Hanukkah starts tomorrow night, so now is the time to get cracking with the last minute preparations, and as you can well imagine there are many on my end. I have seen Hanukkah clothespin menorahs around the web for a few years, but never quite had the chance to try it myself. Fortuntately, I picked up some wooden clothes pins to hang my felt Hanukkah wall hanging, and so this year seemed like the time to give cute this idea a try. Funny enough, some of those who have made this craft before me didn't even take advantage of the cutest detail of all, that little ones can "light" the menorah each night by simply opening the clothespin and inserting a flame, so wonderful!
You can make your clothespin Menorah very minimal if that is your preference, or have kids decorate the base, if that suits you, or go ahead and just make one like mine that has a bit more substance with the inclusion of the arch and old stones, which refer to the Holy Temple (in ruins) where the Hanukkah miracle took place. Okay, ready to do this? We're off.......
You'll Need:
- 9 wooden clothespins, mine are smallish from the craft store, not regular size
- washi tape, or fabric tape (that is what mine is love it)
- colored cardstock or cardboard for base
- colored cardstcok for flames, or paint your own
How To:
- Cover clothespins with washi tape or fabric tape. I covered one side in blue and one side in orange, so that I could play around with the color arrangement.
- Make flames with little tabs, I layered yellow and orange paper for some added interest. One can also make flames from tissue paper collage.
- I made the base by folding an A4 sheet of dark blue cardstock in half vertically, and then in half again. Depending on the size of your clothespins, cardstock may not support their weight, so reinforce with cardboard if needed. Cut off a 1 1/2" piece from the side to use to raise the middle candle. Glue that piece to the base as seen in photo
- Make a few rows of little paper stones as seen in photo, but don't overdo it.
- Working from the backside, cut the arch by tracing a circle from something circular, and cut out.
- Simply place clothes pins on the base, and voila, enjoy the cuteness.
- That is it, now have fun "lighting" your menorah all eight nights.
Oh, and just by the way, you don't have to do this craft before Hanukkah, you can certainly do it during Hanukkah, and even take it along to do as a group craft with family and friends. Happy Hanukkah crafting, a great way to spend the holiday!