creative jewish mom

Festive Painted Apples For Rosh HaShana

Let the Rosh HaShana crafting take over your dining room table, because what a great way to end the Jewish year! And with just a bit of forethought, whatever you make now can be used as decorations in the Succah (coming up 2 weeks after Rosh HaShana), or as little gifts or cards to wish neighbors, family and friends a sweet New Year! We are about to enter a three week lock down here in Israel, which means more time for family crafting, and hopefully a succah that is more creative than ever! But lest I digress, first let's celebrate Rosh HaShana and a family birthday Wednesday night, with lots of color and fun painted everything!

I have been going to town with painting a whole box full of styrofoam apples, and then doodling on them with a white paint pen, and at the moment those that are still in my house (I sent a basket full to loved ones for Rosh HaShana) are actually living in a glass fish bowl, which is a fun way to use a fish bowl if you have yet to make it a terrarium! Okay, lets talk about how to decorate your little painted apples, as there are so many options!

Embroidered Geometric Stars On A Recycled Styrofoam Tray, Festive And Fun Anytime!

After sharing the cross stitch apple styrofoam tray embroidery craft, I just couldn't resist dusting off this project to share with you, as it still looks great four years after I first shared it. The wonderful thing about these string stars is that they have a universal festive look so they would truly be great any time. If you don't have any styrofoam trays hanging around waiting to be upcycled, try this on cardboard, the results will also be great! Okay, here is that post:

I have been saving these little square styrofoam trays as I had a feeling that would be great for a fun recycled craft project! And the a few days ago the idea came to me, embroider them! For starters I gave my geometric string stars a try, and I just love the results, don't you? You can use these little works of art as is hung on the wall (or in the succah!) or make some shapes to hang form the bottom of the piece, dream catcher style! So gather soem styrofoam trays, or even a piece or cardboard or foam core, and lets get started.

Cross Stitch Apple Embroidery On A Foam Tray!

I have dusted off this project from my archives, as it is truly one of my all time favorites! And this apple is just the beginning, collect styrofoam trays (from non-meat items) and have fun thinking of all the possibilities!I have a box with a bunch of trays in the basement, so if and when I get around to dreaming up some more cross stitch projects you'll be the first to know! I just got a big batch of embroidery thread that is calling my name, so you never know! Here's the old post that was written a week before Rosh HaShana, this time around we have more like a week and a half. Ah yes, and I've finally begun to realize that apples are a great symbol for the succah as well, so this craft can be enjoyed as decor indoors and then hung in the succah!

Here's a fun apple cross stitch craft that is fun for all ages, and is a recycling craft to boot! And with Rosh HaShana in less than a week, well a few of these cross stitch apples, that can be whipped up quite quickly would be a great way to welcome the new year! Not to mention of course that apple themed crafts are always perfect for teacher appreciation gifts and Fall. So gather your supplies, and if you don't have a recycled styrofoam tray on hand you could even use a piece of cardstock, a piece of foam core, or even a paper plate! Time is of the essence, so lets get crafting!

Plastic Bottle Apples To Make For Rosh HaShana Gift Giving And Succah Decorating!

Plastic bottle apples, namely apples made from recycled plastic bottles are something I've been making for quite a few years. They make great little gift boxes or treat boxes, are quite simple to whip up, and everyone loves them. Not to mention that you help create awareness of recycling and minimizing waste, and, this project is at its best when no spray paint (big yuk, bad for health and environment!) is used, rather the bottle is filled with something red. While an apple is generally thought of as a symbol for Rosh HaShana, many have the custom of hanging apples in the succah, as it is a fall harvest fruit, and Succot does certainly include the fall harvest!

At Rosh HaShana we always liked to give little gifts of appreciation to the teacher, and my kids very often prepared a small treat with a New Year's card for all the kids in their class. I like to give little gifts to neighbors, and this plastic bottle apple is perfect for tucking in a small treat (in a red wrapped) and a note, because I'd rather spend time crafting than baking! I have seen this idea or something similar made with a zipper, though I have not succeeded with that as great looking as it is. Simply punching a few holes and tying the top and bottom together with a ribbon makes this craft one that can truly be made in quantities, assuming you have been saving plastic bottles! Okay, now is the time to get crafting, let's make some plastic bottle apples!

Super Quick Paper Lanterns That Can Light Up!

