Woman's program ideas
Below are a list of programs Ideas, further down has the breakdown of what's needed for specific activities and events (based on what has been collected so far).
Spa for the Body and Soul
DIY Scrub Bar
Professional Massages (10-minute sessions)
Natural Health Table
Inspirational and Educational Events
Guest Speaker
Rosh Chodesh Society (Monthly classes with JLI curriculum) RCS website
Jewish Movie Night
Kabbalah Yoga
Share and Sell Boutique
Personal Organizer
Interior Design
Dance Night/Class with an Instructor
Creative Workshops
Wood Burning Program
Challah Bake
Menorah Craft
Scented Candles
Floral Arrangements Canva link for tips
Paint Night (Paint by Numbers)
Tambourine Decorating Tambourine Event in a Box
Glass Fused Mezuzah Cases (Kits from a glass artist)
Ceramic Seder Plates
Succulent Terrarium
Silk Challah Covers
Mosaic Challah Boards
Table Settings/Decor
Scrapbooking-Card Making
Ceramics (Candlesticks, Seder Plates, Kiddush Cup)
Mirror Etching
Stained Glass Art
Jewelry Making
Kippah Decorating
Cooking and Food-Related Activities
Hamantashen Bake
Blintzes Making
Sushi Making (Including sushi chef)
Focaccia Art
Cooking Demos (Holiday and healthy gourmet)
Chocaholic Delights
Fruit Carving
Cake Decorating
Shabbos in an Hour
Cheese Cake Making
Latka Bake-Off
Dessert Making
Honey Cakes
Nutrition and Food Demo
Spectacular Salad Demo
Donut Making
Glass Challah Board
Tastings and Social Events
Oil for Eating (Olive oil tasting with gourmet store)
Wine and Cheese Tasting
Menorahs & Martinis
Wine and Paint Night
Game Night and Sushi (Classic games with sushi chef)
Chanukah Gift Exchange
Fitness and Wellness
Fitness Drive
Spa for the body and soul
Guest speaker talking about power of Jewish Women.
DIY Scrub Bar
Professional giving 10 minute massages
Natural health table - focused on 4 cool ingredients that have powerful healing properties. What they help with and how to use etc. Had samples of these things to try.
Food
Rosh Chodesh Society
RCS is an inspirational network for all Jewish women, providing monthly class.
Jli has a curriculum for it
Herbal oils
Supplies:
Glass bottles, tall skinny ones are a pain to dry out but look much prettier. It's a relatively quick project so would suggest 2 per person. Ideally a cork closure otherwise a screw cap, best not to use the one with a spout. If you use cork and want to get very fancy, you can get sealing wax and they can dip the closed bottle into it, but then you'll probably also need mallet or something so they can bang the cork all the way in.
Olive oil to fill all the bottles
Funnels make filling the bottles much easier and less messy (make sure they're not too wide for your bottles)
Herbs and spices, these need to be dried to prevent botulism but dried herbs from the store don't look pretty in the bottles so you'll want to buy fresh and dry them out, either in a dehydrator, an oven on low for a few hours, or you can do in the microwave for a few min, I did oven so don't know timings for the others.
Garlic looks and sounds nice but unless they're doing just for decor I would steer away as has a higher chance of botulism forming. Red chili peppers look nice dried, you might be able to buy these dried or dry them yourself, they do take longer than the herbs, just make sure you get ones thin enough to fit in the bottles
For herbs,. Rosemary, thyme, tarragon, mint, basil, dill, lemongrass, chive.
Other spices were, whole chili peppers, dried lemon rind, cardamon pods, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, cumin seeds.
They put in their herbs and spices and then fill the bottle with oil and seal. I gave them coloured twine, card tags and coloured pens so they could write what was in each one and tie it around the neck of the bottle.
I gave them these cards to take home with aftercare instructions. (I didn't do vinegar, got the original instructions from another shlucha)
Oil for eating
"I did an olive oil tasting with a gourmet olive oil store. It was fantastic. They brought several oils that were under hashgacha and we passed each type around and we served each with a different
artisan breads & cheese & we discussed each one , and we had wine. Then everyone had the opportunity to purchase the gourmet oils for chanukah gifts.
. There's ways where up don't have to do it for weeks (using heat).
Either way, you need the herbs to be super dry so no bacteria gets in etc etc. If it's to use for the week, you can do it if for long term, it seems more complicated"
Wood Burning Program
scorch pens with heat gun. Much easier, quicker and looks almost as nice.
Basically need one per person , they're doing something small or not doing a lot of decorating as it's quite time consuming. When I did challah boards some of my women stayed for 3+ hours...
Floral Arrangements
floral arrangements without hiring a florist, Scroll on insta for a bit.. give it a try for a few times and you'll be a pro.
Learn how to use floral sponge/oasis - elevates every bouquet
Got vases from dollar tree, choice of short/wide or tall/narrow.
Bought a variety of flowers from TJ that all looked together, so no matter what combo they would choose it would look cohesive and beautiful.
Gave a few pointers and tips before we started and then very one just worked and did their own thing.
If you don’t have practice/enjoy making your own arrangements then I would definitely do some practice alone before leading it.
Paint by Numbers
So affordable, great for people who enjoy crafting but are less creative, and relaxing for the creatives who want to be able to chat while painting.
Click Here for the link to the paint by numbers kit.
