Archive for October, 2011
October 30th, 2011
Here’s something new from Interactive Entertainment Concepts.
Try a digital graffiti wall! Your guests will stand in front of a green screen to be photographed. That photo is then projected onto a large screen.
Your guests “paint” on the pictures, but instead of paint, when they press the cap, the can sprays infra red light, which is tracked by a computer as it moves across the screen.
The digital paint appears wherever the can is sprayed, just like spraying paint on a real wall.
They can even custom spray patterns and stencils to reflect your event’s theme or colors. The digital graffiti wall excites guests and gives them the ability to express their own artist creations on a larger than life canvas.
Any image can be loaded as a background so guests can easily paint like a coloring page. After the guests create their art they can print a copy on site or save it to a computer.
For more information, visit the extended profile page of Interactive Entertainment Concepts in our Vendor Directory.
Book before December 1, 2011 and receive 10% off. Tell them Mitzvah Market sent you.
October 28th, 2011
Sydney Lefton of St. Louis, Missouri celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in April, 2011 and did a terrific Mitzvah Project which benefited North Side Community School a school for kids from kindergarten-2nd grade.
We think Sydney’s Mitzvah Project idea can be done by any child across the country and asked her some questions to get more details on what she accomplished and how she pulled it off!
Please continue reading to learn more:
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project?
SL: I came in touch with North Side Community School when my 6th grade class took a field trip there. We went there to play and read with the students and I learned just how important it is to appreciate what you have. I was very sad but inspired to see and hear just how much each of these kids have gone through in their short lives. They had very few books in each classroom that had been purchased by the teacher and they didn’t have a library. This is why I choose to help create a library for them as my Mitzvah Project.
MM: Can you give us details of your Mitzvah Project.
SL: I had an open house for 2 days during the weekend. I sent out flyer’s to everyone who I was going to invite to my Bat Mitzvah. It was an overwhelming response. We had over 100 people show up and I collected over 1600 books in all. My friends came and stayed for a couple of hours. It was a lot of fun.
Sydney with all the books she collected!
MM: In your own words, what does it mean to you to do a Mitzvah Project for your Bat Mitzvah?
SL: It is such a great feeling to know how much I have helped the school and the children. When I delivered the books the kids faces said it all. They were so overwhelmed and happy to be getting the books.
The happy children of the North Side Community Center
MM: How long can people donate to this charity?
SL: My Mitzvah Project is over but I am sure they would be happy to still accept donations of money.
MM: Anything else we need to know about your Mitzvah Project?
SL: It was a great success and I couldn’t be happier about how many books I was able to give to the school.
Congratulation Sydney on a job well done. Thank you for sharing your Mitzvah Project with our readers. We know you have inspired others to do the same!
October 26th, 2011
Lighter Than Air is a party decorating company that has been servicing clients throughout Long Island and the Metropolitan areas, as well as nationwide, for over 25 years.
Their services include: Sign in Books, Sign in Boards, Balloons, Photo Blowups, Themed Centerpieces, Break Thru Walls, Card Table Displays, Coming Attraction Signs, Life Size Stand-ups, Place Cards, Invitations, Puzzle Boards, Step & Repeat Backdrops, Superimpose Posters, Club Style/Lounge, Marquis Signs and much more!
See some of their samples below:
Lamp centerpieces
Break Thru Walls
Superimpose boards
Place cards and displays
Marquis boards
For more information, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
October 26th, 2011
We received this great Bat Mitzvah Inspire from Karen Goldstein of Blush Photo in Boston, Massachusetts.
This is a really unique party and we know you’ll enjoy this night of disguise!
The Bat Mitzvah girl wanted a masked ball theme for her celebration. She wanted to do something that would be both festive and different, as well as give people the opportunity to be creative. Her family and friends bought masks from as far away as Italy for this event!
The Bat Mitzvah girl’s family got most of their masks from Masquerade Enterprises
Guests got into the fun!
