Jewish Crafts

This Shavuot, have your kids brighten your walls with some flower power! Even the youngest ones will be able to get easy and beautiful results.  While you are cooking in the kitchen, keep the kids busy with this easy to do craft everyone can enjoy.

Materials you will need:

• Crayons
• Glue stick (glue will work too, but less mess with the glue stick)
• 1 sheet of colored paper, 8×10
• Scissors

Directions
1-Print the image above.  Then use crayons to color the attached template with fun patterns and colors. The first two petals are done for you, but try to come up with your own ideas for the others. (stars, hearts, squiggles, zig zags, swirls)

2- Carefully go around each petal with your scissors and cut the flower out of the paper.

3-Then, cut along the two straight lines and slice the flower into four sections.

4- Glue the flower pieces back together onto your colored sheet of construction paper. Leave spaces between each section to let the color show through.

5-Cut the flower out again from the construction paper, leaving a border of color as you cut.

6-Hang on the wall of your for Shavuot, and Chag Sameach!

Variation: If you are making these flowers with siblings, in step 3 have them trade flower sections with each other and recombine the pieces to make new and different flowers.

The recipes have been made and the delicious food consumed, so what do you do now with your left over Temp Tee containers??? Well craft them of course!!

This project is fantastic not only because it’s absolutely perfect, but because it takes an item that would normally be thrown in the garbage made purposeful again.

TEMP TEE Potted Kitchen Herb Garden

SUPPLIES:

Temp Tee Containers (empty)
Spray Paint – white and any other colors of your choosing

Rubber bands Optional

Box

Step 1:

Clean your Temp Tee containers and dry them completely.

Step 2:

Make a series of whole on the bottom of your container. This way the soil can breathe and the water can seep out of the container.

You will use the container for the soil and the top of the container as the base to capture the runoff water.

Step 3:

Take your box outside and turn it on its side. Place the container inside and spray paint it white, making sure to cover all the words and design on the container. Let it sit for 2 hours

Step 4:

Spray paint container your second color. You can see here that I chose to do 3 different containers. Let it sit another 2 hours.

Step 5: OPTIONAL

If you want to do a striped design then place rubber bands around your container and spray paint on top of them. Let that sit and dry and then pull of the rubber bands. You will get this very neat striped affect.

Step 6:

Once your containers are dry, you are ready to add soil and add your herb plants. These Temp Tee containers are small enough to sit on your kitchen windowsill making these the perfect herb planters.

We would love to hear from you and see the beautiful herb containers that you make! Please send in your photographs to info@joyfkosher.com and you may be featured on the Joy of Kosher website.

Happy Crafting!

Till Next Time!

The Passover count down has officially begun. In the coming weeks we will all be busy cleaning our homes and planning our menus. For many that’s the easy part, but I have a confession to make, it’s not so easy for me.  I honestly have no clue how to clean. In my family we all stick to what we are good at, and I suppose for me, that’s crafting.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a great cook and I love to experiment in the kitchen, but I think I’ll pass on the sponge and broom for now.

What I love about this tablescape that you are about to see, is that anyone can really create it! These DIY Passover crafts are so incredibly simple; incorporating everyday items that you find in your home with inexpensive products that can be purchased at your local craft store.

Craft #1 Place Settings

Supplies:

Wooden Clothes Pin

Double Stick Tape

Washi Paper Tape (Easily found at any craft store)

Ribbon

Stapler

Scrapbook Label or Tag

Directions:

-Take your Washi Tape and stick them to your clothes pins.  If you don’t have tape then you can just as easily color them with markers or paint.

-Write the person’s name on your scrapbook label or tag. You can also make these tags with regular paper and scissors with fun edges.

- Cut a small piece of ribbon and staple it to the side of your tag.

- Attach the tag to the clothespin with double stick tape.

You can now attach your place setting craft to a folded napkin or anywhere else on your holiday table.

Craft #2 Chargers

It’s not Passover in my house without the coffee cake. I buy boxes upon boxes of mixes from Manischewitz year after year. I came up with this great upcycling craft to repurpose the items that I would normally just throw out.

Supplies:

Leftover food containers or boxes like Manischewitz

Oak tag paper

Mod Podge

Sponge

Tissue Paper

Aluminum Tin

Directions:

-Cut up your left over boxes and tissue paper and put it into an aluminum tin

-Trace circles about 12” round onto your oak tag paper. I just traced a normal charger that I had at home for the shape I wanted. Cut them out. I found that I could get (2) charges for every (1) oak tag I purchased.

