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Handmade Hanukkah: DIY Spinning Tops and Some Amazing Inspiration!

by on Dec 2, 2010

Hi, I’m Sara from creativejewishmom.com, guest posting here on curbly.com with some interesting projects for Hanukkah! Spinning tops (and of course the four-sided dreidel), are classic Hanukkah toys, so I thought I’d give you a few ideas how to make some yourself, along with some gorgeous inspiration. What do tops have to do with Hanukkah? Well during the time period in which the Hanukkah miracle occurred, the Jewish people were forbidden, by the ruling Syrian-Greeks, to convene for worship or study— small schoolboys got around this by pretending that they were playing with spinning tops when in fact they were studying together!

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Here’s a super simple DIY spinning top project that kids and adults alike will enjoy! And these tops really spin amazingly well, assuming you’ve made them correctly. Find complete directions for these bottle cap spinning tops at creativejewishmom.com.

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And for something a little different, how about some colorful spinning tops made from acorns? The acorns in your neck of the woods might even be just a bit more top shaped? Complete instructions here from matzo ball soup.

And now for some wonderful wooden tops that have got me thinking that a top collection, both vintage and new, would be a great thing to pull out each Hanukkah!

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Wow, aren’t these amazing? They’re made in Austria by a company by the name of Mader, and are available online here.

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And look at these sculptural beauties….a select release last year from Herman Miller! I have a feeling a few of you are drooling…..?

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And I think these Japanese tops, available here, are pretty great too! Look there’s even an acorn!

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And here are two pull-string versions: more lovely wooden tops from Mader, available here, and some great vintage tops, photo from here.

All in all, I’d say tops are wonderful. Convinced? That’s all for now, do stop by and visit me at creativejewishmom.com for lots of creative adventures and tons of crafts using recycled materials.

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