creative jewish mom

Recycled Cardboard Fish Are The Perfect Purim Craft!

I'm loving crafting with recycled cardboard boxes lately, there is something truly satisfying about creating something new from a cardboard box (hopefully) bound for the recycling pile. And to top it off, there is just something about black and white paint together with the cardboard box color that looks amazing. Enough said, introducing my recycled cardboard fish, just in time for Purim, and the Jewish month of Adar, which is the sign of the fish! You can use these fun cardboard fish in so many ways, and this can be a craft for all ages if one makes fish shapes for everyone to paint and/or decorate. Even a collage of findings on a fish shape could be amazing, or a fish shaped welcome sign for your Purim party! I actually made these fish to use as centerpieces for a Purim party tonight, and I'll be sharing the tutorial for making stand up fish centerpieces with you shortly. In the mean time, get inspired by my fun recycled cardboard fish, and enjoy!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday and wishing everyone a very happy new month, or chodesh tov, as we say. This month is a very special one indeed as it is called Adar Beit, meaning the second month of Adar. On the Jewish calendar leap year isn't about adding just a day, but rather a whole month, and lucky for us the month that gets added is the most joyful month, Adar! This gives us a bit more time to prepare for the festive holiday of Purim, or if you are really organized it might give you more time to clean for Passover (ha ha around here.....) So now is the time to increase the joy, and for those of us gathered here that most certainly means full gear creativity, or at least finding just a bit of time for making things! So, without further delay, since the pressure is now on to prepare for Purim, lets take a look at those features from last week's party:

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!

Giant Paper Flowers For Any Occasion

When you are in a pinch, and need a quick handmade centerpiece, a huge gift topper, a teacher appreciation gift, or a giant flower to put on your front door, I've got the flower for you! This giant paper flower made from heart shaped petals is simple to make and has a fun whimsical look that is perfect for spreading the joy. Ah yes, and with Purim right around the corner a bouquet of these on your table in bright colors would be perfect, or make some to adorn a giant hat or as part of a costume! Okay, as far as a costume goes, I'd make this same flower out of craft foam for durability, and then it could even become a giant flower hat, fun!

I made this gold version for a neighbor's daughter's engagement party a month or so ago. The party included a bridal Jewish henna party, so gold was the way to go, and fortunately I had some of this light weight gold textured paper waiting to be made into something, and so, voila a huge bunch of gold flowers was born. Want to make some yourself? Let get to it!

Paint A Garden On A Milk Carton Craft

Not every craft has to have a specific end point in sight, sometimes just getting out some milk cartons and painting gardens on them can be a great creative activity that leads to? And actually, now that Spring is in the air, a row of milk carton houses with blooming gardens could be a fun craft. I'll admit, when I painted these milk cartons with a little friend I had in mind making a Chanukah village, but that never happened, so now the milk cartons are hanging out waiting for their future use, maybe a village filled with greenery and flowers for Shavuous?In any case, just getting out the paints and paint brushes and painting on a 3D object is a great way to loosen up and have some fun, I know I did!

Keep on reading for some tips for painting milk cartons.....

Crocheted Flower Mobile Is Perfect For Every Occasion

A few months ago I shared my crocheted t-shirt yarn flowers, and guess what, I actually put them to use as birthday party mobile that phased nicely into Tu B'Shevat decorations, that are now phasing into Purim decorations! So for the past few months a pink crocheted flower mobile has been hanging over our dining room table, and some of the numerous guests have commented how lovely it looks, not realizing that it was actually a seasonal decoration. The great thing about this crocheted mobile is that you can hang the strands from a light fixture, as I have done, or simply attach them to a hoop. And once you crochet the flowers, assembling this spring blossom mobile is oh so simple, gotta love that! This would also be a perfect baby mobile.......wedding photo backdrop, bat mitzvah backdrop, you name it! And the individual crocheted glower garlands would look lovely hanging from a tree or really just about anywhere, just a few or a huge amount, you decide. Get a huge bunch of friends together, get lots of skeins of t-shirt yarn, and you can have yourself a great party backdrop that can then be repurposed into baby mobiles for the whole world, or floral lampshades, or one could even sew these flowers onto a blanket. Okay, enough babbling, lets whip up a crocheted flower mobile!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I'm rushing to get this party started, so enjoy the wonderful features, and now is the time to start seriously thinking about Purim, whether it be costumes, mishloach manot (treats/gifts for friends neighbors, teachers, bosses etc.) the festive Purim meal, or all of the above, which is usually the case. Purim is a day of extreme fun, but also a very high and holy day, so anything goes. I generally cover the table with a bright Moroccan tablecloth, and take out decorations from previous years, like the huge silver clown hats that I've had for a good 6 or 7 years and still going strong! Then again, I think maybe I'll make some giant origami, that is always lots of fun!  Maybe I'll even get started on that this week, as I recommended to everyone else? It just might happen, so stay tuned, and in the mean time, enjoy the features from last week's party:

DIY Cardboard Roosters That Can Stand Up

Ever thought about using some recycled cardboard to make some fun cardboard roosters? Truthfully, I hadn't either, but after making a black rooster and a white rooster, well I just want to make some more. I made them to use as stage props in a school play, but they'd look great in a child's room, or even in your kitchen, so have some fun and make a cardboard rooster, or two or three! Assuming you have a bit of paint on hand the rest of the supplies are basically free, so this is a budget friendly craft project as well......ah yes, and with the Jewish holiday of Purim coming, well filling the house with roosters and chickens could be quite festive, and certainly sure to bring a laugh. Okay, lets get started.......

Recycled Cardboard Clothes On A Line Stage Set Or Fun Wall Decor

Make a fun clothesline filled with cardboard clothes as a back drop for a play, or even as decorations for a party, and you'll get the whole crowd smiling. You can fill the clothesline with items/clothing to match your party's theme, like shirts with a number for a birthday or anniversary, or maybe even spell out something across a row of cute clothing items, and you've got yourself some original party decor, that is just as cute as can be, and the supplies are basically free. I made the clothes line here as a back drop for a bat mitzvah play at a local school and everyone loved the results, myself included, which is not always the case. I think the success of the project was also due to keeping the items very simply drawn and with a very minimal use of color. Ah yes, and the black and white t-shirt yarn clothesline really was a nice subtle touch. Okay, ready to make some cardboard clothes? Lets do it!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! The almond trees are in bloom, together with red poppies, for a truly stunning pop of color, and I'm really really hoping to find even a spare half an hour or so to get out and take some photos. The thing is I'm in the middle of a bunch of rush design jobs including a stage set for a Bat Mitzvah play (a first for me, namely never done a stage set) and every second is precious. The truth is, every second is always precious we just don't normally look at it that way, unfortunately. So I say, take this idea into your everyday, and instead of spending time  looking at photos on Pinterest (I'm guilty as charged) use that time to make something. Craft Schooling Sunday is always full of more than enough inspiration to get you started, so let's take a look at the features from last week's party.........