creative jewish mom

One Stroke Watercolor Flower Petals and Leaves

Watercolor is a wonderful medium to explore as it requires minimal materials, can be done with little set up and the results can be quite beautiful. One can use large puddles of color and big brushes, or go for something more delicate......you can layer colors or create blotchy backgrounds in one go. There really are so many things that one can do, ah yes, not to forget masking fluid, which i need to try soon as well. Of course, knowing how to simply paint lovely flowers and vines in very little time is a huge plus, as one can use this for so many things way beyond beautiful cards. Paint on fabric and make a tablecloth, make cutouts for decoration a cake, make large flowers to hang on the wall or as part of a garland......working with paper sometimes has its advantages, and of course one can take the techniques learned using watercolor and use them with gouche paint or acrylic paint as well as acrylic in and regular ink! Okay, lets learn how to make lovely flowers and leaves like the ones I've painted here, shall we?

A Fun Origami Horse To Make In A Bunch Of Sizes!

While origami butterflies were truly the theme this Purim, I did sneak in a bunch of origami horses which I ended up using in the festive food baskets for friends and neighbors, called mishloach manot. And yes, I did dress my horses up a bit, but keeping that to myself for the moment as who knows maybe I will get around to those Jewish craft books afterall and I need some unpublished material! That said, this horse, while involving many folds is just adorable, and looks especially great when done using origami paper or wrapping paper or large sheets of craft paper that are color on one side and white on the other. Also, because of the many folds, using wrapping paper, namely a square made out of the whole width of the wrapping paper, results in quite a sturdy horse, so use what you have on hand! While I was thinking that the horse is a great symbol for Passover, as it does represent freedom, the horses mentioned in the Passover story did not survive the crossing of Red Sea together with the Egyptians, so never mind that, horses can just be a fun party decor theme anytime and would be great cake toppers as well. So enjoy! Okay, lets get folding.....

Butterfly Tree Wall Decor For Every Occasion!

Purim starts tonight everywhere in the world except Jerusalem, so wishing everyone a Purim Sameach! There is still time for a bit of crafting, and when you make hundreds of origami butterflies for a community Purim party, you have to use at least some of them to add festive touches to your own home right? So what better place than on the olive branch succah decoration that hangs in my kitchen, except during Succos, when it is is the succah! I love the combo of the metallic leaves with the pastel blue and lavender origami butterflies and this would be a great DIY project for just about any occassion, and then you can use it as wall decor, in your kitchen, or maybe in a child's room? So next time you see a dead tree branch that is a nice shape, or even looks like a tree in itself, don't pass it up, as it can be a wonderful and relatively quick DIY project that might just be the star of the party!

Origami Butterfly Party Decor

 

 

Purim is coming up next week which means it is time to invest in some joyful decorations, right? I'll admit, you don't need to spend hours and hours making hundreds of origami butterflies as I did, even just 30 or so, made in an hour (once you get the hang of it) would look fantastic taped to a wall somewhere, or to your dining room light fixture? I've got plastic bag pom poms hanging from mine right now, but would hang some butterflies too possibly, maybe for another holiday? Why butterflies for Purim you may ask? Well, not sure really, but in Hebrew butterfly is parpar, so you can say its a parpar Purim, or parpurim, just to explain it to those who can't understand why you'd want a huge number of fun butterflies! Ah yes, and this photo was taken in the school cafeteria where I decorated the space for butterflies, and still wondering why I didn't take a moment to straighten that chair, but so it goes!

The 2 Minute Origami Butterfly To Make Right Now!

Purim is the next Jewish holiday on the calendar, and a festive one at that, so now is the time to get crafting! Our Women's community Purim party is scheduled for next week and since the decorations are always on me, I simply must make the time. Somehow taking the cardboard castles down from the attic just isn't so appealing, and suddenly the idea of butterflies galore came to me, and so it will be! I'm thinking like a ton of origami butterflies from tiny to giant, and maybe some colorful fluffy clouds, and that is it! Of course things could change, but for now, the folding marathon has begun, and this butterfly, can be folded in 2 minutes if all goes well, I timed it! Yes, I do plan on adding wire attenae with tiny pom poms on some of them, and I may add some paint pen details, but for now loving them as is! The origami butterflies make great cupcake or cake toppers, or even fun gift tags, so they are great to have on hand. And I've recently realized that small origami projects are great for car trips, so keep that in mind as well! Want to get folding? Let's do it.........

