Author Archives: madebymamaleh

A little bit of this, a little bit of that…a card, a winner and another giveaway!

| | Posted in Crafts, Giveaway, Handmade Card | Tagged , , ,

And with that title, I am now singing “Anatevka” in my head and finding myself a bit distracted from getting down to writing.  Oh, how I love the soundtrack from Fiddler on the Roof!

In any event, here I am, finally!  Sorry it’s been way too long between posts but LIFE has just been way too busy lately.

First off, the winner of the handmade chevron and crystal mezuzah…comment #1 Dena from the fabulous Jewish style blog, Chai & Home.

L'Chaim Jewish Birthday card

Second, I just have a to share a fun card I made yesterday for a friend’s birthday.  It was my first attempt at a “shaker” card where the glitter or confetti actually shakes inside a window.  My base is none other than my favorite Curious Metallics White Gold cardstock.  I then cut out this fun wine bottle shape, which I modified with a window, from Curious Metallics Gold Leaf using my Silhouette.  Then I adhered window plastic to the bottle, arranged foam squares around the edge to make a frame, filled it with metallic confetti and adhered it to the card.  I will say that the confetti did sort of stick around the edges so not sure how to avoid that but overall I am quite pleased with the result.  For the sentiment I stamped the fun “L’Chaim” stamp I found on ebay and then embossed it with black sparkle embossing powder.

Jewish Craft Supply Giveaway madebymamaleh.com

Finally, I promised you at least one more giveaway for my blogoversary and since April isn’t over yet, there is still time for one final celebration of the fact I have been blogging for an entire year! I am so excited about this I can hardly type!  The lovely Lauree at 1-800-Dreidel put together the most fabulous box of goodies valued at just over $55 to send to one of you, my dear readers.  There are stickers, cupcake toppers, ribbon, cookie cutters, a paper punch, beads and more!  It’s so fun!  You’ve heard me mention 1-800-Dreidel before – they are one of the few places that cater to Jewish crafters and have a great selection – it’s my go-to source for wine charms and the customer service is fantastic!  Check them out!  And as another special treat, you can get 10% off your entire first order by entering “Mamaleh” in the customer comment box.

Okay, ready to win this fabulous box of goodies?!  All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what you’d do with all of these crafting goodies (or just saying hello) AND then click the link below to go to the giveaway on my Facebook page where you can then enter to win, with bonus entries for FB fans and Twitter followers:

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Remember, you must click-through after leaving a comment for your entry to be counted.  Not on FB, you can enter here. Good luck and thanks for helping me celebrate a year of blogging!

Mama Elephant Sketch Challenge03

| | Posted in Challenge, Handmade Card, Rubber Stamps | Tagged , , ,


I forced myself to get inspired yesterday for the Mama Elephant Sketch Challenge.  Spring is definitely in bloom in Seattle with lots of tulips and daffys but oy, was this weekend rainy.  It was a tea weekend for sure.  So here’s my card with some bright spring colors and nice cozy tea.  The photo doesn’t quite do all the details of the card justice, especially the gold “and cozy,” but you get the idea.  Perfect for one of my random acts of kindness that I really need to get back to!

Card for Mama Elephant Sketch Challenge03

Supplies used
Stamps: Mama Elephant Cup of Wishes
Paper: Paper Trey Ink Berry Sorbet and Aqua Mist
Ink: Embossing Ink, Brilliance Galaxy Gold
Other: Ranger Turquoise Embossing Powder, White Embossing Powder, Yellow Chevron Washi tape by Love My Tapes, Fruit Punch and Yellow Stickles

Happy Blogoversary To Me!

| | Posted in Crafts, Decor, Giveaway, Rubber Stamps | Tagged , , , ,

Shalom and sorry for being so quiet lately.  Hope you had a lovely Passover!  We’ve had a crazy couple of weeks in our house that included saying a sudden goodbye to our beloved dog, Smokey Bear.  So, amidst all of that, I just haven’t felt all that crafty or articulate enough to write about some of the projects I’ve been waiting to share. But, a year ago today is when I welcomed you with my very first Made by Mamaleh post so I couldn’t let today pass without a little crafty goodness.

Click here to read more…

A Winner!

| | Posted in Misc | Tagged ,

It’s been really busy around here lately so sorry for being so slow to post a winner to the Ima Design Store Passover onesie giveaway. Using a random.org, the winner is #1 dkny who has a brand new grandson who I bet is going to look absolutely adorable in his new onesie.