- Using the Mod Podge spread a thick layer onto the oak tag circles. Lay down the tissue paper and box scraps all over. Create a beautiful design. Seriously do not worry about what it will look like. No matter what – they will be great! It’s so easy my boys joined in with me to do this craft!!

- Let dry for 12 hours.

These make a great charger for your kids table!! And don’t you just LOVE these adorable Chocolate covered locust treats from Zelda’s Sweet shoppe? Perfect for those hungry little kids to munch on during the Seder!

Craft #3 Pesach Washing Station

Supplies:

Leftover matzah box

Scissor

Hebrew Stencil (optional)

Wooden Clothes Pin

Double Stick Tape

Washi Paper Tape (Easily found at any craft store)

Ribbon

Stapler

Directions:

-Open the left over matzah box so that it lies flat on the table.

-With a stencil or free hand cut out the words Pesach or Passover

-Take your Washi Tape and stick them to your clothes pins. If you don’t have tape then you can just as easily color them with markers or paint.

- Cut a small piece of ribbon and staple it to the side of your letters.

- Attach the letters to the clothespin with double stick tape

-You can now attach your Passover/Pesach letters to a towel basket by your sink or even let them stick out of your floral arrangement!

Whatever you do this Passover to enhance your holiday ambience, may it be making these simple crafts or creating a lavish floral tablescape like this one featured here from Papaya Events, just remember to laugh, breathe, and soak up those special family moments that are shared during this Yom Tov season.

The Seder Plate, Matzah Container, and Seder Glasses are available for purchase at Not2shabbey.com

BIO Abbey: I’m Abbey, a visual artists and shabby chic lover. Almost everything I come in contact with inspires me. I get new ideas for designs all the time, and wishes that there was an endless amount of time to just create! Follow me on my blog not2shabbey.com,  Facebook and Twitter for updates on new goodies, giveaways, contests, and special promotions.

Papaya Events is a full scale event production and floral decor company, specializing in weddings and large affairs. They also have a boutique flower shop offering magnificent floral arrangements and bouqets to enhance your home.

PHOTO CREDITS – SHAYNA PUNIM CHILDREN AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

What You will need:

1. Fresh fruit, you can also use plastic because it will no longer be edible when you are done
2. Kosher salt
3. Fine grain glitter
4. Spray adhesive
5. Disposable gloves
6. Paper plate and plastic spoon

This is very easy to do and with great results.

First mix equal amounts of kosher salt and glitter on a paper plate. This stuff will get everywhere so if possible this is best done outside. Put on plastic gloves (this is a must because the spray adhesive will get all over your hands and will take FOREVER to come off).

Spray the fruit all around and while its still wet roll it in your glitter mixture. I also spooned glitter onto the fruit as I was rolling for better coverage. For the acorn I did it in sections because it was too big and the adhesive was drying before I got to the back. Set aside to dry. Once it is completely dry spray it again with adhesive. This will prevent the glitter from falling off everywhere. Allow it to dry for a few hours. This is a beautiful centerpiece. I plan to do all kinds of fruit and gords and line them down my entire Sukkah table.

It is also a nice place setting option. Last but not least if you feel terrible about wasting good fruit this can also be done with sugar and egg whites. It is not as bold, but no fruit will be harmed in the process. Have a wonderful Yom Tov!

A few years ago my boys were crazy for star wars.  All their costumes were star wars, they loved the light sabers and they watched as many of the movies as they could.  It was no surprise that when my oldest turned five he would want a Star Wars themed party and being the loving mother that I am I obliged.

I was living in the city so space is not easy to come by, but I am lucky that his birthday falls in the Summer and I get to host a large party outside.  There happened to be a small playground across the street from us and so I kept the party simple.  The kids could play in the playground and then we would order pizza and have cake.  Then I thought about a piñata.  We could hang it from the jungle gym and the kids could use a light saber to hit it, so I decided I had to make our own.  I got my five year old involved and we made a paper mache piñata of Darth Vader.

Be aware, it can be messy, but it is also fun.  This is what I did.  I blew up a balloon and put it in a bowl.  I layered the paper mache over the balloon. Just to be safe I made two of these, it takes a few days to dry so you have to give yourself time. When they both worked I realized they were a bit small so I combined them by filling them with the candy and toys (including Jibbitz, tattoos and stickers and only a little candy) and the used more of the paper mache to seal them together.

