creative jewish mom

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!

Simple DIY Wooden Letter Wall Art

I just love this rustic wooden "heart" wall art that was hanging over a bed in one of our vacation rentals in the Adirondacks a few weeks ago. This would be lovely in a baby's room, as part of the decor at a DIY country style wedding, or sheva brachas, or for any event really, customized of course! So, while I didn't make this, I can certainly see how it was made, and it is great inspiration to use in so many ways. Spell out a child's name, a favorite place, or even another word like hope, smile, dream, enjoy.........or even a funny word that refers to a family joke. All you need are some letters and a low wooden box or square tray, and you're good to go! I actually have been saving some chess boards that look just like this, and now I know what to do with them......now where exactly are those chess boards, hmmm. (This week I am hard at work cleaning out my craft room, so I'm sure they'll show up soon!)

Simple Rustic "Love" Embroidery With Gingham

There is something about this little rustic country-style "love" embroidery that is so sweet, and yet made with minimal effort, so of course I just had to share it with you. I think this would make a perfect new baby gift, or look great as part of the decor at a country-style wedding. And of course it would be great anytime to spread the love!

While this exact little work of art looked perfect in the all wood Adirondack Victorian cabin where we had the pleasure of spending four days and nights, this might not work for everyone. Speaking of everyone, that would include me as well, since our home is more Morocco meets Scandinavia, and gingham might look a bit out of place. But not to worry, one can certainly use this idea, just do keep the rustic nature of it, namely the simple embroidery done on muslin or linen, the antique style frame hung with a scrap of fabric, the little buttons......

I didn't make this, but if I were to make something similar this is how I would do it........let's get started!

DIY Pineapple Top Plant In Just MInutes Makes A Great Summer Centerpiece!

Pineapples are a motif that is all the rage right now, so why not go all the way and make some real plants from pineapple tops. It only takes a few minutes and you also get to enjoy the pineapple, a healthy way to add sweets to your next party. Truthfully pineapple top plants would make great party centerpieces, especially since you can then make platters of fresh pineapple to serve, and you can let guests take them home as party favors.

What can I say, I'm just crazy about this idea, and was so thrilled when my husband brought home a pineapple whose top was in good condition.......not to mention a pineapple that was grown in Israel! Pineapples here are on the expensive side as well, so getting a little plant out of the deal is certainly wonderful for those of us who fall into the green thumbed plant loving category.

Ready to grow some of your own pineapple top plants, lets get started.......

Guitar Themed Party Centerpiece Is Perfect For Dessert Bar Or Buffet

For my son's guitar themed birthday party I spent quite a few hours making cardboard guitars, though I really had no concrete idea how I'd use them! The great thing about not planning ahead when it comes to making party decorations is that A} you save money as you use what you have on hand B} you use up supplies in your stash that have been hanging around for way too long and C) it really forces you to get creative, the best part of all! Okay, it is true, this project is basically recycled cardboard and just a bit of cotton yarn, so I didn't really use up anything in my stash, but you just might! (Okay, I did use up a bunch of empty matzo boxes that I had hanging around, as I knew they'd be good for something!)

After I had made the musical note faux helium balloons, and the ice cream cones and guitars party garland, I still needed something for the table in addition to the simple guitar theme birthday cake, and since I always love to use something high on the table, this guitar themed birthday party vase centerpiece was born, using my cardboard guitars with strings, and elements from the previous crafts. I used this on the birthday party table, but truthfully it would be at its best as a centerpiece for a buffet or dessert bar as it is really a one sided, thus best displayed against a wall.

Ready to get started, or unlike me, plan ahead with the simple supplies you'll need? Let's get started!

Square Wreath With Felt Flowers Is Sweet Anytime!

The Jewish holiday of Shavuout starts tonight, and our door is decorated with this sweet little square wreath adorned with felt flowers! (A little disclaimer: door wreaths are decidedly un-Jewish if you delve into their origin, and I generally try not to use the word wreath, but for the sake of folks finding this post, well I just couldn't think of another word that would suffice.) Round floral wreaths are a symbol of military funerals and memorial day, so I went with a fun variation of a square wreath which actually reminds me of a trellis, perfect!

