creative jewish mom

Simple Painted Treat Boxes From The Recycling Bin!

We are about to apparently welcome some snow so I'll make this quick as I need to go cover my succulents and bring others indoors! I have quite a collection of little food and medicine boxes that I hope to use someday for a big installation of some kind, not to mention match boxes, but in the mean time, there is nothing quite as sweet as little painted treat boxes. (Or just make some artufl painted matchboxes for shabbat, a fun gift!) Purim is a great time to get creative with fun and artful packaging, so why not gather as many boxes as you can find, get out the paint and have fun creating something unique! Even if you don't use them for gift giving, they also make great decor, any time! You can hot glue a bunch together, or tie them together with a beautiful ribbon, or use your creative packaging as part of a larger gift basket. The main thing is, get those creative gears turning, don't worry about what someone might think of your painted toothpaste box! The box I've shared with you here is soooo simple, you won't believe it, keep on reading!

Super Simple Fall Centerpiece With Painted Faux Apples

If you happen to have a bunch of blank apples made for crafting, just waiting for their turn in the spotlight, as I did, paint them in your favorite colors, add some white details with a paint pen, place them in a footed glass bowl, and voila, a fun Fall, Rosh HaShana, Succot, or even Tu B'Shevat centerpiece is born! Ah yes, and this would make a fun teacher appreciation gift as well! Truthfully apples painted in your favorite colors can be used any time to bring joy into your home, so while I did make this for our series of Jewish holidays in the Fall, it would look great any time. And in case you may have noticed, the more the better! Want to make something like this for your table? Lets take a close look.......

Summer Camp Crafts: Havdalah Candle Craft From Old Candles

Remember the story about the huge bag of unsightly old candles that accidentally ended up at our house, and how I decided to make upcycled candles? Well dear readers here is confirmation that indeed there are no accidents, as that bag of candles that was destined for the garbage (in any one else's house, and almost ours as well!) became festive striped havdalah candles. (We use the havdalah candle on Saturday night when Shabbat is over to usher in the new week, and it needs to have two or more wicks.) I almost can't believe it myself, and the gorgeous array of candles that we created have been decorating the top of our piano for the last week or so, just waiting for their moment in the spotlight. I'll admit, I did do several versions of this craft, some more complicated than others, and for the time being I'm sharing the most simple version as it is a perfect summer camp craft to do right now, preferably outdoors! So gather the supplies (if you don't have any old candles hanging around, maybe do a candle drive in the neighborhood or among friends and family, I'm sure there are folks out there who have some hiding in the cabinet waiting for their turn in the spotlght!) Okay, lets get crafting!

Blooming Watercolor Poppies Centerpiece Is Festive And Very Budget Friendly!

I am totally in love with the watercolor poppies in a pot centerpiece, well one-sided centerpiece really, and I have already made two more! This idea, is something that you can play around with depending on your own needs, and there are so many ways to go! I actually made a small one using a small round plastic peanut butter tub, which would make an adorable teacher appreciation gift or a token of appreciaion for a neighbor, for example. Then again, making larger pots of poppies really doesn't take that much more time, so go for it, as this burst of festive and artful color is a joyful addition anywhere or anytime! The Jewish holiday of Shavuos is on Thursday night, so we'll be enjoying all the watercolor poppies as we celebrate the giving of the Torah, and then they will likely be used as centerpieces for any number of occassions. I'll admit, I can't wait to try this idea out with other flowers, but with the holiday approaching, together with houseguests, that will just have to wait. Okay, lets make some of these pots of blooming flowers, shall we?

Watercolor Poppy Cutouts To Make NOW!

Please take my word for it, these watercolor poppy cutouts are one of the best things I've made in a long time, as there is just something about them that looks AMAZING! And that is even though my illustrations and the paint job were a bit lacking.......So get out the biggest watercolor paper you can find and start making some watercolor poppy cutouts, you won't regret it, and in fact you'll be jumping for joy and planning all the ways you can use these beauties! I have this idea of a diorama of sorts with watercolor poppies, so with that in mind I drew my poppies with straight stems so that I can tape a skewer to the back (which I did in this photo) but you can also draw them as shown inside this post, and then figure out how to use them afterwards! I'd say just hanging them anywhere could look amazing, or use them as a gift topper, or make a bouquet, of any number of other ideas I have yet to think of! The Jewish holiday of Shavuot is coming up this Thursday night, and since it is the holiday of greenery and flowers to remember the lush Mt. Sinai, where the Torah was given, these poppies are just perfect! (Never mind the fact that the poppies usually bloom for Passover in Israel, we really don't need to be so literal, we just need to be joyful!) Okay, lets get to it!

