You've Got Mail!

Here's a fun idea for making Mishloach Manot boxes: Purim mailboxes. I bought these mini-mailboxes at the $1 shelf at my local store and altered them using papers from the Hanukkah collection. I think the bright colors in that collection work perfectly for Purim.

This is a really simple project with great results. I just cut a piece of patterned paper to go around the top, cutting a little notch for the flag. Then I traced the front door onto a matching paper and cut it out.Then I adhered both with mod podge and decorated with ribbons and embellishments. I added one of Maya's Purim labels. For the final step, I lined the inside bottom with paper to match the front door.

Then I fill with treats! Happy Purim!

Purim Mishloach Manot Ideas with Crafting Jewish Style

It's that time of year again. Purim time! Time to whip up some adorable costumes, a tasty feast and wonderful mishloach manot that will please all. So while I can't help your kids make up their minds as what to be this year (I have mine to deal with and I'm dreading that, "Can I be ---?" at the last       minute and then I'm stuck sewing some crazy costume at the eleventh hour) I do have some easy      mishloach manot packaging ideas that the  kids can craft all by themselves-saving you time for all the rest the preparations. Here are three fun samples that are really simple, inexpensive and doable for all age levels.  Load them up with some yummy treats (I'm partial to all the great kosher candies and chocolates, form Israel that my local supermarket bring in.                                                                                                                                 

EASY: Embellished paper sacks           

                                                                                                  

You'll  need:  

Paper  lunch bags  in the color(s) of your choice    (ours are from WalMart)

scrapbooking paper (we used Crafting Jewish Style  Rosh Hashanah red apple paper)                                  

hole punch scissors and decorative edge scissors                                                                        

ribbon                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                

1.Cut a wide strip of scrapbooking paper so that it will fit over the bag and hang over both sides; crease in the center of the strip. Cut the short edges with a decorative edge scissor.

2. Place the folded cardstock over the filled lunch bag. (The top of the bag folded down.)

3. Punch 2 holes about an 1 1/2" apart towards the top of the bag.

4. Thread ribbon through the holes and tie into a bow. Insert lolly and decorate bag with tags or stickers if you wish. 

Notice how just by using the reverse side of the paper and a different colored bag you get a totally different look.

Easier: Embellished paint cans

You'll need:                                                                                                                                                



Clear plastic craft paint can (Michael's)
Scrapbooking paper (we used Crafting Jewish Style Rosh Hashanah red apple paper)
 chalkboard label stickers (Martha Stewart for Avery @ Staples)

1. Cut scrapbook paper to fit inside paint can and insert.
2. Embellish outside of can with stickers and label-I absolutely love this chalkboard label
3. Tie on bow and insert lolly into bow loop



EASIEST: Embellished pencil case

You'll need:
Pencil case (Michael's)
Purim sticker downloads

This couldn't be easier.
1. Print out Maya's Purim labels. (I printed them on clear adhesive paper) Cut out and adhere to pencil case.
2. Done! How's that for a Purim miracle!

Enjoy Purim and send us pictures of your Purim craftiness and creativity. We'd love to post them.

How will you be celebrating Purim this year?

Do you sew/craft your own costumes? Are you into mishloach manot themes?

Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win some wonderful Crafting Jewish Style products.

Scrapbooking Tip

Hi, it's Aliza here with a tip for you.

Sometimes I have an idea for a design that requires, say, three pictures. But as I look through my photos, I can only find two that look good. So I simply use one of  the photos twice, but change it up a little bit. In this super simple layout, the first and last photo are one and the same, but the second one is cropped closer up. I put the other photo in the middle to create some contrast.

Another variation you could use, is to print one in color and one in black and white. Then, voila! You have two different pictures to use.

Have a great day!

Trip down memory lane

Today I invite you to take a trip down memory lane with me. Not very far away, just 11 years or so. When my now teenager with all that comes with this title, was a sweet and shy toddler. I found 2 pictures from Friday celebration at Lila's preschool. Every Friday morning the kids had a little shabbat ceremony with candles and "wine". (Is it really a wine bottle on the table? I couldn't read the label). One girl was chosen to be "ima shabbat" and one boy "aba shabbat". Lila looks slightly overwhelmed with the attention, the head scarf that she got to wear and all the commotion around the shabbat table.

