Chalkboard paint jars as a mini Purim basket

All you need to make your own chalkboard paint jars is chalkboard paint, painter's tape, and chalk. Not only will your jars be quickly reusable, you'll easily be able to distinguish between your friends mini Purim baskets, and the hamantaschen you have stored in your jars. You'll have the cutest mini baskets jars to add at your Purim baskets ideas.

tools:
foam paint brush
painters' / masking tape
straight-edged blade

materials:
clean glass jars
chalkboard paint

Clear box Purim basket

A clear box with compartments is repurposed as a mishloach manot to hold a variety of little sweet and food to give away for Purim.

 Box cover pattern 1

 box cover pattern 2

Paper Mishloach Manot

Paper baskets are useful around the house and make great gifts. They can be made using materials you already have and are a fun and easy craft for any age

  Prepare strips of paper to weave your basket. Use three sheets of 8.5" x 11" construction paper. On the sheet of paper to become the base of your basket, draw a horizontal line 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) from the top and another one 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) from the bottom. These lines will help when laying out the base. Then cut the paper lengthwise into strips .5" wide. Choose one sheet of a neutral color of construction paper like brown, black, or white. This will be the base of your basket. The other two sheets can be any color of your choice. This will form the decorative sides of your basket. 

Purim paper boxes

Easy to make this small paper box can be put in your Purim basket filled with candies or dried fruits.
Just print, cut and fold...colour the Purim characters if you like.

 

 TEMPLATE

 

Download the template

 Purim milk box

 TEMPLATE

 

download the template

Striped gold and blue milk bottle

..."He Brought Me to the House of Wine”
Ten different feasts are mentioned in Megillat Esther, each characterizing a significant stage in the development of the plot and the message that the Megilla tries to convey.
Feast celebrating the coronation of Esther (2:17-18):
And he placed the royal crown on her head and coronated her in place of Vashti;
And the King made a great feast for all his ministers and servants;
And he granted a remission of taxes to the provinces;
…In accordance with the King's bounty.

Upcycle a milk bottle to create a luxury bottle for the King's feast and to decorate your Purim festive table.
If you have some glass milk bottles put them together and re-purpose them into luxury persian bottles…
What you will need:
Glass milk bottles.
Gold spray paint and light blue spray paint ,use a Quick Dry paint ,it really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with.
Masking Tape
Wrap the masking tape around the milk bottle to mask off the areas you would like to be clear. If you want smaller stripes you could always cut your masking tape in half.
With the bottle standing up spray the entire surface area with gold spray paint.
Wait until the spray paint is completely dry and peel away the masking tape.
Do the same now with the blue paint covering the gold stripes.
Glue some glittered , gold trimmings between the stripes

What you will need:

What you will need:

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

 

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpu

Feasting and Fasting in Megillat Esther .  By Rav Yonatan Grossman
Let us review briefly these ten feasts and , based on them , the development of the Megilla: 

Purim:the story of Esther

The heroine of the book named for her, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in exile in the Persian diaspora, who through her youth and beauty becomes queen of the Persian Empire, and then by her wits and courage saves the Jewish people from destruction. The message of the Book of Esther, written in the diaspora in the late Persian, early Hellenistic period (fourth century b.c.e.), gives encouragement to the exiled Jews that they, although powerless in the Persian Empire, can, by their resourcefulness and talents, not only survive but prosper, as does Esther.
Esther first appears in the story as one of the young virgins collected into the king’s harem as possible replacements for Vashti, the banished wife of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, reigned 485 - 465 b.c.e.). She is identified as the daughter of Avihail (Esth 2:15) and the cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, from the tribe of Benjamin (Esth 2:5 -7). Not much is revealed about her character, but she is described as beautiful (2:7) and obedient (2:10), and she appears to be pliant and cooperative. She quickly wins the favor of the chief eunuch, Hegai, and, when her turn comes to spend the night with the king, Ahasuerus falls in love with her and makes her his queen. All this takes place while Esther keeps her Jewish identity secret (Esth 2:10, 20).

Make this little paper  theatre to tell the story of brave Esther.

Download the PDF template theatre and puppets at THE TOY MAKER.COM

read more at Esther: Midrash and Aggadah
keep reading the story of Esther

Gragger and Meghillat case

Purim is just around the corner, and my children wanted a gragger and meghillat case project to do all by themselves... and they did it!!

While the one my kids did is a simple revisited noisemaker let's spend Jìjust few words about the "dragger".
A ratchet, also called a noisemaker (or, when used in Judaism, a gragger or grogger (etymologically from Yiddish: גראַגער‎) or ra'ashan (Hebrew: רעשן‎)), is an orchestral musical instrument played by percussionists. Operating on the principle of the ratchet device, a gearwheel and a stiff board is mounted on a handle, which rotates freely.
The player holds the handle and swings the whole mechanism around. The momentum makes the board click against the gearwheel, producing a clicking and rattling noise. A popular design consists of a thick wooden cog wheel attached to a handle and two wooden flanges that alternately hit the teeth of the cog when the handle turns. Alternatively, smaller ratchets are sometimes held still or mounted and the handle turned rapidly by the player. The mounted ratchets allow for greater control of the duration and timing of the sound. This allows the ratchet to be used like a snare drum, placing sustained rolls in precise durations of time. Dynamics are controlled by the rate at which the ratchet is rotated.

