creative jewish mom

A Handmade Hanukkah Game: Spinning tops From Plastic Bottle Caps!

Here's a Hanukkah craft that's also a Hanukkah game! Spinning tops are a traditional Hanukkah toy, so what better activity to engage the kids this Hanukkah than with a simple technique for making their own brigade of spinning tops? Honestly, I think this is one of my best ideas ever, because these tops spin so amazingly well, it's almost hard to believe!

You'll Need:

• plastic bottle caps: either from regular soda bottles, wide mouthed juice bottles, or bottles like vinegar bottles
• toothpicks or wooden skewers
• a thick needle or sharp item, such as a hat pin or those metal things you use to hold poultry together for roasting (employed by an adult only)
• colorful electrical tape (optional)
• quick drying glue (optional

How To:

1. Make a hole exactly in the middle of the bottle cap. Some caps have a small bump there, if not eyeball it. A hole not in the center will result in a imbalanced top.
2. Enlarge hole if necessary by moving needle around while still in the hole.
3. Insert tooth pick or skewer through hole, trim second side of toothpick (dangerous) or shorten skewer.
4. Secure toothpick with a few dabs of glue, though usually not necessary, and decorate with small pieces of electric tape.
5. Have fun!

Fill Your Home With Light: Simple Hanukkah Candle Holder Jars!

I really don't think these could be any sweeter, or simpler! In just a few minutes you can whip up some festive Hanukkah candle holders to light up your home  after the flames of the Chanukiah have waned. Hanukkah is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, and I just love creating a warm environment with candle light. Honestly I was about to make these ribbons into napkin rings, but I'm so glad this came to me, as they look much cuter adorning these jars!

You'll Need:

• Jars, straight glasses or glass candle cups (mine are the 24 hr and 48 hr kind found in most stores)
• Festive ribbon, mine was from a card of scrapbooking ribbon, about $1 at discount stores
• Paper dreidel cut-outs, these are from my Nesting Dreidel Mobile crafting kit
• Flower shaped sequins
• Hot glue or the glue of your choice

How To:

Cut lengths of ribbon to wrap around the jars or cups you'll be using. Glue paper dreidel cut-out to mid point of ribbon with a dab of hot glue. Attach flower sequin to center. Wrap ribbon around jar and secure to itself with a dab of hot glue. For larger jars, glue multiple dreidel cutouts to the ribbon, evenly spaced around the perimeter of the jar. Done! Invite the guests! Ahhh candle light, I can't resist closing this post with another photo!

Parsha Parenting: More Lessons To Be Learned from The Story of Yosef And The Pain of Sibling Rivalry

I now bring you the third installment of our new weekly parenting mini-series called Parsha Parenting! I'm so grateful that I have the opporutunity to include something like this here on Creative Jewish Mom, because I have to say, I'm really starting to look forward to Eydl Reznik and Elana Trachtman's condensed weekly Parsha primer for parents— interesting and right to the point, and perfect for those of us who, ahem, have been just a bit on the too busy side lately to delve into learning of this nature. The thing is, you can't put parenting on hold for your busy life, so do at least take a few moments to read this weekly series. I think you'll like it!

For this week's lesson on Parshas Mikeitz, click here.

Classic Hanukkah Recipe: Jelly Filled Doughnuts!

 

Jelly Filled Doughnuts, called sufganiyot in Hebrew, are a classic Hanukkah treat. (There is a custom to eat fried foods on Chanukah to remind us of the miracle that occurred with the vile of oil that lasted for eight days instead of one.) And yes, you're right, fried foods are quite unhealthy, but if you're going to eat them at all, so at least do it on Chanukah! I personally have never made doughnuts, so I had to call in an expert to help me out on this one, and who could be better than Tamar Ansh, an accomplished cook and writer!

You'll find the complete recipe for Sufganiyot/Jelly Filled Doughnuts right here.
 
For this year's Chanukah season, Tamar's new website has a great EIGHT DAY giveaway! See aTasteofChallah.com for more details.
 
