celebrate
a guide to simchahs
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down to a science!
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reunions, holiday parties and more!
With more than 110,000 square feet of scientific
exploration and event space, the Michigan
Science Center accommodates groups of 20 to
2,000 for casual and elegant events.
rentals@Mi-Sci.org
or call 313.577.8400, ext. 442,
for more information.
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Affordable fun that's sure to thrill every guest on your invitation list!
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celebrate! I
March 2013
•
Carolyn Morris, her son Sam and Pam Smith work on making yads.
Meaimigiut Vlementos
Custom yads make great mitzvah gifts.
Suzanne Chessler
I
Contributing Writer
A
ndrea Gold likes to select gifts that hold personalized meaning
over time.
When she was invited to the bar mitzvah of Zachary
Felsenfeld, the son of longtime friends, Gold had an idea of what he
would appreciate and why it would be important for the gift to be
received early.
Gold turned to another longtime friend, Carolyn Morris, to design an
individualized yad, a Torah pointer specifically planned for Zachary. Gold
made sure it arrived so that he could use it during his bar mitzvah ser-
vices.
Morris, co-owner of the area-based business Bead Your Moment, taps
into the talents of local and Israeli artisans to craft commemorative
Judaica and jewelry.
Handmade beads become the focal point of each piece. The beads are
formed from celebratory paper products and materials, such as party invi-
tations and ribbons.
The beads, which go through a hardening and polishing process, can
spell out names, enumerate dates and offer pictures as adornments on a
variety of items.
"I think the yad is so cool, and I will keep it forever," says Zachary, a
seventh-grader at Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills. "The beads
show my name in English and Hebrew and have the date of my bar mitz-
vah. The colors are blue, my favorite, and green, which looks good, like
jadestone."
This is not the first time Gold has given a personalized yad as a gift.
When her family was invited to an out-of-town bat mitzvah that could
not be attended, a yad was sent and a cherished thank-you note received.
"When I'm invited to a special event that honors a person important
to my family, I look for something different that can become a keepsake,"
says Gold of Novi. "I'm so glad that both young people liked what I chose
for them, and I certainly would give yads again."
Morris, who recently began making yads, has set up a business partner-
ship with Pam Smith. They work out of their homes and can be reached
by calling (248) 505-6269 or visiting www.beadyourmoment.com .
"Pam and I started making beads three years ago, after seeing beads
made of paper displayed at an art fair," Morris of West Bloomfield says of
the beginning of their partnership.
"With my background in art therapy and Pam's background in special
education, we talked about making beads that would hold attachments
for certain occasions.
continued on page C38