I am hoping for some crafting this weekend and some Passover projects to share (even if they are oldies to me but new to you!),  if nothing else maybe a little recap from the super fun sewing bootcamp a friend and I are taking at Made Sewing Studio in Seattle.   We started a couple of weeks ago and it’s just a fabulous local spot with a great teacher. :)

Candy Filled Martini Glass centerpiece

For now, I will leave you with one of the centerpieces I did with a friend for our big synagogue auction last Sunday.  The theme was a BIG celebration of us.  So, we got these fabulous giant martini glasses and then filled them with a little clear cellophane for height before filling them with a variety of purple and orange candies, some wrapped, some not.  We tried to keep each one to a single color profile for that trendy candy buffet look.  My favorite looks-wise were the ones we filled with rock candy pops because they had a really cool shadow effect on the tables (though not as exciting to eat as chocolate).  Also, to have it look more full and have a bit more height, it needed a bit more than just the pops so we used orange m&ms and grape jelly beans at the base to cover the cellophane.  They were a lot of fun!  Finally to finish out the tables, the centerpieces were surrounded by a variety of Glassy Baby candles (which not only looked fantastic but which offer a great deal for non-profits).  It meant I finally got a glassy baby which I have been wanting for forever!

More soon!  Shabbat Shalom!

Pesach is Coming Giveaway!

| | Posted in Baby, Clothing, Gifts, Giveaway, Passover | Tagged , , ,

Oy!  Passover is less than a month away and I still haven’t recovered from all of our Purim fun just yet (and to add to that I have spent the day with a sick kid shuttling between doc and pharmacies). I can’t even pull it together to give you a little Purim costume recap/crafty info today (but for a quick preview check out my new FB profile pic.

But, I have a little something fun to help you start gearing up for Passover, particularly those of you with a little one arriving soon (or friends or family with a bub on the way). Ima Design Imports is back and would love to send one reader their adorable Baby’s 1st Passover onesie, perfect seder attire for your babe in arms or the perfect gift for the new addition to the family. To enter, all you must do is either 1) pin the image of the Baby’s First Passover bodysuit or 2) sign up for Ima Design Imports mailing list . Then, after you’ve done this, just leave a comment below.  Extra entries are available for each of the following (just be sure to leave a comment for each):

2) Subscribe to Made by Mamaleh via email or RSS
You have until 11:59 PM PST on Wednesday March 6th to enter.  Winner will be drawn at random.  Giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.  Good luck!
In the meantime, if you need some kid-friendly Passover ideas to start your Passover planning, check out last year’s A Very Toddler Passover.

Mini Mishloach Manot

| | Posted in Gifts, Kids, Purim | Tagged , ,

Preschool Mischloach Manot for Purim

It’s time for Purim and we are really celebrating in our house this year!  We are kicking off things off with my son’s preschool parade (he goes to the JCC) today, then we’ve got our synagogue megillah reading (complete with super-hero theme) Saturday night and finally to top it all off our big temple carnival on Sunday!  I have one very excited 3 1/2 year old boy who’s been gearing up all week working on a grogger, hamantaschen and mishloach manot.

Now, as you know from my previous posts, I don’t have an issue with Jews choosing to celebrate Valentine’s Day and I myself love it.  But, I will admit that I was a bit surprised to find so many valentines in my child’s cubby at the JCC since the past couple of years it hasn’t really made an appearance and isn’t something the school recognizes.  I suspect this year’s increase was a combination of older sibs in public school, keeping up with peers and just a general desire to celebrate.  So, I decided that rather than join this trend, we’d give everyone a little something for Purim since, after all, it’s one of the holiday’s mitzvot to give gifts of food to friends.

Technically, the idea is to give food so that everyone has enough for a Purim feast but in essence, the idea is to share love and harmony and we are talking preschoolers here.  So, I decided to come up with my own mini mishloach manot (think class valentines meet Purim) that we could put in everyone’s cubby.  Now, I realize hamantaschen are the traditional Purim food and I do love me some tasty hamantaschen – for my fave recipe, check out Martha’s hamantaschen dough and add your favorite jams, lemon curd or cherry pie filling.  But, for this project I decided on bright, cheerful mini Unicorn pops.

