creative jewish mom

Accordian Folded Paper Leaves

With Rosh HaShana now under our belts, it is time to think about Succah decorations, and this year I think I'm going to make  a large number of accordion folded paper leaves for some artful vines to cover the Succah walls. Well that is one of my plans at the moment, but don't hold your breath as that could change between now and the time that I actually start the heavy duty crafting! Nonetheless, these golden leaves are simple to make, and can be made any size you desire (meaning large, folks!) and have a very sculptural modern look to them. I'm dreaming of lots of vines running up the walls of my Succah using these paper folded leaves and wire or possibly rope as the stem. Hmmmm, hot glueing the leaves to rope is a possibility, and if the rope happens to be more like wire, that would be perfect. But first things first, lets learn how to make these leaves!

Recycled Light Bulb Craft For Kids: Funny Light Bulb Heads!

A few months ago I sat down with my seven year old and showed him how to make some funny light bulb heads with a few burned out lights bulbs that seemed just perfect for the job! The two light bulbs above were the kind that are shaped like a candle flame, so wrapping their tips with yarn to create the look of winter hats seemed just perfect!

For awhile I displayed these little creations standing up in egg cups filled with salt, but then we needed to use the egg cups and so the little lightbulb heads were relegated to the back of the shelf......until today that is when I re-discovered them on account of some thorough cleaning in preparation for Passover!

They are fun aren't they? So next time, before tossing your burnt out bulbs, give them to the kids to craft with first! Of course kids that are old enough to handle something really breakable!

You'll Need:

• burnt out light bulbs
• permanent marker
• yarn
• scraps of fabric
• glue

How To: Use colorful yarn to make hair and winter hats, and use the marker to draw features on your bulbs. I'd recommend practicing drawing faces on a sheet of paper before actually going ahead and drawing on the light bulbs, which is great for developing drawing skills a bit, and will help ensure the success of this project! Have fun!