DIY Flower Arrangements

It is a familiar sight to see men bringing home a bouquet of flowers before Shabbos, or women purchasing them at the super market when they do their weekly shopping. Fresh flowers are a staple in most Jewish homes on Shabbos and Yom Tov.

My dining room is the first thing you walk into when you come into my home. It can be a little awkward, so I have tried to create a very homey ambiance. I always try to have a nice fresh vase of flowers sitting on my dining room table. I also have fresh flowers in my bedroom and powder bathroom off the kitchen. 

Flowers make me happy.

Just looking at them lifts my day!
They are so so pretty.

Every week I buy whatever is available to me and the least expensive at the store. 

I am very particular about my flowers. 

- How I like to arrange them 

- How I want them to be arranged by someone else

- The colors that are used

- The size and dimension of the bouquet 

-The fullness of the flowers

All of these things come to play when I am putting together my flowers for my table. 

Please note:

I am not a florist, nor do I claim to be.

I'm just a creative junky that has learned these tricks and tip on my own. 

I could be offering you the totally wrong advice, but it works for me :) 

So read on at your discretion.....

Here are some simple tips to make arraigning your own flowers a little easier...

#1 - Choose a vase that works for you. 

I personally like low vases. I do not like tall ones. The ONLY time I will ever use a tall one is if there are smaller vases flanking on either side of  the larger one.

Mason jars make fantastic vases. Use 3 of them in a row, or get larger fatter ones and just use 2.

#2 - Cover the outside or inside of your vase so you can't see the stems. 

- The easiest way to get an opaque vase is to paint them. I painted all of my mason jars and distressed them. That simple tutorial can be found here.

- You can also wrap burlap around your vase and tie it with some raffia.

- Fill up a hurricane vase with apples and hide the stem inside them.

- Wrap very large leaves around the edge on the inside of the vase. Then add your flowers.

Photo Credit : jCreate Magazine
Papaya Events - Chana Blumes Photography 

- One of my favorite things to do is to fill up a vase with pebbles or coffee beans. Watch the video below - It's soo easy! 

#3 - Choose a variety of flowers in the same color family.
That means they are in the same shades and hues. You can add a pop of a complementary color to add dimension.

Photo Credit : jCreate Magazine
Papaya Events - Shayna Punim Photography 

#4 - Use a variety of heights to add shape to your tablescape. 
If you are planning on having a few different vases on your table then I recommend them being a variety of sizes and heights. It will add a beautiful dimension to your overall tablescape.

Photo Credit : jCreate Magazine
Papaya Events - Chana Blumes Photography

Photo Credit : jCreate Magazine
Papaya Events- Shayna Punim Photography

If you are planning on just having one vase in the center of your table then add some height inside of the vase by using some taller flowers or vines. I used eucalyptus leaves in mine, but myrtle can work too.  

#5- Make your arrangement look full and lush

You want your vase to look full NOT overcrowded. The trick is to buy a couple flowers that will give you the right coverage. I LOVE hydrangeas. They are my favorite. I will usually buy 3 stems along with another bunch of flowers like the Peruvian Lilies pictured above. 

#6 - Treat Your Flowers Well

I cut my stems every other day and change the water adding some of the flower food powder that they give you. I find that my flowers last a full week till I go to the grocery store again to buy new ones. 

#7 - Find Flowers on a Budget

The best place to find flowers on a serious budget is Trader Joes. They bring in fresh flowers daily and they are always the gorgeous and lush. I can get 3 stems of hydrangeas for $5.99 and bunches of other flowers from $3.99 to $4.99. Bunches of roses are normally $7.99 

My other favorite place to go is Fairway. Although they are a bit more expensive, not much more, they always have a good selection and their flowers always last longest. 

If you don't live near any of these stores, I would recommend you find a place locally that sells fresh flowers, life a florist or farmers market. Make really good relationships with the owners. The more you come by their store the more they will get to know you and your needs. If I don't have time to make my own flowers I always head out to Papaya Events, my local flower shop in Passaic. Devorah can always make me the most  beautiful arrangements on my budget. Not only does she work locally, but she does event planning and floral designing throughout the tri-state area. I highly recommend them for your Simcha needs. 

I hope these tips not only come in handy this week with the holiday coming, but adding color and beauty to your weekly Shabbos tables! 

Till next time!

Abbey 

Sukkot - Simchat Torah Edible Crafts

OK PEOPLE.

You asked for it.......... So here it is! 

There is nothing better in this world then crafting with your kids! 

