Hi, it’s me Sara of creativejewishmom.com- I’m back, and a bit out of breath since Hanukkah starts tonight! I’ve still got some last minute things to take care of, mostly because it also happens to be my husband’s birthday. Realistically, since Hanukkah is eight nights, there’s still time to pull out all the bangs and whistles even if you can’t get it together for the first night. In my house as long as there are chocolate coins, like lots of them, everyone will be happy! (I deprive them the rest of the year to make sure that this will be the case…..great mom trick!) Now being the crafty visual being that I am, I can’t just give the kids chocolate coins (gelt) in the mesh bags they’re sold in, there has to be a nice presentation involved! So today I’m going to show you some great ideas for crafting your own Hanukkah gelt bags, and of course you can use them for small gifts too!
Know how to crochet? I’m glad, crocheting is a great! You can whip up some of these small crocheted Hanukkah gelt pouches fairly quickly, (I just made two more and each one took about 1 hour 20 minutes) and give them as gifts in themselves! Truthfully, it’s already the first night of Chanukah as I write this, and my kids just loved these little pouches, the younger ones didn’t put them down all night, and the boys tied them to their belt loops! And if you don’t crochet, well how about sewing some pouches from up-cycled felted sweaters, or even some interesting non felted sweaters? Add a little felt dreidel patch and you’ve got yourself an amazing pouch.
And speaking of felt, it’s the perfect material for crafting pouches and all sorts of handmade gifts! Of course wool felt is the most beautiful, but all I have available to me locally is the cheapo acrylic kind, which works too! Funny enough I had to do a google search for felt pouches to remember that I made this pink zippered felt pouch last year, a fun little gift especially filled with thoughtful things and treats! I just love this structured felt bag for Hanukkah….okay, the little decoration is actually a Menorah (7 branched) and not a Hanukkiah (8 branched) but I love the bag so much we’ll just over look that little faux pas!
If you think about it, you can make gift pouches from just about anything. This year I made some Hanukkah gelt pouches from tulle, and I just love seeing the contents. Tie them with a fun ribbon and you’ve got a great and simple presentation. In fact you can just cut circles of tulle and tie them with a ribbon for similar results! And these little canvas Hanukkah pouches from Thymbyl Designs are just too sweet, with one for each night, wow! You could make something similar with freezer paper stencilling, right?
Got some extra time to make something extra special? How about making a personalized embroidered pouch, with the pattern from Purl Bee. Love it! And for something just a bit simpler, you can stitch up some of my Hanukkah gelt felt coin purses in any size and embellish them with sequins for a lovely and simple presentation. Add a cord and make a super cute necklace, or tiny purse!
Okay friends, that’s all for today, and looking forward to being back in this very spot tomorrow with some ideas for Chanukah parties! Wishing you a joyous first night of Hanukkah!
