Lilac and Gold

The young lady illustrated on this card celebrated her Bat Mitzvah last month. She had recently completed a sponsored swim for charity and her Aunt told me that she also talks on the phone a lot! Though my son pointed out to me that my card was 'wrong' - that the girl couldn't be on the phone in the swimming pool - it made my customer laugh and I am told that the Bat Mitzvah girl loved it too.

I was also asked to make cards for the rest of the family, all with a little lilac or purple in the design, the Bat Mitzvah girl's favourite colour. The name 'Yona' means 'Dove' in Hebrew so one card had to have a dove on it. The others display a Star of David, one of the symbols most commonly associated with the Jewish people, and the number 12, the age that a Jewish girl becomes Bat Mitzvah.

Bat Mitzvah aside, I have also made a number of Golden Wedding cards lately. 50 years of marriage is really something special and a wonderful reason to celebrate. The origin of the 25th wedding anniversary symbol, which is silver, can be traced back to medieval Germany. When a couple had been married for 25 years they were honored by a silver wreath being placed on the head of the wife. If a couple made it to 50 years of marriage, a gold wreath was used - thus the golden anniversary was born!