Here are (3) Edible craft ideas that are great for little hands to make as well as eat!

#1 - Torah Winkies

All you have to do is print the labels by clicking here. Cut them out and attach around 2 winkies. So perfect for the kids to pass out to their friends in Shul (Synagogue). 

#2 - Torah Barakas - Potato Pockets 

#3 Torah Apple Pie - 

Pretty Simple. Just cookie cut pie dough int he shape of torahs and lay them on top of your apple mixture. Yum-o! Enjoy! 

Hope you get inspired to make these delicious kid friendly treats! 

Please share with me your edible creations, I would love to see how they come out :) 

Abbey 

Rosh Hashanah Project Round -UP

I thought it would be great to include a nice selection of Rosh Hashanah projects going around the blogosphere. I think you guys will love......

#1 - Hand Painted Lace Jar

Check out the full tutorial at Joy of Kosher 

#2 - Hand Painted Apple Napkins 

See the full tutorial at Busy in Brooklyn 

#3 - Sweet Honey & Cake Jars 

See the full tutorial at Chana's Art Room 

#4 - jCreate Magazine 

The latest issue of jCreate Magazine has a crazy amount of Rosh Hashanah crafts and projects for you and your children to make! To see all the go to http://jcreatemagazine.com/issues/

#5- Color and Cut Rosh Hashanah Mobile

Scribble Town 

#6 - Free Rosh Hashanah Placecards

Download them FREE at The Bold Edge

#7 - Rosh Hashanah Mobile 

From the Jewish Homeschool Blog

#8 - Loads of Preschool Crafts at Challah Crumbs

Add caption

#9- Chinuch.org is the best place to get lesson plans for Rosh Hashanah just check out this link 

#10 - Check out my latest videos with Chabad.org and how to make these awesome hand painted ceramic honey plates and bowls using the latest in Martha Stewart paints.

Visit Jewish.TV for more Jewish videos.

Hope these help you create lasting memories this Rosh Hashanah season!
Abbey 

Say what?!?

Last week someone said something to me that I still can't get over.

Here's how the conversation went:

Her: How's the house coming along?
Me: Hoping it's ready in time for the move-out in 2 weeks! Totally overwhelming!
Her: Well. I'm just SOOOOOOO happy for you! (overexcited beyond words happy) 
Me: Really??? Why????
Her: Cause your house was so so so so so so so so............................... (feels bad telling you)
Me: Gross??
Her: Well yah, I just didn't want to tell you, but now that you've said it - well your house was really gross and totally needed to be redone.
Me: OH. Thanks.

I've decided that people just don't think before they speak.
She wasn't trying to be mean.
I know that.
I think she thought that because she was my friend it was OK.
But listen.
No one can ever insult your home, kids, or hubs except you.
Ain't that the truth.

Look, truth be told
My house was gross.
Totally needed to get redone.
And I would still be living in that mess had Hashem (G-D) not decided that my life needed a makeover.

But there was a cost.
There's always a cost.
A lot of suffering went around this year
Not going to bore you all with the details
But just know that my family and company took a lot of hits.

I'm telling you this story because I feel bad.
I know that many people can't afford to redo their homes.
I know many people wish they could have brand new kitchens.
Redone bathrooms and freshly painted bedrooms.
I get it, because that was me for the past 12 years.

I know what it's like living on a budget.
Trying to live within a means that is non-existent.

I have been feeling very torn.
Wanting to show you all the construction pictures
And not wanting to show you at all.
I would never want someone to think that I am bragging.
No one wants to see pictures of your brand new kitchen when they're living in a tiny apartment.

But here's the deal.
This is what I do.
I'm a.......
Colorist
Designer
Artist

I want to take you on my journey.

I want to show you all
The decisions I made - And why I made them.
Budget friendly decorating ideas
Color palette painting concepts
And so much more.

With the utmost sensitivity.

This all happened to me for a reason
So I am going to embrace it.
And hope that if you love what I've done
Perhaps you'll choose me to help you when the times is right.


Till next time!
Abbey

Closed For Repairs Part 2

I know I've been pretty quite lately.
Seems like my life is one big tornado cloud.
Family, work, camp, kids all pulling me in a hundred different directions.

Yah, I'm tired.
Moving in 2 weeks and tons to get through.
So excited about going home.
Not so excited about moving yet again.

I have a lot to tell you guys.
I will try to write them all down here.
But please bear with me
As I have a lot to share.

First things first.
I'M GOING HOME!
Totally excited
But it's not done yet.
Being kicked out in 2 weeks and I'm hoping that I am going home to a functional house.
If not we'll rough it for a while.
Been through worse.... right??

