January 6th, 2011
Hi All!
The Margolis Family from Jericho, New York celebrated their son Kyle’s Bar Mitzvah on September 11, 2010. After services at Temple Beth Torah in Jericho, the reception was held at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset.
After celebrating with a black tie party for their oldest daughter, they decided on a fun kid oriented party for Kyle.
Photographer Neal Bloom captured all the fun. All other vendor information is listed below.
Pictured left to right: Mitzvah Mom Lauri, Bar Mitzvah boy Kyle, Mitzvah Dad Barry, younger sister Katie and older sister Danielle.
Mom Lauri and Danielle had beautiful navy blue dresses made for them by Kimberly of Runway Couture. Katie found her adorable dress at Designing Dreams.
Kyle’s handsome navy invitation was created by Invitations By Laura.
We thought this was a great idea. Mom Lauri made this beautiful needlepoint tallis bag for Kyle. Not sure where she found the time!
Kyle is a sports enthusiast so Simon Elliot Events did their magic in the lobby area of North Shore Synagogue.
This Will Call booth was manned by an attendant who handed out blue envelopes to guests as they arrived. You could also hear Kyle’s pre-recorded voice welcoming everyone and asking trivia questions
Kyle holding his guests seating cards which were made to look like will call envelopes
Guests seating cards, which are pictured above, were inside the envelopes
Part of the lobby decor included the above screen which had a loop of the kids names to welcome them to the party
Paul from Party Interiors did a great job with the lighting and crystal centerpieces
The illuminated tables are ready for guests!
Kyle hangin’ in the kids lounge area
Kyle’s sign-in board was created by Simon Elliot Events and featured a baseball uniform shirt. Guests signed right on the plexy glass frame!
Entertainment Tonite provided the music entertainment with Carl as the MC.
Kyle with the entire ET crew
Magician Chris DeLeo entertained guests and left them speechless!
Kyle and his Mom share a moment
Games were provided by Simon Elliot Events
For Kyle’s montage, a funny sequence was taped and produced by Simon Elliot Events.
Watch it here.
North Shore Caterers made Kyle the striped cake below.
Kyle’s friends all received sweatshirts created by And That.
Field of Dreams design matched his theme!
The sweatshirts were distributed in these drawstring bags
As guests were leaving Kyle’s party, they stopped by the Waffle truck for a treat!
For his Mitzvah Project, Kyle collected baseball hats for Stack The Caps. He included a note with his invitation explaining more:
“Stack The Caps began in 2008 at Camp Starlight, my sleepaway camp. The event was inspired by a camper, Brielle Namer, who died from a very rare form of cancer. In her memory, Camp Starlight’s owners and campers have organized drives to provide new baseball caps to chilren with cancer. My goal is to collect at least 200 caps which will stack approximately 12 feet high in honor and memory of the many children afflicted with cancer.”
Kyle proudly standing with the caps his guests brought for donation as part of his Mitzvah Project
Here is a list of Vendor’s who made Kyle’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you call any, please let them know that you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: North Shore Synagogue 516- 921-2282
Invitations: Invitations By Laura 516-783-9864
Lauri and Danielle’s Dresses: Kimberly, Runway Couture, 516-308-4639
Katie’s dress: Designing Dreams
Photographer: Neal Bloom, 631-754-7442
Videographer: Simon Miller at Simon Elliot Events 516-660-1812
Lobby decor/seating cards: Simon Elliot Events
Needle Point bag for Tallit: Needle Paint Knook in Merrick 623-0250
Decor: Party Interiors by Paul 516-586-5492
Music Entertainment: Carl as MC, Entertainment Tonite
Sweatshirts: And That 516-364-9222
Drawstring bags: totallydrawstringbackpacks.com
Magician: Chris DeLeo 516-314-5319
Waffle Truck: wafesanddinges.com
December 31st, 2010
Many Mitzvah decor elements include pillows, especially if you are having a lounge area at your child’s celebration.
Pillows can add a lot of bang for your buck and really personalize your Mitzvah. If you are crafty, why not make them yourself. If not, your florist or party planner can certainly give you ideas and help supply them for you or you might get lucky and find them yourself at places like Kohl’s, Target, Ikea, Walmart or other online stores.
