creative jewish mom

Wishing You A Happy Eighth Night Of Hanukkah

Wishing you all a wonderful eighth night of Hanukkah! May the light of your menorah illuminate all the dark corners of your world, and may you and your loved ones have a joyful year to come!

Hanukkah is a very special holiday is which for eight nights we remember the miracle of the olive oil in our holy temple, and give thanks for all the goodness in our lives. Tonight is called "zot chanukah" meaning "this is chanukah" and we get to enjoy the menorah fully lit and take advantage of this special opportunity to gaze at its special holy light and simply be grateful!

Mini Doughnuts For Hanukkah Baked By Kids In A Mini Doughnut Machine

Mini doughnuts really are just the cutest, and perfect for Hanukkah aren't they? My fourteen year old daughter is now the head baker in our home, and she made these to serve to our houseful of guests this shabbat, and after lighting the menorah for the eighth night of chanukah, just a few hours ago. And no, these aren't what one could call a "healthy treat" but certainly preferable to the fried traditional hanukkah doughnuts!

Best of all is that making these doughnuts can be a fun activity for any little bakers, together with the use of a mini doughnut or combo mini doughnut maker. If you are wondering whether a mini doughnut maker is a worthwhile item, I'd say yes if you have a  child that loves to bake cute little things! And of course, a combination baker that can make mini doughnuts and cake pops and more might be the best way to go. My daughter has certainly used hers quite a few times in the past year and a half, so go for it. And if you are lucky maybe you'll be able to hand the baking over to one of your kids too!

A Simple Bear Birthday Cake For A Fourth Birthday

Once again I pulled out the teddy bear cake pan and my large red plastic tray in order to whip up a cute birthday cake in as little time as possible. With a cake pan that results in a cake that is at least the silhouette you desire, and a few simple toppings like whipped cream or icing, edible cake decorating paper (used here for the first time) licorice, sprinkles, and striped sour sticks, for example, you too can create something cute in just about 15 or so minutes. My little patent that really adds so very much? That would be colored paper shapes of course to make balloons and greenery to surround the cake which makes the whole thing that much more special!

Of course, planning ahead is crucial, and whille I did plan ahead I should have looked at my previous bear birthday cakes, as the addition of a crown as in previous years would have been cute. Oh well, next time! With all the pre-Hanukkah rush and the need to decorate this cake and get a party together within an hour or so, I was quite frazzled. Oh yes, and then the cake wouldn't come out of the pan because my daughter (who now does most of the baking) didn't know that one needs to oil and flour pans like this!

So I scooped out the head of the bead with a spatula and then the body, but no one was the wiser as it was all covered in non-dairy whip cream in any case. Keep reading for some more tips and links to previous bear birthday cakes!

Quick And Cute Birthday Crowns For Any Age, Any Occasion

Every birthday party deserves birthday crowns, and now you can make some super cute ones in a pinch, which believe me is exactly what I did this past Friday! As the maker of a birthday party for a grandpa and his first grandchild, I though it would be just the greatest to make crowns from them both......one with the age and one with a question mark. Funny enough the grandpa didn't quite get it and we had to explain it to him! In any case the crowns were a big hit, and a great addition to the party. I will surely make more like these for years to come, and with a bit of forethought I could likely bring the 12 minutes or so that it took me per crown down to five, ready to do the same? Lets get started.

Plastic Canvas Hanukkah Garlands

Wishing you all a very wonderful Hanukkah filled with light and joy! This year I can honestly say, that the creative life I try to encourage here does not always allow time for things like blogging! So just popping in to share just a tiny glimpse of what is going on in our home during this festive week of Hanukkah. My duaghter is on vacation all week, while the boys have half a day of school, which is really wonderful this time of year. We have been having serious winter weather with pouring rain for days and we are all wearing layers of winter clothes to keep warm and cozy. My usual Chanukah gifts to the kids of warm pajamas, neck warmers, scarves and hand crocheted booties are especially appreciated this year!

