Ben's Album

Some time ago I rediscovered a friend on Facebook whom I originally met on Ulpan (Hebrew language school) over 17 years ago. She and her husband had left Israel but have happily recently returned. Because we have become friends on Facebook my friend could see examples my work posted there and, as her eldest son was soon becoming Bar Mitzvah, she asked me to make an album for him.

Her son's big interest at the moment is surfing, she told me. He also likes football - he's an Arsenal supporter, just like the boys in my family - tennis and going on his ripstick. He enjoys bowling and going to the movies, playing games on his iPod, talking to his friends on Facebook and playing games on the Wii console. He loves going on roller coaster rides too - the scarier the better. Wow, did I have a lot to work with!

The cover illustration was fun to create. I showed the young man on his surfboard, wearing, as his Mum told me he does, a chocolate brown swim shirt and the patterned shorts I had spotted in a photograph. The important Arsenal badge is there too and even though our Bar Mitzvah boy is surfing, he has a football in one hand and an iPod Touch in the other.

The colour scheme of green and grey was based on the design of the Bar Mitzvah invitation. I was informed that it was white with a silver and green border and the boy's name was in green. I hope that I was successful in incorporating that into my design. The date of the Bar Mitzvah ceremony, and the boy's English and Hebrew names are there too.

Inside the album I embellished a few pages. The first page was movie themed and showed a tub of popcorn, some film (I'm an old-fashioned girl at heart!) and a couple of tickets. After that I included the Bar Mitzvah boy's ripstick, showed him whizzing past on a roller coaster ride, added his tennis racket and, finally, a laptop open on Facebook and a Wii controller. I think just the bowling got missed off but his Mum had prioritised his list of favourites and that was right at the bottom!

My friend sent me the most lovely e-mail when she received the album. "I picked up the album this morning." she wrote. "Absolutely LOVE it. Love all the personal touches and the lovely way it came wrapped in tissue paper and a box. So happy with it. Keeping it as a surprise for Ben. Thanks so much!"