Chaunkkah Banner

Chaunkkah Banner

 This week I hosted a few of the teen girls from my congregation for a Chanukkah decoration making party. At first none of us felt too "inspired" or creative but everyone managed to leave with some pretty nifty things in the end. 

Some of us attempted 3-d paper dreidels but soon discovered how time consuming they are and moved on to other things :). After I had finished 4 of them(displayed in 1st and last photos on the Chanukkah Up-cycle post) myself I started the banner pictured above. I didn't get it finished(due to the time invested in paper deideling) but got it finished up and hung during the next couple days. 

I scored some alphabet stencils at the dollar store a couple weeks ago which came in handy with this(I don't like doing letters free hand). We also still had my Aunt's "Cuttlebug" paper embosser on loan which was a total bonus! So after cutting out my card stock stars and dreidels I ran them through that to give them a little texture. 

Once the paper is textured like this a little silver and blue paint carefully rubbed on the edges via make-up sponge gives a great antiquey look.

I mounted each shape on silver glittery paper with hot glue and punched an eyelet through the top to make the hole. Added a small bit of ribbon to each letter and then threaded it on to a short length of silver tulle.

 

Chanukkah Up-cycle

This past week I tackled my stemware Chanukkiah and I have to say I am more than  pleased with the outcome. This is really inexpensive to make because all thrift stores have an overwhelming amount of mismatching stemware for cheap!

To do this you need:

9 pieces of steamware

enamel/glass paint

make-up sponges

electricians tape

Use the electric tape to tape off stripes or other designs on your glasses. 

I started out measuring from the rim down to make sure I had the stripe straight but eventually found it easier [and just as effective] to pull the tape taunt and just "eye ball it" as I turned the glass. 

My paint was on the relatively thick side as well so I found it worked well to prime my sponge first by getting it wet and squeeze it out before dipping in the paint. This opened the pores of the sponge and helped thin the paint. 

Sponge over the area you want to paint until you're happy with the results and carefully peel back the tape.

Cut out shapes from a strip of tape and paint over them for this effect.

A word about glass paint...

Some paint requires baking for a period of time in a 350 degree oven...mine says bake or let dry 21 days. For this project I am opting for the air dry because I have no idea of the quality of the glass in question and whether it would be able to take the heat or not.I am planning on finishing all the glasses with my Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic sealer to further protect the paint finish, since no one is going to be drinking out of any of them that won't be a problem.

**I know in the finished photo I have the tea lights in the bottom of the glass but when it comes time to actually light them I plan on using some kind of filler(Epson salts, pebbles etc.) so they are not so far down inside the glass. This will prevent the unsightly black flame rings and keep the glass from getting to hot.

Thanks to www.creativejewishmom.com for giving me this idea http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2010/03/fit-for-royalty-paint-stunning-wine-glasses-for-pesach.html

Gluten Free Hanukkah?

For all my gluten free friends out there! Here is a super easy recipe for you to try. Of course if you are not a fan of apples I guess you are out of luck...cause apples are where it's at!

Gluten Free Apple Fritters

1/2 cup of almond flour

1/2 rice flour

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp salt

*1/4 cup of sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 Tbsp of shortening melted or a different oil

2 large apples

**oil for frying

* I generally cover them in a glaze or cinnamon sugar when they're done so I cut the sugar in half.
** Coconut oil is by far the healthiest oil for frying at such high heat but you can use regular vegetable oil or shortening.

Mix batter until thick but runny enough to provide a nice coating to your apple slices(about pancake batter consistency). Peel and slice your apples(about 1/4" thick), dip slices into the batter and fry in an electric skillet on high until nicely brown on either side. Time will vary depending on how thick you have coated the apple slices.

Enjoy! And happy chaunkkah

Ma'oz tzur y'shu-ati l'kha na-eh l'shabe-ah 
oh mighty Rock of my salvation to praise You is a delight!

 

Chanukkah Treats

Chanukkah is just about a week away!! Are you ready? I'm not but thankfully, like Shabbat, it comes anyway!

Here's a tasty treat to add to those party platters this year! Your gluten free friends will thank-you for them I am sure!

Start off by making a batch of rice krispie squares. Of course make sure to use kosher marshmallows!

*If you live in the boonies like we do and don't have ready access to purchase kosher marshmallows but have some kosher gelatin on hand you can make your own: http://dancingtotherhythm.blogspot.ca/2012/08/kosher-marshmallows.html

Let the squares harden up and cut them into Chanukkah shapes with a knife (or cookie cutters if you happen to be so lucky!...I wasn't).

Use whatever you'd like to decorate them with. Really anything goes. For these I just used melted chocolate. To pipe it on don't bother with a fancy piping bag (they are a pain to clean!). Grab a plastic sandwich bag and cut a fine tip off the corner. Just make sure that if you use chocolate you let it cool a bit before putting into the bag and also that the bag is thick enough it isn't going to bust when put under pressure....cause that just sucks.... Milk bags are actually toughest!

As you may have noticed...
I made the attempt last year to colour some of mine blue...I wouldn't recommend this, they came out looking more greeny, seafoamy blue than Chanukkah blue....so there I warned you. If you go colouring yours don't say I didn't warn you!

Chanukkah Stars

If I were home right now I would be starting to decorate for Chanukkah, but since I am not at home and my sister doesn't have any decorations yet, yesterday I made a few to get us started. :) 

 I used acrylic paint for these, but I have also done this same thing using spray paint, which is much faster because you can just paint your sticks all at once but if you want a more unique and varied look than painting by hand is the better choice.

Supplies

paint 

paint brushes

hot glue gun

glue sticks

craft sticks

glitter

newspaper/paper(for drop sheet)

cup of water (to clean brushes)

small dish to hold paint 

thread or fishing line

 

Laying 6 sticks side by side is easier than painting each stick individually.

Depending on the paint you use and how fast it dries will effect how long you'll have to wait before you can start gluing the stars together. I found the acrylic paint dried pretty quick so once I painted a second set of 6 sticks I could start gluing the first set.

Hang these around the house and/or use suction cup hooks and hang them in your windows.

If you want to be able to put them outside make sure to use paint that will hold up outdoors

Happy Chanukkah

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