Then since I am not the most artistic person I used the Star Wars Crepe Paper I ordered online for the party decorations.  I wrapped it around the body and then gave it face that I covered with a Darth Vader mask.  It was very home made, but perfect.  The kids had a blast hitting it with the light saber.  Once it finally opened up I gave the kids their goodie bags to fill up themselves.

For the cake I just put some cupcakes in a circle and put the star wars cupcake ring toppers on and it was a huge success, the only problem was what was I going to do for Akiva’s birthday to top this (He was only 3 so he got a small party, but a cool Yoda Cupcake Cake).

For more info on making your own paper mache pinata click here.

For every Jewish holiday there are loads of crafts we can make with our kids or even on our own as adults.  It is fun to have our personalized items to use and our friend, Sarah Dahan, from CreativeJewishMom.com always has a amazing ideas.  Look through your collection and see what might be missing or which item has seen a better year.  You will find links to all of these crafts at the bottom of this page.  And don’t miss our Makot Matching Game.

Maybe it is time to make a gorgeous Bejeweled Wine Glass for Eilayu you can even dress up your regular wine glasses this way.

The best craft my kids ever came home with was the Decorated Pillow Case for Dad.  It is perfect to keep our pillows clean and really livens up the table. The kids feel so special when they see it at the table.

I am really into having frogs at the seder, the ones I make are edible (stay tuned for those next week), but these are a perfect non edible choice.

Finally, no seder is complete without the Afikomen, so why not make a fun decorative No Sew Felt Bag, it is so easy older kids can do it themselves.

Bejeweled Cup of Eliyahu

Decorated Pillow Case

Bottle Cap and Plastic Lid Frogs

No Sew Felt Afikomen Bag

Dear Joy of Kosher readers,

On Passover, we strive to whip up the perfect hametz-free gourmet menu which a huge feat right after we survive meticulously scrubbing of every inch of our homes. With just a little bit of planning and imagination, we can save some energy to create our own unique Passover seder tablescapes which serves as an elegant backdrop for our delicious Passover meals.

I’ve learned SO much from all of the Jewish hostesses that share photos of their gorgeous party, holiday and Shabbat tables on my site, The Jewish Hostess, throughout the year. Each table setting is a fantastic reflection of each Jewish woman’s flair, imagination, and creativity. As we are all unique in our personality, and inspirations, I am proud to share with you eight of the fabulous seder table that were featured on The Jewish Hostess from Passover, 2011.

Enjoy and be inspired! Remember that the secret to a fabulous table is to LAYER, LAYER,and LAYER. Start with a simple cloth and keep on going! Chargers, linen napkins, dishes, and napkin rings don’t have to cost a fortune to be elegant. The extra splashes of color and texture always add the WOW factor to any table.

Begin planning and decide- do I want my seder table to be fun? elegant? colorful? Let your imagination run free and watch your guests faces light up as they enter the room!

Scroll down to pick and choose your favorite details, and plan your own special holiday table. I would love to see your table creations!

If you’d like to be featured on The Jewish Hostess, send your table setting pics to myphotos@thejewishhostess.com. Wishing all of my Jewish Hostesses a happy, easy, and healthy holiday!

Marlene Mamiye

1- A Passover Seder that Could Split the Sea- A DIY Seder table designed by two sisters Alexis and Sarah Mizrahi. They actually bought the fabric for the table runner in a turquoise color to represent the sea. They re-printed family hagadahs and covered them with leather, tassels and ribbon. Napkin rings were made out of turquoise fabric.

2- Claudia’s Personalized Seder Place Setting- Claudia bought inexpensive picture frames to make each guest feel at home. An orchid and decorative edible quail egg decorated each plate.

3- Marilyn H. used two long cloths-white with buttercup yellow, Matouk linens napkins and place mats. Her elegant home was the backdrop for this gorgeous seder.

4- April’s Down to Earth Cozy Seder- I love April’s authentic theme!

5- Sarah’s Seder table looks like a million, but most of her table accessories were purchased at Home Goods and Amazing Savings.

6- Claudia’s Bento Box individual seder plates- Inexpensive bento boxes give the guests a good smile, and make them feel right at home.