Tamar Ansh is an author and food columnist. Her articles have appeared in Jewish publications worldwide.  Her bestselling books include A Taste of Challah, a photographic guide to baking and shaping beautiful challahs; Let's Say Amen!, an illustrated children's book about the holiness of Amen, Splitting the Sea, inspirational stories on finding one’s soul-mate; and  Pesach – Anything's Possible! which offers over 350 luscious, Gluten free no-fail recipes designed for Pesach and all year 'round. She also speaks and gives demonstrations. Learn more about these books on Tamar's website,
aTasteofChallah.com.

A Note From Creative Jewish Mom: I've been baking challah with Tamar's recipe from A Taste of Challah for almost three years now to rave reviews. Everyone in my family gets very upset at the notion of buying challah from the bakery! Thanks Tamar!  Plus, A Taste of Challah has many wonderful recipes and would be a great gift. And no, I"m not making a comission on the sales of the book, just hoping you'll enjoy baking challah as much as we do!

The Cutest Ever Hanukkah Gift Wrap!

I can't tell you why exactly, but this Hanukkah gift wrap makes my heart sing! I think it's the combination of colors, the bold shapes, and the aqua and red, that I'm just in love with at the moment, and not to mention the cuteness of the pom pom.....oh and to top it off, this is for Chanukah!

Those of you who've been paying attention may recognize this pattern as my Nesting Dreidel Mobile, and yes, you're right. When you purchase the pdf file from my Etsy shop, you can also use the pages as adorable gift wrap. Need to wrap a Chanukah gift for someone with exquisite taste, a client whom you'd like to honor, a special someone, the in-laws? So run to my Etsy store and you'll not only have some great gift wrap to print right out of your computer, you'll have some almost instant Hanukkah decorations as well. 

You'll Need:

• 2 pages of page 3 of Nesting Dreidel Mobile
• double sided tape
• red grosgrain ribbon
• aqua yarn to make a pom pom

How To:

Depending on the shape and size of your gift, join the two sheets you've printed out on either the short or long side, by overlapping slightly and joining with double stick tape. Make nice folds at both ends, and cover the seam of your wrapping paper with ribbon. Add a pom pom, and that's it!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! I'm a bit out of breath trying to finish up all my preparations for Chanukah because there's still a few last minute gifts I'd like to make before Wednesday night. Of course the holiday is 8 days long, so there's always up to another week to finish up!

After much thought I've decided to take a break from Craft Schooling Sunday for the month of December. Honestly I could use the break and it avoids all kinds of issues as to what crafts are appropriate for this blog. So, I will miss you all, and looking forward to starting anew the first Sunday in January! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season filled with light and joy! And now, for the features from last week's party, certainly enough inspiration to keep me busy until January!

I just love these fabric refridgerator magnets, too cute! from Gina at The Daily B.  And Kate of mini eco is back with this super easy and great looking twig boat, whose visual success lies partly in the fact that the vibrant string matches the sail, and of course I'm very partial to anything aqua!

And, we can always depend on Lilla A. Design for projects that are simple and sweet! Make these button balls with your kids, or do some yourself when no one's looking, I really don't think you can have too many!
And isn't this egg carton mouse just the greatest? Thanks to Linda of mermaid's creations, I think I've got a fun project for the kids this Chanukah!

I've been wanting to make a dollhouse with my daughter and now I'm totally inspired!  I just love how Gina of  The Daily B upcycled a CD rack to make an open modern style dollhouse. And speaking of great re-use ideas, isn't this rock snowman the cutest? Check him out over at tools are for women too, he's made from real rocks with polymer clay details, so you can enjoy him all year long!

Michele of Michele Made Me has done it again.....green house ornaments! How about making some with some Chanukah menorahs inside? And we've got another crafty Michele on the scene, Mich from LA, who was thinking of joining the other Michele in her mini house craft along, but instead made this gem.....and can you guess what it's made from....are you ready? Drum roll please.....aluminum duct tape! Yes folks, an aluminun duct tape house pendant! A whole wide new world of jewelry crafting has now opened up to you!

And the lovely Aunt Peaches made this gilded glass menorah which is beyond stunning, and if anyone deserves a crown for inventive creative crafting, it's Peaches! So speaking of crowns, I think I found the perfect one for her, just take a look at this junk upcycled crown...made by molly the pirate from some sort of aluminum vent piece, chicken wire and a few findings, spectacular if you ask me!

