By JTNews Staff, other
With belts tightening and worries about spending, why not make your Hanukkah gifts this year? We’ve got eight ideas of ways you can either prepare for the Festival of Lights or create gifts that can be fun for people of all ages and skill levels.
Send a photo of your work on these crafts or any other Hanukkah creation to editor@jtnews.net, and we’ll give our favorite a copy of Crafting Jewish by Rivky Koenig, a book that teaches you how to do exactly what the title says. All but one of these ideas are reprinted, with permission, from Artscroll/Mesorah.
Glowing glass menorah
You’ll need:
Long, narrow tray
8 low glass candleholders, clean glass baby food jars or shot glasses
1 slightly taller glass candleholder or glass jar
Glue dots
Liquid measuring cup or pitcher
Liquid food coloring
Olive oil
Floating wicks
Glass marbles or stones (maybe from the Scratch Patch in Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood)
How to do it:
1. Set up the tray in the place where you’ll be lighting your menorah, because it will be difficult to move once all the candleholders are filled with liquid.
2. Attach a glue dot to the bottom of each glass. Line up the candleholders on the tray, with the larger candleholder at one end, pressing down to adhere glasses to tray.
3. Fill a measuring cup or pitcher with water. Pour the water carefully into each cup, filling it halfway. Add 1–2 drops food coloring to each cup.
4. Pour approximately 1/2” olive oil into each cup. Let the oil settle on top of the water; then place a floating wick in each cup.
Before filling the candleholders, cover the tray surface with glass marbles or stones.
Estimated time: 30 minutes
Wooden Block Menorah
You’ll need:
10 1-1/2” or 9 1-1/2” and 1 1-3/4” wooden blocks
Rectangular piece of wood (approx. 16x2x1/4”) long enough to hold nine of the blocks in a straight row
2 1” wooden knobs
Extra-strong craft glue
Acrylic paint in assorted colors
1/2”–1” wide paintbrushes
9 pennies
9 metal nuts
Craft glue or decoupage medium, such as Mod Podge
How to do it:
1. Use your paintbrushes and acrylic paint to paint all the wooden pieces the colors of your choice. (One side of each wooden block does not need to be painted, as it will be glued to the base.) Let dry completely.
2. Glue the two wooden knobs to the bottom of the rectangular piece of wood, two inches in from either end. Let dry.
3. Glue on the blocks:
Option 1: For a centered shamash, evenly space nine 1-1/2” blocks on the base and glue them on. Glue the 10th block on top of the middle block; or use the 1-3/4” block as the center block.
Option 2: For a menorah with the shamash on one end, glue 9 1-1/2” blocks, evenly spaced, to the base. To make the shamash, either glue two 1-1/2” blocks one on top of the other or use the 1-3/4” block, placed at either end of the base.
4. Glue a penny to the center of each block. Glue a nut to fit on top of the penny.
Estimated time: 45 minutes
Drying time: 1–2 hours.
Faceted Hanukkah Menorah
(Adapted from ReadyMade magazine, Dec. 2008)
You’ll need:
Chunks of local scrap wood
One long, flat piece of scrap wood (about 12–14” long)
Band saw
Table belt sander
Drill with 3/4” bit
9 pennies
9 5/8” metal nuts
Wood or extra-duty glue
Note: This project should be done only by or under the supervision of an adult. Using a band saw freehand can be dangerous. Please use caution and be sure to wear proper eye protection. Also, don’t leave any loose scraps from your main block of wood on the band saw’s table.
How to do it:
1. Start with a block of wood you like (the contributors of this project used wood from trees in their area that had either been cut or fallen down). Larger blocks of wood are safer to work with until you get the hang of cutting the facets.
2. Make sure one surface of the wood block is flat on the band saw table. Choose any angle and cut. Keep making cuts, using the scraps to prop up the piece of wood to create different angles, making sure that one plane of the block lies flush with the table at all times, until you have a multi-sided block. One facet should be at least 2” across to allow room for drilling. Repeat four more times, leaving one block a bit taller than the rest with a smaller top surface area for the shamash.
3. Once your cuts are complete, use a clamp to hold the blocks in place and use the drill to make two holes, about 1/2” deep and spaced about 1/4” from each edge, on four of the blocks. On the block reserved for the shamash, drill a single hole.
4. Use the belt sander to smooth the surfaces and soften the edges. Finish with natural oil or paint.
5. Put a dab of glue in each of the holes and push in the pennies. Then put a dab of glue on three or four spots of each nut, and press them into the holes on top of the pennies.
6. Lay each block on the long piece of wood arranged how you like them, and glue them on.
Estimated time: 1 hour
Drying time: 12 hours
Dreidel-Stamped Gift Wrap and Card
You’ll need: Permanent marker
3 flat expandable sponges
Dreidel-shaped cookie cutters (optional)
Scissors
Bowl of water
1 roll craft paper or mailing paper
Acrylic or tempera paint
Disposable plastic plates
Blank cards and envelopes
How to do it:
1. Use the permanent marker to draw dreidel shapes on the sponges (or trace a dreidel shape from a cookie cutter onto the sponges.) Use scissors to cut out the sponge shapes.