7- Bold Blood Red Color Infused Seder by Kim D.- Succulent red roses, napkins and plates, inspire our holiday theme to remind us of “Makat Dam”- the plague of blood filling the Nile River as a punishment to king Pharoh of Egypt for not allowing the Jewish slaves to leave Egypt in freedom. I love her place cards.

8- Victoria’s Smoke, Frog, Aseret Makot themed Seder table-

9- Last but not least- make your own modern seder plate creation- find out how Susan M. did it HERE.

For more Passover, Shabbat, and party table setting inspiration, check out The Jewish Hostess!

The plagues with which the Egyptians were punished because they would not allow the Jews to leave Egypt are called the makot.  This fun matching game will help children remember the names of the plagues as well as what happened to the Egyptians during that time.  This game is quick and easy to make as well as to play. Laminating the cards will make them more durable; this can be done at a local copy shop.

Makot Matching Game

Materials:

■ 3 (8½”x11″) sheets white cardstock or thick paper
■ 3 (12″x12″) sheets colored cardstock or scrapbook paper
■ scissors
■ markers
■ glue stick

How to do it:

1. Fold one sheet of white paper in half. Then fold the paper in half and then in half again. Unfold the paper. The folds will have divided the paper into 8 equal rectangles.
2. Repeat step one with the other two papers. Cut out the rectangles; you will only need 20, so there will be four extra.
3. Draw a picture of a different makah on ten of the rectangles or download a clip art picture from your computer and glue to rectangles.
4. Write or print the Hebrew and English names of each makah on the other ten rectangles.
5. Fold the 12″x12″ papers in the same manner that you did the white paper. Cut out the colored rectangles.
6. Center each white rectangle on each colored rectangle and glue into place, centering the white rectangles so that a colored border is visible.

Optional: Have the cards laminated at a copy shop or office center.  Punch a hole in the top right corner of each card and place on a metal ring for storage.
Note: The makot cards pictured here were made using color copies of illustrations in the ArtScroll Children’s Haggadah; used with permission.

Estimated time: 45 minutes

Hi Everyone! I’m so excited for purim! It is my favorite holiday. I remember as a kid rushing around with my mom to get all the fun items for our family mishloach manot. My mom always came up with a poem, theme, or found a cute container. All these years later I’m still doing the same thing.

Every year I try to figure out what my kids will be interested in. Over the years we’ve done Pinkalicious, Dr. Seuss, dogs, and the list goes on and on. This year my kids decided they wanted to be Jake and the Never Land Pirates. I figured that would be easy. Get them all pirate costumes and we’ll do some sort of treasure hunt. As I started to plan I decided to take it one step further. The Usdan Family became the Shushan Pirates!

We’ve had so much planning and decorating. The kids helped me design a treasure map and goblets and find all the items for our treasure box, while I’ve been doing all the behind the scenes. Purim day we will drop off the treasure maps in their bottles to all our friends and they will use it to come to our house to pick up their treasure. I filled the treasure box with lots of gold coins and gold bars and of course triangle shaped Hamantashen.

Over the past two weeks I started to envision my seudah table. I wanted it to be a little more glam than kid like. I decided to look for items around my house that reminded me of pirates. I started with candles and wine bottles. Every night  I’ve been melting candles over my wine bottles to see how they would look. I also designed custom labels for my bottles so they would be in the spirit of purim. A little secret, all you need is some elmer’s glue, water, and a paint brush to stick the labels on! I even saved my jelly jars! I  just put in a votive candle and tied rope around the jar  to give my table a rustic feel. Finally, I went to a few of my favorite stores Michaels, Target, and Home Goods to give my table texture and dimension with jems and nametags.

Here are a few tips for your Purim party:

1. Always come up with an idea your kids can help with! They love it  and you’ll love it. They really look at things with a different eye.
2. Try to start with stuff you have. This time I started with my Shabbos white modern table cloths, but bought runners and turned them horizontal for a different feel and texture to my table. Make sure when you do purchase something you’ll use it again.
3.Inspiration boards. Cut out pictures from magazines, pull images from online, or make a pinterest board to help you create a clear idea of what you want your table to look like in your mind.
4. Sketch. I know not everyone is an artist, but it helps if you get it down on paper. It can be as simple as  boxes on a paper that say center piece here, candles here, etc  When I work I’m very abstract, but I do try to get something down so I have a direction. As you can see from this table my center piece were very organic. Don’t be scared of using different materials.
5. Have FUN. I know we’re all busy, but if a table is too big of a project  take on small DIY projects. It’ll start to get easier.
Next year you try to make your own center pieces from things around home! I’m sure they’ll come out great.