A masked mannequin was the centerpiece on the place card table
The color scheme of the party was blue and green
A gold mask was at each guests’ place setting
Masks on mannequins added to the decor
There were also feather boas and Mardi Gras beads to make the party feel like a masquerade right out of a Shakespeare play!
What took center stage at this celebration was the variety of masks – from Venetian to Mardi Gras to theatrical and even homemade
Guests tore the dance floor up with entertainment from Siagel Productions
Guests got into the fun by wearing masks
Young guests enjoy wearing their masks
Friends were treated to mobile flip books by Fun Flips!
The covers for the flip books were personalized for Kieva’s Bat Mitzvah
As part of the entertainment and still keeping with the theme these young guests enjoyed dressing up
What a creative Bat Mitzvah celebration. Thanks to Blush Photo for sharing this party with Mitzvah Market.
October 26th, 2011
Alex Imberman celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on September 24, 2011 at a venue called, The Rock, in Bardonia, New York.
His Mom Melisa told us, “My son wanted a sports theme for his celebration, but being a party planner I couldn’t bare to do another sports themed Bar Mitzvah. So, I really had to think outside the box!”
As you will see below, she came up with creative and original ideas!
All photography was done by Peter Oberc and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured above (L-R): Dad Marc, younger sister Morgan, Bar Mitzvah boy Alex and Mom Melisa
Alex’s invitation was designed by Mom Melisa, owner of The Event Of A Lifetime, Inc. and created by All About Invitations. Melisa designed the invitations, escort cards, place cards, menu and tag for ear plugs.
The front of the invitation was metal with Alex’s Hebrew name & logo
Once opened, the left side had information printed in black & red layered with red & mirror. The right side had a pocket with the response card, directions & a card explaining Alex’s Mitzvah Project & how people could help
Mom Melisa and sister Morgan looked great. They both got their dresses at A Step Ahead.
Alex’s celebration took place at The Rock, a health club. Mom Melisa transformed it into what looked like a NYC restaurant/sports lounge.
The Rock was a blank canvas that was dressed up and transformed
As guests arrived there was a red carpet leading up to the step n repeat which was used for paparazzi photo ops
During the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed action food stations, like mozzarella from scratch by Encore Catering
The seating card table was located in the cocktail hour and was quite unique!
Baseball jersey escort cards were displayed on bleachers which sat on a baseball diamond
A closer look at the baseball jersey seating cards
Melisa wanted her son’s celebration to be a combination of fun and formal. She used black and gunmetal with accents of red which created a sophisticated look filled with unexpected sport touches.
Hard to believe this is a health club. Lighting helped set the mood!
Long banquet tables for the adults with a combination of sophisticated flowers & candles with sport accents
Vases with sports balls (like the footballs above) were placed on the tables
The lounge for the kids featured illuminated logo’d tables made of baseballs, basketballs, footballs and couches with logo’d pillows
Oversized baseball & basketball ottomans fill the kids lounge area too
Menu cards matched the decor. To the left of the menu was another special touch – ear plugs with a note!
A floral baseball sat on the end of the bar
Alex surprised his guests when he “made his entrance.”
The entrance video was created by VSoNY, watch here
When the entrance video ended, Alex surprised everyone by breaking through the white screen
Starlight Express provided the music entertainment with Koko and Kayo along with outstanding dancers.
A non-traditional mother/son dance to Meet My Mom by New Boyz
For his sign-in board, Alex used the iSign from Simon Elliot Events.
Alex’s friends digitally sign-in!
There were many fun surprises at this celebration!
Women in cocktail dresses went down an inflatable slide
Simon Elliot Events also set up a texting area and guests were able to text to a number on the screen and leave messages
Many fun arcade type games were available for guests
Big screens were in place for video games
Alex and his Dad wore matching baseball cuff links from Paul Fredrick. These are made from actual game used baseballs. There’s a number engraved on the back which you enter into their Website to find out information about the game they were used in!
