Galia & Doron

Galia and Doron got married recently. Galia's mum asked me to make two cards - one for her daughter and one for the young couple - both using the design of their wedding invitation as inspiration.

The first card I made for the couple featured the teeny tiny letters of their names, handcut in the same font that was used on their invitation. I then cut out leaves in matching colours and placed them in two corners of the card, just like the invitation. 

For the second card I decided to reverse the design. I cut the leaf pattern out of the white card and added a paper inlay with a watercolour effect, in similar colours to the invitation. I then cut out Galia's name in a delicate script font, using the same watercolour paper once again.

It was interesting to see two very different cards, both inspired by the same invitation.
"Love the cards, thank you. [They are] fantastic." mum wrote to me.

I added my own small card to the collection too, once again cutting out leaves in the matching pastel colours and adding the Hebrew words מזל טוב, Mazal Tov, which literally means "good luck", though the phrase is also used to express "congratulations".

Even with the excitement of the big day, the bride was kind enough to let me know on her wedding day how much she loved the cards!

* This post has been shared on Inspire Me Tuesday, {wow me} wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, The Wednesday Link Up, Little Things Thursday and Creatively Crafty.

 

Panda

A new customer loved the way I had illustrated her friend Marjorie's dog on the picture I made for Marjorie's 50th birthday. She contacted me and asked me to make a portrait of her dog, Panda. Panda is a collie, one of my favourite breeds, so I was of course excited to make this piece!
Panda's owner was keen to point out all her features. Her cutest parts are the white leaf on her head, the tufts of fur under her ears and her tiny eyelashes, she said. She also wanted me to illustrate Panda's hot pink, paw-shaped tag on her collar and to show Panda sitting down. Rather than simply using a flat colour as the background, I suggested that I show her sitting in grass.

I absolutely loved working on this piece, though Panda's tiny little eyelashes were perhaps the smallest piece of paper I have ever cut! They were important to my customer. "She is female, after all!" she said. The picture was well received and my customer was keen to get it framed. (My photo simply shows how it looks in a frame. It is just a mock-up.)

If anyone is interested in their own pet portrait, I'd love to hear from you! This piece fitted a 13x18cm frame but I am able to work in all sizes. Please contact me for pricing.

* This post has been shared on Lovin' Life Linky, Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty, Thursday Favorite Things, Welcome to the Weekend and All Seasons.

With Love

Although the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Av is officially the holiday of love in Israel, Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular over the years. The shops here are certainly not full of Valentine's Day goodies and cards as I remember they were in the UK, but the occasional red heart does pop up here and there. Mister Handmade in Israel and I have always exchanged cards and small gifts on Valentine's Day though. I guess we're still a little bit British at heart.

Ever since I created this papercut for Mister Handmade in Israel's 50th birthday back in 2014, he has been a big fan of that style of art. For Valentine's Day I made him this card with a heart, a rose and the hand lettered message 'With Love' on it. I cut the card out of natural white stock and added a pink paper inlay.

He loved the card and the "You make my Heart-saur" dinosaur socks that I bought for him. See how romantic I really am? 😉

Mister Handmade in Israel didn't forget Valentine's Day either. I received a cute little card with a poem that still has me in fits of giggles when I think about it. The chocolate and flowers arrived on Valentine's Day morning and were very much appreciated! I have just returned from a trip to the UK. I think he might have missed me...

* This post has been shared on Creative Mondays Link Up, {wow me} wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Share Your Style.