I picked two papers from the Crafting Jewish Style Passover kit to be the base of the layout. Two pictures are mounted on kraft cardstock. I added punched borders and stitched two layers if ribbon, also from the Passover kit. The white doily looks like fancy shabbat tablecloth.

To spice up the bottom of the layout I colored some of the dots with smooch ink and added jewels. 

Now I am going to add this layout to Lila's baby album and work on her BBYO forms. 

P.S. I am totally aware that I spelled shabbat with one b, but it is going to stay that way :)

A New SKETCH!!!

Hi, it's Aliza here, and as you can tell by my exclamation points in the title, I am a fan of sketches. Here is the latest:

I love how simple it is. And it inspired me to make a card. It's been a long time since I have made a card, but this sketch coincided with me going to a Bat Mitzvah, and badda bing, badda boom, this card was made:

I went straight to the Passover line, because it has some beautiful pinks and browns, which I thought would suit the occasion.

Julie made a Chanukah layout with this sketch, with her journaling tag tucked beneath the top photo. Her journaling reads: "We celebrated the first 6 nights of Hanukkah 2011 on the Disney Wonder.  They had a candle lighting each night with latkes and grape juice.  We brought our Hanukkiah so we could celebrate the Miracle of Lights while at Sea. - December 2011"

What can you create with this sketch?

Time to create

When I was asked to post a 'home decor' project in here, I knew exactly what I am going to make.

In Qoheleth, the book of Ecclesiastes, there is a beautiful paragraph which talks about time.

לכל זמן ועת לכל חפץ תחת השמים. עת ללדת, ועת למות; עת לטעת, ועת לעקור נטוע.

עת להרוג ועת לרפוא, עת לפרוץ ועת לבנות. עת לבכות ועת לשחוק, עת ספוד ועת רקוד.

עת להשליך אבנים, ועת כנוס אבנים; עת לחבוק, ועת לרחוק מחבק. ועת לבקש ועת לאבד,

לשמור ועת להשליך. עת לקרוע ועת לתפור, עת לחשות ועת לדבר.

עת לאהוב ועת לשנוא, עת מלחמה ועת שלום.

Basically it says that everything in this world has its time and place. time to give birth and time to die, time to build and time to distroy, time to heal and time to kill, time to love and time to hate, time of war and time for peace.

I always wanted to create a nice canvas with this text to hang in my studio, but I just didn't find the time to create such until...few weeks ago, when I was inspired by my talented friend, Revlie, and her cool video about mixed media canvas (http://revlie.typepad.com/revolution/2012/01/its-here-my-video-for-my-mixed-media-canvas-bam.html)

I rolled up my sleeves, got my paint out and got creative. It was so much fun!

(for the backround, I used lots of left overs from my CJS papers and old newspaper)

Have fun, make time to create :)

My Shabbat Girls

Hi Everyone! 

It's Julie and it's my turn to post my latest layout.  With all the projects, layouts and cards we do using our terrific Crafting Jewish Style papers, there's also lots of scraps.  Well, I've got lots of scraps since I save all the bits and pieces because I never know what it can be used for.  I've also been thinking about doing something with all the strips and this is what I came up with.  On some level, it might seem a little busy with lots of colors but I thought my pictures had some bright colors and my girls were wearing stripes and polka dots.  Luckily, a lot of our CJS papers have stripes and polka dots.  What I also like about this is that I used pieces from all three paper lines so while each line has it's own unique style (Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah and Pesach), they all still can be mixed and work together. 

These are photos when my daughters were Shabbat girls at their pre-school.  The journaling reads "Celebrating Shabbat in your Teddy Bears class.  We light candles, drink grape juice from our kiddush fountain and ate yummy, fresh baked challah".  All the papers are CJS including the maroon matte paper which is the back of the Rosh Hashanah packaging.  I used Sassafras Lass alpha stickers and I embossed the Star of David with embossing powder from Stampin' Up (my favorite).

Thanks for looking!