baskets, so they're easy to store and fun to use when the moment strikes! One could even make them to hold treats for a special occasion, and then use them afterwards just for fun.

You can choose to leave the plastic canvas blank, as I have, or spend some time embroidering the baskets as you see fit. It really is all a matter of how you choose to spend your precious time, and in this case, the simple metallic edge gives these baskets just enough  interest, that spending hours and hours filling up the canvas in my opinion may not result in something that much more wonderful, if you know what I mean? Then again it really is just a matter of personal taste, embroidering the sides with peach or pink could be lovely indeed, and if you use long stitches, maybe diagonal ones, it could go fairly quickly. Hmmm, now maybe I've convinced myself, whoops!

Plastic Canvas Envelope Memo Holder

If you are looking for a sweet little plastic canvas project, i will modestly suggest that my plastic canvas envelope memo holder surely fits the bill. In fact, because this project requires very little embroidery but rather relies on the plastic canvas as is, you could surely make quite a few of these as little gifts, and of course my addition of the heart is a sweet touch but for a more masculine version one could certainly replace the heart with an initial.

Patchwork Fleece Gift Pouch

Patchwork gift pouches sewn from scraps are the perfect little handmade touch, and turn even the simplest little gift into something special. And when they're made from fleece, they're cozy too, which might not seem important for a gift pouch, but the results are really so much fun and perfect for winter-Patchwork gift pouches sewn from scraps are the perfect little handmade touch, and turn even the simplest little gift into something special. And when they're made from fleece, they're cozy too, which might not seem important for a gift pouch, but the results are really so much fun and perfect for winter-time gift giving.

I actually made these striped patchwork fleece gift pouches for my kids for Hanukkah instead of my usual crocheted gift pouches, and the kids loved them, and never guessed that I whipped up three of them in an hour or so. And if you aren't quite as short on time as I was, you can also invest the extra time and make a hidden drawstring, though I actually love the basic craft chord closure that I used here.

Hanukkah Craft: Eight Nights Of Surprises Wall Hanging

Here is a nice Hanukkah craft idea that you can make according to my DIY Hanukkah post on Houzz.com, or use as inspiration to make your own version. Just about any combination of colors and materials could work, as the fun part of this wall hanging is of course opening one little gift each nigth of hanukkah.

You may be thinking that this doesn't really look like most of the other projects you've seen me create, and yes, you are right! I went out on a limb with this one (ha ha) and created something nature inspired and neutral as opposed to the bright colors I generally favor.

The wrapping paper is part of the DIY project, and represents olive branches, a nice universal symbol for peace (which we could sure use right about now....) and a connection to the miracle of Hanukkah.

And speaking of miracles, you actually get to see a little corner of my home this time, mostly because I'm working on taking better photos, yippee! Happy Hanukkah crafting!

And don't forget to head on over to Houzz.com for the complete tutorial here.