By adding pops of color and custom monogram pieces you can make your child’s reception memorable & truly their own. You can get as sophisticated or funky when incorporating your child’s initials and if they are customized, hopefully they can serve dual purpose, and be incorporated afterwards into your child’s bedroom.
Pink House Events in Westport, Connecticut personalized these colorful pillows
A custom pillow used along side the party theme and logo from Pillows By Argentina 347-261-7981
A custom pillow by Premier Skirting was used as the sign-in now sits on the Bar Mitzvah boy’s bed
A beautiful baby blue silk pillow is so elegant against the white leather furniture designed by Pat James
These custom monogram pillows from PBTeen are simple and classic and come in six great colors
Courtesy of Ellen Wolff Photography this pillow compliments the black and white theme beautifully
December 31st, 2010
Evantine Designs does it again!
This time a Bat Mitzvah girl named Madison had a carousel theme that took place at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
The challenge began when the design crew learned that the museum was going through renovations and was scheduled to be reopened just a week before the Bat Mitzvah. But no worries, Evantine Design pulled off a terrific and elegant party. We are excited to share all the details below:
The majestic Please Touch Museum
The creative crew at Two Paperdolls designed the save the dates and invitations using custom illustrations, hand made silk boxes, paper flowers and letter pressed papers. Look at the details above like the brass ring
The adults dined in the opulent Hamilton Hall for their elegant seated dinner at long rectangular tables covered with gray linens
Each dinner table had flower-covered carousel horses, creamy porcelain vases and crystal hurricanes.
The kids were in a separate area and had their own dance floor, dancers, games and activities, walk around entertainers (tight rope walkers, magicians, live monkeys, etc) and of course the Carousel. The kids loved dancing on the custom cubes with the Bat Mitzvah girls’ initials on them
There was a custom-designed light up stage at the base of the Sewell Torch and this served as the focal point in the adult ballroom. The stage was designed to raise up the orchestra but also to provide long wide tiers for the 50-person choir that would perform during the evening. Two giant video screens allowed adults to watch both the montage as well as the live feed of the kids having fun in the carousel area
Look at this awesome cake designed by Truli Confectionary Arts. After studying the real carousel in the museum, taking countless photographs and wrestling with the how-tos of turntables, the carousel cake was a true show stopper
As each guest left, they were given a beautifully wrapped custom-made white chocolate box filled with personalized chocolate treats to enjoy!
We have featured other creative Bar and Bat Mitzvahs by Evantine Designs: Summer Camp and Hot Pink & Orange.
December 19th, 2010
Another Etsy Mitzvah Find!
Creatively Kept offers custom guest books that not only look great but are also are extremely creative. One of our favorites has envelope pages, allowing guests to write their special comments on note cards and slip them into the envelope. It’s unique and interactive and much more fun than just having the guests write their name in a book!
Then later on the family can spend time together reading each guest card. Several colors are available. Creatively Kept also offers a customized monogram to place on the front cover of your guest book.
December 15th, 2010
We found a great Website for all you Mitzvah planning families!
Whether you are in the middle of planning or you have just celebrated a Mitzvah this is a new free Website called EventLeftovers.com, that offers an online marketplace to buy and sell gently used and new party supplies that are left over from events rather than throwing items away that often are not recyclable products.
The site uses a buyer and a seller model, like Ebay, and Event Leftovers acts as the middleman, making transactions easy.
A seller (also known as the Member) posts their leftover items either at a high visibility level ($2.50 per post) or a standard visibility level (free). All transactions are securely handled through Paypal.
We found these 54 baseball maracas available for $14.00!
This unique Website specializes in recycling, reusing and re-enjoying party favors, decorations, paper goods, and even party clothes and some costume jewelry.
World-renowned event production and design company, Colin Cowie Lifestyle, is a registered seller on the site making available to people all across the country amazing items from his high-profile events. “After every party we’re always left with an inventory of amazing things; finally with Event Leftovers, instead of packing them up and storing them in our warehouse, someone else can enjoy them at their party,” explains Cowie. Not a bad deal!
