Eighteen

My youngest son turned 18 last week and it certainly wasn't the 18th birthday he had dreamt of! Israel is currently in its third lockdown, so he celebrated his special birthday at home with mum and dad! When I think back to how I celebrated my 18th birthday - at Romeo and Juliet's in Hull, a nightclub which has long since disappeared - it does feel rather sad, but we are all healthy and safe at home, and Mister Handmade in Israel and I have received both of our Covid-19 vaccinations. It's all good.

Eighteen seems pretty old but then I do have one son already serving his compulsory service in the Israeli army. His younger brother will be finishing school this summer and will start his service shortly afterwards. Israel has just started to vaccinate the kids who, in the coming months, will be doing their bagrut, Israel's high school matriculation examination. He received his first shot a couple of days ago and will hopefully be able to prepare for his exams in some way, even though he hasn't been inside his school for almost a year!

My son has received a birthday card made by me ever since he turned 1. The first card of his that I showed on this blog was from his 6th birthday. It featured Dracula and bats! In recent years his cards seem to have been mostly dog themed. We never did get him a dog and probably should have done, but he is still passionate about them and I guess will one day have a dog of his own. The dog that appears on his 18th birthday card is Tofu, our neighbour's dog, who Gadi walks daily. In fact Tofu was with us when my son was opening his birthday cards, so Tofu was shown his paper portrait, above, and it seemed to meet with approval 😉.

My son has passed his driving test since his last birthday and when we are not in lockdown, likes to take Mister Handmade in Israel's car for a spin with his friends. I have shown the car on his card and he is proudly pointing to the car keys. He supports our local football team, Ironi Modi'in F.C., so I added the club badge to his card as well. Of course he's 18 now, so he can legally enjoy a beer with his friends. I included an overflowing beer glass, along with his precious phone which never leaves his hand.

Even at 18 it seems that he was very happy with his customised card handmade by Mum. The box of boutique beers that we had delivered went down very well too and of course there was cake. Writing all of this down has made me realise that it wasn't such a bad birthday after all!

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty Link Party, Thursday Favorite Things, Craft Schooling Sunday and All Seasons.

Happy 50th Birthday

Maryanne was turning 50 so her husband asked me to make a special card to mark the day. She is a sleep consultant, so themes of course had to include sleep. Her husband also asked me to add the UK, Irish and Israeli flags, gin and tonic and Luna the dog. After some discussion we decided that the card should have a big 50 on it as well, even though Maryanne apparently wasn't so thrilled about her big birthday!

I showed Maryanne celebrating her birthday with a gin and tonic in her hand. She is holding the flags of the UK, Israel and Ireland in her other hand. Behind her someone has settled down for a good night's sleep, presumably after a successful consultation with Maryanne! Next to her is Luna the dog and on her other side, her favourite brand of gin. A big 50 marks her age.

Her husband wrote to tell me that Maryanne loved the card!

Ilan, who was also turning 50, loves going on tiyulim (hikes), homebrewing, baking and studying the Bible (תנך). I have shown him with a copy of the Bible under his arm, with a loaf of freshly baked bread in his other hand. He also bakes cakes, so I added a yummy looking slice of cake as well. Behind him are a couple of beer bottles and a carboy or demijohn, the glass vessel used in fermenting beer. Trees and hills illustrate his love for hiking in the countryside and a big red 50 marks his age.

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty, Creative Compulsions Linky Party, Crafty Schooling Sunday and Inspire Me Monday.

Running, Cricket and Grilling

Danny recently turned 50. He likes his beer, particularly Tetleys and Boddingtons, he supports Nottingham Forest F.C. and is a keen runner. His wife told me that he wears a white cap when he runs and a sweatband on his arm, so I made sure to include those little details on his birthday card.

I showed Danny running on his card. He has a can of Boddingtons in his hand. The Forest club badge is to his right, while some more cans of beer can be seen behind him. Since he celebrated his birthday during the coronavirus pandemic, I added a blue mask and the coronavirus symbol in a red prohibition sign. They served as a reminder - not that he needed it - of what was happening in the world when he celebrated his 50th birthday. A big red number 50 marks his age.

Danny's wife was thrilled with the card and shared the photo, above top, on Facebook. "Thanks Lisa Isaacs from Handmade in Israel for this brilliant card." she wrote.

A new customer contacted me with a request for a personalised card for her husband's 40th birthday. He is into cricket and growing tomatoes, she told me. She asked me to include the family dog on the card as well.

I showed him, cricket bat in hand, with the dog, a gorgeous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, next to him. A tomato plant is growing beautifully behind him and behind the plant are some cricket stumps. A big red number 40 marks his age.

He loved the card.

Finally, this request was for a birthday card for a guy who loves grilling, playing Xbox, skiing, technology and playing frisbee. I have shown him with a pair of skis in one hand and a sausage on a grilling fork in the other! A frisbee is flying towards him and a barbecue is open behind him. In the front I added an Xbox and controller and some little symbols to illustrate his love of technology.
My customer wrote on Facebook that I did a fabulous job!

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty, All Seasons, Inspire Me Monday, Wonderful Wednesday and {wow me} wednesday.

Ella and Shai

Ella's boyfriend Shai was turning 30. Shai's favourite football team is Beitar Yerushalayim, Beitar Jerusalem Football Club, she told me. He likes to drink beer, reads a lot of books and they love to get Golda frozen yoghurts together. Ella was taking Shai to Amsterdam for his birthday so she asked me to include something to something to represent that as well. Finally she wanted a large number 30 on the card and of course a paper portrait of the two of them. Shai can't be seen without his dark navy sunglasses on his head too. Could I add them too?

I have shown the young couple on Shai's birthday card. They are sharing a frozen yoghurt and holding hands. Shai has a beer in his other hand. To his right is the badge of his beloved football team, Beitar Jerusalem, along with a small pile of books. Shai's navy sunglasses are perched on top of his head. To Ella's left is a little illustration of Amsterdam. I added a big heart and the number 30 to mark his age.

The Hebrew greeting on the card says "Mazal Tov (Congratulations) to my Shai".
Ella's dad collected the card for her. "My dad just sent me a photo of the card! It looks AMAZING!!! I can't wait to give it to Shai! Thank you so much!" she wrote to me.

* This post has been shared on Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays with a Twist, The Happy Now Blog Link-Up and Creatively Crafty.