creative jewish mom

DIY Colorful Floral Border Doodle For Cards, Journals, Signs and More!

Years ago I got into floral doodles via some tutorials for bullet journal art and it was so much fun, and a great introduction to the world of journaling and sketchbook practices. Since then I've been working on refining my art skills and while doing lots of drawing, not like the floral borders you see here, and wow, was this ever enjoyable and fun, with great results, and, I might add so very simple compared to trying to paint the landscapes I'm dreaming of! If this doesn't seem "simple" to you, not to worry, practice, practice and more practice and soon you can draw flower doodles in your dreams! Want some basic instructions for this? Keep on reading.....

Giant Origami Apples For Your Fruit Themed Party!

I am reposting this giant origami apples tutorial because today is Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for fruit bearing trees, it is just to wonderful not to share again. Make apples to enjoy anytime, really! So simple and while you are at it, make a whole giant bushel full!

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!

How To Upcycle Liquor Bottles For DIY Holiday Projects

I just love all the shapes and sizes that are used in order to make liquor bottles special......and of course I love the bottle itself much more than the contents, not to worry! While a huge collection of liquor bottles wasn't something I've had previously, one on my sons just got married, and the bride's little brother, knowing of my recycling ways, collected a large number of bottles from the wedding. I immediately got to work removing labels, spouts, metal necks and bottle decor, and actually ended up using them all to make bottle candlestick holders. I have to say, there is some work required, but with the right info it can be done fairly easily and is so very worth it! Okay, lets learn how to upcycle liquor bottles for all the DIY projects of your dreams. Mine are currently adorning a few side boards and marching down my very long dining room table, and I'd gladly do it all over again!

Recycled Liquor Bottle Candlestick Craft

It is true, I made these recycled liquor bottle candesticks for a Chanukah party that was held last night, but truthfully they are so universal they can be used for any festive occasion and any time that you want the look of candles without the safety concerns! And of course you could go for paper candles that are metallic silver or gold and maybe make the flame a bit less crafty looking and then even use them for a fancyish party outdoors where real candles wouldn't work, or for a feast in the forest where flames would be dangerous? And friends, whether or not you partake in liquor of any kind, there are certainly many ways to get your hands on some amazing bottles to recycle! These happen to be bottles from my son's wedding two weeks ago, and the 12 year old brother of the bride collected all the bottles for me having seen a previous craft project.....so sweet of him and glad I didn't listen to the husband who said we didn't have room in the trunk!

Now these candlestick bottles will make great decorations as well as centerpieces for our long shabbat table next week, I'm actually really excited to put "candles" on the table that I can then move when we clean up, on shabbat we don't light fire or touch it, so while I could make a long centerpiece with real lit candles it would be quite impractical and dangerous as the guests pass all those Moroccan salads around!

Okay, sold? Lets make some great looking recycled glass bottle candlesticks.......

Watercolor Feather Cut-Outs For Art Journaling

There is something so very wonderful about watercolor feathers, and when you cut them out, wow! I am currently making a third watercolor art journal as a pre-wedding countdown gift, and have used many of the feathers shown here as collage elements. And when you consider that the feather is a writing tool, it is even more relevant in a journal of any kind, or as a greeting card. So friend, paint some watercolor feathers in many sizes and colors, and I'm quite sure you'll find wonderful ways to use them. I have made giant watercolor feathers as Jewish holiday decor, and have made wall hangings and mobiles with them. For my complete watercolor feather tutorial, click here.

Watercolor Hyacinth Cut-Outs Look Amazing Anytime Of Year

It is true, here in the Northern Hemisphere we don't usually think about hyacinths right about now, but in Australia now is the time! And truthfully, hyacinths are such amazing flowers, whether planted (which one should start thinking about now) or forced (which could start happening around November) so why not give it a try with some watercolors? I painted these hyacinths to use in a watercolor art journal that I'm making, and I just love the results. And friends, when you cut out your watercolor florals you can of course make the stems thinner and shape the flowers!

Watercolor Flowers And Leaves Painted Within A Circle, To Use In An Art Journal Or Just Because!

Take my word for it, once you paint one watercolor floral or leaf pattern within a circle, you won't want to stop! In my case, as I'm thinking that these will be glued into an art journal that I'm making as a gift, I used mixed media paper which is much lighter weight than watercolor paper and does not quite soak up the color like watercolor paper, but it works. In the mean time I think I'm going to hang these circles on a little clothesline gallery in my kitchen, or tape them to the wall with a loop of tape on the back. My gallery shelves currently filled only with wooden items (cutting boards, a horse, plates, a wooden shoe) could use a little something to make them look more cheerful and I think this just might be the answer, at least this week. Ready to have some fun with watercolor, keep on reading for a few tips!

Watercolor Iris Cutouts With Stems

 

After creating some pink watercolor flowers on gold wire stems, I just loved the results too much not to give it a try with another kind of flower, and irises came to mind. I'd like to give it another try while actually looking at some reference, but this initial attempt was just fine and resulted in a lovely mason jar full of paper blooms for the Jewish holiday of shavuos! What can I say, there is just something about cut out watercolor flowers that are truly irresistable, and even if the flowers are a little wonky, it still looks great. Okay, shall we make some?

Watercolor Flowers With Wire Stems For Shavuos Crafting

I have been enjoying painting watercolor flowers lately, which means that there are successes as well as pieces that might have some successes and some failures on the same page. But actually that is a good thing because then you can cut out those lovely flowers from the rest of the not so great page, hot glue some lovely gold wire to the back and voila, fun flowers to stick into a vase, or use in any number of ways, especially for the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, coming up on Thursday night, for which we try to fill our homes with flowers and greenery! So friends, right about now is a perfect time to spend an hour or two painting a bunch of watercolor flowers to cut out and use for holiday crafting! Plus it is just so enjoyable you won't want to stop, take it from me!

Watercolor Flowers In Pattern Can Be Lovely Art!

I have been using watercolors as my painting material lately, and finally got around to checking out a floral watercolor class by Yao Chung that I've been wanting to try for years on the instructional website creative bug, which I quite recommend. So I dove in and created this all-over floral pattern which is basically hers, just not done as well. That said I actually quite like it, and the two paintings I did after this one were not nearly a successful as I got carried away filling in the white space which made the result less airy and lovely. So friends, start experimenting with watercolor florals, I know you've been wanting to, and do make sure to get some very large brushes in order to stay loose and create large flowers easily! I just bought a set that has a brush that is a #22, though on this painting I used a #20 and a #8. Okay, need a bit more info, keep on reading......