Oatmeal Can Tzedaka Box Craft

A tzedaka box (charity box) made from an oatmeal can is just as cute as can be, and quite useful right now! As you may know, due to the Corona virus all the synagogues are currently closed, though prayer groups of up to 20 with proper distancing is permitted. While many neighbors have formed prayer groups from their balconies, we have formed one with the neighbors, which consists of my husband and my 2 teen boys from within our house (via a huge window that opens fully) and the neighbors gathered in a courtyard and on the stairs just outside this window. There is a custom to give charity before praying, and when I spotted my handmade ceramic tzedaka box sitting on a table out in the prayer area I of course freaked out and ran to rescue it. I quickly made a replacement, inspired by my walk to photograph the red poppies in bloom, and voila. True, not nearly as lovely as the ceramic hand-built version, but it was made with love, so there you have it!

Oatmeal can tzedaka boxes are likely made by kids in kindergarten every year, but that doesn't mean that one can't make versions that are something you would use! There are so many ways to decorate an oatmeal can, so have fun with this one! Just one word of advice, take into consideration the color of the plastic top and make that part of the overall color scheme. Okay, let's get crafting!

Orange And Cloves Pomanders For Tu B'Shevat

It has been TEN! eight years (gasp) since I actually made these great looking orange and cloves pomanders, but they are still looking good, so I figured I'd dust off this project and share it with you once again. I have come to realize that bringing things out of the archives to see the light of day isn't such a bad idea, especially since most people don't go fishing around in there!

You may not have time to actually make some of these pomanders before ushering the Jewish holiday of Tu B'shebat, Sunday night, but they would be a great craft activity to do on the holiday itself. I have come up with a great way to make these so that even those who aren't so crafty can succeed.....and of course the fragrance that goes with this activity is just lovely, so go for it!

Fun Decoupage Fabric Apples Last For Years And Are A Crowd Pleaser!

Six years ago I had the idea of decoupaging (is that a word?) fabric strips onto styrofoam apples to make fabric strip apples, and those very same apples are still holding up despite lots of wear and tear and years stuffed in a box in a damp basement! This year we didn't find the decorations I had made last year, so called upon a bunch of old favorites, and these apples were one of the things that guests asked about repeatedly! So there you have it, crafters, these decoupage fabric strip apples are a winner! You can use them to make a centerpiece, which I just realized I have done previously here or hang then eiither one by one, or as a garland of some kind. Of course, I'd recommend making them for Rosh HaShana (or a great teacher appreciation gift!) and then enjoying them for the entire Jewish High Holiday season. Then again, make them in pastel patterns and they'd be perfect for a baby's room or how about in black and white patterns and use them for a baby mobile. As you can see, there is really no end to all the ways one can use these charming apples, so do make some! I have photographed the apples in our succah, just before the succah was taken apart......truthfully we don't use this lovely Moroccan mosaic table in the succah, but it does make a great backdrop for these photos! Keep on reading for a few more glimpses of these fun apples, and pick up some fat quarters or tear up some warn clothing — I was just thinking that plaid apples could be perfect!

Cardboard Fish Centerpiece For Purim, Or Just For Fun!

The cardboard fish centerpieces I made for our community Purim party were a hit, and now I get to use them to decorate our house for Purim, coming up quickly next week. I don't think I'll use all ten of them, then again, a school of fish swimming down my Purim table could be lots of fun, right? I'll get out the blue tablecloths and take it from there.....maybe I'll make some milk carton boats or use some plastic ones and do a whole ocean themed table.......I guess it all depends on how quickly the costumes go this year, and how many guests we'll be having. At this moment I'm so happy to have some new decorations and a theme to work with, and Purim  isn't for another nine days or so (next Wednesday night, with the festive meal happening on Thursday.) And so for once the holiday may just come in without having to loose any sleep, yippee! Want to make some quick cardboard fish centerpieces? Lets get started......

Giant Paper Flower Centerpiece

A really giant centerpiece on a budget can be simple to whip up if you have the right materials and a few tips from yours truly, who specialized in making budget centerpieces on a dime. Yes, and infact I have a batch in progress for next week's Women's Purim party in our community, and it involves cardboard fish, but you'll just have to wait to see that one! In the mean time, a huge vase of flowers can instantly transform any table or room into a party, so these are perfect for Purim, especially when there are so many other things to make, at least in our house.Now I have to add, for some reason these flowers were very hard to photograph, and they actually look much better in person than in these photos, so take my word for it, and don't spend precious time on more difficult versions until you try these! And best of all, these flowers really can be make from just about any light weight paper, including recycled maps, newspaper, you name it, so get those creative gears turning!