creative jewish mom

Toilet Paper Tube Butterfly Craft Plus Doodling Equals Fabulous!

Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it turns out that the butterfly is actually a symbol used in Holocaust Education (check out my previous post, here) and a yellow one turns out to be even more timely.......and so you see the craft that I was thinking was just too cheerful to post yesterday is actually right on time! Speaking of right on time, I'm so happy to present to you this toilet paper tube butterfly that is just so darn cute and makes a great project for all ages........make it a true work of art, or stick to patterns really seen on butterfly wings, you decide! Either way, no one will confuse your results with something made in nursery school with pipe cleaner antennae, not that I'm knocking that, just giving the toilet paper tube butterfly a higher ranking in the crafting world!

This guy has been sitting on my picture ledge in our kitchen table gallery, and he is just so much fun I hope to make some more, and maybe even a much larger one using a paper towel tube! Ready to get started? Okay, lets fly with this one........

Toilet Paper Roll Dolls For Purim!

This week my 3rd to 6th grade girls at Crafting A Future learned how to make sweet dolls from toilet paper tubes, and the results are so much fun! And of course, just in time for Purim, so most of the girls made tp tube dolls which represent Queen Esther and Mordechai. And in case you're wondering, the perfectly adorable one above, on the right was made by my talented 11 year old daughter, whose skills are also coming in quite handy as far as helping all the little neighbors who knock on our door requesting help with this and that for their Purim costumes!

Toilet paper tube dolls look so wonderful lined up, and could certainly be made for any occasion, or to depict any story. I was originally inspired by some dolls made to represent the family by Lucy over at Attic 24. 

You'll Need:

• toilet paper tubes
• colored paper
• felt
• buttons
• markers
• glue- hot white glue and hot glue, or double sided tape

How To:

Explain to your students that one can make figures from toilet paper tubes by wrapping strips of paper and felt around the tube to represent the head and the body. Cut strips that will wrap around the tube with some overlap from glueing, and in the case of the section of felt for the hair make a cut-out from the strip of felt to represent the area which will define the face.

Except for the explanation regarding the hair, I left my students alone to see what they would create without any input from me! And of course we made many more dolls than those pictured here, but photographing everyone's project while also giving them the joy of taking home their creations immediately sometimes means forfeiting a few photos.

Your support in helping me continue bringing art classes like this one, to children from poverty stricken families in Northern Israel, is greatly appreciated. Please be my partner is this great act of kindness that brings hope through creativity.

 

 

 

Recycled TP Roll Apple Napkin Rings For Rosh HaShana!

TP Roll apple napkin rings are the perfect little craft to whip up just for the New Year to add a little bit of crafty goodness to your holiday table. They'd also be great place cards or even lined up as fun little decorations with messages written on the apples, as they really are so much fun, and quite simple to make.

As you can see, my craftsmenship isn't exactly perfect, but once they're filled with napkins no one (not even me) will notice, plus time is of the essence right now....no time for extreme perfectionism when there's meals for three days of feasting to prepare!

You'll Need:

• tp rolls
• a pencil, a red marker and a black marker (I use permanent ones as their color is more intense)
• blue painter's masking tape (my new favorite crafting supply, so easy to work with!)
• some washi tape for some decorative details

How To:

Draw an apple on your tube, leaving a space at the bottom for the ring. Apply blue painter's tape to the ring area, and color in the apple. Cut a piece of painter's tape for the leaf, and then cut out around the apple leaving an intact ring at the bottom of the tube. Apply details with washi tape, if desired. Enjoy!

 

Spring Craft: TP Tube Trees In Bloom

Who would have thought that toilet paper tube trees could be so sweet? And especially these little toilet paper tube trees in bloom, just in time for Tu B'Shevat, when we celebrate the New Year for the trees, and hopefully witness the first fruit trees (almond trees) in bloom. I've been wanting to do some crafting with little hole punches, and so here it is.....punch holes in some colored paper and you've got yourself the perfect sized little circles for this project!

You'll Need:

• recycled toilet paper tubes
• colored paper
• a hole punch
• glue

How To: 

Lightly draw a tree shape on your tp tube with pencil, and cut out with small scissors. Make sure to leave a complete ring on the bottom as a stand for your tree. Punch out little circles from colored paper and glue them onto your tree! So simple and sweet!

Place your little blooming trees on a tray together with some brightly colored fruit, and try filling small shot glasses with candles (that's what I also did here, just it was too windy to photograph the lit candles) and use the trees as a candle surround. Or place just about anywhere as a fun decoration to usher in Spring! Enjoy.

Toilet Paper Tube Star Garland

 

Here's a fun cardboard tube craft that's great for all ages. We used toilet paper tubes to make these stars or starbursts, but of course you can use any tube thats easy to cut. Children old enough to handle scissors can even do the whole thing themselves. A whole bunch of these will look great hung as a garland or as individual ornaments, whatever works for you!

You'll Need:

• toilet paper tube/rolls, or any cardboard tubes that are thin enough to cut with scissors
• sequins, beads, buttons, embellishments of any kind
• glue

How To:

The small star was made by stacking three slices of toilet paper tube, and the lovely idea came from here. We chose to make a six pointed star, but you can certainly make more sophisticated stars using more slices if you like.

The large stars were quite simply made by cutting vertical slits in a toilet paper tube until about 1/2" from the bottom. The resulting arms were then folded back and decorated with the sequins and a liberal amount of glue. Set aside to dry, and punch a hole for hanging. Enjoy!

 

Hanukah Menorah From Recycled Cardboard Tubes

Here it is dear readers, a fun Hanukah menorah kid's craft, or adult craft or any age craft that's just plain cute and can be customized in so many ways. You could make this Hanukah menorah from tp rolls or cardboard tubes that the kids decorate first, or you could cut them and then give them to the kids to decorate. Or you could just enjoy it as is!