Event Leftovers is for both event professionals (event planners, florists, venues, party stores, and nonprofessionals (anyone that is organizing a Mitzvah party for themselves, family or friends).
Check it out here!
December 12th, 2010
Entertainment at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah can be a bit challenging. Wendy Baner aka The Pipe Cleaner Lady is someone who offers unique entertainment that can get all of your guests involved.
Wendy turns ordinary pipe cleaners into wild, kid-centric art. From Martha Stewart to Donna Karan to regular fashionistas, everyone is crazy about Wendy.
If you’ve got crafty kids, you’ll want to track this designing diva down.
Wendy is like a balloon artist who twists and ties pipe cleaners to create everything from rings to crowns to flip flops to footballs to monkeys and more! She comes to your party with her cart of pipe cleaner fun and can handle parties large and small.
Wendy and Donna Karan at an event, check out Donna’s ring
A Bat Mitzvah girl in her tiara made by Wendy!
She has creations for boys and girls
Cool peace sign necklaces!
For more information, visit her Website.
December 8th, 2010
Nick Lowinger, a 7th grader from Cranston, Rhode Island knew exactly what to do for his Mitzvah Project after visiting a shelter with his Mom Lori, an art therapist. He was very taken by all the kids he met and how little they had.
During his visit, one boy asked for boots and Nick gave him the ones he was wearing. It was the boy’s first pair of winter boots and it motivated Nick to keep giving.
Nick and his family started, Gotta Have Sole, a foundation that delivers brand-new sneakers and shoes to children, from infancy through age 17 who are living in homeless shelters. Currently all of the shelters are in Rhode Island, but plans are to expand into neighboring states in the near future.
Their foundation has received shoe donations from Ed Hardy and Stuart Weitzman and uses the family’s garage as a shoe store. In just under a year, Lowinger has received more than $18,000 in monetary and shoe donations and just celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in November – now he is really a Sole Man!!
The Lowinger garage has been taken over by their foundation, Gotta Have Sole
We spoke to Nick about his Mitzvah Project to learn more:
MM: Can you give us details about your Mitzvah Project?
NL: The Gotta Have Sole Foundation started a year ago and donates new shoes to children at homeless shelters. We have already given 250 pairs of shoes away this year. Most people donate used shoes to shelters. While these shoes provide adequate shoe covering, everyone wears out their shoes differently, and therefore these are not the best fit for someone else. I wanted to try and provide new shoes and sneakers so children can break them in, and this will be a much better for them. Gotta Have Sole is currently working with five shelters, including the Rhode Island Family Shelter and the Women’s Center in Providence. Shelters will call or e-mail and tell us what they need.
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project?
NL: When I was 5 years old, I began going to shelters with my mother where she worked as an art therapist. I saw kids without shoes and went home to collect all of my gently used clothing and shoes to bring back to the shelter. A little boy took a pair of my shoes that were much too big for him, but he was so happy anyway because they were his first pair of shoes. I wished I had had his correct size. To this day I continue to donate my gently used clothing to area shelters. But, when selecting a Bar Mitzvah project, I remembered that experience with the little boy and knew that donating brand-new shoes to homeless children was what I wanted to do. Brand-new shoes allow children to break in the shoes themselves and can also help kids feel better about themselves. Since I did not want to stop this after I became a Bar Mitzvah, I looked into incorporating it as a non-profit business. I am proud to add that Gotta Have Sole is also a 501(c)3 public charity with tax-exempt status.
Nick carrying his donations
MM: If it involves a donation, what are you doing to spread the word?
NL: Gotta Have Sole Foundation, Inc. has a Facebook fanpage with over 450 fans. I post updates a few times a week so people can see what I have been doing. I have been interviewed by 3 local newspapers here in Rhode Island, as well by students from my former school, and have made presentations to my Temple’s congregation and Sunday school classes and my Middle School. I have also written many letters to corporations and have called many shoe manufacturers for donations. Gotta Have Sole is currently putting together a Website.