When I design my placemats I always make a front with a fun design and space to put their name and a back that they can draw on with washable markers.

Print out these designs, fill in your child’s name and have them laminated.  Now you have a decoration that doubles as an activity for your kids.

Here are three placemats to choose from:

Blue and Orange Design – Front

Blue and Orange Design – Back

Orange Squigles – Front

Orange – Back

Blue Design – Front

Blue Design – Back

With Chanukah just around the corner, now is the time to pull out some quick and crafty decorating ideas to get your home ready for the holiday! Not to worry, I’ve got a few ideas that will get you started in no time, and your house will look more festive that ever without too much effort. Sounds great, right?

While I love to knit and crochet, I also happen to think that yarn is great for crafting. I picked up a ball of pom pom yarn recently, and realized that it makes instant pom pom garlands! So I draped my dining room chandelier, and now it’s ready for just a few well placed ornaments. Yippee!

And then I tried wrapping the yarn around some glass vases, inserted some shot glasses filled with candles, and voila, a gorgeous centerpiece for Chanukah was born! And you could re-use them for the next bris, how about that?

I was thinking of making napkin rings somehow with the yarn, and then I remembered the little casual table setting trick that’s in style at the moment, so I tied some yarn around a setting of silverware, cute as can be! Simple right? And of course I’ll also be using pom pom yarn to hang the decorations my kids make and for any other crafty garlands that we come up with between now and Chanukah. Can’t wait!

If you don’t have any pom pom yarn on hand and would rather use up what you do have, rest assured, there are many great projects to make with any kind of yarn that may or may not take just a bit more effort but will also be wonderful additions to your holiday home. Here’s just a few ideas from my blog creativejewishmom.com to get you started:

Wrap glass vases in two colors of regular yarn, in this case light blue and dark blue, for a stunning and contemporary centerpiece, tutorial here.

Go green and make yarn wrapped napkin rings from recycled plastic bottles, and yarn wrapped luminaries from recycled cans for your holiday table.

Yarn snowflakes look great all winter, as do pom pom bouquets, which you’ll use over and over, believe me!

That’s all for now, have a wonderfully creative Chanukah, and the good news is, that it’s eight whole days long, which makes your crafting efforts really worth it! And do stop by my site creativejewishmom.com for lots more Chanukah craft ideas, and ways to fill your life with creativity all year long. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Let me know what you end up making in the comments below and share your photos on Facebook.

Rosh HaShana is just around the corner and I’m so happy to be here on Joy of Kosher! Now of course, you came here looking for recipes for the upcoming holidays, which is certainly a great start, however in my biased humble opinion, no holiday table or home is complete without some holiday specific decorating! And now you’re thinking “well of course she thinks that, she’s the crafting queen!” But let me tell you, you don’t have to be an expert crafter to make crafts or introduce creativity to your family— I’m here to help you!

And most importantly of all, I can tell you from personal experience, that when I sit down both with and without my kids to make craft projects for upcoming holidays, our enjoyment of the holidays themselves are so much more meaningful. Anticipation and preparation are key, and craft projects not only add joy to our timeless traditions, but help make lasting memories for children and adults alike. So do give it your all and prepare some amazing meals for your family and friends, but this year set aside just a bit of time to complement your delicious cooking with some touches of creativity that will make your holidays extra special.

This year I decided to come up with a mini-series of simple craft projects using a few basic supplies, especially suited to those who haven’t done much crafting recently. These projects are a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak, and you can customize them so that they’ll be just right for your home.

Place a golden leaved apple at every place setting or use them to make a gorgeous rustic centerpiece on a cake stand or in a beautiful bowl. You can make these apples in just minutes, following the simple instructions here.

This simple golden apple garland will add a festive touch to your home, whether you string just a few apples on each string and use them as chair back garlands, or make longer strands to hang in doorways or just about anywhere. And after you’ve enjoyed your garland a bit in your home, you can certainly use it in your succah as well. You’ll find the complete instructions here.

And while you’re cutting out those golden apples, how about making some larger ones to use as fun decorations or to give as Rosh HaShana cards? This is of course the perfect project to do together with toddlers who may enjoy lacing the hemp string through the holes of the apple. You’ll find the complete instructions here.