There are two floral options as well that seem doable (the city scenes are too detailed for an event, more of a long term project).
paint night without an instructor,
used carbon paper to trace in on to the canvas
If using a instructor ask her to do a more simple picture so it will take shorter, and some people will end up staying longer to perfect their artwork
Scented Candles:
Supplies
Candles-
Candle holders-Amazon
popsicle sticks for mixing
Wicks, glue dots, wick holders-Amazon
wicks- Amazon
Glue dots-Amazon
wick holders-Amazon
stickers-Amazon
Sticker Design- Canva
Wax Heaters/ warmers- Electric Wax Melter Vevor or can use sternos
Wax-Amazon
Cups for mixing- Amazon
Scents- Amazon (got a variety of 7-8 diff ones)
Additional supplies
Pens to fill out stickers with scent
Scissors to snip wicks
To make candles, start by setting up your workspace with all necessary materials, including wax, color, scent, a glass container, wicks, and a double boiler. Secure the wick in the center of the glass container using glue dots to keep it stable. Place the wax in the double boiler over low heat and let it melt fully. Once melted, allow the wax to cool slightly, ideally to around 65°C (150°F), before adding scent and color; this ensures that the fragrance holds well when the candle is lit. Stir gently to incorporate the color and scent, taking care not to create bubbles.
Prepare the glass container by warming it slightly, which helps prevent clouding or cracking as the wax cools. Pour most of the melted wax into the container, leaving a small amount aside for later. Let the candle cool in a draft-free area to prevent cracking. After about 20-30 minutes, if a dip forms in the center as it cools, reheat the reserved wax and pour it over the top to fill in the dip, or use a heat gun to smooth the top layer. Finally, allow the candle to set completely for 12-24 hours before trimming the wick.
A few extra tips: avoid overheating the wax, as excessively high temperatures can cause smoking or even ignition. Since some fragrance oils can be sticky, transferring them to easy-to-open containers, like condiment containers, can make handling easier if the original packaging is hard to open.
Tambourines
You can now order the entire “Tambourine Event in a Box.” It comes with all you need, from a video tutorial to beautifully packaged assortment of gems, moss, flowers etc. that you can just unwrap and place on your table! No need to spend time ordering, guessing, testing and planning. Show up like a guest. All you need is literally a tablecloth.
Link to order
Glass Fused Mezuzah Cases
A glass artist shipped me all the glass and supplies needed and sent a video demonstrating the simple process. The tittle of the event was super attractive and I had so many women I've never met before join. Once the mezzuzahs arrived back, so many participants wanted to purchase mezzuzahs for their homes, so BH lots of new mezuzahs up in town! The glass artist would like me to spread the word and will give our Chabad House a kickback so please mention my name when you speak to her, Mashie Goldshmid
walked into a local glass fusing place, that I found online, we figured out the dimensions for the glass and she gave me enough kits for all the women who reserved. It worked out great and was half price.
Color Palette
There are lubavichers that could do it or you can try to find a local, that might be hard to find
Find out what are the best colors for you with a color makeover
Speak about the kabbalistic aspect of diff colors (did it during sefiras haomer as an event before shavuos during covid). Some connected to it more, others less..
Game night and sushi
had a few classic games and ppl brought their own and I got a sushi chef to come to my house to make a few platters
Stained Glass Art
- There is a woman in Lakewood who does this professionally, she ran a wonderful workshop at the Yaldei retreat - that's where we met. I hired her for Chanukah but she couldn't make it so I learned how to do this on my own while she provided supplies- it's really simple, easy and fun. You can reach out to her on instagram- @create.factory.us - Sarah Lankry. She can also instruct via ZOOM. Just call to confirm the day before your event.
B- If you want to do this on your own, here's what you need:
Alcohol ink, metallic pigments, sealant, 99 percent alcohol, droppers, straws, and a glass tray. You need little foam or clear stoppers to elevate your tray.
I'll post links in comments.
Watch tutorials on You Tube, it will take you ten minutes to learn!
How To - Rub alcohol on both sides of the surface.
Note:You will create your art on ONE side of the glass, when finished, you will turn the glass over so make sure that the colors that are poured first prior to layering are the ones you want seen.
Have your participants create a color scheme, choose pigment inks, and 1-2 metallic inks to create that wow factor.
Create abstract design by pouring inks lightly, blending colors by blowing air out of straw, tilting glass. Lighten pigments by dropping alcohol on top of pigments. The pigments are usually highly concentrated. For stained glass transparent effect, you will need to lighten colors with alcohol. Give abt 20 minutes to dry.
Spray sealant on colored side only. Wait another 10 minutes to dry. You can add another coat.
Place clear rubber stoppers on colored side. Flip tray over, clean residue with alcohol and enjoy your art.
C- The sealant DOES wear off. I used my glass tray for a challah board, make sure your cleaning help doesn't pop it in the dishwasher or rinse. Tell your participants to be gentle with cleaning to preserve their design.
UPDATE: -Some trial and error learning pieces and details - Not to make this complex, it really is easy an easy craft, but some helpful tidbits:
Make sure your plate SIZE can accommodate the small seder item bowls.
Target has the perfect size one - just know that there is a slight dip in the center which creates an ink well so be cognizant of that when applying the alcohol. I'll post link in comments.
-Use white tablecloth beneath the plates so you can see how the ink adheres to the glass.
-You don't need the foam stoppers if you are working off a circular plate.
- Provide aprons and also protect your surfaces well. Ink washes off with alcohol or soap in most cases but some pigments stain.
-Some inks bottles need to have their applicators unclogged with either needles or scissors.
-Sealant should be sprayed outdoors. The fumes are heavy.
-Purchase bubble wrap for transporting these home.
If you’re looking to do a cheaper version, you can buy picture frames and do it on that glass piece - but you can’t use those as serving ware…