Ilana

Ilana celebrated her 50th birthday in November. She is quite a regular customer of mine and so it seems that her family and friends who have received my cards over the years wanted to return the compliment when it came to her birthday. 

Her daughter contacted me and asked if I could make her mum a card. As it happened, one of Ilana's friends had already beaten her to it, but her daughter didn't mind. I assured her that the cards would be different! She told me that her mum likes cooking. She loves butterflies and tulips. And she is a teacher.

I showed redheaded Ilana holding a big bunch of pink tulips. Some butterflies are fluttering past her. I added a little blackboard with the words "Back to School" on it, and an exercise book and pencils to represent her teaching career. A cooking pot and wooden spoon illustrate Ilana's love of cooking. A big yellow number 50 marks her age.

Ilana's friend asked me to make her a birthday card too. She requested a water bottle, and some vegetables, since Ilana loves to cook. She told me that Ilana teaches English and also loves to read.

I showed Ilana with the water bottle in her right hand. She is pointing to a blackboard with the words "50 Today!" on it with her left hand. Next to her are some vegetables and a small pile of books.

Ilana was delighted with her cards and kindly messaged me on the day of her birthday:

Thank you for my cards

I was soooo lucky to get two 

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Love them

* This post has been shared on Wednesdays in the Studio, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Hila 23

My eldest son's girlfriend, Hila, celebrated her 23rd birthday at the end of June. My son, Nadav, sent me a favourite photo of the two of them together, and asked me to make Hila a birthday card based on it.

Hila and Nadav spent some time travelling in the Far East earlier this year. They visited Hội An, a city in Vietnam known for its well-preserved ancient town, and also for its workshops and tailors where you can have custom-made clothes made. Hila and Nadav decided to do a cooking workshop together and, on their second day in the city, they joined the workshop of a woman named Hon, along with two more Israeli families and a Dutch couple. Hon is apparently well known among Israelis!

They started the workshop with a tour of the local market. Hon explained to them about local fruits and vegetables, many of which they didn't recognise and are not available in Israel. Then, in the workshop they prepared, among other things, spring rolls wrapped in thin rice wrappers and filled with a variety of fresh vegetables, and egg rolls with a cooked filling and wrapped in a fried, crispy wrapper. This is what they are holding in the photo Nadav shared with me.

I have shown Hila and Nadav wearing the black aprons they were supplied with at the cooking workshop. They are proudly holding the results of their hard work! I added a big number 23 to mark Hila's age. The Hebrew greeting says "Happy Birthday Hila ❤".

They both look happy enough with the card!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Happiness is Homemade.

Soup of the Day

A customer asked me to make a birthday card for her mum. She is a pharmacist, a brilliant cook and she loves to read, her daughter told me. I asked her what mum's favourite thing to cook is. The answer was soup.

I have shown my customer's mum with a big soup ladle in one hand and a book in the other. She is surrounded by some blister packs of pills and some capsules, which represent her profession as a pharmacist. In front of mum is a big pot of soup, some pill containers and a couple of books. Finally, a big number 79 marks her age.

My customer seemed delighted with the card. She left me a message saying "My mother LOVES the card" and then kindly shared it on Facebook as well. "The incredible Lisa Isaacs made this GORGEOUS card for my mom. How talented is she?" she wrote.

* This post has been shared on Link-up Potpourri and The Good. The Random. The Fun..

50 & 60

Saville was turning 50 so his wife asked me to make him a special birthday card. You definitely need to show him hiking Shvil Yisrael, the Israel National Trail, she told me and it would be great if you could add in cooking and biking too. I asked her what Saville likes to cook and she told me that he make hummus and challah every week.

I showed Saville in front of a desert landscape. He has a large rucksack on his back. The white, blue and orange striped marker indicating sections of the Israel trail is next to him and behind him is his blue bike. I added a small challah and a plate of hummus to illustrate his love of cooking.

His wife posted my card on Instagram and declared "Lisa's card made it [Saville's 50th birthday] just that much more special."

Sarah's sister asked me to make a special card for her upcoming 60th birthday. She likes baking and bike riding and she is a teacher, she told me. She enjoys gardening and sunbathing too. She also wanted me to mention that they are sisters and to include a large 60 since Sarah is very proud of her age. 

Sarah teaches social sciences at a secondary school in London. I have shown her with a social sciences book in one hand. She is wearing a green gardening glove and holding a trowel in her other hand. Behind her I added a red parasol on a beach. Her bike is standing there too.

Her sister told me that she likes to bake scones and lemon cake - favourites in our home as well! A scone filled with cream and jam is on a plate next to her, while there is a slice of lemon cake in front. Finally, I added a little graphic saying "sisters are special".
I do hope that this sister liked her special card.

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