creative jewish mom

How To Update Your White Kitchen With Touches Of Wood And Organic Elements

All-white kitchens whether modern or traditional, are quite simply classic, and have truly weathered every kitchen trend. The modern pearl-white laminate cabinets with an aluminum rim that I chose twenty years ago for my kitchen still look great, and the light color does make the room look bigger, more airy certainly, and you always know when they need a wipe down! That said I do look at photos of modern all wood cabinetry, or traditional cabinets in natural shades of green and blue and think, wow, I love that!

When it comes time to re-do my kitchen (hopefully not any time soon) will I actually choose something other than white? I really can't say at the moment, but what I can say is that if your white kitchen is looking a little too stark, or just a little bit too white, there are many ways to change the overall look of the kitchen, without a total re-do, whether in a very budget friendly way, or with some expense but changes that don't come anywhere near the cost of replacing the kitchen or even the cabinet doors. Of course there are many ways to go when thinking of how to update your white kitchen, and do think beyton the superficial by possibly investing in some new gadgets to make your cooking experience that much up to date as well. For starters how about the best meat thermometer, or maybe an instant pot and an air fryer, if you don't already own those popular items? Ah yes, and there is nothing like getting those cabinets and drawers organized to give your kitchen a feeling like it's been overhauled!

So many things to think about, indeed, and I love the idea of updating a white kitchen with touches of wood and organic elements, so lets dive in!

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!

Simple IKEA Hack: Ekby Valter Bracket Wall Sconce!

Hey there, the whole world has fun coming up with creative IKEA hacks, so I'm now joining the club. This first one I'm sharing is not my idea, so only taking credit for seeing the idea and actually following through, yippee! This idea is for those of us who would like a modern playful light on the wall but don't have wiring in that spot, ta da, you do need an outlet though, hopefully not too far away. This Ikea hack uses one thing from Ikea, the Ekby Valter shelf bracket in the larger size, together with a simple bulb and cord that I bought at an Israeli lighting store. One can get a bit more complicated with this is you are so inclined by actually threading the cord through the hole, but for now I just wrapped mine around for the simplest solution. Want to make one yourself, keep on reading for some important tips!

Chinese Jewelry Pouch Bunting Banner!

A Chinese jewelry pouch bunting banner, for decoration or even as a fun way to keep your jewelry safe but at hand. I came across these little pouches that I'd collected as a girl in a bag of goodies from my mother, and they just shouted out to me bunting banner! And dear readers, you can't get much simpler than that, since you just string them on a nice ribbon and hang!

These little pouches are available at any Chinese import store and are generally quite inexpensive, so have fun with this idea, I think it's perfect for a little girl's room, or even as a birthday party decoration. You could then hand out the little pouches as party favors at the end, maybe with a sweet little ring inside. Or, hey, you could add numbers to the pouches, or names, and use your banner as a place to leave little messages or treats for family members or count down to an important day.

Shelf Lining Paper With A Simple Decorative Edge!

Got some plain shelves that could use a little decorative touch? (This is a shot of my kitchen shelves after they were thoroughly cleaned, and before the Passover dishes were placed on them.) So my crafty friends, how about lining those shelves, whether open or in a closet, with reverse-scallop- edged paper that you can quite simply make yourself? I'm so glad I took the extra time to make my kitchen look extra cute this year, as it really wasn't so difficult once I figured out the best technique. And best of all, it makes me happy while I'm in the kitchen, which will certainly be quite a bit over the course of the Passover holiday!

You'll Need:

• wrapping paper or any shelf lining paper (for longer lasting liners, this could also be done with oil cloth, or plastic table cloth material, and the edge would be cut by hand rather than punched)
• a circle punch, I used a 3" diameter one
• a tape measure (optional)
• clear tape

How To:

1. First determine how your circular punch works with the paper you'll be using. In my case, the wrapping paper was much too thin to produce nice results, and I found that I needed four layers of paper for the punch to work properly.
2. Measure your shelf width and depth, keeping in mind the depth of the shelf.
3. If using wrapping paper, cut a piece that measures twice the depth by the width.
4. Fold this piece in half vertically, such that the resulting size is the size you'll need for one shelf.
5. Fold this piece in half again horizontally (you'll now have four layers)
6. With the folded edge side facing you, roughly eyeball how many circles you'll be able to punch along the length of your paper, and space your punching accordingly.
7. Hold the circle punch upside down so that you'll see now much paper you're inserting into the punch, and insert the paper half way into the punch.
8. Using a sharp scissors, cut any joined pieces, and unfold.
9. Lay on shelf and adhere with clear tape, or on the backside with double-stick tape.
10. Enjoy!

A Summer Centerpiece: Paper Roses In A Festive Basket!

Need a casual summer centerpiece, or a bit of something new this season? Baskets, especially those with handles are perfect for holding flowers! I had some of my paper cabbage roses on hand, (tutorial here) as well as this Mexican basket, so this project came together in just a matter of minutes.

I'm sure you have some similar items hanging around your place that you could use too! And of course, real flowers would look gorgeous placed in a basket too. Just fill a large can or milk carton, or better yet, two,  with water and arrange your flowers so they fill the basket! And this is one arrangement that you can easily hang on the wall for a really great look!

Use A Decorative Bird Cage To Make A Quick Flower Arrangement!

