creative jewish mom

A Festive Painted Cut-Out Bouquet For The Front Door!

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot starts on Sunday night, and our front door is ready! I just love painting flowers and cutting them out, as with the water color poppies cut outs, and am also really pleasantly surprised by how wonderful a bouquet of painted flowers can be as well, especially when you free it from the confines of the paper! Of course a bouquet of flowers drawn and then painted, like this one, is all about planning, and execution, so after all that effort, you will want to use it again and again, or even hang it somewhere in a frame, and you should! The more flowers the better, and painted ones add so much joy where ever they are hung! There is still time to make something similar for Shavuot, so get started, loose a little bit of sleep over it if necessary (that is the type I am, don't do if it is isn't you!) and most of all, have a wonderful holiday! Okay, lets get some more info regardng how this paper bouquet was created, shall we?

Paper Leaves On Real Branches Looks Amazing!

I came up with this simple idea six years ago for my son's birthday just before Shavuot, and I still love it, so I'm dusting it off to share with you as a fabulous last minute craft that includes a nature walk to collect the sticks! Enjoy. Here is what I wrote back then, this year Shavuot is on Sunday night.

Paper leaves on real branches is a super quick craft that results in some fun decorations that can be used for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot or really anytime! I actually made these branches as part of the giraffe birthday party that I'm still in the middle of sharing with you all, though I did have in mind that they would be also be great for Shavuot, in which we decorate our homes with greenery to celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, which was  very green and lush.

With shavuot staring Saturday night, right after shabbat ends, many of us are now preparing for two days of holidays, so I'm sure glad to already have made these fun branches which are currently hanging from the chandelier over the dining room table. (Those who observe shabbat outside of israel are now preparing for a three day holiday, as Shavuot is two days outside of Israel, and I'm sure those of you to whom this applies wish you had some of these branches already to go, right?

What I'm really trying to say is that a super quick craft like this one is the perfect thing to tackle right now, so lets get to it!

DIY Cardboard Graffiti Vase For Spring!

Now that I have a few fun DIY cereal box vases which I think will be fun for Passover, maybe I can get started with the cleaning. Well, not just yet, I need to make some more! The idea of whipping up an artful vase using cereal box cardboard (or heavy weight paper) is just so delighful that you'll want to give this a try. This is a great idea for budget centerpieces, or for making a huge decorative vase for a desert table or buffet, and the possibilities are endless. Choose to do a cardboard vase with drips and splatters or go for a something simple and colorful, or even a few bold black brush strokes looks amazing. There is a product on the market which is really great printed paper vases, and I was reminded of this from a wonderful version that I featured on Craft Schooling Sunday in January, keep reading to see that version!

3D Paper Stars With 8 Points

Yesterday I shared with you my first go at origami dreidels, and today we are moving up the paper folding notch and making 3D paper stars using the same origami paper, so that the origami dreidels and the paper stars can work together in a garland or holiday wall hanging! (Yet to materialize, but hoping it will soon!) Constructing these 8 pointed paper stars was also a first for me, though I've had my eye on something similar for years, and I'm happy to say that they are really quite simple to make and can be made in a huge variety of sizes. I actually made a large one from a sample of wall paper, and it is beyond gorgeous (so never turn down old books of wall paper samples!) though possibly looks a little too similar to decorations one might see for xmas, so I think I will not be sharing that here. Instead I am sharing colorful stars that look perfect for Chanukah, as despite the commercial association in the USA of blue and silver for Chanukah, that has no basis whatsoever. Chanukah is all about joy and light, and I while I love blue, a single color certainly can't express all the wonderful qualities of our 8 night holiday! And just saying, an 8 pointed star, which is all about the number eight connects to the eight nights of Chanukah, and to the miracle of Chanukah as the number 8 means all things beyond the laws of nature, meaning generally miracles! Okay, lets make as many 3D 8 pointed stars as we can, as they look great scattered here or regardless of how you choose to use them!

Goodbye To Our Morocco Meets Recycling Crafts Succah, Until Next Year.......

Today is the last day of the Jewish holiday of Succot, here in Israel, where we celebrate the holiday for 7 lovely days. Elsewhere the holiday is 8 days. While I am always a bit sad to say goodbye to the succah, we actually can't take it apart until Saturday night/Sunday as the holiday goes right into another holiday, called Simchat Torah. Our succah is constructed in the entrance courtyard of our home, so truthfully I still get to enjoy it for another day or so. While this year has been a quiet and restful holiday, I somehow did not find time to photograph my succah properly! I did of course take photos of all the crafts that I wanted to share with you, and last night I quickly took a few more, so I now present to the world my Morocco meets recycling craft Succah! Yes indeed, many succahs do look alike, decorated with crafts kids make in school and traditional posters, but that certainly need not be the case, and of course is not the case here at CJM central! Okay, lets take a peek inside!