This project came about as I had a bunch of felt chrysanthemum flowers left over from my felt flower napkin ring project, and I have to say, I just love it! Change out the little banner (which reads chag sa-may-ach, with a gutteral ch that is, translated happy holiday) and this project could be perfect for so many occasions, or just as sweet as can be in a baby's room. Ready to whip up one of these square wreaths, using supplies that you likely have on hand (assuming you have a big bag of felt that needs using up, like I did, did, being the operative word, yippee!) let's get started.

A Ten Minute Felt Chrysanthemum Made From A Strip

The Jewish holiday of Shavuous, (in which, among other traditions, we decorate our homes with flowers and greenery to celebrate the receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai) is tomorrow night, so with the idea of some really large felt flower napkin rings for our holiday table in mind, yet not a lot of time, I knew I needed a felt flower that would be quick to make and great looking! A quick felt flower is without a doubt one made by rolling a strip of felt, yet that are many variations on the technique with quite different looking results. (I've made felt rose buds, way back when, another flower type to combine with this one, if you like!)

The felt chrysanthemum made from one long strip of fringed loops came to mind, and after a bit of experimenting I was sold. In fact so much so that I used up almost all of a large bag of felt scraps and yardage that had been hanging out for way too many years, yippee! (Note: I do have a large blister on my middle finger from the scissors and all that cutting, such is the price......it nicely compliments the hot glue gun blister on my ring finger!)

I ended up settling on using grey felt for the napkin ring flowers, as that will look the best on my white table with lots of cobalt blue Moroccan dishes, the ones made with pink and yellow and blue ended up being used for a really cute felt flower decoration for the front door, which I will be sharing shortly.

Want to make some of these fun felt chrysanthemums too? If you've got ten minutes or so and felt and hot glue on hand, then lets get started!

Floating Musical Notes Party Decor With Faux Helium Balloons

Here's an idea I came up with last night (for my son's guitar themed birthday party) that is soooooo simple and looks amazing, plus you'll be able to plan ahead and do an even better job than I did! And by the way, since Shavuot is in just four days, replace the notes with hebrew letters and you've got a great decoration to celebrate receiving the Torah!

Presenting floating musical notes that look like they're being carried away by balloons, you know like music floating up to the heavens! Best of all this music themed party decor idea could be used for just about any festive occassion, so be sure to keep it in mind! And as far as the faux element is concerned, well faux seems to be a hot topic of late in the blogging world with faux driftwood and faux crystals and faux succulents and faux shiplap etc. etc. So I now present to you faux helium balloons! This idea is something my daughter actually taught me, as it is a popular one around here! Keep reading for the simple secret and you'll just have to laugh, promise!

DIY Simple Flower Napkin Rings Lovely For Any Occassion!

We made these very simple yet oh so lovely flower napkin rings in just minutes to use on our Passover table, but truthfully they'd be great for just about any occasion, especially weddings, sheva brachas, or any time really! They are so simple to make that you truthfully could make a hundred or so in no time. I packed these away with the Passover dishes so that we can use them again next year, but am already thinking about looking for some larger flowers to use on our table for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, in which we decorate out homes with flowers and greenery, perfect!

Ready to make some, or pick up the supplies to have on hand, let's do it!

Budget Friendly Floral Arrangements Made With Floral Filler!

Would you like to whip up some lovely floral arrangements for your holiday table without breaking the bank? The answer my friends is floral filler, yes, the little flowers and stalks of greenery that florists use to fill all the space around those precious lovely flowers in the arrangement, got it? (You'll have to visit a florist to get this and take a look at all the buckets of loveliness to choose from....) I'll admit that certainly one can make more dramatic arrangements using large flowers, but that will be quite a bit more costly, and in many cases not last nearly as long. Israel is one of the largest worldwide exporters of cut flowers (after The Netherlands of course), but flowers are still way too expensive here......I can buy an amazing plant or even two for the price of a bouquet of flowers. The huge lovely bouquets that the florist made for Passover were around 200 shekels (about 55 dollars) and my bunch of floral filler cost 60 shekels. You decide!

For our Passover table I envisioned at least two or more small arrangements that would evoke a field of wild flowers in the Spring, and for that look, floral filler, with all its tiny blooms and intense color amidst green leaves, is perfect!!

Keep on reading for specific instructions for how to make these sweet arrangements.......