creative jewish mom

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?

Rebuilding The Beit HaMikdash Recycling Craft For Kids

I have pulled this post from the archives, as it is one of my favorites for The Three Weeks.

Today is the 17th of Tammuz, a solemn fast day on the Jewish calender, and certainly a perfect time to work on my "Rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash" recycling craft with kids of all ages! Of course one could certainly use this idea to also learn about the Kotel (The Wailing Wall) which stands today and was one of the outer walls of the courtyard of the Beit HaMikdash.

Starting today, we enter a period of mourning for the next three weeks— mourning for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem that was taken from us in 70 CE, (namely 1,943 years ago!) on the 9th of Av, the day which marks the end of this three week period of mourning. Of course our mourning has many facets, one of which is thinking about how each one of us can do his part to rebuild the temple.

DIY Striped Candles Are The Perfect Summer Craft!

Remember making candles at summer camp? I sure do, especially the ones we made at the beach in milk cartons! Candle making can be on the messy side, but is a perfect craft to do especially when you have a few hours on a lazy summer afternoon, and a bunch of kids (or kids at heart) in need of some creative fun! The candles you see here were actually made by some of my students in a candle making workshop for which I was the substitute teacher. Unfortunately I did not have the time to take photos of all the projects as my students stayed for two hours rather than one, and then needed to hurry off to their bus, so be it! Now I'm hoping to find some time to make some striped candles myself. I'm thinking that a remake of my remember Jerusalem sand jars would be perfect with striped candles, just in time for the Three Weeks.

Ah yes, and best of all, making candles has never been simpler, so lets get started!

DIY Paper Top Is The Perfect Hanukkah Craft!

 This evening we lit the 7th cup of oil on our Hanukkah menorah, and that means that there are still two full days of Hanukkah, and certainly time to squeeze in one last activity that everyone is sure to enjoy: DIY spinning tops made from strips of paper and toothpicks! These tops might be little, but they sure do spin, and if made correctly, they can spin for quite a long time. And whether of not they spin well, they sure are great looking! So get out the simple supplies and have a little crafting fest to end Hanukkah on a creative note! Ready, let's get spinning!

DIY Corrugated Craft Cardboard Gift Boxes

Here's a super simple DIY gift box using corrugated craft cardboard that you can use to hold little prizes and treats (as I did for Hanukkah) or a gift of any size. Make a bunch of these little boxes to use as party favor boxes for weddings, bat or bar mitzvahs, or birthdays, and add your own special touch. I added strips of colored paper punched on a craft punch, you can add a fun gift tag, ribbon or even little pom poms. This is a great DIY gift wrap idea to have up your sleeve anytime! Let's do it......