Creative napkin rings are a great way to add a festive touch to your holiday table, and these can be made by all ages. I love the contrast of using hemp chord on an elegant white holiday table, but you may prefer using thin ribbon and crystal beads, which would also be quite lovely. You can find the complete instructions for these golden pomegranate napkin ties here.

That’s all for now, I hope you’ve enjoyed this mini craft series! For many more Jewish Holiday craft projects and lots of creative inspiration, please do visit me at creativejewishmom.com. It really can be your one stop crafting site and I’m always there on the other line happy to answer questions or help you come up with the perfect project for any occasion. Wishing you and yours a shanah tovah and a gamar chatimah tovah!

What can you give the woman who has it all for Mother’s Day?  Hair accessories?  A cookbook?  Perfume?  Nah. Better opt for something she can’t get herself (or return): kid-friendly craft projects made with love!

Mother’s Day, time to get out your crafting scissors and paint brushes. Or, just call in the troops with their school supply boxes and unbridled creativity because we’ve put together three crafts kids can make to surprise mom on her special day.

Whether you present her with a plant in a uniquely painted pot, an everlasting bouquet of family photos, or breakfast in bed on a decoupage tray, she will love the effort you put into to finding the perfect gift.

Kids will love this opportunity to draw, paint, cut, glue.  Just make sure they wear smocks!

One-of-a-Kind Terracotta Planter

As the seasons change, mom can showcase new flora in this lovely, hand-painted planter.

Materials:

Terracotta flower pot and plate
Acrylic or patio paints
1- or 2- inch wide foam brush
Cosmetic foam wedges or cotton balls
Ribbon and additional trim such as buttons, sea shells, craft jewels, optional
Glue gun and glue sticks
Dirt and a seasonal plant

Directions:

1. Place the pot on a clean surface in front of you.  Using the foam brush, paint the flower pot in a single color.  Allow to dry.
2. When dry, dip the foam wedges or cotton balls in a contrasting color of paint and sponge-paint designs all around the flower pot.
3. To personalize the gift even more, hot glue decorative ribbon in a contrasting color on the wide rim of the flower pot.  Or, decorate the rim by gluing a collage of sea shells, buttons or craft jewels.
4. Once dry, complete the gift by filling the pot with dirt and a beautiful plant.

Decoupage Breakfast Tray

Make sure to serve mom’s favorite breakfast on this tray which doubles as a gift she can use to store her personal items.  This idea is from Rivky Koenig, who wrote “Crafting Jewish” (Artscroll, 2008).

Materials:

Sandpaper
Unfinished wooden tray, any size
Papers Towels
1/2 inch- and 1 1/2 inch- wide paint brushes
Cream and beige colored acrylic paints (or colors of your choice)
Paper napkins with fruit or floral images
Scissors
Decoupage medium such as Mod Podge or watered down craft glue
Black or green felt, optional
Craft glue, optional

Directions:

1. Use the sandpaper to sand down any rough edges on the tray.  Wipe off wood dust with a damp paper towel.
2. Using the 1 1/2-inch paintbrush, paint the entire tray with the cream paint.  Allow to dry.
3. Take a dry 1/2-inch paintbrush and dab the bristles lightly in the beige paint.  Brush the paint off against a paper towel to remove as much paint as possible.  Lightly stroke the paint on the tray to give it an antiqued look.  Let dry.
4. While the tray is drying, cut out the fruit or floral shapes from the napkins.
5. Using a clean 1 1/2-inch paintbrush, coat the inside of a dry tray with Mod Podge or watered down glue.  Place the fruit shapes on the Mod Podge-covered surface.  Smooth the shapes down carefully with your fingers.  The shapes may get a little wrinkly.  Continue to smooth it.  Allow to dry.
6. Brush another coat of Mod Podge on the entire surface of the tray, covering the cut-out shapes completely.  Coat the raised sides of the tray, inside and out, as well.  Allow to dry.
7. Optional: Cut a piece of felt the size of the underside of the tray.  Use craft glue to glue the felt to the underside of the tray.
8. When mom wakes up on her special day, present the tray laden with breakfast items.

Bouquet of Family Photos

This evergreen bouquet is a wonderful way for mom to have a thoughtful memento from the people who love her.  Not watering required!