Purim gragger greeting cards

FREE PRINTABLES

Download the cards HERE

Since this is a story about a gragger, it is of course a Purim story.
One Purim many, many years ago, in the little town of Vardik, in far-off Russia, everyone was very sad and worried. Instead of looking forward to the gaiety of the holiday, they were afraid that their entire Jewish community would be destroyed. It almost seemed like the times of the first Purim--that's how great the danger was.

Homemade on a budget ideas to put in your Purim basket

Mishloach manot, which means the “sending of portions” in Hebrew, are gifts of food and drink that Jews send to each other during the holiday of Purim. Sending mishloach manot is a mitzvah that is meant to ensure that everyone has enough food to enjoy the traditional Purim feast. It is also thought of as an opportunity to strengthen relationships between people. What better way to show someone you’ve thought about them during the holiday than by putting some homemade packaged food items in your Purim baskets? 

Dried figs cotton bag

Mint tea jar

Mishloach Manot Ideas and Inspiration 1

It's ADAR II!
Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar and is the most fun-filled, action-packed day of the Jewish year. It commemorates our nation’s miraculous salvation more than two millennia ago.
On Purim, we emphasize the importance of friendship and community by sending gifts of food to friends.
On Purim day, March 24, send a package containing at least two different ready-to-eat food items and/or beverages to at least one Jewish acquaintance during the daylight hours of Purim. Men send to men and women to women.
It is preferable that the gifts be delivered via a third party. Children, in addition to sending their own gifts of food to their friends, make enthusiastic messengers.
 So many mishloach manot in mind... so little time. It is a shame we onlysend mishloach manot  once a year ! I’ve been collecting some ideas for Purim Baskets on my Pinterest Board. On the board you can find cute DIY ideas for themes as well as packaging even if not all examples show the correct halachos of mishloach manot.
Infact the main points regarding what can be included are:
Two different foods (or drink) should be included.
The foods or drink should not require preparation, meaning they are ready to eat.
To be sure AISH has a great summary of the rest of the Laws of Mishloach Manot but as always, consult your rabbi for the correct customs of your community.

How did Haman get the news across 120 countries?  He used couriers of course!  This Mishloach Manot goes back in time with an ancient looking map.  To get the look, wrap a map paper or book map around  a 2" paper tube. You can fill the tube with any candy or chocolates you want.  A cute horse cookie and ribbon adds a nice finishing touch.

Tissue fish craft for the month of Adar and Purim

Make these colorful tissue fish decorations for Adar or add them to your Purim baskets. They are perfect for under-the-sea Adar and Purim fun!
Hang these tropical swimmers from the ceiling at your home or at a themed party for a neat Adar look.

Fishes decorations for the month of Adar

The Jewish month of Adar begins this Friday, February 20, 2015. Known as a month of celebration and happiness, Adar contains the joyous holiday of Purim that takes place mid-month. Purim, however, isn’t the only thing that makes Adar special.
The zodiacal sign (mazal) for Adar is Pisces, or dagim in Hebrew. In Jewish tradition, fish are a sign of blessing and fruitfulness. Also, just as fish live in water, the Jewish people thrive when immersed in the Torah, which is compared to life-giving water. 

I got the inspiration for the fish shaped tags from Creative Jewish Mom

Shemot - Egyptian paper doll

The children of Israel multiply in Egypt. Threatened by their growing numbers, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew babies into the Nile.
A child is born to Yocheved, the daughter of Levi, and her husband, Amram, and placed in a basket on the river, while the baby’s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son, and names him Moses.

Egyptian Paper Doll

 find the paper doll template at   amstamps.com

Parashah cards 2

Each card features a drawing portraying a major topic discussed in the Parashah. It also includes information such as the number Parashah it is in the Torah, the number of Mitzvos the Parashah contains and the number of Pesukim, words and letters of which the Parashah is comprised. Utilize these cards to help  recall the names of the Parashot, the order in which they are read, the main events occurring in each Parashah and more! 
Why don't distribute the cards as a behavioral incentive or as a gift L’chvod Shabbos each week... From chinuch.org 

 Download the cards and instruction here

Terumah - Water color on paper

G‑d commands the Israelites to build a Tabernacle. He provides the exact details of how to construct it, and how to build the different instruments and vessels which were used therein.
On the summit of Mount Sinai, Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this dwelling for G‑d so that it could be readily dismantled, transported and reassembled as the people journeyed in the desert. 

Echelon Art Gallery
Oil Paintings, Prints, Drawings and Water Colors

Title: Terumah

Medium: Water Color on Paper

Drew Kopf
February 2009 – Shevat 5769

Original: private collection, Chicago, IL; gift of the artist.