Decorating your home for Hanukkah is a fun part of the holidays, and nothing feels better than adorning your space with homemade decorations. Hanukkah crafting is a wonderful way to spend quality time with your family, and making unique decorations will inspire everyone who sees them. Here are some fun DIY Hanukkah decorations for you to make for your home.
One of the best reasons to make your own homemade Hanukkah decorations is that you can express your own personal style when you make them yourself. Use your favorite colors and customize each craft project so they are a true reflection of your aesthetic.
Not sure what crafts to tackle first? Just about any spot in your house can use some extra holiday embellishment. Make a Hanukkah wreath, door decorations, or transform your child’s artwork into cute Hanukkah wall art.
1. Chanukah door decorations
If you’re looking for a unique Hanukkah decoration that will wow everyone who comes to your front door, check out this beautiful dreidel Chanukah door decoration by Design Megillah. Who would guess this stunning group of dreidels was made of paper?
Take a trip to your local craft/paper store to find supplies for this craft. You will need several different shades of blue card stock, a gold paint pen, ribbon, and scissors or a craft knife. Although not required, a folding board and bone folder will help you create crisp folds in the paper.
We think the dreidels look lovely in blue, but you can use any color of paper to personalize these dreidels to your own taste. Depending on the colors you use to make the decorations, they can be modern, shabby chic, traditional, or eclectic.
Use the dreidel template supplied by the inspiration source, and print it onto the card stock, then cut with scissors or a craft knife. Fill in the Hebrew letters with gold paint pen, and then assemble the dreidels. Use double-sided tape to secure the flaps of the paper dreidel, and also to attach ribbon to the tops of the dreidels for hanging.
A grouping of paper dreidels makes a festive decoration for your front door, and is a great substitute for a more traditional wreath. Alternately, string the dreidels together on a ribbon to make a pretty garland for your mantle, or to hang in your windows. You can also use single paper dreidels as gift boxes or gift tags.
Hanukkah dreidel mobile: Tie two dowels together in an X formation, then hang dreidels from the end of each dowel. Add a ribbon to the top, and hang from a hook in the ceiling to create a jaunty mobile.
2. Star of David pockets
If your family observes the modern tradition of giving small Hanukkah gifts for eight days, you need a clever gift-delivery system like these adorable Star of David pockets by Centophobe. Make one set of pockets for each kid in the family (or supervise while each person makes her own), and hang it on their bedroom doors, in the hallway, or in a prominent place in the living room.
This Hanukkah craft project is easy to make using supplies you can purchase at the craft store. You’ll need several sheets of stiff felt, ribbon, glue or a sewing machine, and fabric paint for adding numbers to the pockets (if desired). You can create the project in traditional Hanukkah colors (like blue), or let each person choose their favorite color scheme.
How to hang it: the inspiration project is mounted directly on the door with tape, but you can also use a dowel or tree branch to create an anchor for the entire thing, which will make it easier to hang anywhere and save from year to year. Hang the dowel from two cup hooks screwed into the door, or from a couple of over-the-door wreath hangers.
Embellish it: If you want to get even more creative, add rhinestones, ric-rack, or felt Hanukkah stickers to the pockets to embellish them. Add numbers to the pockets using fabric glue or by gluing felt numbers with hot glue.
What to put in the pockets: fill a pocket each morning using small Hanukkah gifts and trinkets. You can find Hanukkah stickers, traditional gelt, a new dreidel, themed Hanukkah pencils or other toys, small jewelry items, or hobby-specific goodies to put inside. Kids will be so excited to get up and check the Star of David pockets each morning during the holiday.
Star of David countdown calendar: use this craft to create a countdown calendar to use in the days leading up to Hanukkah, or during the eight days of the celebration. Insert a small piece of paper inside each pocket with an activity for the day, like “read the story of Hanukkah,” “have a dreidel spin-off,” or “make latkes.”
3. Hanukkah dreidel wall art
Does your child like to make art? Like, really really like to make art? Like you have stacks of paintings sitting around the house that you can’t bear to toss? Meri Cherry comes to the rescue with this eye-catching idea for repurposing children’s art: turn paintings into Hanukkah dreidel wall art.
This project takes the art you already have on hand and transforms it into a stylish piece of wall art that will brighten up your home during the holiday season. The colorful dreidel cut-outs look a little bit like stained glass once they are mounted in a frame.
If you already have stacks of kid art, then you’re already halfway to making this pretty Hanukkah-inspired wall art. If not, sit your kiddo down at the table and let him paint, scribble, or otherwise decorate some sheets of paper to use for this project. (Don’t forget to cover your table with a vinyl tablecloth or newspaper to protect it before your little one starts to paint!)
Supplies: for this project, you will need a clear shadow box-style frame that you can find at your local craft or frame store. You will also need clear glue or clear gesso to attach the art to the frame, as well as a foam brush.
To turn your kids’ art into dreidels, simply print a dreidel shape from an available dreidel template online, cut it out, then trace directly onto the pre-made paintings. Cut out the dreidel shapes, then arrange them onto the shadow box until you are pleased with the composition. After you’re sure where you want to put each dreidel, glue them onto the inside of the shadow box frame using clear gesso and a foam brush. Let the gesso dry, then hang your new Hanukkah wall art in a prominent place.
Still wondering what else to make with kid art? You can use the dreidel template and your kid’s art to make a dreidel garland to decorate your mantle or windows. Use smaller scraps of art to make small dreidel-shaped gift tags to use on Hanukkah gifts. Use small dreidel shapes glued onto plain blue notecards to make Hanukkah cards, or thank you cards for kids to use after the festivities end.
4. Hanukkah wreath
Sometimes it can be a challenge to find Hanukkah decor in the store that fits your personal style. No problem at all, just make your own mesh Hanukkah wreath using the instructions at Lollies and Lattes.
Wreaths are one of the most best crafts to make because they are simple to make, easy to customize to your own unique taste, and they look wonderful once you finish. You can use nearly any material to make a wreath, from ribbon, strips of fabric, burlap, or even crepe paper. Use your own creativity to make a Hanukkah wreath that expresses your personal style.
For this wreath, you will need to take a trip to your local craft store for some supplies: Styrofoam wreath form, blue floral mesh, floral pins, silver spray paint, and ribbon. You will also need Hanukkah-themed wooden cutouts such as the Star of David, dreidels, and menorahs used in the example wreath. You can find a huge variety of Hanukkah-themed cutouts in online stores, such as Etsy or Amazon.
To make the wreath, wrap the wreath form with floral mesh to cover the white foam color, then gather the ribbon and pin it to the wreath with floral pins. Fill the wreath in completely with mesh, and then pin accent ribbons evenly spaced around the wreath. Hot glue the Hanukkah cutouts (that you previously spray painted silver) to the wreath. Add a loop of ribbon for hanging the wreath, and you’re done!
Hang the wreath from your front door using an over-the-door wreath hanger or a magnetic wreath hanger, or hang it in your entryway, living room, or in another prominent place in your home.
Rustic Hanukkah wreath: use the same instructions for this wreath, but substitute burlap ribbon instead of the blue mesh ribbon. Use blue and silver ribbons to accent the burlap.