creative jewish mom

Hanukkah Candle Drip Art With The Leftovers!

After eight joyful nights of Hanukkah, shining light into the very darkest corners, you might just have some leftover candles? (We light our main Chanukah menorah using olive oil, but use candles for some smaller chanukiahs.) Don't toss them, spend a few moments of pressure-free creativity, and create something with the drips. This of course is only with adult supervision, or for teens, and maybe even Mom or Dad could use a little creative time after a hectic week-plus of celebrations? (Don't worry about me, I know how to take that time when possible, you should see my kitchen table right about now......) So instead of trying to save those candles for next year, or tossing them, lets bring more light into the world through creativity!

DIY Tassels From T-Shirt Yarn Scraps

Who doesn't love a good tassel? And especially one made from those pesky yarn scraps that generally result after weaving in ends! That is right my friends, when you crochet with t-shirt yarn those project scraps are perfect for making DIY tassels because the yarn itself is so thick that not that much is required to make one tassel, especially if you want to make small tassels. So what are you waiting for, get crocheting so you'll have some scraps and then use them to make festive tassels. What should you do with those tassels? Well how about using them on gifts, or as napkin rings, or as part of a wall hanging? Or tie them to cabinet knobs or door knobs or to a wine bottle gift. A few fun tassels can certainly come in handy around holiday time, so lets get crafting!

Crocheted Mini-Mandala With Star Center Pattern

With Hanukkah in just a week, I have been a bit busy whipping up some quick crocheted mini mandalas with a 6-pointed star center. Using pastel-colored t-shirt yarn, this mini mandalas work up quickly, and in just three rows you have something you could use as a coaster, or possibly as part of a decorative garland, mobile, or wall hanging. The jury is still out regarding how I'll be using these, but hopefully I'll figure something out very soon, and share the results with you. Truthfully just hanging these little crocheted circles from my dining room chandelier would do the trick, or maybe combining them with some pom poms, beads or tassels. Hmmm, all those ideas sound good, now just waiting for the inspiration!

And just by the way, of course this pattern can be used with any yarn, but you'll need quite a few more rounds than three to get something that is the size of a coaster, just sayin'.

Quick Crocheted Stars Using T-Shirt Yarn

Hanukkah is coming in just a week or so, and now is the time for some quick crocheting to use as gifts or decorations! Lucky for you I have given this two-row star a run for its' money using t-shirt yarn, and the results are great, so now I'm sharing them with you! T-shirt yarn is a delight to crochet with, but not every pattern works due to the bulkiness and stretch of the yarn, so always a good idea to make a sample before going to town. I'm not sure exactly how I'll use these stars, but at the very least as a crocheted bunting, and if there's more time as part of a a Hanukkah wall hanging. Ah yes, and depending on the thickness of your t-shirt yarn, some stars might even be big enough to use as coasters, or sew a few together to make a table protector or mat of some kind.

Needlepoint Star Ornaments With Plastic Canvas

As you may have noticed, I have been having lots of fun making Hanukkah decorations using plastic canvas. And now I present to you an obvious addition to my plastic canvas dreidels and  plastic canvas menorahs, ta da, plastic canvas Jewish stars! Just for the record I thought you might be interested to know that truly the idea of using the Jewish star to represent Hanukkah is a commercial invention of some sort, and you won't see any such stars here in Israel being used for Hannukah. People would wonder if you were trying to possibly recycle your decorations from Independance Day! I just had to laugh as I was typing that, but it really is true, that together with the fact that the color blue has nothing to do with Hanukkah (really spelled Chanukah) either!

That said, the Jewish star does represent Chanukah for so many folks out there, so we've got to make some, right? Keep on reading for the number one most important tip for making these guys....

Needlepoint Dreidels For Hanukkah With Plastic Canvas

This Chanukah is turning out to be a plastic canvas craft extravaganza! Yes just a bit odd for someone who prefers to craft with recyclables, but hey, sometimes I just want to make some great looking crafts from store bought suppiles, can you blame me? I will say that all the supplies for these plastic canvas Chanukah crafts are things that I already have on hand, and I have been using up little bits and pieces of yarn, and even unraveling swatches to get enough of the colors I desire!

