Crafting Jewish, by Rivky Koenig

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Crafting Jewish
Fun Holiday Crafts and Party Ideas for the Whole Family
By Rivky Koenig
Photography by Jennifer Levy
Shaar Press - Distributed by Mesorah Publications, New York: 2008
ISBN 10: 1-4226-0817-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-4226-0817-3

Reviewed by Auggie Moore - January 29, 2009

Crafting Jewish: Fun Holiday Crafts and Party Ideas for the Whole Family is simply, amazing! This book, written by Rivky Koenig, is organized primarily around the Jewish holidays, with one chapter devoted to everyday crafts. The crafts highlighted in this book run the gamut from cooking and decorating already made items to creating home made items from scratch and creating whimsical costumes for Purim and other occasions. There are more than 120 projects in this book, and they run from the quick-to-do in 10 minutes or less, to longer projects. As well, there are projects for all skill levels, from absolute beginners to experienced crafters. Most important, all the projects in this book are well suited as whole-family projects.

Throughout, Koenig provides complete and easy to follow directions for all the craft projects in this book. Full sized templates for many of the projects can be found at the back of the book. The book is gorgeously illustrated with pictures, taken by Jennifer Levy, which show the completed projects. Koenig has included a handy and detailed product and tool guide that will introduce you to the various types of materials you will need to complete these projects, and the tools you will be using. In addition, handy tips are scattered throughout the book, as are ideas that will help you get your own creative juices flowing.

One of the nicest features of this book, is that for each project, Koenig has provided a check-off list of all the items that you'll need to complete the project. There is nothing worse than being up to your elbows in dough, or with paint all over your hands just to discover that you are missing a key ingredient or tool. Another nice feature is that in addition to providing step-by-step instructions for each project, Koenig has also included an estimated time to completion and any extra time you might need to allocate for extras like drying or baking. She has also included several detailed suggestions on party planning, decorating, set-up, and execution.

Without a doubt, Crafting Jewish is a must for every home with children or an adult with a creative bent. Koenig's instructions are intuitive and easy to follow, and even if you don't think that you have a creative bone in your body, you should have no problem duplicating Koenig's results. In addition, her crafting ideas are unique and the projects fun to complete for the entire family!

Related Reviews:

Kosher by Design: Entertains, by Susie Fishbein.
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Yom Kippur Children's Machzor , by Noam Zimmerman.
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