creative jewish mom

Simple Embossed Tin Chanukah Symbols Craft

Friends, Chanukah is on its way and it is time to get crafting! These embossed tin shapes are so simple to make, and if you use the right colors, well they are quite simply fabulous! I made these but also tried this out with my boys crafting classes, and while it was a bit challenging for some, others really did a great job. So do follow the instructions for best results, and if you are lucky maybe you have some of that extra heavy duty aluminum foil used by some to cover counters on Pesach? That is what we used, and it works like a charm! You can use extra heavy duty recycled aluminum trays, or buy some sheets of aluminum at the craft store. The aluminum needs to be thin enough that you can write on it with a ball point pen and achieve an engraved look. Okay, lets do it!

Simple Origami Dreidel Craft For Hanukkah!

Friends, it is time to get crafting for Chanukah, and I recommend this festive and simple origami dreidel craft, it is truly wonderful! While I made these, my 8 year old plus boy crafting students made and decorated these with ease! And of course if neutral colors are more up your alley, so make them from brown kraft paper (not to self!) or metallic paper. However you choose to make them, make a bunch and get decorating, the simplest thing being to clip them onto a string with mini clothes pins, either hung horizontally or vertically, and voila the house is already starting to look like Chanukah! Ready, lets get to it!

Fabric DIY Dreidel Wall Hanging Craft With Numbers

I am once again dusting off this DIY fabric dreidel wall hanging as it still looks great, and is a perfect craft to make and save for years to come. Enjoy, and if you don't quite have time for it this year, keep it in mind for next year, or even make it during Chanukah, who says everything needs to be ready by the first night? Ready for a Hanukkah craft with amazing results that isn't actually all that difficult? How about making my 8 Nights Dreidel Wall Hanging, and patting yourself on the back afterwards? You can find the complete tutorial right here on Houzz.com 

Simple DIY Polka Dot Candles For Chanukah Or Anytime!

Looking for a simple way to brighten up your Chanukah menorah? How about using DIY polka dot candles which are simple to make and so much fun! I'll admit, I'm using these candles for holiday decor to show off this lovely vintage chanukah menorah but you can certainly make candles like these to burn for chanukah, place in candlesticks for decor, or make as centerpieces for a festive party of any kind. Candles with tiny painted flowers and other designs are now popular, so why not make your own? It is truly simple and you'll only need one particular art supply item, can you guess what it is? Keep on reading.......and wishing you a light filled Chanukah and year to come! Happy crafting and don't forget that creativity is a great answer to everything!

Stand-Up Cardboard Dreidel Craft For Chanukah!

The wonderful thing about Chanukah is that it is eight days long, so we can make crafts during the holiday as well as leading up to the holiday! And of course simple recycling crafts that pack up well to save for next year and years to come are truly the best! One such craft is these stand up dreidels which can be used as place cards, or simply as a touch of something festive anywhere! Two years ago I shared my painted cereal box dreidels to use for Chanukah crafting, but I didn't actually share with you how I used some of them, so now I am doing just that, and truly friends, this one is a keeper! If you want to make some tiny puffy origami stars made from strips of quilling paper, check out my paper stars tutorial, another keeper! Okay, tonight is the 4th night of Chanukah, so lets get crafting!

DIY Kid-Safe Paper Candles For Chanukah Crafting

This year I'm adding something new to my already very vast archive of chanukah crafts.......paper candles craft! I'm truly loving these paper candles and can't wait to use them in so many ways this chanukah. You can make paper candles to fit into a chanukah menorah that you won't be lighting or to put into candlesticks for a festive and safe touch anywhere, or why not make chanukah menorahs from just about anything and add these fun paper candles? Aluminum foil boxes make great bases (okay, yes, maybe time for a remake of that old idea!) as do any many boxes, or just about anything really! So get those creative gears turning and make a bunch of paper candles to create your best chanukah decorations yet! And the fun part about these paper candles is that you can make them in the exact size you need, so lets get started!

