Savta Sue

Savta Sue is an actress. She likes doing pilates and swimming, loves the beach and Tel Aviv life and Israeli dancing too. She also enjoys iced coffees, her daughter-in-law told me. There was plenty to put on her birthday card!

I have shown Safta Sue (Savta or Safta is the Hebrew word for Grandmother) Israeli folk dancing. Her daughter-in-law told me that she usually wears three-quarter length culottes and a light loose T-shirt for dancing, so I tried to show her in the right outfit. She has an iced coffee in her hand. Behind her is a stage with sweeping red curtains and a backdrop showing a gorgeous Tel Aviv sunset. A towel lies on the stage and she has swimming goggles on top of her head to represent her love of swimming. A big number 75 marks her age.

Sue loved her card and her daughter-in-law remarked "Lisa Isaacs does it again!"

This mum turned 70. Her daughter told me that she is a photographer and an adventure traveller, as well as being a grandma to seven. She also enjoys learning and helps many people study Jewish scriptures and more.
Obviously this lady enjoys being outdoors so I showed her, camera in hand, at the beach. The background photo I used is in fact one of her recent photos! But her daughter stressed that learning is also important to her, so I popped a copy of the Hebrew Bible (תנך) under her arm.
Mum apparently had great expectations with this card, since she has received others made by me previously. You can see them here and here. I hope that this one was a success too!

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creative Compulsions Linky Party, Creatively Crafty, Craft Schooling Sunday and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).

Birthday Cards for a Special Mum and Safta

This mum was turning 75 and her daughter requested a special card to mark the occasion. She likes painting and being creative, reading and playing Rummikub, her daughter told me. She also has a tabby cat.
I showed mum with a paintbrush in one hand and a book in her other hand. A pot of paintbrushes and her tabby cat are to one side of her, a book and Rummikub tiles are on the other. I added a big red number 75 to mark her age.
"She loved her card!" her daughter told me.

I have made birthday cards for this Safta (the Hebrew word for Grandmother) several times before. Back in 2014 I showed her making her famous chicken soup and last year I showed her playing Solitaire on her iPad. This year her daughter-in-law asked me to make a card based on the theme of aliyah. Literally, the Hebrew word "aliyah" means ascent or rise, but for generations it has been used to mean "to move to Israel".

I have shown Safta together with Saba (the Hebrew word for Grandfather). She is waving an Israeli flag. A sign behind the couple says "Welcome to Israel".

Finally, this amazing lady turned 100! My customer asked me to make her a card with an Israeli flag on it as well. I added flowers and butterflies and a big gold 100 to mark her age.

I was delighted to be shown this fabulous photo! She looks very happy with her card.

* This post has been shared on Inspire Me Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Tuesdays with a Twist, Creatively Crafty, Handmade & Otherwise Weekly Link Up and Friday at the Fire Station Link-Up Party.

Birthday Cards for Dads

A new customer spotted my work online and contacted me to see if I could make a birthday card for her dad's upcoming 70th birthday. His hobbies include following Manchester United F.C., swimming, walking and Pilates and he loves Bazooka bubble gum, she told me. It was definitely the first time I had been asked to feature bubble gum on a card!
Dad's favourite hobby is walking in the countryside, so I have shown him against a background of rolling green hills. He has a rucksack on his back. I added a big red number 70 in the top left-hand corner of the card, followed by some Bazooka bubble gums, the Manchester United club crest and a football. A silhouette of dad doing some Pilates can be seen to his left, along with a swimming towel and goggles.

My customer left the most wonderful review in my Etsy shop:
"Wonderful job. Lisa finished it very fast and went to great effort to ensure it was delivered on time. She did a superb job, we all loved it. The likeness was amazing and the card was fantastic. Thank you!"

This dad was turning 75. I made a birthday card for his wife earlier in the year. He likes watching Formula 1 and cricket, his son told me, and he is very keen on building Lego models. He is also a fan of Emmerdale, a television soap opera set in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside.
I have shown him with some Lego in his hand. A television screen behind him has the Emmerdale opening title on it. I added the number 75 to mark his age, the red Formula 1 logo - apparently its red colour represents passion and energy - and a racing car, and finally, a cricket bat, ball and stumps. The bat looks a bit wonky in this photo but I straightened it up before I sent the card out!
"I'm sure my Dad will love the card" his son wrote to me.

* This post has been shared on {wow me} wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, The Happy Now Blog Link-Up, Little Things Thursday and Creatively Crafty Link Party.

Four Grandchildren and the Dog

A customer asked me to create a birthday card for her dad who was turning 75. He always wears a black T-shirt and a black cap, she told me. She asked me to show dad on the card along with his four grandchildren and his dog, a Whippet.

The four grandchildren have all received cards made by me before, so it wasn't hard to create their paper portraits. According to my customer I got dad just right too. I matched the shape and colour of his glasses and even added a tiny Nike swoosh to his cap. I have not seen a picture of George the Whippet but was asked to make him a grey-blue colour. Hope I got it right! A big yellow number 75 marks dad's age and some balloons give the card a birthday theme.

* This post has been shared on The Welcome To The Weekend Link Up, All Seasons, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Happiness is Homemade and Creatively Crafty.

Saba the Tailor

I'm not going to mention the terrible deaths of Israel's young soldiers, already two from my city, nor the rockets flying over our heads. I'm not going to mention the fact that nearly all the summer events have been cancelled, and that our long-planned holiday hangs in the balance at the moment unless flights to and from Israel are resumed. Instead I am going to show you one of my latest creations, just so that I can pretend that everything is good and normal. 

Saba (the Hebrew word for Grandfather) is a tailor, with his own shop in the UK. I received a photo of the shop so that I could copy it as accurately as possible. I have shown him proudly standing outside it, shop sign and all. Obviously he has more stock in the window than I have shown! These two suit jackets are for illustrative purposes only.
Saba's daughter-in-law tells me that he often wears a blue cap, especially here in the hot Israeli sun. I doubt he wears it for work. Anyway, it seems that I captured his look quite accurately because, not long after Mister Handmade in Israel had delivered the card for me, I received a message telling me "Lisa, you've done it again!!! The card's fantastic."
See... I do have something nice to write about from here.