Holiday Boutique

Temple Sholom of Scotch Plains will host its annual Holiday Boutique on Sunday, November 18, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm, where shoppers can find Thanksgiving host gifts, teacher gifts and winter holiday presents.

Treat yourself and find gifts for family and friends. You also can enjoy breakfast and lunch with a sweet treat from Soul Bowls, a savory snack from Falafel Eats, and burritos and tamales from Mexi-Boys.

Open to the public, the boutique features one-of-a-kind local artisans including:

Jams by Kim – After her departure from a major financial services firm nine years ago, Kim Osterhoudt started making delicious artisanal jams. She exclaims “The thing that I enjoy most about my business is the freedom to create new and unique flavor combinations like my blueberry lemon jam, strawberry banana jam, carrot ginger jam, and roasted garlic and sweet onion jam.”

Peace Love Light – After years of searching for stylish, contemporary Chanukah decorations, interior designer Lisa Fero decided to make her own. She now employs artisans across the US and Israel to skillfully craft decorations that honor Jewish traditions while focusing on a modern color palette and current design trends.

Halma Geomaps – Owned by Zachary Halma, a Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School graduate and current NJIT civil engineering student, Halma Geomaps combines Zachary’s passion for art and engineering, along with his desire to create unique, affordable gifts. In creating specialized maps of any and every location, Zachary states that his goal is to “emphasize that, although we all reside in remote areas, which hinders our daily intimacy, we are still united by a common visual symbol.”

T-Shirt Pillow Lady – Now celebrating the first anniversary of her business, Chiara Siliato of Cranford started making pillows out of t-shirts as sentimental gifts for her relatives. They loved her work so much that they convinced her to start a business. She uses t-shirts, ties, towels (think baby clothes, college t-shirts) and turns them into truly personal gifts for birthdays, graduations and holidays.

Gimme Sugar Bake Shop – Indulge in a sweet treat from Gimme Sugar Bake Shop. Owner Dyanna Rau of Westfield fell in love with cookie-baking and decorating after taking a class a few years ago. She searches high and low for unique molds and design tools, enabling her to create endless possibilities in terms of shape and color. Her cookies are not only beautiful, but delicious. Her booth will feature sample cookie platters for Thanksgiving. She is ready to take an order for your next special occasion.

Match Point Stationery – Owner Barbra Kogan has been designing personalized stationery items such as note cards, address stampers, stickers, clipboards and acrylic items for the last 10 years. She also designs specialized invitations for bar/bat mitzvahs and other significant life cycle events, making the event planning process fun and easy for busy parents. Barbra will have some non-personalized items at the boutique and is available to consult on one-of-a-kind designs.

Some of the additional new and unique artisans and local businesses include Cassava Handcrafted Bath and Body (handmade soaps, lotions, butters, lip balms), Bling it Up (trendy accessories, jewelry, hats, gloves, scarves, handbags), Venezuelan ArtisanWare (handmade wooden kitchenware, art, & textiles), Floppy Ear Pottery (handmade pottery), Bubble Wrap Clothing Designs (women’s & children’s apparel & accessories), The Painted Flame (handpoured soy wax candles), Judaica Gallery (Shabbat candles, challah covers, tallit, décor), Remy’s Gems (handcrafted jewelry & accessories), Jojo’s Bags and Things (handbags, clothing, picture frames, gifts), IndiviJewel Designs (one of a kind handcrafted jewelry designs), Designed by Js Bowtique (hair bows & bow ties), Cathee’s Creations (handcrafted jewelry), and Steven’s Handicrafts (woven belts and scarves).

Admission to the Holiday Boutique is free and open to the public at Temple Sholom, 1925 Lake Ave, Scotch Plains, NJ. The event supports Temple Sholom’s educational programs.

About Temple Sholom

Founded in 1913, Temple Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation led by Rabbi Joel N. Abraham and Cantor Darcie Sharlein. The Temple and its religious school are home to about 250 families from the greater Scotch Plains-Fanwood area. The congregation is located at 1925 Lake Avenue in Scotch Plains. Temple Sholom is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. It has recently become the first synagogue in Union County, NJ, to offer a voluntary membership contribution model. For more information about the temple or joining the congregation, please call 908-889-4900, e-mail sholom@sholomnj.org or visit www.sholomnj.org.