Hetty

Hetty celebrated her 18th birthday in October. Her mum sent me a photo of her and asked if I could use it. She particularly wanted Hetty to appear just as she was in the picture, drinking from a cup. She also requested that I include a saxophone, a pair of AirPods, and a poetry book around Hetty's portrait.

I carefully recreated the photo of Hetty, adding the saxophone, AirPods, and poetry book just as her mum requested. I was especially pleased with how the saxophone turned out.

I hope Hetty loved the final piece.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Sundays on Silverado, Mosaic Monday and Busy Monday.

It's them!

A good friend asked me to make a joint 80th birthday card for her parents, who were both celebrating their birthdays in November. She also requested that the card be extra large.

She told me that her parents are devoted fans of Coronation Street (affectionately known as Corrie), the long-running British soap opera that first aired in 1960. Set on a cobbled street in the fictional town of Weatherfield - based on Salford in Greater Manchester - it follows the everyday lives of working-class characters. It seems my friend's parents never miss an episode!

She also mentioned that they drink plenty of tea, often sharing a croissant. After checking the details, I learned that the croissant had to be a plain one, and the tea should be served in a cup and saucer - the traditional and proper English way to drink tea! Finally, she asked me to include a big 80 on the card.

My friend sent me a photo of her parents. She told me that her dad’s personal "uniform" is a blue polo shirt with light trousers, and that he always wears a plain black kippa (skullcap). Her mum, on the other hand, loves to wear red.
I decided to show her parents sitting together at a small café table, enjoying tea and a croissant. I added a big gold 80 in the background, along with the Coronation Street sign.
They were all thrilled with the card!

"It's them!" my friend wrote when she collected the card. "You are so talented! I knew that already, of course - but wow! The tea, the croissant, all of it. Wow!"

After their birthday party, she wrote to me again:

"I gave them your card at the party and they, and all their friends, were absolutely wowed! They all loved it! It made it really special."

* This post has been shared on Saturday Sparks, Sundays on Silverado,  Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Ori and Doron

Ori is Israeli but currently lives in New York. His sister, an art student who also works as a flight attendant for El Al, was planning to visit him on his birthday, so their mum ordered a card for her to bring along. Mum told me that Ori loves coffee and that he sends them coffee photos all the time! He works for Apple Inc. and of course lives in The Big Apple. She also asked me to include the Empire State Building, and told me that he favours Omega luxury watches too. 

I showed bespectacled Ori standing in front of the Empire State Building, the eighth-tallest building in New York City. He is holding a cup of coffee and wearing one of his favourite watches. I then added a little graphic of an apple with the words "The Big Apple" on it. The "shine" on the apple is the Apple Inc. logo.

Doron was turning 30 and was going to celebrate his birthday in Rome! His mother-in-law asked me to create a large card with a Rome theme. She also wanted a big 30 somewhere on the card.

The card was simple but a lot of fun to make. I cut out a large number 30 and decorated the card with the Italian tricolour - green, white, and red. Then I added a slice of pizza (of course!), a glass of wine, a gladiator's helmet, and an image of the Colosseum, the huge amphitheatre built nearly two thousand years ago as a gift to the Roman people and originally used for gladiator games, dramas, and - yes - public executions! To finish it off, I cut out tiny pieces of pasta, a classic symbol of Roman hospitality.

* This post has been shared on Saturday Sparks Link Party, Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.