YOUR PLACE AT JEWISH ART GATHERING, SPIRITUALITY AND SPLENDOR.

For more than 30 years, sculptor Rhonda Kap has been creating beautiful handmade art at her home in Cornell, a tiny community just south of Agoura Hills in the shadow of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Crafted from copper and bronze, her work includes large commissioned pieces such as fountains as well as delicately rendered Judaica items, including menorahs, dreidels, kiddush cups and mezuzahs.

``I really love to do this because it's something people use as part of their life and part of their spiritual ritual, and they pass it down to their family,'' says Kap, who studied Judaic arts in California and Israel and currently teaches art to blind and visually impaired adults at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.

``To me, this carries more meaning than a picture on a wall or a piece of furniture that is part of the background. The objects I make carry special meaning.''

This weekend, Kap will be among 30 celebrated artists who will showcase their wares - including jewelry, textiles, pottery, wood, clay and photography - at the 24th annual Festival of Jewish Artisans at Temple Isaiah in West Los Angeles.

The only one of its kind on the West Coast, the event will begin at 8 tonight with a performance by the Los Angeles-based multicultural ensemble Angel City Chorale.

``I love the festival,'' says Kap, who first participated in 1993. ``It's a wonderful gathering of very talented artists from all over the world - it's a place to really promote the artists and to buy something that will become an heirloom for the family.''

Kap's artwork, including her Judaica pieces, will be available at the festival. To see more of her work, visit her Web site at www.rhondakap.com.

- Jaime Spangrude

HARVEST TIME: Adorn your Thanksgiving Day table with this relish dish that has patterns of acorns, apples and pears. The dish is available for $30 from Salutations, 900 Granite Drive, Pasadena, [phone].

- Linda Hutchinson

DESIGNER DISHES: Serve hot butternut squash soup and other festive dishes from this clever covered ceramic serving dish made to look like a stand of asparagus and a ceramic tureen studded with acorns. The asparagus dish is $49.95 and the acorn tureen is $69.95. Both are from Sur la Table, 161 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, [phone].

- L.H.

HOLIDAY HOOPLA: Home and Garden Television offers the best in holiday decor with its first-ever ``12 Days of Christmas'' programming event, featuring 12 specials that capture unique holiday decorations across the U.S. Host Joan Steffend (pictured at right) and designers Richard Anderson and Krista Crawford (pictured at far right) transform two homes for the holidays for less than $500 each on ``Decorating Cents: Deck the Halls,'' which premieres at 8 p.m. Nov. 27. Special holiday episodes of HGTV's most popular series also will be shown. The event starts Friday and runs through Dec. 7, with accompanying holiday content online at HGTV.com.

- J.S.

THE FESTIVAL OF JEWISH ARTISANS

What: A showcase featuring one-of-a-kind Jewish art from 30 celebrated artists, including Cornell resident Rhonda Kap.

Where: Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles.

When: 8 tonight and 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: Opening night $15 and $18. Sunday $2 and $5. Call [phone] or go to www.templeisaiah.com.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Local sculptor Rhonda Kap is one of 30 artists who will display creations at the Festival of Jewish Artisans in West Los Angeles this weekend.

(2) no caption (Judaica champagne flute)

(3) no caption (Thanksgiving relish dish)

(4) no caption (Asparagus serving dish)

(5) no caption (Ceramic tureen with acorns)

(6) STEFFEND (left), CRAWFORD

Box:

FESTIVAL OF JEWISH ARTISANS (see text)