So that's it for now folks, Craft Schooling Sunday is taking a little holiday break and will be back the first Sunday in January. See you all then! And just in case you're wondering, the blog will continue as usual, maybe not the crazy pace I've been keeping now just before Chanukah, but I"ll be posting daily and hope you'll drop by, because I really will miss you all, my lovely crafty friends!

Indoor Container Gardening: It's Time For Bulb Forcing!

I'm taking just a tiny break from the crafting to bring to you this very important announcement: Now is THE time to force bulbs! So run, don't walk to your nearest nursery, florist or garden supply store, and pick up some bulbs! Which bulbs? Narcissus, amaryllis and  hyacinth. These three are very cooperative when it comes to forcing and you don't have to go through any of the cold-room type treatment that you would with things like cyclamen of daffodils, for example.

And if you've never forced bulbs, so you're missing out! There's nothing like fragrant blooms in your home in January, ahhhh, and the anticipation of watching the bulbs grow and then flower is simply wonderful!

How To:

You'll need bulbs, and containers, some rocks or marbles, and some water. Narcissus grow tall, so they do best in pots or tall vases. Amaryllis has one tall stalk, so it also needs a sturdy base. The gorgeous hyacinth is mainly a flower, and can even be forced in glass forcing vases, (photo on left), or any container that allows the bulb to sit nicely on top. The idea is that the bulb should sit in enough water so that the bottom of the bulb is touching water, but you don't want the bulb to sit in water if possible. Prop the bulb up with rocks or marbles. After roots start to form, the water level is less critical, just make sure the roots are in water. Place bulbs in a light, not sunny spot, and the warmer the spot the faster they'll grow.

If you have any questions, so just drop me a line, I'd be happy to help you explore the wonders of bulb forcing!

Hanukkah Kid's Craft: Toilet Paper Tube Party Favors!

Got some reluctant crafters in your home? How about enlisting them to paint the treat holders for Chanukah? I think if there are sweets involved, so they may just be motivated. And if you're gonna give them sweets, so you might as well take advantage of the situation and help your kids build crafting confidence too!

I've been wanting to tell you a little story, and since we're on the subject of sugar, now seems like a good time! So it's like this: in Israel most families don't realize that there are many reasons to limit a child's sugar intake. As you can imagine, that could leave my kids feeling a bit deprived, since I do realize the pitfalls of sugar! In order to deal with this situation, I have taken all the unhealthy standard Israeli treats, and attributed one kind to each holiday.

Chocolate spread is for Pesach, chocolate pudding/yogurt is for Shavuos, chocolate milk is for Rosh HaShana, chocolate covered marshmellow cookie sandwiches for Succos, and chocolate (coins and bars) are for Chanukah! Got the picture? And I'm very happy to say, this little plan has worked quite well. My kids don't beg for this stuff since they know they'll be getting it sometime! And funny enough, my five year old saw some friends eating chocolate pudding on Rosh HaShana, and he came to me and said "hey they're eating chocolate pudding, (which we eat on Shavuos) don't they know it's Rosh HaShana?

Okay, now back to the crafting;

You'll Need:

• toilet paper tubes
• acrylic craft paint
• glitter glue or "tulip" fabric paint
• crepe paper or tissue paper
• silver ribbon (I cut wider ribbon into  thinner strips)

How To: Paint tubes, when dry add dots of glitter glue. When dry, wrap treats in crepe paper or tissue paper and insert into tubes. Collect the tubes after the kids remove the treats and re-use them for another night!

A Hanukkah Crocheted Border Bunting Banner!

If you really don't care for vintage-kitsch-inspired crafting, so just avert your eyes now and continue on your merry way. But, if you're like me, and love to try your hand at bringing some of those crafts from the past into the present, well my friends, feast your eyes! And really, if you haven't started learning how to crochet yet, well enough is enough, grab a hook and some yarn, you're missing out on all the crafty fun! (Sorry to be so harsh, just I really really want you to experience the joy I do!)

