Twins 18th Birthday

I have made birthday cards for twins Amitai and Gavriel many times over the years, the last time being in 2021, when they turned 15. In October they turned 18 and once again their mum asked me to make each young man a special card to mark their big day.

Amitai enjoys spending time in the gym, where he builds up his strength and muscle with dumbbells and barbells. He plays FIFA on his Xbox, and goes to כושר קרבי, or combat fitness, a pre-army physical fitness class. He is also a big Spurs supporter.

Amitai's mum told me that he has a mullet haircut, a style that first became popular in the 80s and has once again come back into fashion!
His birthday card shows him working out, the latest FIFA game, the cockerel and ball emblem of Spurs, and the fitness class logo. A big number 18 marks his age.

Amitai's brother, Gavriel enjoys playing computer games. He loves the family's cat, Molly, and is also a regular at כושר קרבי, or combat fitness, where mum said they mostly seem to run around and crawl though sand!

My card shows bearded Gavriel holding Molly the cat. The computer game Polygon can be seen on his laptop. Once again I added the fitness class logo, and a big number 18 to mark Gavriel's age.

Mum was delighted with the cards and sent me these fabulous photos on the day of their birthday. They were captioned with the simple message "Perfect".

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Daniel, Ro'i and Missiles in the Sky

On Saturday night Iran shot roughly 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and suicide drones from its territory into Israel. This marked the first-ever direct attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic, triggering air raid sirens throughout the country. We had a sleepless night listening to the fighter jets overhead and wondering what was going to happen to us. It's been a rather anxious few days. But I want to continue sharing my art here, in an attempt to normalize my life. I hope you enjoy two of my latest cards.

The last birthday card I made for Daniel showed him playing the piano. His mum said that he still plays all the time, so it should be the main theme of this year's card too. It was up to me to come up with something different!

Daniel's mum sent me a photo of him at the piano. She said that the beige sweatshirt he is wearing is his current favourite (last time it was blue!). She also asked me to add his soccer (football) boots, some car keys (to show that he drives) and a big 18.

I showed Daniel sitting at the piano, making music. Some car keys, with a little white car on the keyring, are next to him, and his black soccer boots, with the pattern on them accurately copied, are in the foreground. A big orange number 18 marks his age.

Mum wrote to tell me that "[The card] was a wonderful success. He loved it and really thinks it looks like him!".

Daniel's older brother, Ro'i, turned 23. Mum wanted me to show him with his grey rucksack and sent me a photo of him on his travels. Now back in Israel, he has gone back to rehearsing monologues for theatre class, she told me, so asked me to add a notebook or paper with the word 'monologue' on it. Finally, Ro'i's girlfriend is called Maya, so I added a red heart with her name in it.
A big blue number 23 marks Roi's age.

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun.

Hadar and Benjo

A good friend asked me to make a card for her daughter's 18th birthday. Her daughter is a part-time waitress at Cafe Greg, a well know dairy cafe with branches throughout the country. She thought it would be cute if I could put the logo of the chain on her daughter's shirt.
My friend wanted me to show her daughter baking challah, the loaf of white bread, typically plaited in form, which is traditionally baked to celebrate Shabbat. She also asked me to include an Israeli flag, along with the Hebrew phrase יחד ננצח, "Together We Will Win", the national motto since the start of the war, which has been used on the news and by many companies and organizations.

I showed Hadar, the birthday girl, in her olive coloured work shirt, with the Cafe Greg logo on the sleeve. She is busy plaiting a challah and there is a mixing bowl, wooden spoon and eggs next to her. Most traditional challah recipes use eggs, flour, water, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil and salt. Challah is made without dairy.

I added the blue and white Israeli flag with the "Together We Will Win" motto beneath it.

A big red number 18 marks her age.

My friend told me that her daughter loved the card!

Benjo was turning 12. My last card for him was Minecraft-themed. This year he has become somewhat of an entrepreneur, making money taking care of other people's dogs. He wanted to be shown holding the shekels he has earnt. I added the logo he created for his little business in the background and also a portrait of Snow, the dog that he had looked after for a few weeks.

A big red number 12 marks Benjo's age.

* This post has been shared on  The Good. The Random. The Fun.

Max and Ben

Max was turning 18. I have made many cards for him over the years, including this one for his Bar Mitzvah, but on this occasion his auntie didn't suggest a particular theme. She did send me a recent photo of her nephew, so I decided to simply create a paper portrait of him holding up a big number 18. I added some balloons and stars as well.

"He really liked it!" his aunt told. "It looks just like him."

Ben has also received birthday cards made by me for many years. This year's card had a locksmith theme, since that's what he is currently working as, while spending time in the USA. His mum requested a USA flag somewhere on the card too.

I cut out various keys and locks and added a big Stars and Stripes to this small card. As a matter of interest, the 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from Great Britain and became the first states in the US. The colours of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolises hardiness and valour, white symbolises purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

Friday evening marks the start of Pesach, or Passover, and my family and I will celebrate the Passover Seder. You can read more about it in two of my previous posts here and here. 'Chag Pesach Sameach', a happy Passover festival, to all celebrating.

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Crafty Creators Link Party, Thursday Favorite Things, Creatively Crafty Link Party