creative jewish mom

Recycled Liquor Bottle Candlestick Craft

It is true, I made these recycled liquor bottle candesticks for a Chanukah party that was held last night, but truthfully they are so universal they can be used for any festive occasion and any time that you want the look of candles without the safety concerns! And of course you could go for paper candles that are metallic silver or gold and maybe make the flame a bit less crafty looking and then even use them for a fancyish party outdoors where real candles wouldn't work, or for a feast in the forest where flames would be dangerous? And friends, whether or not you partake in liquor of any kind, there are certainly many ways to get your hands on some amazing bottles to recycle! These happen to be bottles from my son's wedding two weeks ago, and the 12 year old brother of the bride collected all the bottles for me having seen a previous craft project.....so sweet of him and glad I didn't listen to the husband who said we didn't have room in the trunk!

Now these candlestick bottles will make great decorations as well as centerpieces for our long shabbat table next week, I'm actually really excited to put "candles" on the table that I can then move when we clean up, on shabbat we don't light fire or touch it, so while I could make a long centerpiece with real lit candles it would be quite impractical and dangerous as the guests pass all those Moroccan salads around!

Okay, sold? Lets make some great looking recycled glass bottle candlesticks.......

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!

Dreidel Craft With Drinking Straws

Dusted this post off after pulling it from the archives, and now i think I need to buy some fun paper straws and get to work! Here is what I wrote when i originally posted this:

Plastic drinking straws have been outlawed in California indicating that they are not a good thing for our environment, and they are not available at our IKEA in Israel, which means not at any IKEA? Hopefully that is the case! So friends, if you don't have any on hand for this Hanukkah craft, PLEASE use paper instead. I happen to have many many bags of plastic drinking straws from IKEA so stay tuned for a bunch of crafts as I attempt to put a little dent in this collection by using them to make some festive decorations for Hanukkah! 

For starters, you can make drinking straw dreidels in any size you desire, to be used in a mobile, hung in a doorway, or on a wall, you decide! I have made dreidels from drinking straws in the past, check that drinking straw dreidel craft here, but those were only suitable for hanging on the wall as the straws were glued onto a cardboard backing. (This is preferable for little kids.) This new improved version has all the flexibility you may love, especially since you can save them for years to come and use them in a different way each year.

Okay, lets make some drinking straw dreidels!

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!

Origami Doves Are The Perfect Chanukah Craft!

Wishing everyone a Chodesh Tov, it is now the Jewish month of Kislev, the month in which we celebrate Chanukah, so let the Chanukah crafting begin!

I am sharing this post from a few years back once again because I'm on a mission to let everyone know that the dove with an olive branch is truly a symbol of Chanukah. And as a symbol of peace, well we sure could use a ton of that right now! Keep on reading for an amazing story regarding these origami doves!

Chanukah Menorah Craft Using 3D Paper Stars

And at the very last minute just before lighting the 8th candle, I came up with this paper chanukah menorah craft using my favorite little 3D paper stars that I have been obsessively folding this chanukah.....because one you start, seeing them fill a jar or wine glass is so very satisfying! And then you can use them anytime you need a bit of color, which I've done at the base of a centerpiece this Chanukah, and at the base of a decorative chanukiah......and then of course you can get out the glue and also make a fun piece of wall decor, or get out the needle and thread and string them all together (I may try this next year.) What ever your fancy, folding tiny paper stars is a great winter activity for the whole family, 10 years and up (or so) and great to take on trips as well. And I just realized that with Tu B'Shevat coming up, well we can use these tiny stars to craft for that as well! Okay, lets get started!

Origami Star Of David For Chanukah, In Three Minutes!

Dusting this one off from just two years ago, and now if the perfect time to get folding!

If you are folding some 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!