Hanukkah is right around the corner.  We are very excited about this in our house.  Recently, I came across a stack of Gigi’s old paintings and thought the colors were so pretty, it might be fun to make something out of them.  We have piles and piles of art so I didn’t feel bad cutting these up.  I had seen a post on the amazing, Art Bar Blog, where Bar used her child’s artwork to make a garland and thought it was so clever.  Those piles can really accumulate quickly and there’s only so much art work you can hang.  So, this dreidel wall art seemed like another great way to use children’s art work to create something long lasting and beautiful.  We will definitely save this frame and bring it out year after year, just like our hanukkah dreidel garland from recycled paper.

First step is to cut out the desired shape from your child’s art work.  I made a template of the dreidel first, on card stock, and then just traced it all over Gigi’s art.  At first I was going to make a garland as well, but thanks to the magic of Instagram, I took some suggestions on what to do with the dreidels.  My childhood friend and amazing graphic designer behind Silver Hollow Creative, suggested I create wall art from the dreidels.  So, after cutting out a ton of dreidels, I found a clear shadow box frame and glued them to the top of the frame.  She also suggested I use liquid gesso to seal them to the frame, but I didn’t have any.  Instead I used glue and water and I must admit, that was a pretty big fail.  The glue dried really yucky in between the dreidels and I had to scrub it off with water and a paper towel.  Oops.  It still looks really pretty and if I ever have time I will go over it with the gesso.  You can also glue the cutouts onto paper and just insert them in the frame.  I really like the clear look of the frame when you hang it up.  It has a bit of stained glass appeal to it.

I love that this project is a collaboration of mother and daughter.  I’m thinking we can do mini versions, sans glue and water coating, for the girl’s grandparents as hanukkah gifts.  Any frame will do and the cutout possibilities are endless. Happy holidays!