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I have a vision of a crocheted border vintage postcard....and I think I remember at the time thinking, well how did they do that? Okay, today I am much more craft savvy, and wouldn't blink an eye, I'd just grab my hole punch and get to work

So as it turns out, the packaging for the Chanukah candles I bought for the kids this year is just too sweet to throw away. I thought maybe I'd frame these little pictures....and then it occurred to me, just crochet around them! And I've found true crocheting love. Wouldn't this be adorable with ABC cards for a baby's room, or any cards that you've got kicking around? Or you could even do it with some copies of family photos, say in black and white and mounted on a piece of cardboard.......oh the options! And I should add, these only took me about ten minutes or less each, not including punching the holes!

You'll Need:

• The front and back of Chanukah candle boxes (or any other cereal box cardboard weight item)
• Light weight yarn, I used baby weight cotton yarn together with a strand of crocheting thread, in silver for some and in light blue for the yellow and white versions. (I like the silver the best if you'll just be doing a few to hang singly.)
• A crochet hook that will fit into the hole size you're using, I used an american size 00, will check to see what that means, it's small but not tiny....
• A hole punch

How To:

1. Punch holes around the perimeter of your item, do the corners first, then the midpoint of each side and then eyeball the rest of the holes, or measure with a ruler if you're a perfectionist
2. Insert hook into one of the holes, say the middle hole at the bottom, and pull through a loop. Chain three, and then crochet two double crochet stitches into the same hole. Crochet three double crochet stitches into each hole, and at each corner, crochet three double crochet stitches, chain three, and then crochet three more double crochet stitches all into the same hole. Join at end of round with a slip stitch, weave in end and voila!
3. To hang simply weave a ribbon through the corner holes, couldn't be simpler! hang on to these beauties to display for years to come!

Hanukkah Kid's Craft: A Glittery Menorah, With A Little Help From Mom!

Guess what? Hanukkah is just one week away, so I'm posting the projects as I finish them in hopes that you'll still have some time to join in on the fun. And I think we all need to give a big round of applause to my husband (and children) for their patience during this slightly crazy crafting marathon....because believe me, it's not pretty!

So, phew, I've finally completed a least one major project with my three little ones, this being the first Chanukiah to make it through the gluing assembly line, with two more to go. And I have to say this was a huge success, from applying glitter glue to the aluminum foil boxes, to covering the cardboard tube candles with glitter. My boys  (5 and 7) each felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and I know they're going to be so proud when they see how it looks all glued together!

You'll Need:

• a box that holds a roll of aluminum foil or saran wrap, for the base, or improvise....
• cardboard tube for the candles...I used a thicker smaller tube than a toilet paper tube, the kind of tube that one would find in the middle of a huge roll of thick aluminum foil....(yes, I've been saving mine since Pesach!)
• some heavy metallic gold cardstock/cardboard (or improvise or course...cover some paper with metallic gold contact paper etc.)
• heavy aluminum foil, I cut apart a recycled aluminum pan
• silver glitter
• gold sequins
• glitter glue/"tulip" in a few colors
• a few bottle caps for the feet
• hot glue

How To:

1. Open your cardboard box so that it's flat. Draw a design on the box with pencil. We left the area where the candles would sit blank, but you can plan ahead and decorate that too if you know the sizes of your "candles" Older children should be encouraged to draw the design themselves, but for my boys I knew they'd enjoy the project more if I gave them something to trace.
2. Have the kids trace the design with glitter glue, in a few colors, and set aside to dry.
3. Cut the cardboard tube into sections, for candles 3" high and for the shamash, 5" high.
4. Brush on watered down glue, and coat with glitter by sprinkling the glitter over the tube and turning the tube as you go. Do this over a plate so use can re-use the glitter that falls.
5. Cut out flame shapes from gold cardboard, apply lines of glue, and have kids apply sequins.
6. Now.....when everything is dry, heat up the glue gun and start assembling! First glue the box closed so that it's a box once again. Glue at least three bottle caps to the bottom for feet. Then glue the candles to the box. Okay we're almost there! Cut circles of heavy aluminum foil about 1/4" bit larger than the tubes all around, and glue those to the tops of the tubes. Then with scissors make slits in the circle and fold down over the tube to form a cap. Using a knife carefully make slits in the aluminum foil caps, and insert flames.
7. Sit down and gaze upon your beautiful creation! If you like, kid's can add their flames as Chanukah progresses.