Daniel and Eilon

When Daniel turned 15, his birthday card showed him writing music on his laptop computer. This year his mum asked me to show him playing the piano and wearing his favourite blue hoodie and ear pods. Apparently he always wears the same blue hooded sweatshirt and always has the white ear pods in his ears! Sounds like a normal 16 year old, right?
The card was well received. "Another great success!" his mum wrote to me.

Eilon, one of Daniel's younger brothers, also recently celebrated his birthday. There are five boys in their family and they ALL receive one of my cards on their big day. Mum tells me that it has become a family tradition.

Eilon was turning 7. He is still very into ninja (last year I showed him swinging from some wooden hoops in a new play area he had visited) so mum sent me a picture of him running up a warped wall. Apparently Eilon loves the photo. In the background she asked me to include some of the books from a series he enjoys as well. Of course I added a big number 7 to mark his age.

Mum was delighted with the card when she saw it, "I love it. Eilon will be thrilled!".  A couple of days later she sent me these fabulous photos of him opening his card:
"Such a perfect card! He loves it so much! He was so emotional yesterday, he was teary eyed with excitement."

Such a sweet boy!

* This post has been shared on Funtastic Friday Link Party.

Running on the Track

A new customer wrote to me with a request for a birthday card for her son who was turning 16. She told me that he is a runner and sent me a photo of the young man in action. I also received  the logo of his running club - a simple one made up of three circles - and some physics diagrams too.

I showed Aron on the running track. I carefully cut out the circles of his running club's logo and added a big number 16 to mark his age and those physics diagrams as well.

Mum was delighted with the card when she collected it but wasn't sure that Aron would want me to share it here. Several days later I received a message saying "Aron said you can post his card. He loved it! We all did." Apparently he wants his parents to frame it for him as well.

I think it was winner!

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Happy 21st and Sweet 16

Jack was turning 21. His auntie requested a large card for his birthday. Themes should be weights, the logos of his various businesses and Tilly the dog, she said. Jack himself asked if I could show him wearing his hat worn backwards. He has been receiving cards made by me for many years now, so I guess they are no longer a surprise 😂. I do know that they are much appreciated though!

I showed Jack, weights in hand, on the front of his card. His auntie and I had some discussion about his beard and in the end I pencilled in an unshaven look. Tilly the dog is just behind him. I added the logos of the businesses he is involved in and the crest of the University of Leeds where he studies. A big red number 21 marks his age.

"Absolutely fabulous!" his auntie wrote to me.

Emily turned 16. She moved to Israel with her family not so long ago, so is currently learning Hebrew. I suggested showing her holding a pile of Hebrew books and carefully gave them titles such as "Hebrew Verb Tables" and "Hebrew-English Dictionary". I added some Hebrew letters too and the flag of Israel as well. A big number 16 shows her age.

Emily's mum wrote to me on her daughter's birthday and said "The only thing Emily wanted for her birthday was a Lisa card!". Fortunately she was very happy with it. How wonderful is that?

* This post has been shared on Creatively Crafty and All Seasons.

Louis and Yonatan

A new customer in the UK found the invitation I created for my eldest son's Bar Mitzvah on Google and wrote to ask me if I could make a similar design for her son. When I heard that he too is an Arsenal supporter, I couldn't resist!

She asked me show the dark haired Bar Mitzvah boy wearing his Arsenal shirt (I made sure to illustrate the 2018/19 shirt and not the one my son was wearing back in 2013). She also wanted me to include a football, his mobile phone, his Xbox remote control and to show him wearing a tallit. A Jewish boy who has reached the age of 13 can wear a tallit for morning prayer, during the week, as well as on Shabbat and other holy days.

Just like my son, red and white - the Arsenal team colours - were to be the colour scheme of the Bar Mitzvah celebrations, but the Bar Mitzvah boy's favourite colour is actually light blue. I popped his paper portrait onto a light blue background and gave him a red kippa for good measure.
"Just received your card." my customer wrote to me. "It’s fabulous! Thank you very much."

I make birthday cards for Yonatan - and his four brothers - every year. His Mum is diligent about ordering them for her children's birthdays. Last year mum asked me to show him playing on his PlayStation.
This year he was turning 16. She wanted me to show him jumping rope, or as I call it, skipping. She also requested a soccer ball football, Yonatan's soccer shoes football boots and purple weights. Yep, they had to be purple!

I added a big yellow number 16 to mark his age.

"As always, I love it! You are so talented!" my customer wrote to me. "Yonatan loved the details!"

* This post has been shared on MMM Block Party, Mix it up Monday, Creative Mondays Link Up, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Made By You Monday, Pictorial Tuesday, 

Tuesdays with a Twist, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Happy Now Blog Link-Up, Thursday Favorite Things and Creatively Crafty.

Sixteen

My youngest son recently turned sixteen. It seems like only yesterday that his big brother was talking about driving lessons and his Tzav Rishon, or the "First Draft Notice," from the Israeli army, and now it's his younger brother's turn. He too can open his first bank account and will receive his "First Draft Notice" within a few months. He can also learn to drive. I've just about got used to his older brother driving. It can't really be his turn now, can it?

Driving lessons here in Israel are an expensive business! Students are required to take a minimum of 28 lessons with an instructor before they can take the Mivchan Shlita, the practical driving test. Therefore driving lessons were suggested as his birthday present and this year's birthday card simply had to reflect that. I have shown my son holding an Israeli L-plate in one hand. The plate shares the general design of Israeli information signs in its square form and blue background. On the blue background is a white triangle pointing upwards, with the black Hebrew letter "ל" in it, from the Hebrew למידה‎ - "Learning".
In his other hand he is holding his grey MUN folder. MUN, or Model United Nations, is an academic activity in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. MUN involves and teaches participants speaking, debating, and writing skills, in addition to critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership abilities. My youngest son, though a bright kid, is not the most serious of students but he really enjoys the MUN conferences. He is even willing to dress the part and will put on a white shirt and tie for the occasion!

Though we are a rather football-obsessed family (Mister Handmade in Israel and my eldest son are Arsenal mad and I have become a rather keen follower of Hull City A.F.C.) my youngest son wasn't so bothered until recently. In the last couple of years his interest in football has grown. Unlike his peers, he has picked differently from the more usual Manchester United or FC Barcelona! His favourite teams are our local Ironi Modi'in F.C. and Hull City A. F. C., so I added the team crests to the card along with a traditional black and white football. Unfortunately his Xiaomi phone had to appear on the card as well. He uses it rather a lot!
On a more positive note, my son is still an avid reader (regular followers of my blog will know that I have added books to many of his birthday cards over the years), so I added his Kindle, his preferred choice for reading these days. The pencils represent the hours he spends drawing in his bedroom.

Finally, he has almost given up on asking us to get him a dog (I know, I know!) and has reverted to begging for a hamster, the pet we used to have when the boys were younger. You can see a tiny little hamster peeking out from under the Israeli L-plate. A big green number 16 marks his age.

Happy Birthday to my creative, smart yet stubborn and rather lazy sixteen year old! We all enjoyed the Agents Escape Room that we did together on your birthday (we escaped in the nick of time with some assistance) and the sushi afterwards was delicious!

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