I knew these toilet paper tubes with the blue insides would come in handy somehow, and I finally figured it out! (Look for toilet paper that's blue with a jeans theme, that's what these were!) Of course I didn't have quite enough blue ones handy, so I was very lucky to find enough with white insides! If your tubes are all brown on the inside, not to worry, you can certainly paint them, right?

You'll Need:

• 11 toilet paper tubes (one to make a template, nine for the menorah and one to extend the height of the shamash)
• glittered craft foam, or glitter
• glue

How To:

Step 1: Draw a candle on the tube as shown on the right of the photo below. Cut out the candle such that you have a piece that looks like that on the left in the photo.

Step 2: Use your cut out piece to trace identical candle shapes on each of the 9 remaining tubes, and then cut out the space around the candle with sharp scissors.

Step 3: Trace the flame onto glittered craft foam, and cut out individual flames and glue to candle.

Step 4: Add a piece of tube to the shamash middle candle so that it will be higher than the rest. Assemble menorah by glueing at the bases with regular glue (hold with paper clips until it dries) or hot glue.

If you'd like to get the kids in involved in this one, give them individual candles to decorate with glitter, sequins, scraps of a paper, yarn etc, and glue on the flame at the end. Enjoy! Would love to see what you do with this idea!

 

 

 

Toilet Paper Tube Owls Great For A Rainy Day

I love any craft using recycled toilet paper tubes, or are they toilet paper rolls? Not sure really but in any case, if you've been saving them (as I have) then you can whip out a few and make yourself some cute owls. I thought this would be a great starting point for a little craft project with the kids this afternoon. I find that if they see how cute the finished product can be they'll be more likely to actually sit down and make something, whether or not their results are at all similar to mine. 

I think I'll bring out some paint, some paper, a glue stick and regular glue, some sequins maybe some feathers (if I can find some) and see what I can inspire my little ones to create. I hope to share the results with you! And if there aren't any little ones around, so this is a great craft for big ones too....wouldn't these look great as place cards for guests at your holiday table? Or hanging out just about anywhere? Grab a black felt pen, medium nib, and have some fun!

Of course, toilet paper roll owls are all over the place, but I was specifically inspired by this photo, to give credit where credit is due! All the best!

 

 

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Toilet Paper Roll Birthday Crowns

Toilet paper roll birthday crowns will make your next birthday party so much fun. Put a birthday crown at each place setting, or even use them as napkin rings —a wonderful suprise for each guest. And when everyone puts a super sweet toilet paper roll crown on their head, adults included, the smiles will be non-stop! And for good reason, because with a tiny toilet paper roll crown on your head, you too will look beyond adorable. Sorry about my repetition of the word toilet paper roll crown, I'm trying to get recognized by search engines and they require repitition. All in a day's work here at the blog! Now, back to the topic of toilet paper roll crowns.

Toilet Paper Tube Craft: Bird Feeders!

You can make a toilet paper roll bird feeder in just a few minutes. And this is a simple bird feeder kid's craft too. Just set them up with the supplies and let them have fun!  I made these just now while tending to some stir frying onions and a few other pots! We'll be putting these out for the birds this afternoon before Shabbat, as we have the custom of feeding the birds on this Shabbat, Shabbat Shira. (If you want to know why, so do look it up, I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment, as this project was well, quite last minute!)

You'll Need:

• toilet paper tubes
• double stick tape or glue
• colorful paper, or crepe or tissue paper
• some string for hanging
• peanut butter
• birdseed

How To:
Decorate bottom rim of tube first. I used double stick tape to attach the crepe paper since there's no mess and no drying time. Punch holes in top and insert string. Use a knife to smear peanut butter around the middle of the tube, and then sprinkle bird seed over the tube, with a plate underneath to catch the excess. Hang and hopefully feed some birds! Note: l really don't know what type of birds can eat from a hanging feeder with no perch, so if you're uncertain, hang these near branches where larger birds can sit and eat!

 

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Hanukkah Kid's Craft: Toilet Paper Tube Party Favors!

Got some reluctant crafters in your home? How about enlisting them to paint the treat holders for Chanukah? I think if there are sweets involved, so they may just be motivated. And if you're gonna give them sweets, so you might as well take advantage of the situation and help your kids build crafting confidence too!

I've been wanting to tell you a little story, and since we're on the subject of sugar, now seems like a good time! So it's like this: in Israel most families don't realize that there are many reasons to limit a child's sugar intake. As you can imagine, that could leave my kids feeling a bit deprived, since I do realize the pitfalls of sugar! In order to deal with this situation, I have taken all the unhealthy standard Israeli treats, and attributed one kind to each holiday.

Chocolate spread is for Pesach, chocolate pudding/yogurt is for Shavuos, chocolate milk is for Rosh HaShana, chocolate covered marshmellow cookie sandwiches for Succos, and chocolate (coins and bars) are for Chanukah! Got the picture? And I'm very happy to say, this little plan has worked quite well. My kids don't beg for this stuff since they know they'll be getting it sometime! And funny enough, my five year old saw some friends eating chocolate pudding on Rosh HaShana, and he came to me and said "hey they're eating chocolate pudding, (which we eat on Shavuos) don't they know it's Rosh HaShana?

Okay, now back to the crafting;

You'll Need:

• toilet paper tubes
• acrylic craft paint
• glitter glue or "tulip" fabric paint
• crepe paper or tissue paper
• silver ribbon (I cut wider ribbon into  thinner strips)

How To: Paint tubes, when dry add dots of glitter glue. When dry, wrap treats in crepe paper or tissue paper and insert into tubes. Collect the tubes after the kids remove the treats and re-use them for another night!