Fun sports socks for the girls
Lulu Cake Boutique created the sports themed cake and cupcakes for Alex’s candle lighting.
Alex’s friends pose for a picture
For Alex’s favors, Mom Melisa created baseball caps and T-shirts that were waiting for friends in cubbies.
Young guests received baseball caps with a logo that lit up & flashed along with Abercrombie style t-shirts
Guests enjoyed a candy bar on their way out of the party.
Mom Melisa has some advice: “Stay organized, figure out what your priorities are, find a way to make it yours & ENJOY!”
On a family trip to Jamaica Alex saw a little boy all by himself. So he started tossing his Frisbee to the boy. When it was time to leave, he gave him the Frisbee and the boy was so happy. Alex said it was like he gave him a million dollars. So Alex decided to collect sports equipment and send it to a school in Jamaica.
He also collected & recycled bottles and cans to purchase some additional things to send.
The following vendors helped to make Alex’s party special. If you give any of them a call, please make sure you let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: The Rock
Party Planner: Mom Melisa, The Event Of A Lifetime, Inc.
Music Entertainment: Koko and Kayo, Starlight Express
Party Entertainment: Green screen photos on canvas, CoCo Entertainment
Invitation Design: Mom Melisa, The Event Of A Lifetime, Inc.
Invitations: Lori Steinberg, All About Invitations, 845-357-8070
Text To Screen Entertainment: Simon Elliot Events
Magician: Magic Dave
Cake/Cupcakes: Lulu Cake Boutique
Décor/Florist: Michael George Custom Floral
iSign-In: Simon Elliot Events
Mom/Sister Dresses: A Step Ahead, 203-329-2959
Suits: Nordstrom
Cuff Links: Paul Fredricks
Hair/makeup: Rhona Krauss
Photographer: Peter Oberc
Entrance Video/Videographer: Video Solutions
Caterer: Encore Catering
Rentals: Smith Party Rentals, Cloth Connection, Jersey Street Furniture
October 22nd, 2011
Balloon Artistry was established in 1987 and is a full service party design company famous for transforming parties into magical unforgettable memories.
They are known for their attention to detail, being low key and providing Bar/Bat Mitzvah families what they ask for. The quality of their ballooning is outstanding and they can light and illuminate any decor element.
Not only do they provide balloon decor/centerpieces, they can also coordinate the place cards/seating card display, back drops, candle lighting displays, sign-in boards and books to match your theme and/or colors.
We wanted to call your attention to their exploding balloons. These look like part of the decor for the beginning of your party and can bring energy back into the room towards the end of the celebration. After the “exploding” surprise, guests want to stay on the dance floor.
Here’s how it works:
Four large (3 foot) balloons are filled with 75 smaller (5 inch) balloons and confetti. These large balloons are set up on the corners of the dance floor and someone (such as the DJ) holds the button that controls the popping of the balloons.
Balloon Artistry will coordinate the popping of the large balloons with your entertainment company. The “exploding” is usually done in the last hour of the party.
Inside the large clear balloons, you can also use ping pong balls, feathers and confetti that floats called “Flutter Fetti,” which comes in many colors.
To learn more, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
October 22nd, 2011
From Occasions Magazine, we share with you a B’nai Mitzvah for twin brothers in the Atlanta area who love sports. They used each of their favorites as their theme: baseball and golf.
Bring in Your Party by Karen, an Atlanta event planner and Event Savvy Atlanta and you hit a home run and come in under par for this party!
The pictures were all taken by Chuck Robertson Photography and all the vendors used are in the Atlanta area.
The “SportsCenter” themed event took place on a Saturday night in October 2010, at The Foundry at Puritan Mill and was branded “Kwatnez Sportz,” for the boys last name. The boys logo incorporated their last name
Guests were greeted by two lockers, a baseball and golf ball with pictures of the boys
The walk from the cocktail hour to reception had a step and repeat complete with an appropriate “green” carpet with the boys logo on one side and draping with pictures of the boys in action on the other side
The step and repeat featured their logo
Hanging from the ceiling the family used the boys own sports jerseys – what a great idea!