DIY Sparkle Flames For Holiday Crafting Projects

With Chanukah in just one week, it is time to get crafting! Fortunately for me, I made some crafty centerpieces for a women's gathering last night, which forced me to craft, so together with projects from past years I now officially have more than enough to decorate, phew! Of course that does not mean I'm off the hook, we have three family birthdays to celebrate as well as prized and gifts for the whole family, so next weeks promises to be a very busy one!

This year I came up with something new, (spoiler alert) namely using alcohol bottles to make candlesticks, and while i had thought of using real candles, paper ones turned out to be much more practical, safer and even more festive. I will be sharing all the steps shortly, but first, since one of the items you may not have on hand is glitter craft foam, or glitter paper, lets start with the flames.

And of course when it comes to holiday crafting and chanukah specifically, the more light the better, so make a ton of these sparkle flames and use them all over the place rather than lighting candles, though of course real candles or tea lights do look wonderful thrown into the mix. Okay, lets get to it!

Drinking Straw Chanukah Menorah Craft

Re-posting this fun Chanukah craft from the archives, and since plastic drinking straws are now outlawed in many places around the world, (and no longer sold at Ikea, where these were purchased) please make this craft using paper straws, or use up the plastic ones you have hanging around?

Hanukkah crafts made from plastic drinking straws are so much fun and a great way to recycle! I have already share with you my Hanukkah drinking straw wall hanging, or why not call it a Hanukkah mobile? And now, for one of the favourite results of playing around with drinking straws, I present to you the drinking straw menorah, with Q-tip to boot! This little menorah is cute as can be, and a great gift, so make a bunch. Kids can enjoy "lighting" a new candle each day of Hanukkah, while I on the other hand love seeing them with all the candles lit. This little menorah isn't large, but its cuteness makes up for that, and you can tuck one of these in every little corner of your home, or use it as a gift topper. So many ways to go, so lets get started!

Simple Origami Dreidel Craft For Chanukah

Once again pulling this out of the archives as a great craft that you can start now in order to be ready for Chanukah! Think about making these dreidels in a bunch of sizes too!

Origami dreidels are simple to make and can be used in so many fun ways, for example for Chanukah garlands, Chanukah place cards, Chanukah greeting cards, Chanukah cake/doughnut toppers, and even as Chanukah gift tags! So get started today making origami dreidels in a range of colors/patterns and sizes to fill your home with holiday cheer! I have altered the traditional dreidel instructions to make an origami dreidel that I think is a bit more pleasing to the eye, and I've indicated that extra step in the instructions that I've compiled. While you can of course choose to make solid colored dreidels, they look just so much cuter with the simple addition of a little cut paper star or cut out of some kind, take my word for it! While I had not planned on origami for Chanukah, it just sort of happened, and now I'm going to town with origami, this week, so stay tuned for that, and make sure to have some light weight colored paper on hand, either origami paper or wrapping paper, because you are going to need it! Okay, lets get started!

Origami Star Of David In 3 Minutes, For Chanukah Or Any Time

If you are folding some origami doves, or origami dreidels, then you might just want an origami star of David or 20, to make a Chanukah garland or mobile. I looked into all the ways that one can make an origami star of david, and even stopped part way through the 15 minute folding adventure, as I need origami elements that can be made fairly quickly. So presenting the three minute origami star of David, that can really be made in 3 minutes, once you get the folding sequence down pat. Now, I do have to say, that while I am generally not interested in promoting creative activities that require perfection, origami unfortunately does require perfection, the more the better, otherwise your stars will not be lovely, (as some of mine are not if you look closely) just saying. So, put on your perfectionist hat, just for this and this only, and get folding! I made these stars from 12cm x 12cm paper, which results in a star that is 6cm wide, cute for a small garland, or a gift topper or place card, but I'd recommend going larger if you want decorations that will make a statement. Okay, lets get started!