creative jewish mom

How To Cut Simple Floral Shapes From Paper To Make A Party Garland In MInutes!

While I don't love creating under pressure, it is true that some of my best work has come to light in just that way. I now introduce to you a new idea on the roster that we'll call Matisse inspired cut paper shapes party garland! You can whip this paper party garland up in mere minutes, assuming you've got scissors and the right paper on hand! Picture this: with the party guests arriving in less than fiveteen minutes I still had an empty stretch of string running between two columns and in the center of the room.  Yikes! This was exactly the scene on Sunday night just before our community women's Purim party..... The giant paper peacocks and origami birds were up, with just this last area still bare, hmmm.

I am in charge of the decorations and I have accustomed the crowd to a creative effort each time, sooooooo, what to do? And then the idea struck, cut paper shapes to suggest flowers and leaves! The original theme that I had in mind was "colorful garden" and the other strings running overhead held paper lanterns, so this was an idea worth pulling off. Fortunately a friend was helping — I cut the shapes and she put them up, and the results were great! So happy to have another super quick party decor idea to pull out of  my sleeve, and I suggest you give this one a try, maybe in a relaxed fashion? Okay, lets get started, Purim is just around the corner, and these make fun Purim decorations to hang just about anywhere!

Fun Decoupage Fabric Apples Last For Years And Are A Crowd Pleaser!

Six years ago I had the idea of decoupaging (is that a word?) fabric strips onto styrofoam apples to make fabric strip apples, and those very same apples are still holding up despite lots of wear and tear and years stuffed in a box in a damp basement! This year we didn't find the decorations I had made last year, so called upon a bunch of old favorites, and these apples were one of the things that guests asked about repeatedly! So there you have it, crafters, these decoupage fabric strip apples are a winner! You can use them to make a centerpiece, which I just realized I have done previously here or hang then eiither one by one, or as a garland of some kind. Of course, I'd recommend making them for Rosh HaShana (or a great teacher appreciation gift!) and then enjoying them for the entire Jewish High Holiday season. Then again, make them in pastel patterns and they'd be perfect for a baby's room or how about in black and white patterns and use them for a baby mobile. As you can see, there is really no end to all the ways one can use these charming apples, so do make some! I have photographed the apples in our succah, just before the succah was taken apart......truthfully we don't use this lovely Moroccan mosaic table in the succah, but it does make a great backdrop for these photos! Keep on reading for a few more glimpses of these fun apples, and pick up some fat quarters or tear up some warn clothing — I was just thinking that plaid apples could be perfect!

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!

Giant And Elegant Origami Apples Are Perfect For Any Fall Occasion

Origami apples are so simple to make and are the perfect craft to whip up right now! Fill a basket with them to use as a centerpiece, use them as place cards, hang them mobile style or make a bunch and scatter them around the house. (Or save this idea and gift a whole basket full to your teacher!) The best part is they look great everywhere and any where, and would make cute little Rosh HaShana gifts as well. Attach a tag that is a card and you'll surely warm the hearts of all your recipients! I used these very apples as apple centerpieces for a Rosh Chodesh party, and then a neighbor borrowed them as centerpieces for a Brit, and depending on the colors you choose they can look elegant or playful, or both. So take my advice and get crafting dear friends, the Jewish New year is in less than 3 weeks, with Succos to follow so a barrel of origami apples will serve you well, promise! And yes, you can of course make these in a smaller size and in a variety of colors to represent a wide range of fruit, as I've done here with my origami fruit, cute as can be!

Embroidering With T-Shirt Yarn!

Ever thought about embroidering with t-shirt yarn? I am always looking for ways to do intricate yet lovely crafts in a quicker way, so embroidery with t-shirt yarn is certainly one way to do that, right? With ethnic wall hangings and baskets still popular in the home decor arena, now is the perfect time to make some fun summer accessories for your home, with some t-shirt yarn and some woven placemats or baskets. I actually made the example here as a wall hanging, though it has not yet made it to the wall, it is propped up on a bedside table under a window for now, and maybe forever until I make something new! Okay, ready for a few tips to get those creative gears turning? Read on......

