Shana tova!

This year Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, starts at sundown today, Sept. 18. I'm not Jewish, but I think it's important, this year especially, for everyone to learn and understand more about other cultures, races, and religions. So I decided to make a Rosh Hashanah card to send to one of my Instagram friends.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fall Fun, Make a Difference (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Gumball Green, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Layering Mini Stencils Set 40 (Stampers Anonymous), Nested Banners dies (Simon Says Stamp), jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), blender brush (Picket Fence Studios), Box of Chocolate sequins (Craft Medley), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

Since I don't have any specific stamps related to Rosh Hashanah, I had to look through my supplies to see what would work. I learned that apples and honey are common symbols of Rosh Hashanah to symbolize wishes for a sweet year, so I kept that in mind.

I thought I had a large apple stamp, but after multiple searches through my stamp bins and boxes, this was the best one I could find. (I must have given away or sold the other set.) The woodcut style wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I made it work! I used markers to apply ink to the stamp since I wanted the stem and apple to be different colors. I stamped several red, yellow, and green apples and then cut them out by hand.

I don't have any stamps that include images of honey or honey pots, although I do have quite a few bees. But I wanted a monochromatic pattern for the background, so I decided to use honeycombs instead. I have a honeycomb stencil, but it is a narrow tag-size stencil, so to create this background I positioned the stencil at one side of the white card base, applied ink with a blender brush, then moved the stencil and applied more ink. I repeated that process until I was happy with the background, and then I used a marker to doodle a frame.

To make the sentiment, I chose one of my alphabet sets and spelled out "shana tova," which means "good year" in Hebrew. I die cut the sentiment with a small banner die and used foam tape to adhere it to the card base. Then I added the apples, some with foam tape and some glued directly to the card. I added a twine bow to the stem of one of the apples and finished off with a few brown sequins.

If you celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I wish you a sweet new year filled with joy, peace, and good health. Thanks for stopping by!