This year my Purim decorations are all about the quick factor, as with the festive holiday just around the corner, in addition to many guests and food prep, quick is all there is really time for. Ah yes, and the truth is that the decorations I will hang in my house were mostly made for our community Purim party which already took place, so that is a huge help at this point. So where does the need for quick come into play? Well, for that Purim party on Sunday night I had only Saturday night to make the decorations and about 1 1/2 hours to hang them, just before the party. I've already shared with you my giant paper peacock, and simple cut paper floral garland, so in keeping with that loose garden theme, I now present paper lanterns! And mind you not just any paper lanterns, but rather those that employ a technique that I came up with on that very late Saturday night, and I just realized allows one to add a battery powered candle, which would be amazing. Okay, lets do it!

Giant DIY Accordian Fold Paper Flowers

If you ever need some great looking paper wall decorations, and you are just not sure what to make, give this giant accordian fold flower a try, and you'll want to make enough to fill the entire wall. It is true, one can buy manufactured accordian fold flowers that are similar, but there is nothing quite like the look of something handmade, right? Plus you'll be able to customize yours in so many ways depending on the paper you choose! And if you really want to get creative, how about taping together a bunch of magazine or catalog pages and using those? Or even paint or stamp patterns onto your paper before you create the giant flower. Okay, lets learn how to make this beauty, shall we?

How To Cut Simple Floral Shapes From Paper To Make A Party Garland In MInutes!

While I don't love creating under pressure, it is true that some of my best work has come to light in just that way. I now introduce to you a new idea on the roster that we'll call Matisse inspired cut paper shapes party garland! You can whip this paper party garland up in mere minutes, assuming you've got scissors and the right paper on hand! Picture this: with the party guests arriving in less than fiveteen minutes I still had an empty stretch of string running between two columns and in the center of the room.  Yikes! This was exactly the scene on Sunday night just before our community women's Purim party..... The giant paper peacocks and origami birds were up, with just this last area still bare, hmmm.

I am in charge of the decorations and I have accustomed the crowd to a creative effort each time, sooooooo, what to do? And then the idea struck, cut paper shapes to suggest flowers and leaves! The original theme that I had in mind was "colorful garden" and the other strings running overhead held paper lanterns, so this was an idea worth pulling off. Fortunately a friend was helping — I cut the shapes and she put them up, and the results were great! So happy to have another super quick party decor idea to pull out of  my sleeve, and I suggest you give this one a try, maybe in a relaxed fashion? Okay, lets get started, Purim is just around the corner, and these make fun Purim decorations to hang just about anywhere!

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!

Use Magnetic Poster Hangers To Display Your Art!

The Jewish Holiday Season is now officially over in Israel, while folks in the rest of the world are currently celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah. Packing away the Succah is always a bit sad for me, as I just love the holiday of Succot, especially when celebrated here in Northern Israel, nothing quite like it, truly! I was able to get my famlly to give me a day to take some more photographs before the Succah disappears into boxes, and first I thought I'd share with you an amazing way to simply display your art with no committment. Introducing magnetic poster hangers! I have been aware of this product for some time now, so when I spotted the wooden poster hangers in the gift shop in The Nordic Museum in Stockholm I just had to purchase 2 sets. Little did I know they'd come in handy in our Succah, as I used them to add some color to a blank wall via a little collection of my floral paintings. You know, those paintings that I worked on for a few months a whole year ago, sigh......In any case whether or not I'm successful at picking up where I left off at the end of last January at painting #77, it was truly wonderful to add some artful color to our celebration! I just saw that Ikea is selling something similar, with clamps I believe rather than magnets, so either way, do add some poster hangers to your home (or Succah), you'll be glad you did!

A Tiny Peek In Our Succah

Wishing everyone an amazing and meaningful holiday of Succot! Here in Israel the holiday is seven days filled with mostly family and friends and living in the Succah, and that is followed by another holiday called simchat Torah, in which we return to the comfort of our homes and celebrate the Torah with lots of song and dance and a night and day packed with festivities. Phew! Right now all is quiet in our home, as I have already prepared and served a largish meal in the Succah. Tonight there is a community meal in the large synagogue succah and then festivities called Simchat Beit HaShoava, which I won't go into here, but is connected to the festivities that took place in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during Succot 2,000 years ago, wow. Okay, so since that is a bit difficult to grasp, lets speed forward to today and take a peek at some of the decorations in our Succah, 2019 style!