In 2022, the sisterhood board of Darchei Noam of Fair Lawn, New Jersey sat around a table brainstorming ideas for their sisterhood pre-Shavuot event. Lisa Pasternak, an animation and media specialist and sisterhood board member, had been following the rise of Resin Art on the internet and suggested a “Make Your Own Resin Art” workshop. Resin art is the process of mixing liquid resin with a hardener. You can color the resin with mica powders or lay out pressed flowers. Then the liquid is poured into a mold or over wood, where it chemically reacts and hardens into a glossy, acrylic-like plastic. Lisa had watched hundreds of videos of artists making incredible resin projects for their home and was eager to try it herself. This was the perfect opportunity. She not only suggested the idea, she volunteered to jump in and lead the workshop once she taught herself how to do it. It turned out to be the beginning of a new chapter in her life, or as she thinks of it, when she turned over a new leaf.

“My intention wasn’t to start something new. I thought, ‘Let’s do something for the shul and have a great event,’” she recalled. “We had a huge turnout of about 50 women making floral charcuterie boards for Shavuot. Participants posted their projects on Instagram or Facebook and got responses asking for information about who ran the workshop. Then I’d get messages asking if I could run an event for them. I figured if I did it once, I could probably do it again. My second ever workshop was for Yeshivat Noam’s golf event.”

Each time Lisa did a workshop, her skill in working with resin grew and so did her ability to teach others. Her goal was to make sure that everyone made something they could be proud of and had fun while doing it. She was so busy that she decided to continue leading workshops full-time, adding projects like concrete art, candle wax painting, and glass etching. She chose the name “New Leaf Events” to symbolize the powerful transformation of leaving one career behind and embracing the journey of building something entirely her own.

In addition to leading workshops for women’s organizations, Lisa is bringing New Leaf Events to bat mitzvah parties. Girls who prefer an experiential, creative event to a dance party are loving the experience of making beautiful Judaica that really resonates (pun intended) with becoming a bat mitzvah. New Leaf Events workshops have included mezuzah cases, picture frames, trays, coasters, notebooks, challah boards, charcuterie boards and acrylic boxes. Pre-holiday workshops have projects such as Seder plates, apple and honey boards, and pomegranate trays. New Leaf Events workshops are great for team building, teacher appreciation, moms’ night out, couples events, youth events or for any group that enjoys new, creative experiences.

Lisa puts in hours of intense preparation for these workshops, but that’s all behind the scenes. “I love the comments when people come in,” she said. “They’re like, ‘Oh wow, you thought of everything!’” She brings and sets up all the supplies so that each participant walks in and finds their place set up with everything they need, including gloves, apron, cups, a popsicle stick, flowers or colors, and resin. Once the participants are settled in their places, they don’t have to get up at all. Lisa assures the host that all they need to do is make sure the tables and chairs are in place and she will take care of everything else.

Lisa walks around with her hands-free microphone, explaining what everyone will be making and carefully demonstrating each step as they go along. She’s adept at hand-holding so no one is left to figure it out on their own. She makes sure everyone knows what to do and then they can use their creativity to embellish their project however they like. “There are those who want me to tell them what colors to use, and exactly what design to choose. Others want to experiment on their own. I’m here for all of them.” Although each group works on the same project, no two designs are alike. “I love when everyone walks around after looking at all the projects, exclaiming they can’t believe everyone was given the same materials yet each one is unique.” Lisa includes a table at each event with samples from all her workshops to give people ideas.

Each kind of art workshop lends itself to certain projects. Tea lights on a plate are very popular for concrete art workshops. The finish is a matte marble style rather than the bright, shiny projects made with resin. Candle wax painting is another creative workshop. Lisa has Havdala candles custom made for the workshops, along with stencils that she designs. She lines up colored tea lights along the table, and participants use a paint brush dipped in the melted wax to paint on their Havdala candle. Lisa is brimming with ideas. She is planning to add paper cutting and mosaic workshops in the near future, along with any new trend she embraces that she thinks others will enjoy. “I want people to know that when they book New Leaf Events, they can relax, knowing that I will take care of everything, and each guest will leave with a beautiful, personalized project they’ll be proud of.”

For more information about New Leaf Events, follow https://www.instagram.com/newleaf.events. Contact Lisa Pasternak at [email protected].