Inside the walls of the classroom, girls are busy at their
tables working over their fancy Succa decorations. Metallic
tape and scissors, glue and shiny paper, styrofoam and
sequins are being passed around from hand to hand. Each grade
has its special Succa project this year. Either the teacher
brought in the example to follow or the girls designed their
own eye catcher. An appropriate Succa verse is added and the
project is finished.
READY-MADE KITS
Precut and ready-to-assemble packages of everything one
requires to produce a stunning Succa decoration are available
now. A large decorative kit may include a precut sixty
centimeter styrofoam shape of a guitar or a large circle,
royal blue or burgundy velvet material, gold cord, sequins
and short pins, a package of self- hardening clay and stick-
on letters of a verse extolling the joys of the festival.
An equally lovely kit may contain poster cutouts of the
ushpizin in individual circles to be assembled on a
circular velvet background. Once the circle is glued in
place, one places little figures: a ladder, stones, the
choshen, a striped robe, a mountain to represent Har
Sinai and so on from cloth and self hardening clay. Silver
cord is then wrapped around, framing each circle. Thicker
silver cord is wrapped around the entire display, setting off
the ilustration of the seven holy visitors to our Succa.
Colorful `matchsticks' to be glued around a circular frame
will keep young children busy choosing colors to glue. In the
center of the frame will be a poster photo of a Succa. The
children will glue miniature pieces of green foliage in place
and a few mosaic size rocks on the ground.
Some kits leave very little room for personal variations or
individual taste. One merely assembles the works with glue
and pins. Other kits require decisions. Either way, one pays
for what one gets. Someone designed the decoration, worked
out the idea from concept until completion, chose the color
scheme, the materials and the type of impact the decoration
will give off. Cultural backgrounds, taste or goals will
influence style.
Conservative [in taste], modern, informative, educational or
purely decorative, age appropriate or general for the family -
- take your pick. Somebody did all the shopping and knew just
what glue to use on which materials and which thickness of
cord and tassel would be best. Another person behind the
scenes stood for hours with a utility knife and cut out
thirty giant styrofoam guitars in the shop, not an easy feat
with several curves to maneuver. It is ready to buy and ready
to assemble.
DO IT YOURSELF
There is no doubt that the finished piece will beautify any
Succa and guests will be charmed by what they see. For those
of you who want to put your own taste, style and signature
into the decoration, here are a few tips on how to make your
own gorgeous display. Schools that want to save money will
benefit by making Succa projects from scratch under the
guidance of a creative teacher.
Find an example of a Succa decoration you like.
Study it carefully, especially the materials used and how it
is constructed. Note size and dimensions. Think out how you
would change the texture, color, arrangement of words, the
placement of the objects etc.
Imagine in your mind how you would like to see it. Would you
prefer gold and silver instead of Kelly green and pink? Or
vice versa? Is black velvet too dramatic for you or does it
suit your idea of elegance?
Can the size be changed? Can you scale down a life-size
guitar to twelve inches and keep it proportionately correct?
Do you want your verses made from wooden letters, stick-on
letters or sequins? Can you make your own letters from a
stencil or cut out from a magazine or catalogue?
ARRAY OF MATERIALS
Have ready: sharp scissors, utility knife, white plastic and
a glue gun.
Choose your base and foundation forms, be it construction
board or styrofoam.
Choose material to cover the base: gold, silver, hologram
design, colored, corrugated, velvet, crinkled foil, felt
etc.
Choose tape and trim. Use sequins and pins, glitter, bells,
beads, feathers, ribbon and stick-ons.
Choose strings, threads, ropes, yarn cord, trim.
Choose size, shape, material and style of letters.
Choose poster, illustrations etc.
Choose self-hardening clay, spray foam, plastaline-oil clay,
mosaics, craft sticks etc.
PATTERNS
Are you ready to use a utility knife or scissors to cut
styrofoam board or metallic papers? If so, let's begin.
We will make a simchadik viola or a guitar. I must
admit that this is not an original idea. I took it from two
kindergarten crafts supply stores in Geula that display
sample craft ideas to inspire customers. Supplies are on sale
in the shop. The original side is how you choose the
materials such as colored papers and the overall design.
Once you have made the decison to begin, the fun will start.
Begin with a pattern of the piece you will be using. Make the
pattern free hand or by tracing it from an existing
decoration or a real object, such as a real guitar or from a
computer printout, a poster or other illustration of the
object.
Craft and kindergarten stores may sell precut styrofoam
shapes of shofars, apples, grapes, violas etc. Use this for
your pattern or make a copy of the pattern. It may then be
enlarged or reduced.
You will be expected to give the viola the look and
decorative touches you like.
MATERIALS
PINK styrofoam board two centimeters thick or precut white
styrofoam guitar shape. Utility knife, white plastic glue,
sharp scissors, pencil. Thick metallic paper.
Decorative metallic tape two centimeters thick. Sequins,
small pins. Metallic thread. Stencil for letters, decorative
ornaments.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut out the pattern.
2. Place the pattern on pink styrofoam (not white) or on a
ready-cut white styrofoam viola.
3. Trace the pattern on to the styrofoam.
4. With a sharp longish blade, cut out the styrofoam.
Experiment with the most effective method of cutting for you.
Cut on protective board. Heat the utility knife first. This
cuts and melts the foam.
5. Trace the pattern onto a sheet of thick metallic board or
paper. This will cover the top of the viola. Glue in
place.
6. Cut out other functional or decorative pieces to mimic the
look of the viola. Glue on.
7. Use small pieces of styrofoam to raise any pieces off the
surface for a realistic look.
8. Glue on metallic strings and decorative touches.
9. Stencil out letters for the posuk on the back of
the metallic sticky tape. Cut out, arrange, pin in place,
then glue in place verses or words about the chag.
10. Cover the sides of the viola with stick-on metallic tape.
Reinforce with small pins. Or -- cut out long strips of
metallic paper and apply with glue and pins.
11. Attach a craft frame hook at the side of the viola and
hang at an angle.
Cutting, gluing, measuring, fitting and assembling the
materials is very satisfying. Producing a beautiful symphony
of handiwork that uses a variety of materials is exciting.
The end result is the hiddur mitzva.
You have embellished your Succa with the work of your
hands.
Devora Piha is available for Succa projects, consultations
and class plans for teachers, and classes for mothers and
children alike in Ramat Bet Shemesh at 02-992-0501.
