Dear Readers, no I have not become disoriented as a result of late-night blogging! It's just that as most of you probably know, erev Succos is a very hectic time, and certainly not conducive to creating beautiful works of art (unless you enjoy staying up all night as I have been known to do the day before Succos.) This year, why not get started now, and when Succos rolls around the idea of decorating the Succah will seem like a piece of cake!
Professional designers are used to working under pressure, but the average Mom, who has a huge list of things to do, will most likely plan her family's Succah decor with much greater success when she's not under pressure! Right? (I have a feeling that many mothers leave the Succah decorating to the rest of the family because there simply isn't time. With my push, start now and you can enjoy bringing this wonderful mitzvah to a higher level.)
Enough said! This first post consists of two of the simplest decorations on my list, just to get you warmed up. Start thinking about Succos, and before you know it you'll be in the mood to create a beautiful Succah for your family and friends to enjoy!
For Toilet Paper Roll Flowers You'll Need:
- Toilet paper rolls
- scissors
- string to hang
- Children can decorate flowers with paint, glitter glue, puff paint, pom poms etc.
How To:
So simple that once you get the hang of it you'll wish you'd been saving the rolls all year!
- Wrap a piece of paper that's about .75" wide around the middle of the roll and affix temporarily with tape. (Or use a nice strip of colored paper and leave it on as a colorful accent.)
- Using scissors and following the diagram below, cut on the dotted lines, about 14-15 slits from two sides.
- Worki around the perimeter of the roll, fold back each cut strip to form a flower, see photo.
- Decorate if desired (I like them plain, but maybe a little sparkle would be nice!), attach string and they're ready to hang! I
- If you will have quite a few, you can make a garland of flowers by running a string through the middle of each flower, wrapping string around the center once to secure in place, and adding more flowers along the length of your string.
- You can try this method with other cardboard rolls, but it works the best on thin ones.
- Short on toilet paper rolls? Make your own from cereal box cardboard!
For Festive Paper Lanterns You'll Need:
- heavy weight colored paper
- hole punch (optional)
- scissors and tape or glue
How To:
You can make your lanterns any size and proportion that suits you, take a few moments to experiment!
- Fold a roughly 8"x6" rectangle of colored paper in half
- Draw a fine horizontal line 1" from the bottom, to use as a guide
- Cut roughly 14 evenly spaced slits along the dotted lines as show in diagram above
- Punch holes along bottom 1" if desired (see photo)
- Unfold paper and affix the left edge of the paper to the right edge to form a tube.
- Cut a strip of paper to use as a handle, if desired and hang!
- These lanterns look great strung across a space on a string. Try making tiny ones and string them together with large ones, or keep them all the same size but vary the color.
Note: All decorations made now for Succos should be packed away carefully in a box to avoid damage from dust, light and curious family members!!