T-Shirt Yarn Is Perfect For Last Minute Succah Decorations

I love t-shirt yarn, and guess what, here in my littlish town in Northern Israel a whole huge skein is the same price as a small ball of cotton rope, so I'm going for color this year in the succah! T-shirt yarn is a great way to make large pom poms and tassels or even wall hangings, lamp shades, crocheted doilies, you name it! In case you are wondering what exactly these mop like creations are, well they aren't finished but interesting nonetheless! They are actually macrame feathers, make in the same way as the macrame leaf I shared previously, but because the t-shirt yarn is quite flimsy I'm contemplating stiffening them.....stay tuned for that one!

Simple Macrame Leaf To Make In Any Size

I have been dreaming of stepping into the world of macrame for a good year now, and at long last here I am, sharing with you my very first macrame project, a simple macrame leaf, or depending on how you trim it, a macrame feather! I actually whipped this one up on Friday as I was cooking, as I just couldn't wait to give it a try!

A macrame leaf, or feather if you make it longer, is the perfect introduction to macrame as you work with short strands so there aren't all those potentially tangled strings to worry about, and if you make a bunch you can use them in so many ways. I have already made a three  more, but this time much shaggier and so not really leaf like, but nonetheless interesting. I'm going to hang my shaggy macrame leaves in the succah. Where exactly? Hopefully I'll know sooner than later as Succot is Sunday night!

Yom Kippur Craft Using Last Year's Calendar!

I am reposting this from last year, as it is just too great to pass by, and as a reminder to myself to make another with my 2018 calender!

I'll be the first to admit, crafts for Yom Kippur are rarely something I've had time for, as the holiday occurs just four days before Succot, for which I am crafting up a storm. That said, this year I am mending my ways and trying to post at least a few simple ideas for the holiday, as after all, every holiday deserves crafts right? This year I decided to try out some simple recycling craft techniques by creating a few things for Yom Kippur, and I'll be using those same techniques for Succah decorations as well. That is the plan anyway, but I just never know how things will go, as you know once the creative gears get turning, well there is no stopping them!

We are now at the beginning of the new Jewish year, so that means that recycling last year's calendar is not only perfect because well, obviously that calendar is no longer of use, but also because we are now in the period in which we making amends for all the things that didn't go so well last year, as well as giving thanks for all the things that did go well. The completion of a year, and the beginning of new one certainly means that using that old calendar for any recycling craft is meaninful and practical!

Ready to get started? Here we go:

DIY: Rope Wrapped Apples Look Great Year Round

If you are looking for a quick craft to add some cozy rustic charm to your home, this dear readers might just do the trick. These DIY rope covered apples are so simple to make that you can surely whip up a whole bowl full in an hour or so. Of course if you start calling all your friends to tell them about this great craft you found, well that may just increase your crafting time, so I'd say craft and then tell! Or in this case, Pin, if you would be so kind?

Rope, in this case the thinnest one I could find at my local hardware store, is great for making things that have that rustic feeling I'm craving this fall, and really can be used for so many things. I have made a crocheted rope heart, as well as a knit rope pot holder with this same cotton two ply chord/rope, and it really is exactly the right thickness for wrapping small to medium sized items.

Ready to get wrapping? Here we go.......................

Staghorn Fern Centerpiece Is Perfect In The Succah!

Today is the last day of Succot, sorry to say, and I've been working hard to photograph my succah, as well as keeping the family fed and happy, and preparing for the next holiday, Simchat Torah, in which we actually leave our succahs, come into our disorganized homes and celebrate the Torah, like in a big way, with lots of dancing and singing. Lest I digress, I just wanted to share wtih you my all time favorite centerpiece, a staghorn fern! I've been using this very staghorn fern, planted in soil, on my dining room table since Shavuot, namely in May, and I still love it.

I'll admit, when I finally spotted a staghorn fern at a nursery that I had never been to, of course I had to have it, and dreamed of mounting it on a board. But, I think I'm just gonna have to treat myself to another one, as this ones looks so great on my dining room table. It is currently growing in the long and narrow direction, which makes the proportions perfect and not annoying to those seated near it!