Clear stamps for Purim

A while ago, I bought this great clear set from Amuse Art Stamps that just said Purim parade to me (note: the line is now discontinued but it looks like they may still have a few available at a major discount!).  I used these stamped simply in black ink on a variety of  3 1/2 x5 colored cardstock, wrote “Happy Purim!”, made a slit with my Exacto and then taped the lollipop to the card, making it look like the noisemaker being sounded by the little boy.  The perfect mini preschool mishloach manot!  Happy Purim!

Preschool Hand-stamped Mishloach Manot

Runway Inspired Challenge#29 – DSquared2

| | Posted in Baby, Challenge, Handmade Card | Tagged ,

I wasn’t going to enter the current Runway Challenge.  I just wasn’t really feeling very inspired by the picture. And then all of a sudden it came to me as I stared at my Paper Trey Ink Raspberry Fizz Cardstock and I just had to make it.

I saw columns created by the suit, cardi and chambray shirt (which by the way convinced me I needed a chambray button-down myself) and what stood out to me was the bold brown buttons so it was the perfect chance to use this mini clear set I picked up on sale a while back.  Finally I added a few touches of chocolate Stickles and a brown velvet ribbon to reflect the belt.  A perfect baby card or perhaps for any little girl (or little girl at heart)  just because :)

My Jewish Valentines

| | Posted in Handmade Card, Rubber Stamps, Valentine's Day | Tagged , ,

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!  This post is a day later than I’d intended but I spent yesterday getting a steroid shot in my hip (and yes, I am only 34!).  All I have to say about that is OUCH!  And, no, not a fun way to spend the day.  So, as a result this post is a day late and most of the cards I am about to share with you are still sitting by the front door awaiting a mail drop.  But, it’s the thought that counts, right?

As I mentioned in last week’s post, take it or leave it, I love Valentine’s Day.  I think it’s a great excuse to remind people you care about them and of course yet another time to break out the card-making supplies.  Kveller had a fantastic piece yesterday: Should Jews Celebrate Valentine’s Day?.  If you want more intellectual food for thought, check it out.  Today I wanted to share with you my attempt at adding a Jewish twist in this year’s homemade Valentine’s cards by incorporating some Hebrew.  Now, I have to tell you, I LOVE alphabet stamps!  I have too many sets to admit in writing.  But, Hebrew alphabets are a totally different story than English ones and nearly impossible to find in rubber stamp form.  So, I have been on the hunt for quite a while and was very pleased to luck out and get this now out of production set still shrink wrapped on eBay complete with book and packaged in a wood box.

These, along with my Teresa Collins Blingage Alphabet and some classic Valentine colors were the inspiration for my cards:

Love/Ahava Valentine

Ahava Love handmade card

Ahava Love card

What do you think?  I totally love that these could really be used for any occasion where you want to say I love you!  Now I need to start thinking about Purim projects…oy!

Valentine’s Day: Mamaleh-style

| | Posted in Gifts, Jewelry, Valentine's Day, Wedding | Tagged , , ,

We’ve said Happy New Year to the trees and are now contemplating Purim costumes but before we get there, it’s time for the red and pink heart-filled holiday of Valentine’s Day.  I realize in some Jewish circles celebrating (St.) Valentine’s Day is a no-no and even if it’s not, there are those who simply refuse to buy into a totally commercial holiday.  I fall into neither camp – to me, it’s just a nice excuse to remind folks we love ‘em, combat the winter blahs with a little color and of course it’s a great excuse for a little card-making and/or shopping.  Some of my earliest memories are gluing down doilies and applying foiled red heart stickers to family valentines.

It is only fitting that throughout this post you will see the Hebrew word for love: ahava(אהבה).  Stay tuned for some homemade Valentine cards with this in mind as well.  But for now, in case you want to give your Valentine’s Day a little bit of a MOT twist, here are a few gift ideas (so just forward this link to the loves in your life if something strikes your fancy).

  • Keeping with the theme of Ahava, you could literally get some AHAVA, some of the best skin-care, straight from the Dead Sea.  Their hand cream is my fave!  They even have a nice men’s line for the guys in your life.

  • And for your friends still looking for their funny Valentine, you can always go with this from Modern Tribe. :)

Hopefully you now have a few unique MOT Valentine’s ideas for whoever you want to share a little love with (including yourself!)

Note: I was not compensated for this post in any way.  I don’t think any of these companies even know I exist (except for past purchases from some).  This is all just stuff I like and hope you do too :)