creative jewish mom

Origami Dove For Chanukah

Chanukah starts tomorrow night, and I am running behind with my plans for origami decorations, but I did manage to make a few origami doves with olive branches to share with you, and hopefully my plans for an origami wall hanging, origami cake toppers (for a birthday tomorrow night on the 1st night of Chanukah) and an origami garland or two will materialize tonight. I am actually thinking that this origami dove would be great done in my giant origami style, so stay tuned for that, which seems much more likely than a wall hanging, hmmmm. Origami is a great craft for all ages, and it is something one can introduce to children from a fairly young age, and as they mature they can tackle more difficult folds. There isn't anything quite like the pleasure of succesfully completing an origami animal, or an origami dreidel, or even an origami star of david, so grab some paper and lets get folding!

DIY Fabric Dreidel Wall Hanging With Stencilled Numbers

I am dusting off this DIY fabric dreidel wall hanging as it still looks great, and is a perfect craft to make and save for years to come. Enjoy, and if you don't quite have time for it this year, keepi it in mind for next year, or even make it during Chanukah, who says everything needs to be ready by the first night? Ready for a Hanukkah craft with amazing results that isn't actually all that difficult? How about making my 8 Nights Dreidel Wall Hanging, and patting yourself on the back afterwards? You can find the complete tutorial right here on Houzz.com Please support me by taking a look and leaving a comment there, pretty please!

Simple Crochet Projects for Hanukkah!

Above: A beloved upcycled t-shirt yarn bowl that we use to hold a huge collection of dreidels.

Crochet projects for Hanukkah? Of course, because as you all know, I love to crochet, and so crocheting is often a big part of my hanukkah crafting! With the holiday approaching quite quickly I thought I'd share some crochet projects from the archives to get you started, as the time is now! Last year I made little gift baskets crocheted using hardware store string with a chain stitch on top of that to strengthen the whole thing....which I have yet to share, but maybe later in the week? Fortunately for me I somehow had the forethought to do all my Chanukah gift bag crocheting last January, now just gotta find that box somewhere! Wishing you all a wonderful and light filled Chanukah filled with creativity and joy, now go get that crochet hook and get to work!

Origami Star Of David In 3 Minutes!

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!

3D Paper Stars With 8 Points

Yesterday I shared with you my first go at origami dreidels, and today we are moving up the paper folding notch and making 3D paper stars using the same origami paper, so that the origami dreidels and the paper stars can work together in a garland or holiday wall hanging! (Yet to materialize, but hoping it will soon!) Constructing these 8 pointed paper stars was also a first for me, though I've had my eye on something similar for years, and I'm happy to say that they are really quite simple to make and can be made in a huge variety of sizes. I actually made a large one from a sample of wall paper, and it is beyond gorgeous (so never turn down old books of wall paper samples!) though possibly looks a little too similar to decorations one might see for xmas, so I think I will not be sharing that here. Instead I am sharing colorful stars that look perfect for Chanukah, as despite the commercial association in the USA of blue and silver for Chanukah, that has no basis whatsoever. Chanukah is all about joy and light, and I while I love blue, a single color certainly can't express all the wonderful qualities of our 8 night holiday! And just saying, an 8 pointed star, which is all about the number eight connects to the eight nights of Chanukah, and to the miracle of Chanukah as the number 8 means all things beyond the laws of nature, meaning generally miracles! Okay, lets make as many 3D 8 pointed stars as we can, as they look great scattered here or regardless of how you choose to use them!

Origami Dreidel Craft For Chanukah

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!

DIY Stand Up Chanukah Menorah Digital Download Is Perfect Right Now!

With Hanukkah starting on the night of December 10th, which is early on the gregorian calendar, now is the time to set aside some time for some serious crafting! To make the most of your time and get off to a roaring start, I'd recommend purchasing one or two of my Hanukkah digital craft kits to make your life just a bit easier! Plus the results are just too adorable, with so many options to make these digital kits kid friendly as well.

I'll admit, I still have bunch of these cardboard menorahs that I made last year as centerpieces for a large Hanukkah party, and if packed away nicely, they certainly can be used for a few years! Now is crunch time for me, as not only do I have comitments for work outside this lovely blog, and a husband and family to care for, as well as a bunch of guests each week, ah yes and a garden to tend to, I really want to fill the house with something new this year. Of course these stand up menorahs look great and I'll certainly be including some in my home......maybe with a twist like made from fabric, stiffened that is!

Now of course, you don't have to go crazy like I do, but certainly filling the house with as many decorations as you can is always a great idea, and generally speaking quantity over quality is the way to go, which is where my hanukkah digital craft kits will certainly come in handy, just saying.

DIY Driedel Mobile Craft Kit To Download

If you start to see photos of my classic nesting dreidel mobile here on CJM that must mean that Hanukkah is coming! So yes indeed, with Hanukkah coming in less than2 weeks, yikes, I suggest  getting busy with decorating your home, your classroom or workplace with an extra dose of color. My nesting dreidel digital craft kit is the perfect place to start, and you can use the pages in so many fun ways beyond mobiles! Make garlands, place mats, gift wrap, gift tags, or even use the dreidels to decoupage on the bottom of some glass plates or trays! Yes, you are right, I need to try that myself, will do!

A Painted Dove In A Starry Sky For Chanukah

Chanukah is coming in about 2 weeks, so it is surely time to get crafting for this light filled holiday! And guess what folks, this year I realized that the dove is totally a fantastic symbol for Chanukah, and it is time to claim it as a decorative item to go along with dreidels and chanukiahs, yes indeed! And why is that you may ask? Well first of all, the traditional dove (who was sent from the ark by Noah) carries an olive branch in his beak, which of course relates to Chanukah, but lo and behold it goes way beyond that, are you ready for this?

I was so excited and happy to learn that there is a Jewish tradition that Noah (we call him Noach) squeezed the oil from the very olive brought by the dove, gave the vial to his son Shem who entrusted it to Avraham. From Avraham it was passed it along throughout the generations until King David hid it in the Beis HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, waiting until the time for which it was destined.This vial was  the miracle vial of oil the Maccabees used to light the Menorah and rededicate the Temple. This is the vial of pure olive oil that transcended the laws of nature and miraculously burned for eight days.

Amazing right? Okay, now go and paint some doves for Chanukah folks! Whether you choose to paint a dove with some ethnic folk art details like mine, or even something very simple, fill your sky with stars and include a chanukiah that lights up the night.

Painted Knit MItten Winter Greeting Card Craft

Continuing with my fun artufl and a bit painterly winter clothing themed greeting cards that can also be mini works of art, presenting the kaleidoscope knit winter mitten! After painting an ugly Chanukah sweater, and a graffiti knit cap, mittens were certainly in order! First I painted a gift box with pom pom mittens, but then I saw a tiny bit of clip art in an ad, which lead to drawing mittens and hats with cables and a bit of knit detail in my sketchbook, here, and that led to this kaleidoscope knit mitten greeting card! Now you can't say I haven't been letting you in on what goes on around here, well sort of! Ah yes, and maybe I should also reveal that some of my clothes now have little bits of paint on them and are designated "painting clothes", sigh, par for the course! Okay, so put on some old clothes and lets get painting!