Materials:

Scrapbooking, wrapping or construction paper or cardstock
Glue stick
Family photos
Glitter glue, optional
Tape or a glue gun and glue sticks
Green pipe cleaners, one for each flower

Directions:

1. Cut out a simple-shaped flower (like a daisy) from a piece of paper or cardstock in two sizes, one slightly larger than the other.  These will be your flower stencils.  Trace the flowers on various pieces of paper so you have an assortment of colors.  Cut them out.
2. To make the center of the flowers, cut the photos into circles.  Each center should be a picture of a different person in the family.
3. Glue a photo circle in the center of each of the smaller flowers.
4. To matte the flower, glue the smaller flower on one of the larger flowers in a matching color.
5. Use the glitter glue to outline the border of the smaller flower, optional.
6. Tape or hot glue a pipe cleaner to the back of each flower.  Tie a ribbon around the stems to make a handheld bouquet.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Shop for fabulous Mother’s Day kosher gift baskets on Kosher.com

Originally posted May 4, 2010.

Go South of the Border for your Purim Seudah!  It falls on a Sunday, so no excuses!  CreativeJewishMom collaborates with Jamie Geller to help you create the perfect Mexican Fiesta Seudah with everything from the colorful vase to the poblanos. Ole!

It all starts with the right tablecloth, in this case, a Mexican blanket. and some bright crepe paper flowers. If you can’t find a Mexican blanket, any colorful (preferably woven) table cloth can certainly work.  Bring out all the colorful dishes you own, paint some whimsical styrofoam fruit, and make some napkin rings from plastic bottles and a recycled bleach bottle to match. Just look how great this table looks! If you don’t have any colorful glasses, or would like to add some to your table, it is super easy and a great project for the kids.

Decorating the table is a snap!  Remember to pile on the layers— stacks of colorful dishes, single crepe paper flowers strewn here and there, and extra fruit to make the table look it’s best!  You can use those individual fruits as place markers if you like… simply attach a little flag (with your guest’s name) with a piece of twine or yarn.

To complete the look in your home, hang some Mexican sombreros (now available for Purim at costume stores), some crepe paper streamers, and papel picado (Mexican tissue paper banners) if you can find it, or make some yourself! And of course, don’t forget the candy-filled Pinata, a perfect finale for your fiesta!

To make the Recycled Beach Bottle Vase:

You’ll Need:

• an empty bleach container, or really any large plastic bottle (like fabric softener or other household cleaning fluids); it doesn’t have to be round
• a fun combo of yarn in a variety of thicknesses and colors
• a hot glue gun

How To:

1. Cut off the top of your bleach bottle with a large sharp knife, and then use a pair of sharp scissors to trim the bottom section so it’s an even height all around. (Make sure to wash out the bottle!)
2. Attach the first piece of yarn with a dab of hot glue at the end and start wrapping, adding very small dots of hot glue along the way. Change colors as desired, wrapping the whole height of the bottle.
3. That’s it! If you’d like to use this as a basket as opposed to a vase, you might want to finish the top edge with a strip of felt that’s glued to both the outside and the inside in order to hide the upper rim.
4. Have fun wrapping all the cans and bottles you can get your hands on, and create a stunning table grouping them in rows or other more creative designs.

For the meal:

Jamie Geller’s Quick & Kosher favorites: Corn Salad, Mexican Brisket, Stuffed Poblanos, Mexican Pasta, and finish with Banana Chocolate Parfait

Don’t forget the Mexican Mishloach Manot!  Lay a colorful napkin in a basket and fill with Salsa, Chips, Beans, Rice and Avocados.

To read more about the craft projects mentioned above, check out the links below:

• Crepe paper flowers
• Whimsical styrofoam fruit
• Napkin rings from plastic bottles
• Recycled bleach bottle vase
• Painted wine glasses

When Shavuot rolls around, most people think blintzes and cheesecake.  While Rivky Koenig, author of Crafting Jewish (Artscroll 2008), loves the holiday’s traditional dairy cuisine, too; flowers are the first thing that comes to her mind.

“Everything is so beautiful and fresh this time of year,” says Koenig, who recently launched a new line of Jewish craft supplies on craftingjewishstyle.com.  “Adding a floral touch to the holiday is an easy way to get creative for Shavuos.”

Instead of purchasing large floral arrangements, which can be expensive and impersonal, Koenig suggests buying simple flowers and arranging them in bud vases or in a cluster of tea cups.