MM: Does your project have a start and end date, if so what are they?:
NL: I started this project in February 2010, when I opened Gotta Have Sole Foundation as a non-profit company. There is no end date for this project as I expect to be donating new footwear to kids throughout my lifetime. During this school year I hope to organize a walk-a-thon or some other event where I hope to get a lot of people from my temple, my neighborhood, and my school to participate. My goal is to have each person walking in the walk-a-thon to either get sponsors who will donate dollars for the amount of laps/miles the person walks, or that each person will bring with them to the walk-a-thon a brand-new pair of sneakers or shoes. There is also a concert being planned and I hope that people attending will either donate monetarily, or donate brand-new footwear.
MM: In your own words, what does it mean to you to do a Mitzvah Project for your Bar Mitzvah?
NL: I think it is very important for kids to give back to their communities and to pick something they feel passionate about. Including Mitzvah Projects as part of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience helps kids figure out what is important to them. Kids have great ideas and can make a difference in the world. Picking a Mitzvah Project that has helped so many children has been extremely rewarding for me and it has also been a great learning experience.
If you would like more information about Gotta Have Sole Foundation or to make a monetary or product donation, please contact Nick at gottahavesole@gmail.com.
We would like to thank Nick and his Mom Lori for sharing this amazing project with our Mitzvah Market readers.
December 8th, 2010
People are so clever!
Live from Ann Arbor, Michigan…it’s Saturday Nat Live (short for Natalie). This Bat Mitzvah girl is a fan of NBC’s long running hit, Saturday Night Live.
Using posters to get the SNL feel, photographer Abby Rose captured it all. Party planner Leslie Jacobs put all the incredible details together for one wild and crazy night! The venue was The Reserve, floral design was Fleur Tech Design and the graphics were done by Mandell Display Group.
Months before her party, Natalie did a fun photo shoot in the style of the famous Mary Ellen Matthews, who shots the SNL cast. These photos were incorporated into the decor of her party!
Cute!
Notice a new cast member in this poster?
Entrance to the VIP lounge
The theme continues on the tables
The glass centerpieces were filled with pictures of SNL characters from the past and present
They even had their own Mr. Bill puppet…and
No party is complete without a Betty White cut-out!
Thanks to Abby Rose Photography for sharing such a clever Bat Mitzvah theme with Mitzvah Market!
December 1st, 2010
The Mitzvah Market team attended the 10th Biz Bash Expo in New York a few weeks ago.
BizBash is one of the largest gatherings of the event planners in the United States and we knew we had to be there to bring our readers the latest in decor, entertainment, tabletop couture, invitations and cuisine from the show.
One of our favorite Mitzvah Finds was the strolling tables from Screaming Queens Entertainment. These “live tables” have made appearances on popular television shows such as Whose Wedding is it Anyway?, My Fair Wedding, and MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen.
Your guests will never forget having elegantly dressed human tables which you can use for displaying place cards, desserts, party favors, or hors d’ouevres. See some pictures below:
To see more pictures of strolling tables, click here.
November 17th, 2010
Event Planner Linzi Etzion of Linzi Events in South Florida planned the Bar Mitzvah of a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan at the Diplomat Resort in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
Her challenge was to incorporate a great football theme for the Bar Mitzvah boy and his dad while at the same time making the Mitzvah Mom happy with beautiful flowers and gorgeous linens. Together with Jon Buick, designer from Xquisite Events, the decor was designed with beautiful florals for Mom and lots of football themed decor with the Dolphins colors of orange and teal. We think she scored a touchdown! Photography is courtesy of Lena Isely Photography.
This beautiful arrangement on the place card table consisted of orange orchids and roses in an eclectic arrangement of leaf wrapped vases
The room looks great and was designed with royal tables and custom made teal pintuck linens from Over the Top Linens and silver chivari chairs with orange bengaline chair pads from Panache, a classic party rental company
Football centerpiece, love it!
This could be one of our 10 ten favorite ideas…bleachers for the kids!
The kids section was filled with football signage and fatheads
A logo was designed by Linzi Events for the Bar Mitzvah boy which was carried through the party and used for the table numbers
Customized and in keeping with the theme, T-shirts which were given out as favors to the young guests
Of course the adults got a treat too. They all received mini cupcakes from Cupcake Couture Sweet Boutique in Delray beach
To learn more about Linzi Events, visit their Website.