Adult guests enjoyed their meal with a chef-attended “snack bar” featuring specials written up on a chalkboard
Golf and baseball themed wire sculptures decorated some of the tables along with some wheat grass and votive candles
A simple and fun golf ball centerpiece
Custom fabric photo panels of the boys displayed on the front and backsides of the structural columns
Various sports team pennants were on display
The guests munched on snacks from a custom hot-dog bar
Lockers were used for friends to leave messages for the boys
Of course, no sporting event is complete without the game, so a satellite dish was set up to enable live feed of the Florida vs. Alabama football game throughout the party
We thank Occasions Magazine for sharing this B’nai Mitzvah with our readers.
October 22nd, 2011
thecoolestgiveaways.com has worked with over 1,000 Bar/Bat Mitzvah families to come up with creative ideas for their child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah giveaways.
Owner Sue Smith is sharing her list of items she thinks is hot now in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah favor category:
1. Drawstring bags – This is a great favor for anyone who doesn’t want to give their young guests apparel, but still would like to give something that’s useful and cool. Drawstring bags will keep you on a budget and not break the bank. Most are priced between $3.00-$7.00. Many of the bags have free 24 hour rush service and this is a great choice for someone who just decided to do favors and has run out of time.
To see more drawstring bags, click here.
2. Collegiate designs – A great idea for anyone who wants to play up their child’s initials with a design that can be unisex and universal. You can find these vibrant college logos in all the stores right now.
To see all the letters, click here.
3. Blended colors – These are influenced and inspired by Butter and Free City. For the price of a 2 color imprint you are going to get the look of more colors.
For more on the blended color look, click here.
4. Flannel pants – Cozy and inspired by Pink and American Eagle, these flannel pants come at every price point and some are under $15.00.
To see more flannel choices, click here.
5. Off The Shoulder Sweatshirts – This is what all the fashionista Mitzvah girls are looking for. They are cozy, supersoft and fuzzy. They sell for $29.00 in the store and are now $14.50 with a two color imprint.
To see more, click here.
6. Snuggies – They are back and one size fits all. The kids are loving this cozy option!
See more snuggies here.
7. Graffiti designs – The ” gangsta look ” is very hot for boys and girls who want something edgy and cool.
To see more graffiti designs, click here.
8. Mittens and beanies – These are great for a winter Bar/Bat Mitzvah and come in one size only. They look just like the ones from American Eagle and Abercombie!
To learn more, click here.
9. Applique screen printing – For a vintage and distressed look, applique screen printing makes your garment look like clothing seen in Abercrombie and American Eagle.
For more looks, click here.
For more information about thecoolestgiveaways.com, visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
October 22nd, 2011
When Tara Silberg was 10 years old, we wrote a Mitzvah Project profile story about her MS bike ride.
Last year she did her first annual Race To The Top Of The Rock for MS (Multiple Sclerosis). She has also donated her hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths in memory of her late grandmother, Carol (pictured left). Her ponytail and 6 others were put together to make a wig for a woman with cancer.
But after doing all that, she still felt it wasn’t enough. So now, only weeks before her Bat Mitzvah, she has built a Website, Photos4aKure, a non-profitable organization that will donate 100% of the profits to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
On her Website, you can find dozens of beautiful photos taken by a variety of people, including Tara.
Photo by Tara
All photos cost $20 to $30. When you purchase a picture, it will be matted or framed, 5 x 7; 8 x 10 or 11 x 14. Her goal is to raise at least $1,000.00.
Photo by Leah Seldin
Photo by Stefano Fassone
If you are interested in purchasing one of the photos on Tara’s Website, please click here.