Okay, you're right, it's only quick if you happen to have that bird cage on hand! So if you happen to see one it's a great purchase! Of course I'd just love to do this idea with real flowers but artificial ones are all that I happen to have at the moment. If you'd like to use real flowers so simply stick a glass vase into the cage (make sure the cage you buy can open enough to place a vase inside— my cage's top flips up) and insert the flowers into the vase from the outside. For best results use large flowers and leaves, and in minutes you can have a stunning arrangement with very little fuss! Enjoy.

Decorate Now With Interesting Frames and Fill Them Later (Or Don't!)

We have lived in our current home for over three years now, and I have to admit, I've been a little lax in the final touch department. Before moving in I spent lots of time choosing paint colors and light fixtures, so the house has looked pretty good from the start, but recently those very blank walls that I initially loved started to look just too bare! (And I should say, I'm very particular about what I'll drill a hole for.) And then it occurred to me — Moroccan frames, groupings of them to fill those large blank walls! Here's the results:

I actually love the sculptural quality of  these frames as is, and would never fill them up with something solid, as they would be just too massive. I may in the future stencil a design on the wall in light neutral colors, or hang a collection of small plates or objects within the frames. Who knows?

I bought these painted wooden frames not knowing where I'd hang them exactly, but I think they play beautifully off the peacock blue stairwell. I am planning to fill these with some Hebrew blessings printed on clear acetate, but have yet to do a test, so anything could change. It might also be a great place for some upbeat "family rules" type reminders, as these hang over the kitchen table.

I just love this frame! And I really lucked out that it works so well in this space between the sconces. I took this bench from my husband's office where it just wasn't being appreciated (by me that is!), and I leave this bag on the bench for a little shot of color. And as it turns out, the inner most rectangle was exactly the right size to work as a backdrop for the gold-framed portrait. As you can see I quite simply hung the gold-framed picture from the iron frame with a piece of string! I really couldn't believe my luck! Since frames like these may not be available in your area, you could try filling some of that blank space with an interesting piece of metal wall art, just look in the trees or flowers category for a few tasteful options.

And just because I though you might be curious, the pattern in the foreground of this photo is my new table cloth, a piece of Amy Butler fabric that I ordered from my favorite fabric supply company Fabric.comThey have an amazing selection of Clearance and Closeout Fabricsto choose from, just try not to swoon too much!

And since we're on the subject, patterned table cloths are a great way to introduce some visual interest and color into your home with minimal commitment! You can make a great tablecloth from a piece of fabric, and my sewing maching was broken so I even just hemmed the ends with iron-on hemming tape. I left the selvedge edges as is, and you really don't notice it at all! Measure your table and go for it!

Make Your Own Wall Decals From Fabric!

Today I am not at the computer, I am celebrating and observing the first day of Pesach! Of course that doesn't mean that I'll be abandoning the blog, I've got a whole series of posts lined up that will automatically post even though I'm enjoying the holiday!

This is not my project (You'll forgive me right? I'm a little pressed for time preparing for Pesach!) though I'm going to try it out the first chance I get. Just arranging the photos to make a pretty collage was fun! This project was actually posted on my Craft Schooling Sunday blog party last week, but it is so brilliant I just had to give it its' own post so that my readers wouldn't miss it.

I'm sure you're familiar with the very popular vinyl wall decals, that can look great but can be expensive and a little flat looking for some. Here's a really great option that I think could be even cuter and easy to make yourself. Using fabric and double-sided fusible web you can make decals like these that will not damage the walls! For a complete tutorial, please visit sewingforscarlet. And do thank her for giving me permission to post this on my blog!

Enjoy and let me know if you try this out, I'd love to hear about your successes or any other results! Wishing everyone a wonderful Pesach. Seven (or eight) days of matzo is a great thing!

Spring Decor: A Two Minute Decorating Idea For Your Sparkling Home!

Hopefully at this point those of you who are celebrating Pesach have finished most of the rigorous cleaning and are now preparing for the festivities! I don't know about you, but I try to make my house look bare for Pesach, as it somehow looks cleaner and fresher that way! Nonetheless, a bit of color here and there and a touch of something new is always fun. So I came up with this almost instant decorating trick: tie a beautiful ribbon around a frame! And if you don't have a beautiful ribbon, so tie a strip of beautiful fabric around a frame! And if you don't have a frame, well that might be a problem! (But you could probably make a cute one fromm cardboard?)

How's that for a quick decorating trick? I just love how mine looks! And if you want to get a little more crafty, so buy some birdhouses from the dollar store and paint them in pastel colors, or give my felt rosebud bouquet a try, tutorial here.

Okay, you're right there's one more secret I have yet to reveal, the frame itself! This was something bound for the garbage by my neighbor, and I just loved the shape. I painted it light blue and then glued beautiful sheer beaded ribbon around the edge. Truthfully it's so beautiful I've been enjoying it empty! The combination of the sparkling lavender beads and the light blue frame is etherial and spring-like. Especially now, with it's new floral ribbon bow!

So, in conclusion, tie some ribbons around some empty frames and make some beautiful spring vignettes!
Decorating really can be that simple! And now, if you'll excuse me, I've still got lots to do for Pesach! Yawn. Whoops no time for dozing. All the best!