Ah yes, and the Hanukkah decorations? Well I didn't get around to exactly everything I had envisioned, but am loving my plastic canvas hanukkah garlands that I have strung from Ikea picture ledges over our kitchen table. We will certainly enjoy these for years to come, which menas that if you have a bit of crafting time on your hands, you could certainly still enjoy this craft, or just make something similar from paper!

This garland was made using plastic canvas star ornaments with tassels, as well as plastic canvas embroidered dreidels, plastic canvas star medallions, and a plastic canvas menorah.

Play Hanukkah Cookies Made From Hama (Perler) Beads

Hanukkah starts on Saturday night, and yes I have been crafting non-stop, phew! Here's a fun Chanukah craft that the kids can do all week long, and certainly sugar-free! Get out the hama beads and make some Hanukkah cookies for a play tea party, fun right?

Of course you can always hang your hama bead hanukkah cookies as a mobile, but I love them displayed on a plate for a touch of holiday whimsy. Wishing you all a wonderful light filled Hanukkah, and keep reading for some more photos!

Hannukah Digital Craft Kits So You Can Get Crafting Right Now!

With Hanukkah starting this coming Saturday night now is the time to set aside some time for some serious crafting! And to make the most of your time with the best results, I'd recommend purchasing one or two of my Hanukkah digital craft kits to make your life just a bit easier? Plus the results are just too adorable, with so many options to make these digital kits kid friendly as well.

I'll admit, I still have bunch of these cardboard menorahs that I made last year as centerpieces for a large Hanukkah party, and if packed away nicely, they certainly can be used for a few years! Now is crunch time for me, as I'm not just making party decorations for our community party, and I'm not just crafting with my kids, and I'm not just writing a last minute post for a large website, and I'm not just planning a double birthday party for two family members on the first night of Hanukkah, (in addition to all of my regular duties) I'm also hand crafting a number of gifts, crazy as that all sounds! But of course, i just can't help myself as this is what makes memories for my family!

That said, you don't have to go crazy like I do, but certainly filling the house with as many decorations as you can is always a great idea. At this point I'd recommend quantity over quality, which is where my hanukkah digital craft kits will certainly come in handy, just saying.

Clay Dreidels Hanukkah Craft

These clay dreidel ornaments are a fun Hanukkah craft for all ages, and with Hanukkah just a week away, there is still time for all kinds of crafting, and of course making things from air drying clay could be great right about now. Or use this as inspiration to make some Hanukkah ornaments from baker's clay, almost forgot about that one! I made these with some left over clay that I had rolled out and used to make some other projects, and I just love their rustic simplicity! Not sure just yet how or where I'll display them but I'm thinking they might be perfect together with the clay bunting banner I made quite a few years ago as wel!

I'll admit, one of my favorite things about these clay dreidels is the imprinted pattern in the middle of each dreidel, keep reading to find out how I did that!

String Light Hanukkah Art Kid's Craft

Here's a fun idea for turning your kid's drawings into cute holiday decorations, and not only does it only take a few minutes, but it sure beats putting them on the fridge! And once the holiday or occasion is over, you can simply remove the lights and store flat until next year. And before you know it you just might have a whole gallery full of fun kid's art to pull out any time. It also just occurred to me to gently remind you as well that when we make an effort to show our kids how much we love their art, they'll be encouraged to make more!

Okay, lets do this! Ah yes, and of course egg carton star string light covers seem like a great match with this craft, don't you think?

Crocheted Star Trivet Using T-Shirt Yarn Makes A Quick Unique Gift!

It is pouring rain outside and I have the luxury of spending a few days to do some crafting for Chanukah, and the first thing that came to mind was to try and use up all the t-shirt yarn that I have (so that I can justify buying more, of course!) and that is how these crochted star trivets were born, and I just love them! This is a quick gift to whip up in multiples for holiday giving and would be perfect together with an assortment of teas, or even better a nice teapot. Of course you could also make a large garland or wall hanging, or sew a bunch together to make a table runner, or even a rug (which is what I'm dreaming of, only I don't have enough yarn, sigh.) Once you make one, I can almost guarantee that you'll want to make a bunch more!

I've got the pattern for you right here, so lets get started!