creative jewish mom

Wishing You A Very Happy Zot Chanukah!

After a very busy and festive week of Chanukah, I just had to share with you the lovely sight that is "zot Chanukah" namely the 8th night/day of the holiday. Tonight all 8 cups of oil were lit and we spent one last night gathered around the Chanukiah (menorah) singing and praying and eating a few little treats. My daughter fortunately decided to make latkes, which I didn't have time for as I was working today, and that was a great traditional addition to our last Chanukah meal. I also gave my daughter the recipe for our favourite Moroccan semolina soup, which she made for the first time and it was delicious and a perfect winter evening dish! I took these photos to share with you as tonight is the height of the holiday and I dare say the most important day. The word "zot" means "this" so literally the name of the 8th night/day of Chanukah is THIS IS CHANUKAH, meaning that the last day is filled to the brim with the true essence of the holiday: light and hope!

So dear readers, wishing you all a light filled Chanukah, and may the light of our menorahs light up the darkest corners of the world, which is surely needed right about now. 

Ah, and I almost forgot, the menorah seen here has a very special story which I know I posted here a few years back but I can't find it at the moment, sigh. I'll try to find it, promise. In the mean time, keep on reading to see the large Chanukiah that we light when saying the blessings. (Though this brass one has a special place in my heart.)

Drinking Straw Menorah Craft Is Beyond Adorable!

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!

Q-Tip Painted Brown Paper Bags For Gift Giving

Whether you want to use up or re-use some simple brown paper lunch bags, or even better, recycle larger brown paper. bags, you can create festive gift wrap or gift bags with the addition of some festive Q-tip painted patterns! I had planned to create a whole Q-tip painting primer with patterns and ideas, but since that has yet to happen, I now present you with Q-tip flowers and polka dots which is fun to create and looks amazing. One of the great things about painting with Q-tips is it is great for little hands as well, and really so much fun. Beware, you may want to Q-tip paint the whole house, though that could be great too! For starters lets hone our Q-tip painting skills with these fun gift bags!

Drinking Straw Hanukkah Wall Hanging Craft

Hanukkah which we call Chanukah actually, is quickly approaching, but there is still time to make a fun drinking straw wall hanging to add a very festive touch to your home! This week I have shared with you how to make drinking straw dreidels, drinking straw starbursts, drinking straw diamond starbursts, and now I present to you the finished product, yippee! After making the elements that I've listed, you can certainly figure out how to make the drinking straw menorah, right? Okay, these photos aren't the greatest, but I'm pressed for time with a million things going on, so they do the job for now. The main thing is, use this next week to fill your home with crafts that anticipate the joyful holiday of Chanukah! And take a look in my archives, that are busting at the seams for many many more ideas if plastic drinking straws aren't up your alley or you don't have any on hand. Okay, lets make this fun drinking straw wall hanging, shall we?

Drinking Straw Diamond Starburst Ornament

We are on a roll with the elements you'll need to assemble a fun Hanukkah wall hanging made from drinking straw ornaments, so far we've learned how to make a drinking straw dreidel and a drinking straw starburst, and I now introduce to you the "diamond starburst." When one is combining a bunch of elements together to make a wallhanging, a diamond shape is a great addition, and indeed this diamond starburst pulls together all the other elements, so do learn how to make it!

Now is the time to get crafting, and most folks have a few straws hanging around somewhere that could be used up, or of course recycled, so lets get started!

Drinking Straw Starburst Ornament

Let's recycle all those plastic straws that we may be using (if not recycling, use what you may have on hand or buy paper ones, please!) and make some wonderful and festive decorations! I'll be using straws to make a whole bunch of Hanukkah ornaments for a wall hanging, but of course this idea could be used for decorations for so many occasions. Best of all the drinking straw ornaments I've made for this Hanukkah are two sided, so in the future I can use them to hang in a doorway or as a mobile. You can find the link to the tutorial for making the drinking straw dreidel ornaments here.

Crafts made with plastic straws will last virtually forever (which is why we need to recycle them!) so decorations packed away nicely in a flat box can be used for years to come. I know, bright plastic straw DIY crafts may not be exactly suited to every area in your home, but I'm sure you can find a spot. I've hung the completed wall hanging in my kitchen on the side of a tall floor to ceiling cabinet, and it looks festive and fun. Okay, lets make a drinking star starburst ornament!

Drinking Straw Dreidel Ornament

Plastic drinking straws have been outlawed in California indicating that they are not a good thing for our environment, so 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!

Plastic Canvas Crafts For Hanukkah

This week I shared with you a lovely eco-friendly way to make glitter snowflakes from recycled plastic berry baskets, and now while it isn't in keeping with my usual recycling crafts, I'm sharing some really festive plastic canvas crafts for Hanukkah. And just to clarify, plastic canvas is certainly not eco friendly, but it can be enjoyed for years and years to come, so while buying it does encourage the manufacturing of it, sigh, at least one doesn't have to be wasteful with it, right? The pleasure of embroidering on plastic canvas is an experience unto itself, and maybe that is in fact how my crafts ended up looking so very happy!

I truly believe that one should indulge in the joy of crafting, and now is a great time to do that, with winter holidays and family time quickly approaching! Spread some love this season with handmade crafts, and if you do that I think buying a bit of plastic canvas is also giving back to the world. Okay, enough said, take a look at these projects and come up with some of your own!

DIY Glitter Snowflakes From Upcycled Plastic Baskets

There is something just irresistable about glitter and I have to say it has been way too long since I've ventured into the glitter department, and now I can't wait to use up the rest of the bags waiting in that plastic bin labeled glitter! For my first glitter project of the season I choose to make glitter snowflakes using the plastic berry basket snowflakes that were patiently awaiting their fate for a good few weeks, and the results are truly wonderful. Yes, it is true, glitter does make a bit of mess, but I think it is a good thing as long as the glitter stays out of your food, so do avoid placing glitter covered crafts on near your table of food preparation area. Other than that, go to town, and maybe you'll decide to make some of these gorgeous snowflakes for starters?

Recycled Berry Basket Snowflakes!

Okay dear readers, let the Chanukah crafting begin! Due to my computer still not back home from the repair shop, I've been crafting like I used to, and wow, it is so rewarding to come up with all kinds of ideas, some of which actually make it to the finish line, and others, well......Making snowflakes from the bottom of plastic berry baskets is not my idea, I found an unattributed photo somewhere, but I realised yesterday that this is basically an eco-conscious way of making snowflakes from plastic canvas, which is totally a "thing." Plastic canvas snowflakes are often embroidered, which one could also do with these berry basket snowflakes, and I believe they are also covered in glitter at times, which I will share with you soon!

Now that I've realised that the bottom of the berry basket is like plastic canvas (though with cross bars that do limit the design) the gears are turning! Or maybe I need to get out the plastic canvas once again and use it all up? Check out my plastic canvas Chanukah star ornaments, my plastic canvas Hanukah menorah, and my plastic canvas dreidels, if you are in the mood for some embroidery. Then again rather than buy supplies, use recyclable to create fun decorations for your home, it feels great! Okay, lets make some plastic basket snowflakes, shall we?