creative jewish mom

Simple Hanukkah Kid's Craft That Steals The Show!

Here's a fun idea for turning your kid's drawings into cute holiday decorations, and not only does it only take a few minutes, but it sure beats putting them on the fridge! And once the holiday or occasion is over, you can simply remove the lights and store flat until next year. And before you know it you just might have a whole gallery full of fun kid's art to pull out any time. It also just occurred to me to gently remind you as well that when we make an effort to show our kids how much we love their art, they'll be encouraged to make more!

Okay, lets do this! Ah yes, and of course egg carton star string light covers seem like a great match with this craft, don't you think?

Crocheted T-Shirt Yarn Star Trivet

I originally posted this fun gift idea in 2016, and it still looks great, so dusting it off to share once again, enjoy!

It is pouring rain outside and I have the luxury of spending a few days to do some crafting for Chanukah, and the first thing that came to mind was to try and use up all the t-shirt yarn that I have (so that I can justify buying more, of course!) and that is how these crochted star trivets were born, and I just love them! This is a quick gift to whip up in multiples for holiday giving and would be perfect together with an assortment of teas, or even better a nice teapot. Of course you could also make a large garland or wall hanging, or sew a bunch together to make a table runner, or even a rug (which is what I'm dreaming of, only I don't have enough yarn, sigh.) Once you make one, I can almost guarantee that you'll want to make a bunch more!

I've got the pattern for you right here, so lets get started!

Quilling Crafts For Hanukkah: A Dreidel Wall Hanging

I am reposting this Hanukkah quilling craft as now is the time to delve into something new! And as a result of my computer still living in the repair shop I am unable to share with you all the creative results of not having a computer to work on! Okay, it is true I am typing this on a laptop, but one without my programs etc. I am in the middle of a huge storm of creativity and looking forward to sharing some of that with you soon, in the mean time, give quilling a try!

As you can see, I really had a great time creating a series of quilled Hanukkah crafts this year......and our house is looking more festive than ever! I'm expecting a huge crowd at our table this Shabbos, so I'm really happy to say that my house looks ready to party! Of course, I have many more decorations than you see here, but these guys did set the stage for everything else, and I can't wait to make more. Ahh yes, I did actually make more, in fact I made a large piece of quilled art for my husband's birthday, the first night of Chanukah, and it is already hanging in his office and getting rave reviews.....no one believes it is just paper! One guy even took it off the wall and took it home to show his wife (next door)....so I guess this quilling venture is going to be around for a while!

Quilled Paper Craft For Hanukkah: A Festive Menorah

It is true, my quilled paper crafts for Hanukkah were created a few years ago, but since my computer is still in the sick ward a good hour's drive from home, and quilling is still timely, I thought I'd share these fun projects with you once again, so enjoy! Ah yes and now is a great time to try something new: longer nights perfect for crafting and with the holiday on the distant horizon you can truly indulge yourself! 

Hanukkah is eight glorious days long, which means one can still find some time to get crafting, right? This year I tried quilled paper for the first time, and I just love the results, especially when one uses colored paper, so bright and fun. Quilling doesn't have to be super time consuming if you choose to do something simple without filling in the background, and in any case, the results are truly worth the effort.

Quilling, the art of rolling little strips of paper has been around for hundreds of years, and may even date back to Egypt! There is something about taking little strips of paper and rolling them that is pure enjoyment, so give it a try yourself!

Recylables To Collect Now For Chanukah Crafting!

The 8 day long Jewish holiday of Chanukah starts on the eve of December 22, which means now is the time to start planning all the amazing crafts we can do to make this holiday extra special for our families and friends! Seven weeks or so may seem like a long time, but truly it is not, so NOW is the time to start collecting recyclables so that in another few weeks or so you'll have some of the supplies you'll need on hand to get crafting! I have already started this process, then again I save recyclables all year long, and I"ll admit I often pull things out the garbage that my family just doesn't seem to realize is great crafting material! Today for example after one of my sons removed 5 new dress shirts from the packaging he threw all the tissue paper and plastic and cardboard inserts into the garbage, ah yes and there was some great logo imprinted ribbon as well........so I rescued the shirt liners as they are cardboard  pieces with cut outs that I can use in many ways, and that ribbon, I have a plan for that too. But lest I digress, I have taken a photo here of some of the most important items to collect, and keep on reading for a list as well as links to my favorite Chanukah crafts that use these items, or most of them!

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....