Update: Tara Silberg, our MitzvahMarket.com blogger is a finalist in L’Oreal’s “Why STEM Is Cool” contest. This is a national contest that only 32 kids (ages 13-18) made it to the public voting phase. STEM is an acronym for Science Technology Engineering and Math.
The voting which determines the winner starts today March 18, 2013 and runs for 1 week. If she wins, Tara has pledged to donate the $2,500 cash prize to cancer research in memory of her grandmother who passed away of breast cancer back in 2006. If you have a minute, would be great if you could help by voting for her. To vote, you just need to go to the website http://forgirlsinscience.org/compete-achieve and click on Voting. The video is called A Technologic Hope by Tara Silberg. People are allowed to vote once a day so any votes can help.
October 19th, 2011
By Stephanie Kepke Kaplan, Boys, Dogs And Chaos
Usually it takes me several hours over the course of a few days to write and edit a blog post. I go over it with a fine tooth comb, but not before I’ve spent way too long thinking of the perfect word or phrase. Well, not this blog post. You see, I’m in the eleventh hour of planning my son’s Bar Mitzvah and I don’t have several hours to write a blog post, in fact I don’t have several hours to do anything, including sleep. Right about the time I should be taking care of myself – eating right and getting enough rest – I am running around like a mad woman, living on fumes. I’m staying up well past midnight stuffing favor bags, filling out honors sheets for the service and figuring out the perfect candle lighting songs. I’m eating a protein bar on the way to a dress fitting, instead of sitting down to a healthy lunch.
Speaking of dress fittings, my recent lifestyle has necessitated extra visits to the seamstress, because every time I go, it seems like I’ve lost weight and she needs to take the dress in more. Being that I only bought it two weeks ago, I will probably be picking it up the day before I need it. That’s not the only thing that’s last minute – I just got in my honors sheet to the rabbi a moment before sundown, because I didn’t have all the Hebrew names I needed and after I typed it in, I lost all the changes. I changed some of my decorations last week, completely redoing the kids’ tables. Luckily, my party decorator was very understanding. Yesterday I added a second dancer to my entertainment package – an ongoing battle that I’ve had with my husband, who at first wanted no dancers, then compromised on one. He vehemently opposed having two dancers, despite the fact that my son and I thought we needed two. I don’t know exactly how I cajoled him into it, but just days before the party I did.
I wish everything else was falling into place as easily. My living room looks like a party supply company exploded in it, with cartons of t-shirts and dj giveaways sharing space with half made hospitality bags, boxes of biscotti and a basket of toiletries for the bathroom. I still have so much to do that I don’t think I will sleep for the next three days. The title of this blog couldn’t be any more appropriate – in my first post, I explained that the phrase “On a Wing and a Prayer” means “In poor condition, but just managing to get the job done.” I think I knew that everything would be last minute, because unfortunately that is my personality (and my weakness) – I will never be the person to have everything done in advance, so I can relax. I realize that – what I didn’t realize were how many last minute things there really are – from the honors sheet to the candle lighting songs to the floor plan.
There are so many things that need to be done in the last week that I hope – poor condition or not – I do manage to get the job done. I suppose even if I don’t get every single thing perfect (my perfectionist tendencies are a large part of the reason that I end up finishing things at the last minute) – there’s nothing I can do to stop this party from arriving in a few short days. I need to just take a deep breath, finish what I can and just enjoy. I’ll let you all know how it all turns in my next post, so stay tuned.
About Stephanie Kepke Kaplan
Stephanie Kepke Kaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. Before kids she was an arts reporter, covering the Boston music and cultural scene (even though she is a born and bred Long Islander, she lived in Boston for nine years and her first son was born there). Now, she blogs at Boys, Dogs and Chaos (about life with – you guessed it – three boys and two dogs) and Mitzvah Mom. She is also working on a novel about a PTA mom. She has also written for Long Island Parent magazine.
Catch up on Stephanie’s previous posts:
Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Post 4
Post 5
