I’m always amazed that there aren’t more awesome Menorah tutorials out there. If ever there was an object ripe for the crafting, this is it. It’s like the Christmas Wreath of the Jewish world.
My kids have made menorahs at school every year and I cherish them, I really do. But there’s only so many toilet paper tube menorahs you can get excited about crafting. Metal nuts on an overstock tile? Been there. We can do better, my friends. We can RAWK this menorah thing. We can make our presence known on Pinterest.
Lets do this. I think the Maccabees would approve of this Jurassic Menorah.
Materials:
- 9 Plastic Dinosaurs (Would also work with other animals OR try this with one Large Dinosaur)
- 9 Plastic Candle Holders (the kind you stick in a cake – ours hold two sizes of candles, including traditional hanukkah ones)
- Piece of scrap wood or hobby wood for the base
- Hot glue gun and glue
- Silver spray paint
- A drill
1. Drill Holes in your dinosaurs so you can stick in the candleholders. This was a job for Dadfluential and his drill press. Is it overkill to use a massive drill press to drill tiny holes in plastic dinosaurs? Possibly. But using his drill press makes my man happy, and who am I to interfere.
Happy man using big powertools = marital craft harmony.
2. Use hot glue gun to glue candle holders in dinosaurs. You might want to stick a candle in the holder before you shove it in, to ensure it is glued in straight. Be careful with the hot glue.
3. Spray painting time! We created a little spray-tanning dino booth for our little friends from an ikea container on it’s side. The key is several light coats from multiple angles. Be patient. Don’t forget to paint the base at the same time.
I love how these look all painted up. The paint settles into the crevices and you can see all the detail. Let these dry for a day.
4. Glue your Dinos onto your scrap wood and you have yourself a menorah!
A word about USING this lovely creation:
Is this menorah functional? Well sure. But there are a few things to consider before you fire it up. It’s not going to be easy to clean this so if you want it to stay pristine, fashion some kind of protection with aluminum foil. I happen to think it might look even cooler covered with melted wax and given that it cost under ten bucks to make, and took so little time, I might go for it. Regardless I would not leave it unattended and would blow out the candles before they got down to the end. Why take chances?
Happy Hanukah and stay tuned for several more Menorahs, including a few crafted from glow sticks so your kids can keep them in their rooms and your house won’t be reduced to ashes.
I love this idea!
Thank you! We had fun making it 🙂
Ohmygosh, this is too cute! I’m not even Jewish but I want to make one of these!!
This is definitely one of my all time favorite crafts I have ever featured on Craft Gossip!! I love your creativity:) Happy Hanukkah!!
http://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/?p=7347
Hey girl – just wanted to let you know that I featured this today in my “What I Bookmarked This Week” post – stop by and see! http://www.mostlyfoodandcrafts.com/2012/12/what-i-bookmarked-this-week_15.html
thanks so much!
What a fun and clever idea. I’ve been looking for a kid friendly menorah. And this one I can make with my kids to boot. Thanks for sharing.
Cute idea but very dangerous! I’m not talking about the ferocious critters but about what could happen to the plastic when a candle topples over and it catches fire. Please add some words of caution to your article.
Any menorah should be supervised. If you plan to light this one up, I advise creating a “sheild” of aluminum foil, placing it out of reach of children and keeping a close watch. For flame free and more kid friendly menorahs see my Vinylmation Disney menorah, and my Lego menorah.
I could see this as a great use for those dinosaurs or other animals made in those ‘mold-o-matic’ machines at museums and zoos. It would be bigger, but who cares?
I saw this last Hanukkah and loved it and finally got it finished today (sometimes the best ideas take a while to come to fruition). Now I can’t wait for Hanukkah this year to use it! Love our new menorasaurus!
hurray! Just be sure to use a sheet of foil and keep an eye on it to preserve it from damage and keep it safe 🙂
Do you remember here you got the dinosaur’s from? I want to make sure I buy ones that are large enough.
I absolutely love this idea!!
I think they came in a bag from Target!