These plastic canvas dreidels were actually the first thing I made, just somehow decided to share them with you last, which is a good thing as they look great together with my plastic canvas snowflake medallions, right? These embroidered dreidels are simple enough to make even for kids say around seven or eight, so get the whole family stitching and you'll have enough for a garland or fun wall hanging in no time. Shall we get started?

Needlepoint Menorah For Hanukkah With Plastic Canvas

Dear Readers, I have been very busy doing all kinds of creative things, some of which just aren't baked enough to share, so I am pulling some projects out of the archives as they are still wonderful and perfect right about now, enjoy! And while there isn't a month until Chanukah, rather roughly 2 weeks, there is still time for some detailed work, just now is the time.

I just love embroidery and needlework of all kinds, but with my generally hectic crafting endeavors there usually isn't time for small detailed work. But this year my friends we have an entire month until Chanukah, and with a huge roll of plastic canvas sitting in the corner of my studio and as you can imagine, no shortage of yarn, well I just had to indulge myself in a little bit of chanukah needlepoint of sorts, yippee! Yes it is true, plastic canvas isn't what I'd call refined needlework, but it sure is great for making fun decorations, perfect for kids and well, there really are so many creative things one can do with it, right? And a great excuse to use up some of those bits and pieces of yarn you've got hanging around, at least in my case!

One of the great things about plastic canvas is that one doesn't have to stick with small stitches, so filling the canvas with colorful strokes of yarn can be done relatively quickly. Here I choose to fill the ground of the piece with the traditional needlepoint stitch, but tomorrow I'll be sharing with you another plastic canvas chanukah craft where I did just the opposite, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here's how I made this sweet little menorah......

DIY Felt Hanukkah Mug Cozies With Felted Designs

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These fun felted mug cozies that I made for Hanukkah last year are nicely packed away, take up very little space and will instantly announce that Hanukkah is coming as soon as I start covering some of our mugs! Gotta love it......so run, don't walk, and get yourself some wool felt and get crafting!

Wool felt is a truly wonderful material available in a nice range of luscious rich colors, can be purchased in 12"x12" squares, and since it doesn't unravel, you can craft away to your heart's content without the need for glue or sewing, if you so desire. This DIY felt mug cozy is quick and would make a wonderful gift this holiday season, together of course with some lovely mugs! I have added the Hanukkah themed details to my mug cozies using felting, with a multiple needle felting tool and a felting pad, though one can also of course add embroidery, or attach shapes with embroidery, or even add a few lovely beads or buttons.

A coffee cup cozy for paper coffee cups would be made in exactly the same way, and even if you don't know the exact size of the cup you could make your cozy on the small side and use an elastic chord loop instead of a button hole. Got it? Now go make a bunch, maybe even with the felted initials of the recipient, as these work up really quickly!

DIY Hanukkah Wallhanging With Felted Wool

 This is one of my favorite Hanukkah DIY crafts, and it is so much fun to make! I made this last year and am looking forward to enjoying it again this year. And now, if I can just figure out where my sheets of wool felt are, some more felted Hanukkah decorations would be right up my alley right about now!

Looking for a fun Hanukkah craft to make this year? Hanukkah decorations made with wool felt and wool felt only are satisfying to make, work up quickly, and look amazing! This Hanukkah menorah wall hanging makes a great keep sake project that you'll enjoy taking out each year, and would also be wonderful as a special gift to loved ones. Ah yes, and I should mention, this wall hanging was made with no glue whatsoever, and so sewing either, just using the simple technique of felting. Wool felt is available at your local crafts supply store in a range of delicious colors and in 12"x12" sheets, so treat yourself to some creativity this holiday season, and believe me, you'll be really really happy about it!

DIY Hanukkah Tablecloth With Freezer Paper Stencils

Yes, it is true, I did share this Hanukkah DIY tablecloth with you last year, but truth is it is such a keeper I just had to dust it off and share it with you again, as Hanukkah is coming in about 6 weeks, so now is the perfect time to get crafting! This DIY Hanukkah tablecloth would also make a great gift, as it is so simple to make, and the results are truly fun and fabulous.  if you are a sewer, you could use this idea to make fabric with which to sew up some fun gifts for Hanuukah like pouches, pillow covers, napkins, table runners, you name it!

In true CJM style I actually raided my linen closet and used a sheet for this, always preferable to actually buying something, right? It is true, that sheet was part of a set, but no one even noticed that it was missing. So, lets get started, shall we?