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.......

DIY Tree Branch With Colorful Leaves Wall Art

We are now on the third day (of seven) of the wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot, and while I am not doing any crafting, I can stop by here to share my favorite succah decoration with you! And, unlike some Succah decorations, this one is truly a work of art, and can be used year round indoors, or for a special event or to mark a new season. You decide, but if you are anything like me, you won't want to stop at just one, which I did not! After making the first version, a tree of life with gold leaves, I just had to make another colorful version with a gold trunk (previously the gold spray paint was not to be found) to fill a huge blank area in our Succah. And despite some scepticism from the peanut gallery, it turned out even more beautiful than the first one, and there is a very funny story that goes with it, which I'll share soon. The main thing is to find a really great looking dead branch with lots of character as well as bunches of tiny branches, as that variety is what truly makes this piece special. Okay, want to make one yourself? Lets learn how!

DIY Tree Of Life Wall Decor Nature Craft

The tree of life is a universal Jewish symbol, and this year it is center stage in our succah, as a DIY tree of life nature craft! I'll admit, I didn't plan this at all, though husband had requested something new for the succah, for which my reply was a groan, NOW? Meaning a day or two before Succot, with so many things to do? Generally I do create at the last minute, but this year I had thought about just being ready days ahead, ha ha ha. And I am so grateful that I was open to letting the creativity sneak in as I just love this tree of life craft, and it is perfect in our succah! And I'll let you in on another secret, after this one, I made an even bigger and more colorful one, that I'll share with you next week, no time for that now, and I need to get one of my sons to climb up on the ladder and hang it in any case. This DIY tree of life nature craft is perfect for fall or winter or any season really, as there is something about a crafted tree, using a real tree branch that is just downright charming! Now, you will have to start taking nature walks and looking around for the perfect dead branches calling out to you, but that is part of the wonderful process! Okay, let's learn how to make a tree of life with golden leaves!

A Quick Accordian Folded Paper Flower For The Succah!

If I am sharing succah crafts with you right now, namely decorations that are currently hanging in my succah, that must mean the Jewish holiday of Succot is quickly approaching. And yes indeed, one of my favorite holidays, that also happens to be seven days long, starts tomorrow night, so time is of the essence! While I had thought I'd be ready days ahead, hmmm, that didn't quite happen as I was waiting for inspiration to strike with something new, and it did, PHEW, only I once again find myself crafting in the wee hours of the morning the night before the holiday, sigh! Lest I digress, if you happen to need some quick succah decorations right NOW, paper accordian folded flowers look great and are quick, plus you can make them in a variety of sizes, and voila, a whole wall of decorations is born! I'll admit, I didn't make the gold accordian folded flower/star this year, and in fact I'm not sure how many years ago this was made, the miracle was that I packed them away nicely and somehow a box full of them surfaced this year when my son combed the attic!

I do hope to share photos of the entire succah with you next week, so stay tuned for that, and keep on reading to find out how to make even just one gorgeous gold flower!

A Peek In My Sketchbook: Pomegranite Ink Drawing With Cross Hatching

If you are having a hard time fitting an art practice of some kind into your busy schedule, a smallish sketchbook, might just be THE thing! After six months of a consistent sketchbook/art journal practice I am just thrilled by the concept in general, and have gotten over my fear of making mistakes or entries that aren't up to snuff in my journal, and I am here to encourage you to give it a try. There is just something about creating in a journal that is not restricting as I always thought, but rather freeing, and best of all, you don't have to figure out what to do with that sketch or painting, it is already part of a book that documents your creative journey!

Yesterday I was trying to paint a pomegranate, (pomegranates are a holy fruit and we hang them in the succah, not to mention they are now in season) and so I did a search of pomegranate drawings for reference. I came across a pen and ink drawing that I just loved, so I simply copied it, which is totally fine and the way that artists learn! When I say copy, I mean, I tried to copy it, as my knowledge of shading with cross hatching is very limited. (Of course I can not sell this as my own art, as far as I know, as it does resemble the original and that would be copyright infringement, but I can certainly share it with you). And, interestingly enough, I also realized that I ought to pull out that book in my library on pen and ink drawing techniques and actually learn a bit about the traditional technique of shading with pen, called cross hatching. It has a vintage look to it that is also contemporary, especially when you really see the strokes. So dear readers, start sketching, start copying in order to learn new techniques and then sit back and enjoy the journey. Well don't sit back exactly, use all those extra minutes to work on your art. I promise you'll be so happy you did!