“Or, you can buy a few stems of the same type of flower and color and arrange them in a square or rectangular vase,” says Koenig.  “To up the ante, tie a wide ribbon in a contrasting color around the vase so you can’t see the stems.  You’ll be amazed at the pop of color the ribbon adds.”

If you want to opt out of floral arrangements all together, Koenig suggests creating floral-inspired Shavuot crafts.  Floral decoupage plates, daisy napkin rings and adorable sunflower headbands are simple, fun and gorgeous projects the whole family will love.

Here’s how:

“This is one of my favorite crafts,” says Koenig.  “It involves a lot of different techniques—cuttings, gluing and painting—so the kids feel really good about themselves when they finish this project.”

Materials

Paper napkin with a floral motif
1 smooth glass plate
Scissors
Mod Podge or craft glue diluted with water
Disposable plastic bowl
2 (1- or 2- inch wide) foam brushes
While acrylic paint
Gold acrylic paint
Gold paint marker, optional

Directions

1. Open the floral napkin and place it under the plate so that an overall design will be on the back of the plate.  Decide which part of the design you want to affix to the plate.  Cut out that section of the napkin, making sure that it is the size of the plate or slightly larger.
2. Take the napkin off the plate and turn the plate over.
3. Pour a small amount of Mod Podge or diluted glue into the plastic bowl.  Dip the foam brush into the Mod Podge and smear a thin coat of it onto the back of the entire plate.  Carefully center the napkin, face down, on the Mod Podge-covered surface and smooth out any air bubbles.
4. Use a foam brush to spread another thin coat of Mod Podge to cover the back of the entire napkin.  It is okay if the back of the napkin wrinkles slightly; just smooth the ripped part together.  Let dry for at least an hour.
5. Once dry, use your scissors to trim off any pieces of hardened napkin that extend over the edge of the plate.
6. Then, use a foam brush to coat the back of the plate with white acrylic paint.  Allow to dry completely.  Paint over the white paint with a coat of gold paint.  Allow to dry completely.
7. If desired, finish the plate by using a gold thin marker to draw a thin line around the top edge of the plate.

Tissue Paper Flowers

Whether you hang these gorgeous crepe paper flowers from a chandelier, affix them the back of dining room chairs, or twist them around napkins, you’ll be amazed at the simplicity of this one-of-a-kind craft.

Materials

Tissue paper in desired colors (eight sheets per flower)
Floral wire
Scissors
String

Directions

1. Stack eight 20×30-inch sheets of tissue paper.  Make 1 1/2-inch wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold, until the entire paper is folded.
2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over the center of the folded tissue; twist, so that the wire holds the folded paper in place.  With scissors, trim the ends of the tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.
3. Separate the layers, pulling the paper away from the center, one fold at a time.
4. Attach string to the wire and hang the paper flower from a chandelier or affix to the back of a dining room chair.  If using as a napkin ring, bend the wire into a loop to fit around a napkin.

Photo Credit: Photo from Flickr – dklimke

This craft is a perfect way to enhance your holiday’s tablescape.  Reuse the napkin rings throughout the summer.

Materials

Silk gerbera daisies
Glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Wide ribbon

Directions

1. Cut the flower end off of the stem of the silk flowers.
2. Hot glue the daisy head in the center of a side piece of ribbon.
3. Decoratively tie the ribbon around a cloth napkin.

“Who says flowers only belong in gardens and vases?” says Koenig.  “These crafts show you that flowers are perfect just about anywhere.”

Materials

Ribbon scraps
Glue gun and glue sticks
French clip barrette or pony tail holders
Silk flowers
Scissors

Directions

1. Use the glue gun and glue sticks to glue a piece of ribbon to the top of the barrette, tucking the ends under and gluing them down.
2. Separate the flowers from the stem.  Use your scissors to trim off as much of the underside of flower as you can.
3. Hot glue one or more flowers to the barrette.  Press down on the flowers to secure.  Allow to dry.

To make a flower pony holder:

1. Separate one large flat flower (such as a sunflower, peony or daisy) from its stem.  With the scissors, trim any remaining stem from the back of the flower.
2. Use the glue gun and glue sticks to glue the back of the flower to the pony tail holder.
3. Cut a small piece of ribbon and hot glue it over the back of the flower where it is attached to the ponytail holder.  Part of the ponytail holder should be sandwiched between the flower and the ribbon.  The ribbon should not be visible from the flower side of the ponytail holder. Press down to secure the ribbon to the flower.  Allow to dry.

Happy Shavuot!