My biggest problem is that all of our stuff from storage is coming back the same day we come home.
Now when you move there's a certain amount of sense when you pack.
In our case, our home debacle happened on the last day of Yom Tov.
What does YOUR house look like at the end of Yom Tov??
Not so pretty right?
Well the packers came in and threw everything together.
The dirty socks with the books.
God only knows what I will find when I start opening the gazillion boxes that will be coming back.
I think that this is the most stressful part.

Not the fact that I have to pack up over here in the rental house.
We don't have much stuff, just all my 50+ boxes from the studio.
The kitchen stuff
All our clothes
Toys
and
Books

Yah, I tried to sell off pieces, just didn't make a huge dent.
There's just NO TIME.
Would love to have a virtual Garage Sale on Sunday -think I should?

I still have to repaint all the walls in the house - my kid love to draw on the wall.
His favorite? Black Sharpies.
Repaint the floor in the basement. (Yah, I made a little mess :)

Oh.... and did I tell you???
I'm working full time at a camp this summer! 9-4 everyday
Had I known that I was moving in the middle of July I would have thought twice
As well as if I had known that I had to wear a wig all day too.
Paint and sheitels just don't mix.
But in all seriousness I love what I do and painting with little hands is just awesome.

Our next issue for jCreate Magazine comes out in the beginning of August.
Collecting content and sending them to my graphics girl.
I called her today and she was happy to hear that I wasn't dead.
Yah, I told her I've been a little quite these days.....

Shipping out the last of my orders and then I'm calling it quits guys.
I need a little R&R
Tired beyond words doesn't even describe how I feel these days.
So I'm closing up shop for the month of July.
Got to move home and reset-up my studio.

Because.... guess what people??
The holidays come super early this year.
Got to be ready to ship out all those orders come August 1st.

But DO NOT fear!
I will be around sharing my journey moving back home.
So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days please don't be scared.
I'm not dead. Just huddled under a million boxes.

Abbey

Organized Chaos

Have you ever shopped in Charming Charlie?
For those of you who have no clue what CC is, it's literally crack for accessory lovers like me. From necklaces to belts, shoes to rings they've got it all. Colors are divided by sections and for many people looking for a specific piece to match their outfit this setup is perfect. But for creative people like me this type of store can be quite overwhelming. The first time I stepped into CC, I literally walked right out. I didn't even buy anything - I was on color overload.

Why am I bringing up my favorite accessories secret store now? Well that same feeling I felt back then is the same one I've been feeling recently.

Most of you know that last October, my family and I were thrown a curve ball when our house sprung a leak, and the entire place was gutted. This episode has now been dubbed the Great House Debacle. We've been living in a rental property and it's finally time to rebuild. The choices are immense and the budget is so tiny. I don't even want to tell you what happened the first time I walked into the tile store.

Although this whole process should be fun for me, I am finding it extremely challenging. Organization and working within a budget..... well those things are not really my strong suit. And don't get me started on measurements - I never understood that math.

I think that the hardest part for me are all the choices! I feel like I have hundreds of people yelling at me all day long, but it's just my mind trying to file away all my ideas. When I am actively engaged in a creative process, I get super hyper focused that all I do is sleep, eat, and think about the design or layout of a project. Right now, my whole house needs to be redone and I am slowly starting to freak out.

Thank goodness I have Sara Schmutter -
She has become my partner in "grime."
(If you saw my house you'd get the joke)
Not only did she design the most creative kitchen and bathroom spaces for me, but she has been there every step of the way shopping with me for tiles, hanging out at Ikea and Lowes, and she even carries around with her a tape measure to handle all those nasty measurements.

I can't wait to start sharing with you all before and after pictures. Finding good deals and rebuilding on a budget is the key to my successful home remodel.

If you are looking to remodel your home and would like to get in contact with Sara. Please message me at shabbey2@gmail.com I would be more then happy to pass along her info.


Till Next Time!

Abbey

Shavuos Edible Crafts

I'm not really a baker, so when I do make edible crafts it's super easy and simple. Here are two really great Shavuos edible craft recipes.


#1 - Torah Knishes! 

#2 - Torah Pie! 

Just use a torah cookie cutter, apple pie filling, and pie crust dough!

#3 - Winkie Torahs!

Although we give these out to our friends in shul on Simchat Torah, we still make a bunch of these delicious sweets on Shavuot too!!

ENJOY MAKING THESE SWEET TREATS THIS HOLIDAY :)
-Abbey