DIY Rustic Wooden Wedding Sign

When my dear nephew Rafi asked me to make a rustic welcome sign for his wedding in Israel (because the bride was dreaming of one) my first reaction was, hmmm, never done that maybe I'll just do it on the computer and make a mounted print? Except given the rustic wedding venue that might totally flop, yikes. Then I thought why not do a computer created decal and apply it to wood? A good option but ordering that decal, not so simple in my location, and potentially costly. Okay, then how about DIY decal sheets to print at home? An option but also needs to planned way ahead to account for shipping of those sheets. In the end, silly me I realized that designing the sign on the computer, and then transferring the design onto a piece of wood, and then painting it truly would be the best solution. And so, presenting to you my first ever DIY rustic welcome sign, with the artist's easel that I also happened to have, and which needed its own makeover as well.

Want to make one too, let's do it!

DIY Tree Of Life Wall Decor, For The Succah Or The Home!

today is Hoshana Raba, a very important and spiritual day during the Jewish holiday of succot, and for those of us in Israel, the last day in the Succah. So while I really want to be in the Succah right now, soaking it all up in all its glory, I'm popping in to share with you once again one of my favorite Succah decorations, and one in fact that lives year round on a wall in my kitchen, except during Succot! I made this from a real dead olive branch that I found on a walk in the meadows nearby, I painted it with a fine coat of white, added some gold leaves made from succah decorations from previous years, and voila! I then went on to make a larger version, with a complete tutorial that you can find here.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Hoshana Raba, and wonderful Simchat Torah, which we celebrate in our homes, in Israel starting tonight, and elsewhere starting Monday night.

Real Tree Branch With Paper Leaves Wall Art

This project, which I made 2 years ago and now graces a wall in our stair well is still looking good and something that one could make last minute, assuming you have access to some dead tree branches near by! Ah yes, and for my succah the gold painted branch was a must, but you might be able to skip that part. Get out the glue gun, and some art that does not need to be saved, cut leaves, glue, and voila! Here is my previous post, enjoy!

We are now on the third day (of seven) of the wonderful Jewish holiday of Succot, and while I am not doing any crafting, I can stop by here to share my favorite succah decoration with you! And, unlike some Succah decorations, this one is truly a work of art, and can be used year round indoors, or for a special event or to mark a new season. You decide, but if you are anything like me, you won't want to stop at just one, which I did not! After making the first version, a tree of life with gold leaves, I just had to make another colorful version with a gold trunk (previously the gold spray paint was not to be found) to fill a huge blank area in our Succah. And despite some scepticism from the peanut gallery, it turned out even more beautiful than the first one, and there is a very funny story that goes with it, which I'll share soon. The main thing is to find a really great looking dead branch with lots of character as well as bunches of tiny branches, as that variety is what truly makes this piece special. Okay, want to make one yourself? Lets learn how!

5 DIY Floral Arrangements For The Fall Holiday Season

With the "high holiday" Jewish holiday season now at hand, together with the fall season, now is a wonderful time to create beautiful DIY fall floral arrangements. Some of the ideas I've presented here couldn't be simpler, and some take a bit more effort, but either way, you can make your holiday table something truly wonderful. While there is nothing like real flowers, artificial flowers sometimes are the only way to go especially if you'd like a floral arrangement in your Succah or many arrangements around the house for a festive feel. Or maybe that hanging floral arrangement over the table? (I'm dreaming of that!) Faux flowers can also be used as flower diffusers to give a nice scent to a bathroom. laundry room or bedroom, so do consider that as well. Okay, lets take a look at 5 wonderful ideas for DIY floral arrangements!

Stunning Floral Arrangements For A Rustic Chuppah

Last night we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of a 2nd cousin at a kibbutz wedding venue just outside of Ranana, Israel, and I shared the photos of the stunning rustic chuppah earlier. Now, lets take a closer look at those floral arrangements which really pulled the whole chuppa look together. Not to mention that all the women/girls in the wedding party wore burgundy dresses, a wonderful choice. While decorating a chuppa with real flowers may not be the most budget friendly choice, it sure is lovely! Here in Israel actually, to cut down on the cost of fresh flowers on tables, for example, and behind the bridal chair, real flowers are often placed together with faux flowers, say covering topiaries or arches, and it can look quite good as well, so do consider that option, if you want to maximize your budget! This wedding even had party favors, which I will share soon. Okay lets take a closer look at those arrangements, come along!