More decorations and projects for Sukkot

Continuing from the previous post, here are more of our family's favorite sukkah decoration projects:

Eighteen years ago, for our very first sukkah as a couple, I typed in the sukkot torah readings (careful to substitute a letter for G-d's name, just in case they were blown away in a tornado) and printed the text on certificate paper (paper with pre-printed decorative borders.)

These were laminated with self-adhesive laminating sheets. We used to hang them from our sukkah's canvas walls with large stainless steel safety pins. The grommets were a later adaptation.

The texts are Yayikra 23:31-end and Devarim 16:13-16:17

They have held up well over the years.

Here is a chain that holds many fusible bead projects of varying vintages, hanging from clear plastic lanyard.

Have you noticed I like using chain? It is sturdy, relatively inexpensive, and you can get it cut to size at the hardware store.

It's easy to measure by links how far apart the projects should be, and it's very expandable.

Be sure to get coated or stainless steel chain, so it won't rust in the rain.

Projects can be added easily in subsequent years, enhancing how it looks, minimizing space, set-up and take-down time.

It's also nice that all of the children's projects form one display. That way, if someone made
gazillions of items, and someone else made only a few, it's still their project together. I find it remarkable how the children remember which items they made, and seem only to see their own work!

At the top of the picture to the left is a clear piece of packing material. I think it came from a thumb drive. Abigail (who was 8 at the time) strung beads in the Hebrew letters that spell "Sukkot", and we glued them to the clear plastic with a glue gun.

The package conveniently came with holes for hanging on pegs in the store.

Here are a few more banners:

Olive tree banner

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked, "How is [then nation of] Israel like an olive tree?"

[He answered,] "Just as the olive tree does not shed its leaves both in Winter and Summer, so will [the people of] Israel endure both in this world and in the the world to come."

(Menachot 53b)

It's hard to see in the picture, but the lettering on this banner (and many of the others) is painted with metallic fabric paints. If you can get them, they make for a very nice effect.



Since the metallic paint in the letters reflects light, they sparkle in the lights of the sukkah at night.

Since we invite our imaginary friends, the Ushpizin, into the sukkah, we thought we should invite the ladies, too.



These are pomegranate cut-outs made of wood, available from Shulamit Ron, that we painted and then wrote names of the Matriarchs and Prophetesses.



They are connected by craft wire strung with beads.

We included Sarah, Rivka, Leah, Rachel, Devorah, Miriam and Ruth. Since this isn't a "real' tradition, I figured there are no rules, and just picked seven ladies.



Below the "Ushpizot", there is one of the tie-dyed dinner napkin mini-banners, described in the previous post.



It has a rainbow, and has the words to "Osheh shalom..." on it, and a picture of a dove with an olive branch.

In Boston, Jerusalem is to the East.

This "Mizrach" (Hebrew for "East") sign is on the Eastern corner of the Sukkah.

It was made by folding a dinner napkin over a chopstick, and attaching letters cut from bright yellow foam. The dinner napkin has a pattern of leaves (the fabric came that way.)

Both the "hem" and the letters were affixed with a glue-gun.







Here is (yet another) banner.

It has verse 5 from Psalm 27:


"כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי, בְּסֻכֹּה בְּיוֹם רָעָה: יַסְתִּרֵנִי, בְּסֵתֶר אָהֳלוֹ; בְּצוּר, יְרוֹמְמֵנִי. "


"He conceals me in His shelter in the day of evil;

He hides me in the shelter of His tent;

He lifts me up upon a rock."



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For more Sukkot projects, click here.
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