2. Roll out the amount of paper you would like to stamp and cut to size.
3. Squeeze or pour paint on the plastic plates — one color per plate.
4. Soak the sponges in water so they expand. Then, wring out the sponges. Dip one flat side of a sponge into the paint, making sure to cover the entire surface with paint.
5. Place the sponge, paint side down, on the paper. Apply pressure to sponge but don’t rock it, then lift the sponge gently.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the colors you are using, randomly stamping the surface of the paper. Allow the paper to dry.
7. Stamp dreidels on the front of the cards the same way you did on the wrapping paper. You can stamp the envelopes as well. Allow to dry.
Estimated time: 30–45 minutes
Drying time: 1 hour
Latke Servers
You’ll need:
E6000 adhesive
Flat, colored glass marbles or stones (like from the Scratch Patch)
Inexpensive all-metal serving pieces, such as slotted spoon, pancake turner, large serving spoon
Metal wire, 22-gauge
Wire cutters or strong scissors
How to do it:
1. Use E6000 to glue 4-5 marbles or stones to the handle of each serving piece, leaving a narrow space between each stone. Let dry.
2. Wrap the wire tightly approximately six times around the base of the handle, below the stone. Continue wrapping the wire in a pretty design around each stone, tightly looping the wire between them. Use the wire cutter to cut the wire. Tuck the cut end in under the wire loops.
3. Let glue set for 24 hours before using utensils.
Estimated time: 15-30 minutes
Drying time: Initial drying time: 30 minutes.
Total drying time: 24 hours
Beeswax Havdalah Candle
You’ll need:
Wax paper
3 sheets of beeswax in assorted colors
Scissors
Cotton wicks
How to do it:
1. Place a large sheet of wax paper on your table or work surface. Working with one sheet of beeswax at a time, place the sheet of beeswax on the wax paper and use your knife or scissors to cut it across into three equal rectangles. Repeat with the other sheets of beeswax. For each braided candle you will use three different colors of wax rectangles.
2. Cut a piece of cotton wick 1” longer than your beeswax rectangle. Place the wick on top of the wax, with some of the wick sticking out of the top. Roll the wax up tightly between your palms until it forms a long candle. Press the top of the candle inward so that the wick is secure. Repeat with the other two pieces of wax.
3. Braid the three candles together, holding then in your hands so they don’t become flattened. Pinch the bottom and top of the candle gently so the braid is securely closed.
Estimate time: 15 minutes.
Mezuzah
You’ll need:
Lucite or clear plastic mezuzah case
E6000 adhesive
Paper plate
Small sea glass or
stained glass shards
How to do it:
1. Remove the back of the mezuzah case and place away from your crafting area.
2. Place the mezuzah case, face up, on a paper plate. Working with one small area of the case at a time, cover that space with a thick layer of E6000. Press the sea glass or shards into the glue. If there is a letter shin on the mezuzah case, take care not to cover it with glue and glass.
3. After the mezuzah case is decorated, let dry for 24 hours before hanging. Place the mezuzah scroll into the case, replace the back, and hang. Consult your rabbi about the proper method of hanging a mezuzah.
Estimated time: 30 minutes
Drying time: 4–24 hours
Scrapbook Frame
You’ll need:
6 or more chipboard lacing cards (such as Cosmo Cricket)
12×12” scrapbook paper in colors and patterns of your choice
Pencil
Scissors and/or paper cutter
Glue stick
Hole puncher or Crop-a-dile
Sandpaper
Stickers and embellishments
Chipboard, sticker, or die-cut letters
Double-sided adhesive foam dots and/or 3D self-adhesive foam dots
Ribbon, approximately one yard to connect every two cards (we used five yards)
How to do it:
1. Trace the chipboard cards onto the backs of the scrapbook papers. Cut out the traced card shapes with the paper cutter or scissors. You will need one card and two cutout shapes for each letter of the word you choose.
2. Use your glue stick to glue the scrapbook paper onto the front and back of each card.
3. Use hole puncher or Crop-a-dile to reopen the lacing holes on the edges of the chipboard cards.
4. Use the sandpaper to rub around the front and back edges of each of the prepared chipboard cards so that you see the inner white part of the paper.
5. Glue pictures to the front and back of each card, trimming pictures if necessary. Glue on embellishments and stickers with the self-adhesive foam dots, or use a 3D self-adhesive foam dots to make embellishments pop out. Attach a letter to each card to spell out the word “Family” or another word of your choice.
6. Lace one chipboard card to another with the ribbons. Knot ribbon or tie into a bow and trim the ends when you have finished lacing. Repeat, lacing the other cards until they are all attached.
7. Thread ribbon through the holes of either end of your display. Tie a bow or knot and trim off excess ribbon.
Estimated time: 1 hour.